Pesto & Pine Nut Garlic Bread

Toasted sourdough slices spread with garlic butter and a generous layer of fresh basil pesto, then scattered with pine nuts and a little grated Grana Padano before a final blast under the grill. The pine nuts turn golden and buttery, the pesto warms through and releases its fragrance, and the sourdough crust stays properly crunchy. It's herby, nutty and garlicky, with a slight sourdough tang.

It's cut into strips and stacked on a plate with a few fresh basil leaves on top. It's a lovely starter before a pasta dish, or something to nibble with a drink. Of our garlic breads, this is the greenest and most aromatic, with the pesto and toasted nuts doing most of the work.

• What's inside: sourdough, salted butter, garlic, basil pesto, pine nuts, Grana Padano, fresh basil
• Flavour: herby, nutty, garlicky
• Portion: Regular – four strips, a starter for one; Sharing – twice the amount, good for three or four people
• Served: hot from the grill, stacked on a plate
• Goes well with: our Lemon Butter Pasta Bowl or an Elderflower Fruit Spritzer