I picked up the latest issue of Waitrose kitchen magazine yesterday, and one of the features is a series of portraits of chefs with their favourite kitchen implement. There’s a lovely one of José Pizarro with a pestle and mortar and the blurb says that in the Extremadura region of Spain (where he comes from), it’s traditional to give a pestle and mortar as a gift when people turn 18. Isn’t that a great idea? (Even though, as a guy, he was not expected to use it!) My 18th birthday present was a gold watch. I didn’t want one, I never really liked it and I don’t wear a watch these days anyway.

I recently invested in my first pestle and mortar – a Röra marble one from Ikea. To be honest it was a bit of an impulse purchase, but I have always wanted one, ever since I was a kid. I just find them fascinating. Anyway, I have yet to grind anything in it, but I have now washed it and it is ready for use.

So… if you have a pestle and mortar (or a spice grinder, or whatever) what do you grind in it? What’s your favourite concoction? And does anything you grow in the garden make its way in there?