Craig Butcher | Freelance Journalist, Editor, Writer and Public Relations

Vinoteca wine bar to open second location, in Marylebone

2010-08-10T16:46:00.000+01:00

Vinoteca, the St John Street wine bar and kitchen is to open a second site in a former launderette in Marylebone, London.

The opening was revealed in a licensing application to City of Westminster dated 10th April 2010 but only recently granted by the council. Vinoteca will be opening a "high quality restaurant featuring seasonal British and European Cuisine" in mid October 2010 at 15 Seymour Place, close to London's Marble Arch. There will be space for 60 covers on the ground floor and 30 downstairs in the private room which will open in 2011.

Known for their extensive by-the-glass wine list and wine shop in Farringdon near Smithfield Market, the two-storey premises occupies the ground and basement levels and proposes a 30-cover private function room in the basement along with the same mix as at the St John Street restaurant. The ground level includes a wine shop, bar area and semi-open plan kitchen alongside restaurant space.

Vinoteca website address

Spanish Rioja and Tapas for MSN Food and Drink

2010-06-30T00:30:00.000+01:00

"Spain's Rioja wine has long been associated with British wine-lovers and today we consume a third of all the wine they produce. If you're not familiar with the region, its wine and accompanying tapas, now's a great time to get acquainted."

I am now the food and drink editor for the MSN Food and Drink website, part of Microsoft, one of the world's biggest software companies and website producers. The new website, in association with Sainsbury's supermarket, has features, recipes, tips and practical advice for a wide variety of food and drink areas.

This Spanish Rioja wine and tapas feature is my first feature for the MSN Food channel.

To read the article in full, go to the Spanish Rioja and tapas feature on the MSN Food and Drink channel.

To read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist, visit the Craig Butcher website

'A Family of Friends - Restaurant renaissance in the Near East' for Fire and Knives

2010-06-29T23:08:00.000+01:00

"If you'd invented an entirely new way of dining out, revived the very notion of British cuisine, inadvertently coined the phrase 'gastropub' and received accolades by the truck-load, then in our increasingly food-obsessed nation, you would probably be pretty famous, wouldn't you?

David Eyre and Mike Belben, the founders of The Eagle in Clerkenwell, achieved all this -- and more -- but they're hardly household names. They're certainly no Heston, Gordon, Marco or Delia. But then they never engaged a public relations agency, never fronted a supermarket campaign and never had their own television show. They simply had a great idea and worked tirelessly in the kitchen to convince diners that theirs was the way forward."

The feature looking at the emergence of the gastropub in Clerkenwell during the 1990s looks at the central role of The Eagle, of its founders David Eyre and Mike Belben, and interviews Tom Norrington Davies, formerly head chef at The Eagle and now of 32 Great Queen Street.

It appears in print in Fire and Knives, No. 3, a quarterly paperback book produced by Tim Hayward, a key contributor to The Guardian's online food content and also includes features from Tom Parker-Bowles, Tilly Culme-Seymour of The Spectator Scoff and Felicity Cloake of The Guardian Online, Metro and MSN Food. Go to the Fire and Knives food quarterly website to learn more about it.

To read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist, visit the Craig Butcher website

Catering the World Cup, for Channel 4 Food

2010-06-29T22:49:00.000+01:00

"Find entertaining a challenge? Pity those feeding hundreds of thousands of hungry football fans at the World Cup in South Africa. Craig Butcher talks to Peter Csanadi of MATCH Hospitality.

Hosting this summer’s barbecue with family or friends will be a proverbial walk in the park compared with entertaining fans at the World Cup. Peter Csanadi works for the company catering every stadium at every game, dealing with a world’s-worth of religious considerations and dietary requirements."

To read the full article "Catering the World Cup" to accompany the football World Cup 2010, by freelance journalist Craig Butcher for the Channel 4 Food website, the UK's biggest food website, click here.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist.

World Cup features on Weightwatchers.co.uk

2010-06-29T22:44:00.000+01:00

The series started on 11th June, the first day of the football World Cup and Part 3 was released on Friday 25th June. To read the full article online at Weightwatchers.co.uk, click here.

