Fettuccine with Mottra caviar and crème fraîche

Serves 4

Spoon the pasta on to serving plates and spoon the caviar on top (Jason Lowe)

This is a very sophisticated way to serve pasta. I'm still pushing the case for using sustainable Mottra caviar from Latvia (mottra.co.uk), as wild sturgeon are becoming rarer and should be left alone. With something as delicate as caviar, it's important to use a delicate and fine pasta so that it doesn't get in the way of the luxurious flavours and textures.

80-100g very fine, good-quality fettuccine or similar sized pasta
1tbsp finely chopped chives
1tbsp olive oil
2tbsp crème fraîche
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
30g or more of Mottra caviar

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the manufacturer's cooking instructions, then drain in a colander; transfer to a bowl and while it's still warm, add the olive oil and chives and season. Stir as it's cooling, then stir in the crème fraîche and re-season if necessary.

To serve, spoon the pasta on to serving plates and spoon the caviar on top.