We did it. We went to a restaurant for the first time since mid-March. And you know what? It wasn’t that different. The food came on plates and tasted nice. We used cutlery. The wine made us mellow. The experience felt pretty familiar in pretty much every respect. We didn’t think we would do it…Continue reading We Ate Out!
The Joy of Bubbling
Language evolves, nouns turn to verbs. Recent Olympics have given us to medal, now from Covid we have to bubble. Not as in sparkling wine or simmering stock, but to enter a bubble. Even before the great easing of 4 July, and the free-for-all as sure as eggs is eggs to precede it, we were…Continue reading The Joy of Bubbling
Trying Again
I have decided to re-start this blog in a different way: occasional posts on food-related themes. The previous iteration was too earnest and dull and, frankly, a bit pointless. It wasn’t my voice or my humour; at least, I hope it wasn’t! I will try again by writing when I think there is something to…Continue reading Trying Again
Eating Around London: Barrafina, Drury Lane
I am not really sure how they do it at Barrafina. I don’t mean the food: it almost goes without saying that you eat brilliant tapas. But how do they organise it? The Drury Lane branch is tiny – except for a few outdoor tables in summer, eating is only at the bar with waiting…Continue reading Eating Around London: Barrafina, Drury Lane
Guardian Recipes for a Meat-free Month
Meatfree January is now a big thing. It’s actually a habit we’ve had for several years. We don’t have any major ethical motivations, it’s just that we eat so much meat in December and it feels right to rebalance. And we find that the habits of midweek non-meat-eating stay with us through much of the…Continue reading Guardian Recipes for a Meat-free Month
Eating in Helsinki: Juuri, Hieta, Lasipalatsi
A week in Finland early in the new year has confirmed what we encountered last year: an increasing buzz around food and restaurants, and this time we became even more aware of it in Helsinki. It’s part of the Nordic trend – traditional ingredients presented in a very contemporary style – but in a distinctly…Continue reading Eating in Helsinki: Juuri, Hieta, Lasipalatsi
Thoughts on Festive Food
In the midst of the onslaught of cooking that accompanies Christmas, I have been pondering why many of us seem so fixed on offering a static, unchanging menu – whether just the main event or a sequence of meals over a few days – despite the inducements of magazines, newspapers and TV shows. And why,…Continue reading Thoughts on Festive Food
The Noisy Lobster, Avon Beach, Christchurch
The Noisy Lobster must have a claim to be among the best situated beach restaurants on the south coast. Others aim for something more refined, some are more of a shack, with various degrees of intent, but the Noisy Lobster seems to have the best of both worlds: cooking with serious aspirations in laid-back surroundings.…Continue reading The Noisy Lobster, Avon Beach, Christchurch
A South African Braai: Two Dishes from Chef Reuben
Reuben Riffel is not well-known in the UK (although he did work in Cambridge in the early 2000s), but in South Africa he is regarded as the king of the braai or barbecue. Reuben – he seems usually to be known only by his first name – did come to British attention earlier this year…Continue reading A South African Braai: Two Dishes from Chef Reuben
Out and About in Barcelona
I hadn’t been to Barcelona for more than twenty years and a lot has changed. The city has so much going for it with magnificent architecture – traditional, modern, conventional, quirky; the juxtaposition of beach and city; a strong sense of its culture and history; its Catalan identity; and a palpable buzz. Alongside that –…Continue reading Out and About in Barcelona