“Here’s a dish that basically gives you licence to play with your food! Yusheng is a vibrant, tangy-sweet Chinese New Year salad that’sa confetti explosion of good vibes, prosperity, and everything crunchy. It originated in Southeast Asia and Singapore and Malaysia, who love a tug-of-war over Who Does It Better. It’s kind of their pavlova, if you get us…”

“I like to use a mix of colours for the tomatoes here, but use what looks and smells good. As for balsamic vinegar, I prefer those from the Modena region of Italy. If you can’t crack it open and smell it before you buy, then be guided by price…

Every region in China will tend to have their own version of this dish; however, the one I constantly crave is the garlicky spicy kind. The simple mix of soy sauce, chilli oil and raw garlic is such a classic central Chinese flavour that has grown to be very popular in the West too. This salad is a perfect palate refresher for the table and is packed with flavour, with salivating qualities to make you go back for more until it’s all gone…”

Pork was such a treat for our family when we were young, as we grew up on a sheep farm and were more used to lamb and mutton. Pickled pork was especially beloved and would always feature on our Christmas table, so I’ve always been fond of the flavour…