Archive For November 2019
What a great little book. My Winter Kitchen: Warming Recipes for the Coldest Months is a book for cooks. Its small format makes it ideal for the kitchen book-stand and that’s where it will live with pages smeared with sauce. I am working my way through each of these delicious recipes, which are written in…
The eponymous area is centred on the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in south-eastern France. It is one of the most celebrated appellations from the southern part of the Rhône Valley, and prized vineyards are located around Châteauneuf-du-Pape and in the surrounding villages. Very reasonable price Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be either red or…
It’s almost here! Christmas! But the excitement can be somewhat tempered by the prospect of gift-giving. What would make original and thoughtful delights for under the tree? Capsulier Lite comes to the rescue. Many of us are proud owners of coffee makers. The sort with those small capsules is popular and I wouldn’t want to…
Ion8 led the way for sustainability long before other similar companies, and its partnership with Friends of the Earth shows that Ion8 is now well established. They have a strong ethos to design great-looking bottles that contribute to sustainable living all year round. Replacing single-use bottles is the aim, but Ion8 has gone a few…
Lily O’Brien’s Dessert Collection chocolates are now available in a bumper 625g box. This huge round presentation will be the perfect Christmas gift for any discerning lover of fine chocolates. I have been a supporter of this Irish company from the very first exquisitely crafted choc. That’s going back a few years now and I…
The Whisky Dictionary, or to give this book its full title – The Whisky Dictionary: An A–Z of whisky, from history & heritage to distilling & drinking, is the discerning sipper’s guide to everything appertaining to whisky as well as whiskey. The difference between those is also explained. Everything from American rye to bourbon spirits…
Unless we are vegetarian it’s likely we will enjoy at least a few meals containing meat each week. Christmas and New Year are those days when we want special meals made with the best ingredients. Wild and Game is a company that can help with some of the finest meat on the market. Game is…
I have been writing food, travel and product reviews for 14 years, and around Autumn time I start presenting Christmas gift suggestions. Those articles often start with something along the lines of ‘Buy something more interesting than socks this Christmas’. Now I have a suggestion that is more interesting, but it is still socks. It’s…
It will soon be Christmas – a time of joy but also of culinary anxiety! One wants to provide comforting food. Delicious food. Well-presented food. Stokes might not be on hand to cook the turkey, but they do support those little additions that help elevate the festive season’s tables. Stokes was founded in 2004 by…
The Black Book of Gin Cocktails is by Brockmans who distil, in my opinion, one of the best gins … and there are a lot out there. This slim gift-quality book is black in both name and appearance. The black cover is embossed (or is it etched?) and that dusky theme continues inside with full-page…
This is undoubtedly one of the most noteworthy hotels in London. St Ermin’s welcomes guests with iconic architecture and unique ambiance (read more about the hotel here). It has other advantages too: The Caxton Grill (read my review here) and its associated bar. That is a convivial space with not only drinks but a lot…