tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69060941868184083312012-01-27T11:22:39.565ZThe belly rules the mind. ~ProverbKaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.comBlogger5191100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-1430541655574762242012-01-26T07:24:00.001Z2012-01-26T07:24:00.532Z

When I was sixteen I had my wisdom teeth taken out. Explains a lot, doesn't it? My best friend's mum gave me a brown paper bag of clementines as a 'get well soon' gesture. They were the tiniest clementines I'd ever seen, little more than an inch in diameter. I loved these adorable miniature citrus fruits and have always bought them whenever I've come across them since, which hasn't been often…

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-22800889792081514392012-01-23T07:03:00.001Z2012-01-25T11:00:13.393Z

At the end of September last year, I turned 40; a number imbued with all kinds of emotional baggage, with references to the hill of life and one's position on it. But for me it was an excuse for a party and I had a really great day, surrounded by family and friends, new and old. I was overwhelmed by thoughtful, generous and perfectly-chosen gifts, but one in particular really took my breath away.

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-40264347655499652612012-01-19T07:10:00.002Z2012-01-19T07:10:00.784Z

Another great guest post by Matt Gibson. The other day, I woke up and realised I had no coffee in the house. The fact that this realisation terrified me might give you some idea of the relationship I have with caffeine. It's a geek thing. Luckily, I remembered I *did* actually have some coffee. The only problem was that what I had, tucked away in the back of a cupboard, was a bag of unroasted

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-3536639970954602092012-01-17T07:52:00.000Z2012-01-17T09:17:23.217Z

Some time before Christmas, I was invited by Asda  to attend a blogger event at Leiths cookery school. You may have seen the TV adverts promoting the partnership between Asda and Leiths, whereby Leiths have given their stamp of approval to a selection of the Asda Extra Special range. I'll admit that I reacted in a very unbecoming way, disdainful that a respected professional cookery school

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-44427493796882425232012-01-15T07:29:00.000Z2012-01-16T11:18:57.325Z

When invited to review relatively new restaurant Greenleaf, it was described to me as "a lovely Chinese restaurant […serving] really lovely food, very different from the greasy little restaurants in Chinatown". I can't say I've found the food in Chinatown restaurants particularly greasy but evening menus are certainly formulaic and most offer little to excite. (I visit most often for dim sum

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-73177291368867518262012-01-13T07:37:00.000Z2012-01-13T07:37:00.199Z

I can't recall where I first read about Garlic & Sapphires but it must have been a positive review as I immediately added the book to my Amazon wishlist. Thanks to kind friends, it popped through my letterbox over Christmas and I tore through it during the first two days of the new year. The fourth book by former restaurant critic Ruth Reichl, Garlic And Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Food

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-68622579032273938442012-01-10T07:36:00.000Z2012-01-10T07:36:00.245Z

Charles Campion's Banana Cake is a recipe I copied across to my blog from a post that originally appeared on a food chat board, or in my general online diary, or was sent via email… or in one of the many places I shared my food experiences before I finally realised I was "stealth-blogging" and set up Kavey Eats! It's such a good recipe I always intended to go back and add photos the next time I

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-30542334166163343062012-01-07T07:28:00.007Z2012-01-16T09:04:17.914Z

When thinking about a suitably delicious but prepare-ahead dessert for Christmas day, lemon posset sprang immediately to mind. I first made it last January and was amazed at how quick and easy it was. After that, I took it along as my contribution to a couple of cooking clubs, and was delighted at the extremely positive feedback. On those occasions I served it with a single long strip of

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-75317944859913392772012-01-05T07:00:00.000Z2012-01-05T08:55:17.400Z

For those less interested in my restaurant round up than in the cooking, here are the 12 recipe posts which received the most views during 2011. Chicken, Bacon, Mushroom & Crème Fraiche Pasta Braised Ox Cheek Bordelaise Chocolate & Chorizo Chilli Con Carne How to make Strawberry Vodka Liqueur Persian Baked Yoghurt Rice with Chicken (Tahcheen-e morgh) Lemon Posset, Candied Peel & Cordial

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-14295242790224270422012-01-05T06:00:00.000Z2012-01-05T06:00:11.423Z

We've run several competitions over the last couple of months. Here are the winners, for those who like to know… Time Out Restaurant Guides Ute (hungryinlondon.com) Alex (Eating Soho) @nitology @dawncloud @kirwantaylor Demarquette Chocolates Laura (texasonthames) Stew! by Genevieve Taylor @ashlallan (Mummy 24) Green & Blacks Gifts 1) Nursey (@maxineflossy) 2) @frommyplate 3) @

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-13450383875150027102012-01-02T07:22:00.001Z2012-01-02T09:23:05.535Z

Chatting to the UK arm of US publisher Rizzoli about titles I might like to review, the pull of the pig drew me towards The Whole Hog Cookbook. Promising "chops, loin, shoulder, bacon and all that good stuff", author Libbie Summers draws on childhood memories of her grandparents' hog farm together with "modern sensibilities [that] lend new twists to beloved dishes". As the front flap declares,

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-80522636877699513772011-12-29T06:37:00.000Z2011-12-29T06:37:00.304Z

Inspired by annual restaurant roundups from fellow bloggers, many of which have resulted in yet more additions to my ever-burgeoning restaurant wish list, I thought I'd share some of my highlights from eating out in 2011. Follow links to read the full reviews for each restaurant.   Best Starter (Joint Winners) Now and then I talk about ordering a much-loved starter again for dessert. It's

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-54398761671790268892011-12-26T07:19:00.000Z2011-12-26T07:19:00.211Z

I'm a natural born collector. As a child I collected stamps, coins, mugs, rubbers and key rings, to name just a few. Our family holidays took us around the world, which allowed me to find great variety, both at home and abroad and I took my collections seriously, taking time and care to choose new additions. Today, the stamp and coin collections have long since been passed on through the family

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-75853093620572888852011-12-24T07:16:00.000Z2011-12-24T07:16:00.637Z

Pete and Kavey wish all the readers of Kavey Eats & Pete Drinks a very merry Christmas!

