Light mayonnaise: If you find mayonnaise too rich, combine mayonnaise and natural yoghurt in equal parts and use as for ordinary mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise for coating: Add 3 tablespoons single cream to 1/2 pint (150ml) mayonnaise to thin it to a coating consistency for salad vegetables.

Tartare sauce: Rub the inside of a mixing bowl with a crushed clove of garlic. Spoon 3 tablespoons mayonnaise into the bowl along with 1 teaspoon finely chopped gherkins, 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix together and serve with fried fish.

Mayonnaise for seafood: Combine 2 tablespoons mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup and 2 tablespoons double cream. Add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of Tabasco (optional). Serve with prawns or use to make egg mayonnaise.

Curry mayonnaise: Mix together 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons soured cream, 1 teaspoon concentrated tomato puree, 1 level teaspoon curry powder and a squeeze of lemon juice. Chill for at least 1 hour and use as a dressing for cold chicken or to make egg mayonnaise.

Garlic mayonnaise: Crush 1 clove garlic (or more) to a puree with salt and stir into 1/4 pint (150ml) mayonnaise along with 2 tablespoons of single cream. Use as a dressing for cold chicken.

Cucumber mayonnaise: Peel and dice 1/2 cucumber and sprinkle with salt. Leave in a colander for 30 minutes to draw juices, then rinse and press dry in absorbent paper. Stir into 1/2 pint (300ml) mayonnaise along with 2 tablespoons single cream. Serve with cold salmon.

Herb mayonnaise: Add 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons cream to 1/2 pint (300ml) mayonnaise. Or use 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill in place of the parsley and chives. Serve with cold salmon, salmon trout or crabmeat.

Aspic mayonnaise: Sprinkle 1/2 level teaspoon powdered gelatine into 1 tablespoon cold water and leave to soak for 5 minutes.

Dissolve the soaked gelatine in 1 tablespoon boiling water, then strain into 1/4 pint (150ml) mayonnaise. Leave until at setting point. Use to decorate canapes and open sandwiches by piping the mixture through a star nozzle on to them.

Put the oil into a jug. Put the egg yolk, mustard and half the vinegar or lemon juice into a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk ingredients together to blend. Whisk in about half the oil, a few drops at a time, until the mayonnaise begins to thicken. Whisk in the remaining vinegar or lemon juice which will thin the mayonnaise a little, then hold the jug well above the bowl and pour the remaining oil on to the mayonnaise in a thin steady stream, whisking all the time until thick. Whisk in the boiling water to make a soft, light consistency. Spoon into a container, cover, and store in the lowest section of the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 3 weeks.

Oil olive oil or corn oil is best and egg yolk are the basic ingredients. White wine vinegar, cider vinegar or a herb-flavoured vinegar (especially tarragon) or lemon juice is added to thin the mixture. Salt and freshly milled pepper are the basic seasonings, and a little prepared French or English mustard is added which encourages the mixture to form an emulsion. You can also add herbs, garlic, tomato and other flavours to suit your tastes.

Have the ingredients at room temperature.

Use a heavy small mixing bowl and stand it on a folded damp cloth or sponge so it stays firmly in place. Use a coil-rimmed hand whisk or fork for heating the oil. Your other hand is then free for adding the oil.

Whisk together the egg yolk, seasoning, a little mustard and some of the vinegar or lemon juice before adding any oil.

Measure the oil into a jug, and then you can pour it slowly. Add the oil a few drops at a time initially. Then as soon as the mayonnaise begins to thicken, you can pour the oil in a thin steady stream by holding the jug high above the bowl.

Halfway through whisking, add the rest of the vinegar to thin the mayonnaise.

A little boiling water added at the very end makes mayonnaise lighter in texture.

If making mayonnaise in a blender and you have a choice of speeds, keep the speed set at low as a high speed will result in a thin mayonnaise. With a blender you can make mayonnaise more economically by using 1 whole egg but the best results still come from using 2 egg yolks. Make large quantities when making mayonnaise in an electric blender.

Put the water into a saucepan, sprinkle in the gelatine and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir over low heat to dissolve the gelatine (do not boil).

Allow to cool until the mixture begins to thicken and shows signs of setting. (You can speed this up by setting the pan in a bowl of iced water.) If aspic sets firm simply warm until completely dissolved and allow to cool again.

To use: Spoon cooled jelly over the surface of a mousse or pâté. If decorating mousses or pâté, it’s a good idea to spoon a little of the jelly into a saucer and use this for dipping and fixing the decorations. If decorations are positioned and chilled then they will remain in place when the glaze is added. Sometimes it looks pretty if you spread a little aspic over the base of a serving plate â the sliced pâté will be reflected in the plate. Any leftover jelly can be chopped with a wet knife and -spooned around cold foods. Lemon aspic jelly gives a glorious finish to a cold poached salmon.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and allow to cool slightly. Put the chopped tarragon, chopped shallot and wine – vinegar into a separate saucepan and season with the pepper. Boil until vinegar has reduced to a scant tablespoon. Draw off the heat and add the cold water, then add the egg yolks. Whisk over low heat for several minutes until thick and frothy. Draw off the heat again and slowly whisk in the warm (not hot) butter. Whisk in the lemon juice, add the chopped parsley and season with salt. Serve with grilled steaks.

