Cooking with hay
One of the most appealing cookbooks I was sent just before Christmas was Pascal Aussignac’s Cuisinier Gascon so when I caught sight of his Christmas Goose stuffed with Hay (also…
Vacqueyras – our everyday red
Asking a winewriter what their favourite wine is usually results in a long explanation about how it depends on the mood, the food and the time of year and I’m…
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…
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…
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…
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…