A decade ago, I didn’t really think London was for me.  I lived there for a while, but it made me realise that I was more a rural than an urban boy.  And even as I write this sat on a train watching the lambs in the fields on my way from a day in […]

Well, it has been a while.  DIY preparing the house for Christmas, then a busy Christmas and new year, there haven’t been many opportunities to write.  That’s not to say it hasn’t been a foodie time though with lots of festive treats and enjoying some nice eateries. This weekend we went to try out a […]

I had a great evening on Wednesday.  I went along to an event organised by the Bristol Slow Food group at the 3 Coqs in Bristol.  It was a four course dinner with a wine flight of biodynamic wines. If like me, you haven’t come across the term before, it’s worth a little explanation:  Biodynamic […]

Do you ever taste or smell something that evokes an old memory you didn’t know you had, or just stirs an emotion without warning?  It happens to me every so often.  I may be walking along somewhere and there is a subtle smell which as soon as I detect it takes me back – often […]

The start of Summer is a great time of year for food in the UK, with a positive bounty available to you.  And that most quintessential of British fruit, the strawberry is suddenly very abundant. Traditionally the season was only a few weeks and the fruit wouldn’t keep for long at all, but with new […]

I often feel the generation gap between my dad and I.  My dad is 43 years older than me – he grew up during the war, I grew up in the seventies and eighties.  We see each other regularly, but I often fell that gap in the conversations we have – we do different things, […]

Great steak: If they know how to do one thing, it is meat – big slabs of meat! We went to my favourite steak house, Del Frisco’s and had predictably giant steaks. I think we all went for the prime strip in the end (no sauces to detract from the meat fest) – perfectly done. […]

I’ve just heard from a friend about the opening of new restaurant, the Three Coqs Brasserie above Clifton Down Shopping Centre in Bristol.  It is a joint venture by several of the region’s top chefs. Chris Wicks, owner of Bell’s Diner & Director of Food at Berwick Lodge has joined forces with chefs Jonathon Mackeson (Bell’s Diner) […]

OK – so this isn’t a suggestion for a dinner party.  In fact, I often say I’ll try anything at least once, but even I’m not sure about this one.  But I feel I have to share it.  And I apologise in advance.  But please, don’t read it if you are squeamish!  You have been […]

Watching Channel 4’s Iron Chef on Tuesday, I saw a really interesting chefey technique I’ve not seen before.  On the show, the chefs are asked to make dishes showcasing a specific ingredient (there’s more to the show than that, but more on that another time).  Chef Judy Joo as part of a dish created “spring […]