The fourth and final part of the World Cup recipes feature for Weightwatchers.co.uk will go live on Friday 2nd July.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist.

World Cup features on Weightwatchers.co.uk

2010-06-19T22:30:00.000+01:00

I've put together a four-part series of features for Weightwatchers.co.uk, the website of the UK's best-known slimming organisation, to accompany the football World Cup this year. The series groups cuisines by style and offers healthy eating recipes from some of the best known countries taking part, including England, Brazil, Italy and Germany.

The series started on 11th June, the first day of the football World Cup, with Latin American recipes from Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. To read the full article online at Weightwatchers.co.uk, click here.

The second part of the series went live on 18th June, the day of the England v Algeria football match at the group stages and features European recipes. To read the full article online at Weightwatchers.co.uk, click here.

Additional features in the series will go live on Friday 25th June and Friday 2nd July.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist.

Jim Haynes - Supper club maestro for delicious. magazine website

2010-05-12T14:00:00.000+01:00

"Jim Haynes has hosted over 130,000 diners at his weekly supperclub in Paris over the last 30 years. A legend on the supperclub scene, Jim talked to Craig Butcher about what makes his parties tick."

To read the full interview with Jim Haynes, "Supper club maestro" by freelance writer Craig Butcher for the delicious magazine website, one of the UK's biggest food websites, click here.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist.

"Iceland gets the all clear: Dairy Farming on Lake Myvatn"

2010-05-07T09:59:00.000+01:00

"Before it spewed volcanic ash into international air space, Craig Butcher went all the way to northern Iceland to meet 7th generation dairy farmers. There are no travel restrictions on Iceland so we venture back."

The full article "Iceland gets the all clear: Dairy Farming on Lake Myvatn" now appears on the Foodtripper.com website, the website for people who travel to eat. To read the full article online at Foodtripper.com, click here.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist.

Square Mile to Square Meal for Aubin & Wills

2010-05-04T10:31:00.000+01:00

"Ever dreamed of abandoning the city to follow your dreams in the country? You're not the only one"

The full article "Square Mile to Square Meal" appears in the Summer 2010 issue of the Aubin & Wills Almanac, the quarterly customer magazine for leading lifestyle clothing retailer Aubin & Wills. The article includes comment from Nadim Sadek of Inishturkbeg, Liz Bateman of Hazeldene Farm and Polly Robinson of Food Safari.To download a PDF of the full article, click here (1.9MB)

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist.

Feature for Harrow School alumni magazine, the Harrow Record

2010-04-26T15:56:00.000+01:00

"While many Old Harrovians have been, and continue to be, hugely successful in the traditional professions, over the years a number have swum against the tide to forge careers in the media. Here, Craig Butcher discovers what a career in television and the press can offer"

The full article "Old Harrovians in the media" appears in the Spring 2010 issue of the Harrow Record, the quarterly alumni magazine for Harrow School, one of the UK's leading independent schools. The article includes an interview with Alastair Fothergill, the producer of BBC wildlife documentaries alongside Sir Richard Attenborough including Planet Earth and Life in the Freezer. The article also includes interviews with Guy Chambers of Black Diamond television production company and Henry Beresford-Peirse of Global Radio News. To download a PDF of the full article, click here (1.9MB)

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist.

Top 10 Fantasy Feasts for Channel 4 Food

2010-04-08T16:10:00.000+01:00

"Literature is awash with epic feasts which sadly never took place. From the fantastical to the symbolic, the life-changing to the mind-altering, the world's most imaginative feasts for the price of a book. Craig Butcher raids the bookcase for 4Food"

To read the full article "Top 10 Fantasy Feasts" to accompany the new Heston Blumenthal Feasts television series currently airing for Channel 4, which includes Alice in Wonderland, Hamlet and Paddington Bear, by freelance journalist Craig Butcher for the Channel 4 Food website, the UK's biggest food website, click here.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist.

