. Party nibbles for all Before you go overboard working out what to cook for the grown-ups at the party, remember that most adults are secretly fond of retro party food, crisps and child-sized sandwiches and other popular nibbles. You could save yourself a

ground cinnamon,plus extra to decoratea pinch of salt40 g unsalted butter,at room temperature120 ml whole milk2 eggs200 g tinned pumpkin purée1 quantity Cream Cheese Frosting (page 11)a 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases (see note below

THEY ARE ONE of Britain’s great summer traditions. The Queen herself leads the way with her royal garden parties replete with cucumber sandwiches (sans crusts, of course) and military brass band.    For your own child-friendly al fresco affair, you

We first had raclette while on holiday in Switzerland and it is a great cheesy party treat. Raclette is a Swiss take on fondue, whereby you melt cheese onto a variety of vegetables, most commonly potatoes (or you can use bread). Tefal have created a

, room temperature 110 g/4 oz cream cheese 450 g/1 lb icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp red colouring paste 4 packets of Matchmakers 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Line a 12-hole nonstick muffin tray with paper cake cases. Add the lemon or vinegar to

Ready Steady Party by Lucy Broadhurst (Murdoch Books, £12.99) is jam-packed with ideas for different party themes, as well as a variety of great party food and drink recipes, including these scrumptious Strawberry Pillows.Strawberry PillowsMakes 18

sugar85g (3oz) ground almonds 1 tsp vanilla essence1 tsp almond essenceTo decorate1.8kg (4lb) ready-to-roll icing2 tbsp jamCocktail sticksRed, white and blue ribbonDouble-sided sticky tapeMethodPreheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12.5cm/5in

Ingredients (Makes 10)For the cakes 115g caster sugar115g butter, softened2 eggs85g self-raising flour 30g ground almonds1 tsp vanilla extractTo decorate30g ready-to-roll icingRed and green food colouring paste200g fondant icing sugar1 tbsp

to 200ºC (Gas Mark 6). To make the choux pastry, melt the butter in a saucepan with 150ml of cold water. Bring to the boil, then quickly add the sifted flour all in one go and remove from the heat. Beat hard with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a

) caster sugar4 large eggs, beaten1 tsp vanilla extract250g (9oz) plain flour4 tsp baking powder3–4 tbsp milk, at room temperatureSmall125g (41/2oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature 125g (41/2oz) caster sugar2 large eggs, beaten1/2tsp vanilla extract125