Leyda Riesling, Reserva. Chile.

Some of you may have decide not to drink this January. For the less pious people out there, here is a wonderful vibrant wine, that will awaken the slumber of your taste buds.

Pure and clean on the nose, with well-defined aromas of mandarin orange, green apples and touches of stone fruit and floral aromas. Precise and slim on the palate, with a touch of oiliness, refreshing acidity and mouthwatering finish.

I pared this with a Thai style salad, of fried noodles and roasted butternut squash. The dressing had a lots of lime juice and chilli in. which works with the acidity of the wine.

It is available from Majestic for £9.49 or £7.59 when you buy any 2 Chilean wines.

This is a lovely winter vegetable dish,  that goes well with roast meats and hams and is the perfect side-dish to counterbalance any heaviness. This is a tangier twist on the classic French recipe.

Ingredients

1 Celeriac

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

4 Tablespoons natural yoghurt

Salt and black pepper

Grainy mustard or horseradish 2-3 teaspoons

Juice of half a lemon

A glug of olive oil

Method (Ideally prepare this a few hours before serving)

Peel and remove the knobbly bits and rough skin of the celeriac and then roughly grate. This can be done in a food processor.

In a large bowl mix some of the mayonnaise and yoghurt (save some back as you do not the mixture to become too wet) and add the grated celeriac.

Then add the rest of the ingredients. Mix again. Taste and correct the seasoning. I find this dish takes a lot of seasoning but taste as you go. If you have added too much salt, then put some more lemon juice in.

Let it stand for 10 mins so it absorbs the flavours. If you feel it is too dry than add more yoghurt or oil. Serve cool.

This is a great dinner party dish or something different for Sunday lunch.  I got this recipe from my lovely sister in law Valentina, who is a true foodie.

Ingredients (serves  four)

1 pork fillet

1 French Baguette

200-300gs thinly sliced Parma ham.

Olive oil

Sage

Oregano

Black pepper

Method

Roll the pork fillet in the ground black pepper and herbs, which need to be finely chopped if using fresh ones. Once the pork is coated in herbs, place it on a plate.

Now make a layer of Parma ham slices side by side, with a slight overlap, on Clingfilm as it helps rolling. Place the pork on top of the ham and roll it up. The pork should now be in a layer of ham.

Cut your baguette to the size of the pork fillet, leaving a couple of centimetres each side. Slice the baguette length ways on one side. Remove the soft middle and drizzle in plenty of olive oil, now put the pork inside the baguette firmly and close. Pour over more olive oil.

Wrap the pork filled baguette in more ham, so each slice overlaps the last. Tie the whole thing up, as best you can with some thick string  and place in a large roasting tin with a little oil on the bottom.

Roast in a pre-heated oven, at 180C for 40-45 mins. If you buy good quality pork, it is ok if it is still a little pink in the middle.