Warm, soft khachapuri flatbreads take me back to Georgia – here’s the recipe | Marcel Theroux

A plateful of this delicious cheese-filled bread – and a big glass of Georgian red wine – evoke memories of a joyous meal in the foothills of the Caucasus

One of the most unforgettable meals I’ve eaten was with a Georgian wine-making family, the Vatsadzes, at their home in Racha, in the foothills of the Caucasus. It was a magical-feeling place of clear streams, mountains and meadows tinkling with the sound of cow bells.

The family invited us, along with friends and neighbours, to a feast that included dishes of chicken in garlic, braised aubergines, stewed beans, a variety of homemade breads and a casserole of what they claimed was bear meat. Our host, Murad, served his own red and white wines in pitchers. I watched him drawing them beforehand from enormous clay vessels called qvevri buried in the floor of his cellar.