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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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Unveiled: the terrific 2026 MFDF Awards shortlist – cast your votes now

Check out who is up for a gong in the 2026 MFDF Awards. The shortlists have been announced and there's so much to get your teeth into
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In Seef hands again – the working class Antwerp beer that simply evaporated

What could be more authentically working class than an entire neighbourhood named after a beer? Seefhoek has kept its gritty character against the forces  of gentrification decades after Seef, its iconic foaming raison d’etre, was consigned…
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Celebrating Mexican Independence Day with Santiago Lastra’s goosegog salsa

Gooseberries replace tomatillos in the classic Mexican salsa, according to the gospel of Santiago Lastra. I pair it with oxtail
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Northumbrian spirit – Ad Gefrin matches pioneering whisky with ancient treasures

Whisky tasting and Anglo-Saxon culture combine in the must-visit Northumbrian attraction Ad Gefrin

Your vote counts for everything as MFDF announces 2021 Awards shortlist

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Much has been made of the North’s dominance in the National Restaurant Awards announced this week with four out of the five best establishments up here and 16 in the top 40. Manchester only contributed two, both in Ancoats – Mana at number 11 and Erst, just along Murray Street, at 47.  A truer reflection […]

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Best Palo Cortado I’ve ever tasted? What food matches do it justice?

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Sometimes a wine comes along that makes you re-think a neglected old favourite. That’s the case with Cayetano del Pino Palo Cortado Solera. It has been the subject of rave reviews on The Wine Society website but was I going to fork out even £15.50 for the least definable of sherry styles? Yet I have […]

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Saluting Jöro and the Fat Cat on Sheffield’s paradise Island

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Summer 2021 marks two milestones in the post-industrial bubble that is Kelham Island. Cutting edge restaurant Jöro has expanded beyond its upcycled shipping container base to open a four-room boutique hotel nearby, complete with chef’s table, while the homely pub at the heart of this buzzing urban community is celebrating 40 years of just being […]

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Some rum spots I’ve been in… now bring on its Manchester festival

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Hard to credit now but back in December 2019 Saint Lucia was the last foreign country I visited – before Covid turned the world upside down. There I consolidated my passion for rum. It will be consummated once again on Saturday, August 28 when Manchester Rum Festival makes its belated return. Among the many treasures […]

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Oh for a jolly gelato weekend as Festa Italiana returns

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What’s Italian for après le déluge? What I recall of the last Festa Italiana in 2019 was struggling out of sodden summer wear after some very non-Med weather drenched Cathedral Square. I’d have happily braved rain squalls in 2020 if Manchester’s most family friendly food event could have gone ahead, but that pesky pandemic played […]

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Speak In Code is back on track, with some cracking cocktails

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Two years ago I discovered the leftfield cocktail bar of my dreams and alerted the world to its marvels. It felt like being kidnapped into a playground of flavours and aromas hosted by some Avengers mixology squad in their commitedly vegan hideaway. That seems a bizarre galaxy away. I’m naturally tremulous on my post-lockdown return […]

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The Corn Exchange Rosé blooms far from its biodynamic roots

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So you think you know what Provencal rosé is all about? At the pale end of pale pink, ripe fruit with (you hope) some fresh acidity and a dry aftertaste? There will be a wide price range but a reassuring homogeneity, especially when chilled to within an inch of its roseate existence.  Every summer now […]

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The Freemasons at Wiswell: Surely the best value set lunch around?

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There’s a fascinating interview in hospitality bible The Staff Canteen, where chef/patron Steven Smith explains how he has adapted The Freemasons at Wiswell for these difficult staffing times.  We hadn’t read it when we rolled up for lunch at this exemplary gastropub on the fringes of the Ribble Valley. In retrospect it gives a valuable […]

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