Bread and Butter Pudding

The Milkmaid by Vermeer In this country we’re not too inventive with bread once it’s past its best. On the continent they’re much more creative, though it does help if you are in a country rich with good quality oil, and ripe tomatoes. A supply of breadcrumbs in the freezer is always useful for a…

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Incanto, Amsterdam

Incanto Amstel 2, 1017AA, Amsterdam 020 423 36 81                   info@restaurant-incanto.nl The Bill A la carte  Antipasti   €18 – €21 | Primi Piatti €20 – €29 Secondi Piatti €24 – €36 | Dolci €12 – €15   The Score Cooking  7.5/10 | Service 5/5  Flavour  4.5/5 | Value 5/5…

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Mark Baird’s Penne Norcina

Mark Baird is well known in Tom Eats! as the Retired Captain of Industry. His post of Head of Alcohol in Society of Diageo together with his natural Italian charm (not everyone knows of his proud ancestry) made him hugely influential and respected in the drinks industry. Both he and his lovely wife Liz are…

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The West End Brasserie, Edinburgh

  The West End Brasserie 2 Hope Street, Edinburgh EH2 4DB 0131 226 6669    www.westendbrasserie.com   The Bill A la carte Snacks £4.00 – £5.00 | Starters £6.00 – £12.00 Mains £14.00 – £26.00 | Desserts £6.00 – £7.00   The Score Cooking  6/10 | Service 4/5  Flavour  4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 19/25 …

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Why Sourdough Won’t Be The Climax of Bread Month

Yes, one of mine I know, you were expecting Tom Cooks! Bread Month to come to a dramatic conclusion with a sourdough fanfare. I do appreciate that many of you get fairly excited about the stuff. And if we’re looking at the economic benefits of home made, making your own really scores here. Assuming you already…

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Bridges, Amsterdam

  Bridges  Oudezijds Voorburgwal 197,1012 EX Amsterdam, Netherlands +31 20 555 3560  www.bridgesrestaurant.nl   The Bill  Menu du Chef 5 courses €105; 6 courses €115; 7 courses €125 A la carte Starters €30 – €45 | Mains €34 – €110  Desserts €17 – €22   The Score Cooking – Amuse Bouche 8/10; Rest 4/10 -…

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Bread Rolls

By making your own rolls at home you really start to get some economic benefits. We’re going to start by turning that first batch of dough you made from a few weeks ago into rolls. A standard morning roll weighs about 80g, which means you’ll get at least 10 of them from your dough. Remember…

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Deposit Return Scheme or Diabolical Ruddy Shambles?

In a previous existence I spent much of my time advising the licensed trade. When it came to law reforms affecting licensees, many hours were spent trying to persuade governments of the unworkability of many a scheme, and hundreds more ranting after those protestations were ignored. Lorna Slater MSP These days I live an untrammelled…

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Well, Did You Make The Loaf?

Your first attempt at bread. Congratulations. Now while I hear that many of you were delighted, some of you had problems. Let’s consider some of them. My dough went into a sticky mess and I couldn’t work with it Getting the amount of water right is tricky, even when you follow a recipe. While the…

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The Magnum, Edinburgh

  The Magnum 1 Albany Street, Edinburgh EH1 3PY 0131 557 4366  www.themagnumrestaurant.co.uk   The Bill A la carte Starters £6.90 – £17.00 | Mains £17.00 – £36.00  Desserts £7.00 – £9.00   The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 5/5  Flavour 5/5 | Value 4.5/5 TOTAL 21.5/25 Just a pub lunch, said the lady. I’m fed…

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Found A Buffalo?

