I like the sweet and savoury contrast of flavours you get when adding fresh fruit or fruit juices to meat and fish dishes.

Lamb with mint or redcurrant jelly, pork with apple sauce or duck with orange are all classics of course, and minty couscous with chopped dates, dried apricots and pomegranate seeds is a firm favourite, but I’ve been trying out other fruit – which seems appropriate at this ‘fruity’ time of year.

Marinades and bastes made with blitzed fruit or fruit juice and brushed on roast, grilled or barbecued food really liven them up, and I also like to add fruit to sauces, salsas and salads. These recipes are ones that we particularly like and are light enough for summer eating.

With chicken and salmon being so prevalent in Malta, another recipe for each of them is always useful.

Spicy chicken with summer salsa and salmon with pineapple salad are both easy to prepare.

They can sit in the fridge marinating for a while, and are quick to cook when you’re ready to eat – and you can grill them on the barbecue. As for the pork fillet, that’s classy enough for a dinner party.

The quail recipe is an adaptation of an American one using ‘Cornish game hens’ that are basically just small chickens which will feed one or two people.

Poussins, or baby chickens, are usually quite expensive here, so some time ago I tried the recipe with quail and have used them ever since.

They are terribly messy to eat but although you can buy boned quail, they don’t seem to have the same appeal; with plenty of paper napkins, who cares about sticky fingers when these little delicacies are so delicious!