A bottle of pure maple syrup goes a long way. Pour it at will over waffles, pancakes and French toast to get your weekend started in the sweetest of ways. Then, whip the syrup into a caramelised maple butter, a warm New England spider cake, or use as a sweet backdrop to a fast dessert of roasted pears with vanilla crème fraîche. And it’s not just desserts that benefit from the maple syrup treatment – it pairs handsomely with bacon and fried chicken for that sweet-savoury hit.

Pear brioche tart with maple custard cream

Pan-fried bananas with salted maple caramel and vanilla ice-cream

Citrus-glazed sticky bacon with apple and fennel salad

Southern fried chicken with smoky maple caramel

Pinbone’s maple, bacon and pumpkin tart

Curtis Stone’s maple pear and muesli crumble
