Salmon fillets are very popular and we use Clare Island organic, which are very good. They are also now part of the Simply Better collection in Dunnes. Well-produced organic salmon is perfect for this dish. As it is farmed in colder waters, it has a firmer flesh.

Salmon tastes far better if eaten slightly underdone rather than overcooked, and in this recipe it should be served warm, not hot. I like it with avocados and make sure you get ripe ones. Haas avocados are very good and widely available.

These roast lamb chops are full of flavour and it is great to be able to cook everything in the one tin and serve it straight to the table.

Our twins love lamb cutlets because they can pick them up in their hands. Sometimes instead of cherry tomatoes I use frozen peas and they work well. Happy cooking!

Recipes taken from Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook, which is out now, published by Gill.

>> Recipes

Griddled Salmon with Avocado and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Serves four as a starter

4 x 175g (6oz) skinless salmon fillets, pin bones removed

Donegal Rapseed oil, for brushing

½ lemon, pips removed

2 firm, ripe avocados

12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and finely chopped

½ small red onion, very finely chopped

25g (1oz) wild rocket

1 tbsp snipped fresh chives

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Heat a heavy-based griddle pan until it’s smoking hot. Cut each salmon fillet into three pieces, then season and brush each one with a little oil.

2 Arrange on the griddle pan, then reduce the heat and cook for one to two minutes on each side, until just cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the heat and add a squeeze of lemon juice.

3 Cut each avocado in half and remove the stone, then carefully peel away the skin. Cut into thick slices and arrange in the centre of each plate, then scatter over the sun-dried tomatoes, red onion and rocket and season to taste.

4 Arrange three pieces of the salmon on each one and scatter over the chives to serve.

Rosemary Roast Lamb Chops with Roasted Potatoes and Cherry Tomatoes

Serves four

3 tbsp Donegal Rapeseed oil

8 lamb chops

1kg (2¼lb) potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small chunks

8 garlic cloves, peeled

4 fresh rosemary sprigs

4 small bunches of cherry tomatoes on the vine, each about 50g (2oz)

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lightly dressed leafy green salad, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/450°F/gas mark 7. Heat one and a half tablespoons of the olive oil in a flameproof roasting tin or shallow ovenproof casserole dish over a medium heat.

2 Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper and sear in two batches for two minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate with a tongs and set aside.

3 Add the remaining one and a half tablespoons of the oil to the tin and put it back on a medium heat. Sauté the potatoes for four to five minutes, until they are just starting to brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic and rosemary, then tuck in the seared lamb chops. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.

4 Put the bunches of cherry tomatoes on the vine on top of the lamb and potato mixture and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the balsamic vinegar and return to the oven for five minutes, until the tomato skins have just started to split.

5 Serve straight to the table with a separate bowl of salad and allow everyone to help themselves.