IF YOU’RE planning a summer holiday this year, the chances are you’ll be crossing the Channel into France or jetting off to Greece or Spain.

As a nation we love getting away to Europe, and who can blame us? The agreeable climate, friendly locals and mouth- watering cuisine mean wherever your southern European excursion takes you this year, you’re almost guaranteed a good time.

But if your budget doesn’t quite stretch to a holiday abroad, you can always re-create the taste of the Mediterranean in your own kitchen with these delightful dips and sauces. A perfect addition to any picnic or barbeque, they can all be made well in advance and kept in the fridge in case the weather isn’t feeling as summery as you are.

Tzatziki is one of Greece’s most popular culinary exports; serve with warm pitta bread and olives or as a side dish with grilled meat or fish.

You’ll need one large tub of Greek yoghurt, one cucumber, seeded and finely diced or grated, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp minced dill leaves, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, 4 crushed cloves of garlic and a little pepper to taste.

Place the cucumber and salt in a colander over a bowl and leave to drain for at least one hour. When it’s drained, wrap the cucumber in a clean tea towel and squeeze to get rid of any excess liquid.

Stir the cucumber into the yoghurt before adding the olive oil, dill, red wine vinegar, garlic and pepper.

For the very best flavour, leave the tzatziki to stand for one hour before serving.

We move from Greece to the south of France now for a Provencal dish – Tapenade. Made primarily from olives and capers, we think it tastes great with some anchovies added too. With its sophisticated flavours it’s perfect for canapes, as a condiment, or as a stuffing for roasted meat, fish or poultry.

For this dish, you’ll need one cup of pitted black olives, 2 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tbsp minced onion, 4 anchovy fillets (canned is fine), 1 tbsp capers, 1/8 tsp dried thyme, a pinch of cayenne pepper, ¼ cup olive oil, and ¼ tsp fresh lemon juice.

Place the olives, garlic, onion, anchovies, capers, thyme, and cayenne pepper into the food processor and pulse until the olives are broken down but the mixture is still chunky. With the processor still running, slowly pour the olive oil down the food tube.

Process until the mixture is finely chopped but not completely pureed, add the lemon juice and stir.

Harissa is a spicy, hot condiment that is becoming very popular. If you aren’t planning on making it yourself at home, it’s best to hunt it down at your local delicatessen as supermarket varieties can be disappointing.

Hailing from the shores of northern Africa, this is an exceptionally versatile sauce. It can be stirred into olives, stews, soups, salads, vegetable dishes or rubbed onto grilled meats. It’s particularly delicious used as flavouring for cous cous.

To make your own harissa, you’ll need 1½ tbsp dark red chilli powder or paprika, 1 red pepper – roasted, peeled and finely chopped, ½ tsp toasted caraway seeds. 1½ tsp salt, ¾ tsp freshly ground, roasted cumin, ¾ tbsp white wine vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil and ¼ tsp of peeled and lightly crushed garlic cloves.

Simply combine all of the ingredients, except the garlic, in a bowl until they form a smooth sauce. Add the garlic, stir and refrigerate for 24 hours. Harissa, covered and stored in the fridge, will keep happily for several months.

With these three recipes, the Mediterranean will seem closer, and more delicious, than you ever could have dreamed.

* Sheila Benson and Sean Millar are at The Side Door, 29a Hope Street, Liverpool. Tel: 0151 707 7888.