SHOPPING

There are endless renewed pleasures in food shopping. For me nothing betters the satisfaction of returning home with ingredients I have no experience of cooking. But it takes a leap of faith. Read Pips Dish on shopping for food in London.

Increasingly we are being sold organic food as a luxury alternative. But is organic always better - shouldn't good food, the best ingredients, be the norm?

My love of food and cooking was germinated by childhood visits to the legendary Italian delicatessan Valvona & Crolla. Today it remains the best of its kind in Britain.

The freshest fish lends itself perfectly, despite having to look hard to get a decent fish supper anywhere. For me, the best Fish and Chips experience in the world is Olley’s in Herne Hill.

In the most unlikely corner of Vieux Nice at Oliviera, Nadim Beyrouti and his wife combine a passion for the oils of the region with the simplest ingredients.

I have an on-off relationship with tomatoes. Mostly off. Being so often tasteless renders them largely pointless. Tinned tomatoes start in Italy and so some flavour is guaranteed. They are great when it comes to sauces and soups and there is no need to use those watery ragus or passata from a jar.

I think my approach to cooking is uncomplicated. It relies on what’s there, in the fridge. That in turn depends entirely on what I’ve fancied buying which is seldom based on any planning of what I will cook. This way the adventure of shopping turns up some gems.

Whenever we come back from Barcelona, it’s always laden with anything tinned I can’t get here. One of them is the little baby squid in olive oil – chipirones. No comparison with the fresh ones but when in need

It’s easy to dismiss offal.I haven’t got a big repertoire. But I do like kidneys. Mounted on a couple of rounds of toasted brioche on your most beautiful plates, they are fit for a king’s birthday.