Melanie Johnson

How to make irresistible apple fritters with a cinnamon twist

With the new crop of British apples starting to trickle onto the shelves, Melanie Johnson offers a delicious way to turn them into a naughty treat.

A dessert that's part crumble, part cake: Melanie Johnson's plum and ricotta crumble cake

'Late summer brings sweet and juicy plums,' says Melanie Johnson. 'And, this year, I have a glut.' That sounds like the perfect excuse to make this plum-and-ricotta crumble.

A foolproof recipe for raspberry soufflé pancakes that offers a delicious little taste of summer

Sometimes you'll have hours to spend in the kitchen making ludicrously-complicated recipes involving umpteen processes and hard-to-find ingredients. At other times, you'll just want to make some posh pancakes; today is one of those latter days.

A beautifully-flavoured raspberry and mango tart, perfect for afternoon tea

Two cakes for the price of one: A salted caramel cheesecake with a carrot cake base

Best friends, carrot cake and cream cheese are fully celebrated in this innovatice recipe, with a salty twist. Thank Melanie Johnson.

How to make a delicious seafood pie which will convert non-believers to the joys of fennel

A deliciously summery strawberry and hazelnut-meringue roulade with hazelnut praline

Looking for a new summer dessert? If you have the courage and patience to attempt a meringue roulade, this combination of flavours is sure to delight the palette. Thank Melanie Johnson.

A delightful elderflower cake full of all the flavours of summer

Melanie Johnson's latest offering combines berries, rhubarb and elderflower into a delicious teatime treat.

Recipe: Spring-onion and cheese scones for those who prefer savoury to sweet

Savoury scones are just as easy to make as sweet ones, without the added need of jam and clotted cream. Melanie Johnson's latest offering are the perfect savoury snack on a hot summer day.

Recipe: Asparagus with watercress mayonnaise, a fresh and simple seasonal treat

Watercress is delightfully fragrant and offers a simple way to add colour and peppery notes to spring dishes.

The perfect spring pizza, with asparagus, prosciutto and delicious burrata

Spikes of asparagus in the kitchen garden are a sure 
sign that the British spring has truly arrived. Melanie Johnson has created a wonderful spring dish using these tender stems perfect for a light dinner.

The ultimate 'posh' rhubarb and custard? How to make rhubarb, raspberry and thyme mille-feuille

Here's how to elevate simple rhubarb and custard to something rather smart.

How to make pan-fried haddock with wild garlic mayonnaise

Four recipes to make the humble cucumber rather more interesting

Cucumber is fresh and delicious, but it's difficult to use it in a dish that really zips off the plate.

How to make three-cheese sourdough bread and a perfect winter-warmer soup to go with it

We'll leave it up to you to decide whether the soup or the sourdough is the star of the show in this pair of recipes...

Recipe: Roast chicken with blood oranges, sweet potato and avocado salsa

The short but sweet season for blood oranges is upon us – and our kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson has a recipe to make the most of it.

How to make sticky pomegranate chicken with giant couscous and tenderstem broccoli

Pomegranates are like little winter jewels that can brighten any dish, adding both flavour and colour – our Kitchen Garden Cook Melanie Johnson provides a delicious recipe to demonstrate.

Recipe: Banana, walnut and salted maple-syrup loaf, served with maple mascarpone

This recipe for Banana, walnut and salted maple-syrup loaf, served with maple mascarpone was originally dreamed up to make use of left-over walnuts. It's so good, we'd suggest that even if you've run out, it merits a trip to the supermarket.

How to make cranberry scones for a cream tea with a Christmas twist

You might think of scones as something for sunny summer afternoons – this recipe will change that.

Recipe: Quince, walnut and honey cake, perfect for afternoon tea

Knobbly quince is a delicately fragrant fruit that fills the kitchen with the most incredible aroma, says Melanie Johnson.