Cooking for unexpected visitors can be challenging - trying to russle up something quick with not much in the cupboard! Imagine if the person you were russling up food for was none other than Masterchef finalist Ben Axford! No pressure there then!!! Ben came to stay last night on his way to a meeting - it was so lovely to see him and to catch up on all he has been doing! We had not seen each other since watching the final programme at the edit together a few weeks before it was aired.

So what to serve a foodie extraordinaire....the meal ended up being very lavendery! Spiced monkfish, fennel salad with lavender dressing, new potatoes and home made sun dried tomato bread, lavender pavlova with fresh cherries and cherry sauce. To finish the meal Ben had brought us some delicious cheeses from his shop with some...you've guessed it....lavender crackers! The crackers were yummy - really crumbly and salty with a strong lavender aftertaste. All washed down with some nice wine and port. A perfect way to spend a Monday evening.

Fennel and Avocado salad with Lavender dressing

Green salad leaves

1 bulb of fennel finely sliced

1 avocado chopped

1 tsp culinary lavender, ground in a pestle and mortar

1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp caster sugar

freshly ground salt and pepper

Whisk the lavender, vinegar and oil well and season with salt and pepper. Toss the avocado, fennel and leaves in a bowl and pour over the dressing just before serving. The dressing works well on any salad, but matches with fennel perfectly.