Many of Hugh’s recipes, he says in the Guardian today are based on just three main ingredients. So do you echo one of them in any accompanying wine or introduce a fourth element?

This is a subject I’m planning to return to shortly but here’s a taster:

Asparagus with goats’ cheese and apple balsamic
A twist on the classic asparagus and goats’ cheese combination, dressing the spears with a reduction of sweetened apple balsamic vinegar. A nice balance of ingredients but one that’s going to throw its usual wine partner Sauvignon Blanc off course I think. The effect of sweetness on the plate is to make any accompanying wine taste sharper.and drier so you could go for something richer than you would normally do. An old vine Chenin Blanc for instance or an Alsace Muscat. Or, for a slightly more off the wall suggestion, how about a sparkling French cidre bouché?

Broad beans, chorizo and scallops
Of the three ingredients the spicy chorizo is most dominant, turning the dish into a suitable partner for a red (I’d recommend a medium-bodied Rioja crianza). But Hugh suggests it as a starter so you might well feel you wanted to drink white (a crisp, Albarino, I’d suggest) or chilled fino sherry which would of course go very well, adding a touch of dryness to balance the sweetness and spice, and echoing the saltiness of the chorizo.  It is, after all, a kind of tapa.

Fennel, orange and chicken salad
Having half a cold roast chicken in the fridge I might well make this salad myself today. The ingredient to take greatest account of is the orange which appears in segments and in the dressing, though in the latter it’s balanced by cider vinegar. I’d be thinking in terms of a fruity Australian white to pick up on that - maybe a sauvignon-semillon blend or even a subtly oaked (or unwooded) fruit-driven Aussie chardonnay. And I have a sneaking feeling that a witbier such as Hoegaarden, with its orangey notes, would work really well too.

Incidentally Hugh gives a list at the end of the feature of more triple-ingredient combinations that he thinks work well together. Most are conventional except for one - orange, carrot and kippers. Did he put that in out of sheer devilment, just to see if we were paying attention or does he really think it’s a great partnership? Must say I’m stumped at what to drink with it. Spätlese riesling maybe? Any suggestions welcome!