Bring it on, Mr Häagen-Dazs (or Mr Aldi)

I see that the estimable Crofty has been persuaded to give up the secret of one of his favourite recipes. And very good it sounds, too. It made me think there might be an interest among my readers for one or two gourmet cooking tips from the kitchen of Blunt Mansion.

Mrs Blunt isn't one for fancy cooking, so anything much beyond meat and two veg is my department. Here's a simple way to perplex your dinner party guests when next serving up the pudding.

Take a scoop or two of good quality vanilla ice cream per person, in individual bowls. There are lots of premium ice creams out there now, but I tend to reach for the Häagen-Dazs for this one.

Drizzle half a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over each bowl of ice cream. Aldi sell a very reasonably-priced oil that is fine for these purposes.

Scatter a few grains of sea salt over each portion.

Serve, and watch as your guests try to fathom where the intriguing flavour has come from.

Now, I wouldn't like my readers to think that, just because I've mentioned Häagen-Dazs and Aldi that I'm somehow in their pay. Bill Blunt doesn't work like that. But he wouldn't be averse to a few tubs of the creamy stuff or a couple of bottles of the oily stuff turning up on his doorstep unexpectedly, if it were to happen - in much the way that Crofty found himself the proud owner of a free recipe book, recently.