New World

Sikil Pak is a deliciously nutty and moorish traditional Mayan dip made from toasted or roasted pumpkin seeds and charred tomatoes. Serve alongside freshly fried totopos (tortilla chips) with a margarita if you fancy.

A substantial soup, almost a main course, combining meaty black beans and sweet red peppers with the heat of red chilli in the accompanying salsa.

Finished in the oven, rich and sweet Boston baked beans are an American classic perfect for cold winter nights.

The Tex-Mex answer to stuffed crêpes, quesadillas are wheat-flour tortillas stuffed with cheese and whatever else comes to hand. American recipes call for Monterey Jack cheese, or sometimes Cheddar, but Wensleydale works wonderfully. Meaty black beans make these quesadillas more substantial, great for a brunch with guacamole, salsa and sour cream trimmings.

Our Red Haricot Beans are perfect for a classic New World chilli with or without the meat - here's our recipe for a vegetarian chilli.