Lemons are available all year round and have a number of uses including adding flavour to recipes, both sweet and savoury, and garnishing drinks.

At 21212, we use over 40 lemons a day, that’s 200 lemons a week and over 10,000 a year! It’s safe to say that lemons are very important in the day to day running of my kitchen. Lemons play a big part in a lot of our dishes, everything from the zest and juice in our signature lemon tart to the garnish on our carrots!

Both lemon juice and zest are frequently used in cooking as it adds a punch of flavour that you simply can’t achieve with other dressings. A drop of lemon juice can cut right through the richness of meat, add some flair to your standard Yorkshire puddings, or add lots of citrusy goodness to a lemon tart or lemon meringue. It’s a great all-rounder that’s a must have in any kitchen.

When you’re cooking with pork, try replacing the traditional apple and sage with lemon and sage and you’ll be surprised at how well it complements the depths of flavour in the pork. Lamb is also another meat that works really well with lemon. Mix lemon juice with some fresh mint leaves and lather it on the lamb, the minty acidic flavours will bring out the flavour of the lamb beautifully. When it comes to curries and Moroccan dishes I’d recommend using sweet lemony syrup to flavour your rice and pickled lemon to balance out a curry. And if you’re looking for a lemon themed sweet treat with a difference then caramelise slices of lemon and serve them with big scoops of ice cream - the citrusy warm pieces of lemon with the cold creamy ice cream is a match made in heaven.

The perfect, in-season lemon shouldn’t be too heavy and it should be shaped like a small rugby ball with big dimples. The juiciest lemons are the ones that give a little when you squeeze them, which make them much easier to juice and to use when cooking.

For the next week, one challenge I’d like to set for you when you’re eating meat, fish, vegetables or anything deep-fried, is to replace the addition of salt with a splash of lemon juice. By adding lemon juice instead of salt you’ll be making the dish much healthier and fuller in flavour.