Why I really love ordering ‘chicken to share’
To break bread or chew the same piece of meat was one of the human race's most primitive acts of companionship. But fast forward to the present and, though we still eat out communally, what’s eaten has often become separate choices on separate plates. Some venues, however, have embraced family-style serving, sending out a large...
Food on a pension: what’s it like to shop, cook and eat when you’re old?
A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing Recently, I 'time travelled' 30 years into my own food future for Radio 4's The Food Programme. I looked at the eating habits of the elderly, and tried to cook while wearing a suit that mimics some...
A chat with Oliver Peyton
Oliver Peyton’s various business endeavors are like little milestones in my life. As a 20-something art student, I wasn’t cool enough to get into the Atlantic Bar which opened in 1994. I spent much of the late 90s boozing in his Mash bar just off London’s Oxford Street. And finally, while writing my book a...
The most heartwarming tale from last year
My latest piece for lovefood.com, a tale, of friendship, good food, and a young family facing tough times. Before Christmas we ran a competition to win £500 worth of le Creuset kitchenware and a years supply of stock from our friends at Knorr. To enter, we asked which one of our tasty recipes you would...
The man who really knows his onions
Like the rest of us, farm manager Tim Pratt stores onions in a cool, dark, dry place… it just happens to be an old WWII aircraft hanger in Suffolk. Take down one of your cookery books from the shelf, pick a savoury recipe at random, and chances are it begins ‘first chop one onion’. Yet onions...
What’s the Future for the Cookbook?
In this app-enabled digital age, what’s the future for the printed cookery book? Well The Food Programme asked me to find out, and it’s a lot more complex than you think. You can read all about my day spent criss-crossing London in search of answers on lovefood.com. You can hear the programme here, or get...
‘Pleased to meet Roux’ my interview with the Roux family
Michel Roux Jr and his uncle Michel Roux talk to lovefood about family, food and feuds in their new TV show, The Roux Legacy. Doing things like this really is the best part of my job. Read more on lovefood.com
How to be a food writer & how to write for the web
Recently we began recruiting a new writer for the editorial jugganaut that is Lovefood.com. When one candidate asked about the team structure I replied ‘how many people do you think there are?’ ‘six?’ came the reply. Wrong, there’s one (me), soon to be two. Much of my time then is spent managing a team of...
Meet the new editor of lovefood.com… me
The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play. Arnold Toynbee Just a quick one to let you know that on the 19th of October I 'got the keys' to Lovefood.com. Which as the apt URL suggests, is a website for people who love food. There’s a mix of recipes from chefs,...