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-11845438759306244862011-12-21T07:09:00.002Z2011-12-21T16:50:56.947Z

When I was invited to take part in the Grey Poupon cooking challenge, I immediately remembered the intriguing recipe for Cackalacky Spare Ribs that I'd read in my recently acquired book, The Whole Hog Cookbook by Libbie Summers. As Grey Poupon was originally an American-owned brand (born back in 1777) Cackalacky seemed doubly appropriate. (These days Grey Poupon UK is a separate entity, their

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-5612091233757159802011-12-18T07:22:00.001Z2011-12-18T09:35:27.386Z

I probably wouldn't have considered The Rib Room had I not been invited to dine there. It's situated in a marble and gold bling Knightsbridge hotel. It's expensive. It's full of people who are at least as bling as the hotel and have pockets deep enough to stay there. I'm not very bling. And I'm certainly not flash with the cash. And yet my friend and I enjoyed a lovely meal there; somewhat

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-6143577028627853212011-12-15T07:36:00.001Z2011-12-15T08:23:05.001Z

The first time I made chicken liver paté, I was quite nervous. A food friend encouraged me by sharing their recipe, and I was amazed at the ease and tastiness of the result, not to mention how inexpensive it was. Since that time, I developed my own version, a chicken liver and port paté that I make fairly often. But for some time, I’ve been thinking about a non-alcoholic version that wouldn’t

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-57056373929408012162011-12-13T07:30:00.000Z2011-12-13T07:30:04.258Z

Pete loves Bath Ales' beers. You may have seen his brewery tour-at-home blog post over at his new blog, or when it was originally posted, here. But I'm not much of a beer drinker at all. For me it's all about the cute Bath Ales hare logo and the friendly Bath Ales team. I've interacted with them on twitter for ages, and finally met some of them in person when we visited Bath this summer. And

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-14017948238702200392011-12-10T07:09:00.001Z2011-12-10T07:09:00.078Z

Having already decided to visit the London Fields Brewery for their open day, and have a meander around nearby Broadway Market, I was reminded by a twitter friend that Lucky Chip was right between the two. Result! A perfect trio of food and drink experiences for our Saturday day trip. Lucky Chip Lucky Chip is a relatively recent addition to the London burger scene (such a thing exists,

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-49308036603706244462011-12-07T06:57:00.001Z2011-12-10T09:03:11.162Z

I seldom make it to soft-openings, too unorganised to secure a booking, and that's assuming I've even managed to remember the dates. But José Pizarro's new restaurant doesn't take bookings. So my plan to be there just before its noon opening time for Friday lunch pays off. Pizarro is just a few hundred metres down from the hugely popular sherry and tapas bar José opened earlier this year. The

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-54786956082733588432011-12-03T07:22:00.000Z2011-12-03T11:23:39.606Z

I hate shopping for clothes, shoes and practical necessities but I do love shopping for presents. There's something wonderful about finding the perfect present for a loved one; a present you know will light up their face when they receive it; a present that fits like an oven glove! Recently, I shared some recipes for homemade presents. Now I'm sharing my favourite ideas for presents you can buy

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-35979586349366860062011-12-02T07:15:00.000Z2011-12-02T07:15:00.564Z

A few weeks ago I was invited to preview the Hotel Chocolat Christmas range. As always, there were some items that appealed more than others, and I immediately started thinking about which items I'd like to receive myself and which ones would make great gifts for friends. My favourites include the various chocolate Yule logs, the dark chocolate covered brazil nuts, the cheese and chocolate

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-41675291132534039532011-11-30T07:12:00.001Z2012-01-06T22:50:23.761Z

Given how much I adored Saraban, I was really excited about getting my hands on the latest title from Greg & Lucky Malouf: New Middle Eastern Food. Whilst I was immediately taken by many of the recipes, one major problem with the book revealed itself very early on: The typography and page layout may look modern and attractive but made the book very hard to read. With the exception of the

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-41677937115236355422011-11-28T06:53:00.000Z2011-11-28T06:53:00.709Z

It's well over a year since I first went to Dishoom, London's first Bombay Cafe, and I've been many times since then. I'm a big fan of the food, the interior design and the warm welcome. Find out more about the history of Bombay Cafes by following the link above).   Winter nights darken; streets are gladdened by festive lights; shopping becomes more frantic; partying more hectic. And Dishoom

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-14839581975107204872011-11-27T07:13:00.001Z2011-11-27T10:45:53.170Z

I love the idea of giving homemade gifts for Christmas. I've come across the mentality that homemade is second best; I know people who judge on monetary value and assume that shop-bought, established brands are always better than amateur efforts. Homemade to these folks is about thrift or stinginess or rose-tinted nostalgia, if they're being generous. But they're wrong. Let's put pay to the

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-55300776132143316582011-11-25T06:57:00.002Z2011-11-25T08:49:45.302Z

