akandpa (Alan King)

akandpa (Alan King)

Having been interested in cooking from an early age, I often cooked at home as a child.  My first job was as a trainee chef at The Ritz Hotel in Central London. However, split shifts and unsocial working hours were not for me, so I left and took up office work. I entered a career in the Civil Service, where I worked until late 2008, when I took early retirement.  I now have the privilege of working on things that I enjoy. Food and its creation has remained a passion throughout my life and I have been writing about it for some years now, originally as a house reviewer for london-eating, I moved to foodepedia at its launch. I write under the akandpa name as it is more distinctive than Alan King – there are a lot of Alan King’s out there!

  • Gallo wines, a little ray of Californian sunshine for our winter festivities.

    Thursday December 23rd, 2010

    We decided to taste some Gallo wines to see how they would stand up to the usual range of festive fayre. All of these Gallo wines were very reasonably priced and we thought they were absolutely an affordable addition to your Christmas or New Year celebrations, or any special meal.

  • A march from Arch to Arch, the continued growth of Laithwaites wine

    Tuesday December 21st, 2010

    Alan King talks with Tony Laithwaite how his interest in wine began, the Laithwaites business and its development from modest beginnings to his becoming, other than supermarkets, the biggest sole wine merchant in the world.

  • Robert Mondavi wines

    Tuesday December 21st, 2010

    I tasted a selection of Robert Mondavi wines recently, the 2008 Woodbridge Shiraz,a deep red wine, the 2008 Private Selection Fumé Blanc, a crisp, barrel-aged white and the 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a luscious rich, dark, ruby red.

  • Hayman’s Sloe Gin, a great Christmas drink

    Saturday December 18th, 2010

    Hayman’s Sloe Gin is made from wild English sloe berries, gently steeped for several months with Hayman’s Gin before being blended with natural sugar creating a rich ruby red liqueur, making it a great gift for someone special.

  • Chateau Civrac fine wine and an ingredient in fine chocolate

    Wednesday December 15th, 2010

    A beautifully deep dark red wine and as you drink it you get a fruity acidity on the palate with blackberry and blackcurrant flavours coming through. The chocolates are attractive creations their shell of dark chocolate has a fruity aroma. In the mouth you get the intensity of the 64% chocolate with a clean fruit tang.

  • Luvvie for the day, with the Come Dine With Me iPhone app!

    Monday November 29th, 2010

    I arrived and was introduced to the crew and fellow contestants, before being asked if we would like to sample some of the Hardys wines that we would be able to select from to go with our individual courses. As you are probably aware, Hardys sponsor Come Dine With Me and of course, my fellow contestants and I were more than happy to taste the wines.

  • The Roof Gardens’ Tanqueray Live Lounge launches

    Monday November 29th, 2010

    The Live Lounge is situated in the Tudor Gardens on the sixth floor of the building, on the corner of Kensington High Street and Derry Street, where the entrance it opposite the old Barkers building. It promises to be a unique experience for visitors, both the gardens and the lounge are stunning and will undoubtedly make for a special night out.

  • Asda Extra Special – great food at competitive prices

    Monday November 29th, 2010

    I sampled several of Asda’s Extra Special range, following the instructions on the packaging to cook or reheat. These were all excellent quality dishes - I would hesitate to just call them ‘ready meals’ - for you to cook at home.  They are competitively priced, quite substantial, easily big enough for two normal appetites.

  • Degò, Great Portland Street, London W1

    Wednesday November 24th, 2010

    This new restaurant opened on the Market Place corner of Portland House in mid October. Our experience at Degò, was very enjoyable, their food is beautifully presented in its simplicity, excellent quality and tasty.  The restaurant has an intimate atmosphere and a stylish, comfortable feel, it's a great place to go both for quiet dinners with someone special or in a larger party.

  • Jose Pizarro talks about life since Brindisa

    Wednesday November 24th, 2010

    Jose told us about some of his favourite dishes, and spoke fondly about those family recipes that, however hard he tries, he doesn’t quite get them to taste like his mother made.  I think that goes for all of us.

  • Findwine showcase their Wendouree wines

    Thursday November 18th, 2010

    I was recently invited by the team at Findwine to a tasting where they were showcasing their wines from the Wendouree vineyard.  I understand that purchasing wines from this vineyard is extremely difficult; their wines are normally sold only to private purchasers in small amounts. Take a look at the Findwine site, it’s worth exploring, you might find some little treasures as you do.

  • La Maison Du Chocolat launch their Christmas range

    Thursday November 18th, 2010

    While their outlets are in London, the main one in Piccadilly, there are also concessions in Harrods and Selfridges, La Maison Du Chocolat products can also be ordered on line with guaranteed next day delivery anywhere in the country. These top quality chocolates would make excellent gifts at Christmas time or for any special occasion really.

  • Boschendal – excellent wines from South Africa

    Wednesday November 17th, 2010

    We tried two of the Boschendal wines, the Chenin Blanc and the Shiraz, recently and were impressed with each of them. These two South African wines were each very good and we thought were well priced.  In our view they represent good value for money, perhaps wines to consider for your festive tables.

  • Laithwaites’ New Zealand Showcase - a vibrant selection

    Sunday November 14th, 2010

    We sampled the Laithwaites’ New Zealand Showcase recently and I was very impressed by these lovely bright and vibrant creations form the New World. Each of these wines are a great advertisement for New Zealand winemaking, it’s perfectly clear why the people at Laithwaites have put this mixed case together.

  • Royal China, Baker Street, London W1

    Monday November 8th, 2010

    Just a short walk up Baker Street from Portman Square, Royal China is little more than a stone’s throw from Selfridges in Oxford Street.  We enjoyed our meal there immensely. I would urge any lover of Chinese food to go there.

  • Pairing wines with Indian food – unheard of!

    Thursday October 28th, 2010

    I was invited recently to Moti Mahal to attend a five course dinner, pairing their wonderfully tasty Indian cuisine with wines from Indian wine producers Grover Vineyards. I can tell you is that during the evening I tasted some excellent food, courtesy of Moti Mahal’s chef and some very good interesting wines from India, courtesy of the people at Grover, both of which I enjoyed very much.

  • De Bortoli wines from Australia

    Monday October 25th, 2010

    De Bortoli Wines is a third generation family company established in Australia back in 1928 after Vittorio and Guiseppina De Bortoli emigrated there from Northern Italy. The family continue to produce some wines that were made when the winery started up all those years ago, whilst developing new varieties through the generations. We tried three of the De Bortoli range recently and excellent wines they were too.

  • Vagabond sets up home in Fulham

    Saturday October 23rd, 2010

    It has been suggested that I would go to the opening of a bottle and well, it’s sort of true, in this event anyway. Vagabond, a new wine merchant, opened to the public recently and I was asked along to their official launch. How could I turn down such an invitation?

  • Leasingham Magnus Riesling 2009

    Wednesday October 20th, 2010

    This is an excellent, very pale, white that’s great to drink either on its own or with food. As you pour the wine and lift it to your nose you get clean grassy and delicate floral notes, giving the impression that it's quite light, but nothing could be further from the truth.

  • Minako at the Hilton Metropole launches

    Saturday October 2nd, 2010

    Sitting on the top floor of the Hilton Metropole in Edgware Road, Minako occupies a space that many restaurateurs would kill for. Facing south you have views across Hyde Park and for many miles beyond, it’s like a huge chunk of the London A to Z is set out before you.