I made an interesting pâté earlier this week, using up the giblets that came with the duck we roasted at the weekend and vaguely following a Nigel Slater recipe. Precision wasn’t an option as I didn’t have the chicken livers, cream or brandy suggested by his recipe but I figured that duck offal, crème fraîche and whisky were reasonable substitutions.

What did surprise me though was the resulting taste. Rich, sweet and more than a hint of chocolate. How bizarre! It was not quite what I expected but was still perfectly satisfying. I must try and get the recommended ingredients and proportions and see if this is anything like the result of Mr Slater’s main recipe but I was still very pleased with it; there is a reason I keep his Appetite book on my shelves and regularly refer to it as one of my main sources of culinary inspiration.