1. Lakeland This smart-looking rubberwood block comes complete with five knives – paring, cook's, all-purpose, carving and bread, which covers what most kitchens need. Each is made from a single piece of hardened stainless steel and there's good handling balance. £59.99, lakeland.co.uk 2. Robert Welch This award-winning set contains six high-quality knives and a stylish knife-block with a handy in-built knife sharpener. Each knife slot has a clever integral magnet mechanism, so that when you slide the knife in or out, the sharp edge is protected. £280, robertwelch.com 3. Maxwell & Williams This five-piece slice-and-dice knife set features knives constructed with stainless steel with a non-stick overcoat for the blade. The coloured handles make them clearly distinguishable from the blade during use and cleaning and they're currently reduced from £59.96. £29.95, maxwellandwilliams.co.uk 4. IKEA Slipad This entry-level knife block, which includes five multi-coloured knives ranging from a paring knife to a carving knife, is perfect for those setting up home on a budget, students going off to college, or the occasional cook. £11, ikea.com 5. Pampered Chef Pampered Chef's knives are the business. They are finely crafted from fully forged, high-carbon German steel for a perfect edge and sharpness, stain and corrosion resistance and durability. Too expensive? There's a less comprehensive set at £127. £390, pamperedchef.co.uk 6. Zwilling This company has been making knives since 1731 and its latest range is hard to fault. The blades are perfectly balanced and all the knives are all forged from a single piece of stainless steel, which goes through six different stages of heat production followed by an ice-hardening process, for optimum durability and stain resistance. £169.99, lakeland.co.uk 7. Judge This eye-catching set makes it easy to find the right knife for the task in hand. The five Sabatier blades with contoured anti-slip handles are clearly displayed in their acrylic stand and if you don't like the red, there's a black version, too. £48, judgecookware.co.uk 8. Stellar James Martin Designed in conjunction with TV chef James Martin, these high-specification stainless-steel blades have a high level of Molybdenum (a type of metal) for lasting quality and come with a lifetime guarantee. Additional knives are also available. £72, stellarcookware.co.uk 9. Raymond Blanc Knives Each blade in this six-piece knife collection is ice-hardened Japanese steel and they run the entire length of the handle to ensure perfect balance, precision and durability. The Suregrip handle is ergonomically countoured, too, enabling a really firm grip. £125, raymondblanc.com 10. Robert Welch Here's another set featuring the multi-award winning Robert Welch Signature kitchen knives. This time, the base – a bamboo drawer unit – is designed for those who like to keep their worktops tidy while cooking. It's also ultra-safe for households with children. £110, robertwelch.com

'A Haunting in Venice' producer Judy Hofflund wanted the third outing for Sir Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Poirot to be "dark and scary" compared to the previous two films.

