Food & drink

Primo’s Gourmet Hotdogs, Leeds

April 24, 2010
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The Corn Exchange in Leeds underwent a huge refurbishment a couple of years ago.  The plan was to renovate the building, a Victorian trading hall and one of the most striking spaces in the North, and turn it into a massive food hall, with independent food retailers filling the units and a big ‘anchor’ restaurant [...]

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Game: A Cookbook

January 31, 2010
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There are a lot of myths about game. It’s hard to get hold of.  It tastes strong, sometimes bitter.  You’ll crack your teeth on lead shot. You can ruin a dish by cooking it for a few seconds too long. As with all myths, these and most of the rest are completely untrue. Game has [...]

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Tarta de Santiago – Moro’s almond, oloroso and membrillo tart

August 10, 2009
Tarta de Santiago - Moro's almond, oloroso and membrillo tart

I’m not a huge fan of spirits, so when a recipe calls for a dash of this or a small glass of that, a trip to the off-licence is often needed. This Spanish tart from the superb Moro Cookbook by Sam and Sam Clark calls for oloroso sherry, a smooth, dark and nutty wine.  I [...]

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Wokon noodle bar, Leeds

August 5, 2009
Wokon noodle bar, Leeds

To say that Wokon were getting slammed is perhaps an understatement. They have two restaurants in Leeds, one near the station and the other, larger one at the bottom end of Briggate.  The Briggate restaurant had fallen foul of a series of disasters that morning, which left them with leaking water and no gas. No [...]

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Quintessential Americana – the burger

June 29, 2009
HamBurger

Every year I look forward to the Glastonbury Festival.This year we marvelled at the shortness of Lady Gaga’s dress (really, how did she not expose herself), wondered why people listen to Kasabian and decided to do something tenuously food related in honour of Bruce Springsteen*. Something quintessentially American. Something straightforward and honest, no nonsense, down [...]

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How to make a pork pie

June 11, 2009
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I feel like I’ve mastered a mysterious, secret art. I made a pork pie, and it was easy. More than that, it tasted astounding. Here’s how. Start with the pastry. The pastry is unusual as it’s made with hot water. It seems to go against everything you know about making pastry, but it does work. [...]

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Sorry, no bacon…Roots & Fruits vegetarian cafe, Leeds

May 27, 2009
Roots and Fruits Vegetarian Cafe, Leeds

We had breakfast at the eclectic Roots & Fruits the other day. Sat in the window on mis-matched chairs looking out onto the quiet Grand Arcade, we ordered a standard English breakfast of eggs, toast, mushrooms, beans, hash browns. Nothing fancy, nothing out of the ordinary, but well cooked and served with early Stevie Wonder [...]

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A little corner of France in a basement in Leeds, La Grillade

May 23, 2009
La Grillade restaurant, Leeds

La Grillade is a typical French restaurant, just like the places you’d find in any sizable French town. Except it’s in Leeds. That makes it special. The restaurant is housed in the basement of a Victorian terrace, and looks uninspiring from the outside. Down the stairs, it’s a different world, a series of small dining [...]

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