Bring on the Bordeaux wines

We all want to drink responsibly but that doesn’t just mean simply not getting hammered. We should all be drinking wines that are local, so as to cut the carbon footprint, and wines that are well priced, to cut the shopping bills. Welcome to Bordeaux.

Piya Piya

Having attended a reception at Piya Piya and tasted some very good nibbles that were being handed around, we decided to go back there for a meal so that we could sample the selection from the full menu, with an interesting array of dishes, Piya Piya has a lot to offer.

Coriander… makes the difference

In the swish ‘Poggenpohl’ kitchens of Harrods, I meet the very lovely Pinky Lilani OBE who is hosting an intimate cookery master class featuring dishes from her latest book ‘Coriander… makes the difference” Featuring a selection of Pinky’s favourite recipes using coriander as well as some charming words of wisdom from 40 of Pinky’s friends and colleagues, the book is billed as ‘Wisdom and recipes to feed your soul and warm your heart”.

Tossed Xmas Salad – stuff the turkey!

‘You don’t make friends with salad, Lisa!’ Homer Simpson once famously pointed out to his daughter, but it seems for once that the Sage of Springfield may have been wrong. Tossed has not only made friends with its salads, it’s made itself into a major market force.In one corner of the Baker Street store is an Astroturf field with picnic tables to eat at. By 1pm queues are forming and the place is getting rammed, meanwhile over in our part of the field I am peering in at my Xmas salad.

The Old Thatch, Adstock, Buckinghamshire

The Old Thatch in Adstock, Buckinghamshire ,is a bit of a celebrity in its patch – as one local told me, ” it’s one of a small handful of places worth going to round here.” So what’s made this seriously tucked-away village pub survive where others have been converted into super-homes?