Several weeks ago I went to my first Christmas dinner, a banquet hosted by Green & Blacks and cooked by Micah Carr-Hill (who boasts the fabulous job title Head of Taste, and is in charge of product development) and William Leigh, Taste Assistant who works alongside Micah. Together, they developed a menu inspired by the Green & Blacks chocolate range. Not every dish featured chocolate,

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com119tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-61462092267786433602011-11-23T07:46:00.000Z2011-11-23T07:46:00.183Z

When challenged to create a dish with the theme of Whipped Heaven (cream/desserts) for week 2 of the Russell Hobbs Allure cookery challenge, one idea popped into my head straight away. A cross between a pavlova and a fruit tart. I named my creation the pavlotart! Kavey's Pavlotart From the pavlova, I’m taking the meringue base, which is usually topped with fresh whipped cream and fruit. From

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-23103576997996521082011-11-21T06:41:00.000Z2011-11-21T06:41:00.721Z

Pausing for lunch on the road can be a hit and miss affair. Even the better service stations aren't exactly thrilling and pubs on A roads aren't always a better option. But in the last year or so, we've made three stops at The Boot Inn in Barnard Gate and been rewarded with a delicious lunch and warm service, every time. This beautiful pub is just a 30 second diversion off the A40, about

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-61536837274622792932011-11-19T07:24:00.000Z2011-12-03T11:46:07.001Z

New cook books are great. New cookbooks I won by following the author on twitter are even better, especially as I hadn't even realised there was a competition running! I'm a real fan of a good stew.  Hearty and comforting, full of warmth and good flavours and often made from inexpensive ingredients. What's not to like?   Genevieve Taylor feels the same way and shares a wide range of recipes

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-65234979295141689022011-11-17T06:50:00.001Z2011-11-20T23:13:24.653Z

This is a beautiful jelly, both in appearance and taste. The flavours of fruit and herb come through clearly, and a gentle aroma too. As a preserving addict, I knew I wanted to make some apple jelly with the kilo of cooking apples from our allotment tree. We also had a small handful of Cox' Orange Pippins left from the small tree we planted in the back garden last year. We'd enjoyed a few of

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-87912974233273948032011-11-15T07:38:00.005Z2011-11-15T15:03:31.138Z

As you might expect from a modern hotel sited in such an expansive historical estate, the Waldorf Astoria London Syon Park is subtly themed to bring the outdoors inside and to help guests enjoy the peace and quiet of its serene, natural setting. On a recent late autumn visit, we found it the perfect venue for a single night minibreak – close to home and yet a world away. History of Syon Park

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-23878523442748167302011-11-12T07:37:00.001Z2011-11-12T11:39:50.984Z

London has been undergoing a food revolution in the last decade or two. Where once upon a time, gastronomes looked longingly towards France, or Japan or perhaps even New York, nowadays London is at least as good as anywhere else in the world when it comes to the quality, innovation and sheer breadth of great food available. Part and parcel of the London scene is the growing numbers of truly

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-47643417718038556962011-11-10T07:19:00.000Z2011-11-10T07:19:00.398Z

When twitter friend Sabrina saw my plea for authentic recipes for Russian pelmeni she kindly offered to loan me her copy of a charming Russian cookery book called Please To The Table. Written by Anya Von Bremzen and John Welchman, the book includes 400 recipes from the former Soviet Union, "from the Baltics to Uzbekistan". Why the urge to make dumplings? Because Pete and I had happily

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-83790423437373232872011-11-08T07:19:00.003Z2011-11-08T09:52:32.704Z

We packed a lot of excellent eating into our short trip to Parma, where we discovered the origin of Parma ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Masticabrodo Situated in Pilastro, a small rural village about 15 kilometres from the centre of Parma, is a small trattoria-osteria called Masticabrodo. The village is virtually in the shadow of the impressive Castello di Torrechiara (built in the

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-89078791768781252712011-11-05T07:12:00.000Z2011-11-05T07:12:00.141Z

Back in 1994, when we got married, fondue sets were considered rather twee. But I wanted one anyway and lo and behold, we received one amongst our wedding presents. For the first few years, we used it regularly (by which I mean once every few months, not weekly). But over time, both cheese and chocolate fondues became less frequent. These days, with our lack of dining table, they are positively

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-10516209915528464052011-11-03T06:17:00.003Z2012-01-06T22:51:03.233Z

Although I like Valentine Warner's approach to food and cooking, I have mixed feelings about his telly programmes, mostly stemming from his incessant winking and innuendos (which are no doubt charming in person but don't translate via TV). I actually had to switch off when he referred to mini lavender meringues as "fairy tits", though friends would say it's just the kind of mildly naughty

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-21845219715525191682011-11-01T07:34:00.001Z2011-11-01T09:13:58.249Z

I'm not the first blogger to report on the latest Hawksmoor opening and I won't be the last. The launch of the third restaurant by Huw Gott and Will Beckett has been eagerly greeted by meat-loving Londoners, of whom I'm definitely one. Located in the heart of the City of London, a short walk from both Moorgate and Bank stations, the latest outpost of the popular steakhouse is bound to prove a

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-41359999905772960662011-10-31T07:15:00.001Z2012-01-27T11:19:56.460Z

The majority of my friends are real killjoys when it comes to fancy dress, so I seldom indulge. But last year, I went to town with hair dye, skeletons, cobweb scarf, spooky jewellery and green nails. I think I got the "demented witch" look down pat! You can learn more about the origins of halloween in my pumpkin carving post from last year. Happy Halloween from Kavey Eats! If your

