Ferran Adria was in town last week. The legendary chef/patron of the World’s Best Restaurant El Bulli took part in a live Q&A session in front of his adoring fans. It turned out to be one long answer though as the Master held forth non-stop and at length. Andy Lynes bravely had his hair blown back by the word blast and reports on it all here
Everyday Harumi – Harumi Kurihara
The manageress at one of London’s finest Japanese restaurants, if not the finest, told me that when Harumi Kurihara came to eat there one day the hardened, perfectionist uber chefs in the kitchen queued up to be presented. She is Japan’s most popular cookery writer and most of the staff had got the chef bug from reading Harumi’s books when they were younger.
Ondine Edinburgh
Douglas Blyde last saw Edinburgh’s ‘Ondine’ restaurant as a building site. Two months on, he returns to test-dine the finished product and is enthusiastic about this glamorous seafood restaurant and what is arguably ‘Edinburgh’s opening of the year’.
Woman of the year –
Responsible for introducing Pesto to our nation’s supermarket shelves, Managing Director of Sacla UK Clare Blampied has built Sacla UK into a £30 million plus business empire.Sabrina Ghayour manages to steal a little chunk of time with one of the most remarkable women in the UK food industry and we find out what motivates and makes her tick… (apart from Pesto, of course)
Catalan Seafood Stew
As Mussels are best at this time, I wanted to bring you a lovely dish from Spain that has all the warmth and vibrancy of summer with bags of flavour and an abundance of seafood which always reminds me on being on holiday. As the weather gets colder and greyer, this is just the type of dish that gives me the much-needed ‘sunshine’ to get me through the week.
Delia Smith – Delia’s Happy Christmas
The truth is Delia is old-school, bordering on a tad fuddy-duddy, so if it’s innovative culinary inspiration that you are after, then there is not much here for you. But, if along with the rest of the nation, you are yearning to go ‘back to basics’ and embrace tradition, old favourites and timeless classics, then this is most definitely a book for you and the whole family.
Lucy’s on a plate
Lucy owns a number of foodie businesses in the village and wider. Lucy’s on a plate is a popular destination for both locals and visitors alike.
The Glass House
The restaurant achieved some fame, or infamy, through its having been featured on the Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares programme some while back. Whilst we imagine that The Glass House is not quite the ‘nightmare’ that it was, it’s not all sweet dreams!
Rothay Manor
Situated on the edge of Ambleside village, Rothay Manor is a long-established hotel and restaurant. There was a delightful quaintness about eating there and its somewhat theatrical experience deserves to be tried.
Equilibrium at Fawsley Hall
Dating back to the 7th century, this beautiful and historic country house once welcomed a very special guest in the shape of Queen Elizabeth I in 1575 and her suite has now been named the ‘1575” to commemorate the visit. More recently Sabin Ghayour went to dine. No news on the Gahyour suite just yet, though