Simple recipes - cooking to impress

They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. However, this saying is equally true for women.

If you can cook just a few delicious and simple recipes, you will soon find that this is a wonderful way to impress potential partners.

Indeed, preparing a tasty three-course meal is the ideal way to show someone how much you care about them. They will probably appreciate it even more if the dishes appear more complex than they really are.

That doesn't mean you should needlessly throw ingredients around the kitchen or clatter pans together. Just spend time in the kitchen making sure that everything is perfect.

Depending on the time of year, a hearty soup or a crunchy salad make a delicious starter. Both of these can be served with fresh bread, which should be lightly heated for that extra special touch.

When preparing a salad, you should consider the colour of the vegetables. Yellow or orange peppers look wonderful mixed with cherry tomatoes or courgettes, served in a lettuce-lined bowl.

A little drizzle of olive oil or other dressing will help draw out the flavours and add to the dish.

As for soup, the list of potential recipes is almost endless. Whatever your favourite meat or vegetables may be, you will almost certainly be able to make a warming soup using them.

Desserts are the perfect way to treat your partner, particularly if he or she have a sweet tooth.

Many people buy desserts when cooking a meal, rather than preparing their own. However, with the right accessories making a delicious dessert can be hassle free.

Homemade ice cream tastes wonderful, and is deceptively simple - especially if you own an ice cream maker.

All you have to do is heat a saucepan of milk and add a vanilla pod so the flavour can infuse. Add sugar and cream then remove the vanilla pod, slice it open and scrape the inside into the mixture.

You can then pour the mixture into your ice cream maker, which will freeze and continue to mix the ice cream.

Within a few hours, you will have delicious homemade ice cream, with minimal effort.

If you learn a selection of simple recipes, you can use these as a basis for other dishes as you grow more confident and your cooking ability improves.

Soon you will be happy experimenting with ingredients, which will open up a feast of new possibilities when you are cooking.