Category: U.K.
Thudding in the Norfolk woods
March 8, 2019
If you’re ever in Norfolk and fancy having a go at archery, there’s a patch of woodland opposite Voewood House in High Kelling, east of Holt. On most days there’s a sign at the roadside advertising archery; it’s a tight turn, but you can drive in through the gate. The woods are owned by […]
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 […]
“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 […]
Of Pigeons, Pies, and Flakey Flossy’s Pastry
November 23, 2018
Clay Pigeon Practice Arriving in the countryside the day before the pheasant shoot, I was invited to try my hand at shooting clay pigeons; terracotta discs which are released from machines to mimic the speed and trajectory of birds in flight. It started well. The barrels on a modern shotgun are “over and under”, […]
The Shooting Party
November 16, 2018
On a chilly November morning, somewhere in the English countryside, we assembled in a farmyard for an early briefing before the day’s action. The captain who was to be our commander stressed that our safety was his primary concern. Later that morning I was sitting in a cramped trailer with twenty armed men and […]
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 […]