You had me at ‘Let’s Cook’

Dear Celebrity Masterchef,

I thought I could do it. I thought I could go cold turkey, perhaps even use the time I used to spend with you doing something more productive. Perhaps take up the hem on the trousers I bought over a month ago, maybe finish the book I have been reading for the last two. Of course, I’d forgotten how seductive you are, with your cooking-with-medical-urgency theme tune, your big-swell music when you announce the finalists, your increasingly tenuous celebrity contestants (who I usually love by the end) and your shouty presenters that cry when they hit on a culinary revelation. Even though I thought you needed a format makeover – perhaps why I thought I could walk away – I now realise you are like a pair of favourite slippers: worn but perfectly comfortable. So here we are again, older, wiser and wondering how on earth certain celebs get through life without knowing what’s in an omelette. Don’t go a-changing.

Love Knackered Mother

Current rose in the fridge:
Sancerre Rose Fournier 2008, £9.49, Tesco
I do love brightly coloured Rose wines but my current pash is for more delicately coloured ones from France. More unfarmed than farmed salmon in colour, if you know what I mean. The flavours are not as big and bold as a New World rose but the slightly more savoury character is what I want. This one is made from the red Pinot Noir grape grown in the Sancerre region (more famous for white wine) with the juice left in contact with the skins just long enought to give it that beautiful light pink colour. The wild strawberry and redcurrant fruit flavours are gorgeous and the wine has enough structure to cope with food too. Beef stew might be a bit of a challenge, obviously, but chilli-sprinked cod steaks were a great match. 

Current red on the side:
Mount Difficulty Pinot Noir, Central Otago, 2008, £21.99, Waitrose
Apologies for going over £20, I don’t do it very often, but for me this wine is worth it. It is another Pinot Noir, this time from the Central Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. No delicate hues here, this is ruby red in colour with incredible, powerful black fruit aromas. It is aged for about a year in oak barrels, adding spice and richness to the palate. This wine is a slow burner: pour it into a glass and keep it moving, warming it in your hands. How it tastes from first sip to last is quite different, it really does ‘soften’ if given time to breathe. Indulge in the Pinii. 

Let’s drink x