The Chief Taster can take or leave celery. He’s not keen on anchovies… or raisins. But he likes both these salads.

Because the anchovy is mushed and mixed in with the dressing it performs more like a sort of complex salt, rather than having the strong anchovy taste. Gentleman’s Relish is a very convenient way of keeping anchovy paste on tap, as it were. Rather than opening a jar of anchovies every time and throwing half of them away, simply keep a pot of this relish in the freezer. Because it’s effectively anchovy butter it doesn’t freeze rock-hard.

The great thing about this salad is that you can make it a day or two in advance.

If you have any leftover, it goes excellently thrown into a pilaf.

Variation: substitute raisins for capers (as in the featured image above) – the result is entirely different but just as good.

To find out more about Gentleman’s Relish (aka Patum Peperium), follow this link.

Recipe for a gentleman’s celery salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 head of celery
• 2 tsps anchovy paste, or Gentleman’s Relish
• juice and zest of a small lemon
• 4 tbsps walnut oil
• 4 tbsps capers
• 3 tbsps walnuts – dry fried
• 2 tbsps chopped chives
• 2 tsps nigella seeds
• pinch of Urfa pepper flakes

Method

1. Keep the celery in the coldest part of the fridge.
2. Slice the celery across horizontally (including any leaves), with a very sharp knife, as thinly as you can. Put into the ice water.
3. Mix the dressing together.
4. Drain the celery. Dress. Serve.