Top 10 deli foods

Here are some of the best buys at the nation’s delicatessens

Tim Pozzi

1. Bottarga from Sardinia The poor man’s caviar — tuna or swordfish roe — is superb with pasta. From £13 per 100g, at London Fine Foods Group (08456 439121); Fish society.co.uk (0800 279347); Valvona & Crolla, Edinburgh (0131-556 6066); Selfridges (0800 123400); Ceci Paolo, Ledbury (01531 632976)

2. Salty Swedish liquorice The Swedes like it salty, in a vast range of textures and forms. Addictive; £2 for 200g at Totally Swedish, London (020-7224 9300, totallyswedish.com)

3. Nduja A spicy pork sausage from Calabria. Use it as you would chorizo; £5.25 for 250g from Natoora (020-7627 1600, natoora.co.uk)

4. Tracklements mayonnaise Twice the price of standard supermarket muck but almost as good as home-made. £3 for a 275g jar, stockists nationwide (tracklements.co.uk)

5. Marzipan from Lübeck Unbelievably almondy and very pretty to look at. From £2.13 for 50g, Goodness Direct (0871 8716611, goodnessdirect.co.uk); Lakeland (015394 88100, lakeland.co.uk); Planet Organic (020-7221 1345; planetorganic.com )

6. Cornish sea salt Good food deserves the finest seasoning.£1.95 for 125g, Fortnum & Mason, London (020-7734 8040, fortnumandmason.co.uk); Victor Hugo, Edinburgh (01316 671827) and stockists nationwide, see cornishseasalt.co.uk

7. Culatello di Zibello Not as famous as Parma ham, but most Italians will tell you that it is superior. £209.85 for 3kg piece from Savoria (020-7993 4170, savoria.co.uk)

8. Piquillo peppers Wood-roasted and preserved in their own juices, it’s almost a shame to open the jar. From £3.50, Lupe Pinto’s Deli, Glasgow (0141 3345444), Fortnum & Mason, and delicioso.co.uk

9. Pickled mushrooms from Poland No one loves a fungus like a Pole does. From £1.50 a jar, Barbakan, Manchester (0161 8817053); Polsmak, London (020-7275 7045, www.polsmak.co.uk); Maryla Deli, Swindon (01793 521451)

10. Echiré butter from La Rochelle Hand-made luxury from £56.94 a case, tesco.com

Tim Pozzi