My new book, The Echoes of Love, opens with a rescue: enigmatic stranger Paolo saves the heroine, Venetia, from a near-mugging. In the aftermath of the incident, with the attacker having fled and Venetia decidedly shaken, there is only one way forward as far as the commanding and kind Paolo is concerned:

‘You’re shivering. You’ve had a bad shock and you need a warm drink. Come. There’s a caffeteria that serves the best hot chocolate in Venice, just a few steps from here. It’ll do you good.’ Without waiting for a response, he took Venetia’s arm and led the way down the narrow street.

I could, of course, have chosen an alcoholic beverage as the means by which to calm a trembling soul – brandy, perhaps – or alternatively sweet tea. But the joy of being a writer is creating a world just as you like it, and for me the ideal hero understands the restorative powers of chocolate for a woman!

Because I live for part of the year in France, hot chocolate is no rare treat for me. After all, many French people take a cup of chocolat chaud with breakfast. The Italians, too, embrace the hot chocolate and pastry tradition of their neighbours, the French, and when I visited Venice while researching The Echoes of Love, I tasted for myself  ‘the best hot chocolate in Venice’. A single sip and all is right in the world!

With winter now well and truly settling in, ’tis the season for hot chocolate. All the major coffee chains are marketing their specialties: I had a particularly nice mint hot chocolate recently. But for a soothing, warming, set-the-world-to-rights hot chocolate you need not head to your local coffee house: this is a drink that’s easy to make at home.

Here is my favourite and very easy homemade hot chocolate recipe to serve one, depending on your appetite, with some ideas for flavourful twists. No instant powder mixes in sight!

Ingredients

60g chopped high-quality chocolate (I love Green and Blacks; try different varieties, including white!)

1 cup milk, warmed but not to boiling point

Dash of water

1. Melt the chocolate in the water, in a glass bowl over a simmering pan of water, stirring continuously.

2. Meanwhile, warm the milk to your desired temperature, taking care not to boil it.

3. Add the chocolate to the milk and stir thoroughly.

Flavourings: liqueurs (Amaretto is divine), vanilla essence, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint syrup or a peppermint stick, orange syrup or zest, chilli powder (yes, really!), espresso for a mocha, caramel sauce,  coconut milk, maple syrup.

Toppings: whipped cream; marshmallows cocoa powder; chocolate curls; chocolate, toffee or butterscotch drizzle; a scoop of ice-cream (hot chocolate must be very hot) – or a little of all!

And if you’re having a moment of guilt about indulging in such a pure pleasure, can I recommend the following book to you? It’s a compelling read on ‘the secret of eating for pleasure’ that opens the door to eating the very best foods and drinking the very best drinks while remaining healthy and happy.