Saturday Kitchen 28.9

(by susie)

Two really enjoyable dishes to prep this week – and we went through quite a few wine options to get it right.

Although it’s fun work, we do take our Saturday Kitchen prep very seriously, trying to find the best wines at the best prices to go with the dish so everyone can enjoy them. Cooking the dishes up to road test wines with them before we film is a big part of this. So it’s great to get a bit of recognition in studio – thanks to James Martin for commenting: ‘You can tell when the wine experts cook the food – that’s the key – this is absolutely perfect, Susie’s got it right again.’ It’s enough to make a lady blush…

Wine to match Henry Dimbleby’s satay heart sole:

• Viñas del Vero Gewurztraminer (from £7.49, Majestic)

Susie’s comments: Henry is on a mission to get kids into healthy eating via fun, flavoursome food and it’s a cause we heartily endorse. For kids, serve this with some ginger and elderflower cordial (with fizzy water for fun). For the grown-ups, this succulent Gewurz is joyous and beautifully suited to the punchy flavours of the dish. (A juicy Riesling can also work well.)

Wine for Bryn Williams’ braised wood pigeon with sweetcorn and bacon:

• Ocean’s Edge Pinot Noir (£10.99, Tesco)

Susie’s comments: you could go for a full flavoured white with this but it’s hard to beat a lovely Pinot. That said, Pinot always comes with a price tag attached – these days it’s hard to find decent Pinot under £10, but this one is more than worth the extra few pounds. It’s perfect for the gamey notes of the pigeon and the richness of the bacon and sweetcorn. So go on, indulge yourself…

Recipes, links and other details

The delightful Helen Skelton was in studio this week. My wine choices for her dishes were as follows:

Roast chicken with beetroot and halloumi salad: Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier 2012 (from £6.63-7.99, widely available)

Lamb hotpot with seasonal cabbage: La Vieille Ferme Côte du Ventoux (£7.99, Waitrose)

You can catch the show via iplayer until 5.10.13 – wine bits 14:00 and 51:46. I’ll upload clips in due course. The recipes are on the BBC Food site. Thanks to James, Bryn, Henry, Helen and all the Cactus TV crew for another super delicious Saturday Kitchen.