mackerel pate is a favourite of mine. pile it on some warm toast, add a mug of tea, plentiful refills and a book or the weekend papers, and i’m wonderfully happy.

recently i’ve been very lazy though. i’ve not been managing to do much more than place a few chunks of mackerel on the toast and half-heartedly crush them with a fork. not really what you’d call cooking.

however, a suggestion by my friend hels saw me making a bit more of an effort, adding horseradish and cream cheese to the pate mix. the combination of flavours works really well and feels quite indulgent – thanks for the tip hels!

peppered mackerel and horseradish pate

225g peppered mackerel, skin and bones removed

1 heaped teaspoon horseradish sauce

1 heaped tablespoon cream cheese

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

mash all the ingredients together and serve atop warm toast.