If you like The Addams Family, you’ll love this; sometimes I hide toy coffins at the bottom of the couscous! Beyond the visuals though, it’s a really healthy dish packed with seasonal vegetables and any number of your own dipping sauces such as peppered houmous, aubergine or mackerel mousse, or tzatziki. Weird and fabulous!

Ingredients
• 2 tsp squid ink (available from fishmongers) or 1 tsp black food colouring
• 200ml (7fl oz) just-boiled water
• 150g (5½oz) couscous
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• assorted micro herbs (available from large supermarkets) such as baby courgettes, radishes, young fennel, baby carrots, baby pak choi – 150g (5½oz) per type of vegetable used
• selection of dips, such as houmous or tzatziki, to serve

This recipe features in The Vintage Tea Party Boo