Flying fish cutters and Banks beer

A week without wine might sound like hell for wine lovers but to be honest in Barbados why would you drink anything else? Wine is expensive and there’s not much choice whereas beer is cheap and ubiquitous.

Even though we tried some craft beers we kept coming back to the island’s national beer Banks, a full-flavoured lager of 4.7% which invariably hit the spot. (You can read more about on the Beers of Europe website and buy it from them too if you’ve been to Barbados and are getting withdrawal symptoms)

It goes brilliantly with the flying fish ‘cutters’ - a fried fish sandwich or bun that you find on practically every menu and with the equally popular Bajan fishcakes which are actually more like fish balls and should always be freshly fried.

Of course you *could* also quaff a rum punch but I find most a tad too sweet though my mate Fiona Sims* (pictured above) makes an excellent one deviating slightly from the classic formula (one of sour, 1 1/2 (rather than two) of sweet (sugar syrup in her case), 3 of strong (we used Mount Gay rum) and 4 of weak (water rather than fruit juice). Mix, pour over ice-filled tumblers, then top with a good drizzle of Angostura bitters and a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg. Hits the spot every time!

*Author of The Boat Drinks Book if you want other cocktail inspiration!

Middle eastern-style lamb with grilled vegetables and a natural red wine

We all know that roast lamb is a great pairing with red wines but the assumption is often that it’s prepared in a classic French way so it was interesting to note over the weekend that if you give it a middle-eastern spin exactly the same applies

The dish was a fantastic plateful of food cooked by a chef friend of mine Chris Wicks: rare-roasted rack of lamb with a herby couscous salad, grilled vegetables and a yoghurt and tahini dip - all generously scattered with pomegranate seeds.

We drank a couple of reds with it - one of my favourite natural reds, the 2013 La Poudre d’Escampette, a vibrant blend of grenache and carignan from Alain Castex formerly of Le Casot de Mailloles in the Roussillon which I remember buying at a wine fair in France for about €16 or €17, The 2015 which is now sold under the Les Vins de Cabanon label is selling for roughly double that (it’s currently on offer at Buonvino for £28.80 although a company called Gourmet Hunters appears to be selling the 2016 for £19.10. (I’m not sure he has access to the same fruit though since his Casot de Mailloles days but the point is not so much the specific wine but the fact that this vibrant natural style of red really suits this kind of food, picking up in particular on the bright crunchiness of the pomegranate seeds.)

We also drank a magnum of 2005 rioja which paired well with the dish as rioja pretty well always does with lamb but I preferred the lighter wine.

See also

Wine & lamb: my 5 favourite pairings

Courgette, seed and curry leaf cake and dry German riesling

The more I taste authentic Indian food the less I think it causes problems for wine. A group of us cooked up a whole load of recipes on Saturday night including this savoury cake called handvo from Anjum Anand’s I love India.

It was based on semolina and gram flour and was flavoured with courgette, peas, curry leaves and pumpkin seeds. Despite also containing ginger and green chilli it was fragrant rather than hot and the most brilliant match for a lovely dry German riesling

The wine came from a producer I very much admire - Peter Jakob Kuhn from the Rheingau who works biodynamically. The wine is beautifully pure and fruity but not the slightest bit affected by the spice. In fact I think it was even enhanced by it. It makes the perfect aperitif.

You can buy the wine from Tanners shops and online and find the recipe - if you feel inspired to make it - on the Australian SBS site or, of course in Anjum's book.

My best wine (and other) pairings of 2017

Those of you who visit the site regularly will be aware I post a regular match of the week - the most interesting wine - or other drink - pairing I’ve come across in the past 7 days.

Well this is the pick of that selection - the most inspiring, intriguing and memorable pairings of 2017

Black coffee and cardamom buns

2017 was the year I really got into coffee, finally realising there was more to life than a double espresso. This pairing was from back in January when I was playing with my new Nespresso machine (before I got into my V60 dripper). Anyway - coffee and cake - tick. Coffee and cardamom buns (from Meera Sodha's Fresh India). Double tick. Coffee and cardamom rocks

Beetroot cured salmon with Furmint

Furmint has been my big wine discovery this year - as flexible with different kinds of food as Austria’s Grüner Veltlner. At Corrigans in Mayfair I drank it with a starter of beetroot-cured salmon and horseradish cream and it sailed through. Try it in 2018

Fideos negros with Rueda

I got a bit obsessed with these squid ink noodles at Taverna Uvedoble when I visited Malaga back in February. And was surprised to find how well it went with a Rueda, a crisp Spanish white wine I’ve never rated much in the past but which suddenly seems to have undergone a real improvement in quality. Loved it.

