Let’s talk pesto for a moment.

Despite dire warnings from the BBC last year that the supply was about to dry up, the supermarket shelves are still giving up a bountiful supply of this tasty sauce. However, I’ve never been particularly impressed with the pesto that you can buy in jars. Even Sacla’s range leaves me a little cold, although perhaps that’s because I’ve been eating it regularly for at least a decade.

However, I’ve now discovered the incredible, the wonderful, the slightly over-priced Pesto Ligure from Alberti. It’s absolutely delicious, and the secret turns out to be cashew nuts (come to think of it, this probably explains the price as well). The flavour is deep and rich, without the bland or sour edge that you get in a lot of jars of pesto. (Can something have a “bland edge”?)

I’ve been meaning to blog about this stuff for a while, but I keep eating it before I’ve had a chance to photograph it. Given that I have a digital camera—always charged and ever at my elbow—this is a pretty weak excuse. Still, here it is at last. I give you Alberti’s Pesto Ligure:

Alberti Pesto

(also available in a garlic-free version)
(actually, this is the second-best jar of pesto I’ve ever had. The best was dispensed by the 24-hour pestomat machine in Portovenere, and was worth the €10 it cost)
(this post, sadly, was not paid for by the pesto marketing board)