Maro Itoje backs late call-up Max Ojomoh to shine against Argentina

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Max Ojomoh has been backed to bring his swagger to England’s pursuit of an autumn internationals clean sweep after he was a late call-up following more disruption to Steve Borthwick’s side,Ojomoh has been thrust into the No 12 jersey for a first Twickenham start in place of the injured Fraser Dingwall but Maro Itoje believes the Bath centre will flourish against Argentina,Dingwall’s withdrawal with a side strain sustained last weekend is further upheaval for Borthwick, who has already lost Ollie Lawrence, Jamie George and Tom Roebuck since the 33-19 triumph over the All Blacks,With Tommy Freeman and Ollie Chessum also injury casualties of the autumn, Borthwick’s ranks have been depleted but Ojomoh has been in fine fettle for Bath this season and impressed on his debut against the USA last summer,His inclusion alongside Henry Slade means a seventh different centre partnership of the year for Borthwick, who may have thought he had unearthed his combination for the future in Dingwall and Lawrence last weekend.

The England head coach has repeatedly talked up Ben Earl’s ability to play at centre but has resisted the temptation to move the back-row to midfield, handing Ojomoh, the son of ex-England and Bath flanker Steve, the chance to stake a claim.“He has a bit of a swagger about the way he is around the place, and with the way he plays,” said Itoje.“He obviously comes from a rich rugby heritage family, second generation in his family to be playing for England, so I know this weekend is going to be incredibly special for his family and for himself.I’ve been admiring his play from afar and now I get the opportunity to play with him.“I got a call some years ago, and I didn’t have his number at the time, and Steve [Ojomoh] basically asked me to talk to Max – this must have been four or five years ago.

I’d never met Max, hadn’t spoken to him, obviously heard about his son who was coming up through the ranks in Bath, and he asked me to speak to Max and tell him to study, to keep on his education.I was like: ‘Look, how can I tell this guy to study? I don’t even know him; I haven’t met him.’“It would be pretty weird if I’d just called him up and just been like: ‘Stay in school.’ I said I’d do it the next time I see him, but the opportunity didn’t come until a few years down the line when I eventually shared the story with him.But I think he is studying now [Ojomoh completed a business and administration degree over the summer], his dad’s influence is working.

I’ve been an admirer of the legacy that his dad and that generation of British Nigerians have done in the England jersey.”England are bidding to round off 2025 with an 11th consecutive win – the only defeat of the year so far coming against Ireland in February – and the first clean sweep of four November Tests since Eddie Jones’s first autumn in charge in 2016.Argentina were victorious the last time they met England at Twickenham in 2022, however, and Itoje is aware of the threat posed by the Pumas – who have already beaten Wales and Scotland this month.The Argentina head coach, Felipe Contepomi, has made five changes to the side that beat Scotland with Tomás Albornoz returning at fly-half and Marcos Kremer coming back into the side in the back-row.The matchday squad features 10 players who ply their trade in the Prem, including Itoje’s Saracens teammate Juan Martín González, who shifts to blindside flanker and the Harlequins winger Rodrigo Isgró.

Sign up to The BreakdownThe latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewedafter newsletter promotion“This is a team that has hurt us before, this is a team that has beaten us, and we know a lot of their players,” said Itoje.“I think there’s probably more Argentinians playing in the Premiership now.We play a lot against a lot of their guys in France, so we’re well aware of the threats that they bring.”
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Tell us about a recipe that has stood the test of time

Recipes carry stories, and often when they have been passed down from generation to generation, these tales have a chapter added to them each time they are made. Family members concoct elaborate treats and seasoning mixes, which in some cases travel across oceans to end up on our dinner tables.We would like to hear about the recipes that have stood the test of time for you, and never fail to impress. Who first made it for you? Did you stick to the recipe that was passed down or have you improvised? What are the stories you associate with your favourite family recipe?Let us know and we will feature some of the best in Feast.Tell us about the recipe that has been handed down through generations in the form below

