Darina Allen: Tomatoes with Wasabi, Mascarpone and Pine Nuts

ABERGAVENNY is a sleepy little town in South Wales with four or five charity shops, a few fried chicken joints, several Indian and Chinese restaurants, the usual estate agents and fashion shops and of course a Tesco and Aldi.

I’d been looking forward to my visit but as I ambled up the Main Street on Friday evening, the market was just closing up for the day and somehow it all seemed pretty lacklustre.

I was over in Wales for the Abergavenny Food Festival, it was scheduled to kick off that evening with Xanthe Clay of the Daily Telegraph interviewing Tom Kerridge of the Hand and Flowers in Marlow, a pub with food so yummy that Michelin has just awarded it a second star.