It’s amazing how many blog posts I’ve still left to write from our short trip to Dorset at the end of May. I’ve already blogged the foraging course around which the weekend away was arranged, our meal at Hix Oyster & Fish House, another at The Wild Garlic and even shared what we cooked with ... Read more »
Dorset’s Finest: The Wild Garlic
After screaming in delight at the telly when Mat Follas won Masterchef 2009 my friends and I had a fantastic meal at his new restaurant, The Wild Garlic, during our summer holiday in Dorset last year. Mat also kindly gave me an interview, which remains one of the most popular posts on my blog to ... Read more »
Hix Oyster & Fish House, Lyme Regis, Dorset
West Dorset has become a place of pilgrimage for food lovers. Not only is it a land of abundance, with wild garlic growing… well, wild… along the verges and dairy cows mooing in delight over the lush green grass, it offers a fabulous selection of top class eating experiences of which we sampled only a ... Read more »
Blankety Blanc: Raymond Fails To Fill In The Blanks
When I read, in Richard Vines’ food news round up, that Raymond Blanc was opening a branch of his Brasserie Blanc chain in London, and that there was a 50% soft opening discount being offered, I thought it would be a good chance to reassess the chain after my previous visit to the Bristol branch. ... Read more »
Boneless Leg of Lamb Braised in Red Wine With Garlic
Anyone who’s visited Niamh (eatlikeagirl)’s stall at the Covent Garden Real Food Market over the last couple of months may well have salivated over her delicious slow-roasted pork or lamb served in home-made blaas (bread buns) with home-made condiments. Recently, she’s resolved her meat sourcing difficulties by turning to online farmer’s market, Paganum, purveyor of ... Read more »
Pierre Koffmann’s Pop-Up Restaurant at Selfridges
When I first heard about Pierre Koffmann’s pop-up restaurant I was very excited! Koffmann is a living legend and, as part of the London Restaurant Festival, he is running a restaurant on the roof of Selfridges. Having never dined at La Tante Claire, I was really keen not to miss out. Unfortunately, the festival week ... Read more »
Ming the Masterchef: Mat Follas @ The Wild Garlic (Part 2)
A review of our evening at Mat Follas’ The Wild Garlic in Beaminster is long overdue. For those champing at the bit for feedback on the meal, it was lovely. Food, service, ambience… everything came together to create a wonderful evening which everyone in our party very much appreciated. The Wild Garlic, Beaminster The Wild ... Read more »
Restaurant Review: Brasserie Blanc, Bristol
Having enjoyed such a magnificent meal at Bell’s Diner the evening before, it was really hard to assess our meal the following night, at Brasserie Blanc, objectively. It suffered in comparison. Which is a shame as it’s the kind of relaxed, straightforward French brasserie that we’d probably appreciate more without that juxtaposition. The brasserie is ... Read more »
Une Belle Soirée at Bell’s Diner (Bristol)
On Friday evening, I enjoyed the best meal of my year so far. And it was in a restaurant I’d not even heard of 48 hours previously! Having finally decided on a destination for our celebratory weekend away on Thursday morning, I booked us a posh room at the Bristol Hotel Du Vin and then ... Read more »
Ming the Masterchef: Mat Follas @ The Wild Garlic (Part 1)
Despite the inconsistency of the judging, the clearly unrepresentative editing (even before I read accounts from contestants), the nauseating sexualisation of desserts by one of the judges and the bizaare nature of some of the tests, I rather enjoyed Masterchef 2009. There’s much I’d love to change about the format, mind, but I enjoyed it ... Read more »