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
Review: Five course Gourmet Menu at Northcote
Last October at home prepping up my Northcote Autumn Gourmet Box I wore the apron that was the legacy of a 2014 Cookery School experience there (I buggered up the Beef Wellington, as I recall). I’ve a soft spot for the place, love the Obsessions festival every January that has brought a global smorgasbord of […]
Anchovy is of the essence – Garum, Colatura d’alici and Nam Pla
I noticed recently Mana was advertising for a ‘Chef of Fermentation’. That’s quite a specific job title in a hospitality marketplace that’s struggling to find sous chefs and KPs. But when you’re on a mission to net that second Michelin star it’s best to stay true to your culinary direction and gut feelings (sic). Garum […]
My Italian Food Trail: Cotechino
What do the composer of the William Tell Overture and a Liverpool charcutier trained in South West France have in common? A love of Cotechino. No, not the name of some cynical Juventus centre back but the most amazing poaching sausage I’ve left it far too long to discover. Bel Canto maestro Gioachino Rossini was […]
Tree spinach – one giant leap forward for my Mexican kitchen magic?
Why have I allowed an invasive native of the Yucatan peninsula into my kitchen? The immediate answer is the thunderstorm outside. It’s freaking out our chihuahua (fellow Mexican), who is cowering in a corner, while I’m equally frightened our new Chaya plant (also known as Tree Spinach) will be devastated if left out in the […]
Denver, America’s capital of craft beer and legal highs
I am eating one of those banh mi Vietnamese baguettes, with a dip of pho broth on the side. The spice goes surprisingly well with a Denver Pale Ale from Hogshead brewery – a neighbourhood homage to English cask beer. Soundtrack is the Black Keys in glam stomp mode; staff serving sushi, pizza and Venezuelan […]
Review: Norma, London
Norma, Ben Tish’s love letter to Sicilian food in Fitzrovia, reopened on May 17. This restaurant hosted the last meal I ate in London before lockdown. It was in the company of a dear friend and former colleague, Sarah Hughes, who died this April from the cancer she had endured for so long. We shared […]
Truffles aren’t to be trifled with – my transatlantic quest
One of my early lockdown treats, my alternative to baking banana bread and sourdough (or hoarding more loo rolls than my neighbours) was to order a small sample of English truffle from The Wiltshire Truffle Company, shaving the precious tuber into scrambled eggs, its heady aroma permeating the kitchen. Since when I’ve moved onto more […]
Yucatán is going to be my ultimate foodie hideaway. Read all about it!
Yucatán or Oaxaca? Oaxaca or Yucatán? It’s a heavyweight contest. Celebrations of particular cuisines don’t come more comprehensive – and gloriously well illustrated – than two monumental, magisterial love letters to regional Mexico by David Sterling and Diana Kennedy. Sterling’s Yucatán: Recipes From A Culinary Expedition and Kennedy’s Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy together […]