Saturday Kitchen 9.6

(by susie)

It was English Wine Week when I filmed my most recent Saturday Kitchen, in Bracknell, so it seemed appropriate to be trudging through the vineyards of Stanlake Park in the rain, my heels sinking into the mud…

But at least we had some outstanding English wines to raise our spirits once we got back inside.

Lovely man (and brilliant chef) Lawrence Keogh was cooking poached smoked haddock Monte Carlo – for which I chose the outstanding Ridgeview Cuvée Merret Bloomsbury 2009 (£22.99, Waitrose). As I later tweeted, it’s the kind of wine that makes me proud to be British.

Lawrence liked it too, saying it, ‘goes so well with this dish.’ James Martin was enthusiastic, despite it being new to him: ‘It’s the first time I’ve tried it. Delicious. A bargain at £22.99. Goes very well.’

Angela Hartnett described it as, ‘Really lovely – very smooth with it. Delicious.’

For her part, Angela was rustling up red mullet with linguine, chilli and garlic, which sent me in the direction of the Tesco Finest English White 2010 (£8.99, Tesco).

It was a match that pleased Angela, who commented, ‘It’s great, really fresh, a lot like Italian wines – works perfectly with the pasta, you don’t want anything overpowering.’

James described it as another ‘bargain’ while Lawrence said it was, ‘Delicious: floral and refreshing, works wonderfully with the chilli.’

You can see me in action in the clips below. The full show also featured archive material from Rick Stein, Celebrity Masterchef and Keith Floyd.

You can find the show’s recipes via the BBC Food site. Also featured were James’ raspberry, basil and clotted cream summer pudding (Taste the Difference Fairtrade Moscato rosé 2011, £5.99, Sainsbury’s); razor clam, leek and brioche bake (Lamberhurst Estate Bacchus Reserve 2010, £11.99, M&S); and biscotti with limoncello.

My thanks to James, Angela and Lawrence for engaging with the wines so sensibly and positively. Also, as ever, to the excellent production team at Cactus – particularly Amanda Ross, James Winter and Andy Clarke – who work so hard week-in week-out to put this fabulous show together.