Swedish islands, Bloomsbury artists and pecan granola

October 14 2024

Tim Spector’s cinnamon pecan granola with yoghurt and poached quince

Introduction

I have broken my self-imposed editorial policy and included something from the Daily Mail. It’s Tim Spector’s new Food for Life cookbook. I am not into paying a lot of money for a Zoe app, Zoe shots or Zoe sprinkles but I do believe that his team’s research into the importance of the gut microbiome is groundbreaking and I’ve ordered the book. His recent Desert Island Discs was also fascinating.

I made the cinnamon pecan granola, with almond butter for a bargain price at Lidl, their nut and seed mix and their pecan nuts. I missed out the chia seeds as I don’t like them. I know this is not an exciting photo, food styling not being one of my key skills and it being early in the morning for me.

I also made Diana Henry’s lamb, fig and bulgur pilaf with feta and pistachios with some lamb steaks I bought specially from her three flavour-packed one-pot dinners in the Telegraph which was so good, I will repeat when I have leftover lamb.

Diana Henry’s lamb, fig and bulgur pilaf with feta and pistachios

The other recipes were ginger-miso roast pumpkin and mushrooms with spinach and black sesame, and chicken with apricots, rosemary and green olives.

Last week, I went to the Van Gogh Poets and Lovers exhibition at the National Gallery and it was so crowded, I couldn’t see a lot,  it made me anxious and put me off going to blockbuster exhibitions in London. Alternatively,I would wait to book until the earliest possible morning tickets were available, and whizz through to the last room first. Any other tips, do let me know in the comments.

In the Culture section of the Times there was an article about two new art exhibitions of Bloomsbury Artists. Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour will be at the MK Gallery in Milton Keynes, with more than 120 paintings, sketches, screens, fans, stools, plates and teapots. I don’t think Ive been to Milton Keynes for years but it’s only 32 minutes by rail from Euston if you chose your train judiciously and then a 25 minute walk to the gallery. At the Pallant Gallery in Chichester, there’s Dora Carrington: Beyond Bloomsbury . I’m going to try and see both of them.

Books  

It’s all a bit male TV chef this week although I do have a soft spot for Rick Stein.

 The Food for Life Cookbook by Tim Spector

in the Daily Mail with his six key principles for eating well recipes and nine recipes including cashew cream green curry, cinnamon pecan granola, a lentil aubergine parmigiana and red pepper quinoa salad

 Simply Jamie: Fast & Simple Food by Jamie Oliver

in the Times with seven simple traybake recipes including  Gochujang chicken noodle traybake, gnarly lamb Madras traybake and roasted Med veg and feta traybake, made with frozen vegetables. 

The Hairy Bikers: Our Family Favourites by Si King and Dave Myers,

in the Times, the last book they were working on before Dave Myers died with an interview here with Si King and recipes including Thai pot-roast chicken and sausage and tortellini in brodo.

Rick Stein’s Food Stories by Rick Stein

in the Independent with recipes for cheese, potato and spinach filo pie and tattie scones with smoked salmon and beetroot

Restaurants

In the FT, Tim Hayward went to the Ritz in London W1 with Marina O’Loughlin, following David Ellis last week and fell back in love with fine dining.  He wrote 'every course was faultless, not a beat was missed. The menu comprised mainly ancient classics, but the invisible kitchen brigade reimagined each, fresh and bright… in one of the most sumptuous dining rooms in London,

In the Guardian, Grace Dent was the latest critic to go to at Café François in Borough Market in London SE1, raved about the French food and proclaimed ‘this is less a casual cafe than a new London landmark.’

In the Observer, Jay Rayner was in Exeter at the Stage, liked it and wrote, the coolly talented young team at Stage in Exeter are clearly ambitious, but I very much hope they are able to live as deeply in the present tense as possible.’

In the Standard, David Ellis was at Daquise, an old Polish restaurant in South Kensington which he liked but TfL want to redevelop. I went a few years ago now and thought the best thing  about it was that it was above the tube line home. 

In the Sunday Times, Charlotte Ivers went to the Roxburgh in Whitley Bay for a ten course tasting menu with Lord Parkinson. He’s a Tory peer who I had never heard of and I wasn’t interested.

In the Telegraph, William Sitwell reviewed Olivier at The Chequers in Aston Tirrold in Oxfordshire where the chef has changed but there is ‘ a seriously wonderful wine list’ and the food was good.

In the Times, Giles Coren was at Ambassadors’ Clubhouse in London W1and ‘the food was great.’

Travel

Sweden’s new island-hopping trail on Stockholm’s archipelago in the Guardian. It’s a joy in summer and there’s a launch of a new trail linking 21 islands.

Europe 

Where to stay in Milan in the Telegraph; a guide to the best areas and neighbourhoods and a guide to Rome in the Standard

The European cities you’d never thought to visit (but really should) in the Telegraph including Vicenza, Trieste, Menton, Perpignan and Ghent.

Graz in Austria in the Times for a city break and Zell am Zee in the Austrain Alps for a summer lakeside and mountaineering holiday in the Guardian

Do please like this post to make it more visible.

Reading the papers

People ask me how I read all the papers. I believe in paying for quality journalism and my husband and I have digital subscriptions to the Times and to the Telegraph. Sometimes my husband buys a Times on Saturdays or I buy a Guardian and I buy the Observer when it’s Observer Food Monthly. Otherwise I rely on what’s online, and on Twitter and Instagram. And occasionally, I ask a friend to save an article for me.

The Times gives you two free articles a week as a registered user and the Telegraph gives you access to one free article each week if you register an account. The FT gives a certain number of free articles

Local public libraries often have Pressreader which gives access to over 7,000 newspapers world wide for free or you can subscribe to it.

Sometimes, I use the recipes for inspiration. If they are from a cookbook, they may be in other publications as well for publicity, and you may find them or a similar version through a quick Google.