A Couple of Fennel Recipes
After featuring fennel in the Food Alphabetical the other week, I promised a couple of recipes. That ignited a spark in the memory banks, and I see that I published a couple almost exactly seven years ago. I have to say that neither of them particularly appeals. For me, the aniseedy taste needs to be…
Read MoreHighgrove House Hotel, Troon, Ayrshire
Highgrove House Hotel Old Loans Road, Troon, Ayrshire KA10 7HL 01292 312511 www.highgrovehouse.co.uk The Bill Set Menu 2 courses £22.00 | 3 courses £27.00 A la carte Starters £5.95 – £6.95 | Sandwiches £9.95 – £11.95 Mains £15.95 – £34.95 | Desserts £4.15 – £10.25 The Score Cooking 5.5/10 | Service 5/5…
Read MoreChef Watch, Featuring Tom Tsappis of Killiecrankie House
Chef Watch Tom Tsappis Chef and Co-owner Killiecrankie House, Killiecrankie How long have you been a chef? Coming up for 7 years Why did you become a chef? I like to eat and one begets the other Favourite ingredient If I could eat only one carb/protein/vegetable for the rest of my life it would be…
Read MoreCucumber & Lemon Cake with Gin Icing
I’m indebted to new Tom’s Food! subscriber Lynn Funnell for this recipe. We were exchanging messages about the problems when veg growers have a glut of stuff, in her case cucumbers. This is an intriguing sounding cake which is based on a recipe from a website veggie desserts.com. There’s an excellent step by step guide…
Read MoreWee Jimmies, Cowdenbeath
Wee Jimmies 177 High Street, Cowdenbeath, Fife KY4 9QE 01383 511126 The Bill Starters £3.80 – £4.90 | Mains £10.95 – £12.95 Desserts £2.50 – £3.50 The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 3.5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 17.5/25 Absolutely not a job for a grown man. 20 years on, I can…
Read MoreWhy You Really Should Have a Meat Thermometer
Unless, of course, you’re a vegetarian. But in that case you’re probably not reading this. But if you’re pescetarian it’s relevant for fish too. It occurred to me that in my last few articles on the subject of chicken I’ve been banging on a bit about cooking temperatures and extolling the use of a food…
Read MoreFun with a Chicken Parts 2 & 3: Thighs and Drumsticks
We’re continuing the chicken theme, so I thought I might as well add a couple of ideas for the rest of the bird. Two thighs and two drumsticks won’t go far, so I won’t trouble you with exact quantities, but there are a couple of tasty ideas. For the thighs, I’m specifying the air fryer,…
Read MoreKilliecrankie House, Killiecrankie, Perthshire
Killiecrankie House Killiecrankie, Perthshire PH16 5LG 07828 106673 www.killiecrankiehouse.com The Bill Tasting Menus Lunch £85 | Dinner £165 The Score Cooking 9/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 24/25 There is, I am told, a popular computer game called The Sims. Players can make their own world from scratch.…
Read MoreF is for…Fennel
As we continue round 2 of the Tom’s Food! Alphabetical, here’s a question for you. What does today’s hero have in common with the longest foot race in the Olympic Games? Read on to find out. As you might expect, fennel is native to the shores of the Mediterranean. You wouldn’t make a decent fish…
Read MoreStuffed Chicken Breast with Chicken Gravy
On Wednesday we talked about jointing a chicken. Here’s an idea. Why not get two, or even three? While you can get a meal for a few people out of two chicken breasts, if you restrict yourself to cooking just wings or drumsticks, then two of each won’t take you far, even for just a…
Read MoreAvery, Edinburgh
Avery Edinburgh 54 Saint Stephen Street, Edinburgh EH3 5AL 0131 563 4470 www.averyedi.co.uk The Bill Tasting Menu £169 The Score Cooking 7/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 3.5/5 TOTAL 19/25 This is a rarity. There is a kitchen containing so much skill, with a chef who has so much…
Read MoreHow To Joint A Chicken
The first question, I suppose, might be, why would you want to? I would suggest that as a semi serious cook you ought to have some basic butchery skills, and birds are the easiest. But, I hear you say in riposte, Messrs Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morisons et al do it ever so well and pack the pieces…
Read MoreWho Doesn’t Love A Summer Dip? Muhammara & Guacamole
