Eat Amatriciana for Amatrice First Published on this website 25 August 2016 – TEN YEARS AGO By now, many of us will have seen the devastation caused by the earthquake in Central Italy this week. The epicentre was close to the town of Amatrice. It’s famous for the Amatriciana pasta sauce central to Roman cuisine. To add insult to injury, Amatrice …
Piper Hole Dairy Goat Farm – Organic Goat Cheese
Piper Hole Dairy Goat Farm – Organic Goat Cheese It was shortly after moving to Cumbria when I first came across Piper Hole Dairy Goat Farm. That was in a book published in 2022, written by Amy Bateman, called Forty Farms. This award-winning book has since become a best-seller and the subject of a number of exhibitions in the UK. …
Carlo Petrini – Be More Carlo
Carlo Petrini – Be More Carlo On May 21 2026, in the town of Bra (Piemonte, Italy, where he was born), Carlo Petrini died at the age of 76. Who was Carlo Petrini? Carlo Petrini was an Italian writer and activist. He founded what became the Slow Food movement in 1986 and was President until 2022. Subsequently, he also established …
Vegetarian Haggis – It’s Not so Offal
Vegetarian Haggis – It’s Not so Offal Vegetarian Haggis? A contradiction in terms. Hold on, not so fast. In the early 1990s, while staying in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh, we happened by chance on Macsween’s butcher’s shop. It was there that the late John Macsween built his reputation as a premier Haggis maker. On entering, we discovered his Vegetarian …
Ben Ryé Meets Westmorland Pepper Cake for WOTY 25
Ben Ryé Meets Westmorland Pepper Cake for WOTY 2025 Welcome to the Wine Alchemy Wine of the Year (WOTY) award for 2025. This year, it is also part of the occasional series that pairs Wine with Cake. This year’s WOTY is Ben Ryé, one of the world’s greatest sweet wines, and a true masterpiece. Here it pairs with Westmorland Pepper …
Marmite Brussels Sprouts Recipe
Marmite Brussels Sprouts Recipe Following quickly on from the recently republished memoir on Brussels Sprouts, it was high time they returned in a new article. This time, they feature in a simple, quick recipe combined with Marmite. Wow, two favourite food items together at last! Marmite Brussels Sprouts is a wonderful festive combination of two ingredients that people either love …
Brussels sprouts – my melancholy memoir
Brussels sprouts – my melancholy memoir Given that it’s Christmas-tide, it’s time to visit Brussels sprouts. Their incredible history intertwines with mine. On arrival We arrived late one autumn Sunday afternoon after a seemingly interminable journey. As we got out of the car in Potton market square, we were assaulted by a pervasive sulphurous stench. Later, I would come to recognise …
Mulled Wine – Spice Yourself Up This Christmas
Mulled Wine – Spice Yourself Up This Christmas Mulled wine. It’s such a Christmas tradition, just like cards, trees and gift-giving. It’s a warming drink with a long history that’s made a welcome comeback in modern times. Sometimes known as spiced wine, it’s always served hot, whether indoors or outside, for example, at the European Christmas markets that have become …
Kendal Farmers Market – Retailer of the Year Award 2025
Kendal Farmers Market – Retailer of the Year Award 2025 Since moving to Cumbria in 2021, I’ve been raving about Kendal Farmers Market, a vibrant part of Cumbria’s vibrant culinary community. In short, it’s the best Farmers Market I’ve ever attended in the UK, of which there are now 500-600 examples. And, as Farmers Markets and Farm Shops have long …
Seasonal Eating: soon time for Samphire
Seasonal Eating: Soon time for Samphire I am blessed to have a Fishmonger who turns up weekly at the local market. During the season, he includes a handful of emerald green samphires for free. In Britain, Samphire grows naturally in muddy salt-water marshes and estuaries around the coast. It’s a seasonal delicacy, at its best from May onwards until September. …