-
An open letter to the supermarkets: Stock
Dear Sir/Madam I am writing to you about your stocks. That is stocks as ingredients (chicken stock, beef stock, etc .) rather than levels of produce. It might seem to be a strange thing to get passionate about, but as stocks are the base of some great dishes, a good stock can make a meal, […]
-
Crocodile and other obscure meats
It was my mum’s birthday yesterday, so a good excuse to invite my parents over for a meal. But being out all day my prep time was a little limited, so rather than doing something requiring hours of prep I thought I’d opt for interesting ingredients cooked simply (and quickly!) So the other day, I […]
-
Umami – the fifth taste
When I was at school I was taught that there are four different basic tastes that our tongues sense: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. But nowadays there’s another taste term that we are having to acquaint ourselves with – Umami. We’ve know about Umami for some time – it was discovered as being distinct from […]
-
Get more out of your meat
I made a cost saving discovery this weekend which I want to share. I went to my local butcher this weekend for a shoulder of lamb. He went out back and came back with a large joint that needed preparing – he off took some bones (mainly ribs), weighed up the remaining joint and priced […]
-
The Misunderstood Gooseberry
They are in season now, but they aren’t everyone’s favourite fruit. In fact I think I know more people who dislike them than like them. But I think that’s such a shame. Granted, they are pretty sharp, but then you don’t tend to eat them straight off the bush! Like some other native fruits (such […]
-
NY & NJ Highlights (1/3)
We are now back from our trip to the States – and what a great trip it was. Here is a summary of some of the foodie highlights: My new favourite gastro-bar (if such a word exists): Near to our hosts Dan & Dom is a great little bar-come-diner in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn called Henry […]
-
Grand Central Station – Oysters and Market Stalls
It was on my list of things of to do in Manhattan, and I finally got to go to the Oyster Bar under Grand Central Station. The setting is amazing – it looks like a large, fairy-light lit cellar, but we had the choice of long wait for a table in the main dining area […]
-
It’s Asparagus Season
The end of April heralds the start of the short (around 6 week) British asparagus season. Like with most food in our supermarkets, you can get asparagus all year round, but for much of the year it is imported from around the world. From now until part way through June, you’ll see a lot of […]
-
Friday: Scallops, black pudding, Jerusalem artichoke purée
A while back I bought some Spanish smoked black pudding and had been wondering what to do with it. On the naïve assumption that the smokiness would be subtle, I thought I’d create a dish of with scallops and Jerusalem artichoke pure (as Jerusalem artichokes have a mildly smokey taste I thought it would work […]
-
Round-up of Food on TV This Week
Saturday Kitchen had chefs Shaun Rankin and Nigel Haworth – James Martin’s rump of lamb looked amazing (but then I love lamb), and Nigel’s paring of duck with mead was inspiring (I have to try something with that flavour combination!) Great British Menu this year has a slightly different format – I’m not so keen […]