- Plan a party menu based on dishes you know the ones you cook well are the ones to choose.

- Consider dishes in relation to each other so you avoid a sequence of rich sauces, or worse still, cream in every course.

- Balance heavier courses with others of a lighter nature so that the menu as a whole is not too filling.

- Make use of seasonal foods, then your menus will vary with the time of the year.

- Work out what you can cook beforehand. It’s suprising how many dishes actually benefit from being made in advance. At least one, if not two, courses can be made in advance.

- The index of ideas on the following pages is not a list of all the recipes in the book. It is intended to serve as suggestions to prompt your own thoughts and help plan your menus.

- Savoury recipes are very ‘versatile: for instance, some first courses would also make a light main dish; but as a main dish they may not go so far so you might have to increase the quantities.

- When serving numbers that require a recipe to be doubled (a buffet is a good example), bear in mind that, in some cases, it is better to cook a recipe twice, rather than double the ingredients when the volume of mixture can become difficult to handle.

- Never feel obliged to offer an enormous choice of foods; plenty of a few dishes is often more appealing than an overwhelming variety.

- Do try out new recipes on the family please! A recipe is only new the first time you make it; if it’s a success you have another addition to your repertoire and you can extend it to the dinner party table.

Put the sugar and almonds into a heavy-based saucepan or frying pan and cook over moderate heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture is golden brown and the nuts are glazed. Quickly pour mixture on to an oiled baking tray and leave until completely cool and hard. Then break in pieces and finely crush the praline with a rolling pin.

Praline will keep for 6 months stored in an airtight tin screw-topped jar. It adds a most delicious flavour to mousses or ice creams. Sprinkle praline over trifle, custard puddings or dessert cakes.

Grease a small cake tin or large plate. Spread the walnuts on a baking tray and place in the centre of an oven heated to 350°F (180°C) or Gas no. 4 for about 5 minutes until walnuts become crisp and hot.

Meanwhile, put the sugar into a medium-sized saucepan. Make up the orange juice to 1/4 pint (150ml) with water. Add to the pan and stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil, without stirring, until the temperature on a sugar thermometer reaches 240°F (116°C), or soft ball stage. Draw off the heat and allow bubbles to subside.

Add the grated orange rind and hot walnuts. Stir with a wooden spoon until thick and creamy. Quickly turn on to the prepared tin or plate and separate nuts with a fork. Leave until completely cool. Store in an airtight tin.

Variation: Use chopped walnuts and separate mixture into clusters using two forks.

This is an uncooked fondant. Sift the icing sugar and cream of tartar on to a work surface. In a mixing bowl, break up the egg white with a fork. Gradually beat in about one-third of the sifted sugar with a wooden spoon to make a stiff paste. Add a few drops of oil of peppermint or the peppermint essence and a few drops of food colouring, if using it.

Turn mixture on to the remaining icing sugar. Using the fingertips, gradually knead in as much sugar as is required to make a smooth, pliable fondant. Then roll out fondant about 1/4 inch (5mm) thick. Using a small round 1 inch (2.5cm) cutter, cut 48 circles of fondant. Arrange on trays lined with waxed paper and leave to stand overnight to dry. When firm they can be lifted off the paper.

- Use flavoured sugar instead of ordinary castor sugar when making sandwich cakes.

- Use lemon sugar in apple pie and orange sugar to sweeten any dessert recipe using rhubarb.

- Either is nice sprinkled over pancakes.

- Make sugared rims on individual serving glasses to add a lovely touch to serving ice creams or I sorbets, especially lemon or orange sorbets.

Sugared fruits make a pretty buffet table centrepiece especially when they are combined with citrus fruits and walnuts in their shells. Small bunches of sugared grapes look pretty as a garnish on cold ham and tiny clusters of redcurrants are lovely on desserts.

All you will need is an egg white and castor sugar for coating plus fruits that have been washed, dried and polished with a cloth. The egg white should only he broken up with a fork until runny not beaten which would add volume to it. Sprinkle a bed of castor sugar over a sheet of greaseproof paper. Brush the fruit with the egg white I use a small paint brush. It’s best not to paint the entire surface of apples and pears: a streaked effect running from stalk downwards is more attractive. Roll the fruit in the bed of sugar to give a pretty frosted look. The sugary coating will quickly dry.

Sugared grapes: Have grapes in small clusters of 2 or 3. Dab the top of each grape with egg white, then roll the fruit in the bed of sugar.

For modelling marzipan fruits a cooked marzipan is used because it is easier to handle and less likely to go oily. Sift the icing sugar on to a plate and add the ground almonds. Put the castor sugar and egg into a mixing bowl and set over a saucepan one quarter filled with hot (not boiling) water. Whisk until pale in colour and warm to the touch. Draw off the heat. Add the almond essence and ground almond mixture and mix to a smooth paste with a wooden spoon.

