On the stand Thursday, Woodward came across as soft-spoken, sweet and very believable, according to some who watched her testimony broadcast live in both the United States and England.

CNN: Cross-examination of nanny called 'minefield' for prosecution

In the chef's second Slow Food Fast contribution, seared spring onions, boiled new potatoes, a soft-boiled egg and plump, sweet peas top a pool of creamy, herbal green goddess dressing.

WSJ: Spring Vegetables With Green Goddess Dressing

The peasant-style bread with its crunchy exterior and soft interior is often served with creamy, sweet pinon butter made from locally-abundant pine nuts.

BBC: The backbone of New Mexican cuisine

Tiny scallops, also cooked on the half-shell, are a revelation: sweet and soft, bathed in oil and garlic with flecks of parsley.

BBC: A culinary pilgrimage along the Way of St James

The most popular gift is mithai (Indian sweets), and shops are filled with a spectacular array specially prepared for this festival, from thickly cut squares of barfi (a fudge-like sweet, often coated with a thin film of edible silver leaf) , to soft syrupy gulab jamuns (deep-fried balls of dough) and spongy rasgullas (sweetened cream cheese balls flavoured with rose water).

BBC: India��s festival of lights