Beautifully simple yet a little bit special, this dish is all about minimum effort, maximum impact.

This dish is wonderfully versatile and would be just as at home on the bench for a potluck dinner (if you’re in a region where alert levels allow that) as it would on a beautifully dressed Christmas table come December. It does require a couple of specialty ingredients in the cranberries and pistachios, though swap those out for apricots and toasted almonds and it will be equally as visually appealing and delicious! So with Christmas just weeks away (cue the Christmas carols and fairy lights), make this recipe one of the repertoire and you and your guests will be impressed. 

 JEWELLED COUSCOUS

Serves 4-6 as a starter

• 200g (1 cup) couscous
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 300ml boiling vegetable stock or water
• ½ cup (65g) cranberries, roughly chopped
• ½ cup (60g) pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
• 2 cups herbs (I used mint, parsley and coriander), packed, roughly chopped
• zest of 1 large lemon + 2 tablespoons juice

Put the couscous into a small heat-proof bowl, add the butter and pour over the boiling stock or water. Stir and then cover and leave for 5 minutes.

Fluff up the couscous with a fork and put in a salad bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, toss together and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving.