The secret of a good risotto is having a good quality stock and in the last minute finishing before you serve it. Bad risotto just tastes like rice and vegetables and is very dull. I find it rather therapeutic to make as you can’t rush it and standing at the stove slowly waiting for rice to cook whilst drinking a glass of wine is a nice antidote to the working day. You can make endless variations of risotto – I also make a ‘dustbin risotto’ as an alternative to ‘dustbin omelette’ when I have some cooked veg to use up (don’t add the leftover cooked potato though, this dish has enough carbohydrate in it from the rice).

You need about 60g – 70 g of arborio risotto rice per person which will take approximately 200 mL of stock to cook. Prepare your stock first: either make your own vegetable stock or buy the best quality you can afford. It needs to be hot before you add it to the risotto rice so keep it in a jug next to the stove.

Start by softening a finely chopped shallot or half an onion in a knob of butter. Meanwhile cook your frozen peas – I use the microwave – and whizz half of them up in the blender, leaving the rest whole. Set to one side.

By now your shallot/onion should have softened. Add the rice and stir well. Add half a glass of white wine to the rice and stir gently until it is absorbed. The alcohol will boil off but it gives a nice depth of flavour to the dish. Pour yourself a glass and drink whilst finishing the risotto. Gradually add the hot stock, a ladle full at a time, allowing each ladle to be absorbed before adding the next. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Near the end test the rice to see if it is cooked. The whole process will take about 15 minutes (by which time you will need a second glass of wine). Make sure the mixture isn’t too sloppy by the time the rice is cooked.

Take a bunch of fresh mint and chop it fairly finely. It has to be fresh mint for this dish, dried will not do. Add your blended peas and chopped mint, plus a generous amount of seasoning, to the cooked rice and stir until the whole thing is a lovely bright green colour. Then add the cooked whole peas and a squeeze of lemon juice and stir again to warm through. Check the seasoning. Add a generous handful of finely grated cheese and stir until melted. You can use cheddar, I prefer a hard cheese, although finding vegetarian alternatives to parmesan can be a challenge. Serve in bowls with a sprig of fresh mint to garnish if you have guests to impress.