Archive For The “Interviews” Category
He is a Michelin-starred chef and a Roux Scholarship winner but Chef Matthew Tomkinson seems untouched by his celebrity. He is a nice bloke who loves his work, and the rest is just the proverbial icing on the well-presented cake. I asked Matthew if he came from a cheffy background. Did his family have anything…
The French Horn is iconic, quintessentially English and has a celebrated restaurant. The chef has an equally enviable reputation but she isn’t English. This is, after all the ‘French’ Horn. The owner is Michael Emmanuel and he knows what makes a good chef. “We’ve always been about good food cooked well and delivered properly. I’ve…
Will Torrent is a young chef and one of the most successful in the UK, but the name might not ring bells. He doesn’t have his own restaurant and isn’t famed f or colourful language on the small screen. He is passionate about his craft but he has a well-rounded and balanced personality and uses…
It was a hot evening, a rare one in England this summer, when we walked into The French Horn. This is perhaps one of the most beautiful of country inns on the banks of the Thames. There was blazing sunshine outside and a roaring log fire inside. In fact the hotel (it’s described as a…
Chef Nooror Somany Steppé is petite, attractive and vibrant. She grew up in Thailand’s Chachoengsao province, has a shy manner and says she finds it difficult to sing her own praises: she explains that it’s part of Thai culture to be modest. But don’t let that quiet manner fool you – Chef Nooror is the…
Glen Tarsan is one of the converted fishing boats in The Majestic Line fleet. It’s now a cruising hotel with a fabulous restaurant, or you could describe it as a ‘moving restaurant with rooms’; but it has such a reputation for fine food that it has been welcomed as a static ‘botel’ over the winter…
Andrew Wilson has returned to Ashdown Park Hotel in Sussex for the third time and he is now executive chef. It’s not difficult to understand the appeal: it’s the quintessential English country house hotel – Gothic Victorian architecture and more than 180 acres of grounds. Andrew heads a team of 25 in the kitchen at…
There are few restaurants owned, run by, and named after a sommelier but Singapore’s iconic “Iggy’s” is just that. Ignatius ‘Iggy’ Chan is an immensely likable, warm and animated restaurateur who has given his name to one of the most celebrated destinations for food lovers across Asia and indeed the world. “When I’m in a…
The majority of readers based in the UK will have no notion of who Christopher Kimball might be, and to mention that he is the host of America’s Test Kitchen will hardly be enlightening. It’s a programme new to UK satellite and cable TV although it’s into its 13th season on the US PBS network,…
Only 35 minutes from the capital and 7 miles from London Heathrow airport, Stoke Park offers everything you might want from a sport and leisure resort, and in the most magnificent surroundings, combined with one of the best hotels and restaurants. It’s been used as a film location for James Bond’s Goldfinger and for Bridget…
He is handsome and tall with casual-chic attire, and has a winning smile, but when he talks about food his visage changes to reflect a serious regard for his art and passion. Although still a young man André Chiang has had a lifetime filled with food and restaurants. His Mum was a chef and had…
We have heard of Manchester, and it’s no surprise that there are lads from that fine city living in Croatia, but who is Paški Sir? It’s not a man but rather a hard-textured, distinctive sheep milk cheese from the Croatian island of Pag, and it’s the most celebrated of their artisanal cheeses. The unique flavour…
Baking a Difference. This probably was love at first bite! Richard Bertinet had no other idea than to become a baker. His uncle had a bakery in Paris and his mum used to work behind the counter in a baker’s shop. Richard would haunt the local bakery to watch the befloured and T-shirted men (could…
Jancis Robinson is instantly recognisable as the wine expert with the soft voice….and glasses. She became popular when presenting The Wine Programme and later Jancis Robinson’s Wine Course. She is also the voice for several documentaries. But where did “Jancis” come from? “I was given the unusual name Jancis because my mother and her sister…
Celia Brooks Brown was born in Colorado and seems to have been the typical all-American girl with a job as a Car Hop at Hungry Boy Drive-In, a local burger joint. I don’t know if that’s what persuaded Celia to become a vegetarian! It’s true that it’s unusual to find many Americans who would swap…
…from Oaxaca to the Windy City. Award-winning chef-restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality Rick Bayless has done more than any other culinary figure to introduce Americans to authentic Mexican cooking and to change the image of Mexican food in America. I was first introduced to the work of Rick Bayless when we were living in…
Celebrity chef Rick Stein counts her among his “food heroes”, Jamie Oliver wouldn’t trust the design of his herb garden to anyone else. Jekka McVicar started her herb farm over 20 years ago at her home near Bristol; it now has the largest collection of herbs in the UK with more than 600 different varieties….
I confess to being a great fan of Bill Buckley. He has a style all his own, openly gay and sometimes camp, he has developed a warm rapport with his loyal late-night listeners who are evidently fond of the man. He presents a staggering 4 hours of broadcasting each night, from Tuesday to Friday (1am…
David Rosengarten is one of the foremost authorities on food and wine. He is a well-respected cookbook author and has penned, amongst others, the 500-recipe Dean & DeLuca Cookbook. Dean & DeLuca is America’s most celebrated food shop and I hope to be able to publish the review of David’s book in the next few…