Here are two quick dinner options for any night of the week. The chicken dish can be prepared ahead of time and placed in the fridge, ready to pop in the oven for dinner that evening. The dessert is one of my favourites and a great way of using peaches.

Gone are the days when everyone sat down to a fully prepared meal seven days a week. I used to laugh when my mother–in–law spent her Saturday’s shopping, prepping and bagging all her vegetables for the week of dinners, but in today’s busy environment she was streets ahead, as everything was bought in fresh, cleaned and prepared, ready to cook.

All our cookery classes focus on the topics of how to use the same ingredients differently for meals, alongside larder essentials and a bit of planning, while some just focus on how to get comfortable if you’re a newcomer in the kitchen.

Spiced chicken with sweet potato and peppers (Serves 4)

4 chicken legs

2 large sweet potatoes, skin on and sliced into wedges

2 large onions, sliced

2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 sprigs rosemary

salt

pepper

2 tsp smoked paprika

Start by pre–heating the oven to 180C. Place the chicken legs, sweet potatoes, peppers and onions into a roasting tin.

Drizzle over the olive oil and add the sprigs of rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and coat all the ingredients using your hands. Try and make sure that everything is coated with the oil. (Don’t forget to wash your hands!)

Place the roasting tin in the oven. Remove after 25 minutes, sprinkle over the paprika and place back into the oven for a further 20 minutes.

Use a wooden spoon to move the ingredients around so they it don’t stick to the bottom of the tray. Serve on its own, with salad or with rice.

Peaches with white chocolate sauce (Serves 6)

6 peaches

6 tsp brown sugar

For the sauce:

100ml double cream

25g butter

100g white chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cut the peaches in half and remove the stone. Place the peaches cut side up on a roasting tray. Sprinkle each with the brown sugar and place in the oven to cook for 20 to 25 minutes. The peaches should be golden and juicy.

To make the white chocolate sauce, place the cream and the butter into a pan; place on the heat and boil until the butter is melted. Take off the heat and add in the white chocolate and stir through. It is always best to have your chocolate chopped as small as you can for this. Stir through until completely melted.

When ready to serve, place the peaches on the plate and drizzle with the chocolate sauce. This recipe works well with plums too, which are in season for another month or so.