Chicken vol-au-vents and La Crema chardonnay

I don’t know why a group of us got swept up by a bout of nostalgia for vol-au-vents on Twitter last week but it became so irresistible my friend Kate and her lodger Mike felt compelled to rustle up a batch to accompany an informal wine tasting the other night.

They would have bought them but there were none to be had, NOT EVEN at Waitrose. So Mike made his own, and topped them with the classic creamy chicken filling (with, intriguingly, a hint of carrot ... )

The best pairing was with a rather delicious 2014 La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay which was fresher and creamier than the typical Californian chard and mirrored the creamy sauce perfectly. A light, fruity 2013 Moobuzz pinot also matched pretty well.

You can buy the La Crema, should you be so minded, for £15.99 from Roberts and Speight (or £14.99 if you buy six) and up to £18.45 elsewhere but to be honest there are less expensive chardonnays from South Africa, Chile and even burgundy that will do the job perfectly well.

If you’re bewildered by the appeal of vol-au-vents - or even wondering what they are - just think of them as mini chicken - or seafood - pies. What’s not to love about a pastry case and a creamy filling?

Grilled ox tongue with radishes and Mr Thirsty vin de soif

As soon as I heard Will Lander of The Quality Chop House and Portland had opened a new restaurant, Clipstone, I couldn’t wait to check it out - and I wasn’t disappointed.

Mind you it should be good. Will is the son of restaurant critic Nick Lander and wine writer Jancis Robinson and with a pedigree like that if he can’t get the food and drink right, who can?

Mr Thirsty Vin de Soif

Two of the dishes I had were top notch including this plate of grilled ox tongue with radishes and crème fraiche which was fantastic with one of the wines we had on tap, the appropriately named Mr Thirsty vin de soif which they were selling for a very reasonable £5 a glass.

It comes from Fabien Jouves of Mas del Périé in Cahors, a man who obviously likes to stir things up. (He also has a wine called You Fuck my Wine!) This one is a blend of malbec and merlot with a little tannat and cabernet franc. It’s made without sulphur and unfined and unfiltered - so it is a proper card-carrying natural wine but deliciously vibrant and juicy.

I also tried the fresh, citrussy Bernardo Farina Verdejo 2015 from Castilla y Leon which sells for an even more reasonable £3.50 and went brilliantly with a ‘crudo’ of char, peach and ‘cultured cream which, judging from Instagram, looks like becoming Clipstone’s signature dish, this summer at least. (Char is a fish for those of you who haven't come across it before).

I wasn’t quite so keen on the scallop flatbread with walnut pesto and lemon zest - the base was a bit dense and the scallop got lost among such punchy flavourings - but early days. Two runaway winners out of three isn’t half bad and it’s a really cool little place. Go!

Clipstone is at 5, Clipstone Street London W1W 6BB. 0207 637 0871. The wines come from O W Loeb.

Prawn tagliolini and Poggio San Polo Rosso di Montalcino

If there’s one thing you might think you could be sure of it would be that you should drink white wine with a seafood pasta dish like this. But, you know what? It was this silkily delicious red that went swimmingly.

I bought a couple of bottles of the 2014 vintage after I’d visited San Polo in Montalcino earlier this year - thinking a fresh-tasting Italian sangiovese would be just what I’d feel like drinking in summer. Friends had invited me round to sample their newly acquired skill of making fresh pasta so we had it with a great plate of homemade tagliolini with prawns (shrimp) and chilli which, despite the chilli, was quite a delicate dish.

They weren't inclined to think a red would work - and it wasn’t the sort of red that normally appeals to them but, of course, it leapt into life with the food and they absolutely loved it.

I’m not saying a fresh-tasting Italian white like a vermentino wouldn’t have worked too but it’s a predictable match and sometimes it’s fun to push the envelope. (And impress your friends ;-)

If you want to try the combination yourself you can get from slurp.co.uk for £16.99 a bottle and from Richard Granger for £18.72.

Fillet of beef with 2009 Pio Cesare Barolo

Beef and red wine is a blindingly obvious match but it gets more interesting once you think about the cut and the way that it's cooked.

Last week my fellow judges on the 2016 Louis Roederer awards and I had a slap-up lunch at Chez Bruce following a lengthy but unusually amicable judging session. I say unusually as these discussions can sometimes get testy when people disagree about who should be on the shortlist but while vigorous views were expressed we didn’t (fortunately) fall out over them. (You can find the shortlist here)

The main course was a beautifully cooked rare fillet of beef with Lyonnaise fondant potato, carrots, girolles, and what were described as ‘thyme meat juices’ - basically a very light jus. From past experience of matching fillet with lighter reds like pinot noir I was expecting it to work with the 2009 Pio Cesare Barolo with which it had been paired and it totally did showing off the gorgeous fruit and silky texture of the wine to perfection.

I know many Barolo fans like to keep their wines longer than this - and it obviously would age - but it struck me as a lovely moment to drink it, particularly in high summer when you want fruit flavours rather than autumnal notes to the fore.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes we did have a glass (or two) of champagne to start with. 1997 Cristal in magnum which was both voluptuous and still astonishingly fresh. And some very delicious warm, crumbly cheese sablés to nibble with it. I'd happily wade through several thousand words for that. Come to think of it, we did . . .

For more wine and steak pairing tips see 5 things you need to know about matching steak with wine

And for more food matches with Barolo The best food pairings with Barolo and Barbaresco.