First of all, congratulations to my beautiful wife Amelda. We had a great day and met so many fabulous people at the Mother of the Year awards and she was thrilled to be chosen as one of the people to be honoured. All she says is that she doesn’t know why. But that is just her. I know why. And she really appreciated the award and the many compliments she has received.

So the next fine evening we will eat in the back garden and I will make her this simple tasty Sichuan ginger chicken. You will get the Sichuan peppercorns now in any Asian supermarket. They are deliciously fiery and aromatic. But if you don’t have them, you will be fine using regular black peppercorns instead. As this chicken cooks, the marinade will blacken in places, but as it falls off it will leave behind a well-flavoured, crisp skin, with lovely moist and tender meat beneath. This recipe also works well with pork chops and I love it with lamb cutlets.

The tomato and mozarella lasagne is really more of a salad. It is great for a light lunch or for a vegetarian meal. Fresh lasagne is now available in most supermarkets. Cut it to size with a sharp knife. If you don’t have fresh lasagne, just blanch the dried sheets and they will be soft enough to cut easily.

Happy cooking.

Neven Maguire’s Complete Baby & Toddler Cookbook is published by Gill & MacMillan

Sichuan ginger chicken

Serves four

1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns

3 tbsp freshly grated root ginger

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Finely grated rind of 3 oranges

4 spring onions, finely chopped

1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

2 tbsp clear honey

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

100ml (4fl oz) Donegal rapeseed oil

4 tbsp sesame oil

4 part-boned chicken breasts or 20 large chicken wings

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rice salad, to serve (optional)

1 Place the Sichuan peppercorns in a small frying pan and toast for a few minutes until aromatic, tossing occasionally. Then grind to a powder in a mini blender or pestle and mortar. Add the ginger to the ground pepper, with the garlic, orange rind, spring onions and chilli, and blitz or pound to a smooth paste. Transfer to a large polythene bag or plastic container with a lid and add the honey, soy sauce and rapeseed and sesame oils. Season to taste and stir until well combined.

2 Add the chicken breasts or wings to the Sichuan mixture, turning to coat, then secure the lid and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least four hours or preferably overnight, shaking the container occasionally.

3 When you are ready to cook, if using a charcoal barbecue, light it 30 minutes before you want to start. If using a gas barbecue, light it 10 minutes beforehand. Cook the chicken breasts over medium-hot coals for 25 to 30 minutes or the wings for 20 to 25 minutes, basting now and then with the leftover marinade. Arrange on plates, scatter with fresh coriander and, if you like, serve with some rice salad.

Fresh tomato &

mozzarella lasagne

Serves four

12 x 10cm (4in) square lasagne sheets

4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced

Good handful fresh basil leaves

2 x 125g (4 1/2oz) balls buffalo mozzarella, sliced

50g (2oz) wild rocket

4 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan shavings, to garnish

1 Cook the lasagne sheets in a large pan of boiling salted water for three to four minutes or according to packet instructions until al dente – tender but still with a little bite. Drain and rinse under warm water to remove any surface starch and leave to cool slightly.

2 Place one sheet of cooked lasagne on each serving plate and top with a few slices of the tomato and basil leaves. Top with another sheet of lasagne, a couple of slices of mozzarella and the rocket. Cover with the final sheets of lasagne and the remaining tomato and basil.

3 To make the dressing, combine the oil and vinegar in a screw-topped jar with a little salt and pepper, then drizzle all over the lasagne. Scatter over the parmesan and serve at once.