All Things Considered

Underground Restaurants
Posted by Kate Sullivan

What a brilliant idea - first 'Secret Cinema' and now 'Underground Restaurants.'

I was alerted to the rising new trend of cool eating establishments by Le Cool, the weekly magazine that arrives in your inbox, who, in-turn, sourced it from the Guardian. Read the article here.

In short, various domestic cooks are turning their homes into ever-so-slightly illegal eating establishments. Apparently, this movement is happening all around the world.

MsMarmitelover (author of entertaining food blog 'The English Can Cook') recently turned her spacious London flat into a restaurant. It was a success, so she's now opening her doors every Saturday night. MsMarmitelover serves almost vegetarian food (fish is allowed) and three courses will cost just £15.

Posted by Kate Sullivan on March 14th, 2009

Jake Tilson
Posted by Simon Lewin

An evening spent with Tilson's "A Tale of 12 Kitchens" reminded me about his "3 Found Fonts" project, an inspiring record of a journey combining photography, travel, collected ephemera and fonts. You can get a flavour of his work in this Independence Lunch PDF download.

Posted by Simon Lewin on February 23rd, 2009

Whisky Galore
Posted by Simon Lewin

About half way through our time at The Bankside and I'm looking forward to a trip north to the Highlands. We're lucky enough to spend part of our year in a region that's home to some of the best single malts you could hope to sample, just about equidistant from Cragganmore and Aberlour. All very tempting. (PS... if you ever come across a copy of Tom Eckersley's poster below, PLEASE let me know).

Posted by Simon Lewin on February 8th, 2009

Good night…
Posted by Simon Lewin

... in more ways than one.

Thanks to everyone who braved London's worst snow in 18 years to come to the opening of our St. Jude's In The City exhibition at the Bankside. More on that tomorrow.

We made our way back across the Millennium Bridge, the clock at St. Paul's struck eleven, and shortly after we enjoyed 2 cups of tea and 2 bacon rolls for a total of £3.10 at Ferraris in Smithfield.

Job done.

Posted by Simon Lewin on February 3rd, 2009

The Albannach
Posted by Simon Lewin

Just back from a couple of days on the wild west coast of Scotland. Treated ourselves to a stay at The Albannach which we'd been meaning to try for years. Run by Colin Craig and Lesley Crosfield, it's homely, warm, comfortable and confident.We enjoyed some of the best food we'd tasted in years.

Had a car-free day on Sunday, taking the path north from the hotel to Achmelvich beach (see below).

Back south via Loch Assynt, Ullapool and Inverness to a soundtrack of E.S.T.'s Seven Days Of Falling and lots of Underworld.

Posted by Simon Lewin on December 17th, 2008

River Cottage Store & Canteen
Posted by Simon Lewin

We're just back from a trip to the South West for the opening of Angie's exhibition at Hybrid in Honiton.

Took the the opportunity to try Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Canteen in Axminster. Located at the back of their local produce store, the Canteen showcases food from the South West, open pretty much throughout the day. I guess that knowing so much about HFW and River Cottage from the various TV shows and books, it could potentially have been a disappointment. But no such worries. Great service, friendly staff and very hearty food. I think we would have felt we'd earnt it more if we'd walked round the Golden Cap estate that day, not the day after.

Posted by Simon Lewin on October 19th, 2008

Stiffkey Stores
Posted by Kate Sullivan

I thought I'd have a blog about two North Norfolk coastal hot-spots seeing as they are fresh in my memory after five relatively rain (and pain) free nights happy-camping at Stiffkey

I knew that Stiffkey Stores had changed hands last year and I'd heard very complimentary words about the new owners, Andy and Alice, but I hadn't expected it to be quite so damned attractive. With their stylistic changes, Stiffkey Stores has been transformed into a coffee shop, home wares and gift shop (no tat), book shop, wine shop, post office and grocery store selling lots of local produce. They bake cakes, make delicious tarts and pot up salads ready for take-away picnics. And they don't grumble when I turn up with a good fifteen minutes worth of St. Jude's mail to weigh and stamp. Stiffkey Stores is open seven days a week but I'm unsure of the opening times.

