Perfect pancakes

They seem like simple enough creations but the potential for pancakes to go horribly awry is great. The readymade mixes are tempting but it's not so difficult to make your own when you follow James Martin's recipe from his book 'Sweet Baby James'. Sift 125g of plain flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Crack in a large free range egg; add a tablespoon of melted butter and 150ml of milk. Whisk until smooth, and then add another 150ml of milk. Heat a little butter in a frying pan over a high heat, then pour in a ladleful of batter, swirling to coat the base of the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then turn over and cook on the other side until lightly golden-brown. Remove from the pan and place onto a warm plate and repeat with the remaining batter to make more pancakes. The recipe makes 12 to 16. You can make your life even easier with Aldi's Delta Kitchen Electric Crêpe Maker (€19.99), in stores this week. You just pour your pancake mix onto the cooking plate and spread with whatever topping you want – lemon and sugar is hard to improve on.

Fast Food

The problem with going out for lunch proper is that it usually takes up a vast chunk of your day. Not so with Diep Le Shaker's 'express lunch' (12pm – 2pm Tuesday to Thursday, and all day Friday), which promises a delicious three-course lunch within 45 minutes, leaving you with 15 minutes to get back to the office. You can also order it to go. We love the Goong Phad Prik Sod (stir fried prawns, birds eye chilli, spring onion, mushrooms and soya sauce). Starters are €7 and mains €12.95 (eat in), €5 and €9.95 (eat out). Diep le Shaker, 55 Pembroke Lane, Dublin 2. Tel: (01) 661 1829. www.diep.net.

Berry Good

Hurray for the snack that doesn't make you feel guilty and is, in fact, good for you. The cranberry, goji Berry and pumpkin seeds mix from The Good Snack Co comes in a handy reusable pot and the hero product is the goji berry, which comes loaded with minerals and antioxidants. Available in Nude; Fresh supermarkets; Fallon & Byrne, Dublin; McCambridge's in Galway, for €2.50

Kitchen Confidential

Tony Fenton Today FM

In my fridge: white wine, fruit juices, water, chocolate.

Comfort zone: homemade Italian meatballs.

Never touch: soft drinks.

Want to eat more: Turkish Delight.

Ordering in: Durban Indian lamb curry from Bistro Spice in Monkstown, Dublin.

Supermarket Sweep, Basic tomato sauce

There is something much more satisfying about making your own tomato sauce for pasta. There are no hidden ingredients and it's cheaper than a stir-in jar. Head to Aldi and pick these ingredients up and it works out at about 30 cent per portion.
Cook 2 teaspoons olive oil, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1 chopped onion for 4-5 minutes until tender. Add 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes, 3 teaspoons sugar and a handful of chopped basil leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes or until thick and pulpy Serve with pasta. .