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-68310300809679644462011-10-30T06:23:00.000Z2011-10-30T06:23:00.078Z

Time Out have updated their 2009 guide to eating and drinking out in the capital. (I'm not sure why it's titled 2012, when it 's clearly been compiled from 2010/2011 data, for publication this month, but perhaps it's something to do with a commercial fear of being deemed out-dated too quickly?) I turn less and less to the words of professional restaurant critics these days, preferring

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-36477675888070410582011-10-28T07:06:00.002+01:002011-10-28T08:41:59.018+01:00

I've recently had two rather spiffing artworks created for or about me and I'm thrilled with both. The first is by the truly talented irkafirka – Nick Hilditch and Chris Bell. Irkafirka take inspiration from the millions and millions of wonderfully random utterings on twitter, choosing one a day to illustrate in the unique and much loved irkafirka way. I've been a huge fan of irkafirka for the

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-77750124478260101492011-10-26T06:46:00.002+01:002011-10-26T10:30:22.630+01:00

Today is Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Happy Diwali! The name itself means "a row of lamps" and describes the traditional ghee-filled earthenware lamps which are traditionally lit in their hundreds and thousands. An unforgettably beautiful sight. There are a number of different reasons and stories behind the festival which you can read about here and here. In our family, we light a

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-5205456631614206472011-10-25T07:41:00.001+01:002011-10-25T08:53:45.177+01:00

The 25th anniversary of a restaurant in the heart of Soho might be taken to signify that it's a good restaurant. If that means attracting customers, serving them something edible and taking their money, then certainly Maison Touareg succeeds. Unfortunately, based on our recent experience, it seems to rely almost entirely on the custom of tourists, which means it doesn't need to make much effort

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-54483157345924305562011-10-22T07:16:00.004+01:002011-10-24T15:35:43.520+01:00

Last week saw me doing more baking than drinking, as I found myself entering the Great Chocolate Cake-Off taking place at Chocolate Unwrapped. Although I thoroughly enjoy baking, in recent years it’s tended to be more bread based, so the prospect of coming up with a chocolate cake worthy of being eaten by anyone other than my nearest and dearest – who are obviously honour-bound to tell me how

Pete Favellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06118087223604691014noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-11704319511388590372011-10-20T10:05:00.002+01:002011-10-20T10:21:02.573+01:00

I can hardly believe it was well over a year ago when I first introduced Pete Drinks to Kavey Eats. Since then, Pete's written fifty posts for the blog, mostly beer reviews such as Finchley Ales IPA, Marble Brewery Tour At Home and Kernel Brewery Tour At Home. When he first started, he was tentative… not sure whether he'd keep it going very long, just like me when I started Kavey Eats… not sure

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-24389185790941121882011-10-18T06:55:00.000+01:002011-10-18T08:05:27.330+01:00

Although we've not achieved as much as we'd hoped over at the new allotment (which we took on this time last year) we have enjoyed harvesting fruits from the existing trees and bushes. Our plum tree gave us a fair crop of juicy sweet fruit. I'm glad we picked nearly all of them on one day as, when we returned just a few days later to collect any remaining, we found they'd been shrivelled up

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-82387397712452804722011-10-16T07:00:00.001+01:002011-10-20T08:52:58.243+01:00

The Bull is now a proper brew pub. It's owned and managed by Dan Fox, a London pub veteran who ran the popular White Horse in Parsons Green for four years. And Steve Grey has stepped up from cellarman (at the White Horse) to head brewer, after picking up experience at Redemption and Ascot breweries. Pete has been following their twitter account, reading about their fledgling London Brewing

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-80446596799662927762011-10-14T07:22:00.001+01:002011-10-14T09:58:22.897+01:00

Bravo! Ouais! Le Vacherin Mont d'Or est arrivé! In France, there's quite a celebration when the season of availability for this fabulous cheese rolls around once again. Officially known in France as Vacherin du Haut-Doubs this soft, unpasteurised cheese with a pale yellow salt-washed rind originated in the Jura mountains that cross France and Switzerland. French Vacherin, produced in the

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-15293831808318987822011-10-12T07:11:00.002+01:002011-10-12T09:55:25.888+01:00

For some years now, I've heard fellow food lovers proclaim Abergavenny as the most enjoyable food festival in the UK. And for almost as long as I've been hearing that, I've intended to find out for myself. This year I finally did. And they were right! I absolutely loved the festival and can completely understand how it captivates my friends. Entry pricing is reasonable; one doesn't feel

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-6740588089038135542011-10-09T21:59:00.001+01:002011-11-02T21:18:51.688Z

Kavey Eats is long due a redesign. I'll be moving from blogspot to self-hosted Wordpress. I've been planning it for over a year, and have had the new layout and navigation nailed for almost as long. But I've been struggling to come up with a look, centred around a beautiful banner image that conveys not only the title and tagline but a bit about me and my blog. From that will flow the design

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-32232996768875380592011-10-06T07:19:00.002+01:002011-10-08T11:06:36.851+01:00

People assume that because I'm so obsessive about food, I must surely be an experienced cook who has turned her hand to most of the common recipes and many of the more unusual or elaborate ones besides. Truth is, I am neither as adventurous or experienced a cook as you might think. I love eating, of course – I am certainly an adventurous and experienced eater (though many of my food friends

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-65639472036010958362011-10-04T07:55:00.000+01:002011-10-04T21:58:07.596+01:00

