Equity for Punks
I’ve been a bit short on New Year’s Resolutions this year. The usual – Be More Organized/Lose Weight/Take More Exercise have something of a hollow ring to them as they…
A brilliant New Zealand red – not cheap but a bargain
I spent the afternoon today at the annual New Zealand trade tasting – one of the best of the so-called generic (i.e. country-based) tastings. Each year I’m impressed at how…
The Curious Craze for Mince'n'Tatties
The oddest fledgling food trend to emerge from London’s most fashionable dining rooms over the last few weeks is the Scottish staple ‘mince’n’tatties’ – basically mince and mash. St John…
Could Umu be Michelin’s dark horse?
The kaiseki meal I had earlier this week at Umu in Mayfair was not only the best meal I’ve had outside Japan but one of the best all year (and…
Barley wine: the beer you can drink when it's 10 years old
Having a bit of post New Year clearout I came across a bottle of J W Lees Harvest Ale 2000 that I must have been given to celebrate the millennium.…
Why chefs love Barkham Blue
You can hardly go into a restaurant these days without spotting Barkham Blue on the menu. Every chef seems to be obsessed with it and I’ve been wondering why. It’s…
Palestinian couscous
I’ve always thought it’s a supreme irony how similar Israeli and Palestinian food is given the emnity between the two countries. And my latest discovery, Patestinian couscous, which is imported…
Gorge Best
My ‘taste a new beer a week’ resolution has been falling behind with this lurgy, today being the first day I’ve got some tastebuds back since the beginning of the…
Fun at the Hart & Fuggle
The problem about pop-up restaurants is that by the time you hear about them they’re gone. Or are totally booked out as was the case with Hart & Fuggle which…
The power of the P word
A recent exchange on Twitter reminded me how excited we all get about the word pudding. No sooner had someone mentioned one than we all piled in exchanging tweets on…
Eclairs: the new cupcakes?
There’s nothing a food writer likes more than the sniff of a new food trend so when my colleague Scandilicious sent me a link to a write-up of an eclair…
Cut price pink fizz
It may be a cliché but pink fizz is a good buy around Valentine’s Day whether you’re making a romantic gesture or not. True, the discounts are not all they…
Bristol Beer Factory's Milk Stout
Bristol, I’m coming to the conclusion, is a pretty good beer city, the latest evidence being the Bristol Beer Factory who the other day sent me a sample of their…
Suffolk Heritage apple juice
One of the advantages of getting out into the country is that it increases your chances of drinking good apple juice. This russet apple juice from Suffolk Heritage Orchards was…
Seaweed caviar
Having spent the past couple of days writing about caviar – and bemoaning the fact that my budget doesn’t run to even the less expensive farmed stuff (which in fact…
Time for a pink peppercorn revival
It’s funny how things go in and out of fashion. There was a time back in the 80s (I think) when every dish seemed to incorporate pink peppercorns. Then a…
A bin end bonanza
If there’s one thing that beats raiding the reduced items in the supermarkets for bargains it’s doing the same thing in a posh shop. Harvey Nix to be precise where…
The problem with bin ends
Having crowed about my bargains on Saturday, yesterday brought me down to earth with a bump: the Cuilleron Marsanne was badly corked. There’s nothing for it but to take it…
A Fairtrade liqueur
I’d been vaguely thinking I should write something about a Fairtrade product this Fairtrade fortnight when an opportunity presented itself in the unexpected form of a Goji-based liqueur called Fair.…
How Elizabeth David made scrambled egg
When I was in Suffolk the other day the pub I was staying in, the Anchor at Walberswick, included among its splendid breakfast menu Elizabeth David’s scrambled egg (above) I…