If only I could get into my loft – piled high from the entrance to the back – to dig out diaries from my late teens and early 20s. Did I first go to the Hard Rock Café between school and travelling or after I got back from my not quite two year north American trip?
Elena’s L’Etoile, 30 Charlotte Street, London, W1T 2NG
Elena’s L’Etoile, with its bistro charm, kicks out naughty frills and Frenchness like the can-can. Its eclectic and Art Deco decoration includes random brass wall inlays and two stained glass windows inserted in the ceiling. Pictures of actors and slebs – not all visitors – plaster the tobacco-coloured walls. Diners are respectable, good-humoured, full of bonhomie.
Marmite marketing drives one loyal user insane
The trouble with Marmite marketing started when they handed over the concept, and a large sum of money no doubt, to the Social Media marketers, the ones who sit around sockless in Hoxton, talk a lot of impenetrable jargon about Web 2 and attempt to grow beards before the hormones are ready to oblige.
Dining with Bisol Prosecco at Le Cafe Anglais
When Harrods officially opened the doors to the new Wine Shop on the 16th of November, Bisol threw a little celebratory dinner party to celebrate its new display in the champagne section. Qin Xie attended the celebrations and rather enjoyed the proseccos.
When You Entertain, family friendly recipes to share with Coca-Cola
Open mind or not, I won’t be converted to drinking Coca-Cola any time soon, but this book has left me very open to its possibilities as an ingredient. When You Entertain charmed me with cheery presentation, accessible recipes and its ethos that good food is for sharing.
Top Five Turkeys, the most popular and best free range fresh turkeys on sale this Christmas
O come all ye serious foodies, if you’re planning to be the host with the most this Christmas you need to be ordering your favourite feathered friend right now.
Great recipes for Welsh lamb
The latest dishes to hit the culinary catwalk from Welsh Lamb add an edgy twist to Britain’s best-loved meals, and with nearly a third of shoppers specifically buying locally sourced food*, there has never been a better time to cut down on your carbon footprint and get cooking with Welsh Lamb.
Roasted Quinoa, Spinach and Turkey Salad
Got a bit of turkey leftover you Yanks and Yankophiles? Here’s what to do with it.
Dishoom in London does special Indian breakfasts
As India is currently my destination du jour, I was longing to see what the fuss was about. Dishoom is new to the scene having only open in July, though with its old school look, feels like an institution. With starchy photos of the owner’s own family sitting alongside Bollywood posters and ancient adverts for Lux Flakes, there is enough to keep even a lone breakfaster entertained.
Jose Pizarro talks about life since Brindisa and plans for a new cookbook, opening a sherry bar and a new restaurant, both in the London Bridge area.
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.