Pasta making is a family affair in Italy. Secret recipes, sauces, fillings for raviolis are passed down from nonnas (much loved grandmothers) to future generations of home cooks. And for one Italian family in one of the busiest shops in Menton, France this is happening right now. The star of the show is a deliciously […]
Read more
So, when you invite a few friends around for a mid-week dinner in the middle of gloomy February, you might expect guests may offer a bottle of wine, a few bottles of beer, some flowers or even a chocolate selection to finish the evening off sweetly. But a tub of crème fraîche? Well, probably not. […]
Read more
It’s Shrove Tuesday today and home cooks, restaurants and school kitchens will celebrating the day by beating eggs, flour and milk to together to make pancakes. This year we’ll be making thin, crepe-like pancakes; thicker US-style pancakes and perhaps on the on-trend Japanese pancakes which are made up to 3cm high, shaped with an […]
Read more
Every since explorer Christopher Columbus landed at Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and saw his first pineapple, the fruit has held a spell over cooks, cheese and wine party hosts and the American canning industry. My interest in the knobbly fruit was piqued during a lecture at the Royal Academy art gallery in London, as part […]
Read more
A brigade of celebrity chefs and musicians are primed to turn picturesque Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells into a feastival of food, drink and great music this summer. Top TV chef Tom Kerridge is bringing his ‘Pub in the Park’ three-day celebration to the town over the weekend of July 6th – 8th, showcasing the very best […]
Read more
Kitchens up and down the UK are currently scented with orange, Sevilles to be precise, as they’re pared, boiled and sugared with the alchemy of heat and time to create marmalade, a very British obsession. Many of these Sevilles are bought in Waitrose supermarket, whose annual stock is sourced from a beautiful farm in […]
Read more
Thousands of motor racing fans descend on the iconic Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent in south east England each year to get a fix of adrenaline-filled, ear-busting bike, car and truck racing. Once the season starts, generally around March many of these petrol-heads with the noise of screaming exhausts still ringing […]
Read more
As farmers’ market manager of the lovely Penshurst Farmers’ Market in the Weald area of west Kent, I have many roles to play; organiser, litter collector, diplomat, traffic collector and chief taster. These little treats were made for the charity tea stall at the first market of 2018 on Saturday, 6 January form 9.30 – […]
Read more
Majorca also spelt Mallorca, as in Catalan and Spanish is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, is covered with delightful citrus groves full of lemon and orange trees. With a lovely climate throughout the year and beautiful views everywhere you look, the island is a popular holiday spot where tourists slake thirst with juicy […]
Read more
Congratulations to George Shaw for taking top prize in this year’s Sloe Gin World Gin Championships, with a velvety smooth winning entry that the five judges found most appealing. My entry, made with sloes picked October 2016 and decanted only a week in advance of the competition, was scored in around tenth place from over […]
Read more