I’ve given two fillings here, but mix, match and add as you like. Olives, anchovies and capers are all candidates. Choose aubergines that are heavy for their size and are shiny and smooth, rather than dull and wrinkly, and make sure you have a very sharp knife for slicing. The filling quantities are per aubergine, which will give you six rolls; allow two or three per person as a starter, three or four as a main course. They go well with both the red peppers and the stuffed vi

Fortified wines are among the wine world's great bargains. They make excellent presents and it's worth pointing out here that the rare Terrantez Madeira and the Pedro Ximénez (aka PX) can be kept for months once opened (although the need may well not arise...). I have also included, below the four fortifieds, a gem of a Canadian Ice Wine. It, too, is a bargain. The fortifieds are listed in ascending order of sweetness, starting with a dry sherry. Watch out for last-order date

Oozing with flavour: Fromagerie Caseus, the excellent cheese shop in Montreuil, Pas de Calais, France Let’s cut to the chase: wine and cheese don’t make the perfect couple most of us would like them to be. There are one or two famously good matches – Sauternes and Roquefort, Port and Stilton – but most wines don’t take cheese in their stride, which isn’t so surprising when you think what cheese brings to the party: strong, even pungent, flavours; saltiness; acidity, sometimes