SHERRY is shrugging off its old world image, more people are drinking it and more chefs are using it in the kitchen.

This recipe for clams with manzanilla and beans serves 8-10 as a tapas. You need two slices of day-old rustic bread, 120ml olive oil, 200ml manzanilla sherry, pinch of saffron threads, four thinly sliced garlic cloves, 400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed, 2kg clams, handful chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, 80g serrano ham, thinly sliced.

Cut crusts from bread and tear into small pieces, heat 60ml oil in a small frying pan and over a medium heat toss the bread until golden, drain on kitchen paper. Combine sherry and saffron in a bowl. Heat remaining oil in a large wide saucepan over a medium heat, add garlic and cook for one minute, or until just beginning to colour, add sherry mixture and simmer until reduced by half, then add the beans and cook until heated through.

Add clams, cover with lid and cook for five mins, shaking the pan occasionally until the clams have opened, toss through the parsley, ham and toasted bread and serve.

This recipe for grilled steak with sherry, mushroom sauce serves four.

Take 4 x 250g steaks of your choice (we prefer rump or rib- eye), four heads of chicory, trimmed of outer leaves and cut into quarters, keeping the root intact, 200g chestnut mushrooms, two thinly sliced shallots, two cloves garlic, crushed, six sprigs thyme, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, 150ml oloroso sherry, 200ml meat or veg stock. We’re also serving chicory with this dish as it does go really well with steak !

Bring small pan of water to boil and blanch chicory for one minute, refresh under cold water and leave to well drain. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, and over a high heat toss mushrooms for 2-3 mins or until lightly browned, remove mushrooms and set aside, add the shallots, garlic and thyme to pan, reduce heat to medium and cook until shallots are soft, add vinegar and reduce until evaporated, then add sherry, stock, mushrooms and simmer for about 10 mins. Grill or fry steaks to your liking and set aside to rest for 5 mins; meanwhile, cook chicory over medium heat in a little butter until caramelised, divide between four plates and place steaks on top, and pour over your sherry, mushroom sauce.

To make chocolate and sherry mousse with amaretti biscuits for eight, you need 225g good dark chocolate, 110g unsalted butter, 110g caster sugar, 100ml sweet sherry (ideally pedro ximenez), 30 amaretti biscuits, 3 egg yolks, 250ml lightly whipped double cream, five egg whites.

Put chocolate, butter, sugar and sherry in bowl over pan of simmering water, making sure water doesn’t touch bowl. While it’s melting, lightly crush amaretti biscuits and sprinkle enough into each little dessert pot or glass to cover the base, reserving some for top. When chocolate mixture has melted, stir until smooth then whisk in egg yolks, remove from heat and fold in lightly whipped cream.

Whisk egg whites with a tiny pinch of salt until stiff peaks, then fold into chocolate mixture and divide between dessert glasses. Sprinkle with remaining biscuits and leave to set in fridge for six hours.