Latest Posts

Beautiful day for a barbecue

Top barbecue tips from King of the Barbecue (my dad)

Published by

It’s not official (he doesn’t wear a crown or anything). But in my book, my dad is the King of Barbecues.

Every summer, for as long as I can remember, he has donned his shorts and polo shirt (whatever the weather) and created a culinary masterpiece in the form of sweet barbecued sausages and softly charred chicken wings and melt-in-your mouth pork ribs. His passion for the barbecue began at the mere age of 15 in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), when he took over barbecue duties from his own father.

Never an under-cooked piece of meat in sight, my dad has perfected the art of the barbecue over many years…

Read More

Eclectic chairs at Black Swan

Black Swan, Leeds: A review

Published by

BRB on Leeds’ Call Lane was once a regular haunt for Jake and I. As skint early twenty-somethings, we’d meet up on many a lunchtime to make the most of the £5 pizza and drink deal. The duck and hoisin topping was to-die-for.

But now the team behind Sandinista and Smokestack have transformed this pub slash pizza joint into a much classier affair, by the name of Black Swan. Even the name, with its echoes of the recent Natalie Portman film, has a touch of real class about it.

So, when I was invited to review the new menu, I was intrigued to see how much things have changed since 2006.

Read More

Market stall in Vietnam

Hunting for the best pho bo outside Vietnam…

Published by

For months – years even – I’ve been searching for a pho bo as good as the one I ate in bustling Ho Chi Minh City on our very first day in Vietnam back in August 2012.

We were staying in a tiny hostel off the beaten track and when we asked the owner where she recommended we find the city’s best beef noodle soup, she advised us to walk just a couple of blocks down the road to a little unassuming café. As we approached, I could see bits of old herbs all over the floor and the odd fly bouncing around in what appeared to be a slightly drunken state – not the best advert for a place in which to have lunch.

Read More