An Edible Voyage

June 2021 Tap Social is my current favourite brewery, with the Time Better Spent IPA my tipple of choice, and Cell Count pale ale a close second.  Their ethos is to provide employment opportunities for those who have been through the criminal justice system, so you can sip on your beer in the knowledge that you're doing some good for society.  Having been to their brewery in Botley a couple of times - a great space to meet friends and sample a variety of different beers, with rotating food trucks providing the eats, I was excited to hear that they had taken over the The White House pub on Abingdon Road.  Serving innovative sharing plates in a convivial atmosphere, think moorish soda bread made with their own stout, and playful grilled peach with frozen feta and black olive, there's an enormous garden for when the sun is out, and no shortage of bike racks. Their own beer is on draft, as well as rotating guest beers.  I would more than happily spend a lazy afternoon si...

November 2020 To devour some of Scotland's freshest fish and seafood head to the picturesque fishing village of Ullapool, and tucked off the street, overlooking the ferry port, you'll find The Seafood Shack.  Opened by local girls Kirsty and Fenella, and cooking up fish caught on the inshore fishing boats, this truck has been featured in Mary Berry's 'Everyday Life' series, as well as winning BBC Radio Four's Best Street Food, and it's easy to see why.  Fresh and locally caught seafood is cooked simply and to order, showcasing and complementing the flavours of the fish itself. I found it extremely difficult to choose between Cullen Skink, simply seared scallops or the fish wrap, but eventually decided on the latter.  It was divine.  An enormous piece of the fresher, flakiest haddock in hot and crispy tempura, wrapped up with peppery rocket and zingy but luxurious pesto mayo. A beautiful piece of fish. Find The Seafood Shack on West Argyle Street.

May 2020 Niall Keating.  The name may ring a bell...  The much celebrated winner of the Great British Menu 2020 and the Executive Chef of The Dining Room at the exclusive Cotswolds manor house, Whatley Manor.  This is the brain behind the Paradise Carriage, a converted trailer food truck which he used to deliver meals to key workers during the Covid lockdown around his home town or Stoke on Trent, before taking it to Whatley Manor to act as a drive through, gourmet style.   The menu changes weekly and fellow chefs make guest appearances to host pop up nights.  The food is comforting, using the simplest of ingredients but of the finest quality, think the humble kebab elevated to the highest of levels.   I sampled the anything but plain fish finger sandwich.  Melt in the mouth, juicey Cornish turbot in the crispest of batter with tangy gherkin and lemon mayonnaise and peppery watercress, bursting from a rich brioche roll.  Finge...

October 2019 Kodbyen, or meatpacking district, was once a run-down industrialised part of town, but no longer.  Trendy restaurants and craft beer halls have moved in to the derelict warehouses, food trucks roll up every spring and summer weekend, doling out a tempting array of world cuisine, and the area buzzes with the chit chatter of locals and tourists alike. At Kodbyens Fiskebar, beautifully presented plates of the freshest fish and dainty desserts are served alongside more low-key newspaper cones of fish and chips and balls of sourdough, warm from the oven. Go to Kodbyen if for no other reason for the atmosphere and grab a beer (if you can ever choose from their wall of beer taps) from Warpigs Brewpub whilst you peruse the variety of tantalising food establishments.