Cedar Falls is one of the most refreshing places I have been to in a long while – figuratively speaking as much as anything else. A beautiful Georgian Manor House in the pretty village of Bishop’s Lydeard in Somerset, it’s a spa-and-stay kind of affair (although day guests are welcome too) with a very exciting and ambitious young chef to boot
Lunch with Massimo Bottura
While in the capital for Identità London recently, two Michelin starred Chef Massimo Bottura entertained food writers and bloggers to L’atelier des Chefs in Wigmore Street to present five dishes, all with the common ingredient of the event sponsors, the Italian lager Birra Moretti. The recipes were created to reflect the lead theme: The Luxury of Simplicity.
Keema Muttar
Keema Muttar is one of my favourite dishes and features on takeaway menus up and down the country. ‘Keema’ means minced meat (always lamb) and ‘muttar’ are peas and together, with an earthy blend of spices, they are transformed from two humble ingredients into something rather more special.
Hix Oyster and Chop House – Mark Hix
A new recipe book from Mark Hix, he of all the restaurants strewn around London bearing his name and the chef most beloved by ‘blokes’. Not for Mark the pansy hand of fusion, the effete mannerisms of molecular gastronomy. He’s the prop-forward of seasonal cuisine, always ready for a ruck, a maul and a singsong with the critics in the showers afterwards, while trying to stitch his ear back on.
Babur, London
‘Worth making the trek across town for.’ You know what that means? It means ‘located in South London.’ Why do so many reviewers make readers feel that when you cross the Thames heading south the map should be marked ‘here be dragons’ and illustrated with drawings of 4x4s being consumed by sea serpents?
Catch of the Day – we reel in fresh fish couriered from Cornwall
Fresh fish all the way from Cornwall to SW16 and so perfect we couldn’t do better if we lived by the sea ourselves instead of by the Brighton Road. We take delivery of a consignment of Cornwall’s finest courtesy of Fish for Thought and seek out some great recipes to make the most of them.
Apsleys Summer Tasting Menu launches
Can you eat at a high level and still stay healthy? From the look of most restaurant critics the answer is an emphatic no, the men so fat of chin they’ve given up shaving out of fear of cutting their own throats. Anita Pati has no desire to end up like that so she was happy to hurry along to Apsley’s to try Michelin Star Heinz Beck’s healthy summer tasting menu
Rose’s Bottle Shock
Christopher and Khadine Rose are the latest crusaders of corkage. Launching this month, their well-intentioned initiative is the unambiguously titled ‘Bring Your Own Bottle’ club (BYOB).
The Sweet Smell of FA
The terrible thing is that dishes served today all too often have no aroma. The times I’ve painfully bent down until my nose was buried in the plate to try and detect some olfactory clue are legion. Yes I am the man over at the corner table, apparently about to snort his meal like a gastro Keith Richards.
Turkish’Borek Peynir’ (Cheese Pastries)
To mark the final of my three authentic Turkish recipes, I had to end it with one of the most commonly loved pastries in all of Turkey, the Borek.