For the store cupboard - or more appropriately fridge or freezer. Some time back I was saying that I couldn't live without sweet chilli sauce. Well I feel the same way about pine kernels. Fortunately, the time has passed when you couldn't eat out without being confronted by a smoked chicken salad with toasted pine kernels and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar so one can examine their merits objectively. They are expensive to buy and even more expensive to eat. For every one of the little blighters I eat I must cremate at least three. For me the most difficult job in the kitchen is toasting pine kernels. In the same way that if you water the garden it will rain, if you put some pine kernels in the oven the telephone will ring. So a bit of mise en place is essential.

My pine kernel survival kit includes an electrical screwdriver for disconnecting the doorbell and a length of rope and some rags for binding and gagging any children unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity at the time. And I still burn them. What do I use them for? I don't know. I have never got that far. No, actually I use them all the time. Toasted they are great in pasta sauces and salads, maybe even with some balsamic vinegar. Raw they are a good addition to soups and stews, like our Spanish Lamb Stew with chorizo for example. But the main reason for having a good stack of pine kernels at this time of year is for making pesto. Guy has told me that he is going to have heaps of basil this year so if you have never made your own pesto now is the time to do it. Nothing beats homemade Pesto and it only takes five minutes. Pesto is one thing you cannot economise on. You have to have olive oil, cheese (half of which must be Parmesan), fresh basil and, above all, you have to have pine kernels. Never trust a pesto made with nuts other than pine kernels. Fine points vary but if you follow Elizabeth David you can't go far wrong - gist of it below.

One of my current favourites is griddled courgettes (the griddle puts life back into the humble courgette), toasted pine kernels and lardons with a teaspoon of Tideford Chilli Pesto served on Barilla Egg Tagliatelle. It sounds simple but toasting pine kernels is about the most demanding culinary task I have ever come across. You can’t take your eye off the little blighters for a second. Other uses for Pesto: Spread it on toast or baked aubergines, use as a stuffing for lamb or chicken, or stir it into the cooking liquid from some mussels as a change from Moule Mariniere There are several good makes available but nothing comes close to making your own.

Ingredients

25g grated Parmesan
25g grated Pecorino
100g basil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
50g pine kernels
olive oil

Method

Place basil, garlic, pine nuts and cheeses in a food processor and pulse several times. Add olive oil until you have the correct consistency, try not to over homogenise it should be grainy if not a little lumpy.