Guess what? You don’t have to give up your bacon and eggs when you’re dieting – just slightly change the way you cook them. Choose good lean back bacon and avoid streaky.

With a GI of 45 this meal is high protein, low GI and provides 264 kcal per portion.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 4 rashers of rindless smoked back bacon
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 2 free-range very fresh eggs (fridge cold)
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• good handful of watercress
• drizzle of good-quality balsamic vinegar
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Brush a large non-stick frying pan with sunflower oil, using the tip of a pastry brush. Place the pan over a medium heat and add the bacon. Cook for 2 minutes until lightly browned, then turn and fry on the other side for another 3 minutes.
2. While the bacon is cooking, half fill a medium non-stick saucepan with water, add the vinegar and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to low, so the water is only just bubbling. Crack the eggs into the water, one at a time, spacing them well apart. Cook for 2½ minutes.
3. The eggs should rise to the surface within a minute. If the egg white sticks to the bottom of the pan, lift it gently with a wooden spoon. Alternatively, you can use a hob-top egg poacher, lightly greased with sunflower oil.
4. Add the tomatoes to the pan with the bacon and season with plenty of black pepper. Cook the tomatoes for about a minute until just beginning to soften, turning them once.
5. Put a small pile of watercress on each plate. Put some bacon and tomatoes on the plates and drizzle with a dash of balsamic vinegar. Take the eggs out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them on top. Season with a little more pepper and tuck in right away while it’s all lovely and hot.

The UK could be facing higher olive oil prices after a summer of droughts in Spain. But a popular notion is that there was once a time when olive oil was only available to buy at a pharmacy. How true is it, asks Tom Heyden.

Cookery writer Elizabeth David is credited with introducing a culinary revolution in the UK, publishing A Book of Mediterranean Food in 1950. She famously told readers that olive oil - vital for many recipes - could be found in chemists where it was sold as a treatment for ear ailments, among other things.
Today, multiple varieties of olive oil are available in every supermarket, but was it really such an exotic ingredient 60 years ago? Judy Ridgway, now an olive oil expert, wasn't aware of it during her middle-class Manchester upbringing. "We didn't come across olive oil at all except from the chemist," she says. And they never cooked with it. "My mother used to rub it into her hair before she had it permed."

Olive oil explained 19th Century-style

Mrs Beeton (1836-1865) was famous for her cookery and house-keeping books

"The oil extracted from olives, called olive oil, or salad oil, is, with the continentals, in continual request, more dishes being prepared with than without it, we should imagine. With us, it is principally used in mixing a salad, and when thus employed, it tends to prevent fermentation, and is an antidote against flatulency."

- from Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, published in 1861

But an updated and enlarged 1907 version of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management treats olive oil as a fairly standard ingredient. It is listed in onion pudding and Cambridge sauce. Almond fritters require a "hot frying-fat, clarified butter and olive oil". This suggests familiarity with its usage. "Victorian England was one of those places where you could buy anything if you had the money to do it," food historian Dr Annie Gray says, and it would have been sold at the grocers, often for salads. That's not to dispel the myth completely. "[Usage] seemed to peter out - like an awful lot of things - in the interwar years," Gray says.

It didn't disappear entirely. A 1938 article in the Times about chanterelle mushrooms recommends cooking them with olive oil. And over a period of some decades a company called Sasso sold it in London.

The myth is that David is solely responsible for olive oil's resurgence in the UK, says Gray, but people certainly struggled to get hold of it. "If you didn't live in London or the South East then it was more difficult to find it," says Ridgway. "You did have to seek it out." Unavailability may explain its regular parody as a middle-class staple. Even by the late 1980s, says Ridgway, it was predominantly in upmarket grocers or delicatessens. The general public probably wouldn't have been aware of it until much later, she adds.

For a healthier version of the classic breakfast make rye bread soldiers.

With a GI of 50 this meal is high protein, low GI and provides 160 kcal per portion.

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggs
• 2 slices dark rye bread (pumpernickel)
• 5g unsalted butter, for spreading
• sea salt and ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Half fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Gently add the eggs to the water with a slotted spoon and return to the boil.
2. Cook the eggs in the boiling water for 6 minutes for a soft-boiled egg.
3. While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread, spread it with a thin layer of butter and cut into thin soldiers.
4. Put the eggs in egg cups and place on small plates. Cut off the tops and season to taste. Serve with the soldiers for dipping.

Give salmon some kick by adding a little Cajun spice, plus a hearty salsa of black-eyed beans and avocado. (Try adding boiled new potatoes in their skins if you want a more filling meal.)

