Foodie Files

BIG DAY I haven’t catered for a wedding in 22 years, but I’ve just said yes to a friend of mine and I’m now devising a menu. The starter’s going to be home-made taramasalata and cured salmon (right), served with pickled vegetables, beetroot ketchup and sourdough bread. Then it’s turbot for the main course, cooked on the bone, with a fresh crab and leek garnish and a sauce made from the crab on top. I’m doing the food, but I haven’t got the time or patience to make a cake.

SWEET TALK Instead of a cake, I’m going to do big pavlovas flavoured with soft fruit and place them randomly on each table. I won’t make it a sticky meringue so I’ll use 50g (1¾oz) of sugar per egg white, coat them with melted white chocolate then fill them with vanilla-flavoured cream. For the topping I’ll have raspberries in one, strawberries in another, and in the others I’ll have blackberries, blueberries and wild strawberries or mixed fruit.

AMAZING CAKE A fruit cake can last longer than some marriages, but I’ve seen some great alternatives at weddings. I remember little fairy cakes put on a stand so they looked like a tree which was quite cool, and another using scones with jam and cream. Then there’s the classic French croquembouche, a pyramid of profiteroles built up around a mould (right). I’ve seen it done using a traffic cone, which you then lift out – before putting it back where you found it of course.

HOT STUFF There’s nothing like the peppery taste of radishes straight from the garden. I like to serve a bunch of them freshly picked with an amazing warm anchovy sauce. To make the sauce, mix good quality white anchovies, a bit of cream, a splash of water and olive oil, together with lemon zest, garlic and black pepper in a food processor until it’s smooth. Serve in a bowl and dip in your radishes.