Menu plans

Afternoon tea

Insects and afternoon tea may seem a particularly unusual pairing, but The Ritz is missing a trick. A scone slathered in sweet banana and grasshopper jam and plenty of clotted cream could be your new favourite indulgence. This menu plan gives you a chance to make insect flours and experiment with using them in baking.

• Mum’s fat-free mealworm malt loaf (see this page)

• Cricket flour scones with fresh fruit and clotted cream(see this page)

• Sweet banana and grasshopper jam (see this page)

• Cricket flour and condensed milk boozy coffee (see this page)

Alfresco dining

Insects are a great ingredient when making snacks, as well as dips and marinades, meaning they’re essential when you’re planning an alfresco menu. Start off with a twist on classic nibbles and dips before spicing up your staple of chicken wings and burgers. Melt-in-the-mouth ant-topped caramelised bananas are a delicious finish.

• Mealworm flour tortilla chips with salsa (see this page)

• Spiced grasshopper, butter bean and lime hummus (see this page)

• Mealworm piri-piri whole chicken (see this page)

• Buffalo worm beef burgers with tomato and lime chutney (see this page)

• Grilled bananas with ants, sesame, tamarind and palm sugar caramel (see this page)

A taste of the East

Entomophagy is popular in Thailand, so it’s only natural that a lot of our recipes feature the flavours of the East. Turn the below menu into a themed dinner for friends as a way of introducing them to insect ingredients. Or try the recipes for buffalo worm green and red curry pastes, or the mealworm satay sauce, to create your own dishes.

• Insect chilli salts with sour fruits (see this page)

• Grasshopper, prawn and ginger spring rolls (see this page)

• Curried beer tempura grasshoppers (see this page)

• Creamy mealworm and coconut noodles (see this page)

• Insect chimp stick (see this page)

Sunday brunch

This menu is perfect for a lazy Sunday morning and a big appetite. These recipes are also jam-packed with protein (thanks to our many-legged friends), which is known to work wonders for a hangover or simply give you a boost at the start of the day. Wake yourself up with a stiff bloody Mary and get cooking!

• Buffalo worm bloody Mary (see this page)

• Grasshopper and maltose porridge (see this page)

• Josh’s scrambled eggs, mullet roe and ants (see this page)

• Double cheese mealworm rarebit with soft-boiled duck egg (see this page)