Today’s collection comes from Hopdaemon, a small brewery based in Kent. They’ve been on my ‘list’ for some time, but somehow I’d never managed to track them down before. Here we have all three of their beers that appear in bottle form – there are a couple of extras that are only available on tap. I have to say, looking at the bottles side by side I’d have trouble telling that they were from

Pete Favellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06118087223604691014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-53113294453663643582011-10-01T07:21:00.010+01:002012-01-07T10:33:06.702Z

When invited by Bath Tourism Plus to spend a day in Bath, taking our advice on what to visit from twitter, Pete and I jumped at the chance. We started asking for suggestions in the run up to our visit and by the day itself, the advice was flowing in at a great rate. Both twitter friends and complete strangers came to our aid and between them, gave us lots of great ideas on how to spend our

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-33107996306765835712011-09-29T07:03:00.000+01:002011-09-29T23:06:34.494+01:00

Thanks to Fuss Free Flavours, I learned about this lovely way of supporting UNICEF by naming a colour. Our perception of colours in the world around us is limited only by the complexity and sensitivity of our eyes. But when it comes to representing colours on a computer screen, things are much more precise. Helen explains it really well: "computers do things by absolute values and each

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-5820330426646815642011-09-28T07:03:00.002+01:002011-09-28T23:58:18.641+01:00

I'm very excited to share the news that you can try a delicious Mamta's Kitchen curry on the new Autumn Winter 2011 menu launching at Leon restaurants today. With both a chicken and a vegetarian option available, we hope the rich, well-balanced flavours will appeal to Leon customers, new and old. See full menuSo how did Mamta's Kitchen dishes end up on the new menu? A year ago this month, I

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-67342654108843371522011-09-26T07:25:00.001+01:002011-09-26T08:44:18.352+01:00

Club Gascon is 13 years old! And to celebrate, owner chef Pascal Aussignac decided to hold a special birthday night during which he offered his original 1998 menu at, wait for it, 1998 prices! I was quick to book a table… I haven't been to any of Aussignac's restaurants but have tasted his cooking (and chatted to him about it) at a food festival last year and I have a copy of his beautiful book,

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-90881705356263923352011-09-23T07:14:00.002+01:002011-09-23T07:14:00.110+01:00

After a year of doing my brewery tours at home, it seems about time that I got off the sofa and did a tour of an actual brewery. Redemption, based in Tottenham, has the dual benefits of being a fantastic brewery and within a few miles of home, so where better to go?! I first encountered Redemption last year, when I was invited by a friend to join a CAMRA visit to the brewery. I hadn’t really

Pete Favellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06118087223604691014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-24088698409484645942011-09-21T07:11:00.002+01:002011-10-06T18:16:52.021+01:00

Every Wednesday, throughout the summer, I've been enjoying sharing posts about ice cream. But now that the last breaths of summer have made way for the golden light and amber leaves of autumn, it's time to turn towards thoughts of hedgerow harvests and onwards to winter warmers. For those who want to hear the chimes of the ice cream van one last time, here's a reminder of all the #

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-1192208525357945492011-09-20T07:53:00.001+01:002011-09-20T11:05:50.488+01:00

In our previous Mamta's Kitchen cookery classes we've made a selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes which proved very popular with our students so far. For our next class we are considering offering a pescetarian or fully vegetarian class instead. This will depend on demand. The date has tentatively been scheduled for the 5th November. Please email me as soon as possible if you

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-62653373053088567112011-09-17T07:03:00.000+01:002011-09-17T07:03:00.417+01:00

The yellow raspberries I harvested from the allotment recently were so beautiful I wanted to make something pretty enough to do them justice. Having filled a couple of tubs with blackberries too, a fruit tart seemed an ideal way of putting both to good use. I've peered through the windows of countless patisseries, admiring the artful creations – fruit oh so neatly arranged over crème pâtissière,

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-605627697458809822011-09-14T07:20:00.000+01:002011-09-14T10:05:21.098+01:00

I've been so pleased about how much people have been enjoying the Ice Cream Wednesday series on the blog, not just reading my own posts but being inspired to buy their own ice cream machines and get in on the action too! Kate aka The Little Loaf is a fellow food blogger and a twitter friend, and she has been really supportive of Ice Cream Wednesday. I know she has serious ice cream skillz so I

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-9506397300481496042011-09-12T07:06:00.000+01:002011-09-12T07:06:00.765+01:00

In a recent post about Parma ham, I explained about my invitation to learn more about the production of two of Parma's most famous products – the ham and Parmigiano-Reggiano, parmesan cheese. You can read a little more about what it means to have a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status, in that previous post. Below are some images from the parmesan cheese producer we visited; a visual

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-28511691829740127952011-09-09T07:17:00.004+01:002011-09-09T22:29:02.270+01:00

Our little corner of suburbia, up in North Finchley, isn't as exciting a food destination as many London neighbourhoods but we have a few places that definitely deserve mention. Recently, we've made quite a few visits to Sushi Japan, a small unassuming restaurant towards the North end of our high street, opposite the local Sainsbury's. Sushi Japan offer an a la carte menu, a £5.90 bento box

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-54095977009966710232011-09-07T07:34:00.001+01:002011-09-07T07:42:44.380+01:00

We've really been enjoying making lots of home-made ice creams, sorbets and frozen yoghurts over the last several weeks. But there's also times when it's nice to buy ready made. Here are my tasting notes about the range of ice creams designed by Heston Blumenthal for Waitrose; they went on sale a few months ago. Chocolate & Rosemary This was the first one we tried and was a bit

