Promising a end to garlicky fingers, this marks and spencers garlic slicer is a great handy gadget for the kitchen.

By holding the garlic cloves securely in a plastic carriage, which you then move across its stainless steel blades. It slices and shreds without mess or waste.

Put your gadget to great use by trying out my recipe for Tropical Noodles. This is one of those dishes which we have developed over the years to teach my son to cook for himself while studying.

For my Tropical Noodles you are going to need: (This makes enough for 2 servings) 25g cashew nuts chopped, 200g pineapple chucks in natural juice, 100g chinese egg noodles, 1 tblsp vegetable oil, 1 garlic clove sliced, 1 bunch of spring onions sliced thickly on the diagonal, 1 large firm mango cubed, 1 large red pepper, deseeded and diced, 2 tblsp sweet chilli sauce and 1 tblsp soy sauce.

Place the cashew nuts in a non-stick pan and stir over a medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside. Drain the pineapple chunks and reserve the juice. Cook your noodles according to the instructions. Heat the oil in the wok, add the garlic, spring onions, mango and red pepper and stir fry over a high heat for 5 minutes. Then stir in the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, pineapple chunks and 1 tblsp of the reserved juice. Stir fry for a further 2 minutes before draining the noodles and arrange on 2 serving plates then spoon over the tropical stir fry and finish by sprinkling over the top the cashew nuts.

If you like chinese dishes try out my recipes in my previous blog bring back time to eat together as a family and chinese new year - year of the ox along with many more recipes in my blogs to tantalise your tastebuds!

My house always seems to be full of guests which I am not complaining about at all, infact I enjoy a full buzzing house and I wouldn’t want it anyother way. 

Everyone knows how important it is to eat 3 good meals a day. Enjoying seasonal nutritious foods that are a pleasure to eat, meals which keep you feeling full and satisfied and stop you nibbling on modern sugar packed snacks. However, in an ideal world we would all sit down to share our day in the evening over dinner, or plan out our days together over breakfast in the morning. This is something I have always insisted on, but this scenario is not always possible. Especially with children now with various hobbies and attending various clubs, which you need a whole dedicated diary for on their own now adays. Then you have adult members of the family being held up at work (as we work some of the longest hours in Europe now), stuck on public transport or even in the never ending traffic jams upon our roads today. Fewer and fewer families can get to do this.

So I make one rule in our house, to make at least one healthy meal that can be tucked into as and when all the family can sit together; and if this can’t be in the evening, as I must admit our evening meals seem to get later and later due to all of our commitments.  I like us all to catch up with each other, so we can support each other, sort out whose going where and whose taking them etc so we always make breakfast together. Just as our grandparents would of done, they ate 3 good meals, at regular times throughout the day and ate together.

So try to plan say a evening meals together and make sure to minimise those distractions insisting on no mobiles or TV, so you can catch up with each other and enjoy your food too.  I know you may find this hard to start with but it will be worth it in the end.

One supper which will always bring my son Ed and his mates out of the wood work is my Sesame chicken noodles.

For serving you sesame chicken noodles check out this swift spice chinese serving set. The  Swift Chinese Serving Set Includes: -Four ceramic bowls. -Four ceramic spoons. -Four bamboo placemats. -Four pairs chopsticks and rests, and can make serving and eatting a chinese meal alot more fun and its great for entertaining too.

To serve 4 people your going to need: 1 tblsp sesame oil, 1 tabls sesame seeds, 3 free range local chicken breasts, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, a knob of root ginger peeled and shredded, 2 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced, 200g oyster mushrooms halved and quartered, 200g dried edd noodles, 6 spring onions trimmed and sliced on the angle, 150g sugar snap peas, 100g peas (fresh or frozen), 1 tblsp cornflour, 1 tsp five-spice powder, 2 tblsp rice wine or dry sherry, 1 tsp caster sugar and 2 handfuls of spinach.

Slice your chicken breasts into long narrow strips, heat a wok and toast the sesame seeds in it for about 20 seconds then tip into a bowl. Heat the pil and when sizzling add the ginger, garlic and cook stirring for 1 minute then transfer to a plate. Add the mushrroms and stir fry to 2 minutes then scoop out and put these on the plate too. Add the chicken to the wok and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until cooked through then tip in to a heatproof dish and keep warm in a preheated oven on a low setting. Bring a pan of water to boil on the hob & boil the noodles takes about 4 minutes or as shown on packet. Add the spring onions, sugar snap peas & peas to your wok with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir these over a medium heat for 3 minutes then return the ginger, garlic and mushrooms. Drain the noodles and toss with the sesame oil. Blend the cornflour with the five-spice, rice wine (or dry sherry), sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Add this mixture to the wok and toss everything together over the heat for 1 minute. Toss the warmed chicken in the oven with the toasted sesame seeds and serve the noodles in bowls topped with strips of chicken and stir fried vegetables. You can drizzle with a little extra sesame oil before serving if you wish.

Take a look at my previous blog flexible spring cookery to cope with the great british weather for further recipes and my blog chinese new year - the year of the Ox. 

Whats your families favourite meals to eat together? have you got a favourite chinese recipe? Let me know its always great to hear from you all!