How L’Enclume’s Michelin win is taking Cumbria to the top of the foodie table
With more stars than any other county, the land of gravy and chips is now held up as a rival to Paris and San SebastiánWhen Simon Rogan and his family moved to Cumbria in 2002, the Lake District was...
View ArticleI’m so proud that Cumbria has become a foodie magnet | Grace Dent
The Guardian’s Carlisle-born restaurant critic on how the county moved on from scampi in a basket and got a taste for world-class Michelin-starred menusAs a Cumbrian, it’s almost surreal that the area...
View ArticleBeckford Bottle Shop, Bath: ‘Somewhere to quiet all the bad thoughts’ –...
Ever imagine living another life? It’s all too easy when you take refuge in Bath’s Beckford Bottle ShopBeckford Bottle Shop, 5-8 Saville Row, Bath BA1 2QP (01225 809 302; beckfordbottleshop.com)....
View Article50 things we love in the world of food right now
Miso spaghetti and chorizo sausage rolls, Colombian brunch and a little restaurant in Venice, oysters from Somerset and filo pastries on Instagram: presenting Observer Food Monthly’s food favourites...
View ArticleHome cooking: the British families who are winning Michelin stars
Three restaurants run by family members have been included in the guide, defying the supposed tensions of top kitchensFather and daughter chef duo James and Georgia Sommerin are so in sync that they...
View Article‘Tougher and chewier’: Australia is being treated to a new world of ice-cream
Stretchy, shaken, with tahini or even feta, we’re spoilt for choice with a diversity of flavours and texturesWhen husband and wife duo Adam Alhajji and Huda AlSultan started their business Sassi Ice...
View ArticleHaywards Epping: ‘Spoons of ecstasy that will rule out wearing leggings’ –...
It may not be as throbbingly of-the-moment as the newest London or Lake District venture, but it has assured, ambitious dishes using stellar produce On a bright, lunchtime drive to Haywards in Epping,...
View ArticleFletchers at Grantley Hall, Ripon: ‘Confused and asphyxiatingly expensive’ –...
It’s lavish and pricey, but when you get to pudding Fletchers finally hits the bullseyeFletchers at Grantley Hall, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3ET (01765 620 070, grantleyhall.co.uk). Starters...
View ArticleWaiter, there’s a pearl in my dinner! The New Jersey couple who were served...
Michael and Maria Spressler’s surprise could be worth $10,000. That’s a cut above the mice, frogs and condoms that diners have discovered elsewhereName: Food surprises.Age: Well, there was a 34th...
View ArticleHawksmoor Wood Wharf, London E14: ‘Reassuringly special’ – restaurant review...
This half steakhouse, half love boat oozes warm dependabilityIf, last year, I’d had to guess where the restaurant scene would thrive in 2022, the Canary Wharf district would have felt most improbable....
View ArticleThe Heathcock, Cardiff: ‘Identifies the good things, does them well’ –...
Dining in Cardiff has been reformed, as an exceptional lunch at the Heathcock demonstratesThe Heathcock, 58-60 Bridge Street, Cardiff CF5 2EN (029 2115 2290). Lunch £7-£13, mains (evenings) £15-£24,...
View ArticleOpening nightmare: launching a restaurant into a world stricken by Covid and...
The past two years have been the hardest ever for restaurants. Amid critical shortages of staff, food supplies and even customers, can a new venture from the man behind Polpo survive? By George...
View Article‘Freedom dumplings’: the chefs cooking in solidarity with Ukraine
Bakers, bartenders and cooks are using food and drink to show support and to fundraise for relief effortsIn Culver City, a Chinese restaurant is selling bright blue and yellow “freedom dumplings”, the...
View ArticleCash’s reign fades as Covid accelerates high street switch to card-only
The trend towards cashless is creeping into food outletsPopular restaurant chains which stopped taking cash during the pandemic have turned their backs on it long-term in the latest sign of Britain’s...
View ArticleDouble Dragon, London: ‘A great night out’ – restaurant review
Dramatic flavours and look-at-me food will wake the polite ghosts at a grand old restaurant hauntDouble Dragon, 84 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4QY (020 7683 0326). Lunch £7-£13, all dishes £5-£14.50,...
View ArticleAir-scribbling cheques will soon be a thing of the past, like fish knives |...
The international gesture of asking for the bill is out of date – like many things I love about restaurantsSome boys are taught by their fathers how to skim stones or bowl cricket balls. Mine taught me...
View ArticleThe restaurants we love are woven into our lives | Rachel Cooke
There’ll always be new restaurants, but I return to the ones that are home to drama, heartbreak and joyWriting for Observer Food Monthly has brought me lots of excitement down the years, most recently...
View ArticleThe LaLee, London: ‘A menu designed for well-heeled tourists’ – restaurant...
This Lillie Langtry-themed room isn’t as seductive as it thinks, but the Caesar salad is a showstopperThe LaLee, The Cadogan, 75 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9SG (020 8089 7070). Starters £14-£20, mains...
View ArticleInside the test kitchens where restaurants cook up new dishes
From Michelin-star meals to fast food and no-fail family recipes, chances are your favourite dish was developed in a test kitchen. Meet the chefs who transform ideas into dinnerIn Cartmel in rural...
View ArticleWhy do restaurants give us bread at the start of the meal?
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhy do restaurants give us...
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