Fish And Cheap Publicity For Celebrity Chefs
When Channel 4 launched its Big Fish Fight, I was going to write a blog about how Hugh, Gordon, Heston, and Jamie had as much chance of changing a nation’s…
A Sustainable Fish Supper
In my last blog, I talked about sustainable fish and the Big Fish Fight and how many fish and chip shops were passing off cheaper species as cod and haddock.…
Cooking At A Soup Kitchen
A few months back I trifled with the idea of getting a voluntary cooking job at a homeless centre. I was missing the cheffing, and thought it might make a…
The Mystery Of Thailand's Pink Eggs
From food and travel book Down And Out In South East Asia I have just arrived in Thailand for a SE Asia food tour, and after one night in Bangkok,…
The Best Fried Mussels In Thailand?
My Lonely Planet guide claims Kanchanaburi’s night market has the best hoi tod (fried mussels in batter) in the whole of Thailand. Even though the guide has a fairly comprehensive…
Thailand: Sea Snails Cooked In A Clay Pot
I have just got back from a rather mercurial evening involving delicious sea snails and the evil tuk tuk drivers who plague the streets of Chiang Mai. I’d headed out…
Cheffing In A Restaurant In Thailand
Last night I spent the evening working in a restaurant kitchen in Chiang Mai with my two new cheffing chums (let’s call them Dave and Si because they deserve their…
Jamie Oliver's 'Dream School' Backing Of 18-Hour Days For Chefs Is Modern Day Slavery
I have some sympathy with Jamie Oliver when he talks about Britain’s youngsters being work-shy, “wet” children who get their mothers to stick up for them. But what he says…
Michelin Restaurant Yauatcha Pays £21k To Waiter Who Had Nipple Tweaked
I am continually flabbergasted by what goes on in restaurants. I’ve seen and heard about things in kitchens that would never be accepted in any other trade. Sexual abuse, racism…
Twitter Solves Thailand Green Plant Riddle
Whenever I go abroad I like to eat what the locals eat. It gives you a much truer reflection of a country’s cuisine and eating habits. Sometimes I go into…
North Thailand's Khao Soi: Falling In Love With Chiang Mai's Street Food
I am writing this as I wait to board a plane back to Bangkok after spending eight days in Chiang Mai chatting to monks, visiting temples and narrowly avoiding becoming…
Thailand: Hallucinogenic Fish And Cobras
Yesterday I had a great day in Thailand’s Rayong Province – an area where tourists are thankfully as rare as nine baht notes. I travelled there with my ex-pat friend…
Chef Loses Restaurant Battle To Jay-Z
Imagine the confusion. It could happen to anyone. You pay millions to global rap star Jay-Z to perform at your celebrity-studded wedding and then an outdoor catering firm from Newcastle…
The Increasing Irrelevance Of Michelin Stars
There has long been a perception that Michelin stars are becoming increasingly irrelevant in these belt-tightening times. So it will do nothing for the tyre guide’s credibility and fading reputation…
Food Poisoning Link Probe In British Couple's Death In Chiang Mai, Thailand
Police are investigating a possible food poisoning link between the deaths of a British couple and a New Zealand backpacker in Thailand. Pensioners George and Eileen Everitt died in the…