Great Recipes That Work-Lobster and Roasted Pepper Risotto (serves 2-3) *I wrote this recipe just before Christmas last year (2007) Christmas Dinner is not always a huge family celebration, for some people it might mean dinner for 2 or 3. Why cook a turkey and all the trimmings? Only to spend the next week trying to... ( added 1 year 57 days ago.)

BBQ Hints & Tips Although the summer weather in the UK has been poor this year, being a Bank Holiday Weekend a lot of folks will be trying to light their BBQ's one last time. Year on year outdoor cooking has become bigger and bigger and yet a large number of... ( added 1 year 73 days ago.)

"Grumpyoldmen"...on Olympic logo.........A Go-Go Some months ago I wrote about the controversy surrounding the London Olympic logo for 2012.but I never got around to posting it. I thought with games on in China this would be a good time to post this blog and see whether the people of the UK have... ( added 1 year 88 days ago.)

"Grumpyoldmen"---Have British Parents Gone AWOL? It seems that there is a growing gap between reality and the comfort of perception. Supposed good, caring parents are allowing their teenage kids to get drunk and get into all kinds of experimental sexual behaviour. Age Being in the restaurant... ( added 1 year 100 days ago.)

It was over before it Began...Is Stourport about to be Butchered? Here is a story I was trying to write about Tesco's building yet another large supermarket. I had only heard of the plans two weeks before a vital council meeting. I sent these notes to my editor to give her the outline of the situation but once... ( added 1 year 101 days ago.)

"Grumpyoldmen" --Common Sense...is not so common any more We historically call it Common senseit's the thing that we all are supposed to possess. We used to use it to decide on the proper course of action, in a given situation. In the past it helped frame our common laws and morals. Ancient man... ( added 1 year 105 days ago.)

"Grumpyoldmen" --Do You Think You're Sexy? I don't know about youbut there has definitely been a few times in my life when I felt I didn't belong. In other words, the people around me have behaved so strangely.I end up wondering whether an Alien invasion had taken place whilst I was... ( added 1 year 105 days ago.)

"Grumpyoldmen" --British Package Holidays Due to the fact that I was taking my young daughter with me. I reluctantly booked a First Choice holiday to Majorca. Usually I create my own holidays abroad via the Internet because I find I can get better value for money that way. For years... ( added 1 year 105 days ago.)

Great Recipes That Work-- Baked Vanilla Cheesecake (serves 6) A good baked vanilla cheesecake is an uncommon thing of beauty. A balance between subtle flavour and light texture. I often thing back to several New York deli's that made the very best cheesecakes, ones that even got New Yorker's talking. ... ( added 1 year 105 days ago.)

Is This The Real Willy Wonka? *Firstly let me apologise for the long delay in finishing what has been for me a writing labour of love, I only hope by the time you have read this perhaps you will understand the scale of this undertaking. I would like to stress most... ( added 1 year 105 days ago.)

Great recipes that work-"Bakewell Pudding" Like many other people my first taste of a Bakewell dessert was Bakewell Tart, which has a short pastry crust, a thin layer of raspberry jam and then almond frangipane and is a standard classic English dessert. However recently I discovered... ( added 1 year 166 days ago.)

Great Recipes that Work "Duck and Wild Mushroom Terrine" (serves 8-10) I admit this is not the shortest recipe you will ever try but for special occasions it is well worth the effort. It's not a hard recipe to do just one that takes time, but the pay back is the wow factor when your dinner guests see this... ( added 2 years 191 days ago.)

In Search of a Truely Great Chocolate (a Chocoholic's Journey) Being a food writer as well as a chef has its little rewards……… From time to time food companies send me samples of their wares. I know………I know…….it’s a tough thing to keep tasting free stuff but someone has to do it……right? Recently amongst the... ( added 2 years 266 days ago.)

"Interesting Food Story"-Would You Like a Nice Cup of Tea? Would you like a nice cup of Tea? The beverage England has put its name to for centuries is now being grown on the Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall - the UK’s only tea plantation. It’s the first first tea to be grown on... ( added 3 years 193 days ago.)

Hot Food Issues-The Scary Truth about Aspertame The Scary Truth about Aspartame Most of this blog is celebrating the joys and pleasures of food but I also believe that as a food professional I need to raise public awareness on issues that can affect people's health. Aspartame, which is often... ( added 3 years 193 days ago.)

Hot Food Issues-Kids and Food Like the saying goes "We Are What We Eat", and my wake up call came 3 years ago when I became a Dad. Suddenly my vague dislike for the current state of affairs became crystallized. Trying to buy additive free food or drink is difficult, but it is... ( added 3 years 217 days ago.)