My father loves desserts. Whenever our family went out to eat, my dad would always have a classic like crema catalana, cuajada (see here) or flan (see here) – creamy desserts you eat with a little spoon, that slip down easily.

I tend to be too full for dessert – I’ll have one bite, two maximum. I’ve always been like this about sweet things, though I do love Nutella … Sometimes when I go to Spain, especially the south, my girlfriend will have a dessert at the end of lunch or dinner and I’ll have a plate of jamón and a glass of wine. A plate of ham for dessert: I love that. So it’s probably not surprising that my favourite desserts aren’t overly sweet.

One of the best, most simple ways to finish a meal is with fruit. My parents were very good about this: we always had a huge basket full of apples, pears, oranges, bananas, and some more exotic fruits like kiwis and mangoes. This is something that’s stayed with me, and we often made fruit salad for the staff at Barrafina. Of course, there are other ways to eat fruit too – when it’s paired with crisp pastry, even I can be tempted (see cherry tart here, pear tart here, thin apple tart here).

Many of these recipes make a good breakfast or go well with a late afternoon cup of coffee or tea: doughnuts and hot chocolate sauce (see here) and torrijas (see here) are two obvious candidates, but arroz con leche (see here) would make a warming, fragrant start to the day too.