Variation: If you can’t get fresh tarragon use tarragon vinegar in place of the wine vinegar

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and allow to cool slightly. Boil the vinegar in a separate saucepan until reduced to a scant tablespoon. Draw off the heat and add the cold water, then add the egg yolks. Whisk over low heat for several minutes until thick and frothy. Draw off the heat again and slowly whisk in the warm (not hot) butter, then whisk in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve with tender asparagus, broccoli, summer vegetables or poached salmon.

Variation Blender hollandaise: Though it lacks the bite of hollandaise made by hand, this is a good, quick method. Put 3 egg yolks and 2 tablespoons lemon juice into the goblet of a blender or food processor and season with salt and pepper. Cover and blend a few seconds. Have the butter bubbling hot and gradually pour it on to the egg yolks while the blender or food processor is at high speed. Blend for a few seconds until thick and light.

Both sauces rely on a reduction of vinegar to give them their special flavours, of course you must do this in a saucepan over direct heat.

Add 1 tablespoon cold water to the hot pan, off the heat, to reduce the heat of the pan before
you add the egg yolk a hotel chef taught me this trick and it works every time. The cold water prevents the yolks from over-cooking.

When you whisk in the melted butter the sauce will thicken. Remember it’s very important not to have the butter too hot or the egg yolks will just scramble when butter is added.

These sauces barely reach more than a warm temperature and should be served warm. To hold these sauces for a short period.

Garlic butter: Cream 4 oz (100g) unsalted butter until soft. Crush 2-3 cloves of garlic and remove papery coating, then mash to a puree with a little salt. Add garlic puree, 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice and a seasoning of freshly milled pepper to the butter. Mix together well and chill. To use: Serve over steaks, or use for frying mushrooms or for making hot garlic bread.

Clarified butter

Clarified butter is butter with the salt, moisture

• and curd extracted. It is marvellous for frying omelettes or vegetables. It is also excellent to use for sealing potted meats, pastas and terrines.

Melt the butter over gentle heat until the foaming subsides. Pour into a bowl and leave until cold and firm. Carefully scrape away the top white layer which contains the salt. Loosen the sides and lift out the cake of butter, discarding any liquid or curd at the bottom of the bowl. Gently melt the butter again until oily. Store in the refrigerator.

To clarify dripping: This is the traditional method of clarifying dripping left over from a roast joint, a roast duck or goose. Place dripping in a saucepan with boiling water to cover and heat until dripping has melted. Pour into a bowl and leave until cold. Then loosen the sides and lift out the cake of dripping, discarding liquid and sediment at the bottom of the bowl. Melt the dripping again and pour into a container. Store in the refrigerator.

Blue cheese butter: Cream 4 oz (100g) unsalted butter and 3,oz (75g) Roquefort cheese (or similar blue cheese like Danish Blue), until soft and blended. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Mix together well and chill. To use: Serve over steaks.

Mustard butter: Cream 4 oz (100g) unsalted butter until soft. Beat in 2 tablespoons French mustard, a seasoning of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Mix together well and chill. To use: Serve over steaks or with roast fillet of beef. Use to spread over chicken joints before grilling or baking them.

For flavoured butters to slice: Spoon the softened flavoured butter on to a square of kitchen foil, then roll up and twist ends in opposite directions like a Christmas cracker to make a fat roll. Chill until firm. When required, unwrap and slice chilled butter using a hot knife blade. Neat rounds of flavoured butter slowly melting over grilled meats and fish make these simple dishes look especially appetizing.

Beurre manie

This is a blended butter and flour mixture used to thicken hot soups, sauces and gravies. To make beurre manie, use a table knife to blend 1′h oz (40g) butter with 1 oz (25g) plain flour on a plate. Always add the beurre manie in very small lumps to the liquid off the heat, a few at a time. I always place a few lumps on the tip of a knife and scrape them off against the hot saucepan side. The beurre manie melts as it runs down into the hot liquid â a good way to ensure that the beurre manie is slowly added without it going lumpy.

Stir the hot liquid until the beurre manie is completely blended. Return the saucepan to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring all the time, until thickened. The amount of beurre manie given above is sufficient to thicken 1/2 pint (300ml) liquid for a sauce, 1 pint (600ml) liquid for sauces of pouring consistency like gravy and 2 pints (1.1 litres) liquid for soups.

Strip the leaves from the stems of the mint and, using a stainless steel knife (to prevent discoloration), chop the mint with the sugar on a board. (Sugar acts as an abrasive and starts to draw juices.) Transfer mint leaves to a mixing bowl along with the sugar and crush with the back of a wooden spoon until mushy. Add the water to dissolve the sugar, then add the vinegar. Leave to stand for at least 1 hour. This thick fresh sauce is traditionally served with roast lamb.

Pick over the cranberries. Put the sugar, water and grated orange rind into a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the cranberries and bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, or until cranberry skins pop. Allow to cool slightly, then turn into a small serving bowl and leave until completely.cool. Don’t reserve this delicious sauce for turkey alone, serve it with roast pork or venison as well.