Cod with Chorizo, Bean & Tomato Ragu

September 4, 2022.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’ve been thinking about cooking this dish for ages after having a similar one at the brilliant Bayside Social in Worthing in April. I even bought some chorizo which has been in my freezer. This morning, considering what to eat tonight, I also found some cod. It was a fillet not a nice chunky piece […]

Where to Eat with Kids: Franco Manca, Kingston upon Thames

September 2, 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

Going to nearby Kingston upon Thames with grandsons Freddie (7½) and Ben (4¾) has become a regular holiday time ritual and makes a lovely outing for me with the boys. A major attraction is Bentalls toy department, which is one of the best I know, and they always come with a little money from Mummy […]

Art & Food: Edvard Munch at The Courtauld & Lunch at Joe Allen

August 30, 2022.Reading time 5 minutes.

An email from The Courtauld alerted me that the Edvard Munch exhibition I wanted to see was ending at the weekend. I knew very little of Munch apart from his famous and iconic painting The Scream, which has so often been used as a symbol of the anxiety of the human condition. After reading the […]

Lunch at Brindisa, Richmond upon Thames

August 17, 2022.Reading time 8 minutes.

We have a joke in UK that you wait ages for a bus and then three come along all at the same time. I’ve been playing this out with tapas bars recently. For years I meant to go to one of Jose Pizarro’s restaurants/tapas bars, finally made it to the RA one (click here) in […]

Slow-roasted Tomatoes in Extra Virgin Olive Oil

August 3, 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

Earlier in the year, sometime in spring, I was in the local garden centre and spied little tomato plants. I remembered how excited the grandsons were last year when I grew some: Freddie (now 7½) loves to eat them; Ben (4¾) doesn’t like tomatoes but said he was excited to watch them grow. So I […]

Halloumi with Sweet Pepper & Coriander Salsa

August 1, 2022.Reading time 8 minutes.

Yes halloumi again. Apologies for two halloumi recipes in a row. It wasn’t especially intentional, but the weather remains warm and rather humid here in London – though nothing like the two days of heatwave (yes only two days, despite all the fuss) of two weeks’ ago. The temperature is only in the mid-20s, which […]

Warm Halloumi, Little Gem & Peach Salad

July 14, 2022.Reading time 5 minutes.

The current heatwave brings challenges other than simply trying to stay cool enough to sleep, work, live. There’s ‘What can I eat?’ too. I’m not as hungry as usual, which is pretty normal in such heat, but I do need food! I always need food. I’m the kind of person who can’t go out early […]

Two Days in Stamford, Lincolnshire

July 6, 2022.Reading time 11 minutes.

Why go? I went because my daughter booked a cottage in Stamford for us to stay for a weekend and a table at a Michelin star restaurant nearby on the Saturday. It was a wonderful birthday present and fabulous surprise when she told me about it. Her decision was based on finding the restaurant first […]

Two Days in Melton Mowbray

July 6, 2022.Reading time 14 minutes.

Why go? I went to Melton Mowbray as an extension of my weekend in Stamford as a friend lives there and it seemed an ideal chance to see her, for it was only a 35/40 minute drive away. However, if you talk about Melton Mowbray to anyone in UK, they will immediately think – pork […]

Stamford: Lunch at Hambleton Hall

July 2, 2022.Reading time 12 minutes.

The journey to Stamford for the weekend began with Hambleton Hall. My daughter Nicola searched for a Michelin starred restaurant within about a two-hour drive for both of us – a birthday present to me. My birthday was in April but everything was booked and I was given details then and have spent the last […]