Archive For November 2012
Think about Old London and what scene comes to mind? Fog, intertwined alleys and hidden courtyards, probably. Iron railings, warm brick, brass plaques. And hotels: yes, every Edwardian writer seemed to talk about hotels. They were the acceptable places in which to meet friends and to dine, when restaurants were less numerous than they are…
We all know the name and his impeccable political credentials (he was an American Founding Father and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence; he was the third President of the United States). But Thomas Jefferson lived a full life of controversy outside the political arena. Jefferson served as a diplomat, stationed in Paris…
We want comforting food. It’s cold and wintery and the economic climate isn’t that hot either. It’s time to get back to those old-fashioned values. Gennaro Contaldo introduces us to his Italian family favourites in Let’s Cook Italian. They do travel rather well, and they are delicious. Gennaro often graces our TV screens, sometimes in…
Turkish cuisine is considered by many to be one of the classics. It has had a huge influence on food throughout Europe and encompasses all those elements that we praise these days: there is an emphasis on fresh produce, on seasonal vegetables, olive oil and fish but it also offers us those memorable sweets. The…
The author of The Great Northern Cookbook, is Sean Wilson. Yes, that’s a familiar name, or at least it is if you have been a follower of that celebrated Northern institution, Coronation Street. He joined the cast of ‘Corrie’ in 1985 and stayed till 2005, and has since played in Waterloo Road. He has always…
(This restaurant has now closed) This has become, after just one visit, a favourite restaurant. Brompton Bar & Grill is a confident and classic establishment with all those attributes for which we search, mostly in vain, across the Channel. Phrases like ‘you can’t eat like that in England’ and ‘nobody does a steak like the…
Andy Bates is the author of Modern Twists on Classic Dishes and a Food Network UK chef and is known for his love of street food. He has followed the best carts and stalls in the UK and in the US, so some might be surprised by his latest book, which has its focus on…
Pierre Hermé is the fourth generation of a family of bakers from Alsace in France. He has been working and learning his trade since he was just 14 years old, when he started as a lowly apprentice. He was in Paris with the celebrated pâtissier, Gaston Lenôtre, who was to become Pierre’s greatest professional influence….
Maria Elia is a chef who has graced our small screens and headed restaurant kitchens, and she has also penned several delightful cookbooks. Maria isn’t a vegetarian evangelist but The Modern Vegetarian reflects her passion for flavourful food and in this case those dishes just happen to be sans meat. We know we should all…
This is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt corners of the British Isles. The New Forest is an area in southern England with an expanse of open pasture, heath and forest and it covers south-west Hampshire, south-east Wiltshire and on to east Dorset. The New Forest was created as a royal hunting ground by…
My first taste of self-catering was as a 7-year-old and it did rather taint my expectations of that style of holiday for the following half-century. It was a ‘chalet’ (3-metre square prefab) in Sackets Grove. It had a wealth of ornithological interest, being situated next to Clacton’s municipal dump which was the feeding ground for…
There will be many UK readers who will remember Lesley Downer not for her books, although there have been many, but for her enlightening and absorbing TV series in which she introduced Japan to British viewers. It was the first programme of its kind and I don’t think it has been rivalled since for its…
Inamo is the brainchild, more accurately brain children, of owners Danny Potter and Noel Hunwick, who met when they were undergraduates at Oxford. Inamo is a pioneering Oriental fusion restaurant and bar concept. The Inamo Restaurant (Soho) had the interactive tabletops as its unique selling point. The overhead projectors provide a changeable cyber-tablecloth as well…