Prawn and Spinach Risotto
Hadn’t been to the shops for a while and no clear plan on what to make for the memsahib’s dinner. The fridge had a vat of stock from a chicken earlier in the week. The veg drawer had half an onion and half a red pepper, plus a bag of spinach. The stock was the…
Read MoreSome Thoughts On Ordering Wine
Well, stop right there. Clearly this article is NOT for you. Why? Because I know for a fact that all of my readers are knowledgeable, sophisticated oenophiles who require no input from me. But, perhaps, for your children, or your less rounded cousins from the provinces? Anyway the idea for today’s piece came from Jancis…
Read MorePine Nut Roulade with Asparagus and Hollandaise
Well, after we came out of the restricted March offering, and had an article on Luxury on Wednesday, you could have been forgiven for expecting larks’ tongues or lobster Thermidor this week. But before you start to complain, pause for a moment. Pine nuts are one of life’s more expensive store cupboard ingredients and this…
Read MorePurslane Restaurant, Edinburgh
Purslane Restaurant 33A St Stephen Street, Edinburgh EH3 5AH 0131 226 3500 www.purslanerestaurant.co.uk The Bill Lunch Two courses £29.95 | Three courses £34.95 Dinner – Tasting Menu Only 5 courses £75.00 | 7 courses £95.00 The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service 3.5/5 Flavour 5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 21.5/25 Purslane. No, not one…
Read MoreLuxury!
Luxury. What does that mean to you? What about – We used to have to get out of the lake at six o’clock in the morning, clean the lake, eat a handful of hot gravel, work twenty hour day at mill for tuppence a month, come home, and dad would beat us around the head…
Read MoreSarah Mellersh’s Onion Tarte Tatin
Continuing the vegetarian theme, I turned for inspiration, as I so often do, to a thick red folder from Let’s Cook Scotland. As many of you are aware, that’s where I spent a game changing fortnight under the Sarah Mellersh tutelage of the very lovely Sarah Mellersh. There are hundreds of recipes in the book…
Read MoreThe Best Meal: The Worst Meal
Six months or so ago I issued an invitation to all of you who have provided guest reviews over the years. The call was to contribute articles recalling your best ever, or worst ever, dining experience, or both. It would appear that many of you have, ahem, forgotten. But a single response was received. Since…
Read MoreAvengers Assemble
L to R – Tim Hayward, Jancis Robinson, Jay Rayner. Marina O’Loughlin No, this isn’t the latest blockbuster from Marvel Films nor, sadly, does it feature Diana Rigg. It’s the tongue in cheek description for the the line up of food writers assembled in the Financial Times Weekend Magazine. As a result of the controversial…
Read MorePortuguese Green Beans with Potatoes (Plus Guest Recipe)
We’ve been on our annual jaunt to see cheery chums in Portugal. There’s a lot more to the cuisine of that country than people think. Here’s a recipe which I picked up. It’s vegetarian (as promised for this month), though I think I’d be tempted to use chicken stock. The recipe suggests flat green beans.…
Read MoreCapri, Fuseta, Algarve, Portugal
Capri Praça da República 4 8700-012 Fuseta, Algarve, Portugal +351 289 793 165 Instagram www.instagram.com/cafecaprifz The Bill (in Euros)* Mains €7.50 – €19.00 Desserts €3.50 * Prawns, crab and langoustines are sold by weight The Score Cooking 6.5/10 | Service 4.5/5 Flavour 4.5/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 20.5/25 As a youth I…
Read MoreFood! What Did The Portuguese Ever Do For Us?
It might be thought that in history as recent as the 20th century, it would be matter of simple record to attribute inventions to the appropriate people. Yet, a little time as a tour guide, boasting of all things Scottish, throws up any number of anomalies. The telephone, for example. Not much doubt about the…
Read MoreCranks Aubergine Parmesan
It takes a special group of people to set up a restaurant and simultaneously to poke fun at themselves. When David and Kay Canter and friend Daphne Swann opened Cranks in in London in the early 1960s, that is precisely how vegetarians were regarded. This was pre swinging London, but the Carnaby Street location certainly…
Read MoreCraobh, Crieff
Craobh 26 James Square, Crieff PH7 3EY 01764 650762 www.craobhrestaurant.com The Bill Brunch/Lunch Brunch Dishes £7.50 – £10.50 | Sandwiches £9.50 – £12.50 Mains £14.00 – £33.00 | Desserts £1.50 – £8.50 Dinner Small Plates £8.50 – £10.00 | Mains £15.00 – £33.00 Desserts £1.50 – £8.50 The Score Cooking 5.5/10 | Service…
Read MoreTom Cooks! is Vegetarian in March. Why?
