Shallots make all the difference. They lift what you cook from the everyday into something special.

There is no cuisine we know of that does not rely on the onion and its many relations. Western and eastern cuisines alike all use the onion family for flavour, sweetness and piquancy.

The shallot has particular qualities which is why I love using it so much. Flavoursome and versatile, shallots are great for all sorts of dishes, as they have a very special and delicious sweetness, much more so than the ordinary onion, without quite such a powerful smell. You can use them in sauces, salsas, ragouts, tarts, dips and they keep their shape too, which is very attractive in slow-cooked dishes.

Buy them in quantity when you see them, they keep well. When you want to peel them, you will find it far easier if you immerse them in boiling water for 10 minutes, just as if you were peeling a tomato. And remember, never let them go brown when you are frying them, they will become bitter.

Rachel Green – TV’s Flying Cook

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What the chefs say

“The French recognise that shallots are extremely versatile so they use them in a greater variety of ways than the British. 

I would encourage British cooks to experiment with shallots, they really add another dimension to a recipe.  

Shallots are more highly perfumed and have a more delicate flavour than onions – a world apart from large brown skinned onions which can be full of water.”

Michel Roux jr, chef de cuisine at the three Michelin starred restaurant Le Gavroche