Although the book has been available to download for a few years now, during that time I’ve been busy revising, editing and expanding it. Finally, although I certainly don’t consider it finished, it has reached a stage where I’m willing put it out there and retire the previous, outdated version. Think of the previous draft read more…
Jon Snow is a name familiar to the many fans of George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series of books, and the HBO television series based upon them. Perhaps a little less well-known currently is the fictional character’s 19th century namesake, an English physician whose research into a cholera outbreak in London indicated that read more…
After my Swedish misadventure, it was a few weeks before I felt like doing any baking. When I did decide to get back into it, I was dismayed to find the cupboard where I keep all my baking ingredients had been squatted by an army of minute insects. They were everywhere: in the bags of read more…
It’s been nearly a year since I last posted on this blog, for various reasons. At the beginning of the year I started working on a new look, planning to return to regular blogging once it was up and running. With everything nearly complete, I took a week out in March to visit a friend read more…
I’ve finally uploaded the two missing chapters of the book, ‘Shaping’ and ‘Cooling, Storing and Serving’. Both are still in need of expansion, and the chapter on shaping needs some illustrations, but the basic structure of the book is now complete. I’ve also added an online glossary that I hope will be useful. This too read more…
I’m a very part-time forager, but if notice notice something wild-growing and edible whilst I’m out and about, I usually take advantage of it. During a walk with my daughters the other day we stumbled across some giant puffballs growing in the middle of a field. Giant puffballs, or Calvatia gigantea, are stalkless, globe shaped read more…
My activities have been curtailed by a bout of tonsilitis just recently, but I’m hoping to be back in action soon. In the meantime, enjoy this intriguing plate from ceramicist Stephen Bird.
Polish artist Milena Korolczuk has found an interesting use for bread by using it as a modelling medium and crafting a series of portraits of notable personalities, both historical and contemporary. Her work is currently on show at Warsaw’s Raster Gallery, whose website has a nice selection of images.I particularly like Korolczuk’s diminutive take on read more…
A couple of friends who recently turned 40 organised a weekend camping in the Cotswolds last weekend. It turned out that the campsite wasn’t very far from Shipton Mill, which is located near the town of Tetbury. Having arrived and set up camp on Friday, I drove over on the Saturday morning to pick up read more…
The poet Phillip Larkin wrote that ‘Sex was invented in 1963’, a wry nod to the lingering influence of Victorian morals on 20th century Britain. But earlier centuries were often much more licentious than we think. The seventeenth century writer John Aubrey compiled a series of accounts of English folk traditions under the title Remaines read more…
