I’ve been meaning to visit Heaney’s for nigh on four years! We moved from London to Abergavenny at the start of 2019 and Heaney’s (in Cardiff’s Pontcanna neighbourhood) opened only 4 months earlier. It had gained a great reputation already and went straight onto my wish list to visit. Offering only a tasting menu though, ... Read more »
Lebkuchen are one of my favourite festive biscuits; German Christmas-time cookies redolent with ginger and mixed spices. This recipe from Mark Diacono’s Spice: A Cook’s Companion is a delight, easy to follow and so good it needs to be enjoyed throughout the year! Read our full review of Spice: A Cook’s Companion by Mark Diacono and you ... Read more »
José Pizarro’s Pan-fried chicken with Pimentón de la Vera is a fabulous way to enjoy smoked paprika (named for the place it’s produced, a county in Spain’s Extremadura region). It’s a wonderfully simple recipe too. Good quality hot smoked paprika makes a difference here, as it provides the key flavour. This recipe is from Spice: ... Read more »
Having come to caraway late in life, we’re now making up for lost time by seeking out recipes that really show off this lovely spice. In his book, Spice: A Cook’s Companion Mark describes Caraway’s flavour as “a cross between cumin and thyme, with a nudge of orange peel, mint and aniseed” and we could ... Read more »
In his previous book Herb: A Cook’s Companion, Mark Diacono wove together detailed advice on growing your own herbs (and handling store bought), with a selection of recipes that show off those herbs beautifully. In Spice: A Cook’s Companion he provides advice on how to source and blend spices well, and how to make the ... Read more »
This bright and colourful Javanese lamb curry recipe is from from Norman Musa’s Bowlful cookbook. He adapted it from Tongseng, a well-known Javanese dish but his version uses pointed cabbage as the sweetest and mildest type, and also ups the amount of cabbage used, providing a healthy balance of protein to vegetables. Freshness from the tomatoes ... Read more »
This fragrant and flavoursome Indonesian chicken curry is a must for anyone who loves the flavours of a rendang but favours a wetter version. It’s quick to cook too, as the liquid ingredients don’t need to be reduced as much as they do in a traditional dry rendang. The recipe comes from Bowlful by Norman Musa. ... Read more »
Chicken Adobo is one of the most iconic dishes of the Philippines, indeed many Filipinos consider it their national dish. This recipe from Bowlful by Norman Musa creates a delicious sauce for juicy chicken thighs that features soy sauce, vinegar, and crushed black peppercorns. Read our in-depth review of Bowlful by Norman Musa. As simple ... Read more »
Often I choose books that focus on a single cuisine but in the case of Bowlful by Norman Musa, I was drawn in by the promise of fresh and vibrant dishes from across Southeast Asia. Born in Penang, Malaysia, experienced chef and author Musa has spent much of his life exploring the cultures and cuisines ... Read more »
I adore good quality tea! I’ve enjoyed some incredible teas from China, Japan, and Taiwan but hadn’t come across many teas from South Korea available for purchase in the UK, and so hadn’t appreciated the long and respected history that tea has in Korea until I visited Boseong, a key tea-producing county in South Korea’s ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]