This meal is low calorie and provides 362 kcal, 21.6g protein, 18.3g carbohydrate (of which 6.8g sugars), 22.6g fat (of which 4.1g saturates), 9.9g fibre and 2.7g salt per portion.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4 salmon fillets, about 75g/3oz each
• sunflower oil, to brush
• lime wedges, to garnish

For the salsa

• 400g tin black-eyed beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 avocado, peeled, stoned and chopped
• 2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Mix together the Cajun seasoning and oregano in a shallow bowl.
2. Brush the salmon on both sides with a little oil and coat with the spice mix, making sure the fish is completely covered. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, for the salsa mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste and set aside.
4. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, dry fry the salmon for 4 minutes on each side.
5. Slice the salmon and spoon the salsa over, garnish with lime wedges and serve.

Homemade hummus is easy to make and tastes great. It is perfect for wraps and can be kept in the fridge for up to three days.

For this recipe you will need a blender or food processor to make the hummus.

This meal is low calorie and provides 523 kcal, 37.6g protein, 52.2g carbohydrate (of which 8.2g sugars), 17.1g fat (of which 7.6g saturates), 10.5g fibre and 1.6g salt per portion.

Ingredients

• 500g/1lb 2oz lamb fillet, cut into 15mm/½in slices
• 1 lemon, grated rind and juice
• 1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
• 3 mixed peppers, cored, deseeded and chopped
• 1 small aubergine, sliced
• 4 flour wholemeal tortillas

For the hummus

• 400g/14oz tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 100g/3½oz rocket

Preparation method

1. Place the lamb, lemon rind and juice, rosemary and peppers in a non-metallic bowl and stir well. Cover and leave to marinate in a cool place for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the hummus ingredients in a food processor or blender and blitz for 30 seconds. Place in a bowl.
3. Heat a griddle or heavy-based frying pan, add the lamb mixture and the aubergine and fry for 3—4 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked through (You may need to do this in batches.).
4. Heat the tortillas. Wrap the lamb and vegetables in the tortillas with the hummus and serve rocket.

A great spread of three salads served with flatbread - grilled aubergine and feta, bean and egg salad, and spiced chickpeas - perfect for picnics or prepared in advance for lunch with friends.

Ingredients

For the aubergine and feta

• 2 aubergines, sliced lengthways
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 1 tbsp finely chopped flatleaf parsley
• 2 tbsp toasted Japenese panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp golden raisins
• 200g/7oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 tsp whole mint leaves, to garnish

For the three bean salad with soft-boiled eggs

• 400g/14oz green beans
• 400g/14oz yellow runner beans
• 400g/14oz runner beans
• 3 free-range eggs
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp red chilli, sliced
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 1 tbsp torn mint leaves
• 1 tbsp torn parsley leaves
• 4 spring onions, chopped

For the chickpea salad

• 250g/9oz dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch chilli
• pinch cumin
• 1 tsp sumac
• 18 ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 1 bunch mint, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, juice only

For the flatbread

• 250g/9oz strong bread flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 150ml/5fl oz warm water
• 5g instant yeast
• 1 tsp olive oil

To serve

• 200g/7oz thick yoghurt

Preparation method

1. For the aubergine and feta, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Drizzle the oil over the aubergine and heat a grill pan. Place the aubergines on the grill pan and cook each side for two minutes, then transfer to the oven for four minutes.
3. Heat a dry frying pan and dry fry the pine nuts.
4. Heat a clean pan, add the olive oil and gently fry the garlic, parsley and breadcrumbs. Add the pine nuts and golden raisins and cook for a further two minutes.
5. Pour the breadcrumb mixture over the aubergines and top with the crumbled feta and mint leaves.
6. For the three bean salad with soft-boiled egg. Add the green beans to a pan of boiling water. A minute later, add the yellow and runner beans. Boil them until cooked to your liking, then drain and refresh them in cold water, then drain again and set aside.
7. In another pan of boiling water, cook the eggs for five minutes so that they are soft-boiled. Leave until cool enough to handle then peel them and leave to one side.
8. Heat a small frying pan and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the garlic and chilli and cook for one minute.
9. Place the beans in a large glass bowl and finish with the rest of the olive oil, and the vinegar, mustard and lemon zest.
10. Add the herbs and spring onions. Serve with the soft-boiled eggs halved on top.
11. For the chickpea salad, drain the soaked chickpeas. In pan of clean water, boil them for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked. Drain well.
12. Heat the oil in a frying pan and gently fry the chilli, cumin and sumac. Add the spices and cook until aromatic, then add the chickpeas.
13. Fry for a few minutes, then combine with the other chopped ingredients and the lemon juice.
14. For the flatbread, place the flour and salt in a free-standing mixer with a dough hook attachment and dissolve the yeast in a little water.
15. Add the oil to the flour, along with the salt and yeast and mix with the dough hook, kneading for five minutes. Tip the dough into a bowl, cover loosely and leave to prove until doubled in size (about 30-60 minutes).
16. To cook the flatbread, heat a cast iron pan. Divide the dough into balls and roll out to about the thickness of a pound coin. Lay them on the hot pan in batches and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, or until all the raw dough has cooked and the bread has bubbled up and is crisp and coloured.
17. To serve, place the mezze in separate bowls or a large platter and serve with the flatbread and thick yoghurt.

