2 - 14oz tins chick peas Juice of a lemon 6 cloves garlic (crushed) 1 fl oz (30ml) tahini 4 tsp (20ml) olive oil 2 tsp (10ml) white wine vinegar 6 fl oz approx. water Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Liquidise the crushed garlic with the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, white wine vinegar and half the water. Then stir in the drained chick peas and liquidise again. You may need to switch off the liquidiser and stir on several occasions. Add more water if necessary. Add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Alternatively hummous can also be made in a food processor. Using no (or very little) water, this tends to produce a thicker, coarser textured hummous as preferred by some people.

The ratio of tahini and garlic may be adjusted for personal preference.

Tip: Very gently warm the lemon in a microwave before squeezing.

Serving suggestion:

Serve on a plate with a dribble of olive oil, sprinkle of paprika and a black olive with some salad, crudités (sticks of carrot, cucumber, peppers, celery etc.) and hot pitta bread.