In the lead up to the silly season we thought it might be nice to remember the basics. Here are Maggie's tips to help things go as smoothly as possible in your kitchen with an increase in social butterfly-ing!

Find the freshest and best possible produce to cook, and treat it with care

Keep it simple, especially when cooking for friends – don’t become hooked on showing off for dinner parties

Get all the ingredients out before you start (if you are really keen, you could even measure them first!)

Have the right tools and equipment to hand