Chorizo stovies

Stovies are an old Scottish dish traditionally made with the fatty leftovers from a roast of beef. Or beef dripping if you couldn't afford a joint. Cheap and abundantly cheerful, I associate them with Hogmanay as my Gran always had a vatful on the stove for serving after the bells. Great for staving off drunkenness and fuelling first-footers into the wee small hours. But equally great for a simple dinner any night of the year, winter or otherwise. Eating them at Hogmanay simply reminded me how good they are, and a friend asked for the recipe. So Laura, here it is for you.

I first made this chorizo version over ten years ago, to bring in 1999 or 2000. Tired of the sheer hard work involved in hosting a typical New Year's Day dinner (jaded and green-complexioned from the previous night's partying), I was looking for a lazy yet special option. Stovies scored three plus points: supremely simple, plate-lickingly tasty and festive. But they lacked glamour; unless already initiated into the joy of stovies, I doubted my guests would be impressed at the prospect of a plateful of fatty tatties.

Click to read more ...

Bubbles, a red, a new and an old sweetie

Stand out wines from a long and languorous foodie weekend

Playing host to a male 'friend' up from down south, someone who loves to eat and drink as much as me, last weekend's itinerary ran a lot like an A-to-Z of Glasgow's premier foodie spots.

In just five days (granted, we stretched the definition of long weekend), I managed to introduce him to a good number of my favourite haunts: Cafezique, Crabshakk, the west end farmers' market, Bar Gandolfi, Iain Mellis Cheesemongers, Kember & Jones, Monachyle MHOR Hotel and restaurant at Balquhidder, Perthshire (via their Callander outposts, the MHORBread bakery on our way there and MHORFish chippie on our way back for the best chips I've EVER had), the Stravaigin cafe bar and Ubiquitous Chip's Corner Bar.

Phew, I feel tired and out of breath just reading that list back to myself! Amazingly, it felt super relaxed at the time. Extremely so. But, to keep us all sufficiently aerated, I'll skip the home cooking and art exhibitions.

Monachyle MHOR's Tom Lewis, interior and view

Click to read more ...

Queso de Cabra Al Salmuera

A new day, a new discovery

Used egg box under my arm, I dropped by Iain Mellis this afternoon to top up my supply. Scotland's best cheesemonger, I buy eggs there not just because I can re-use cartons, filling them from the large straw-lined wicker basket, but because doing so reminds me of collecting fresh. A closeted city dweller, that's as close as I get these days!

Click to read more ...