2019 Food – The Hovingham Inn, Hovingham

Saturday, 3rd August 2019 – The Hovingham Inn, Hovingham Right. I’m going to declare an interest here. I love The Hovingham Inn and want it to succeed so much that I’ve actually invested money in it. That investment was based on the past record of the team running it, Richard and Lindsey Johns. We’ve eaten…

Food 2019 – The Clarendon, Hebden

Friday, 2nd August 2019 – The Clarendon, Hebden I’m not sure how long Lionel Strub has been up in Hebden without us getting there to try the food, but it’s definitely too long (and research suggests he’s been there 5 years!). In fact the last time I ate food prepared by him, it was at…

Food 2019 – Blo Deady at Weston Hall Supper Club, Weston

Friday, 19th July 2019 – Blo Deady After the disappointment of the previous supper club event (Aldo Zilli) it was good to be back at West Hall with no mention of the Daily Telegraph, and a chef on fine form in the kitchen. That chef was the slightly oddly named Blo Deady, a private chef…

Food 2019 – Barão Fladgate, Vila Nova de Gaia

Monday, 15th July 2019 – Barão Fladgate, Vila Nova de Gaia Knowing we’d be flying home late we’d planned to have a good lunch somewhere, possibly with a spot more port thrown in for good measure. When I booked a table at Barão Fladgate, I don’t think I’d anticipated just how good a lunch it…

Food 2019 – The Yeatman, Vila Nova de Gaia

Sunday, 14th July 2019 – The Yeatman, Vila Nova de Gaia Sunday night was the blow out meal of the weekend, a 2 Michelin-starred tasting menu in what might be the best hotel in the area, the Yeatman. First, however, we stopped off for a drink in Porto before getting a taxi across to Vila…

Food 2019 – UVA by Cálem, The Blini, Vila Nova de Gaia

Saturday,  13th July 2019 – UVA by Cálem, The Blini, Vila Nova de Gaia After a day of port tasting we emerged from the fado and port session blinking in the sunlight and wondering where to go for a pre-dinner drink. We didn’t have time to go back across to Porto and the Terrace Lounge…

Travel 2019 – Porto, Day 3

Saturday, 13th July 2019 – Porto, Day 3 After a run from the hotel that seemed to go ridiculously uphill all the way, Saturday morning seemed like a good time to start on a tour of some of the main attractions of Porto, beginning with the Sé do Porto (Porto Cathedral), partly because it was…

Food 2019 – DOP, Porto

Friday, 12th July 2019 – DOP, Porto After a day of food, we were still ready for dinner! Friday night we headed out down the street towards the river, finding the pedestrianised streets full of street musicians, strolling people and cafe tables spilling out onto the pavements. We were headed for DOP Restaurante, a rather…

Food 2019 – Wine Dinner, Cigalon, London

Tuesday, 26th March 2019 – German Wine Dinner, Cigalon, London I’m rather fond of Cigalon, on London’s Chancery Lane, and in particular I’m partial to both its monthly menu “test sessions”, which are usually on a Monday, and now of their wine dinners having attended a recent one. A reasonable (for London anyway) £50 per…