Posts by Tom Johnston

Noble Rot. (Botrytis Cinerea to the classicists.) Is it a mould? Does it sell wine? A small group of restaurants, perhaps? Or even a magazine? Well as many of you may know, it’s all four. In viniculture, in the right climate combination, grapes can develop this fungus. It penetrates the grape skin, causing water to…

Well, probably not, but I was listening to Paul Simon quite recently, which may or may not have inspired this. The onion must be the most frequently used ingredient in cooking. (I had a friend of a friend who had an allergy. Lord knows how she coped.) They form the basis of countless soups, sauces,…

Today we welcome back our very own resident wine expert Diana Thompson. Diana’s ludicrously hectic schedule prevents these columns from being as frequent as we both would like, but it’s great to hear from her again. It was from her newsletter that I discovered that last week, October 23 to be precise, was World Champagne…

Single versus double; sour; fresh; sweet and heavy; clotted. Oh, and buttermilk. Have you ever paused to give any of these a moment’s thought? And if so, have you found yourself confused? It may seem an odd topic for today’s article, given that L has an allergy/intolerance. (Would someone with the appropriate knowledge remind me…

Of late my stated aim of one in, one out when it comes to cook books has failed. Never mind. Here are three which have arrived on the shelves recently. The first is something of a classic. In a fairly recent review of chefs choosing their favourite books, this featured frequently. The original first appeared…

Yes, I know the fellow Keats got there first (though his title is simply To Autumn). Odeless, one might say. But for all his talents, I don’t think culinary skills were among them. Dying at 25, I don’t suppose he got the chance to learn how to make a good risotto. But I shall ode: I shall…

Our last week in Italy. Their food is simple, but sometimes deceptively so. Let’s consider one of the great, classic dishes and how to make it better. I have eaten a few phenomenal risottos while I’ve been here. They are silky; they are creamy; they have bite. They are fabulous. I wouldn’t pretend to know…

So, what do we know about gnocchi? Pasta’s lumpy cousin? Well, they’re usually made with potato and they’ve been around since Roman times. Actually both true, but pause to consider that impossible juxtaposition. We know that the potato has been in Europe for a mere 400 years or so (see P is for Potato from…