Taking stock

6 January 2024

Introduction

We are assailed by trends, diets and resolutions in all the newspapers at the moment, a lot of them contradictory. Should we have breakfast or fast intermittently, go vegan or eat more protein, walk more steps or does the number matter, be cosy or get out in the fresh air?

I have decided to use up what food is already in the cupboards before buying more and to try and meal plan. These are the same two resolutions that I make every year.

I made Nigel Slater’s date and raisin loaf this morning and the first photo I took of it was frankly unpleasant so I did another one. It tastes delicious, is sturdy enough to go in a pocket for a snack on a walk, and has the virtue of using 150ml of date syrup. I’ve just bought a new jar of date syrup and then I found I already had one in another place. And the cake has prunes in it, and my pack of prunes said use by October 2023. Win, win. So this recipe could go ‘on rotation’ as people who meal plan, might say.

This week I am going to cook Georgina Hayden’s brothy braised chicory and beans from the Guardian which is ‘chilli spice, salty anchovies and bitter chicory’ added to …creamy white beans. I’ll report back next week.

Books

The Glucose Goddess Method by Jessie Inchauspé with recipes including cauliflower salad, peanut broccoli and chickpea peperonata with ribeye steak. She advocates eating your vegetables at the beginning of a meal .

and on the TV

Eat Smart: Secrets Of The Glucose Goddess on Channel 4 at 8pm on January 7 and 14th

Restaurants

The Standard gave its list of high-end affordable restaurants

House and Garden gave its best restaurants in London

London’s best restaurants of 2024 in the FT.

In the FT, Tim Hayward went to Fonda in London W1.

‘Rejoice! A Santiago Lastra restaurant I can get a seat at.’

In the Guardian, Grace Dent went to Juliet in Stroud (and where Tim Hayward from the FT has already been) run by the same people who own the Woolpack in Slad.

‘[It] is seriously worth a schlep to Stroud, but you had better book well in advance. Right now, it seems, the locals are settling in for winter.’

In the Observer, Jay Rayner went to Lucky Yu in Edinburgh

‘an amiable relaxed kind of chaos’

In the Sunday Times, Charlotte Ivers went to Chapel Market Kitchen in London N1 and said it was ‘a gorgeous restaurant on a cold night.’

In the Telegraph, William Sitwell gave his 15 best restaurants of 2024 including the Cotley Inn at Chard, the Blue Pelican at Deal and the Black Horse near Chipping Norton. Comments were pure gold as he engaged with the Telegraph readership.

He also went to the Barbary, in London Notting Hill, W2

for ‘a feasting spread of informal, generous flavour’.

It cost £175 for 2 without drinks or service which seems a bit steep to me for something not Michelin intensive and makes me question which reviews to feature here considering the rate of inflation in restaurant prices. Who can afford this if they are not on expenses or working for a hedge fund?

In the Times, Giles Coren went to Canteen in London W10.

‘It’s basically a smaller, cheaper River Cafe’.

I might change this up a bit and not include everything, only those that are affordable. Let me know.

Travel

UK

In the Telegraph, five lesser-known parts of the UK and why you should visit them this year, Welsh Marches, South-west Northumberland, Inverness, Kent Downs and Norfolk.

Going to the Potteries; the museums and ceramic studios of Stoke-on-Trent. I think it would be a good stop off on the way up or down to the North of England and Scotland in the Guardian

Going on the North Coast 500 trip around the north coast of Scotland in the Telegraph. They call it Britain’s greatest road trip but hearing stories of camper vans nose to tail, and not enough infrastructure as it’s such a success, I’m not so sure. I do think it’s essential to book early as I’ve just looked at going to the West Coast of Scotland, centred around Badachro for a week in May and all the self-catering properties which were not Scandi minimalist style for over £2k a week for two people. were booked up. So it’s postponed.

Europe

The 30 greatest holidays in France for 2025 in the Telegraph, and five overlooked corners of France in the Telegraph although I wouldn’t exactly call Cognac in Charente, Grasse and Aix-en-Provence unknown.

Best interrrail tours in Europe in the Independent

8 of the best city breaks in Italy, including Florence, Bari in Puglia and coastal Cagliari in Sardinia in the Independent. And then

Travelling by vintage diesel train in Italy in the Independent and overlooked corners of Italy in the Telegraph such as Ascoli Piceno, Gorizia and the Valtellina and Sardinia in the Times.

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.

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.