THE Greek islands are a delight – even when you are working, as Philippa Davis discovered An overnight stay in Athens was swiftly followed by a few hours boat ride across the Aegon to the pretty island of Paros where the gleaming whitewashed buildings lay backdrop to the colourful myths, legends and modern day lives of…
Philippa Davis has been catering for a group of cyclists in the Pyrenees – not the Tour de France, but still a pretty gruelling way to work off the calories! THIS week I’ve been cooking for a group of 30 athletes cycling three cols of the Pyrenees. It was like discovering a secret bizarre…
TUCKED away in the windy lanes west of Wincanton, the new Piggery Barns at the Queens Arms at Corton Denham are the perfect base to explore the peaceful countryside of rural Dorset and South Somerset.. The newly converted accommodation in the former pig barns is a natural extension of the snout-to-tail ethos that lies at…
THIS week’s recipe and travelogue from our resident private chef Philippa Davis combines three of our favourite things – Scotland, salmon and food in the open air. We’ve known Philippa for years. She comes from Shaftesbury and we first sampled her delicious and inventive cooking at the Mudchute Kitchen on the city farm in an unexpected…
SO far the forecast is fine for Iford on Friday 24th June, which is good news for Peto Prommers. The first of three annual proms this year features jazz singer and pianist Anthony Strong and Brass Hysteria, playing in the Casita. The Opera Cloister Bar returns, serving cocktails and more in the beautiful cloister while…
IFORD Festival, in the beautiful Harold Peto designed grounds of Iford Manor near Bradford-on-Avon, has been offering picnics to its patrons for several years, and we enjoyed our first at the opening night of Macbeth this year. Ever since I first visited the festival I have been enthusing about its setting and unique atmosphere, and…
BURGERS are not just for carnivores – and students on Christine McFadden’s Burger Special day will discover just what an exciting variety of ingredients and flavours you can enjoy in a vegetarian patty. The course at the cookery school which Christine (aka The Dorset Foodie) runs at her home in picturesque Little Bredy, is on…
IT was a shop selling hand-made boots and shoes that drew us to Teignmouth – and it will be a pair of boots and the lure of the freshest, most delicious seafood that will take us back to this South Devon port. It used to be a popular resort but has been left slightly behind,…
Private chef Philippa Davis has just returned from the south of France – in time for English asparagus! LAST week I almost fainted. By instruction of a client I was purchasing some relatively good-looking apples from a trendy west London shop. The fruits were prettily laid out in pristine new wicker baskets and they had an…
THE sun was out, I had front row seats to the hottest Easter party in the Algarve (OK, I was cooking for it) and we had more chocolate than Willy Wonka for the Easter Egg Hunt of 2016, I just knew it was going to be a great week. On the southern coast of Portugal…