Cynical champagne ‘deals’
Having been to a champagne tasting this week I’ve been giving quite a bit of thought as to how good these headline-grabbing half-price champagne offers are. Initally I got quite…
My quest for the perfect Earl Grey
My favourite cuppa since I can’t remember when is Earl Grey. It’s the tea I start the day with and the tea, up to now, I’ve invariably enjoyed. But recently…
The discreet charm of Topsham
There aren’t many places you can go to these days which are unspoiled and I almost hesitate about telling you about this one. It’s a small historic town called Topsham…
Making tasteless tomatoes tasty
I know as a cookery writer I shouldn’t be advocating using produce out of season and by and large I don’t. I don’t want strawberries or broad beans in December…
Chestnut and fig couscous stuffing
I was agonising over the weekend what sort of stuffing to serve with roast guineafowl and remembered a dish I’d invented for veggies in my student cookbook Beyond Baked Beans…
Is this the greatest bread roll in New York?
As those of you who follow me on Twitter will know I’ve been in New York for the past six days with little time to breathe let alone blog but…
The croissant that thinks it's a pretzel
I don’t want you to think I’m fixated by carbs or anything (the truth is I am) but it’s hard to avoid them in New York. And my second great…
What kind of wine to mull
I’ve been looking out for a wine to mull and think I’ve found the perfect candidate. Not that it looks or sounds promising. It’s called La Maison de Michel and…
The perfect breadknife
I can’t say I’ve ever given a great deal of thought to bread knives. Occasionally I get frustrated because they’re not sharp enough to cut through a bigger than average…
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…