Christmas is a time for family, right? Its also a time for chaos at the family home. 13 humans, 4 parrots, 3 dogs and two smaller humans (aged 3-6). So it’s inevitable that when they leave I need a little something to calm me down. This year it comes...

Trying to find an ad-hoc table in the evening around Christmas time in the City of London is rather laborious due to the extreme amount of parties (most of the banks and insurance companies book out whole bars), we decided to go up-market. After getting turned away from Barbecoa we...

  This Christmas was full of the usual treats, Turkey, Mince Pies and family arguments but on boxing day i love to cook a Gammon joint with honey. It’s important to get a piece of Gammon with the rind intact. You start by scoring the rind in a diamond...

I bought a fresh 5 kg goose from Waitrose (about 11 lb). I pricked the skin, rubbed oil over it and rubbed in sea-salt. It took about 3 hours to cook in a 170 fan oven, lightly covered in foil, and basted occasionally. No stuffing. I par-boiled the potatoes...

It could be diced lamb, but this time I chose minced lamb. I pre-cooked it on the hob until it was brown, then spooned off the fatty liquid. I fried the chopped red onions in a separate pan, then added them to the mince with a little water, powdered...

I often eat lightly at the Thaikhun in Cambridge, preferring a selection of starter dishes. In this case I ordered the spring rolls, pork & prawn dumplings and chicken skewers with satay sauce. Sometimes I have the deep fried prawns, and sometimes the Thai fishcakes. It’s quite enough to...

Christmas is a time for nuts, specifically nuts in shells. We eat shelled ones such as peanuts and cashews all year round, but at Christmas it’s good to sit by the fire to roast chestnuts and shell walnuts, hazel nuts and Brazil nuts. I had to import the last...

The Varsity restaurant is the Cambridge twin of Trinity restaurant, and it came first. I began with chicken liver paté with walnut bread and shallot jam, and went on to pan-fried duck breast with pommes croquettes, parsnip and roasted red chicory. The duck serving was huge, thick and nicely...

All Bar One in Victoria Street offer a good selection of “small dishes” – i.e. tapas.  This time I ordered Iberico ham croquettes, chorizo and halloumi skewers, and fried calamari. It was quite a varied selection, but a filling one. I chose a Sandbox Chenin blanc to accompany it....

Many of us like fizzy wines, especially Champagne. I rather think the best value is vintage cava from Spain. It must be vintage cava, and a good one is superior to most Proseccos and to budget-price Champagnes. Perfect with seafood due to its biscuity notes , or with a...