Devilishly Deliciously Deceitful

I'm a Mummy in a hurry these days. There is, quite simply, never enough time and I feel myself hurtling from one job to another in between looking after Bubs. The prospect of then entertaining fills me with dread, for I have realised that I am no longer the competent cook I once thought I was.

Some of my latest triumphs have included a roast dinner without roast potatoes (I forgot to cook them), a cremated Christmas turkey and a cake that didn't rise because I had forgotten to shut the oven door. In fact things have gotten so bad that when I last invited my in-laws over for Sunday lunch, they offered to take us out instead! They were clearly wiser than to rely on me to provide them with something edible and I was more than grateful to let someone else do the cooking.

The problem is that I'm always trying to hurry things and this is a recipe (pardon the pun) for disaster. A good meal takes time, attention, careful planning... well that's what I thought until I was sent a selection of Devilishly Delicious desserts to try.

The marvellous people at Devilishly Delicious (www.devilishlydelicious.co.uk) have come up with a superb range of restaurant quality desserts which give people, like me, the confidence to whip up a delicious and professional looking dessert in minutes (and by minutes, I mean minutes!). You simply heat up the dessert mixture until boiling, pour into moulds, ramekins or other suitable dessert dishes, chill for an hour and hey presto!

The other beaty about this range of desserts is that they are also incredibly versatile. If you have a couple of extra minutes (and by a couple of extra minutes, I mean a couple of extra minutes) you can 'pimp' your dessert by adding a shot of liquor, some toasted nuts, freshly whipped cream etc etc. So it's almost like not cheating at all...

And therein lies my devilish deceit. At the last dinner party I threw, although the meal itself was rather mediocre, 'my' little chocolate espresso pots with a shot of Tia Maria, and toasted hazelnuts was a complete success. I didn't let on I'd had a helping hand, although I rather guess I might have been rumbled now.

There are four desserts in the range: Sicilian Lemon Pot, Pot au Chocolate, Creme Brulee and Panna Cotta and not only are they genuinely really tasty (I've tried them all!), they are gluten free, free from artificial flavourings and colourings and they're suitable for vegetarians. There is also a range of fruit coulis available too - so that saves on the mess in the kitchen.

So if you too are pushed for time but looking for that wow factor when hosting a dinner party, I wouldn't fail to recommend Devilishly Delicious Desserts which are available at selected Waitrose stores, Lakeland, Ocado online, Booths, Dobbies Garden Centres and various other independent retailers.