Here we have a great French classic made into a vegetarian treat,” says Michel Roux. “I’ve suggested a selection of vegetables, but you can vary them according to the season and spice them up with more chilli if you like a bit of heat. “Delicious as a main meal or as an accompaniment, this can be made in individual portions as well as a large tart. It’s fine to use shop-bought puff pastry – I do!” Vegetable tart tatin Serves: 4 Ingredients: 3 small heads of red chicory 3 small heads of yellow chicory 200g slender carrots, halved lengthways 300g kohlrabi, cut into batons 100g cauliflower florets or sprouting broccoli, halved 1 large onion, cut into wedges 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp caster sugar 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced Leaves from 1 thyme sprig 350g puff pastry Flour, for dusting Salt and black pepper Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Cut the heads of chicory in half (or if they are large, into quarters) and put them in a bowl with the other vegetables. Add the oil and toss, then season with salt and black pepper. Spread the vegetables over a baking tray and roast them in the oven for eight to 10 minutes. The vegetables should be partly cooked and have a little colour. 2. Melt the butter in a large (28cm) ovenproof frying pan, then sprinkle over the sugar. Place the cooked vegetables, sliced chilli and thyme on top, making sure to pack the vegetables tightly. 3. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface to three millimetres thick. Place the pastry over the vegetables, tucking it in around the edges. Make a few holes in the pastry with the point of a knife, then bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool a little, then place a plate over the pan and carefully turn the pan over to invert the tart on to the plate. Serve warm. Tagliolini with seafood “I love seafood, and pasta and shellfish are always a great combination,” says Roux. “Keep this simple with mussels and clams, or if you want to go to town, use other shellfish, such as razor clams or cockles, when they’re in season. The fennel seeds and pastis bring that lovely aniseed flavour that works so well with seafood.” Serves: 2 Ingredients: 400g clams 500g mussels 2 tbsp olive oil 1 shallot, chopped 1 tsp fennel seeds 2 garlic cloves, chopped 50ml pastis 150g shelled raw prawns 4 tbsp crème fraiche 300g fresh tagliolini or 180g dried tagliolini or tagliatelle Handful of herbs (parsley, chives, chervil), finely chopped Juice of 1 lemon Salt and black pepper Method: 1. Wash the clams and mussels well in cold water and discard any that are broken or don’t close when tapped. Remove any beards from the mussels. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the shallot, fennel seeds and garlic and sweat until they start to colour. Add the clams, then the mussels. Pour in the pastis, cover the pan and cook for five to seven minutes until all the shells have opened. Take care not to overcook the shellfish. 3. Tip everything into a colander placed over a bowl, then pass the cooking liquid through a fine sieve or a strainer lined with muslin. Pick the flesh from the mussels and clams, leaving a few in the shell to use as a garnish. Tip the cooking liquor back into the pan, bring it to the boil and boil for five minutes. Add the prawns and crème fraiche, then, when the prawns have turned pink, add the picked mussels and clams. 4. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add two tablespoons of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain. Add the drained pasta to the pan of shellfish and stir well. Add the chopped herbs and garnish with some mussels and clams in shells. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper, then serve at once. Almond and raspberry frangipani tart “I adore almond puddings and this French version of a Bakewell tart is one of my favourites,” says Roux. “It’s rich and indulgent but there is some fruit in there as well! Raspberries work perfectly with almonds but cherries would also be good here.” Serves: 6-8 Ingredients: For the pastry: 150g butter, softened 90g caster sugar 2 free-range eggs Pinch of salt 240g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 75g ground almonds For the almond cream: 200g butter, softened 200g caster sugar 200g ground almonds 2 tbsp plain flour 4 free-range eggs 1 tbsp dark rum or Ratafia (fruit-based liqueur) For the jam and fruit: 60g raspberry jam 250g raspberries To serve: Icing sugar Ice cream or chantilly cream Method: 1. For the pastry, mix the softened butter with the caster sugar until combined. Mix in the eggs, then add the salt, flour and ground almonds and bring everything together into a dough. You can do this by hand or in a food processor or stand mixer. 2. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill it in the fridge for about two hours. Dust your work surface with flour, roll out the pastry and use it to line a tart tin or flan ring measuring about 24 centimetres in diameter. Chill again until needed. 3. For the almond cream, whisk the butter and sugar until pale, then add the ground almonds and flour and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then add the rum or Ratafia. 4. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Remove the tart case from the fridge and spread a thin layer of jam over the pastry. Add the almond cream and arrange the raspberries evenly on top. 5. Bake for about 45 minutes until the tart is golden and cooked through. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with ice cream or cool with chantilly cream. Don’t put this tart in the fridge. ‘Michel Roux At Home’ by Michel Roux (Seven Dials, £26). Read More After Le Gavroche, Michel Roux is taking his cooking back to basics How to cook to keep your gut healthy Leave Rick Stein alone – it’s totally reasonable to charge £2 for mayo and ketchup After Le Gavroche, Michel Roux is taking his cooking back to basics

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