THERE’S no longer any such thing as a job for life and Jeanette Reid, co -owner of the Queen’s Arms in Corton Denham on the Dorset/Somerset border near Sherborne, is determined to enjoy the potential for variety. She started off with 13 years in the police force, changing tack to take on a high-powered human…
HERE in the UK we are using the week to pay homage to that wonderful sweet sticky substance that is made by bees from the nectar of flowers. Yes, National Honey Week is here and it’s time you too got stuck in. Besides keeping the peas on your knife (only joking, Mr Debrett, I know…
THE building that houses The Ticked Pig in Wimborne has been serving food for 65 years, and before that it was a shoemakers. When Niki Barfoot was a child she used to go there with her grandmother and eat cream teas and Black Forest Gateau Now she and husband Jez run their Cafe Deli Kitchen…
by Simone Sekers ALL our friends have just had, or are about to have, holidays which take them, laboriously, to foreign parts. Jordan for one lot, a tour down the Duoro for another. To their surprise, we have just returned from a five-day trip to Bedfordshire (“Bedfordshire?”’ was asked in the tones of Algy’s aunt…
VISITORS and locals all love The Grange at Oborne, a tiny village on the outskirts of Sherborne. It’s a beautiful old building, with a warm atmosphere that is reflected in the welcome from the owners and their staff. The Grange at Oborne has been a country house hotel for many years, with a great reputation…
BY the time you get to our age, you are supposed to forget birthdays, but on the other hand, they are a good excuse to go out with friends and have a meal, so we headed off to West Stafford to meet a friend at the pub she had recommended. West Stafford, just a few…
POOR Philippa Davis – one day she’s in Provence being spoiled by the wonderful seasonal produce and the next she’s in the Highlands serving tea by roaring fires. The life of a travelling chef is so hard … Caught between a midge and … WITHIN minutes of arriving at the lodge in…
MY week was not as planned. My diary had me in the dramatic depths of wild Scotland cooking for my first grouse shoot of the season, slapping on the mosquito spray and cooking up a variety of game themed feasts. Tweed cap, puffy jacket, gloves and various layers were ready to be packed. With a…
Looking at the rain pouring down in torrents on our conservatory roof, we can only grit our teeth at this postcard from private chef Philippa Davis! IF one felt so inclined (or capable) the area surrounding St Remy de Provence is perfect for getting on a bike and busting up some crazily steep hills and…
ON the first stage of our home-bound flight from Alaska, from Anchorage to Seattle in Washington State, I got into one of those unpredictable, expansive conversations you sometimes have on a plane. The passenger next to me was a courtly old man who clearly wanted to chat. He was in his late 80s and a…