A March Miscellany

Unfortunately, my guest contributor who was scheduled to fill this week's Food Producers column has been ill. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. So instead, some food snippets for your information, delectation and delight.

Wild Hearth Bakery, Comrie

You may recall that the other week I mentioned them and their founder, genial Aussie John Castley. John and I were paired as judges in the Scottish Bread Championship at Bowhouse in Fife. As John had been four times Supreme Champion I think the rationale in asking him to judge was simply to give the others a chance.

Anyway, for the first time, Wild Hearth Bakery has featured in the Good Food Guide 50 Best Bakeries 2026. Well deserved.

Sandwiches

Be warned, you lot. Pelters are coming your way on Friday for the second article in the sandwich series. It's not too late to send in your favourites - a measly one response so far - but be quick about it. Which brings me rather neatly to-

Adam Richman Eats Italy

For years I wanted nothing to do with Adam Richman. He used to be the front for the programmes entitled Man v Food. A horrendous spectacle in which a person attempts to devour an obscene amount. The sort of thing for which the American use of the adjective gross is spot on.

Thankfully, he has moved on. Food Network UK and Discovery+ have recently featured a couple of his newer programmes on the UK and Italy. The premise is that he travels around the countries eating regional dishes, ideally in the places where they were first produced. Italy, of course, is ideal. There is no such thing as Italian food, just umpteen regional cuisines, each one more wonderful than the last.

And so many of them have their own local sandwiches. No spoiler alerts, but he has given me a few ideas for Sandwiches Part 3.

Castle Game - But Not As You Know Them

Have you been in your local supermarket to buy garlic recently? Appalling stuff, even in the allegedly superior establishments. (I do my own supermarket shop next door to the heroin factory behind Murrayfield Stadium, but I have tried others.) Top Tip 1: Go to Asian stores.

Or, Top Tip 2: Castle Game. You've heard me sing their praises often enough for the protein. But they now have in stock terrific French onions and garlic. Those of you old enough to remember the French onion sellers who came door to door will be amused to know that the company which produces the garlic is called Les Johnnies de Roscoff.

Masterchef The Professionals

Now I care not a jot about the punters' version. Smug gits exhibiting far too much natural talent, but lacking the training, blood, sweat and tears. And the so called celebrity version? Pah! Firstly, I've never heard of 95% of them. Secondly, I once saw an episode in which one couldn't cook a sausage.

But the pros. That's different. Each year I promise myself that I'll watch only for the skills tests. (You really can learn so much from those.) And then, like a man having been given a free sample of heroin, I'm hooked. The final will be shown tomorrow night. Honest Tom the Bookie is offering these odds.

Gareth 2/5; Luke 2/5; Mark 2/1.

Good luck, guys. You are all amazing.

David McLellan

And finally some sad news. David McLellan, lawyer, music lover, philanthropist, food lover and good friend to this column, died last week. Love and commiserations to Mo and to all of his friends. We shall not see his like again.