Although not a Londoner by birth, my other half spent almost his entire working life in the London newspaper and publishing world, often in the company of born and bred Cockneys, which is how he acquired his unfortunate taste for jellied eels.

Their favourite lunchtime outing would be to one of the East End’s famous eel and pie shops, where they would all order a bowl of ‘jellies’ and a plate of ‘stoodles’, which roughly translated for the uninitiated, is a bowl of jellied eels, followed by a plate of stewed eels doused in bright green parsley sauce.

My own memories of eels goes back to being dragged unwillingly around Kingston market as a child by an elderly maiden aunt and witnessing one of these wriggling, slippery creatures being fished out from a tank full of its writhing brethren and then being decapitated and skinned on the spot for an appreciative customer. Needless to say, when we go back to London these days, and my husband starts dropping heavy hints about fond memories of those East End eating establishments, I’m afraid he’s on his own. Jellied eels? No thank you!

But in this hot weather, a nice, cold, wobbly jelly is refreshing so I forgot all about jellied eels and went to work on something much more palatable, to me at least, although only one of my recipes today is for a jelly of the really wobbly sort. I always get in a bit of a state with sheet gelatine and end up either using too much or not enough, so I only use the powdered variety now.

First up we have a different sort of prawn cocktail. I lined a small ring mould with smoked salmon and filled it with prawns in a traditional Mary Rose cocktail sauce which I set with gelatine, then I turned it out and filled it with lettuce to make a classy starter. If you don’t have a ring mould, a small basin or dish will do. It’s quite rich and my small ring will serve six, but you could use a bigger mould or basin and more smoked salmon and prawns to make a larger party dish. I used a 500g bag of frozen cocktail prawns which, when defrosted, equates to approximately 250g to 300g of peeled fresh ones.

The chicken and ham loaf, set in a savoury jelly, is also a bit of a moveable feast because you can easily double the ingredients to feed a crowd. It makes a nice starter, and it’s good with either salad or pickles. It’s not too easy to slice neatly, and I usually end up using a spoon to serve it, but who cares – it’s the taste that counts.

Then there are two nice cold desserts. The cappuccino jellies are made in layers with a shot of Kahlúa in the bottom layer, a milky middle and a creamy top dusted with grated chocolate; the almond cream jellies are silky smooth, wobbly and delicious. Turn them out and surround them with fresh fruit salad for a refreshing dessert. I chose peaches, kiwis and red and green grapes, but use whatever you fancy.

I’ve enjoyed making these recipes, but I’ve no doubt next time we’re in London, the question of a bowl of ‘jellies’ will come up again.

Chicken and ham loaf

Serves 4 as a starter

1 large chicken breast, about 500g
1 small onion, thickly sliced
6 parsley stalks
½ tsp black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
400ml chicken stock
Thick slice of ham, about 250g
1 tbsp each chopped parsley and fresh thyme leaves
1½ tbsp gelatine
2 tbsp dry sherry or wine
Salt and white pepper
Salad leaves and cherry tomatoes to decorate

Put the chicken into a large pan, add the onion, parsley stalks, peppercorns and bay leaves and pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Cool in the stock and when cold, dice both chicken and ham, put them in a bowl and stir in the parsley and thyme, then strain the stock through a fine sieve.

Put four tablespoons of the stock into a cup, sprinkle on the gelatine and leave to soak for a few minutes, then stand the cup in a pan of simmering water, and stir until the gelatine is completely dissolved. Add it into the remaining stock, stir in the sherry, then taste and season as necessary.

Line a loaf tin approximately 20 by 10 centimetres with cling film, leaving plenty of cling hanging over the edges. Pack the chicken and ham into the tin, then pour on the jelly, cover with more cling and chill until set.

Turn the loaf out on to a serving dish and peel off the cling.

Decorate with lettuce leaves and cherry tomatoes and serve.

Almond cream jellies with fruit salad

Serves 6

500ml milk
2 tbsp gelatine
3 tbsp caster sugar
500ml cream
2 tsp pure almond extract
3 kiwis
2 peaches
Handful each of red and green grapes
Triple Sec or other orange liqueur (optional)
1 tbsp toasted sliced almonds

Put 200ml of the milk into a small pan, sprinkle over the gelatine and leave to soak for a few minutes, then heat gently without boiling, stirring until the gelatine has dissolved. Add the caster sugar and stir until it dissolves as well.

Pour the cream and remaining milk into a jug, then stir in the gelatine mixture and the almond extract. Divide between six small individual pudding basins, teacups or ramekins and chill until set.

Peel the kiwis, quarter them lengthways, then slice them. Halve and stone the peaches and cut them into large dice. Halve the grapes and remove the pips, then put all the fruit into a bowl and sprinkle with Triple Sec, if using.

Dip the base of the jellies in hot water for a second or two, then turn them out on to dessert plates. Surround the jellies with the fruit, sprinkle with the toasted almonds and serve.

Prawn and smoked salmon ring

Serves 4

300g smoked salmon
100g mayonnaise
100g crème fraîche
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Pinch of sugar
500g bag cocktail prawns, defrosted
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
3 tsp gelatine
Handful of salad leaves
Lemon slices to decorate

Lightly brush a small ring mould, basin or dish with sunflower oil, then line it with smoked salmon, making sure it comes just above the top edge. In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, crème fraîche, tomato paste, parsley and sugar, then stir in the prawns and season to taste with lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Put three tablespoons of water into a cup, sprinkle over the gelatine and leave to soak for a few minutes.

Stand the cup in a pan of simmering water and stir until the gelatine has completely dissolved, then let it cool slightly.

Add it to the prawns and pour the mixture into the mould. Cover with cling film and chill for a few hours or overnight until set.

Remove the cling and then turn it out on to a serving dish, fill the centre with the salad leaves and decorate with lemon slices. Cut into wedges to serve.

Cappuccino jellies

Serves 6

8 level tsp gelatine
2½ tbsp instant coffee
100g sugar
80ml Kahlúa or Tia Maria
600ml milk
250ml carton of cream
2 tbsp grated chocolate
‘Cigarette’ wafer biscuits to decorate

Put four tablespoons of cold water in a cup, sprinkle on four teaspoons of the gelatine and leave to soak for a few minutes. Stand the cup in a small pan of simmering water and stir until the gelatine is completely dissolved.

Put two tablespoons of the instant coffee and 50g of the sugar into a measuring jug, add 100ml of boiling water and stir until dissolved. Stir in the Kahlúa and gelatine, then make it up to 600ml with cold water.

Divide the mixture between six tumblers or wine glasses, put them in the fridge and let the jelly set.

Soak and dissolve the rest of the gelatine as before in four tablespoons of water.

Heat 100ml of the milk, add the remaining half tablespoon of coffee and 50g of sugar and the gelatine, then stir in the rest of milk. Divide the mixture between the tumblers and chill until set.

Whip the cream until thick and floppy, spoon it on to the jellies and sprinkle with the grated chocolate.

Chill until ready to serve and decorate with the biscuits.