These have been one of my staple party foods for years. The cacao adds subtle depth both to the bread and to the pesto.

When I think about the desserts I loved most as a child, I always picture my mum’s bread and butter pudding, which she made in Ireland using her homemade bread. It was always such a treat to hit a plump sultana! In Venezuela, with cloud forest sugar, nutmeg trees on the lawn and the finest cacao at hand, this is what I gave my children. It’s especially good made with cacao bread.