Author: Lara

Food Hero: Made for Drink

Food Hero: Made for Drink

It could have been anywhere really, but Dan Featherstone and his team chose Maidenhead to be the HQ of the Made for Drink company. What started in his kitchen a few years ago, soon became prodigious cook-ups in the community hall at Waltham St Lawrence. […]

The Mole and Badger: Cookham Dean

The Mole and Badger: Cookham Dean

I’ve always known that there was a boutique hotel and restaurant tucked away in Cookham Dean, but I’d never bothered to seek it out; it either seemed too fussy or hidden away. So, when I’d heard about The Mole and Badger opening up at the […]

Festive Edibles for Gifting and Scoffing

Festive Edibles for Gifting and Scoffing

It seems that the Maidenhead Farmer’s Market is at dire risk of being closed for good and that got me thinking about the ways we source and buy local produce and edible gifts, especially at Christmas time. Everyone loves receiving chocolates or a hamper of […]

Tapas Revolution: Windsor

Tapas Revolution: Windsor

A few years ago I travelled to Madrid, mainly to look at art and enjoy a weekend without parental committments. And while seeing Yves Klein’s striking blue “La Victoria de Samotracia” in person was an enriching cultural adventure, it was the tapas that lingered longer […]

Russian Salad

Russian Salad

As you know, I went to Russia. And I loved it. The food was surprisingly varied and the quality was always good from the smallest cafe to the largest restaurant. When ever I travel I endeavour to make good food choices and so I was […]

Laura Ashley The Tea Room: Burnham

Laura Ashley The Tea Room: Burnham

The words ‘Laura Ashley’ and ‘tea room’ belong together as naturally as ‘scones’ with ‘jam and cream’. Only a 15 minute drive from Maidenhead, the drive into the Burnham country side was awash with autumn foliage and I was eager to visit the new Laura […]

Surprising St Petersburg

Surprising St Petersburg

Our trip to St Petersburg started off well with perfectly cooked scrambled eggs and a glorious sunrise. I would recommend splashing out on Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food in Terminal 5, if not for the teriffic views and relative peace and quiet, then for the quality […]

Butternut Squash Loaf

Butternut Squash Loaf

Seasonal recipes are the bane of the digital media provider. Bloggers, journalists and marketing folk are always looking for fresh and fabulous seasonal ‘content’ to hurl at readers each month. I struggle with this because I tend to eat what I like, when I like […]

French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

The first time I had French onion soup was in L’Entracte brasserie on 1 Rue Auber, opposite the Opera Garnier in Paris. I wrote about it here. The last time I ate French onion soup was this weekend, as the rain and wind swept away […]

Damson in Distress

Damson in Distress

The ancient Syrian city of Damascus has given us many gifts over the years, giving its name to a number of wonderful and unusual things like damask fabric, the decorative inlay of metals called damascening, a type of fancy pigeon, moments of revelation called “Damascene […]