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Wines to match summer recipes from two talented English women chefs

There are some lovely recipes from up and coming women chefs in the Guardian’s summer food and drink special today together with wine pairings from the paper’s own rising star, wine writer Victoria Moore. Here are a few more suggestions of my own

The difficult aspect of working out matches for this sort of feature is gauging whether people will actually make the whole menu. My hunch is not. Most cooks won’t cook an entire new set of recipes from scratch so I’ve treated each dish individually

Emily Watkins of the Kingham Plough

Potted and cured river trout
The problem with a title like this when you’re trying to choose a wine is that it gives little idea what the predominant flavours of the dish are. In fact the cured trout is marinated in a powerful citrussy marinade, almost like a ceviche. Moore has gone for a Swiss white or a Muscadet, both good suggestions which won’t quarrel with the marinade. I think you could also try an Argentinian Torrontes which I’ve successfully partnered with a ceviche before.

Garden tomato soup, baked goats’ cheese and herb salad
I’m with Moore 100% on Loire Sauvignon Blanc. Touraine Sauvignon is great value at the moment but if you fancy it you could equally well drink a young Sancerre, Pouilly Fum, Quincy or Menetou Salon.

Slow-cooked pork cheeks, crushed Jersey Royals, broad beans & grain mustard sauce
Moore suggests Rioja as a pairing for this slightly old-fashioned-tasting, summery dish which is a sound choice though I’d probably head for Burgundy - the traditional partner for creamy, mustardy sauces. Could be red, could be white (1er cru Chablis with a couple of years bottle age would work well)

Cotswold Mess
Moore doesn’t give a wine suggestion for this (lack of space, I suspect). The two key flavours are elderflower and raspberries - the former slightly trickier than the latter. My own preference would be for a late harvest Riesling or late harvest Sauvignon Blanc - a dessert wine with a good level of acidity.

Rosie Sykes at the Crown Inn

Fried halloumi with runner bean salad
Moore goes for a zingy Greek Assyrtiko with this punchy salad with its onion, lemon and caper dressing and that would be my number one choice too. Spanish Albarino would be another viable option or, less expensively, a Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc

Baked sea trout and samphire
A lot of possibilities here. Moore goes for Provencale ros or English Bacchus (which she also suggests will go with the first course). I’d be thinking more in terms of a subtly oaked cool climate Chardonnay of some quality (think cream and citrus rather than tropical fruit and toasty oak)

Rose and buttermilk pudding with berries
Again no suggestion from Moore on this one (she isn’t generally pairing the desserts) And with the pronounced rose flavour it’s tricky. I think I’d probably go for one of those inexpensive Australian sweet wines from the Riverland like a late harvest semillon or possibly, if you were feeling like experimenting, an off-dry sparkling ros boosted with a few drops of grenadine or, even better, strawberry liqueur.

 

 

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