An Edible Voyage

June 2021 One of the pubs at the top of my list for visiting post lockdown was The White Horse in King's Sutton.  I first went the day I went to look around the house I ended up buying in a nearby village, and the horsebox cafe they had going over lockdown reminded me what a great place it is.   Set on the green of a quintessential village, just over the Oxfordshire border in West Northamptonshire, it draws you in with its inviting village pub looks.  And once inside, it gets better and better.  A traditional bar, cosy wood panelling and squishy arm chairs in front of log fires mean you'll never want to leave.  The food is exceptional.  Kicking off with home baked loaves, warm from the oven and served with home made butter, the small but perfectly formed menu showcases the best of the seasons.  With an emphasis on reducing food miles and supporting local producers, dishes are as inventive as they are flavoursome.  Pies seem to be a particular...

June 2021 I first discovered the delights of Pompette during the lockdown with one of their At Home meals.  It was so memorable that it immediately went to the top of my list of restaurants to eat at as soon as restaurants could open up post pandemic.  My mum was in town one Sunday, restrictions had eased, it was time! Pompette has such a great vibe - from the moment you turn off of Bnabury Road and see the vibrant red awning, to the laid back atmosphere that invites the long, leisurely lunches that France is known for.  I really could stay there for hours, beginning with their homebaked baguette and Burgundy butter to accompany an apperitif, moving on to the steak-frites and a good bottle of red wine, then finishing up with a coffee and digestif late in the afternoon. The creme brulee is exceptional - everything you want from this luxurious dessert.  A wide, shallow dish to give the perfect topping to custard ratio, that satisfying crack as you break through the war...

July 2020 I have a weak spot for cheese.  So when I heard that Fen Farm dairy have a 24 hour, yes you heard right!, self-service shop, I realised I was entering dangerous territory.  Raw milk from their  Montbeliarde cows is used to make artisan cheese and the most incredible cultured butter I have ever tasted - it's so good that I could probably eat it on it's own...but I'll resist! I had heard many people, all over the country talking about Fen Farm's Baron Bigod cheese, and wondered how a cheese from a small dairy in rural Suffolk has become so well known.  Now I know.  It's exquisite.  Britain's first unpasteurised brie will give any French brie a run for it's money with it's distinctive flavour - earthy, creamy and utterly moorish.  Also well worth a mention is the St Jude's cheese with it's strong flavour and fluffy, mousse-like texture. I never knew butter could have so much flavour until I tried the Bungay raw butter.  The  UK...

March 2018 As in many nations, tea is a popular drink in Kyrgyzstan.  A Kyrgyzstan table is almost always adorned with butter and multiple flavours of  jam, and at the house of the family we stayed with in Bokonbayevo, butter and raspberry jam are added to tea to sweeten it and set you up for a day's hunting.