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Saturday Kitchen 8.2

(by peter)

5.150!Lots of very thoughtful people have been kindly enquiring as to whether hurtling down the skeleton training track at the University of Bath – where the British Olympic team do their training – was scary or incident-free during this week’s Saturday Kitchen wine shoot. (See photos, below.)

Truth be told, it was a lot of fun. Terrifying first time round. Exhilarating thereafter (it’s not every day I demand more takes when it’s freezing and I’m drenched). I must say, though, that it has given me the upmost admiration for the winter Olympians who thunder over snow and ice doing this stuff. What I did was tame by comparison.

But never let it be said that we Saturday Kitchen winos don’t put our bodies on the line for our cause!

Wine for Jason Atherton’s spiced roast pheasant with pumpkin, homemade granola and bread sauce:

  • Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir 2012 (from £7.49, Tesco)

Peter’s comments: We tried out quite a few different reds with this dish but it really had to be Pinot. The sweetness of the granola needed the extra fruitiness of a New World version (though richer styles of Burgundy can also work well). This perennially good value Chilean Pinot doesn’t suffer from the afflictions of many other 2012s (hot vintage – fiery wines) and is really smooth, juicy and satisfying.

making Chris Wheeler's scallop nicoiseWine for Chris Wheeler’s smoked scallop niçoise

  • Domaine Balland-Chapuis Coteaux du Giennois Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (£9.99, Waitrose)

Peter’s comments: A really subtle, elegant style of Sauvignon that picks up on the smoky notes of the dish and whose citric style works beautifully with the scallops. New World Sauvignon also works but is slightly more full-on – so an ideal match for flavour junkies!

Recipes, links and details

Studio guest Rashida Jones had her food heaven and hell dishes cooked by James Martin, for which my wine matches were as follows:

Jason Atherton's spiced pheasantDark chocolate fondant with banana fritters and ice cream: Croix Milhas Rivesaltes Ambré (from £4.99, Tesco)

Chicken Caesar salad with crunchy grapes, spicy pecans and rosemary croutons: Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Blanc Reserve 2012 (£7.49, Tesco)

My thanks to James, Jason, Chris, Rashida and all the delicious crew at Cactus TV. You can find the recipes via the BBC Food site and the wine clips are as below. Also below is a mini photo montage of the skeleton run – about which the University of Bath also did a report. My time? 5.150. I have no idea what this means but I’m very proud…