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-35040414452978771182011-09-05T07:13:00.000+01:002011-09-05T07:13:00.222+01:00

I still remember the awe I felt, aged 15 and travelling around South America with my parents and sister, when I discovered the existence of a type of restaurant in which you could help yourself to from an expansive hot and cold buffet, before returning to your table, where handsome waiters would bring skewers of meat and shining sharp swords, to carve hot grilled meat onto your plate. Wonderful,

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-91933829147777913762011-09-02T06:50:00.003+01:002011-09-02T06:52:42.452+01:00

A few weeks ago, I was invited to Parma by Discover the Origin, to learn more about the production of two of Parma's most famous products – Parma ham and parmesan cheese, known locally as prosciutto de Parma and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Both have PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status, which means that only products made in the area, to very strict and specific rules, can be labelled as Parma

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-18253076855914364092011-08-31T07:00:00.000+01:002011-08-31T07:00:08.227+01:00

Ice Cream Wednesday started out as an evening of ice cream making amongst friends, after my friend Dom (the founder of Chocablog) and I were both loaned an Gaggia ice cream machine to review. I took my machine to Dom's place and we gathered 11 of us together, along with an eclectic range of ingredients, and made 9 delicious frozen concoctions. Dom has kindly given me permission to share his

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-69982867099679404272011-08-28T07:25:00.007+01:002011-08-28T10:34:30.691+01:00

What's In A Name? Risotto – pronounced [ɾiˈzɔtːo] a classic Italian dish of rice cooked in wine and stock to a naturally creamy consistency; traditionally made with high-starch, short grain rice varieties; the grains are usually toasted in butter and oil before liquid is added gradually; to finish finely grated parmesan cheese is stirred in Rice is the key to risotto really; it's in the

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-89002136896298667622011-08-26T07:13:00.000+01:002011-08-26T07:13:00.552+01:00

I've really been enjoying other bloggers' My 7 Links posts. The idea, as explained by Tripbase, is "to unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavour to share lessons learned and create a bank of forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again." Nominated by other bloggers, we are asked to share posts from our own blog, giving a link to one post for each of 7 categories

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-46747062753904022832011-08-24T07:11:00.000+01:002011-08-24T07:11:00.635+01:00

After Leila's guest post for last week's #IceCreamWednesday, sharing a recipe for delicious Plum & Earl Grey Frozen Yoghurt, I had a hankering for some froyo of my own. But sometimes, I'm just not in the mood for anything involving much of an effort. Suddenly, I remembered The Collective Dairy yoghurts, which I first encountered a few months ago. "Those would make great frozen desserts", I

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-27287698001162978482011-08-23T10:25:00.001+01:002011-08-23T13:59:49.355+01:00

Every few days, Pete harvests a handful of plump sweet raspberries and tiny wild strawberries from the back garden. The raspberries have that perfect balance between tart and sweet and that special flavour that distinguishes them from their fellow Rubus fruits. The teeny tiny wild strawberries in particular are a revelation; the flavour is very different to the domesticated strawberries

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-60024840655404668322011-08-20T07:18:00.002+01:002011-09-28T10:45:23.028+01:00

You could be forgiven for believing that all I do is drink, but I’ve been known to venture into the kitchen as well. Especially if it involves yeast, and producing something that can be toasted and buttered. Ok, so technically crumpets aren’t baked but it’s close enough and ‘Pete Griddles’ doesn’t sound so good. A comment from The Boy Who Bakes on twitter a few weeks ago made me realise that I

Pete Favellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06118087223604691014noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-24111015752553873782011-08-17T07:11:00.000+01:002011-08-17T07:11:01.161+01:00

Let me take you back, back through the mists of time, or maybe just this summer, to the very first Ice Cream Wednesday, when 11 ice cream lovers gathered with two ice cream machines and a wide range of potential ingredients, to make and enjoy as much ice cream as we could in a single evening! One of my favourite ice creams of the night was Kate's incredible tarragon, lemon, lime and tequila

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-76749018823475568032011-08-15T07:19:00.006+01:002011-08-15T19:42:20.793+01:00

Pete and I recently enjoyed a lovely weekend in Inverness, travelling there to attend and celebrate the wedding of our dear friends Kristine and Carlo. (Congratulations, darlings!) With a few extra days in hand, we were able to enjoy some excellent meals during our stay, thanks to local and twitter recommendations. The Mustard Seed River House Restaurant The Kitchen Chez Roux The Mustard Seed

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-17976803149686723672011-08-13T07:18:00.000+01:002011-08-13T07:18:00.760+01:00

Meantime are one of those breweries with such an impressive range of beers that it’s hard to do justice to the whole lot in one go. I’ve previously tasted a couple of their offers back when they launched their London Lager; today I'm going through the bottles I’ve picked up recently but this doesn’t represent everything this London brewer has to offer! So, first up is London Pale Ale, at

Pete Favellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06118087223604691014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-37017511025578622842011-08-10T07:11:00.000+01:002011-08-10T07:11:01.906+01:00

This week's wonderfully delicious #icecreamwednesday post comes from my friend Leila Dukes, who now works at ING Media, a PR agency with a specialist food & consumer team. Leila's long been considering setting up her own food blog. Please join me in encouraging her to do just that! Over to Leila for a fantastic fro-yo recipe: I considered using the phrase "guilt-free" in the name of this

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-13935470373542712142011-08-07T07:40:00.003+01:002011-08-07T09:32:02.394+01:00

