Not-so-noble experiments
Apologies for my extended radio silence. The past month, for some reason, has been one of the busiest of my freelance career, with some fairly exciting jobs falling into my…
Five ways to drink gin
Gin is such a gloriously versatile poison that it’s difficult whittling my top choices down to five. I’ve even had to bump two of my favourites (the gin & mixed…
Hot buttered rum
That uncommonly balmy December has given way to a frosty new year. In our little cottage by the sea, E and I have had the fire roaring from 4pm pretty…
Hawthorn sauce
The valley between Goathland and Grosmont is a prime foraging ground. In the spring it’s an excellent place to find wild garlic, and lately it’s been rich in sloes, haws,…
Baking spent grain bread
I’m a bit uncomfortable about waste. Not particularly on account of economic necessity, but because when I think about all the time and effort that’s gone into growing something, manufacturing…
Harvest time at the oast cottage
It’s that time of year again. The fields are reduced to stubble, the apple trees in some parts of the country are already picked clean (hello, climate change), schoolchildren are…
Last of the season
Whenever I see the bilberry mentioned online or in books, it often seems to be preceded by the word ‘humble’. The humble bilberry. And I can never work out why,…
Carnivorous morsels
It’s odd that the feeling of ignorance you get from visiting the Pig and Butcher on Liverpool Road should be so enjoyable. Seven and a bit years ago now, in…
