You know the saying about how an apple a day keeps the doctor away?

Well, the same thing could very well be said about almonds, as they are one of the most nutritious nuts around, packed with disease-fighting vitamin E, folic acid, more magnesium than even spinach, zinc, energy-giving iron, protein and fibre. They are also low in saturated fat (so contain only 'good' fats) and a few a day of these tasty little nuggets are thought to help lower cholesterol too.

A few almonds (or a teaspoonful of ground almonds) thrown into a smoothie first thing in the morning will keep you going till lunch. A quick snack of a few whole almonds will help satisfy those mid-afternoon munchies and help keep energy levels high. And the Spanish nearly always have a plate of salted almonds as part of their tapas to enjoy with a drink.

Almond butter, which is similar to peanut butter but is even more divine and good for you, is gorgeous on a piece of toast, a cracker or a rice cake for lunch or a snack . . . great for lunchboxes too.

Meridian makes a really good almond butter (about 3.80 for a 170ml jar in good health food stores). Or try making your own almond butter by simply whizzing up (in a food processor or coffee grinder) whole almonds (unsalted, unroasted) until it is the texture of sand. Keep the machine running and add a drizzle of sunflower oil, enough to create a paste, then add a drizzle of honey and a pinch of sea salt and store in a jar in the fridge.

Almonds, as well as being wonderful to use for baking, are of course perfect for coeliacs and people following a wheat-free diet as cakes can often be made with ground almonds and no flour at all. Chocolate cakes taste fudgy and rich when made with ground almonds and almond macaroons are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of espresso at the end of a meal.

Salted almonds Almond trees were originally brought to Spain by the Moors and flourished, especially around Seville. Salted almonds as tapas are seen here more than any other city. These are so good when still slightly warm, served with drinks.

200g whole blanched almonds One tsp sea salt Half tsp smoked sweet Spanish paprika Extra virgin olive oil, for frying Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil into a frying pan and allow it to heat up. To test to see if the oil is hot enough, drop in a small cube of bread . . . it should turn golden in about 30 seconds.

Fry the almonds until lightly golden. Drain, sprinkle with the salt and paprika and mix well. Let cool slightly before serving.

Handy hint: blanched almonds mean peeled almonds. To peel your own, drop them into boiling water and boil for half to one minute. Test one: it should pop out of its skin easily. Drain, then place them in a clean tea towel or kitchen paper and rub to remove the skins.

>> I find that the nuts they sell at Lidl supermarkets are very good and fresh. Try their canned, roasted, salted almonds.

Almond slices Makes about 20 These are divine . . . perfect with a cup of tea. They will keep in an airtight container for about a week, and they freeze too. You will need a 23x30cm Swiss roll tin.

Pastry:

175g butter 50g caster sugar One egg yolk 320g plain flour 500g raspberry jam Topping:

200g ground almonds 200g semolina 200g caster sugar plus two tbsp for sprinkling on at the end Four eggs, beaten 1/4 tsp almond essence 250g butter, melted 100g flaked almonds To make the pastry, cream the butter and sugar together until light and smooth and then beat in the egg yolk. Add the flour, and bring the mixture together.

Flatten the pastry slightly, cover and chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 1800C, gas mark 4. Place the pastry between two sheets of cling film, and using a rolling pin, roll out so that it is the same size and shape as the tin. Peel the top layer of cling film off the pastry and flip the pastry over to cover the base of the tin, then peel the second layer of cling film off the pastry, and trim the edges neatly. If there are any holes in the pastry, don't worry, just patch it up with the scraps.

Spread the jam evenly over the pastry.

To make the topping, place the almonds, semolina and sugar in a bowl and stir in the eggs. Add the almond essence and the melted butter and beat until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the jam and scatter with the flaked almonds. Bake for 25-50 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch. Sprinkle with the extra caster sugar and leave to cool in the tin.

Cut into slices. Store in an airtight container.

Little almond macaroons Makes 12-16 These are so simple to make, and keep for about five days in an airtight box.

110g ground almonds 75g caster sugar One egg white , slightly beaten Preheat the oven to 1800C, gas mark 4. Put the ground almonds, caster sugar and the egg white into a bowl, and stir to combine . . . it should be firm yet slightly sticky.

Roll small desertspoonfuls of the mixture into balls, and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with a wet fork.

Cook for about 10 minutes or until pale golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Handy hint: These are also good with the grated zest of one lemon or orange.

Almond and orange cake This cake has an excellent perfumed, orangey, spicy flavour. Excellent for a dinner party. This keeps for about a week in an airtight box .

One orange 250g ground almonds 1/2 baking powder 1/4 tsp salt Three eggs 225g caster sugar One tsp vanilla extract For the syrup:

Juice of one large orange 50g caster sugar Two cloves Six cm piece cinnamon stick Place the orange in a pan and add water to cover.

Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about an hour, or until the orange is soft.

You can also cook the orange for about a minute or two in the microwave.

Strain, and let cool to room temperature. Cut the orange in half and remove the pips. Place the two halves in a food processor and whizz until you have a lovely smooth paste .

Preheat the oven to 1800C, gas mark 4. Line the base of a 20cm springform or cake tin with parchment paper, and grease and flour the sides.

Mix the ground almonds, baking powder and salt.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla for a couple of minutes until pale and creamy. Fold in the orange puree and then the almond mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 45-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Sometimes I place a square of parchment paper or tinfoil on top of the cake for the last 15 minutes of cooking if I feel it is going quite brown. Let it sit in the tin for about 10 minutes before trying to take it out.

Next make the syrup (it is not essential, but very good). Put all the syrup ingredients into a small saucepan, stir as it comes to the boil to dissolve the sugar and boil for three or four minutes, until it is a bit syrupy. When the cake is cooked, and you have taken it out of the tin and put it on the serving plate, pierce it about 20 times over the top with a skewer and pour the hot syrup over the cake and let it set .

This is very good served with a dollop of creme fraiche or thick Greek yoghurt and a cup of coffee .

Handy hint: For coeliacs, use gluten-free baking powder and gluten-free flour for dusting the tin.

>> You can replace the cooked orange with a mashed banana for a different flavour but do not cook the banana first .

Best book 'Brownies and Bars' by Liz Franklin, published by Conran Octopus, is just the cookbook to make you want to throw on your pinny and get baking in the kitchen! It has so many irresistible recipes for tea parties, picnics and lunch boxes, you will not know where to start. Some of my favourites are the butterscotch cake, the almond and chocolate fudge qquares and the lemon yoghurt cake .