Posts by Tom Johnston

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…

During my Royal Mile Tours for guests of the Edinburgh Festival Guides Association in August, I pose a question. How many individual performances were there in festivals in the city in the previous month of August? The answers are always wildly out: the only person who ever got close was a lady who thought she…

Today finds us comfortably ensconced in Ravenna, the eastern town, and sometime capital, of Emilia Romagna. Very happily ensconced, it must be said. L’s researches have found for us a second floor apartment with large balcony, ten minutes from the city centre. While the website pictures will show you the accommodation, I would suggest that…

This is a new feature. As you know we have interviewed numerous chefs over the years, but this is the first time we’ve turned the spotlight on a sommelier. For many years I was a little suspicious, not to say fearful, of the breed. I have now encountered enough of them to make me realise…