Yorkshire curd tart with builders tea ice cream and Shire Highland Black Tea from Malawi

I love finding good non-wine pairings and was really thrilled with this match at the (then) newly opened Lorne in Victoria - particularly with a builders tea ice-cream. Clever and witty.

Raan and Grover Chêne

March saw my first trip to India and a first real opportunity to try Indian wines with the local food. This marinated roast lamb dish which was served at the International Vine and Food Experience at the Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad was in fact extraordinarily wine-friendly and the Grover Chêne - a blend of tempranillo and shiraz - a perfect match.

Salmon with shellfish sauce and aged semillon

It was then on to Australia’s Hunter Valley to immerse myself in aged semillon. I wouldn’t have necessarily thought a mature vintage would go with a comparatively rich dish like this but Keith Tulloch’s 2009 totally hit the spot.

Spiced whitebait with sriracha and Chinon rose

Back to the UK I dropped into one of my favourite Bristol restaurants Box E for a glass of rosé and they brought out a little snack of spiced whitebait with sriracha to go with it. Proof again that rosé can handle spicy food

Milk fed lamb with Bolgheri Coronato

I don’t look to Italy as often as I should do for great wines but this pairing with a 2011 Bolgheri Coronato at Marianne’s in Notting Hill was absolutely stellar. Can’t really go wrong with lamb, though.

Maple syrup square with Neige Noir Ambré

Surprisingly the standout pairing of my trip to Montreal back in June - I say surprising because there were so much other great food and wine but I loved this fabulous combination of Canada’s answer to sticky toffee pudding with Neige Noir Ambré, a delicious rich apple-based digestif at Le Filet.

Krug and brioche

We all know that Krug goes with luxury ingredients such as lobster and caviar but who knew it could be set off so perfectly by brioche? Well, the folks at Krug obviously did and shared the discovery with us at the Krug Festival preview back in June. Krug for breakfast? Don’t mind if I do.

Egg, chips, truffles and Cava gran reserva

One of three truffle pairings on this list, I realise (the others being black truffle pizza and Puligny Montrachet and Louis Roederer brut with a truffle cheese toastie just before Christmas at Fortnum & Mason) It was hard to choose between them but I think this combination of eggs, chips and truffles (huevos rotos) with Cava producer Juve & Camps ‘Gran’ gran reserva at Boca Grande in Barcelona back in July. (Get the message: truffles and vintage bubbly - and white burgundy - is a stellar pairing)

Oysters and dry German riesling

Riesling isn’t my automatic go to with oysters but I loved this combination with a 2014 Schloss Marienlay from Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt at Magpie in London back in August. The reason? The oysters were topped with diced apple and chicharron (pork crackling), both riesling-friendly ingredients.

Anchovies and Txacoli

Another wine highlight of the year was San Sebastian’s fresh spritzy Txacoli with the local anchovies (the best I’ve ever tasted). You can find them in bars all over the city - these were from Bar Antonio. A real terroir-based match.

Margaux and Turkish chicken with a walnut sauce

Margaux is a wine you’d more often think of pairing with lamb or beef than chicken but the intensely flavoured walnut sauce really kicked the match into touch. Mature Margaux though, note (2005)

Octopus with orange wine

Orange or skin contact wine has become increasingly popular and goes surprisingly well with strong flavours. We had this Ribolla at Peckham Bazaar last month and it went beautifully with all their eastern Mediterranean-inspired dishes, particularly the octopus. Expect to see more on wine lists in 2018.

Alcester gold cheese and honey with Sainte Croix du Mont

Red wine and port are still more associated with cheese than white or sweet wine but sometimes a dessert wine is the best match, especially if the cheese is served - as this washed rind one was at Wilsons in Bristol - with honey. (Truffle honey, note. Am clearly a bit obsessed with truffles)

Christmas pudding and cognac

And the final pairing of the year. Early landed cognac with Christmas pudding. Christmas pud and brandy is of course a tried and tested combination but this took it to another level.

So here’s to many great new pairings in 2018 - do subscribe to my newsletter if you want to hear about them as soon as they’re posted - and let me know of any that have wowed you. A very happy new year to you all!