Smoked mackerel salad and 'ancestral' cider

Last week was mainly about cider - I went to the Cider Salon in Bristol at the weekend where I enjoyed a succession of English ciders with a five course feast prepared by Native Vine.

Although the pairings were spot on - especially a superb dish of belly pork with a fennel and peach salsa - none of them came as a surprise (which is what I try to focus on in this slot).

That honour went to a smoked mackerel potato and pickled cucumber salad I had at Café Deco in Store Street in Bloomsbury which was just brilliant with an ‘ancestral’ Spanish cider called Fuente Guijarro from Andalucia. (Interestingly the south of the country rather than the cider-obsessed north but made 2000m above sea level)

It’s basically a pet nat so the cider was cloudy and slightly funky but not to the extent that it overwhelmed the pure apple flavour which was the element that went so well with the smoked fish, sweet-pickled cucumber and pea shoots which were part of the salad too.

There was another salad on the table - made from green bean, basil and parmesan - which also worked really well.

Cider, even artisan cider like this, tends to be a cheaper option than wine so is definitely worth exploring if you find it on a drinks menu.

You can buy the Fuente Guijarro ancestral for £15 from Native Vine in Bristol and from Crouch End Cellars in north London for £16.

For other cider pairings see my Top Food Pairings for Cider.

Anchovy crisps and a pink Gibson

After hibernating virtually the whole of January I had a run of eating out last week which threw up a number of good matches but this slot is all about discovering more unusual wine and other drink pairings.

This week’s match of the week definitely falls into that category.

It was one of the bar snacks at The Lowback at Hawksmoor Wood Wharf which I *know* is co-owned by my son Will but that’s not the reason why it’s here. OK, only part of the reason 😉

The drink was a pokey but beautifully balanced Pink Gibson which is made from Absolute Elyx, Audemus Umami Gin, Aperitivo Co. Dry Vermouth and a Pink Pickled Onion (the pink comes from the hibiscus in the pickle) So basically a dry(ish) martini

And the snacks were some anchovy, whipped goat butter and pickled onion t=-opped crispbreads and a bowl of home-made (well, restaurant-made) pickles which chimed in perfectly with the cocktail

So it was really all about the pickles. I normally think of drinking lager with pickles but turns out dry martinis, especially a Gibson, work really well too.

I ate at Hawksmoor Wood Wharf as a guest of the restaurant