Salt and Woodsmoke

There are two shouty blokes on Masterchef. (A telly program on the BBC). John and Gregg spend a lot of time shouting at each other. Shouting things like: “HE KNOWS HOW TO COOK JOHN. YOU CAN TASTE IT. YOU CAN FEEL IT”. “YOU’RE RIGHT GREGG. BUT HAS HE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT?”. [...]

………with mackerel. Have just finished eating the lovely Japanese-style slow-cooked mackerel as recipe’d here.
Laahvley. Highly recommended. Very easy. Extra good in this horrible weather.
I’ve been rather busy at home what with one thing and another so haven’t had much time to blog. To keep you loyal I’ll point you to this article on global [...]

There is discussion out there in blogworld about new Michelin stars. The new British guide is out and new stars have been awarded. Of those to get their first is the Sportsman in Kent. A remote gastro pub that looks wonderful.
I have read at least two reviews and one article about this pub and the [...]

Just got back from a brief talk at Heffers bookshop by Bee Wilson on her new book: Swindled.

She spoke well and did a good job of fielding mine and others questions. There were about 25 or so people there. Not all of them for the free wine.
Annoyingly there appeared to be quite a few other [...]

One of our London customers took delivery of 40Kg of Kalamata olives (from us) yesterday. It would appear that people representing a certain walnut (Audenesque?) faced chef (with a penchant for four letter words) needed these olives for a little cookery demonstration happening on television tonight.

Local Flavour. Every little bit helps ensure the proliferation of [...]

Thanks to Boing Boing, I have been listening to an NPR interview with Michael Pollan who is busy promoting his new book In Defense of Food.
I am a big fan of his previous book The Omnivore’s Dilemma as I have mentioned before. His description of working on a very traditional small scale chicken and cattle [...]

Although I consider myself to be relatively opinionated when it comes to things like food (and music) I always come unstuck when gnarly subjects rear their blighted heads. At times like these I wonder whether I do actually have an opinion. I usually adopt the opinion of the last cogently written or spoken piece I [...]

Welcome to you who have strayed here from the Word of Mouth pages.
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Please feel free to look around and be, in equal parts, bored/badly informed/perplexed.
Thanks very much to Fraser, who came up to River Farm Smokery on a cold and wet December afternoon in pursuit of the goose. He is an interesting fellow and very [...]

Whilst Hugh attempts to change the poultry buying habits of Axminster, I have started trying out some of his recipes from the Fish book.
First up, smoked mackerel fishcakes. You’ve gotta love a fishcake haven’t you? Cake with fish in it. Yeah baby. Fishzle bizzle.

The ingredients are: fish, mash, horseradish, grain mustard, chives. I didn’t have [...]