ROASTED PEPPERS

There was a time in Britain, though it’s hard to believe, before roasted Mediterranean vegetables. Pre-1980s we were unfamiliar with the olive-oil-rich flesh of meaty roasted aubergines, or the charred smokiness of wedges of red onion.

I first ate them in Bertorelli’s in London in 1984, and soon after spotted a recipe for them that I pounced on. The mixture was just so good, the way the vegetables sucked up the oil, garlic and herbs with which they’d been cooked. It’s not surprising they’ve become such a mainstay. They’re colourful, healthy and even looking at a platter will get your juices flowing. I’m not keen on solo dining but I used to eat in Carluccio’s Caffè on my own – long ago, before the chain was sold – just so that I could have a plateful of roast vegetables and a mattress of