Pesto epitomises my favourite foods: it simultaneously celebrates the individual ingredients and yet comes together to create an exciting new taste. If that wasn’t good enough, the sauce is ready before the pasta’s boiled. I don’t know who first had the idea for this, but they are worth applauding.

It’s not much of a recipe, my son can rattle off the ingredients: garlic, basil, parmesan, pine nuts, all bashed up together and then your best olive oil is added to make a paste, finally seasoned. If I have one spare, some lemon juice makes all the difference.

It’s brilliantly summery, the flavours astonish everyone who have only ever eaten it out of a jar, and I always make sure I have the bits for it lurking round my kitchen.