Allergen-free cooking doesn’t always involve the ‘official’ allergens. Last night I cooked a tapas sharing plates feast for a 60th birthday celebration, at which one of the invited guests was allergic to peppers. Because paprika features so heavily in many Spanish dishes, this meant being creative with alternatives and flavours to keep plenty of variety. But fundamentally the advantage of having a chef prepare everything from scratch in your kitchen is flexibility and full visibility: in the farm boxes of organic vegetables there were no peppers; in the fresh and dried herbs and spices there was no paprika (or any mysterious blends); in all the things I brought there were no packaged or processed food with long lists of ingredients (like those thin slivers of sweet peppers that are in antipasti mixes); there was no waiter, computerised ordering system or team disconnecting the diner from the person making their food. All of which – I think – massively helps with trust and transparency, allowing the diner and their host to relax and enjoy the meal. And the conversations I have with hosts before and guests after meals reinforces how much this is appreciated and valued.

Devilled eggs made a touch differently without paprika. Everyone at the table could enjoy these …and they well and truly did.