Food for Thought

ACROSS

8 Aromatic wine that is a key ingredient of a Martini (8) 9 Chewy pink or white sweet often used as a filling for chocolates (6) 10 Perennial herb often used to flavour fish dishes (4) 11 Fleshy underground stem such as the potato (5) 12 Eton —, English dessert of cream, meringue and strawberries (4) 13 Rich cake usually decorated or filled with cream, fruit and jam (5) 14 Sauteed meat cooked in a thick white sauce (9) 16 Orange —, superior grade of black tea made from young leaves (5) 17 Meaty liquid used as a base for soup (5) 22 Traditional dish of mutton or lamb with potatoes, onion and carrots (5, 4) 24 Mint —, classic cocktail comprising bourbon, sugar, mint leaf and water (5) 26 Whiskey —, mixed alcoholic drink containing lemon or lime juice (4) 27 Wine with a reddish or pinkish tinge (5) 28 Preserve meat or fish by a process of salting, drying or smoking (4) 29 Dairy product whose varieties include Shropshire Blue and Stinking Bishop (6) 30 Pasta in the shape of thin flat strands (8)

DOWN

1 Flesh of a deer that takes its name from the Latin word for hunting (7) 2 Egg dish that the guest chefs on Saturday Kitchen attempt to cook against the clock (8) 3 — nail, alcoholic tipple of Scotch with Drambuie served over crushed ice (5) 4 Plant with edible red stalks often eaten as a fruit in puddings such as crumbles (7) 5 Premium cut of meat taken from the rib area (9) 6 Creamy dip made from pureed chickpeas, tahini and garlic (6) 7 Culinary herb with curled aromatic leaves that is often used as a garnish (7) 15 Traditional Sunday lunch joint often served with Yorkshire puddings and horseradish sauce (5, 4) 18 North African semolina consisting of granules of crushed durum wheat (8) 19 Soft roll or loaf made from a very light yeast dough (7) 20 Mexican spirit distilled from the agave plant (7) 21 Oval earthenware cooking dish with a tightly fitting lid used for pates (7) 23 Sweetened water ice taken between courses to cleanse the palate or as a dessert (6) 25 Cut of meat taken from the top part of a lamb’s shin (5)

Solutions below