We came home a few weeks ago to find a box of the biggest, most beautiful strawberries you ever did see sitting on our front door step, and they were absolutely delicious.

A friend’s brother-in-law, who grows them organically without using pesticides, had left them for us, and where does he live? Mġarr, of course! We didn’t go to the strawberry festival this year because although it’s still a really good show, it can get a bit too crowded for us. However, we were reliably informed that something like 10,000 kilos of berries were sold at this year’s festival.

Although it’s getting towards the end of the season, there are still plenty of strawberries about, and I’ve got a few more ideas for using them. The first thing I think of when they arrive is jam.

Strawberry jam can be a devil to set as the fruit is low in natural pectin, the substance that helps jam to set, so you end up either boiling it forever to get a set, or adding other things like loads of lemon juice or sharp apples. However, there is now an answer – jam sugar. Tate and Lyle make jam sugar (available from most large supermarkets) with added pectin, and it actually works. You only need to add the juice of one large lemon to a kilo of fruit and a kilo of sugar, let the sugar dissolve and then boil it for six minutes. It won’t set quite as firmly as commercially-made jam, but the flavour and colour are absolutely wonderful.

Strawberry jam can be a devil to set. However, there is now an answer

The mini strawberry shortbreads are like mini cheesecakes but with a shortbread base. If you don’t have time to make shortbread, just spread some digestive biscuits with the sweetened cream cheese, top them with strawberries and a large splodge of whipped cream, then drizzle over the jam glaze – simple and delicious.

Madeleines are little buttery sponge cakes, traditionally made in shell-shaped patty tins. I bought my tin years ago from Amazon, but last week I saw a madeleine tin in the supermarket. I think it was a Baker’s Pride tin, or something like that.

Anyway, they work just as well when made in shallow patty tins, and go very nicely with some glazed strawberries or, in a couple of months’ time, with some poached peaches.

The mixture will make about 24 little cakes, but any leftover can be stored for a few days in an airtight tin (or frozen) and make very good trifle sponges.

A classy dessert to make for Sunday lunch, and useful as it can be made a day ahead, is a strawberry and panna cotta jelly. The berries are set in a sweetened rosé jelly, then topped with the panna cotta.

I make it in a ring mould and turn it out, but it’s just as good when made in, and served from, a glass bowl. Add some biscotti or amaretti to create the perfect end to a big lunch.

I’ve had mozzarella cheese with figs, I’ve had mozzarella cheese with peaches and now I’ve had mozzarella cheese with strawberries! Add some rocket and basil leaves and a sprinkling of toasted walnuts and you have a cool and easy starter, but I think that’s more than enough strawberries for this year!

Strawberry shortbreads

(Serves 6)

150g plain flour
50g caster sugar
100g butter
200g pack Philadelphia cream cheese
2 tbsps sifted icing sugar
seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract
approx.
500g small strawberries, washed and hulled
3 tbsps sieved strawberry jam
Whipped cream, mint leaves and sliced strawberries to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Sift the flour into a bowl, stir in the caster sugar and rub in the butter, then knead it all together to form a dough. Roll out the dough to about the thickness of a digestive biscuit and cut out six rounds using an 8cm cutter, gathering up the trimmings and re-rolling as necessary. Put them on a greased baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Transfer the shortbreads to a wire rack and let them cool.

Beat the cream cheese with the icing sugar and the vanilla bean seeds or extract, then swirl the cream cheese over the shortbreads. Mix the sieved jam with a teaspoon of water to thin it down slightly, then brush the strawberries with the jam and arrange them on the cream cheese.

Decorate with mint leaves, a few sliced strawberries and a splodge of whipped cream.

Strawberry panna cotta jelly

(Serves 6 to 8)

500ml rosé wine
6 tbsps caster sugar
2½ tbsps gelatine
500g strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
600ml cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Put the wine in a pan, add four tablespoons of the sugar and heat just until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool.

Put three tablespoons of cold water into a cup, sprinkle on 1½ tablespoons of the gelatine and let it soak for a minute or two.

Stand the cup in a pan of hot water and stir the gelatine until it is completely dissolved, then add it to the cooled wine.

Arrange a layer of strawberries in a ring mould and pour on enough wine to barely cover, then put the mould in the fridge to set. Continue to arrange layers of strawberries and wine jelly, allowing them to set between layers until they are all used.

Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of gelatine on to three tablespoons of cold milk and dissolve over hot water as before. Whisk 200ml of the cream until it just begins to thicken, then stir in the rest of the cream, the vanilla extract and the gelatine. Pour the cream over the strawberry jelly and leave in the fridge to set.

To turn it out, briefly dip the mould up to the rim in hot water, then invert a serving dish on top. Holding mould and dish together, turn them over and give them a good shake and slide off the mould. Fill the centre with extra strawberries.

Note: If you don’t want to use wine, or are serving this to children, just leave it out and set the fruit in the same quantity of ordinary strawberry jelly.

Glazed strawberries with madeleines

(Makes approximately 24)

3 small eggs
100g caster sugar
100g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g butter, melted
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
icing sugar for dusting
Approximately 500g strawberries, washed and hulled
2 tbsps sugar
1 heaped tsp arrowroot
150ml cream, whipped

Put the eggs and caster sugar into a large bowl and whisk them together until they are thick and foamy, preferably using an electric whisk. Sift over the flour and baking powder and lightly fold them in. Gradually stir in the melted butter and vanilla extract, then put the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190˚C and brush a 12-hole madeleine tin or shallow patty tin with extra melted butter, then sift over a tablespoon of flour and shake out the excess. Put a heaped teaspoon of the mixture into each of the tins – you’ll only use about half – then bake in the centre of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.

Transfer the madeleines to a wire rack, then wash, butter and flour the tin again and bake the rest of the mixture. When they are all cooked and cooled, dust lightly with icing sugar.

Reserve four strawberries and put the rest into a pan with the sugar and four tablespoons of water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Mix the arrowroot with one tablespoon of water, stir it into the strawberries and heat just until it thickens and becomes clear. Let the strawberries cool.

Chop the reserved berries and stir them into the whipped cream. Sweeten to taste, then serve the strawberries with the madeleines and strawberry cream.

Strawberry and mozzarella salad

(Serves 4)

2 handfuls of rocket leaves
1 tbsp shredded basil leaves
extra virgin olive oil
2 packs fresh mini mozzarella balls
300g strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tbsps toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp small basil leaves

Mix the rocket leaves and shredded basil together, then sprinkle with a few drops of oil.

Drain and dry the mozzarella balls and tear them in half, then add them to the rocket, together with the strawberries, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Toss it all together gently, then divide the salad between four plates.

Sprinkle with the walnuts, scatter over the basil leaves and a grind of pepper and serve.