So before we pull on our very unforgiving white cropped trousers, which seem to be everywhere at the moment, we need to get into a different way of eating. We don't need to rely on the comfort food we seem to crave in wintertime, like hearty stews, thick creamy soups and nursery puddings. What we need now is food of a slightly lighter kind, with fresh zingy flavours and juicy, crunchy textures.

When it comes to dieting, the main thing for me, and I do count myself lucky that I have never had a weight 'problem', is portion control.

Experts say that this is the best diet of all. I am not necessarily an expert in this field, but I do know that cutting down on certain things like butter and cream will help with the old waistline too. So, up your intake of fruit and vegetables, but still enjoy your food, and eat enough.

Any time I have ever tried to do the cottage-cheese-onhalf-a-cracker-for-lunch type diet, I get so so hungry, and a little crazy too. I end going into a frenzy and eating that gone-off box of chocolates and anything else I can find that has sugar or chocolate in it.

Spinach, tomato and feta salad Serves 4 This salad is great with a barbecue, but also delicious to have with a simple pangrilled piece of fish, a lamb chop, chicken breast or a beef steak. If you are preparing this in advance, add the spinach and tomatoes just before eating.

Four tomatoes, quartered, or 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 200g feta cheese Half a red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, optional 3/4 tbsp olive oil One tsp balsamic vinegar Sea salt and pepper 100g baby spinach In a bowl, place the tomatoes and feta cheese.

Make the dressing by mixing the chilli, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and pepper. Add the spinach to the bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat the leaves. Serve immediately.

Roasted pepper passata with basil yoghurt Roasting the tomatoes and peppers for this soup really adds depth of flavour to the end result. The addition of a basil-flavoured yoghurt completes this great, light summery soup.

For the soup:

Eight ripe tomatoes, halved Two red peppers, halved, deseeded and chopped One onion, quartered Two garlic cloves, peeled Sprig of fresh thyme Two tbsp olive oil 900ml hot vegetable stock One tbsp tomato puree Salt and pepper For the basil yoghurt:

A good handful of fresh basil leaves 40ml olive oil Four tbsp natural yoghurt Preheat the oven to 2200C, gas mark 8. Place the tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and thyme in a roasting tin, spoon over the olive oil and season. Roast them for 20-25 minutes, until wilted and slightly charred all over (alternatively this could be done under a hot grill).

Transfer to a pan, pour over the stock and add the tomato puree. Cook over a moderate heat for 15 minutes. Strain the soup through a sieve or strainer and return it to a clean pan, adjust the seasoning and keep warm.

For the yoghurt, blanch the basil leaves for 15 seconds in boiling water, then remove immediately with a slotted spoon into iced water. Dry the blanched leaves with a cloth. Place the leaves in a small blender with the olive oil and blitz until smooth.

Whisk the basil oil into the yoghurt. Reheat the soup and pour into bowls. Place two good spoonfuls of basil yoghurt into each bowl and serve immediately.

Tropical fruits with honey and lime juice Serves 6 Use whatever really good tropical fruits you can find for this, best served pretty soon after it has been made.

Not only is this lovely to have after a meal, but excellent in the morning for breakfast.

One mango, peeled and cut into slices or diced One peach or nectarine, cut into slices One passion fruit, cut in half, and seeds scooped out One banana, cut into slices at an angle One kiwi, peeled and cut into slices Juice of two limes (or one lemon) One-two tbsp honey Put all the prepared fruit into a bowl, mix the lime juice and honey together and pour over the fruit, tossing carefully. Serve.

Handy hint: If you have any of this left over, whizz it up with some yoghurt to make a great smoothie to have any time of the day.

Raspberry and banana smoothie Serves 3-4 What a healthy and nice way to start the day. I sometimes put lecithin (available from health food shops) into a smoothie; this is made from soya beans, and is great for kicking the metabolism into action.

I also sometimes put a handful of oats in, which, with their slow releasing carbohydrates (the good kind), keep you full till lunch. Feel free to vary the fruit in your smoothie.

250g raspberries (can be frozen) Two bananas, peeled 200ml natural yoghurt One tbsp lime/lemon juice One tsp lecithin . . . optional One handful of oats . . . optional One tbsp honey Put all the ingredients into a liquidiser, and whizz up.

Taste for lime juice and honey.

THE OLD TIPS ARE THE BEST TIPS

>> The oldest tip in the book, but do not go shopping when you are hungry as you will probably buy too much of the wrong kind of food.

>> Do go shopping when you are in good form, and feeling a little virtuous from your new healthy eating regime, and you will probably buy all the right things.

>> For some reason, I always forget about fruit and hardly eat it if I keep it in the fridge, so I find it handy to take some fruit out of the fridge every day, and put it where I will see it, and then I tend to pick at that before I reach for the sweet things (theoretically, anyway).

>> Another well known tip is, if you feel like you 'need' second helpings, wait five minutes . . . you might then realise you do not.

>> I find that the more sweet things I have in the house, the more I will eat, so when I am trying to be good I try to not keep those things around me, to avoid temptation.