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Alice Zaslavsky’s recipe for garlic red peppers with a creamy white bean dip, AKA papula

This week, I’ve been putting the finishing touches on an interview I recorded with legendary Australian cheesemaker Richard Thomas, the inventor of an ingredient you may not even realise is Australian: marinated feta, AKA “Persian fetta”. An unexpected stop on a trip to Iran in the 1970s gifted Thomas a chance meeting with a Persian doctor and his breakfast: fresh labneh with soft, still-warm lavash. It was a revelation. On his return, Thomas got to work creating a fresh cheese from goat’s milk (similar to chèvre) and from cow’s milk, marinated and preserved in oil, with an extra “t” to avert confusion with the Greek-style feta, that’s still being utilised by cooks and chefs right across the world.Persian fetta is a shapeshifter, capable of remaining both firm and steadfast when crumbled across the top of a platter or salad, and of yielding to a soft, velvety cream, enhancing all manner of dishes from pasta to pesto to whipped dips and schmears – and, of course, as a topping for that Aussie cafe staple, avocado toast

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How to turn hazelnuts into a brilliant flour for cakes – recipe | Waste not

Each recipe in my cookbook Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet includes optional whole food ingredients such as rapadura sugar, emmer wheat and flaxseeds to boost nutrients and flavour, while also keeping things adaptable so you can use up what you already have in the cupboards. Writing a plant-based cookbook taught me new ways to save waste, and confirmed my belief that zero-waste cooking is whole food cooking. Aquafaba (the liquid from a tin of chickpeas or other beans), for example, is a powerful emulsifier that can replace eggs, especially when whisked with ground flaxseeds or chia. It’s a brilliant way of turning what we’d usually pour down the sink into cakes with remarkable lift and texture.When I was writing the dessert chapter of my cookbook, I wanted every recipe to offer new ways of making cakes more nourishing

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Fish, cheese or chicken? Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for warming winter pies

When the temperature takes a nosedive, few things compete with a just-baked pie. Don’t be daunted by social media images of perfect, artistic ones; a pie will taste just as good whether it’s rustically homespun or exactingly decorated and carved. Ultimately, what is more important is the integrity of the ingredients (both the casing and the filling). As pastry or potatoes are such a large part of the equation, invest in the best, and make sure puff pastry is all butter and filo is generously lubricated with melted butter. And, if you’re serving your pie with mash, you want it lump-free, properly seasoned and enriched with butter and cream

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I’m vegetarian, he’s a carnivore: what can I cook that we’ll both like? | Kitchen aide

I’m a lifelong vegetarian, but my boyfriend is a dedicated carnivore. How can I cook to please us both? Victoria, by email “I have three words for you, Victoria,” says Anna Ansari, author of Silk Roads, who grew up in a predominantly vegetarian household: “Di si xian.” Typical of northern China, this stir-fry of aubergine, potato and peppers (otherwise known as the “three treasures”) is laced with soy, Shoaxing wine, white pepper, sugar, cornflour and, in Ansari’s case, doubanjiang. She also adds tofu (the fourth treasure, if you will) for “a rounded, one-pot/wok dinner” to eat with steamed rice. “It reminds me of being a teenager in Beijing, far from home and in need of warmth and comfort,” she says, and we could all do with some of that right now

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José Pizarro’s recipe for braised lamb and kale cazuela with beans

My mum, Isabel, has always cooked slowly. Life on the family farm was busy, so a pot of lamb would often be bubbling away while she worked and, by the time we all sat down for lunch, the whole house smelled incredible. November takes me straight back there. It is the month for food that warms you, dishes made to sit in the centre of the table and to bring everyone close. Lamb shoulder loves a slow cook, turning soft and rich, especially when cooked with alubias blancas (white beans) to soak up the sauce, while a good splash of oloroso gives it a deeper, rounder flavour than any red wine ever could