I roam, grow my own, brave the kitchen heat and know my woozy way around a wine list. Welcome to my (very personal) world of food and drink…
After years of journalistic hyper-activity, lockdowns made me reassess the food and drink I really care about. Refreshed and unrestrained, I started this. Call it a blog if you must, it’s certainly a change of direction. Less about me, more the discoveries I want to share. Read more…
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Neil Sowerby2026-10-14 14:56:182026-10-20 10:44:23Unveiled: the terrific 2026 MFDF Awards shortlist – cast your votes now
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Neil Sowerby2026-09-18 18:55:272026-09-22 14:43:42In Seef hands again – the working class Antwerp beer that simply evaporated
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Neil Sowerby2026-09-15 18:10:182026-09-22 17:26:29Celebrating Mexican Independence Day with Santiago Lastra’s goosegog salsa
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Neil Sowerby2026-08-24 15:36:352026-09-22 17:41:36Northumbrian spirit – Ad Gefrin matches pioneering whisky with ancient treasures
Flawd rises as sea buckthorn and saumur champigny share the waterfront
In the week that Noma belatedly gained a third Michelin star after years of accolades for transforming the way we look at the food on our plate and how we source the raw materials it seems entirely of the moment to be talking low intervention wines with one of its alumni. No, not on the […]
Txuleton and padron pair up for Baratxuri/Levanter al fresco feast
As I pen this al fresco appreciation of conjoined Ramsbottom restaurants Levanter and Baratxuri, both are preparing to re-open inside for the first time in many months. More choices again. Inside or out? It was difficult enough pre-Pandemic to pick which of the Botham family’s Iberian destinations to drop in on. Latterly (it’s only relative) […]
Getaria – heady Basque mix of woodsmoke and wild turbot
Chewing the fat, not literally, on a dinner date with a fellow food critic (her review bosses were paying) we inevitably strayed into the territory of ‘What’s been your most memorable meal?’, knowing on both sides of the table there had been plenty of contenders over the years. Memorable can mean many things, of course, […]
Ta-ta taties! But is celeriac in colcannon complete sacrilege?
I ought to be reassured by Richard Corrigan writing “there’s no such thing as a recipe for colcannon really,” but all he’s doing in The Clatter of Forks and Spoons is dismissing the need for exact measurements or debating whether you can substitute kale for Savoy cabbage. The great chef is not jettisoning the spuds, […]
Aarhus – city of sliding penguins, rainbows and Iron age sacrifice
If you call a harbourside housing complex Isbjerget, ‘The Iceberg’, you must expect penguins to take advantage of its steeply sloping rooftops. Sliding, somersaulting, eventually discovering super powers to rocket into the grey waters off Aarhus. The place is strong in architecture, the final frontier being the redundant dockland of Denmark’s vibrant second city. So […]
Brewer Dan fuels the Spice Odyssey as Bundobust Brewery finally takes off
Time was there used to be a new brewery opening every month in Manchester with cosy taprooms hard on their heels. That torrent of craft has slowed to a trickle with the emphasis now on established operations upsizing to bigger premises. Track are shifting up to Piccadilly Trading Estate opposite Cloudwater while both Beatnikz Republic […]
Five Manchester Food and Drink Festival star turns to sink your teeth into
The Manchester Food and Drink Festival kicks off on Thursday, September 16 with the full raucous backing at the Cathedral Gardens Hub of Mr Wilson’s Secondliners (above). As usual the Festival is packed with events and should profit from a huge public appetite for some kind of tasty ‘new normal’. Here is my choice of […]
Featherblade – the official steak secret of Kala success
I love the shaded downstairs bar at Kala in Manchester. It’s a place of assignation. You just slip in off King Street and slide onto a tall stool. Open a copy of The Times at the obituaries section to signal you are here to the swarthy man in the Crombie three seats away. There is information to […]