A couple of weeks ago, I announced that during the month of March the recipes in Tom Cooks! would be meat free. The reason was simply that I thought it had been a bit meat heavy in recent months, but it did get me thinking about some of the pros and cons of diet types.…
Read MorePotage Crème Dubarry
Last week I declared that in the month of March, Tom Cooks! would be a meat free column. I noticed that we are still in February, so I’m meeting you halfway, reproducing one of the dishes which Binkie Johnston enjoyed at the Tsar’s table in 1914. Those of you with decent French will have noticed…
Read MoreDinner in St Petersburg – Guest Reviewer, Binkie Johnston
Peterhof, St Petersburg 1914 We first encountered my ancestor Binkie Johnston four years ago when we published his account of the last meal served from the First Class kitchen of the Titanic. Many of you assumed he had perished: some were kind enough to send condolences. I did drop a hint that we…
Read MoreHow To Become A Food Critic
No, I’m not suggesting for one second that you even consider joining this elite band. Heaven knows there are far too many of them/us, albeit of variable quality. On Sunday last in a national newspaper I read a review of what sounded like a very pleasant lunch – with no clue as to cost. But…
Read MoreBalinese Black Rice Pudding
Tomorrow I intend to start counselling. It will be short and I’m sure it will be successful. For the past few weeks I have been manifesting an obsession with coconut. Today, it ends. I did mention on Wednesday that for many of us in the UK coconut is an ingredient which we find only in…
Read MoreRogue, St Andrews
Rogue 209 South Street, St Andrews KY16 9EF 01334 470354 www.rogue-standrews.com The Bill* Starters £8.00 – £18.00 | Mains £22.00 – £44.00 Desserts £7.00 – £9.00 *Most seafood and premium cuts of beef are charged at market prices The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 19/25 Congratulate me,…
Read MoreIn Praise of the Coconut
If you’ve been reading these columns since we got back from Sri Lanka you’ll be aware of the importance of the coconut in the cuisine of that lovely country. Because of that I learned a great deal about it, and was appalled at my prior ignorance. While I’m sure your knowledge level isn’t as low…
Read MoreSri Lanka On The Side
Last week, a mutton curry: today, a couple of side dishes which might go with it. You’ll find daal everywhere, but the addition of coconut which you get in the Sri Lankan versions is a delight. Coconut Daal Ingredients 250g red lentils; 10 to 12 curry leaves; 1 tbsp onion finally chopped; 2 x 2-3…
Read MoreMuna’s Ethiopian Cuisine, Edinburgh
Muna’s Ethiopian Cuisine 8 Gillespie Place, Edinburgh EH10 4HS 07886 118334 Instagram munasethiopiancuisine The Bill Veggie Dishes £12.95 – £13.95 | Meat Dishes £15.95 – £16.95 Combo Platters for one £15.95/£18.95 (Larger platters are available) The Score Cooking 6/10 | Service 5/5 Flavour 4/5 | Value 5/5 TOTAL 20/25 Joy. It’s an old fashioned…
Read MoreCookery Classes – Beware of Distractions
This column is of course influenced by the two cookery courses we attended in Sri Lanka, but a lot of memories came back. Attend something similar in this country and it may well be a fairly tightly run, professional affair. You may well have not only your own prep area, but even your own cooker.…
Read MoreWallawwa, near Negombo, Sri Lanka
Wallawwa Minuwangoda-Gampaha-Miriswatta Rd, Kotugoda, Sri Lanka +94 77 363 8381 www.teardrop-hotels.com/wallawwa/ The Bill* Starters £6.25 – £11.50 | Rice and Curry £10.50 – £24.50 Mains £9.00 – £24.25 | Dessert £3.00 – £6.50 The Score Cooking 8/10 | Service – 4/5 Flavour 5/5 | Value 4/5 TOTAL 21/25 *Exchange Rate £1 – 350…
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