Epicurean's Answer

My oven hates me. It really does. Imagine an evil Herbie in oven form (except there is no split-in-two happy ending). To everyone it’s just a standard built-in oven in a rental property. To me, it has become my nemesis. My issues have become such, that I have been banned from cooking in my own […]

There comes a time when things that are good become not so good. Remember that bowl of crisps you put out for that party? Not quite as crispy in the morning were they? That roast potato that was so delicious last night, when you were picking at the remains of the roast dinner? Now cold, […]

A The Good Apples (especially Bramleys) Don’t be dazzled by the colonies and their flashy fruits – I want nothing to do with their mangoes, pineapples and bananas, for we are fecund with the finest fruits on the planet. The jewel in the UK crown is the magnificent apple. This autumnal reward is a thing […]

Biscuits are elemental in our lives. They are the quiet markers of time, defining our ever changing tastes and ascent to adulthood. They are worthy of not just the odd misty-eyed recollection, but a discreetly ordered table – defining the deliciously crumbly boundaries between their baked brethren. Click on the picture to enlarge so you […]

A Christmas isn’t really Christmas without a Tunis Cake. Despite the classic red box from McVities no longer illuminating the festive shelves, major supermarkets have assumed the mantle and taken to producing Tunis Cakes. Which is good news for everyone. This year Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, M&S and Waitrose are all doing their own version.   […]

This is my ideal Tunis Cake recipe, it has a softer, richer chocolate topping than most supermarket versions and as a tribute to my seventies memories of the original the icing is a symphony of orange and brown. Ingredients Cake 250g butter 450g sugar 250g flour 75g corn flour 2 tsp baking powder 250ml milk […]

A The Good Arnotts They may no longer be Australian-owned and they may have brought out one too many variants of their flagship Tim Tam but the Rozella-logoed brand has a stranglehold on their domestic biscuit market that McVities could only dream of. Home of Vita-Weat crackers, the perennially cute Tiny Teddy and the moreish […]

  We all know broccoli tastes like broccoli, ice is cold and Turkish delight is vile. Once you’ve tasted the building blocks of food you know what to expect when a meal is placed before you. Modern chefs (led by The Godfather Ferran Adrià and Lord Blumenthal of Heston) know and rely on this acquired […]

Upon reading nearly anything else I’ve written, one would not be too surprised to learn that I am partial to a sandwich. My Bread Meat Cheese food philosophy will testify as such. I would, however, like to make a distinction between ‘normal’ sandwiches – those of a filling between two slices of bread (named after […]

Greece are set to be bailed out to the tune £120 billion again, from the EU and the International Monetary Fund, having had a similar amount poured into their coffers last year. Whilst the economists and financiers may accuse inflation and pension funds, they are not to blame. We are. Biscuit shoppers everywhere have let […]

Hollywood loves a sequel. The cash-cows of popular franchises can be milked for decades! Who’d have thought you could squeeze a single film out of Big Mama’s House, let alone two follow ups?! So with the world admiring RPatz in his latest outing Water for Elephants I got to thinking about wringing some more cash […]

I recently had an argument with a colleague about the validity of the, widely accepted, concept of western cooking having its basis in French cuisine. He argued that Australia owed far more to Asian countries than any Gallic influences – he was of course wrong and his argument held no water, after all Asian countries […]

I love condiments. I really love them – a meal isn’t a meal without a sauce, chutney or a mustard. My cupboards bow under the weight of pickles, curry pastes and vinegars. My fridge door greets me with a pleasing symphony of jar on jar whenever opened. My life revolves around food and my food […]

I remember a time when they were only three television channels. Saturday would role round and the airwaves would drip with sport, Grandstand vied with ITV’s World of Sport, in bringing the British Public the most obscure sports they could handle (parallel bars anyone?) But there was an oasis that I ran to. Every Saturday […]

I know what it’s like, you’re busy. If you’re like me, you’ve got a to do list as long as your arm, plus there’s a CSI on Living that you haven’t seen! It all adds up. So, to save you time and maximise every last drop of joy from my shopping list obsession – here […]

It’s British Sandwich Week 2010 between May 9th-15th, which is nice, because sandwiches don’t get a lot of coverage and not many people know about them. They do, however, have their own association! Oh yes, The British Sandwich Association are there to uphold the rights of the perfect lunchtime snack and protect our bread based […]

I love food and I love music. I couldn’t resist reinterpreting Thou Shalt Always Kill by the brilliant Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, into a food rant. Play the video, listen to the words, chuckle, play it again whilst reading my words, chuckle some more. That Shalt Always Cook Thou shalt not microwave baked […]

There are a select few who can wander down to their field, pick some fresh asparagus and on their way back, slaughter a chicken or two. To those I stand in awe and salute your fortunate position, for the rest of us, there are supermarkets. Whether you love them or loathe them, life would be […]

A true partnership is one that takes, as building blocks, the constituent parts and constructs a product, greater by far than those parts alone. Food partnerships can be hit and miss, the more chefs experiment, the more amplified those disasters and successes can become. So, I say, stick to the classic ten partnerships, those that […]