I blogged about Wiveton Cafe last year when it opened towards the end of July. This year it opened in May ready for the bank holiday visitors and  to provide refreshments for punters picking the early varieties of home grown fruit and veg. This year, the cafe has a bigger kitchen with more chefs helping the brilliant Ali Yetman cook with produce grown and reared on the estate - a fabulous example of low food miles. A shop has also been added where you get your picked fruit weighed and where you can buy seasonal produce cooked by Ali in the months the cafe is closed. I can't recommend this place enough for families of all ages who want to relax, eat, pick fruit and savour the beautiful view. For opening times, click here.

Posted by Kate Sullivan on July 7th, 2008

Jones Dairy
Posted by Kate Sullivan

A recent child free weekend in London allowed us not only to walk at a fast pace, covering many miles, but it also meant we selfishly could do just what we wanted - when we wanted to do it.

For me, being in London is like being a kid in a sweet shop – so much to see and do. Confused by this, we started our Saturday by walking to the practically ghost-like street of Columbia Road (the flower market is on a Sunday).

It was just off Columbia Road, along Ezra Street which made we whoop with joy. This café is so brilliant, that I would almost drive from Norfolk every weekend to sit, eat and dream of having my own gaff just like it.

The cafe was an old dairy where once stood eight cows, suppling the raw ingredients for the homemade cheese shop next door. The cows have gone to pastures new but the beautifully antiquated shop with its original fittings still sells cheeses, sourced from dairies around the British Isles and the Netherlands.

Getting back to the café, the food is truly excellent. Eat kippers, homemade yogurt, smoked haddock omelet (I highly recommend), and bacon and eggs all cooked by an ex Moro chef, in a kitchen no bigger than the average sized bathroom.

I guess we were fortunate that we went on a Saturday; I imagine Sunday would be too busy for words. To see the opening times, click here.

Posted by Kate Sullivan on March 13th, 2008

Flippin’ Tasty
Posted by Kate Sullivan

Sugar and lemon or Nutella and bananas? I have to admit to having both, twice, and with ice cream.

February can be a little dull after the joys’ of Christmas and January’s smattering of snow which we couldn’t  even fight with, but Shrove Tuesday is a day of glistening sweetness to cheer us up.

Pancake day (Shrove Tuesday) gained its name, as it was the last opportunity for Christians to use up their eggs and fats before embarking on the forty day fast leading up to Ash Wednesday. I’ve no idea where the pancake flipping frolics came from, but if you
are one of those people who relish sports days and Village Fete’s
physical challenges, then you would probably enjoy the race at Old
Truman Brewery, Brick Lane. Click here for an application form to take part although I fear it may be a little too late for this year. Sorry.

Posted by Kate Sullivan on February 4th, 2008

Mr. Sprout
Posted by Simon Lewin

We’ve been to New York several times now, and the along with iconic sites such as Central Park, the Guggenheim and Grand Central Station, coming across Mr. Sprout in delis and food stores across the city always raises a smile.

I confess that I was slightly concerned what the hotel staff would have thought if they’d discovered us taking this photo on the roof of the hotel. But we got away with it.

I’m a fan of sprouts - always have been - though I realise they’re a vegetable you’ll either love or hate. I remember (but can’t lay my hands on) a Nigel Slater recipe that involved ‘shredding’ as fine as you can and frying with bacon and a bit of butter - resulting in a salty, earthy version of crispy seaweed (well, that’s what I thought at the time).

I should imagine there’s a statistic somewhere claiming that 99% of UK sprout consumption is on Christmas Day, but what a shame if this is the case.

The BBC Food website will tell you all you need to know (and more) about the humble sprout.

Posted by Simon Lewin on December 24th, 2007