With a bank holiday weekend in the offing, this is a great time to explore and enjoy port’s place on the dinner table. Family-owned port house, Taylor’s, and some of the UK’s top chefs and sommeliers recently collaborated to create ‘Taylor Made Cuisine’ on Jazz FM’s Dinner Jazz, bringing listeners tried and tested food and port matches.
Here’s a round-up of our favourite food and port pairings from the series, with some extra morsels of advice from the top chefs that created them.
Shay Cooper, The Goring (above)
Dish: Veal sweetbread with glazed salsify, hazelnut and parsnip puree
Port: Taylor’s 20 Year Old
Cooper says: “I’ve decided to pair the dish with a 20 year old because this particular port has some lovely orange notes in it, which work well with parsnip purée and the oak is lovely with toasted hazelnut. The long, mellow finish holds up really nicely to the creaminess of the veal sweetbread.”
Andy Cook, Savoy Grill (above)
Dish: Baked Burford brown egg cocotte with wild mushrooms and mature Lancashire Bomb cheese
Port: Taylor's 10 Year Old Tawny
Cook says: “Aged in oak cask and displaying mellow and elegant flavours, delicate wood notes and rich aromas of mature fruit, Taylor’s 10 Year Old Tawny balances perfectly well with earthy mushrooms, sharp cheddar and the creamy texture of the baked eggs.”
Anna Kelly, London House (above)
Dish: Quail boudin, beetroot purée and pearl barley ragout
Port: Taylor’s Vargellas 2001
Kelly says: “The dish has depth and texture that is best eaten while drinking a glass of nicely rounded, well-structured Taylor’s Vagellas Vintage 2001.”
Richard Weiss, Brasserie Gustave (above)
Dish: Endive salad with Roquefort dressing
Port: Taylor’s LBV 2008
Weiss says: “A light, slightly chilled bottle of Taylor’s LBV will be a great match and a very nice introduction for dinner. Bon appétit!”
Thierry de Magneval, Cellar Magneval
Dish: Vacherin Mont d’or
Port: Taylor's Chip Dry
Magneval says: “Port is a hugely versatile wine and Taylor’s makes some of the best out there. Chip Dry white port is fresh and dry with gentle notes of oak. It’s a perfect match for rich, creamy, tangy, earthy Vacherin Mont d’or and traditionally you’d drink lightly oaked, rich white wine with it, so Taylor’s Chip Dry is a refreshing alternative to tradition.”
Russell Brown, ex-Sienna in Dorset
Dish: Red onion, goats’ cheese and fig tart
Port: Taylor’s LBV
Brown says: “Port can add real depth and character to sweet and savoury sauces, syrups and jelly. Taylor’s LBV with dark fruits and a rich jammy character picks up on several elements of the dish, providing a great match.”
To listen to the full chef interviews, click here.
For more information about Taylor's port, click here.
This article was modified 20 August 2015