Saturday Kitchen

(by peter)

It being Halloween last Saturday, I was told by my Saturday Kitchen director that we’d “have a bit of fun” on our wine shoot.

Little did I know that said “fun” involved me putting on an oversize velour witch hat and pumpkin-themed mask, together with sharing my screen space with a small green plastic man lifting off his own head.

The things we do in Gosport…Feel free to check out the fun on iplayer. (Wine bits at 18.30 and 56.50.)

Two very different styles of cooking were on show. Kiwi chef Nic Watt, the main man at Roka, put together a stunning dish which he entitled tiger prawn with yuzu chilli dressing and white miso aioli. Given that I understood only half the words in the recipe, I spent quite a bit of time on Wikipedia before choosing the wine. Which was the delicious Jackson Estate Stich Sauvignon Blanc 2008, which is currently on special offer at Waitrose, selling at £6.99 (down from £9.99) but only until Tuesday 3rd November.

It’s one of those wines that never fails to please and does make a good match for many styles of Asian cuisine. And at that price, it’s an absolute bargain in my book. Everyone seemed to like it in the studio, with Nic commenting, “I think it’s fantastic. A match made in heaven. Beautiful.”

Our friend Galton Blackiston, he of the seasonal gastronomy at the fantastic Morston Hall in Norfolk, was rustling up a loin of venison en croute. I veered away from the ultra reliable Riojas (always a brilliant match with autumnal dishes, as long as they’re not too spicy) and went instead for the Mayu Syrah Reserva 2006, which sells at Asda for £8. Stand-in presenter Matt Tebbutt’s reaction was: “for that price, a bargain”, Nic Watt termed it “fantastic” and Galton, who seemed lost in his own little gastronomic world, deemed it “good, great…”

But that’s good enough for me.

Studio guest and Celebrity Masterchef champion Jayne Middlemiss, seemed to enjoy it all, though she did get her food hell at the end of the show. I chose the Peter Lehmann Barossa Semillon 2005 (Tesco, £5.99) to partner Matt’s John Dory with orange, fennel and caper salad.