Top 10 Money-No-Object Feasts" for Channel 4 Food

2010-04-07T15:09:00.001+01:00

"Whether suspended 100ft up, overlooking the great vineyards of Rioja or showcasing the genius of Ferran Adria at the El Bulli Hotel, the ultimate money-no-object feasts are out there. Craig Butcher packs his suitcase for 4 Food"

To read the full article "Top 10 Money-No-Object Feasts" to accompany the new Heston Blumenthal Feasts television series currently airing for Channel 4, which includes the El Bulli Hotel in Spain, Moto in Chicago and La Pergola in Rome, by freelance journalist Craig Butcher for the Channel 4 Food website, the UK's biggest food website, click here.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist.

The Hitlist: London has thousands of restaurants, here's just a few I should try

2010-03-31T15:45:00.006+01:00

London has quite literally thousands of restaurants, bars and cafes. That much is obvious. Over the years I've accumulated a list of venues which others have rated well, or which grabbed my attention. Along with some recent additions from the Twittersphere (thanks to all who made recommendations) the already lengthy list now looks pretty ridiculous -- there simply isn't enough time (or cash) to try them all. This goes some way to explaining why there aren't many restaurants I return to time after time (and perhaps hints at why so many average venues, without the need for return custom, get away with such average food and service).

So I'm leaving it to the great British public to guide me. Which restaurants do you rate? Which should I avoid like mad? Which venues have I missed out? Please add your comments -- I'm aiming to try as many as possible before the year is out and to cover them on this site!

500 http://www.500restaurant.co.uk/HomeE.html
Adagio http://www.adagio-pizza.com
The Arch. http://www.thearchlondon.com/?cid=5
Amaya http://www.amaya.biz/
Barrafina http://www.barrafina.co.uk
Ba Shan http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/venue/2:21319/ba-shan
Bar Shu http://www.bar-shu.co.uk/
Blueprint Cafe http://www.danddlondon.com/restaurants/blueprint_cafe/home
Bob Bob Ricard http://www.bobbobricard.com
Bocca Di Lupo http://www.boccadilupo.com
Bruno Loubet at The Zetter http://www.bistrotbrunoloubet.com/
Le Cafe Anglais http://www.lecafeanglais.co.uk
The Canton Arms
Caravan
Colony http://www.colonybarandgrill.com
Dean Street Townhouse http://www.deanstreettownhouse.com/
Dinings http://www.dinings.co.uk
The Forge http://www.theforgerestaurant.co.uk
Giaconda Dining Rooms http://www.giacondadining.com
Goodman http://www.goodmanrestaurants.com
Hardy's http://www.hardys-w1.com
The Hawksmoor http://www.thehawksmoor.co.uk
Hibiscus http://www.hibiscusrestaurant.co.uk
Iberica http://www.ibericalondon.com/
Indian Zing http://www.indianzing.co.uk
Koba http://www.koba-london.com/
Locanda Locatelli http://www.locandalocatelli.com
Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/marcus_wareing.aspx
Mien Tay http://www.mientay.co.uk
Moolis http://www.moolis.com
Nahm http://www.halkin.como.bz/eat-and-drink/nahm
National Dining Rooms http://www.thenationaldiningrooms.co.uk/index.asp
No 10 http://www.london-eating.co.uk/36360.htm
Norfolk Arms http://www.norfolkarms.co.uk/
Odette's http://www.odettesprimrosehill.com
The Old Amalfi
Park Terrace http://www.royalgardenhotel.co.uk/default.asp?section=219&page=699
The Parlour http://www.theparlouruk.com/
Pepito http://www.camino.uk.com/pepito
Pizza Santa Maria http://www.santamariapizzeria.com
La Petite Maison http://www.lpmlondon.co.uk
La Pont de La Tour http://www.lepontdelatour.co.uk/
Proud Cabaret http://www.proudcabaret.com/
Polpo http://www.polpo.co.uk
Roast http://www.roast-restaurant.com
Roz-Ana http://www.roz-ana.com
Salt Whisky Bar http://www.saltbar.com
Searcy's (National Portrait Gallery), http://www.searcys.co.uk/nationalportraitgallery/
St John http://www.stjohnrestaurant.co.uk/
St Paul's http://www.restaurantatstpauls.co.uk/
Story Deli http://www.storydeli.com/
Terroirs http://www.terroirswinebar.com
Tike http://www.tikerestaurant.co.uk
Tobia http://www.tobiarestaurant.co.uk/
Trinity http://www.trinityrestaurant.co.uk/
Vinoteca http://www.vinoteca.co.uk

