Food, Wine & Beverages

Sometimes when I see those little jars and packets of dull and dusty dried herbs, like parsley flakes and basil, dill and chives, rubbed sage and mint or the little plastic packs of fresh herbs in the shops, I wonder why more people don't grow their own.

"If Naples had managed to patent pizza it would now be among the world's wealthiest cities…" wrote Burton Anderson in "Treasures of the Italian Table".

As I write this, Labour Weekend looms large and that means but one thing in this house…

We've reached that time of year when I find that the wonderful comfort food of winter is no longer as wonderful or comforting as it was.

In 1672 William Hughes, a physician to King Charles II, described it as "one of the most rare and pleasant fruits... It nourisheth and strengtheneth the body, corroborating the spirits and procuring lust exceedingly."

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." John Gunther, American journalist

The seeds I had found were brown mustard seeds or Brassica juncea, more potent than the white, that is sometimes called yellow, Sinapis alba; these two between them providing nearly all commercial mustard.

I love bread. I am never so happy as when there is good bread at hand, whether to enjoy with some mature cheese or to wipe up the last traces of a beautiful sauce; to break into my soup or even to toss in a salad.

The culinary heritage of India is so rich and diverse that it seems such a pity and even disrespectful just to lump it all together and call it "curry".

The winter chill has set in so we thought it time to share a selection of reader tips about low-cost warm-winter meals.