CORN not only grows tall, as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Curly sings in Oklahoma!, it is also big business in the USA. Private chef Philippa Davis from Shaftesbury has been working on the millionaires’ summer resort of the Hamptons, north of New York and learning about this multi-billion dollar staple of American food and farming ……
by Simone Sekers CAN you judge the standard of food at a place by what the chef is wearing? And if there isn’t a chef, then who will give you the clues you seek? You can give a good sniff around the area of the extractor fans and give the place a wide berth if…
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…
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,…
by Simone Sekers THE first shrimping trip of the season is always a triumph of expectation over fulfilment, but the glittering May sunshine on the waves is so enticing that we can never resist. The very fact that there are waves is an indication that shrimping isn’t going to work – that chilly spring breeze…
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 new Gainsborough Bath Spa hotel has been featured in the Condé Nast Traveller 2016 Hot List: The Best New Hotels in the World. This prestigious listing features the editors’ and contributing reporters’ handpicked selection of their favourite new hotels for 2016. After visiting six continents and 36 countries, the team reduced the list to…