A couple of festive seasons ago I was greeted on my last day at the clinic by Tiffany, our practice manager at the time, bearing gifts. Not your usual chocolates or shortbread, but something far more unique. Tiffany’s home made hummus, tzatziki and toasted pita bread was presented beautifully in recycled paper bags with personal messages written on each of them. Fresh and ready to be eaten, I served the dips as starters when our guests arrived on Christmas Eve. A far more personal, useful and lets face it, healthier gift than a box of chocolate. Tiffany’s dip recipes were the inspiration for those in my book Knife, Fork and Band. Think about trying these dips at your next Christmas gathering.
 
Hummus
2½ cups chickpeas
½ cup tahini
½ cup lemon juice to taste
½ cup water
1 clove garlic
 
Soak dried chickpeas for 48 hours, then boil for about 4 hours or until very mushy. Strain and place in food processor. Add tahini, garlic (crushed), water and lemon. Puree until smooth. Serve sprinkled with paprika.
 
Tzatziki
1kg low fat natural yoghurt
2 Lebanese cucumbers, grated
1‐2 cloves garlic, crushed
Squeeze of lemon juice, to taste
 
Line a sieve with a clean Chux® or muslin cloth and strain the yoghurt overnight. Do the same for the cucumber. Combine strained yoghurt, cucumber, lemon juice and garlic and mix well.
 
Recipe inspiration from Tiffany Cowling, published in Knife, Fork and Band.