They say absinthe possesses potent mind-bending properties. And a ‘green fairy’-laced decoction at Scott Hallsworth’s Wabi certainly sets me up for a meal surreal from the scratchings that tell the eye’pork’ but scream’rice’ in the mouth, to a dessert of more ‘chocolate textures’ than you could shake a Flake at.
Interview with Wabi’s Scott Hallsworth
Wabi’s modern Japanese food looks good and gor, blimey, it tastes good too. For all his weird-and-wonderful culinary wizardry, chef Scott Hallsworth maintains a deceptively calm composure. But there’s a lot going in the head of that genial bloke with the easy grin…
Adam Simmonds joins The Great British Menu lineup
Watching big name egos wrangling for supremacy over talented underdogs will be even funnier on this year’s The Great British Menu, which culminates in a Comic Relief charity banquet. For this series, Michelin-starred Adam Simmonds sharpened his knives for the first time.
Fortnum and Mason’s pop-up bakery
We won’t bore you with the news that baking’s big business. We will, however, regale you with the tale that Fortnum & Mason are launching a temporary bakery and stoking shopper’s fires with goodies from a regularly changing roster of top chefs.
Taking a tapas trail in Madrid
San Sebastian may have all the headlines when it comes to food, but Madrid can still make the grade. And when you get tired of tapas, there’s the museums and art. With Gastronomica Madrid 2013 now on, Nick Harman hit the city streets to see what’s on offer.
Vouvray
Alan Kingsbury makes friends with a bottle of Vouvray, the underappreciated ‘demi-sec’ classic of the Loire.
Sweet Mandarin – Manchester
David finds he’s not exactly ‘mad for it’ when he chow meins down in’Best Local Chinese Restaurant in the UK’ (Gordon Ramsay’s F Word 2009)
Where to celebrate Burns’ Night
Ahhh, meat. Like wot London went batshit crazy for in 2012 in the myriad monoglottals opening throughout the capital faster than you could say’with a moo moo here’. And with his Selkirk Grace, old Rabbie Burns inadvertently provided the perfect mantra for the meat-lovin’ masses.
A nation which likes a foodie celebration?
I see it’s almost National Potato Day. And Farmhouse Breakfast Week. But does branding a particular period with a high falutin’ moniker actually up consumption? I’m not sure I believe people from Perth to Portsmouth are downing beans by the bucketload simply because some trade body deemed it The Day To Do So.
How to cook rice – tips from the masterchefs
Rice is not nice. In fact it proves resolutely unkind to me when I attempt to cook it every which way. I’ve tried everything: rinsing, stirring, leaving it alone, covering it, salting it and standing over it murmuring talismanic incantations like a grainy shaman. So for fellow failures, here’s a host of tips and tricks from my savviest friends.