An Edible Voyage

Spring and Winter 2019 As soon as I arrived at The Free Company, I feel in love with the place.  Accessed via lots of wiggly country lanes, culminating in a farm track, I was welcomed by fairy lights and benches around a fire pit, before being ushered in to a cosy, log burner warmed bunker for cocktails. What a start to an evening!  The concept is simple, you pay what you think the evening is worth - 6 courses showcasing the best of the farm's organic produce that season, served at communal tables in the barn's rustic loft.   A highlight for me is always the bread which is baked moments before serving.  For winter, pork rendered focaccia with St Andrews Cheddar and mushroom duxelle - rich, luxurious, and delightfully naughty tasting.  For spring, yogurt flatbreads warm from the fire, the silky honey butter and crunchy smoked hazelnut dukkah pairing wonderfully with the light charring - a taste and texture sensation! Fazzoletti (handke...

January 2020 It wouldn’t be a trip to Argentina without battling an enormous steak.    I’m not a huge meat fan, particularly not red meat, but anything local and I’m sold.    We stumbled across La Carniceria in Palermo.    It seems eating out is a popular activity in Buenos Aires and despite the plethora of restaurants, many were fully booked.    What I particularly liked about this place was that the door (once we found it) was locked so you have to knock and wait for someone to come out and add your name to the waiting list (you could book in advance but we didn’t have that foresight).    We then sat on the step outside quaffing a delicious bottle of Mendoza Malbec, watching the world go by whilst we waited for a table. The restaurant was intimate, with a handful of tables, a bar with a pit of fire behind it and wallpapered with photos of cow carcasses, which did make it feel a little like we were sitting in an abattoir.  ...