Mary Berry - Mary Berry Cookery Course: A Step-by-Step Masterclass in Home Cooking

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A good home-made soup tastes so much better than a bought one, and this is quick and easy to make. It freezes well too. Serve with chunks of crusty bread for a homely lunch or supper, or swirl in a little extra cream for an elegant first course. When leek and potato soup is served chilled, it is known as vichyssoise.

Being both light and filling, this Asian-style soup is ideal for lunch. Browning the meat and vegetables gives good colour and depth of flavour to the stock. Once strained, the stock can be used as a base for other types of chicken soup too.

This is a variation on food writer Jane Grigsons original parsnip soup recipe, created when she had a glut of parsnips in her garden. Prepare the parsnips just before using, because they have a tendency to discolour once peeled and cut.

Colourful and smooth, with a touch of spice, this is a great autumn and winter warmer. For a change of texture, I keep a few pieces of the roasted squash back, cut them into little cubes, then stir them into the pured soup when reheating.

With its beautiful vivid green appearance and unusual peppery flavour, this soup makes an elegant first course for a dinner party. To preserve the soups colour, dont keep it hot for too long on the hob and serve it as soon as possible.

Tomatoes and pesto are the perfect flavour partnership for this soup, and the home-made pesto keeps in the fridge for about 2 weeks, so you can make it ahead. For an even easier soup when time is short, buy a good-quality fresh pesto.

With all the fresh vegetables and pasta in this soup, its a meal in itself. You can ring the changes by using different vegetables to suit different seasons, providing the total amount of vegetables you use is about the same as in this recipe.

Fresh clams and fresh cobs of corn make this chowder rather special. However, if you want to make it in a hurry, its fine to use canned clams and frozen or canned sweetcorn. Chunks of warm garlic bread make a great accompaniment.

Making a souffl is not difficult, just a little fiddly. The key is to make a good cheese sauce (or base) for flavour, whisk the egg whites to the right consistency for light, airy volume, and keep an eye on timing. Individual souffls make an exciting first course, or baked in one larger dish, a souffl is ideal for supper served with salad.

Bruschetta make a good substantial starter or lunchtime snack. Use the recipe for Onion Marmalade, but add another 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon sugar: the goats cheese benefits from the extra sweetness.

It is usual to simply boil asparagus for dipping into this rich, creamy sauce, but chargrilling adds a unique flavour. When making this quick version of hollandaise, Ive found that heating the blender first allows the sauce to thicken more easily.

Adding some aubergine to a liver pt makes it much lighter and less calorific. It gives a more silky-smooth texture too. Serve the pt in individual pots or one larger dish with toast, and if you have any left over, try it as a spread in sandwiches.

You can buy mussels all year round, but early autumn to mid-spring is best. Make sure they are really fresh. Its best to use fresh fish stock if possible, but if you dont have any, a fish stock cube dissolved in boiling water will be absolutely fine.

Serving scallops always makes a meal rather special. Here they are combined with a touch of mild Asian spice mix and pancetta. Ive used the large, plump king scallops as theyre so succulent and delicious. Serve over Chinese egg noodles.

This makes a smart first course and adds variety to the menu if youre planning a meaty main course. Its best to buy tiger prawns for this dish, as their size is more impressive and theyre so juicy and flavoursome.

Serving glasses that show off the tiered presentation are ideal for this classic first course. You can make the sauce 3 days ahead and assemble the dish 4 hours ahead. For a lighter sauce, use light mayonnaise and half-fat crme frache or plain yogurt.

Nothing could be simpler or quicker to prepare than an omelette: with just a few basic ingredients you can whip up a delicious impromptu meal. The classic French omelette is plain, but the possibilities for flavourings and fillings are endless. Here, Ive added the French combination of aromatic herbs, known as fines herbes.

Boiled eggs are among the healthiest ways of eating eggs, as you dont use any butter or oil. I recommend buying free-range eggs for boiling youll find the yolks are a brighter colour and they have more flavour.

This is my Sunday night supper. To make the texture wonderfully creamy, cook the eggs as slowly as possible. For a special occasion, replace the milk with single cream and serve the eggs with 200g (7oz) sliced smoked salmon alongside.