TV chef James Martin shares his culinary secrets with Weekend

SUPER SALMON

I’ve just had my first visit to Norway. The scenery was beautiful but the food was weird. I tried moose and elk salami, which was as tough as old boots, but gave the whale a miss – I don’t think they should be caught, let alone eaten. Norway was pricey too. Four of us had a bit of fish and a drink in a cafe and the bill was £211. The market (above) was great though, with the biggest smoked salmon I’ve seen, about 5ft long.

FRESH IDEAS Lemon verbena has an amazing, citrusy-perfumed flavour. I saw some plants in France, but they look a bit like cannabis plants so I thought I’d better not bring them through customs in a van! Now I’ve found some here. Lemon verbena is great in crème brûlée – you simply infuse the milk or cream with the chopped leaves. Or for a fabulous pavlova (left), you can stir tiny leaves straight into a meringue mix.

COLD COMFORT Gazpacho is a lovely, fresh summery soup. It’s basically cucumber, tomatoes, garlic and shallots, and sometimes peppers, whizzed up in a blender. It can just taste like puréed veg, so I like to put in a bit of chilli and a touch of basil, and some chefs add a dash of sherry vinegar.

FIRST CLASS I gave a cookery school on the cruise ship back from Norway – it’s fun getting people to try piping eclairs in a straight line on the open seas. I’m enjoying giving classes at Chewton Glen Hotel in Hampshire too, where we’ve had people aged nine to 90. We teach a few recipes for dishes like Poulet Sauté Au Vinaigre (pictured), and techniques like how to fillet a fish or portion up a chicken – sometimes it becomes a bit like a biology lesson!