If you are hosting drinks and nibbles in these festive times it could be nice to know that you can be in charge of your party food. Hummus is one of those essentials that you can easily overlook. You assume it will be at your ready in the shop, only to find that the world was thinking the same thing. Don’t panic! Do a GIANT batch of home made hummus a few days before your event (hummus will last at least four days in the fridge) to ensure you have one less thing to worry about. I still find it amazing that a bag of dried chickpeas become something so delicious.

We are lucky here in the UK as we can go almost anywhere and there will be dried beens and pulses in supersize packages. I tend to buy a 2 kg bag and store it at the bottom of my larder. As and when I need it, I just grab a cup or two, soak them, cook them and quickly whip up a new, fresh batch of hummus for the week. Easy peasy. The version I use is a vegan recipe from Abel & Cole.

PARTY HUMMUS

Makes enough for 4-5 (double if need be)

1 cup soaked, cooked and cooled chickpeas * or 1 can

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)

Juice of one lemon

3 – 4 glugs of olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

Optional: black pepper, dried paprika

1. Add chickpeas, garlic and tahini and lemon in a food processor and blitz.

2. Slowly add 3 – 4 glugs of olive oil through the top of food prossesor/blender so it combines. You may need to scrape some of the mixture from the sides as it tends to gather. If too dry add a touch of liquid until it makes a smooth paste.

3. Season with salt and/or pepper/paprika. It looks lovely with a bit of olive oil drizzled on top before serving. Enjoy. x

* Soak your dry chickpeas over night or at least 8 hours. Once soaked, rinse thoroughly and place in pot with cold, salted water. Bring to boil and simmer for about 45 minutes. Skim off any foam building up on the surface. Once cooked, rinse thoroughly and leave to cool. You can keep cooked chickpeas in a container in the fridge to add to salads and soups. Once cool your chickpeas are ready to be hummused.