1. Invest in pre-made confectionery such as biscuits, nougat and chocolate truffles that you can pile onto a board and serve with dessert wines and coffee.
2. Make an affogato: put a small spoonful of vanilla, chocolate, or hazelnut ice cream into a glass and add a spoonful of coffee liqueur. Pour espresso coffee over the ice cream and serve with a spoon.
3. For a dessert that isn’t too sweet, serve quince jelly with a bowl of ricotta cheese and thin crackers.
4. Drizzle chocolate brownies with orange-flavoured liqueur and top with a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
5. Sprinkle finely sliced oranges with ground cinnamon and serve with honey-laced mascarpone or double cream yoghurt and brandy snap biscuits.
6. Serve a glass of sweet dessert wine or liqueur with a small bowl of mascarpone and biscotti; dip the biscuits in the sweet wine and then spoon over a little mascarpone.
7. Put vanilla ice cream in glasses with melted chocolate sauce and topped with crumbled mint or salted caramel chocolate.
8. For a match made in heaven, serve strawberries in a bowl with whipped cream and top with crumbled meringue. Add chocolate shavings if you like.
9. Place lemon curd ice cream between two ginger biscuits and freeze for a few hours; drizzle with ready-made berry coulis and garnish with fresh mint.
10. Offer a selection of pears and grapes with Brie, seeded crackers and a good dessert wine, then sit back and enjoy.

* Source: Ideas adapted from recipes by Michele Cranston and @thetickledgiraffe