Features coming out soon

2010-03-11T16:29:00.000Z

Lots of new food, drink and travel features are in the pipeline, here's what's coming up next:

The Channel 4 Food website have commissioned several new features for March and April 2010 to accompany their Spring television programming schedule. The number one food website from Channel 4 have commissioned two features -- a world restaurants feature, as well as a food feature accompanying the new Heston Blumenthal Feasts series, due to go live in March 2010. A drinks feature is also in the pipeline for Spring.

The website for the UK's leading quality men's monthly magazine, GQ, have commissioned several features for the next few months for the newly re-launched GQ.com website. Look out for a comparative whisky feature, online in March; a Spanish ingredients food feature due online in March; a French restaurants feature, due online in March and a Spanish wine and travel feature, online in April.

Food and travel website Foodtripper.com are also publishing an Iceland food and travel feature, due online in Spring.

Leading men's ladies' clothing company Aubin & Wills produces a quarterly customer magazine, the Aubin & Wills Almanac. Look out for an entrepreneur feature, in print for Summer 2010.

Links to all these news stories and features will be added to the Craig Butcher website and to this blog when they become available. Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer at the Craig Butcher website.

Vodka tasting panel for Harpers Wine & Spirit

2010-03-11T16:09:00.001Z

"A vodka tasting considering 39 different products threw up plenty of thought-provoking comment. Tom Sandham was on hand to report back on the findings.

Often unfairly tagged as an oxymoron, a “vodka tasting” can actually prove quite an eye opener. In fact, the only genuine criticism you might level at the process is that consumers simply don’t drink the stuff neat. If they did, then perhaps some of the misconceptions could be reassessed, and if they were to try as many as 39 of them, divided into different style categories, they’d agree there’s a substantial range in the flavours.

This was the task set by Harpers Wine & Spirit as the category was given a proper once over. Invited to the tasting party were world-class palates such as bar operator Jake Burger from Jake’s Bar & Grill in Leeds, Bibendum spirits buyer Will Lowe and broadcast superstar Nigel Barden. With such a high calibre of experience the chances of valuable assessment were high."

To read the full article by Tom Sandham for Harpers Wine & Spirit, including comments from freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher who was on the vodka tasting panel, click here to download the feature from the Craig Butcher website.

To read more about food and drink writer Craig Butcher, click here.

To learn more about drinks writer Tom Sandham, click here.

My bloody messy Valentine for The Guardian Food website

2010-02-11T13:11:00.000Z

"When it comes to Valentine's Day meals it's what's on the inside that counts, and frequently that's a very good thing indeed. Have you ever come a cropper dining with a date?

With Valentine's Day just around the bend, every Champagne merchant and oyster fisherman is doing their level best to convince us that the most romantic way to spend that particular Sunday is by force-feeding your significant other yeasted wine and raw molluscs."

To read the full article "My Bloody Messy Valentine" for The Guardian Food website, by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher, click here to go to The Guardian Food website.

To read more about food and drink writer Craig Butcher, click here.

Top 10 romantic British restaurant experiences

2010-02-10T14:40:00.000Z

"Who says romance is dead? From the lochside to the seaside, hotel chic to rural retreat, there are some fantastically romantic restaurants to treat your special someone this Valentine's Day. Craig Butcher teases them out for 4Food."

To read the full article "Top 10 romantic British restaurant experiences" all about Britain's most romantic restaurants across the UK, from The Langham Hotel Landau restaurant to Galvin at Windows and Spanish tapas restaurant Brindisa, by freelance journalist Craig Butcher for the Channel 4 Food website, the UK's biggest food website, click here.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer.

