Add a little bit of crips, crunch or dazzle to your meals to transform them from drab to fabulous. 

Here are some inexpensive ways to jazz up your regular weeknight dinner for a stay-in date night. Don’t know where to start when looking to level up your dishes? Follow our texture cheat sheet: 

Crispy  

Scatter these over your dish just before serving  

• Homemade pangrattato (crispy breadcrumbs): Fry left over breadcrumbs in some butter and chopped rosemary until crispy.  
• Thinly sliced fried garlic: Add to hot oil and fry until golden.  
• Fried sage leaves : Add to hot oil and sizzle for a few seconds before draining them on kitchen paper. 

Crunchy  

Add that extra crackle  

• Toasted seeds: Sunflower, sesame, flax or pumpkin seeds contain loads of healthy fats. 
• Crispy pitas: Slice the pitas into eighths, drizzle with oil, season with cumin and bake until crispy.  
• Parmesan chips: Add small clumps of finely grated Parmesan onto a lined tray – keep 5cm apart. Season with milled pepper and bake for 3-5 minutes until golden.

Colour  

You can’t go wrong with some vibrant hues! 

Scatter over microgreens, edible flowers, citrus zest twirls, pickled onion or berries. 

Dazzle  

Go the extra mile with your dessert by using  

• Edible glitter, crumbled biscuits, candy floss tufts.  
• Chocolate shavings, a chocolate drizzle, dusting of cocoa or icing sugar.  
• Fresh citrus zest, candied ginger, fresh fruit pulp.  
• Store-bought dessert topper, sparklers or confetti.  
• Pre-plating – plate up the main or dessert and serve it to your partner to make it feel that much fancier! 

Words by: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg 
Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine, Shutterstock