Silvia Gautschi McNulty won the Swiss final of the 6th Concours des Ambassadeurs du Champagne competition held on the 17th of September in Geneva. She will travel to Epernay in the heart of the Champagne region to compete in the European final on October 28th against seven other finalists.

Silvia battled her nerves in Geneva and managed to deliver an outstanding and original presentation on the diversity of champagne, while expertly tasting and presenting four champagnes to a jury of four experts and a captivated audience. “Silvia represents the exact profile we are seeking for a champagne ambassador” stated Violaine de Caffarelli, Jury President and Enologist for the Comité Champagne, as she awarded Silvia the prize.

Silvia holds a level V honors diploma from the London-based Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) and several advanced certificates from schools in Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. She is also a member of the Swiss German Sommelier Association, a qualified instructor of Sherry Wine from the Regulatory Authority in Jerez, Spain and a regular instructor at the Zürich-based Académie Du Vin. Of course, Silvia is also partner and wine educator at Laughing Lemon Food & Wine.

During her first couple of days in the Champagne region, Silvia will have the opportunity to visit some of the top producers…and of course taste their products. The final competition will be held on Thursday, October 28 and will again include a presentation to the jury and champagne tastings. The winner will be announced on Friday, October 29 and we will announce the results on the Laughing Lemon Food & Wine Facebook page.

We wish Silvia the best of luck in her competition!

Making pumpkin rösti in Switzerland just seems like a good idea.

There are plenty of fresh pumpkins to find nearly everywhere you look – especially those starchy kabocha varieties which combine the nutty pastiness of chestnuts with the sweet earthiness of sweet potatoes…oh, and with a little pumpkin thrown in as well.

Then, there are those incredible October potatoes to experiment with - and not just any potato will do! In Switzerland, a proper rösti is only made with…eh, a rösti potato of course. You can follow my lead and look for the Urgenta or Victoria varieties if you are in Switzerland, otherwise select a potato that is more on the waxy side with less starch.

Another consideration is everyone in Switzerland seems a bit pumpkin-crazed during the month of October…and always rösti-crazed. So, as you can see, the idea to make a pumpkin rösti just works…and I have received quite a lot of requests for this recipe.

So here’s how I make enough for about two rösti:  More...