Category: London
Best gig of the year, and it was only February!
March 1, 2019
I’m often asked when to open a bottle of wine that’s been gathering dust in somebody’s rack – “will it still be any good?” My advice? “Open it without expectations, and hope to be pleasantly surprised”. Sometimes I take a similar approach when the programme from Ronnie Scott’s appears in my inbox. Pick a […]
Indonesia comes to London Book Fair
March 1, 2019
17,000 Islands of Imagination at London Book Fair Indonesia will be London Book Fair’s Market Focus for 2019, introducing the country’s “17,000 Islands of Imagination” to the international public, “symbolising the intellectual and artistic richness of this incredibly diverse and multi-religious nation”. London Book Fair, 12 – 14 March 2019, at Olympia. https://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/en/Whats-On/Market-Focus—main-page/Indonesia/ General de Gaulle […]
“You either see it or you don’t”. The Dennis Severs House
January 12, 2019
Where do you go as a treat for a nephew whose 11th birthday is a week before Christmas? We took him to the 18th century. On Sunday 23rd December we travelled by London Overground to Shoreditch High Street. As we walked towards our destination, we passed the strangely rather wonderful shop window of Gardner’s, […]
My round-up of 2018
December 28, 2018
2018 has been a year that required urgent distractions from the shambles that passed for political debate in Westminster. Fortunately it’s been a good year for adventures: exhibitions, travel, theatre, food & drink. Here are just a few of my personal highlights: Theatre – behind the scenes at The Bridge In February I wrote […]
What has your food been eating?
November 9, 2018
The Ethical Butcher has been a wholesale supplier of ethically raised meat since 2014. This month they are launching a crowdfunding campaign to expand the business into e-commerce, working with farmers to supply their meat direct to household consumers and to restaurants. Speaking at a presentation to potential investors, founder and CEO Farshad Kazemian said […]
A long walk from Agincourt to Richmond
September 20, 2018
“And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here ….” On a sunny Sunday in August 2014 I walked round the perimeter of the battlefield of Agincourt. It is now farmland, ploughed earth and pasture. And trees. Even allowing for the intervening 599 years, it was easy to imagine […]
Asian Soul Food from a Japanese Chef’s Table
August 2, 2018
SAKAGURA Steak Kitchen & Sake Bar An interpretation of the social tradition of Izakaya bars, Sakagura is tucked away behind the west side of Regent Street. Opened in 2016, it’s owned by the Japan Centre. The Chef’s Table at Sakagura takes you on a culinary journey to Japan, with 11 small courses tasted with 4 […]