Now and then we drive past enormous pig farms. Great expanses of mud, not a hint of greenery in sight, rows upon rows of corrugated iron pig huts. and lots and lots and lots of fat pink pigs as far as the eye can see. Not a bucolic scene! Jimmy's Farm That is not what Jimmy's Farm, which I was invited to visit as an introduction to the Put Pork On Your Fork campaign, is like at all. Unlike

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-32654960077750312432011-08-04T20:56:00.002+01:002011-08-04T21:01:47.837+01:00

This week sees the Great British Beer Festival once again hitting Earls Court in London. Being both a beer fan and Londoner, it’s something of an embarrassment that I’ve never managed to attend before, so this year I made the effort and headed down this afternoon (in a cunning attempt to avoid the worst of the crowds…) I have some thoughts and pictures that I’ll share in a longer post in the

Pete Favellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06118087223604691014noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-59399688499241846112011-08-03T07:20:00.004+01:002011-08-03T08:41:17.572+01:00

Two Wednesdays ago, Pete and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the Novelli Academy, the Cookery School run by handsome French chef Jean-Christophe Novelli. Located in Tea Green, a small village on the outskirts of Luton, not far from the airport, the Academy is located in a beautiful 14th century farmhouse where Novelli also lives with his family. Novelli has teamed up with well known

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-23308023127394728182011-08-01T07:19:00.006+01:002011-09-09T16:59:29.911+01:00

Some weeks ago we were invited to review M&S Wine Direct. Rather than having their marketing representative place the order, we suggested that it would be a far better review if we navigated the website ourselves, placed a direct order as a regular customer and assessed the entire process as well as the wine. A value was agreed (and payment transferred to us directly) and we were left to

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-87121580665516947152011-07-27T07:41:00.002+01:002012-01-06T22:51:31.859Z

It would be easy to dismiss my friend Sig's new book as jumping on the Scandi band wagon, but it'd be completely wrong to do so. Since June 2008 Sig has been sharing the joy's of Scandinavian cooking via her blog, Scandilicious. Describing her heritage as Scandinavian-English-American-Irish-German-Jewish-Lithuanian (and born to a Norwegian father and English-American mother) Sig is well known

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-90656573229585125002011-07-25T07:01:00.000+01:002011-07-25T07:01:00.802+01:00

This evening’s beer is from the Windsor & Eton Brewery, another of the ‘new order’ of London breweries. Founded just last year, they have an impressive list of pubs to the south and west of London (and plenty, of course, in Windsor, and Eton) carrying their beer on tap. I’ve had to make do with their bottled offerings, but the beers don’t seem to suffer for that! Starting with their Windsor

Pete Favellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06118087223604691014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-50855905745468707322011-07-23T07:07:00.000+01:002011-07-23T07:07:00.499+01:00

Fast growing chain Byron Burgers has gained a loyal following in the 3.5 years since they opened their first branch, me included. On a recent visit, we took our friend Gothick, who declared his classic Byron burger the best burger he'd ever had! Byron's burgers are mighty fine and certainly blow competitors such as GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) and Ultimate Burger out of the water. And Haché

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-81663412856651966332011-07-20T07:22:00.002+01:002011-07-29T18:25:56.753+01:00

Fellow chocolate fiend Chloe, The Faerietale Foodie, was unable to make the Gaggia coffee and ice cream event I attended several weeks ago. (A 5pm start for a blogger event does rule out most bloggers, who have full time jobs alongside their food blogs). Initially, she was most disappointed about missing the coffee half of the evening, and the chance to meet and listen to top barista trainer Paul

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-41584775720811228232011-07-18T07:31:00.002+01:002011-07-18T07:31:02.492+01:00

There's something deeply satisfying about making a meal of ingredients foraged directly from the earth, not by some faceless stranger who's sold his lucrative hedgerow hoard to a restaurant chef, but by your own hands. Common mallow Of course, there's the thrifty delight in a free meal. £3 for a bundle of asparagus or marsh samphire for free? £2.50 for a punnet of raspberries or

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-56341165264214301872011-07-16T07:29:00.000+01:002011-07-16T07:29:00.130+01:00

Olly Smith is well known as a wine writer and presenter, respected for helping the nation to find and appreciate good wine. But he's also a keen food lover and has written his own cookery book Eat and Drink full of his favourite recipes, with an emphasis on food that great to drink with. The collection is wide-ranging and includes recipes handed down in the family as well as his own creations

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-21850525362553560392011-07-13T07:17:00.004+01:002011-07-29T18:26:00.859+01:00

As I've mentioned on a previous #icecreamwednesday, I was recently given a Gaggia ice cream machine to review for a few weeks over summer. One of the things I love about the machine is not needing to freeze a bowl or disk 24-48 hours in advance. I can make ice cream whenever I want as the machine takes only a few minutes to get cold enough, once plugged in and switched on. I have made custard

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-61629238930621297762011-07-12T07:15:00.002+01:002011-07-12T07:15:01.907+01:00

Back in June, Pete, mum and I spent two days exploring the BBC Good Food Show and the BBC Gardeners' World Live Show at the NEC. Buying a ticket for one automatically gives you entry into the other, which makes it a great value day out as there is plenty to cover in both shows. I found the food show a little disappointing this year. It seemed smaller than when I visited in June last year, and

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-50199839894656637212011-07-11T07:33:00.001+01:002011-07-11T09:17:44.240+01:00

