Four Days in Norfolk

April 25, 2023.Reading time 17 minutes.

I’m just back from a lovely short break in Norfolk with the family. There were 9 of us: 5 adults and 4 children, all boys (2, 4, 5 and 8), plus 2 dogs, so we needed a large house to accommodate us all. Fortunately, I found the perfect place on Booking.com in Clippesby, about halfway […]

Supper at Bob’s Cafe, then an evening with The Trouble Club

April 15, 2023.Reading time 8 minutes.

Well how could I resist an invitation to join The Trouble Club? One look at their exciting schedule of events and I was hooked – before I’d even stepped through their doors. The Trouble Club arranges talks and dinners ‘where you can hear some of the finest voices talking on everything from politics to fiction’. […]

Lamb with Mint Chimichurri

April 9, 2023.Reading time 10 minutes.

For us meat eaters of the world, lamb is the traditional meat to serve on Easter Sunday. Usually a roast meal is served but with just myself to feed today, I opted for some gorgeous lamb rib chops I found in Whole Foods. As a child, roast Sunday lunches were a weekly affair from which […]

French Beans with a Sweet Pepper & Tomato Sauce

March 5, 2023.Reading time 11 minutes.

Years ago, when I was regularly cooking family meals and hosting dinner parties, Marcella Hazan’s Fagiolini verdi con peperoni e pomodoro – French beans with peppers and tomatoes – from her iconic The Classic Italian Cookbook, was a favourite side dish to make. It’s a great dish to accompany simply cooked meat – like grilled or […]

The 8th Birthday Cake

February 25, 2023.Reading time 9 minutes.

It’s my eldest grandson Freddie’s 8th birthday. I’ve been making the same cake ever since his first birthday – The 1st Birthday Cake – and followed the recipe again today. In fact, I’ve made it more than eight times for my son Jonathan now has three boys, so there’s Ben (5) and Alex (2) as […]

Three Ways to Enjoy Pesto

February 23, 2023.Reading time 10 minutes.

I always make my own pesto. Partly this is because the jars once opened have to be used up fairly quickly and they are usually too big for one person – and mainly I’m cooking just for myself. But really, the main reason is taste: there is just no bought pesto that comes close to […]

Buongiorno Cafe, Twickenham

February 10, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

We’re lucky to have a lot of good cafes in Twickenham but we’re always drawn to the Italian ones. The family have frequented Corto Italian Deli for years and it’s a favourite but a few months ago I decided to give the newer Buongiorno cafe, which is much nearer my house, a try. It’s nice […]

Return to Bancone

January 12, 2023.Reading time 6 minutes.

It had been a long time since I was last at Bancone. Well, pre-pandemic. After my first visit in August 2018 (click here), it became a favourite haunt where I ate many times and took friends and family along to enjoy too. Would it be the same? Would I still rate it as one of […]

Lunch in Malvern

November 27, 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

It’s always lovely to go up to Worcestershire for the weekend to visit my daughter. I go from busy city living to a weekend in a 16th century farmhouse surrounded by fields and beautiful views. And, most importantly, I get to spend some time with my lovely daughter, her wife, and my 4-year-old grandson. It […]

TV Review: Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy

October 3, 2022.Reading time 8 minutes.

I have to confess to being more than a little late to the party. The first series of Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy to be shown in UK earlier this year has achieved almost cult status amongst its fans. Is there anyone who hasn’t watched and loved it? And now, to this blogger’s great delight, […]