It’s that time of year again. The first episode of the new Great British Bake Off series airs on Wednesday night, which, of course, means it’s the perfect time to whack out your rarely utilised, mad baking skills! This cake is guaranteed to impress all your friends and family (if you decide you’re kind enough to share it with them, that is).

I recently teamed up with British Military Fitness as a blogger for their #FitFoodBMF recipe book. I was asked to contribute one of my favourite healthy recipes to be published and I immediately thought of this one.

So last Wednesday was the day of the Great British Bake Off final. If you’re not from the UK you might not have heard of this miraculous programme; if that’s the case I urge you to find a way to watch it if you can. There’s no shouting, no negativity, no exploitative ridicule of the less-talented contestants, and no sob stories. It’s so refreshing not to hear the phrase “this just means so much to me”, gushed every five minutes à la the X-Factor or American Idol.

My ex-boyfriend’s mother, Sue, used to be like a kind of ‘second mum’ to me. On occasions and big family gatherings she used to make this dip. Artichoke hearts have always been one of my favourite foods; when I was younger my mum would buy huge jars of them from Costco and I used to stand by the fridge with a fork eating them out of the jar when Mum wasn’t looking. It’s no wonder then, that this has become one of my all-time favourite recipes.

Although the weather has been slightly mixed recently - as it always is in the beautiful British Isles - I thought I'd share the recipe for a drink I put together the other day that provides a real taste of summer, and can cheer up even the gloomiest of days.