The designer and marinade-maker on his collection of pre-war German crockery, a cheap but excellent balsamic vinegar and a thesaurus of flavours
OBJECTS
Alessi cutlery set »
“Alistan collects a lot of modern cutlery and he’s got loads of Alessi stuff.” – Anita
Pre-war German crockery
Anita shows us their extensive collection of cups and saucers left to her by a German aunt, who bought them during the war.
Mezzaluna herb chopper and board »
“Anita got me this a couple of years ago, it’s a nice way of chopping up herbs and garlic.” – Alistan
INGREDIENTS
Orval beer »
“I’m not much of a beer drinker – I’m more of a spirits dude – but I like Trappist beers and Orval is great. I bought some for Christmas and kept it to myself. It’s nice and seasoned, quite Christmassy in taste.” – Alistan
Garofalo pasta »
“Apparently Italians swear by this.”
Solesta balsamic vinegar
“We go to a hotel in Ireland every year and I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar from them that cost €50. It was amazing but I wanted to find something cheaper that would taste as good. Eventually someone asked me if I’d tried the Aldi one. I was like, yeah right, but then I tried it and it was amazing – and only €1.49.” – Anita
BOOKS
The Silver Spoon, Phaidon »
Compendious Italian cookbook with over 2000 recipes, originally published by design magazine Domus in 1950, since republished by Phaidon Press. “I reference this a lot and they’ve just done a really nice new edition.” – Alistan
Larousse Gastronomique, Prosper Montagné »
Vast 1350-page encyclopaedia of cooking, originally focused on French cooking but updated with additional material on other cooking traditions. “I think every cook has this. I got this copy in TK Maxx for next to nothing, couldn’t believe it!”
Where Chefs Eat, Joe Warwick »
An insider guide to restaurants around the world based on recommendations from more than 600 top chefs.
The Flavour Thesaurus, Niki Segnit »
This cookbook in the form of a thesaurus examines the full spectrum of flavours and charts which work well together. Unlikely pairings include black pudding and chocolate, lemon and beef, blueberry and mushroom, and watermelon and oyster.
Flea market acquisitions
Alistan loves picking up old, forgotten cookbooks from flea markets and car boot sales, as much for what their owners left behind – annotations, food stains, hand-written recipes sellotaped inside the pages – as the books themselves. 50 Super Meals for Friends and Family was published in 1973; Rosemount Estate’s The Barbecue Cookbook is from 1996.