I have to admit my childish excitement and pleasure with the BBC series Kitchen Secrets. The Restaurant is fun, it touches on the potential that two people may have, I try and see past the TV magnified car crashes, and choose a pair who are unpolished gems. I have done this throughout my career without the glare of the cameras. I have forgiven many a young cooks howling mistakes because I see in them a passion, a commitment and a vision. I persevered for a very simple reason, I was once them. Dear reader, you may be shocked to hear, that I did not come fully formed out of the free range organic egg. Yes I had the greatest inspiration and teacher in Maman Blanc, but let us say that I am relieved that there were no cameras following me round in my early days.

So back to reality, back to what I love best, back to my roots; back to the kitchen. To be given a pulpit by the BBC to preach and teach what I love best is an absolute joy. To do so in my little paradise of Le Manoir is nirvana. (Who could fail to enjoy the combination of paradise and nirvana!)... READ MORE »

Food archaeology
onions

The month of the longest day and hopefully any worries are behind us. Let’s start with the boring and tedious, that lawn needs a lot of loving, mow it twice a week (don’t forget the edges) water it if it is dry and keep weeding if there any signs of invaders. If you have lavenders or rosemary some pruning back is in order. If you had bedding plants such as tulips, leave them till they are brown and...  READ MORE »

Il faut cultiver son jardin

I write this as England is paralysed by snow, so any thoughts of getting the garden ready for Spring seem futile but in February you will be setting the foundations for your plants' year ahead. If the weather is promising to be clement start unwrapping anything you may have given a winter coat to. You could use these old overcoats to protect and warm up areas that you plan to...  READ MORE »

Mackerel Escabèche

It’s time we understood that fish have seasons as well. Mackerel is a still not the most popular of fish, I just can’t understand why. On the outside it presents the most stunning kaleidoscope of blues and silvers, a fishy Van Gogh night sky. The flesh is every bit as good as tuna and jam packed wit goodness. Maybe the bones and blood put people off who think fish should be white and anodyne...  READ MORE »

Ma Belle France
Burgundy

Where does one start, from a culinary point of view Burgundy has an almost obscene richness of food and wine, it would have been only fair that the scenery and towns were ugly. This is not the case, history; trade and geology have combined to ensure that the visual delights match the culinary ones. I am always somewhat perplexed that it remains an area little visited by the British, it seems to be that place on the motorway on the way south. No more I say.
 

Dijon
Sometimes a city becomes so famous for one thing it is to the detriment of everything else. Unless you have been in a cave for the past couple of hundred years you will be aware of Dijon mustard. It the French mustard and maybe the mustard par excellence. Whilst we are on the subject good readers, maybe you could help me with a long running mystery. When I first arrived in this fair land, I was shocked when served what was sold to me as French mustard.  Read more »

Vezelay
It seems inconceivable that this tranquil little village and St Bernard, better know for his lifesaving canine namesake, should be the launch point for something as bloody as the 2nd crusade. But history has a habit of starting in the oddest places, and it is indeed in Vezelay that St Bernard first preached the need for a crusade. He of course did not pick the village out of the phone book.  Read more »

The Morvan
Natural beauty has sadly never had much currency, the Morvan is no exception. With no geographical importance or natural resources, the area has been generally passed over by the history of man. It’s most famous product was wet nurses; they were considered fine specimens when breast feeding your own was frowned on. There is now a National Park, a recognition of what is a truly wonderful area of natural beauty. Read more »