inspired by The Other Naughty Piglet 23rd March 2021. A year since we first entered a national lockdown. I remember feeling a sense of relief when the lockdown was finally announced. Watching the TV as Boris ordered us all to stay at home didn’t feel anywhere near as bad as the announcements we had dealt with the week before. Monday 16th March was the worst. The day that theatres shut. Myself and everyone else who works in performing arts woke up in the morning feeling a little anxious, but getting on with our day as normal. By that evening all the work was postponed indefinitely across the ..read more

inspired by The Wheatsheaf After looking at how some pubs are cutting down on meat on their menus, or going completely plant based, I thought we should look at an alternative approach to meat eating. And for that I’m taking inspiration from one of the most sustainable pubs in the country. Meat, it seems, is a growingly political issue. How can we justify eating it when our planet is suffering? And how do we strike a balance if we’re not ready to commit to a fully plant based diet? There is no doubt that eating less meat is a good thing for the planet. But the more I think about it the more ..read more

inspired by The Albert Arms There is light at the end of the tunnel! There’s a lot to take in after the Government’s announcement of the new road map out of lockdown. For many in hospitality May seems like a long wait. Some would argue too long. But let’s look on the bright side shall we? Not only can we be cautiously optimistic for being back in pubs and restaurants in May. But my the end of June we might live in a world with no more restrictions. Which means hospitality can start to look forward not only to being open, but being busy. We can start dreaming about packed bars on a Saturday n ..read more

inspired by The Spread Eagle Think of pub food and you might think of fish and chips, burgers and pies. A Sunday roast or a scotch egg. What do all these things have in common? Definitely not vegan. But as more people want a plant based option, whether they be fully vegan or just a little more planet conscious, it’s interesting to see how pubs are adapting. 10 years ago I was a vegetarian, and had been for the best part of a decade. A bad veggie burger or some sort of stodgy, reheated mushroom risotto was the best you could hope for in a pub. Or a restaurant for that matter. But if you were ..read more

inspired by The Ebrington Arms All this pub food and talk of pubs has got me thinking. We know what makes great pub food. But what actually makes a pub a pub? And what makes it great? Think about it. There is actually very little that can solidly define a pub, and only a pub. Sale of alcohol? OK yes I’ve yet to find a pub that is teetotal. But a bar is not a pub, and they sell booze too. You might think all pubs are beer focused. But what about those pubs that are more like restaurants? You rarely see people tucking into a tasting menu with a pint of ale. Much more likely a glass of wine. P ..read more

inspired by The Bull & Last It’s finally February! For most people this is cause for a huge sigh of relief. They can finally give up on their diets, detoxes and dry Januaries. They have been good. Now they can enjoy themselves. Any pub usually expects more than a few people to over indulge at the start of this month. Whether it’s having one too many, after abstaining from booze for so long. Or finally giving in to that portion of chips or perhaps allowing themselves a non-slimline tonic with their gin. Crazy. But as anyone who reads this blog will know, I don’t go in for any January deto ..read more

inspired by Chuku’s This pandemic has well and truly killed the buzz of a restaurant opening. Being one of the first customers to try new dishes, to be guinea pigs for orders of service and staff training – that used to be an amazing experience. But after the past six months with opening, closing, opening again, closing again. All with constant adapting and retraining to fit different guidelines. Some of the excitement has gone out of it, hasn’t it? Every restaurant across the country have staged multiple reopenings over the past six months. Each with new menus, new orders of service, new d ..read more

inspired by The Duke Of Richmond Food has been getting rather political lately. At least the lack of food has. The number of people living in poverty in this country has only increased since the pandemic began. For months we’ve been hearing stories of parents going hungry in order to feed their children. Of families struggling to put food on the table. Once again last week the government let these families down. After so many U turns and back tracks on free school meals already in the past few months, you would think that by now politicians would have learned their lesson? Apparently not… B ..read more

inspired by The Pony & Trap Last but by no means least we have my cheese course for my fantasy seven course, seven restaurant menu. I love cheese. It’s a bit of an addiction really. There’s always far too much of it in the fridge. I’m just as likely to reach for a piece of cheese as a guilty snack or late night treat as I am something sweet. Cheese is just so utterly comforting and delicious. But I’m not always a fan of a cheese course in a restaurant. I mean, I will happily eat one. If you put cheese in front of me I will eat it. I’m not in any way suggesting that a restaurant can’t pu ..read more

inspired by Wilsons For the dessert course we are leaving London and I am taking inspiration from further afield. I’m heading to Bristol, without leaving my kitchen. Lockdown friendly imaginary travel only at the moment. Do you ever get a sense that you will love a place, even if you’ve never been there? You see it on TV, or hear about it from friends. Well that is how I feel about Bristol. I’ve been meaning to visit for years. As soon as we can travel again, it seems like a good place to start. Not to far away. No aeroplanes required. That seems like an achievable goal for 2021 doesn’t it ..read more