Drink Up! Susy Atkins finds marvels at Morrisons
Make your way to Morrisons for these high-street hits, says Susy Atkins
One of my favourite wines of the year is a Portuguese red from Morrisons. I liked Cidade Branca, from the Alentejo region, well enough at first sip, then managed to spin it out over the next two evenings and it only grew on me. I approved of its £8 tag, then discovered it was down to £12 for two (offer ends March 16). The tasting note is on the right.
It reminded me that Morrisons has been a fine source of goodvalue wines. A bit more tasting and I’ve come up with more gems from the supermarket. First fizz and, although I’ve been critical of many of the new wave of pink proseccos, I have to say that Morrisons’ The Best Prosecco Rosé 2019 DOC, Italy (11%, £9 down to £7 until March 16) is a cut above many of them, a single-vintage wine with an aroma of raspberry ripple ice cream, lively bubbles and, although it’s off-dry, the finish is well-balanced and fresh. It might make a good Mother’s Day present, but for those, like me, who prefer a drier style, check out the classy, decade-old The Best English Sparkling Grand Vintage 2010 Brut (11.5%, £25 down to £18 until March 16), which has biscuity, creamy notes and lemony freshness, or the sparkler on the right.
Morrisons’ own-label The Best range is now 95-strong. These are unique blends, made by the store’s team of buyers in collaboration with wineries. Thankfully, they’re easier to spot than they used to be with a clear roundel sign. The core of the set is priced from £6 to £10 with a few more premium bottles.
The buttery, ripe and pineapplesoused The Best Gran Montana Chardonnay Reserve 2018, Uco Valley, Argentina (13.5%, £8.75 down to £7 until March 16) is a brilliant match for roast chicken or fresh salmon, while The Best Marqués de Los Rios Rioja Gran Reserva 2013, Spain (14%, £12) is a red with leathery, savoury layers; one for venison or slow-braised beef. Mark Jarman, the senior wine sourcing manager, plans to add to the list this spring with, among others, a premium pinot grigio from Italy’s Alto Adige region and a vinho verde from northern Portugal.
That said, there’s good representation from worthwhile brands such as Chile’s Cono Sur, Freixenet cava and Rioja’s Campo Viejo, all of which have offers. I highly recommend the soft but rich Bonpas Vacqueyras 2017, Rhône, France (13.5%, down from £15 to £12 until March 16) on a cold early spring evening, ideally with a chunk of cheddar.
Finally, don’t miss Morrisons’ range of own-label sherries, particularly The Best trio of half bottles made in conjunction with the renowned Lustau bodega. There’s a dry oloroso and a sweet Pedro Ximenez, but my favourite is the fascinating palo cortado on the right, which, for £6.25, is a steal.
QLike my grandmother before me, I suffer from an allergy to cheese. I have no problem with any other dairy products, not even yogurt. My problem is that so many recipes include cheese, and therefore at least half the recipes I can’t use, or eat. Is there something else that can be used instead of cheese? PF, via email
A
This is a really difficult issue for you to live with, and I understand from your email that this is an allergy, not an intolerance, and the results of accidentally eating cheese are embarrassing.
So many recipes include, say, parmesan to boost savouriness or halloumi to add heft to a roasted vegetable salad. When you are after that savoury note, I recommend looking to a vegan favourite, yeast flakes. These look like a tub of bran, but melt into food giving it an umami, and distinctly cheese-like, flavour. Add it by the teaspoonful, tasting as you go. I use Marigold brand (the same people who make the vegan bouillon powder) Engevita Yeast Flakes B12 (125g, about £3.49 from hollandandbarrett.co.uk and supermarkets) although I see that Bosh, the supercool vegan boys, have their own version called Nooch, available from Sainsbury’s (£2.99 for 100g).
If it is texture you are after, you’ll need something with a bit of chew to it. I wrote about tofu recently and it is my first choice to replace chunks of cheese in a dish. Or – and this is a risk I admit – but you may want to try Indian paneer, since this is just milk curdled with acid and pressed, with none of the cultures or rennet that you may find in true cheese.
Neither of these will melt like mozzarella on a pizza though. Vegan versions are available, but I’d rather just order a pizza frutti di mare, which should come, like all Italian seafood dishes, without cheese.
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The best questions will win a Thermapen digital cooking thermometer
Q
I’ve just boiled up my annual batch of marmalade. Every year I ponder the same question – are Seville oranges used for marmalade because they’re the best, or because they’re useless for anything else?
RL, via email
A
Staying in a holiday cottage in Spain as a child, I rushed to pick an orange from a tree, only to find it thick skinned, and with only a suggestion of flesh in the middle. I was about as bitter as the fruit itself.
The Spaniards seem to do precious little with the fruit, leaving it to drop unregarded from the trees that line the streets of Seville. But we Britons know that Seville oranges are wonderful and irreplaceable. Marmalade made with ordinary oranges is really just orange jam: sweet and cloying unless boosted with large amounts of lemon juice. But Sevilles bring a deeply aromatic quality to marmalade, with that hint of bitter to cut the sugar. It’s the negroni of the breakfast table.
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