Prague's Best Hotels for The Sunday Times Travel Magazine

2010-02-08T18:10:00.000Z

"Musical genius, banking brilliance or quiet restraint - Czech into Prague's best beds"

To read the full article "Rest Assured: Prague" all about the best hotels in Prague, Czech Republic, to suit all budgets, including the Aria Hotel, the Carlo IV and the Kempinksi Hybernska, by freelance travel journalist Craig Butcher for leading monthly travel magazine, the Sunday Times Travel Magazine in the March 2010 issue, click here or pick up the issue on news-stands, available until March 3rd, 2010.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer.

Top 10 Healthy Eating Restaurants for Channel 4 Food Website

2010-01-16T13:19:00.001Z

"After any seasonal feast, comes famine. But, as Craig Butcher discovered for 4Food, you can still enjoy all your favourites without the calories. From no-cream Indian to Michelin-starred goodness, 4Food shows you can have your cake and eat it."

To read the full article "Top 10 healthy eating UK restaurants" all about the best healthy eating restaurants across the UK, from vegetarian restaurant Terre A Terre to Michelin-starred Nottingham Restaurant Sat Bains and Bristol's Bordeaux Quay, by freelance journalist Craig Butcher for the Channel 4 Food website, the UK's biggest food website, click here.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer.

Features coming out soon

2010-01-14T16:57:00.001Z

The Sunday Times Travel magazine have commissioned a hotel review feature for their March 2010 issue. The monthly magazine from the UK's best-selling Sunday Times newspaper will be available in the first week of February 2010.

The Channel 4 Food website have commissioned several new features for January 2010. The number one food website from Channel 4 have commissioned a healthy eating feature for the new year, as well as a drinks feature also for January 2010.

The website for the UK's leading quality men's monthly magazine, GQ, have commissioned several features for January 2010, including a Burn's Night feature, a London restaurants feature including restaurant reviews, as well as a hotel lifestyle feature. The Burns Night feature will be available on the GQ website ahead of the 25th January. The restaurants and hotels features will be available in early February.

Links to all these news stories and features will be added to the Craig Butcher website and to this blog when they become available. Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer at the Craig Butcher website.

Latest news and features from Craig Butcher

2010-01-14T16:07:00.006Z

It's been a quiet Christmas and New Year on the blog, but plenty of news and features behind the scenes. I've had my first commission for The Guardian website on their food blog pages:

"From black garlic to coconut water, two top trendspotters tell Craig Butcher what they see in their crystal balls. Is there anything in it or do you think it's all a load of old cobblers?"

To read the full article "Food Trends 2010" for The Guardian Food website, by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher, click here to go to The Guardian Food website.

My feature "Bean Around The World" has also published in print. It surveys different tastes for coffee around the world for leading US coffee trade magazine Roast Magazine in their January / February 2010 issue. It includes comment from well known roasters Monmouth Coffee, James Hoffman from Square Mile Coffee Roasters and PTs coffee in the US:

"Bean Around The World: How roasters are responding to customer demands and changing tastes".

To read the full article by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher click here for the PDF. Note, it's a large file and may take some time to download.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer at the Craig Butcher website.

Top 5 Bars in South London for Heaver Magazine

2009-12-15T23:22:00.002Z

"The 5 best... Local Bars. Maverick mixologists and decadent drinking dens, Craig Butcher gets lured
into the hottest local bars…"

To read the full article "South London's Top Five Bars" including Clapham's The Loft, Balham's The Clarence and the Tooting Tram and Social by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher for the Winter 2009/2010 issue of South London property magazine Heaver Magazine, click here for the PDF.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer at the Craig Butcher website.

Prague Hotel and Spa Review for GQ website

2009-12-15T15:07:00.004Z

"Visit Prague for some of the best-preserved architecture and luxury hotels in Europe.

Every Eastern European capital has gone through an awkward Easyjet phase - when mobs of not-quite-dignified British men descended en masse for superbly crafted beers at superbly low costs. Prague was no exception, but since the turn of the millennium, prices have steadily crept up and visitors are now much more likely to order a perfectly mixed Martini at an exclusive roof-top club, than clash beer tankards at one of Prague's few surviving cellar bars."

