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. …
Elderflower Cordial – making the perfect summer drink
Elderflower Cordial – making the perfect summer drink Right now, I can’t think of a more quintessentially British summer drink than Elderflower cordial. The Elder (Sambucus nigra) is in full bloom in summer, so why not do a bit of easy foraging and make Elderflower cordial yourself? It’s swift and easy*. The result is brilliant refreshment when you don’t want …
For Fine Dining Value, Go Back to College
For Fine Dining Value, Go Back To College Last year, I discovered that my local college in Kendal has an excellent training restaurant as part of its Hospitality and Catering department. And it’s open to the public. Given the hospitality industry’s importance to the UK economy and the need to underpin this with professional training, this should have come as …
Le Monde Wine Tasting Dinner in Cumbria
Le Monde Wine Tasting Dinner in Cumbria At a recently held Le Monde wine-tasting dinner in Cumbria, we imagined ourselves in Italy, specifically the area of Friuli known as Friuli Grave. This territory is sandwiched between the Alps to the north, with Venice and the Adriatic coast to the south. It’s an enormous flat plain created over millennia by alluvial …