Ben Hoggett: Proprietor of New Wave Seafood fishmongers, Cirencester.

This is a Scallop dish I've tried to recreate from a excellent French/Italian restaurant in London.

A sharp knife would be very helpful and attention to the seasoning is important but you don't need to be a budding master chef to pull this off.

It relies on the freshest Scallops as there's no cooking here and Red Cherries work just as well and using frozen fruit is still very satisfactory.

A few slivers of very fresh Fish and a simple garnish can be one of the very best ways to start a dinner party.

I resisted the temptation to adorn the plate with redundant leaves or edible flowers which are not needed here but you could substitute the Almonds for Hazelnuts if desired.

For each person 2 med-large Hand dived Scallops trimmed of muscle and roe 6 blanched Almonds or equivalent flaked 3-4 Black Cherries pitted and sliced 2 tbsp Of Extra virgin Olive oil Small finger nail size piece of Garlic peeled and cut to fine slivers Squeeze of lemon Chives Flakey sea salt and pepper Rinse and Dry your Scallops, slice them as thin as you can and arrange on a plate 1 layer thick.

In a small pan warm your oil then add your Almonds and Garlic, season with Salt and cook gently till lightly toasted, cool down and then add a squeeze of lemon, taste to adjust the seasoning.

Dress your plate with your Cherry slices and garlic oil mix and lastly sprinkle with chives and pepper.