Ingredients

For the parsley pesto

• 2 garlic cloves
• large handful fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 25g/1oz pine nuts
• 50g/2oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 150ml/5fl oz extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

• 6 beef tomatoes, or 12-15 large plum tomatoes
• 450g/1lb courgettes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• handful fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
• 450g/1lb Greek feta cheese, crumbled
• olive oil, for drizzling
• 18 large Kalamata black olives
• 6 lemon wedges, to serve

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4.
2. To make the pesto, place the garlic and parsley into a food processor and blend together. With the food processor still running, add the pine nuts, parmesan and oil and blend until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Skin the tomatoes by cutting a small cross into the bottom and carefully placing them into a heatproof bowl of boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of iced water for one minute. The skin should then peel off easily. Once peeled, slice the tomatoes to the thickness of a pound coin.
4. Heat a griddle pan until smoking. Slice the courgettes to the same thickness as the tomatoes, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place onto the griddle pan to cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until striped with griddle marks.
5. To assemble the salad, place six deep 10cm/4in chefs' rings onto a baking tray. Place a layer of the tomatoes into the bottom of each ring. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then spoon over a little pesto.
6. Add a couple of basil leaves to cover the pesto layer, then add a layer of feta.
7. Add a layer of griddled courgette, then repeat the layers of tomato, pesto, basil, feta and courgette.
8. Top the stacks with a layer of feta and drizzle each with a little olive oil.
9. Transfer to the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes just to warm the stacks through. (You can then place the stacked chefs' rings under a hot grill to brown the feta if you want.)
10. To serve, place each chefs' ring onto a plate, and arrange three olives around each stack. Carefully remove the chefs' rings and garnish each Greek salad stack with basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and place a lemon wedge alongside.

This salad is great with lamb, or just on its own. The vinegar cuts through the saltiness of the cheese, and the spinach and pine nuts are just a fantastic flavour combination.

With a GI of 45 this meal is high protein, low GI and provides 437 kcal per portion.

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb baby spinach
• 450g/1lb feta cheese, cut into chunks or cubed
• 8 tsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 1 red onion, sliced finely
• sherry vinegar, to taste
• light and fruity olive oil, to drizzle

Preparation method

1. Place the washed spinach with the feta, onion and pine nuts in a bowl.
2. Sprinkle with sherry vinegar, then drizzle with the oil, which allows the dressing to coat all the ingredients.
3. Serve alongside grilled lamb, chicken or just with some crusty bread.

This pear and almond tart with swirls of melted chocolate marbled through it is served either warm or cold in generous wedges with a dollop of cream.

You will need a 26cm/10½in loose-based fluted flan tin, roughly 3.5cm/1¼in deep.

Ingredients

For the filling

• 100g/3½oz plain dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 150g/5½oz softened butter
• 150g/5½oz caster sugar
• 150g/5½oz ground almonds
• 50g/1¾oz self-raising flour
• 3 free-range eggs
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 firm conference pears (about 500g/1lb 2oz)
• 15g/½oz flaked almonds
• 1 tsp icing sugar, to sift

For the pastry

• 500g/1lb 2oz chilled ready-made puff pastry block
• plain flour, for rolling

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C (fan)/Gas 6 and place a baking tray inside.
2. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of gently simmering water, without letting the bowl touch the water, until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Carefully remove from the pan and leave to stand to finish melting, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Put the butter, ground almonds, sugar, flour and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth and fluffy. Alternatively, put in a mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon.
4. For the pastry, press the sides of the pastry block in a little to help form a rounder shape. Roll out on a lightly floured surface until around 5cm/2in larger than a 26cm/10½ fluted flan tin and 3mm thick. Lift carefully over the rolling pin and drop gently into the tin, pressing firmly into the corners and sides. Prick the base lightly with a fork. Trim the edges with a sharp, horizontally held knife.
5. Spoon all the almond mixture into the tart, working it around the outside before working towards the middle of the pastry case. Drop spoonfuls of the melted chocolate on top and draw the tip of a knife through the mixture to lightly marble.
6. Put the lemon juice in a large bowl. Peel the pears and cut into quarters. Remove the cores and discard. Toss the pears with the lemon juice to help prevent them discolouring. Arrange the pears around the tart, cut-side down, with the pointy ends towards the middle, pressing gently into the almond batter. Bake on the baking tray in the oven for 30 minutes.
7. Pull the oven shelf holding the tart out a little way and very carefully scatter over the flaked almonds. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/160C (fan)/Gas 4. Return the tart to the oven for a further 25-30 minutes, or until nicely risen. The filling should also feel firm to the touch. If the tart is beginning to overbrown towards the end of the cooking time, loosely cover with a piece of foil.
8. Cool in the tin for at least 10 minutes and then carefully transfer to a board or serving platter. Sprinkle with sifted icing sugar and serve warm or cold in wedges.