Raclette is a cheese dish whose origin in Switzerland dates back hundreds of years. It is said that shepherds living in the mountains with limited supplies found that cheese spilt onto a stone and melted in front of the blazing fire was delicious when scraped off and eaten with potatoes and pickles.

If you have one of those popular raclette grills which come with a hot stone top, you and your guests can melt their Raclette cheese at the dinner table. For a traditional Raclette serve with pickles and onions, with potatoes (kept warm in a dish on the stone top), or with crusty bread - which can be warmed or lightly toasted on the stone top.

Optional extras include ham, prosciutto, pepperoni, tomatoes and fresh or dried herbs. These can be eaten cold, or warned with the cheese under the raclette grill.

Can't get hold of Swiss Raclette cheese? Try Gruyere, Emmental, Jarlsberg or Mature Cheddar.

Want to experiment? Add pineapple, green peppers, prawns, fish, avocado or asparagus to your raclette dish.

The hot stone top is far, far more than a convenient place to keep the potatoes and bread warm. Hot stone cooking is a very healthy no-fat method cooking of meats, fish and vegetables. Try scampi, salmon, beef or chicken sate. And what about cooking pineapple and banana on the hot stone for desert?