September 18 2022
food to eat, places to go
I’m publishing this a day early as it’s the Queen’s funeral tomorrow. Some regular features in the papers are missing this week, because of ‘events’. I’m in France on holiday and so I won’t be cooking recipes from the papers this week but I did cook Nigel Slater’s grilled plums and a poppyseed crumble with labne before I came away. I am now going to use the crunchy crumble all the time and try it with other fruits.
Travel
UK
The Times has 50 best places to stay this autumn, ten each of best pubs, the best country house hotels, the cottages, romantic weekend away, and log cabins. The Independent also joined in with its selection of the best foodie hotels for a weekend away.
In addition, the pub featured in the Times, the Queens Arms at Corton Denham, sounds good for a weekend break – just ten minutes from Sherborne which is a lovely place to visit.
The Guardian explained four hiking and driving tours in Wales for people who like their food, covering the Marches, Snowdonia, the Teifi Valley for a cheese tour and the coast path from Freshwater West to Carmarthen, including seafood at Angle in Pembrokeshire at Cafe Môr. It was based on a book by Welsh Food Stories by Carwyn Graves.
The Daily Mail gave its choice of the best places to stay in the Cotswolds. A friend of mine once memorably declared that she thought Daylesford was Stepford Wives country and I prefer either Mollies Motel or the Bell at Langford as places to stay. Or do what we often do and stay at Mollies and eat at the Bell at Langford.
Europe
The Guardian had invited readers to recommend their best places in Europe for a city break, and in this case, the comments are useful too. The Times recommended Milan and the Daily Mail, Palermo.
The Telegraph has an article on sleeper trains in Europe with a map of possible routes which thrills me. The Times rounded up the best vineyard stays.
Kate Humble goes to Northern Portugal, right off the beaten track in the Times, and finishing up, there are more Greek islands after last week with the FT in Andros for a gastronomic exploration and the Times in Zakynthos.
Restaurants
In the FT, Tim Hayward went to the Pem for ‘some of the best food in town’ although he said the entrance was hard to find.
In the Guardian, Grace Dent went to the second Bubala that has just opened in Soho after the one in Spitalfields and thought it was thriving with its vegetarian menu.
In the Observer, Jay Rayner went to Hexagone, a French restaurant in Norwich, Norfolk, which sounds wonderful, as well as XO Kitchen which he liked as well.
In the Standard, Jimi Faruewa went to Caia, a wine bar in Notting Hill, London and thought it was one of the year’s best openings.
Recipes
It’s time for autumnal fruit recipes with a honey and apple cake (with whole poached apples running through the sponge) from Honey & Co in the FT, a greengage and almond tart from Ravneet Gill in the Guardian, and recipes for a pickled pear and gorgonzola rarebit and poached pear and mascarpone layered pudding from Ravinder Bhogal. Nigel Slater continued the theme in the Observer with recipes for roast pork ribs with peach salsa, plus roast grapes which are simply cooked with sugar and brandy. He’s also preserving with apricot and rose petal jam, peach chutney, and carrot and beetroot relish. (link to be added later as early publication due to the Queen’s funeral tomorrow)
Ottolenghi made recipes with freekeh, and Noor Murad answered kitchen questions.
Books
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things by Yotam Ottolenghi, Noor Murad and Ottolenghi Test Kitchen
Some lovely recipes from this in the Guardian including one-pot chickpeas with carrots, dates and marinated feta, slow-cooked lamb shoulder with fig and pistachio salsa and coffee mousse with tahini fudge.
India Express: 75 Fresh and Delicious Vegan, Vegetarian and Pescatarian Recipes for Every Day, by Rukmini Iyer
In the Guardian, there are recipes for masala frittata and kitchri, both made with store cupboard ingredients such as potatoes, eggs, lentils, peas – handy ones to remember when there is not much in the cupboard.
Let’s Do Lunch: Quick and Easy Recipes to Brighten up Your Week by Georgia Levy
Speedy delicious lunch recipes in the Times with easy to come by ingredients such as store-cupboard sardine pasta and ‘four perfect egg mayonnaise sandwiches for your lunchbox’.
Black Power Kitchen by Ghetto Gastro’s
It’s described as The Joy of Cooking meets the Bible with a focus on plant based food in the FT.
Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook by Melissa Thompson
With recipes in the Observer including brown stew chicken with rice and peas, Guinness punch pie, and toasted corn fritters with avocado salsa.
This is lovely Kate.