Required: Half a pound of lean cooked ham. Quarter of a pint of brown sauce. One and a half gills of melted aspic. Salt, pepper, nutmeg, and mace to taste. Quarter of a pint of cream. Chillies or truffle for decoration.

Chop the ham, then pound it in a mortar, adding as you do so the brown sauce. Next rub all through a sieve. Whisk the melted aspic jelly until it begins to set, then stir it into the ham mixture. Season it to taste with salt, pepper, ground nutmeg, and mace.

Whip the cream until it will just hang on the whisk, stir it into the mixture, whisking it for about five minutes.

Have ready some small souffle cases, tie a band of foolscap paper round each, coming about an inch higher than the top of the case. Put in the mixture.

Arrange a star or other pretty design cut from truffle or chilli in the centre, then pour in a little melted aspic. It should be about a quarter of an inch deep or less. Leave it until set.

Then slightly wet the outside of the band of paper and carefully draw it off each souffle. If using paper souffle cases, drop them into some clean ones if the outsides are at all marked.

N.B. - If liked, use instead of the small souffle cases one large china case and set all the mixture in it.

When ready to serve, the china case may be slipped into a plated one or not as desired. .

If preferred, the decoration may be of tiny sprigs of chervil, or even parsley, a touch of colour being given by fancy shapes of tomato skin or beetroot.