Right now the big must-do added extra on the Vinopolis tour for Xmas is the Port tasting, because after all what is Xmas without port? So after a trip through the wine rooms and admiring the clever little ideas like the battered 2CV van in France and the virtual Piaggio scooter ride in Italy, we fetch up at the port bar to try five different ports, together with some Stichelton cheese supplied by Neal’s Yard.
You gotta roll with it
Who’d have thought an Oasis song would provide a headline for a piece about baking? Can’t see Liam in a pinafore really but Patsy….mmm. Anyway, those other charming Northerners, the people at Jus-Rol™, have put on a demo of just how easy their ready-made pastry is to use as a quick route to tasty meals and, being a bit fond of the product, I’ve rolled up to watch.
Pudz mean prizes
We knew that he would win. Just watching Sam Greaves work around the Good Housekeeping kitchen along with the other three contestants (one had dropped out with flu) you could see he had the chops.Pro chefs, or even those like Sam just nineteen and studying food at university, have an economy of movement, a calm outer bearing and clear focus that marks them out. When his dish was presented for judging, it had the cheffy look too, one that makes the diner happy before a spoon is raised and which justifies the price on the menu.
Alex James says ‘cheese’ in the country
It seems highly likely that Alex James ex Blur will have Alex James ex Blur written on his headstone, it’s the only way that people seem to refer to him. It’s a bit unfair as he has carved out a whole new niche for himself since those heady BritPop days as tweedy countryman, conductor, columnist and now of course cheese maker.
Is the mega mall Westfield the future face of eating
As the doors of Westfield were finally flung open for the very first time an avalanche of people crashed towards us. The Japanese photographer next to me faced them down like a big game hunter up against a herd of wildebeest, his Nikon whizzing furiously and then he was gone, swept away like a stick in a swollen river. He may still be there for all I know, washed up in a quiet backwater lying prone in the doorway of a mobile phone store.