It felt like we were in the land of the lost as we weaved our way up Zig Zag Hill in thick fog last Friday evening. Our goal; The Museum Inn, Dorset, the reason; The legendary Yapp Christmas party, our immediate aim; to get there in one piece and ahead of Charlie, our fear; he […]

Over the past few months, a new currency has been adopted in the sleepy village of Broughton Gifford and its surrounding hamlets. This came as a result of all the juggling that goes on in getting small children to and from where they should be. Those of you who do this on a regular basis will […]

There's always on-going discussions about which wines are showing well any many a recommendation to take on-board but I took a more systematic approach after been identified as a "Southern Man" by our Shop Manger - which I think this means that I have a preference for Southern Wines and nothing to do with anything […]

The weekend before last I took 6 pre-teen children to Splashdown water park in Poole for my 11 year-old son’s birthday celebrations. My kids and their guests had a marvellous time but at the end of an exhausting weekend I felt like I was the one in need of a treat. This wished for indulgence […]

I have just had the pleasure of hosting a wine dinner at a gem of a restaurant in Deal. Being the rump end of Kent (and just a stones skip from France), it seemed apt that it was to be an evening of French food, wine and music. Yes, this would be the first time […]

The concept of value seems to be much in the news of late and I found myself contemplating its relativity on several occasions during the past week.  I spent the last evening of a holiday dining with friends in a terrific Catalan bistro called Mam y Teca in the lively Raval area of Barcelona. The bill […]

Last week, we were blessed with a whistle-stop visit from our old friend Crozes Hermitage maestro Alain Graillot and his charming wife (and administrative guru) Elisabeth. Alain graciously agreed to talk us through a flight of his wines and elaborate on his wine making philosophy as well as fielding questions from our inquisitive team in […]

A couple of weeks ago, I was excited to attend our annual lunch at Le Gavroche, Michel Roux Jr's two Michelin star restaurant in Mayfair. Having become an avid fan of Masterchef recently, I was eager to see if Chef Michel himself would be in residence and I was not disappointed, finding him mid-photo shoot, as […]

The innovative food and beverage team at Selfridges, under the jurisdiction of sharp-suited director Ewan Venters and savvy drinks buyer Dawn Davies, has been quick to recognise the appeal and embrace the concept of the 'Pop-up'. Not content with Pierre Koffmann's audacious 'Restaurant on the Roof' the store is also playing host to the 'Icecreamists' […]

The hot dining ticket of 2009 has to be Pierre Koffmann's 'pop-up' that is open in October to coincide with the lamentably under-promoted London restaurant festival. Not simply for the sheer audacity of craning the restaurant on to the roof of Selfridges, but for the chance to enjoy the wonderful cooking of the man himself. […]