I really enjoyed the second installment of Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers (Series 2), I love the idea of just going to the store cupboard/fridge and using bits and pieces to make an interesting meal. Of course I will normally drink a glass of wine with my dinner, and here are my suggestions for suitable wines for these dishes.

A. Lamb, Beetroot and Bulgar Wheat Patties

I often make patties, or rissoles as they are called in our house, from left over roast lamb or fresh lamb mince. I love to add spice, particularly ground cumin and coriander, as well as a sneaky bit of chilli and plenty of coriander leaf, and I always bulk up the meat with breadcrumbs. I must try bulgar wheat next time. For this type of food, I think you need to drink a robust red wine, I think that you will need plenty of dark berry fruit flavours, some spice and nice round tannins. A good Languedoc red would be perfect, either a traditional AOC type blend like a Coteaux du Languedoc, or a modern blend. From my list I would go for either Domaine Jordy Tentation 2008, which is a Syrah dominant blend with Grenache and Carignan if I was going for tradition, or the Cabernet Syrah blend of the Petit Saint Aunes Rouge 2008.

B. Pea Pasta with Parmesan

Fresh and simple this will have a surprisingly complex set of flavours, particularly as the pea shoots and a few herbs are used to add interest, texture and more flavours. I can't see beyond a white wine for this dish, either a good dry aromatic white from Alsace, say a good Pinot Gris, or from Languedoc the Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue, Bronzinelle Blanc would be brilliant, as it has a lovely freshness and plenty of complex flavours with much floral and fruit character, but also a lovely touch of herbacious aromas and flavours.

C. Chorizo and Bean Stew

This dish will pack a punch interms of flavour, the veg, beans and the spicy chorizo will make for a really hearty dish. For me it would be a real winter treat. To cope witht he spice and big flavours I think that you will need to go for something equally powerful in the accompanying wine. Try a Tempranillo based red from Spain (try Navarra, or Castille y Leon rather than Rioja) or a big punchy Grenache based blend fro South Australia or Languedoc, a good example on my list would be the Domaine des 1000 Roses Cuvee Lea, which has much power, but plenty of complex fruit and spice and just a touch of elegance if you look hard enough!

D. Beetroot Friters

I think the idea of knocking up a bowl of beetroot fritters on a camping stove in the allotment is a great idea, you just need a glass of outdoor red to go with them! I would go for something with plenty of fruit , and a touch of spice, but nothing too complex. Try a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo or a decent Valpolicella, or from Languedoc the Mas d'Exindre Rouge 2007 - the blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot covers all the bases and has enough about it to be great by the glass at lunchtime. It has the added advantage of being sufficiently robust that a bottle will happliy drink over two or three days with no undue degradation.

E. Summer Fruit patch Pudding

This medley of summer fruits, cake soaked with lemon liqueur and whipped cream looks delightful and very naughty. And to be honest I wouldn't even try to match a wine to this dish, why bother,personally I wouldn't want anything to distract from the fruit, particularly if there are any white currants!

F. Salmon and Watercress Tart

Interestingly Last night I led a tasting for a lovely group, and halfway through we stopped for a snack, and one of the things on offer was a slice of a "Salmon Quiche", which looked very like the one proposed by Nigel Slater. We had just finished tasting a rose and three whites, the Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup Classique Rose went very well with the Quiche, the weight of fruit and freshness working well with the egg mixture and salmon; an oaked Chardonnay didn't work - the oak clashed with the fish; La Fadeze Sauvignon Blanc worked well with the freshenss and plentiful fruit again workig well with all elements of the tart; but the best match (in my opinion and about half of the tasters) was the Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue, Bronzinelle Blanc. I don't like to recommend the same wine twice in one blog, but in this case the freshness, fruit and herbacious character of the wine, together with its weight all worked perfectly with the salmon, egg mixture and the pastry.

I hope that these blogs are of interest, leave me a comment and tell me what you might match to some of these recipes.