As I make my own idiosyncratic chorizo and Picante Pimentón de la Vera each Autumn and grow most of my own vegetables, Spanish inspired stews bursting with spicy smoky flavours are a common dish around here. After frying chorizo, Pimentón, onions and garlic, plucked Cavello Nero and chard get slow cooked with dried beans from…
Tag: food
Travel: Length of the Earth
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” J.R.R. Tolkien Jet lag again ripped us from sleep in the early hours. Icy fresh air floated in the window and took the edge off the central heating. We persevered through the caffeine-free hours of purgatory and presented…
Travel: In Search of Mutton Pie
Oamaru, July 2025 I rise after a night drinking with Michael O’Brien in his cottage. Last time I did so I bore the brunt of a mortal liver the next day, every footstep was a lash of self-flagellation. Today though I am buoyed by the fact that I showed relative self-control the night before. My…
Travel: Beside the Seaside
“the first thing he espied was the wine lodge door stood open invitingly to quench his thirst, he toddled inside and called out for a wine which grew to eight or nine, till his nose began to shine.” John H. Glover-Kind I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside. This was our last full day…
Travel: Rag and Bone Man
“contenting myself with observing that I shall not abandon the facts until there shall have been a considerable spontaneous combustion of the testimony” Krook , Rag and Bone Man in Bleakhouse , Charles Dickens My apologies for the delay in continuing the trip write up. Life got in the way upon my return to NZ….
Travel: The West Riding – Yorkshire Day 2
“I’ll walk where my own nature would be leading: It vexes me to choose another guide: Where the gray flocks in ferny glens are feeding; Where the wild wind blows on the mountain side.” The Brontë Sisters At 8am I presented myself at mum’s room where scrambled eggs, toast, tea, coffee and orange juice had…
Travel: Enough about the bloody Beatles – Cheshire Day 1
“If Liverpool did not exist, it would have to be invented” Felicien de Myrbach We woke yet again untouched by the spirits trapped in the purgatory of an over heated over painted brutally lit hotel room. We set out for the Greggs and found some of the same customers there this morning. In particular an…
Travel: Spectre in the UHT Milk – Black Country
“Guest room 217 is rumoured to be haunted by an unnamed spirit. Guests staying in the room have reported to have left in fright, with many refusing to stay in the room due to the paranormal activity. The bed in room 217 has been known to shake and the lights within the room have switched…
Travel: Flying – From West to Black Country
“A bit like the Antiques Roadshow for metal fans” Lisa Meyer This was a finely balanced day of travel. We were to first take the train to Bridgwater in Somerset to see Pat a distant cousin on my maternal grandmother’s side, then a train to Bristol for a quick beer with my friends Will and…
Travel: Roots – Devon Day 2
“I say we’re growing every day, getting stronger in every way, I’ll take you to a place where we shall find our…roots” Max Cavalera Sepultura The English specialise in eccentric plumbing. No where is this more evident than guesthouses and rooms above pubs. In addition to water heaters that require the user to complete a…
Raise the Dawn 