25. Pad Thai

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Rural Devon is in the grip of a Thai cooking frenzy. You might not think it, but that’s the only reason I can come up with for why my local Tesco has sold out (yes, sold out) of tamarind paste.

24. Caramelised spiced nuts

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Salted caramel is a massive food fad at the moment and this recipe therefore ticks some boxes on the “Things to be seen eating this year” list. It’s a very simple recipe, but the finished article is superb. Like the white chocolate cookies recipe, it’s worth buying the book for this alone.

23. Red cabbage with pears & garlic

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We’ve already noted Lorraine’s obsession with pears, and here is another recipe containing them. In fact, the description of this recipe contains a rather saucy passage about pear juice dribbling down Lorraine’s chin. That’s quite enough of that Lorraine, this isn’t Marks & Spencer.

22. Paprika baked fish with chorizo, lemon & thyme

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The smell of chorizo frying is unarguably a beautiful thing. More controversial, however, is its pronunciation. Do you go for the fully Anglicised cho-ritz-o, or the fully Spanish ko-ri-tho? I like to go for half and half: cho-ri-tho, to avoid sounding either ignorant or pretentious. I like to think it’s working.

21. Decadent rosemary & Worcestershire sauce shepherd’s pie

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I remember once arriving at an event where someone shook my hand and said “Warm welcome.” I thought, I’ll be the judge of that and replied “Insincere handshake.” I feel the title of this recipe is a bit like this – let the taster decide if it’s decadent or not.

20. Really slow-roast pork with crispy, crispy crackling & garlic roast vegetables

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Next up this weekend was the slow-roast pork. I’ve actually cooked this a couple of times before, but I had to do it again to make sure I did all the 100 recipes this year.

19. Raspberry muffins with brown sugar topping

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You’re in for a bumper crop of Lorraine recipes with this being the first of three things cooked this weekend. First up these muffins, which I baked primarily as a dessert, but also some for snacks.

18. Mum’s chilli con carne

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Lorraine’s mum, not mine. She suggests serving it with rice or tortilla chips, but why should anyone be forced to choose between the two? Serve it with both.

17. Stove-top haddock with fennel seeds & basil

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Don’t you just love recipes where all the hard work is hidden in the ingredients list? For example, I found a lasagne recipe that called for 1.5kg tomatoes, peeled, pulp and seeds scooped out and chopped, then placed in a sieve, sprinkled with salt, drained for 20 minutes to extract the juice, what’s left in the sieve thrown away, juice and flesh kept to use. And that’s before you even start the cooking. (It was Heston Blumenthal, who never does anything the easy way).

16. Chewy white chocolate fudge cookies

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Some days, you just don’t feel like going out and, according to Lorraine, you need chicken soup for edible relief. Well I don’t know about you, but chicken soup is not the kind of thing I ever crave, but chocolate cookies …. well!