Turn mixture on to a work surface dusted with icing sugar. Add green food colouring to one quarter of the mixture and colour the remaining paste with red and yellow food colouring to make a deep strawberry shade. Knead the mixtures separately until smooth and evenly coloured. Wrap in waxed paper or cling film and leave to stand for 1 hour.

Roll the strawberry-coloured marzipan into a sausage shape and cut in 36 slices. Roll each slice into balls, tapering one end to make a strawberry shape. Roll out the green marzipan thinly and, using a star-shaped aspic cutter, cut 36 shapes. Using a matchstick, push a tiny star into the top of each strawberry, then roll each strawberry in castor sugar. Place in petits fours cases.

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder for the truffles into a mixing bowl. Put the golden syrup (measure with a tablespoon dipped in boiling water so excess syrup runs off and you get an accurate measure), milk, rum and butter into a saucepan and stir over low heat until blended, then bring to the boil and pour at once into the sifted mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon until soft and smooth. Leave until completely cool, then beat again until fudgy. Chill until firm.

Sift together the cocoa powder and icing sugar for dusting on to a square of greaseproof paper. Scoop out rounded teaspoons of the truffle mixture and roll into balls. The easiest way to do this is to scoop out the right number and place on a chilled baking sheet. They can then be rolled quickly and lightly. Drop truffles as they are shaped on to the sweetened cocoa powder and shake the paper to coat them all over. Carefully place in petits fours cases. Store in the refrigerator.

Variation Coffee-flavoured truffles: Use 2 tablespoons milk and replace the rum with 2 level tablespoons instant coffee powder.

Break the chocolate in a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the unsalted butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan one quarter filled with hot (not boiling) water and heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and butter are melted and blended. Draw off the heat and stir in the egg yolk.

Sift the icing sugar into a mixing bowl. Crush the sponge fingers in a polythene bag with a rolling pin and add to the sugar. Stir in the walnuts. (These must be very finely chopped and are best grated in a Mouli grater.) Add the dry ingredients to the melted chocolate along with the brandy and stir with a wooden spoon to blend thoroughly. Chill for 15 minutes until firm. Sift icing sugar for dusting on to a square of greaseproof paper.

Scoop out teaspoons of the brandy ball mixture and roll into balls the size of a walnut divide the mixture first, then roll. As each one is shaped, roll in sifted icing sugar to coat. Chill until firm. The flavour improVes considerably if they are allowed to mature for 48 hours in a covered tin. Store in the refrigerator. A pretty jar filled with brandy balls makes a lovely gift.

Variations: Use rum in place of the brandy, or use bourbon, which will make these sweets especially delicious. Roll the brandy balls in finely chopped walnuts or in cocoa powder mixed with a little icing sugar.

Make sure you remove the orange peel in neat pieces so it can be cut in strips. Do this by first cutting a small slice from the top of each orange, then mark the peel in quarters with a sharp knife. Soak the peel overnight in salted cold water, then drain. Put the peel into a saucepan and pour over cold water to cover. Slowly bring to the boil, then drain. Repeat boiling and draining to remove all the salt. Then return to the rinsed pan, pour over fresh cold water to cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until tender. Drain and cut peel in thin strips with scissors.

Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved, then add the orange strips. Bring to boil, cover with a lid, then simmer gently for 20-30 minutes until peel is glazed. Drain well. Toss orange sticks in granulated sugar and separate the pieces with a fork. Spread in a single layer on waxed paper and leave to dry overnight in a warm place. Store in an airtight tin.

Variations: You can prepare this with leftover peel from grapefruits. It makes a charming sweetmeat. Or, chop it and use as an edible decoration for cakes and desserts.

Butter a 7 inch (17.5cm) shallow square baking tin. Put the granulated sugar and 1/4 pint (150ml) water into a saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Dissolve the cream of tartar in 1 tablespoon of water and add to the pan. Bring to the boil and boil, without stirring, until the temperature on a sugar thermometer reaches 240°F (116°C), or soft ball stage.

Meanwhile, put 5 tablespoons of cold water into a small bowl, sprinkle in the gelatine and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Draw the pan of syrup off the heat and allow bubbles to subside. Add the soaked gelatine and stir until dissolved. (The heat of the pan will be sufficient.) Dissolve the citric acid in 1 tablespoon of water and add to the syrup along with the essence and a few drops of food colouring: Choose a colour that corresponds with the fruit- flavoured essence.

Pour at once into the prepared tin. Leave overnight until set firm. Spread a layer of castor sugar over a sheet of greaseproof paper. Loosen one corner of the jelly mixture and pull out of the tin, turning it over on to the sugar base. Cut in 1 inch (2.5cm) squares. Immediately dip cut edges in castor sugar to prevent them from sticking. Store in an airtight tin.