Sluttishly Simple: Baked Camembert

 I'm a simplistic girl for whom the promise of something lovely at the end of something awful is my motivation for doing practically everything I dislike. What's that you say, if I do this tidying up I can have a lovely chilled glass of Viognier? Done. A morning of paperwork is made all the better with the lure of an afternoon trip round the "pretty" shops and the working day is made equally more appealing with the reward of gooey melted cheese at the end of it.

As if hot, gooey, melted cheese and crusty bread isn't already enough to spur me through a cold rainy Friday this dish also contains herbs, garlic and yes, wine...happy days! All you really need to go with this is some lovely crusty bread, a sofa and well, you have opened that wine to cook with so you might as well pour yourself a glass and congratulate yourself on a week well done! Start with your cheese at room temperature to make sure it is extra gooey and lovely.

You'll need:

• 1 Camembert in its wooden box
• 1 clove of garlic 
• some thyme leaves (or sprigs of rosemary, both brilliant)
• good splash of white wine (or a nutty sherry like Amontillado is really good too)
• sea salt flakes and freshly ground pepper.

Make it!

1. Preheat your oven to 190C. Take your cheese out of its box, pierce the top of the cheese all over with a knife and insert some finely sliced slivers of garlic and your herbs.
2. Place the cheese back into its box, place it on a sheet of foil on a baking tray then pour over your wine and season lightly with the salt and pepper.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is completely gooey.

Tip: If you are using sherry then a dried clove placed on top of the cheese and then completely covered in tin foil so it steam bakes works so well. There is something about sherry and cloves that just makes me swoon, just remember to remove the clove before serving! Also a drizzle of truffle oil sends the flavours stratospheric - Heaven!