Who would have thought the exotic hummus would become a fridge staple? It has taken over the world with dip domination! The great thing about hummus is its versatility and ease, for example you can have a quick lunch by spreading it on toasted pitta or simply dipping a few carrots in for a snack.

Its Middle Eastern origins also make it very healthy: its base is pulses (chickpeas) alongside sesame seeds, garlic and lemon. This wholesome snack can also be jazzed up easily by simply adding spices, pastes and toppings (one of my favourites is swirling in pesto and sprinkling pine nuts on top). I tend to whip up a quick batch at the start of the week (double this recipe, leave the paprika) and then add flavours as I progress day-to-day. It is my go-to snack for work with some crunchy carrots and sugar snap peas. Oh, and can I just mention it costs my less than 30 pence a portion!!! You can eat healthily on a small budget…

Ingredients Serves 4

200g canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed – save a few for decoration)

½ a lemon’s juice

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

Pinch salt

100ml tahini (sesame seed paste)

2 tbsp water

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika ,salt, tahini, water and 2 tbsps olive oil in a food processor, and blend to a creamy puree.
2. Turn out into a dish, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and garnish with the saved chickpeas and another sprinkle of paprika.

Flavour ideas (using basic recipe above, minus paprika):

Parsley and lemon (add a handful of parsley to processor and double the lemon juice)

Olive and basil (add a handful of basil to processor and finely chop olives to mix through hummus before serving)

Roasted garlic (add 5 roasted cloves into the processor)

Greek style (add 50g feta cheese, handful spinach, and sprinkle of cinnamon to processor)

Harissa (add 1.5 tbsps harissa paste to the processor and double the lemon juice)

Ginger (add a 2 inch pieve of chopped ginger to the processor)