ALTHOUGH she hasn’t got any recipes for stink bug eggs or Mr Twit’s beard food, Sophie Dahl’s new cookbook is still a delight.

The granddaughter of children’s author Roald Dahl (a man who reportedly never had white milk on the table, always pink), has turned her hand to food writing.

But while Roald Dahl purists might find Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights (HarperCollins, £18.99) tame compared to those found in her grandfather’s first cookbook, Revolting Recipes, most cooks would agree that pear and ginger muffins are far easier to serve at dinner parties.

Sophie, better known for her modelling, says: “This is my third book.

“My writing is a quiet thing, but I actually stopped modelling a year ago.

“It sounds deeply unadventurous, but the thing I make the most is probably a roast chicken and ratatouille. If people are veggie, then I’ll do a cauliflower cheese and wild rice risotto to go along with it.”

Having grown up in a family that liked to cook she is still attached to old favourites and here is one of them.

PICTURE CAPTION - FAVOURITE: Try this fish dish from Sophie Dahl’s latest cookery book, which is called Voluptuous Delights.

RECIPE: SEA BASS WITH BLACK OLIVE SALSA AND BABY COURGETTES

Sophie Dahl says: “This would be a good date dinner. On my 30th birthday I had sea bass cooked for me and served in the garden, surrounded by twinkling candles and a whole lot of love.”

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 sea bass fillets
Olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper
6 baby courgettes, halved

For the black olive salsa:

250g/1 cup of pitted black olives
150g/1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
A handful of fresh chopped basil and dill
Juice of one lemon
Half a red chilli, deseeded and chopped
60ml/¼ cup of olive oil
1 lemon, sliced, rind and pith removed, to garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/170Cfan/Gas 5. Marinate the bass in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper for about 20 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, mix the olives, tomatoes, chopped basil, dill, lemon juice, red chilli and olive oil. Put to one side. Slice the courgettes lengthways, season and splash with olive oil, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Pan-fry the bass in some hot olive oil, cooking it for two minutes on each side. Add the bass to the plates and top with the black olive salsa, serving the baby courgettes on the side, sprinkled with extra dill and lemon slices.