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For many dinner guests, the highlight of the meal comes at the end. Follow our cooking tips for some great desserts.

School-dinner style puddings

Spotted dick, chocolate sponge with chocolate sauce, rice pudding, treacle tart and custard – the puddings were always the best part of school dinners. Try cooking one of these traditional desserts to round off a hearty meal.

Check out this spotted dick recipe with custard

Trifles

Typically British and a real crowd-pleaser, the trifle is a winner every time. There are numerous trifle recipes and variations on this well-loved dessert, but the basic version consists of layers of Madeira cake or Swiss roll, fruit, jelly, custard and cream. Add sherry or port to taste – and don't forget the sprinkles on top!

See Delia Smith's traditional trifle recipe

Light pudding

Dessert recipes don't have to be stodgy. Light puddings are perfect for a summer's day or to finish off a rich meal. Mousses, sorbet or zabaglione (marsala, egg yolks and sugar whisked in a bowl over a pan of boiling water to make a custard) are ideal and quite straightforward to make.

See this clementine sorbet recipe
Gordon Ramsey has a great recipe for chocolate mousse

Fast puddings

Exhausted from cooking the main meal and want to put together a simple pudding in a hurry? Try some fast dessert recipes like strawberries dipped in melted chocolate, fruit kebabs or pancakes. And of course, you can't go wrong with a carefully selected cheeseboard.

Check out these quick dessert recipes

Fruit Skewers

For a quick, delicious and healthy dessert why not make some fruity kebabs? Try apples, strawberries and banana, or go for something more exotic with pineapple, star fruit and kiwi fruit. Drizzle with a sweet lemon sauce or melted chocolate for that finishing touch.

Check out these MOLNFRI skewers from IKEA.

Summer desserts

Summer doesn't last long, so make the most of seasonal fruit with summer pudding, fruit salad and Eton Mess – a delicious mixture of strawberries, meringue and cream.

See Delia Smith's summer pudding recipe

Pies

Nothing beats hot apple pie with cream – but rhubarb, blackcurrant and plum are pretty good too. Pies are easy to make – and you can always cheat by buying ready-made pastry. Some cooks swear that the secret of a good plum pie is leaving the skin on the fruit.

Jamie Oliver has a great blackberry and apple pie recipe

Ice creams

There's more to ice cream than just opening a tub. What could be a nicer end to a meal than a home-made sundae with chopped walnuts and whipped cream? Or why not invest in an ice cream maker and create your own ice cream recipes?

See ice cream recipes you can make with or without an ice cream maker

Winter warmers

Warm up those cold winter evenings with seasonal sponge puddings and crumbles. Crumble mixture is easy to make – just rub flour, butter and sugar together until they form a breadcrumb-like mixture. Cover the fruit of your choice with crumble then bake in the oven. Delicious with custard, cream or ice cream.

Find imaginative fillings and crumble recipe ideas

Kids' puddings

Give the kids their just desserts when you let them get involved with making the puddings. Baking is simple with kids – fairy cakes with lots of decorations are always a favourite and Annabel Karmel has loads of kids' recipe ideas.

Check out Annable Karmel's kids' recipes

Show-off puddings

Fancy a challenge? Wow your guests with a crème brulee or mille feuille (it means 1,000 leaves, so be warned).

Try your hand at this hot chocolate and orange soufflé

See our top 10 starter recipe ideas
Serve your desserts in style