Tasting India by Christine Manfield – review
I enjoy almost every book that crosses my desk (now a uni-leg computer stand from a Swedish lifestyle emporium). Some are simple but informative volumes,...
Celebrity Bake Book – Mary Berry – cookbook review
It’s a feel-good cookbook in every regard. It’s in support of The Ben Kinsella Trust, which was set up to raise awareness of knife crime...
Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever – review
It once was a flavour or, more honestly, a non-flavour that harked back to my now-distant youth. Vanilla was the ice cream you chose when...
The Art of Pasta by Lucio Galletto and David Dale – review
Grub Street is a favourite cookbook publisher. They have kept the spirits of both Jane Grigson and Elisabeth David alive with new editions of their...
Regional Cooking of India by Mridula Baljekar – review
There are myriad Indian cookbooks available to the European reader. Most of them are good, some of them are magnificent but all of them have...
Agatha Christie in Torbay – travel review
This is a lovely part of Britain. Its climate is famed, as are its palms. It displays many of the characteristics of the “other” Riviera,...
Chef Matthew Tomkinson, The Terrace, Montagu Arms, Beaulieu – interview
He is a Michelin-starred chef and a Roux Scholarship winner but Chef Matthew Tomkinson seems untouched by his celebrity. He is a nice bloke who...
The French Horn at Sonning – hotel and restaurant review
Sonning! It sounds ancient and smart and indeed it is just that. It’s a chocolate-box pretty spot that is so quintessentially English and timeless. That...
The English Riviera – a visit – travel review
It sounds unlikely, English Riviera, but it honestly does have some of those much-admired attributes of its French counterpart. We think of smart restaurants, sand,...
Chef Josiane Diaga at The French Horn – interview
The French Horn is iconic, quintessentially English and has a celebrated restaurant. The chef has an equally enviable reputation but she isn’t English. This is,...
Mercer Street Hotel and Dial Restaurant – review
The neighbourhood belongs to the Worshipful Company of Mercers. A mercer was a dealer in textiles and The Mercers’ Company is one of the 108...
Dumplings Legend, Chinatown – restaurant review
This restaurant has been open a couple of years and is a sophisticated spot for smart-casual dining; but one starts the culinary adventure before one...
Chef Will Torrent – interview
Will Torrent is a young chef and one of the most successful in the UK, but the name might not ring bells. He doesn’t have...
Hanggang sa Muli – book review
Homecoming stories for the Filipino soul Filipino and English are the official languages of the Philippines. Filipino is a de facto version of Tagalog, spoken...
Big Easy, Chelsea – restaurant review
There is a little piece of London that will remain forever America. No, it’s not the US Embassy. It’s the award-winning Big Easy, which is...
Aah! Chocolate by Sanjeev Kapoor – review
Sanjeev Kapoor is perhaps the most recognised face in India. He isn’t a Bollywood star although he probably has just as many supporters. No, he...
Michael Emmanuel of The French Horn – interview
It was a hot evening, a rare one in England this summer, when we walked into The French Horn. This is perhaps one of the...
Singapore Top Ten – Eyewitness Travel – guidebook review
It might sound like a very narrow perspective – Singapore Top Ten. Is that a list of the ten most exciting attractions? Or is it...
Suki – Chinatown, London – restaurant review
I have been exploring London’s Chinatown over the past weeks and it’s been an unexpected pleasure. Although I have had meals there in the past...
Paul Food – cookbook review
Paul Food is an eclectic and visually striking cookbook by a chef who’s a household name – Paul Cunningham. Never heard of him? Well, that...