Muhammara & Guacamole. Or should it be Guacamole & Muhammara? Sounds like an exotic firm of accountants in a quiet Glasgow back street. But nay. Going back to the title, who doesn’t love a dip? Something to nibble with an aperitif. Or, with the fine weather, something to keep your guests occupied as you try,…
Read MoreThe Doric, Edinburgh
The Doric 15 – 16 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DE 0131 225 1084 www.the-doric.com The Bill Starters £8.00 – £13.00 | Mains £19.00 – £32.00 Desserts £9.95 – £10.95 The Score Cooking 4.5/10 | Service 4/5 Flavour 3/5 | Value 3/5 TOTAL 14.5/25 In a city full of history one shouldn’t really be…
Read MoreTwo Books For Summer
My attempts to reduce my book collection continue to be unsuccessful. In recent times I blame Linda W, who alerted me to the new cook book shop, imaginatively entitled The Cookbook Shop, on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk. I went to say hello, determined not to make a purchase. But who could resist The Racine Effect by the wonderful Henry Harris?…
Read MoreLesley Johnston’s Spicy Couscous Salad
Although we have as a nation heartily embraced pasta, couscous is still relatively uncommon. Looking at it, you may think it’s a grain; however, it’s small steamed granules of rolled semolina and technically pasta. Pay attention to what you buy. Today’s recipe uses the small type of couscous. To cook these you simply need to…
Read MoreScarpetta, Edinburgh
Scarpetta 38 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 2LE 0131 259 1395 scarpettaedinburgh.co.uk The Bill Starters £8.50 – £12.00 | Mains £14.00 – £29.00 Desserts £8.50 The Score Cooking 5/10 | Service 2.5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 4.5/5 TOTAL 16/25 Restaurateurs of the world rejoice! After receiving inspiration during today’s review I can now offer…
Read MoreHow To Use Tom’s Food!
Yes, I can hear the spluttering from here. What do you mean, use it? We read the b****y thing, don’t we? Calm down, dears. What has prompted this is the fairly regular correspondence or chat which I have with people looking for stuff or asking questions which could be easily answered by delving into the…
Read MoreAlioli & Friends
Today we’re looking at a family tree. Until the recent Menorcan trip, I would have said that we were considering siblings in the shape of mayonnaise and Spanish alioli, otherwise aioli. I knew that rouille was but a cousin. For a long time I was unaware precisely how it was made, just that its garlic…
Read MoreRomano’s, Simpsons-in-the-Strand, London
Romano’s Simpsons-in-the-Strand 100 Strand, London WC2R 0EW 020 7836 9112 www.simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk The Bill Prix-Fixe 2 courses £21.00 | 3 courses £24.75 Post Theatre (21.45 – close) £19.75 A la carte Starters £6.75 – £14.25 | Mains £14.75 – £28.25 (Sunday Roast Beef £34.75) Desserts £4.50 – £9.75 The Score Cooking 6.5/10 |…
Read MoreSome Foods of Menorca
We are just back from a short break in Menorca. First time there. Although I’ve visited big sister Mallorca once or twice, I don’t pretend to know much about the food of either. Getting to know a new cuisine is always interesting. Sadly, as we were staying in a resort our first hand experience of…
Read MoreAubergine Caponata
Yes, the title may be a bit tautologous. But the recipe I found was entitled Caponata with Aubergines and I knew that you would be concerned about the fate of the aubergines which were snubbed to make last week’s Spicy Lamb Burgers. It took me a long time to discover the middle eastern dishes of wonder which…
Read MoreL’Escargot, London
L’Escargot 48 Greek Street, London W1D 4EF 020 7439 7474 www.lescargot.co.uk The Bill Prix Fixe (available from 12 – 3; 5 – 6.15; 9 – 10.15) 2 courses £25.00 | 3 courses £29.00 A la carte Starters (excluding caviar @ £99) £14.00 – £29.00 Mains £20.00 – £75.00 | Desserts £7.00 – £18.00 The…
Read MoreSome June Thoughts On The Side
We are in foreign parts at the moment, and I thought about putting things on pause; however, there are some Eats! and Cooks! articles in the can, and we always close down for a few weeks later in the year. But such is my dedication to you that I’m ignoring the azure sky and the…
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