Beginning with the premise that taste is primarily subjective and for most of the time utterly elusive, why on earth would anyone want to comment on food, its producers, its consumers or its cooks. For my part I think it is because we wish to share the overall experience with at least one other, to find common ground, to contribute joy and most of all, to avoid disappointment. So much of the historical reasoning behind food has been lost, but as a result of our interest and our efforts over the last few decades, so much is now being re-discovered. We require guidance and illumination in the face of biased marketing and social hypnosis, and to be part of such a continuous cultural dialogue is a privilege, it is also hugely enjoyable.Food writing blogs
Local Sourcing – May 30 2009
I steer clear of too much heated debate on the subject of local sourcing, after all my credentials as a wine merchant are based principally on importation, so my own morphic resonance may well return to haunt me one fine day. On the subject of food however, and, more...
Garlic – May 2 2009
As April drifts effortlessly into May this year, the county of Norfolk display its most luxuriant phase. This month is one of my personal favourites and at this time of year the countryside around bursts into colour from hues of lime green to deep viridian with halos...
Shining light on a humble bulb – April 4 2009
I am generally not moved by the range of dedicated ‘speciality’ days that occur in one’s diary or the press generally. Mothers’ Day is left to other people, Fathers’ Day appears to pass without incident or remembrance in my home and general religious festivals around...
Sissinghurst and the National Trust – March 7 2009
At the time of writing I have caught the first two episodes of 'Sissinghurst' on BBC 4. Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, the former residence of that arch bohemian Vita Sackville-West, is now firmly in the benign hands of the National Trust. To disclose my cards early,...
Revelling in a truly raw deal – February 7 2009
Last week involved a trip to London, down before sunrise and back in darkness, not the most inspiring times for rail travel but the venue in the capital did more than justify the early alarm call. My destination was the Portuguese ambassador’s house in swanky...
National Curry Week – November 8 2008
All food, through the decades, has travelled, whether it is Italian to New York, French to London or Thai cuisine to Amsterdam. Ironically one of the food cultures that has travelled furthest to reach our shores now plays more of a part of the fabric of our eating...
Cooks and their books – October 4 2008
Not blowing my own trumpet, but in our house I’m the principal cook. Not always thus, but as far back as a teenager in my parental home I discovered cooking's pleasures. Once a week, homework permitting, I would present my parents with the magic of my newly discovered...
Down at Eel with Henry – 6 September 2008
A brief visit to Bordeaux last week, to look at some of Medoc’s finest before the wine parts company with the barrel and become a bottled commodity, although more of my vinous thoughts will be posted next week. This trip took on some initial responsibilities, as will...
Changing times on Pizza front – August 9 2008
Archestratus, a Sicilian Greek living in Italy in the 4th Century B.C. and one of the first food writers on record, commented in his book of poems The Deipnosophists, that “ingredients should be fresh, of top quality and seasonal, and that their flavour should be...