The London Fine Meat Company was established in late 2009. Stuart Ferretti, who owns the company, has a long history in the meat industry and his initial intention in setting it up was to supply the restaurant trade in and around London with quality meats. Earlier this year Stuart took the step of supplying to the public direct and having heard about this I decided to give his service a road test.

Find out what you missed if you didn’t take up the invitation to apply for an imaginative evening with Bombay Sapphire. Joanna Biddolph went along, mostly in your interests.

A pea picked from your own plot though is another matter. As long as you don’t leave them in the fridge for days then you have the only pea that’s better than a frozen one. The pods burst open with a crisp crack and a little spray of moisture hits your hands. Quickly rattle the peas out into a bowl, toss the pod into your bucket for the compost heap or for stock and sing along to your favourite tune on the radio

Bea’s of Bloomsbury is on the main drag, rocked by the passing buses on route to Hoxton and points East. Inside it’s two-thirds kitchen and one third cake shop. Tonight the shutters are down and the kitchen is the focus for Rachel McCormack’s Catalan cuisine cook up with sponsors Cordorniu Cava.

I can’t concentrate on the lovely hexagonal honey frames that beekeeper Toby Mason is showing us because I’m terrified I’ve left the zip open on my protective bee mask. There’s a lot of buzzing going on. Perhaps a few critters are making a beeline for somewhere they’ll never escape.

Friends coming for supper? No-one needs to know when all you’ve done is open a few packets and shoved something ready-basted in the oven – if you choose wisely. Joanna Biddolph puts it all down to geographical location – and a surprisingly imaginative range from Asda.

I have to admit to having a healthy degree of scepticism when asked along to a spirit tasting using Riedel stemware. Could the shape of a glass make a difference to different spirits? Surely a slug of whisky or other spirit, would smell and taste the same no matter what vessel it was served in. So I arrived at the tasting thinking that this might be a load of bunkum. How wrong could I have been?

By Air Berlin it’s about a 100 minute journey today from Gatwick to the German city of Nuremburg. Back in 1944 it took the Allied air force a little bit longer but when they left, an hour later, 90% of the city was smoking rubble. Today the smoke is all from bratwursts grilling in this fascinating city where beer is beloved.

Simon Hopkinson, founder and co-owner of Bibendum restaurant in London, is currently supporting head chef Tom Rains at the 74-cover Montpellier Chapter Restaurant in Cheltenham which showcases ‘simple, seasonal and classic British dishes”.
Rains says the two get together and brainstorm frequently, swapping books and recipes but all with the aim of producing ‘straightforward cooking, done well”

Alan King talks with the owner and CEO of Ponti’s, Stafano Ispani, over lunch at the recently re-launched Ponti’s Italian Kitchen, Oxford Circus. Stafano talked about his vision for the future of the group. Having previously avoided Ponti’s, Alan is favourably impressed by the style of the place, the artisan produce offered and the quality of this authentic Italian cuisine.