Let me start this off by apologising for the owl. We got it for free during a present-swapping game a few years ago and as of yet I don’t have a more sophisticated fondue alternative. According to the box it came in, this green ceramic bird is intended for chocolate fondue, but I much prefer to use it for bagna cauda: a hot Italian dipping sauce made with anchovies, olive oil, butter and garlic. It’s salty, it’s greasy, it’s packed with flavour and just a hint of it is enough to take your veggies to a whole new level.

Ingredients (for 2):

2.5 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter

1 garlic clove

50 g salted anchovies

And of course things to dip with. We used:

celeriac (cut into strips and boiled)

chestnut mushrooms (sautéed)

eryngi mushrooms (sliced and sautéed)

sweet red pepper

crispy lettuce

fennel

ciabatta bread

• Prepare your vegetables and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
• Add olive oil, chopped anchovies and crushed garlic and simmer vigorously until the anchovies have completely disintegrated (5-10 minutes).
• Transfer the sauce to the fondue bowl. Make sure the candle is lit and you’re good to go!
• NB: be careful not to burn your tongue, the sauce can get very hot (even boiling) in the fondue pot.