The rule of thumb when using a mandolin in the kitchen | Letters

My sympathies to Lucy Mangan after she “sliced half the ball of [her] thumb off with the mandolin” (Digested week, 9 January). I fear that mandolin injuries may amount to a significant drain on the NHS. A few years back, I was in an A&E queue, having mandolined off my thumb tip. The chap behind me had done exactly the same thing, though, unlike me, he had brought along the severed tip in a shopping bag, on ice. (My wife later thought she’d found my thumb tip in the sink

Still confused about swedes and turnips | Brief letters

When I was growing up in Sunderland, the big round vegetable with orange flesh was a turnip and the small round purple and cream vegetable with white flesh was a swede (Letters, 14 January). When I moved to London, the big vegetable was called a swede and the small one a turnip. After 57 years of living in London, I’m still confused.Linda SealHammersmith, London In the quiz by Thomas Eaton (10 January), Swindon Town were incorrectly listed alongside Elgin City, Juventus and Marseille as having had league titles stripped from them. In 1990, after finishing second in the old Second Division and winning the playoff final, they were found guilty of financial misconduct and denied promotion, but they never won a title to have it stripped from them

Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for Viennese fingers | The sweet spot

If I were to rank my top biscuits of all time, Viennese fingers would sit firmly in my top three. There’s not too much going on: just a good, buttery crumb, melt-in-the-mouth texture and chocolate-dipped ends, which are a must. While they’re pretty straightforward to make, issues often arise when it’s time to pipe the dough, and it can be tricky to strike a balance between a consistency that has enough butter but still holds its shape once baked. I find that the addition of a little milk helps make it more pipeable, as does using a large, open-star nozzle to avoid cramped hands and burst piping bags.Prep 5 min Chill 15 min Cook 40 min Makes 10130g very soft salted butter 50g icing sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 170g plain flour 2 tsp custard powder 1 tsp milk 70g milk chocolateHeat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4, and line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper

Not keen on feeble nolo wine? Try these instead

Are you a lover of oaky rioja, or maybe zingy Kiwi sauvignon blanc, and looking to find a non-alcoholic lookalike? To put it bluntly, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. Alcohol does much more than make you tipsy; it is the magic ingredient that gives so much of wine’s wondrous complexity, character and charm. Not only does it carry volatile compounds that make up wine’s endlessly fascinating combinations of scents and tastes, along with a sensation of warmth, it also creates that viscous body and texture – what’s rather grossly known in the trade as “mouthfeel” – of the liquid in your mouth, and the overall balance of all these factors in the wine.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link

Doing dry January? Use languishing bottles of wine to make the ultimate comfort food

Whether you’re abstaining or just cutting back, a glass of red, white or rosé can elevate everything from risottos and stews to pasta and puddings Sign up here for our weekly food newsletter, FeastHands up, who is dry Januarying? While it’s not something I do explicitly, I do like to cut back a bit at the beginning of the year. The marathon that is Christmas socialising can be fun but relentless, and I imagine there are many others in the same boat. When it comes to wine, at least, the problem with cutting back is what to do with the rest of the bottle. Sure, I’ll have a glass or two if I fancy it one evening, but it’s pretty much a wasted bottle if you don’t finish the rest within a few days. Fear not – I have a plethora of recipes that will ensure you never need to waste a drop – enjoy a glass or two, then use the rest in the dish of your choice

Mark Hix’s recipe for baked scallops with a herb crust

Sustainable fresh scallops are best treated simply, and this herby, garlicky breadcrumb topping ticks all the right boxesAs a kid growing up in West Bay, Dorset, I used to sit on the harbour wall and watch the small trawlers coming in with their catch. My friend Mark’s dad’s boat, along with all the others, would be stacked high with sacks of queenies that they’d dredged up only hours before, and Mark’s mum would pack us off to school with a tub each of queen scallop meat doused in Sarson’s vinegar and white pepper, to eat later as a playground snack. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but, looking back now, I realise quite what a luxurious schoolday treat this was.These days, however, our local scallop fishermen don’t fish for queenies much any more, because the time it takes to shuck and clean them is more or less the same as that for larger king scallops, so they’re no longer financially viable; also, instead of all those trawlers that Lyme Bay had in the past, it’s now mostly divers who fish more sustainably for king scallops, without demolishing the sea bed in the process. There are two main dive boats that fish out of Lyme Regis nowadays, operated by Jon Shuker and Ali Day, and they’ve pretty much cornered the local market