Posted in baking, British, Caribbean, Christmas, cornichons, Delia Smith, England, flour, ground meat, hearty, history, lard, London, Manchester, pastry, pie crust, pork, sage, tradition, winter on Jan 18th, 2016
In 1994, and after six playfully-humorous seasons of barbershop-based banter, fans of British-Caribbean sitcom “Desmond’s” were disappointed when the show was discontinued. This blow may have been softened when they learned that it was to be succeeded by spin-off show “Porkpie”, but, after two fairly insipid seasons, this too was consigned to the bin of […]
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Posted in bisto, British, butter, easy, egg, England, entertainment, flour, Garlic, gravy, kale, milk, mushy peas, onions, Recipe, Recipes, sausage, toad in the hole, tradition on Dec 3rd, 2012
In his rather witty book, French Lessons, Peter Mayle attends the annual Fete de Grenouilles (Festival of Frogs-Legs) in Vittel, France, and describes an episode at the festival banquet in which an attendee, elbow deep in amphibian thighs, tells him that if he thinks eating frogs is unusual, she had heard of an even more […]
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Before we head off to England (and a five day side-trip to Northern France) to visit the across-the-pond family, we wanted to leave you with a different option for your Christmas Day meal. Some families love making hard-core meals for Christmas Day dinner – meals that take hours to cook and include many courses or […]
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Posted in America, Argentina, brandy, Buenos Aires, butter, chives, cream, England, grilled, grilling, indulgent meal, Italian-American, Meat, mushroom, mushrooms, New Jersey, porcini, restaurant, rosemary, sauce, travel, turnip, vegetables on Sep 24th, 2009
New Jersey, it’s like a cross-section of the entire United States stuffed into a very small area — fenced-in by heavy industry, ugly sub-divisions, peaceful tidal bays and relaxing shore towns — but with its own very distinct character. And, if you drive around it long enough, you’re bound to see some pretty interesting stuff. This goes […]
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Ahhh, don’t you love a nice, cheesy pun in the morning? I know I do! If there was an emoticon (Omg, am I dating myself by using that word? Do people even use the word emoticon anymore? Do emoticons even exist anymore?! A quick search shows yes. Still, why do I feel like such a […]
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Posted in alcohol, alcoholic drink, America, apples, barbecue, beverage, British, drink, eastenders, England, holiday, patriotism, Recipe, summer, tradition on Jul 4th, 2009
Every stereotype, no matter how absurd the caricature, has, at its core, a grain of truth. Though I doubt anyone has ever seen him, the beret and black and white hooped sweater-sporting Frenchman with a cigarette hanging off his lower lip and a baguette under his arm, remains an abiding image of France; and in […]
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Posted in baking, British, brown sugar, butter, craisins, cranberries, easy, family, flapjacks, honey, oats, Recipes, sugar, tradition on May 22nd, 2008
Great minds think alike and fools never differ. So they say. I’m certainly not a great mind, and our good friend Pixie at You Say Tomato is no fool, but we happened to make flapjacks around the same time a few weeks back. Pixie got her recipe and pics up smartly while we dallied, and […]
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Posted in asparagus, batter, British, crepes, dessert, easy, egg, England, Europe, flour, French, Garlic, juice, lemon, milk, mushrooms, orange juice, pancakes, salmon, sauce, tarragon, tomato, tradition on Feb 9th, 2008
In the British calendar the final Tuesday before Lent is known as “Shrove Tuesday”, though it’s more often referred to as “pancake day” in modern times. The derivation of the word “shrove” is unclear but it is thought to be derived from “shriving” or asking forgiveness for sins, a typical Christian activity on this day. […]
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Posted in alcohol, alcoholic drink, Asian, British, culture, drink, easy, embarrassment, England, ginger, history, honey, hot toddy, juice, lemon, New York City, Pub, Recipe, Recipes, red bush, rooibos, rooibosh, South Africa, sugar, tea, tradition, water, weather on Jan 22nd, 2008
It’s freezing here in New York. Freezing! Yesterday, it didn’t get above 26F/-3C. Just the kind of weather when you need something to warm (as they say in London’s East End) the cockles of your heart. Years ago, on a freezing January day I took a walk with a friend around Alexandra Palace in north […]
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Posted in ale, beer, British, culture, drink, England, Europe, Food Commentary, important details, Manchester, Pub, television show, travel on Nov 30th, 2007
So, as the beautifully illustrated post by my wife (see below) attests, we were recently in the UK, and spent a good portion of that trip inside pubs enjoying traditional pub food and cask-conditioned, hand-pulled ales. I describe the beers in this way for a reason. You see, the old joke that Americans never seem […]
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Posted in England, Europe, Food Commentary, indulgent meal, Manchester, Pub, restaurant, Restaurant Review, tourism, tradition, travel, unhealthy on Nov 27th, 2007
We’re back from our quick, 5-day trip to Northern England to visit Jonny’s family and I may just go to bed at 9PM like I did last night! The problem with these quick trips home (I feel like it’s kind of my home these days) is that by the time you’re over the jet lag, […]
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