Chef Ian Jefferies, 

The Harrow Inn, High Street, Wanborough, Wiltshire SN4 0AE
01793 791792

Simple steps to make a luxurious desert ... if you can keep the young ones away from the honeycomb before you have prepared the rest of the ingredients

For the honeycomb: 335 grams caster sugar 125ml honey to 80 water 2 tablespoons golden syrup 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda 200g dark chocolate, chopped ( optional ) l Grease and line an oven tray with baking paper, or silicon sheet.

l Combine sugar, honey, water and golden syrup in a medium thick base saucepan. Place over low heat and be careful not to stir. Leave the mixture for 5-7 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Cook, without stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until the syrup reaches crack stage (154°C) on a sugar thermometer. Remove from heat and set aside for any bubbles to subside.

l Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir quickly (I cannot emphasise this enough!) with a wooden spoon. The mixture will bubble and foam. As soon as bicarbonate has mixed in pour immediately on to the tray and set aside to cool.

l Turn the honeycomb on to a clean surface. Break into large pieces.

l For extra indulgence melt 200g of dark chocolate. Drizzle chocolate over the cooled honeycomb pieces and put aside to set. Store in an airtight container, at ambient temperature.

For the base 100g/3½oz toasted hazelnuts and 100g/3½oz sugar, melted over low heat until a caramel forms 150g/5¼oz bran flakes, slightly crushed For the delice 140ml/5fl oz full-fat milk 325ml/11½fl oz double cream 2 free-range eggs 340g/12oz quality dark chocolate, chopped For the coffee foam 200ml/7¼fl oz strong black espresso coffee 1 sheet gelatine, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, drained l For the base, blend the hazelnuts and caramelised sugar in a food processor until you have a smooth paste. Heat the paste in a small pan on a gentle heat until warmed through. Place the bran flakes and warmed praline paste into a mixing bowl and scrunch together with your hands until the bran flakes have been incorporated into the paste.

l Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, then transfer the praline mixture on to it. Cover with a second sheet of greaseproof paper, then roll out until it measures at least 14cm x 20cm and is 0.5cm thick. Remove the top sheet of greaseproof paper, then push a 14cm x 20cm x 3cm rectangular pastry frame down onto the praline mixture and trim off any excess. The excess praline can be pressed into any gaps in the mould. Cover the mould with greaseproof paper and chill the praline in the fridge for 30 minutes, or until set.

l Meanwhile, for the delice, put the milk and cream in a saucepan and heat gently over a medium heat until it just reaches boiling point.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl. As the milk and cream mixture comes to the boil, pour it over the eggs, then whisk the mixture constantly until smooth and thick.

l Stir in the chopped chocolate and whisk again until the chocolate has melted and the custard is smooth. Remove the base from the fridge and pour in the chocolate delice to fill the mould.

l Gently tap the sides of the mould to release any air bubbles, then smooth the surface using a palette knife. Chill in the fridge for 6-12 hours,until set.

l For the coffee foam, just before serving, heat half of the coffee in a pan until just hot but not boiling. Squeeze the gelatine sheet dry, then add it to the hot coffee and continue to warm until the gelatine has dissolved. Pour the remaining cold coffee into a bowl, then add the hot coffee mixture to it. Whisk well until the mixture foams.

l To serve, heat the outside of the mould using a chefs’ blow torch to loosen the base of the delice. Carefully remove the pastry frame from the delice. Enjoy!