Our friend Stella is Sicilian and like her mother and grandmother, she can be found curing olives each year ….

One of the few herbs in my garden which does not make a lovely dinner for the local possums, snails and other hungry varmints is French tarragon. It’s a champion. I like to keep a pot growing as it’s not always available at the market and I’m addicted to our Tarragon Salsa ….

Bite into one of these understated little morsels and you’ll be surprised by their unexpected interior. Happily, they combine the sweet richness of creamed almonds with the deep, savoury, chocolate flavour and crunchy texture of cocoa nibs to produce a beautifully balanced petit four ….