Invited recently to the launch of Richard Bertinet’s new book Cook, at a well known kitchen showroom in Wigmore Street, I arrived hot and bothered having not had the best of journeys. I descended to the lower ground floor where an active kitchen is set up to join a select gathering of food writers and others from the foodiemedia. After a quick cup of coffee, I was immediately set to work.

It seems that much of what I have attended recently is focussed on Italian produce and a tasting of olive oil from Liguria recently was yet another. The purpose of the tasting was to alert us to the quality of Italian olive oil generally, but in particular to that produced in Liguria which like many Italian region’s oils has DOC status.

The great thing at these sort of cooking class turnouts is to make sure you mark your efforts clearly before they go in the oven. That way you avoid having to eat yours when they come out and can instead feast on far better efforts made by your fellow cooks.