Simply baked fish and veg with Knorr Flavour Pot

The people at Knorr recently sent me some of their new Flavour Pots to try out. If I'm not using home-made stock (usually chicken) and I need to pep things up I use Marigold powdered stock or Oxo cubes,  so I didn't mind giving these little pots of seasoning paste a whirl.

They sent a selection of flavours and a hamper of fresh produce from Waitrose so, in a sort of Masterchef fashion, I created a dish based on these ingredients. Using some sea bream I'd bought the day before, I assembled a light, spring inspired fish supper.

As you can see I cut up the peppers and fennel, arranging them in the baking tray before placing the fish on top. Then I combined the mixed herb Flavour Pot with about a glass of white wine, topping up with water to pour into the tray. I left it unseasoned in order to test the strength of the Flavour Pot, covered it loosely with foil and baked it in the oven at 180°C for about 20 minutes. The result was a tasty, easy (and healthy) meal.

Since then I've been trying out the other flavours. The curry flavoured pot was good and pokey in a prawn biryani (that went brilliantly with Veuve Clicquot demi-sec) and the garlic flavoured pot worked well with some braised vegetables. My main gripe is with the plastic packaging as they are single serve portions (I'd prefer small glass jars – think pesto or tomato purée), but otherwise a helpful addition to your larder.

Veuve Clicquot demi-sec and lemon madeleines

I'm rather partial to drinking Champagne with food and just before Easter Veuve Clicquot sent me a bottle of their demi-sec to taste with some lemon madeleines. I have concerns about sparkling wine and desserts. It's quite traditional in France to serve smart fizz with dessert and, sadly, desserts are generally far too sweet to do it any justice and leaving it tasting dry and sharp in comparison. However, the combination looks pretty and has uplifting sense of occasion, so I can understand the appeal.

That said, when I tried the Veuve demi-sec with the madeleines, I was genuinely surprised. Demi-sec Champagne can taste a bit two-faced or confused, with the sweetness seeming confected and awkward alongside crisp acidity. This was not the case with the Veuve demi-sec whose honeyed sweetness was harmoniously integrated – unexpectedly good with the madeleines as they were not that sweet. We also enjoyed the demi-sec with a spicy main course – prawn biryani with yoghurt and mango chutney. This worked brilliantly (although perhaps not quite what Veuve Clicquot had in mind).

Stockists include Laithwaites (£40), Tanners (£39) and Majestic (£45 or a more realistic £29.98 if you buy two bottles).