Sounds like part of a bad joke, doesn’t it? Readers of a certain vintage will remember this one. – How do you know if you have an elephant in the fridge? – You can see its footprints in the butter. Sarah and Steve Mitchell Substitute buffalo for elephant and it works just as well/badly. In life, how…

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Locanda de Gusti, Edinburgh

  Locanda de Gusti 102 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2DW 0131 346 8800  www.locandadegusti.com The Bill A la carte Starters £7.95 – £10.95 | Pasta £12.95 – £28.95 Mains £14.50 – £30.95 | Desserts £6.95   The Score Cooking 5.5/10 | Service 4/5  Flavour 4/5 | Value 3.5/5 TOTAL 17/25 In 1940 You Can’t Go Home…

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Tom’s Food! Challenge – Make One Loaf

So you’ve never made bread before. No problem, that applies to millions of you. We’re into February, so I’m not trying to get you to make resolutions. Assuming you eat bread, and buy some or all of it as part of your supermarket shopping, I give you one very small challenge. Follow this column and…

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Bread Month and Review of Do Sourdough

Now I know this column likes to keep up with the seasons and, to a lesser extent, with food trends, but I had no idea it was blessed with the gift of prophecy. Readers of Tom Cooks! will be aware that for the past two Fridays we have been giving you joyous things to put…

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Lesley Johnston’s Orange Marmalade

Tom Cooks! is continuing the theme of things to spread on your toast. That’s about the only thing that today’s recipe has in common with last week’s lemon curd. That one was quick. This week’s, like January itself, seems to go on for ever. Seville oranges will only be available for another couple of weeks…

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Lokál Dlouhááá, Prague

  Lokál Dlouhááá Dlouhá 33, 110 00 Staré Město, Czechia +420 734 283 874 www.lokal-dlouha.ambi.cz/en/ The Bill (£1 = 25 CZK) Starters £2.40 – £5.50 | Mains £7.00 – £11.40 Desserts £2.40 – £3.60   The Score Cooking 5.5/10 | Service 4/5  Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 18.5/25 In the mid 1990s when Bill Bryson…

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O is for Orange

I’m not sure that I really understand what genetic modification is. What I do know is that, even leaving genes out of the equation, mankind has been mucking about with its fruit and veg for centuries. Never more it seems, than with today’s hero, the orange. Given the ubiquity of the fruit, it surprised me…

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A Street Near You, Mia Italian Kitchen Dalry, Edinburgh

  Mia Italian Kitchen Dalry 96 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2AX 0131 629 1750   www.mia-restaurant.co.uk The Bill Lunch Menu (Mon – Fri: 12 – 3) 2 courses £11.95 | 3 courses £13.95 A la carte Starters £4.25 – £10.95 | Mains £8.95 – £25.95 Desserts £4.95 – £7.50   The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 4.5/5 …

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Liz Turnbull’s Quick Lemon Curd

So do you have a citrus problem? Find them coming at you from everywhere? That happened to us last year. We threw our first party in over two years. Both L and I both bought lemons and limes by the ton, and probably used but two on the day. Nothing worse than watching them shrinking…

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Claire Macdonald’s Pheasant Terrine

Claire Macdonald This is a genius of a recipe. Even by Claire Macdonald’s standards she has surpassed herself. And with the pheasant season drawing to a close pheasant breasts are really economical. I think I paid £3 for the meat for the whole dish. With a terrine, you generally require a chutney. No need here…

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Haar Restaurant with Rooms, St Andrews

  Haar Restaurant with Rooms 1 Golf Place, St Andrews KY16 9JA 01334 479281 www.haarrestaurant.com The Bill Five Course Tasting Menu £82.50  Optional Extra Courses £18.00 – £25.00   The Score Cooking 8.5/10 | Service 1/5  Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 3/5 TOTAL 17/25 Oh, Dean Banks. I’ll begin the year with a quotation from a well known…

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The Death of Fine Dining?

This article was influenced by two things. Firstly, there was the announcement that chef René Redzepi is to close his renowned restaurant Noma in 2024. Situated in the Danish capital Copenhagen, Noma has five times been voted the world’s best restaurant. And secondly there was the rather lurid headline in Sunday’s Observer that Jay Rayner…

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