Popping over to the allotment yesterday to show it to a visiting friend, we harvested a small box of fruit and some pretty borage flowers, for use as a salad garnish. (The lettuce is growing in the kitchen garden at home and is very nice indeed now it's hearting up, meaning lots more crunch). Fruit wise, we picked raspberries, tayberries and blackcurrants plus about 5 gooseberries that the

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-57190798981108459662011-07-10T07:14:00.000+01:002011-07-10T07:14:00.836+01:00

I'm afraid I didn't think much of the BBC Good Food Show (Summer) this year. Compared to last year, there seemed to be far less of the smaller, artisanal producers that I remember coming across last year and less exhibitors over all. There were, of course, a few stalls that I enjoyed visiting. Nougalicious were selling a few different flavours of nougat, imported from France in huge blocks,

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-9703750108827586072011-07-09T08:50:00.007+01:002011-07-09T11:36:24.918+01:00

Then I know you aren't all fellow history graduates, and didn't necessarily study the history of the East India Company, but I'm sure you'll have heard of it. In its very long history, it's also been referred to as the East India Trading Company, the English East India Company and the British East India Company. Elizabeth 1 granted the Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-50787748875921562152011-07-06T07:04:00.009+01:002011-07-29T18:26:04.816+01:00

A few weeks back, three bloggers spent a happy evening with Gaggia learning about their coffee and ice cream machines. Following on from that, they loaned us an ice cream machine each. So, for a few weeks, I have a beautiful big Gaggia to play with, as does my chocolate blog friend, Dom. Dom and I feel a keen duty to make as much ice cream as we possibly can so what better way than to hold an

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-84430769371169826162011-07-03T07:34:00.005+01:002011-07-09T11:59:11.008+01:00

Like many others, I was invited to cook some of the meals from the Sainsbury's Feed Your Family For £50 meal plan which purports to provide 3 meals a day for 7 days, for a family of four. Of course, I don't have a family of four and would not have stuck to it exactly even if I had (I had food already in the house and meals out already booked into the diary). So my evaluation isn't complete, by

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-39987281249475600132011-07-01T07:11:00.007+01:002011-10-20T09:29:14.197+01:00

I remember reading about the beautiful rooms at the Fox & Anchor when they first opened, a few years ago. I no longer recall which travel magazine or supplement featured them, perhaps more than one, but I do remember being drawn by the modern styling and funky bath tubs. I've tried twice in the last few years to book a room, but I left it to the last-minute and they were fully booked both times.

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-22522249649157009812011-06-27T07:22:00.002+01:002011-07-19T10:53:50.062+01:00

I've been thinking about this question recently, not least because I was sent two different burgers to review, and I was also asked what my ultimate burger would be by Donald Russell. Broadly, there are three aspects to a burger – the meat patty, the bun and the various condiments served inside or with it. The Patty This is a contentious one, especially with my friends across the pond,

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-64441129799981344072011-06-25T07:38:00.000+01:002011-06-25T07:38:00.226+01:00

Continuing my journey through my last box of goodies from AlesByMail, we reach Oxfordshire Ales – a microbrewery based in the wonderfully named village of Marsh Gibbon. They produce a fairly small range of traditional ales, and here we have their entire bottled range. First up is Triple B, a 3.7% session beer. A deep amber colour, with a fine-bubbled, velvety-looking lingering head. In the

Pete Favellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06118087223604691014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-90207889628651382252011-06-23T07:14:00.011+01:002011-06-23T09:55:31.204+01:00

We had a marvellous fortnight in Lebanon, as will already be clear from my recent posts about the overall trip and our day with Abu Kassem. After our Taste Lebanon tour was over, Pete and I stayed on in Beirut for 3 extra days, basing ourselves at The Phoenicia hotel, part of the InterContintental group. About The Phoenicia It was during Lebanon's golden era in the 1950s and '60s that

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-15681692234011290942011-06-21T07:29:00.001+01:002011-10-22T16:03:26.873+01:00

In May, we ran the first Mamta's Kitchen cookery class, teaching three eager students more than 14 different recipes during a long but successful day. That class was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mamta's Kitchen , and also the milestone of over 7 million visits. And we donated over £200 to the Khushboo Welfare Society too. Now we're ready to offer further classes covering "An Indian Meal"

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-14864316031432004932011-06-19T07:43:00.001+01:002011-10-20T09:21:41.472+01:00

Living as we do in the boonies of NW London, Whole Foods in Kensington High Street is quite a trek, so not a regular shopping destination for me. Which is a shame, because it's an utterly amazing place with all kinds of food and drink temptations. I could spend hours and hours and hours and hours in there! Pete and I recently made our way to the flagship store (the American chain now has five

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-86092578584591628912011-06-17T07:03:00.002+01:002011-06-17T07:03:00.169+01:00

Paul A Young has opened a new store in Soho. This is good news. Actually this is great news. Actually this is bloody fantastic news! Why? Because, for me, Soho is a lot more convenient than either his Islington Camden Passage or Bank locations. Which means more fabulous Paul A Young chocolate in my life! (OK, the only bit of not so good news is the impact this will have on my bank

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6906094186818408331.post-44603836649413578412011-06-16T07:58:00.002+01:002011-06-16T09:28:07.161+01:00

As I posted last month, I'm one of the bloggers on the judging panel for the Tesco Real Food Challenge, looking for the nation's best real food cooks. I've been partnered with Jamie Theakston on the Talk & Fork category, for which we're looking for casual and easy meals that can be eaten with just a fork, relaxing on the sofa with friends or family or in front of the TV. Click here to read my

Kaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16662875905365870280noreply@blogger.com4