eto Exclusive Spring Wine & Recipe Pairings
Multi-award winning chef Chantelle Nicholson is one of the leading female voices in the hospitality industry. Championing veg-forward cooking, Chantelle is a major advocate for seasonality and sustainability in her cooking. And Apricity – Chantelle’s restaurant in Mayfair, London – is considered one of the most sustainable places to eat in the world.
Chantelle is also a huge fan of eto – saying ‘I love how something that can support saving waste, can be so beautiful’ – and we are thrilled that Chantelle is sharing three favourite spring recipes from her book Planted exclusively with our eto community. Apricity’s sommelier Robin Fletcher has also suggested some great, low-waste wines to complement Chantelle’s choices, so read on to discover some delicious food and wine pairings.
eto Stainless mirror wine decanter
Spring Lunch
This is a great recipe for a spring lunch – or a starter for dinner with friends – as it looks like spring on a plate. The fermented tomato does take a bit of planning as ideally, it needs four days to ferment. But it brings lots of health benefits, tastes delicious, and is easy to prepare. You might see a few bubbles, but this is just the bacteria doing its thing – and totally normal!
This tangy Galician Mencía will complement the acidic structure of the fermented tomatoes, and the notes of dill in the wine will bring out the basil flavours. Often called Spain's Pinot Noir, the Mencía benefits from decanting, so we recommend decanting into eto 1-2 hours before serving. And if you don’t finish the wine with your meal, you can preserve it in eto for another day.
Spring Dinner
Cauliflower is often associated with autumn, but it can also be grown in spring and makes a great base for a light spring dish. To minimise waste, Chantelle’s recipe also includes the cauliflower leaves, which taste delicious deep fried. To get the right blend for the baked lemon jam, you’ll need to make a batch, but it will keep for a few months in the fridge – giving you the perfect excuse to enjoy the dish another time!
The rich and textural expression of Chenin Blanc from Savennieres in France's Loire Valley has lots of fruit concentration and honey aromas to complement the rich, caramelised purée in this dish, while a lively acidity will accentuate the vibrant flavours in the food.
Chantelle's restaurant, Apricity in London
Spring Baking
Lavender adds an interesting and enticing flavour to a cake if it’s used subtly, and its light perfume goes beautifully with the tangy lime. Fresh lavender tastes especially good, but you can also use dried if you have it. The cake does need to be cooked in a ring tin, but plain or fluted edges work equally well.
This elegant floral blend of Sémillon and Muscadelle will lift the lavender notes out of the drizzle cake and provide a sweetness to balance the lime. You may only want one glass, but you can decant the rest of this delicious dessert wine into eto and store in the fridge until you’re ready for another glass.
About Chantelle Nicholson
Chantelle Nicholson is a multi-award winning chef, restaurant owner and sustainability champion. Before setting up Apricity in 2022, Chantelle ran the much-loved Tredwells in Covent Garden for seven years, where her commitment to sustainability led to her first green Michelin star in 2021. Chantelle is also an independent board member for ReLondon and a Food Council member for City Harvest.
In 2018 Chantelle published her first solo cookbook Planted, which is full of delicious plant-based recipes using seasonal ingredients. During the pandemic, Chantelle launched All’s Well, a ‘pandemic pop-up’ in Hackney.
'Courtney' 2021 from Renegade Winery
Originally from New Zealand, and a trained lawyer, Chantelle is committed to creating a more sustainable future across her operation and activities, and this ambition is reflected throughout Apricity – from its menus to interior design. Apricity was shortlisted in the sustainable interior category of the Dezeen Awards 2022, and gained its own green Michelin star early this year.
If Chantelle’s recipes have inspired you to explore new wine pairings but you don’t feel like cooking, discover our guide to the perfect wine and takeaway pairings with sommelier Burt Blaize.
Image Credits:
Recipes - Nassima Rothacker
Chantelle Portraits - Lisa Tse
