Halva is an acquired taste – I’ve never successfully convinced anyone who’s not had it before that it is nice, despite my efforts. I think it’s the uneasy marriage of bitter and slightly sickly. Last night I was wandering abou[…]

And so it came to pass that the cynical amongst us noted that this year they haved moved St Patricks Day from the usual 17th March which would have been a QNI Monday, to the far more party friendly 15th March, a Saturday. Whilst the articles and so o[…]

There is something fascinating about the differences in the generic. If the point of global fast food brands is a comforting familiarity, it is the surprising differences which can sometimes make them even more interesting*. The nature of franchising[…]

Sweetbreads: culinary term for the pancreas or thymus. However a lot of people (myself included) still think sweetbreads are testicles. I mean its al OM NOM NOM NOM as far as I am concerned, and once prepared I am not sure I could necessarily taste t[…]

This is not a new brand but Lemsip’s latest salvo in the war against the uncurable common cold (via our wallets) was new to me when I tried it yesterday. You might think that putting a couple of capsules in your mouth is pretty direct, ditto dr[…]

Mmm chestnuts, how festive! I know it’s January, but I bought, and ate this Kit Kat last year so it’s still okay and bah humbug to the haters. Chestnut Kit Kat then: I’m sad to say that I am not really a big fan of this one. It felt[…]

Here’s a selection of some of the most entertaining/interesting posts on the site this year – thoroughly incomplete, as it doesn’t include much of the frothing ephemera that makes FT so good (in my partisan view). As usual when I lo[…]

so last night i discovered two inter-linked and utterly heartwarming cookery FACTS
one is that in cookery, if angels are played by OYSTERS then devils are played by PRUNES!
two is that in these recipes, for every horse (= small piece of toast) there […]

The following excerpt arrived in my inbox over Christmas and appears to be from the journal of an anonymous Merchant Navy skipper.
23rd December ’07
After 3 days fogbound, we found ourselves under clear skies in open sea. The navigator swiftly […]

If there is one thing that CAMRA seems to have accidentally, but willingly, sponsored over the last thirty years – its the ever so clever witty beer name. Real Ale’s, often been brewed as special beers, are often named thematically and th[…]