Friends and family are always just dropping in to say a quick hello- which always extends to a glass of wine or a few whiskies at the least!

Quite often I end up spending lots of time in the kitchen getting a few bitings together which ends up defeating the point of them coming over to see me! So over the years – I’ve spent a lot of time in local farmers shops, tiny hidden delis to collect an array of preserves, syrups, cheeses, aged salamis, as a classic backdrop to the platters.

However – one of the things I really enjoy is making some of the deli products on my own, at home, with my own touch. One of the vegetables that I always have in abundance from the greenhouses are shiny baby eggplants . These are actually so much more flavourful than their bulbous cousins and produce a lovely nutty, smokey flavour especially when grilled . This is a very simple vegetarian addition to your platters that really do work beautifully with cheese, crusty fresh sourdough baguette, hand picked fresh aromatic basil and a strong, hard nubbly pecorino!

 

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Makes one 500ml jar worth of Aubergine Deli Slices

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Top Taste Safari Tip!

 

Always have an abundance of different fresh breads and wrap these up in some lovely lace or a lovely printed napkin. Right now – after all the wonderful bread in Denmark and Italy – I’m really selective and I love the earthy, acidic sourdough breads and rustic olive Ciabatta… mmm delicious !