To read the full article "Reach for the Tsars" all about Prague luxury hotels and spas including the Mandarin Oriental Prague by freelance travel journalist Craig Butcher for the British GQ website of the UK's best men's magazine, click here.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer.

All About Cognac for delicious magazine

2009-12-09T10:30:00.004Z

"Christmas may be the time to set fire to brandy over the pud, but as cognac brand ambassador Alexandre Quintin explained to Craig Butcher, he’d much prefer we drank the stuff instead."

To read the full article all about cognac with Remy Martin brand ambassador Alexandre Quintin by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher for the delicious magazine website of the UK's best food magazine, click here.

Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer.

Scottish food and travel feature for delicious. magazine

2009-12-02T17:41:00.004Z

"From tucked-away rural hotels to funky urban gastropubs, and from authentic whisky bars to windswept seafood cafes, Scotland has rich pickings for food lovers. We've rounded up some of the best places, all within easy reach of Edinburgh or Glasgow"

To read the full article on top Scottish food and drink venues by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher for delicious magazine, the UK's best food magazine, pick up the January 2010 issue of delicious magazine, available on news-stands and at supermarkets now. Click here to see other highlights in the January 2010 issue of delicious magazine at the delicious magazine website. Click here to read more about Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel writer.

Food, drink and travel features coming soon

2009-11-30T17:34:00.004Z

There are lots of food and drink features coming soon across a range of magazines and online. Here's a brief list of what's coming up from freelance food, drink and travel journalist Craig Butcher:

GQ.com: A Spanish food feature for the website of iconic men's magazing GQ, online in December

Channel 4 Food: A drinks heroes feature for the UK's biggest food website from Channel 4 TV, online in December to accompany Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's new TV series

Heaver magazine: South London bar reviews for the Winter issue of Heaver Magazine, a lifestyle magazine distributed to homes across South London

delicious. magazine: A Scottish food and travel feature for the January 2010 issue of the UK's best food magazine, (out early December 2009)

delicious. magazine website: An alcoholic spirits feature for the website of delicious. magazine, the UK's best food magazine, online in December. The delicious. magazine website hosts over 2,000 recipes.

US coffee trade magazine Roast has a coffee feature, available January 2010

Sunday Times Travel Magazine: The monthly travel magazine from the experts at Sunday Times has a hotels feature, March 2010 issue (on sale early February 2010)

More news and features from Craig Butcher, freelance food, drink and travel journalist will be available on this site and at www.craigbutcher.co.uk

All About Martini for delicious. magazine

2009-11-27T16:41:00.002Z

"James Bond liked his shaken not stirred but how do Italians enjoy the classic aperitif that originated from their country? Craig Butcher sought out celebrated mixologist Salvatore Calabrese, Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo, and Martini maker Beppe Musso at the Martini Stay Beautiful Lounge to find out."

To read the full article all about Martini by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher for the delicious magazine website, click here.

Christmas wines for delicious. magazine

2009-11-27T16:34:00.005Z

"While Christmas lunch usually decides itself, matching wines to the fruits of your labours on the big day can be a trickier affair. Craig Butcher got some corking advice from the experts at the brilliantly-named wine merchants Planet of the Grapes."

To read the full wine-buying for Christmas guide by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher for the delicious magazine website, including reviews of Tanners Wines, Virgin Wines, From Vineyards Direct and Naked Wines click here.

Christmas Food Miles for Channel 4 Food

2009-11-27T16:30:00.004Z

"Friends and relatives travel a long way for Christmas lunch, but you don’t necessarily want the same to be true of your food. Craig Butcher gets the low down for 4Food on which supermarkets lead the way in minimising Christmas lunch food miles.

Whole turkey
Nothing says Christmas Day lunch better than the centrepiece of the occasion - the bird. Waitrose sources its free-range turkeys from Lincolnshire although some also come from Wicklow in Ireland. ASDA’s turkeys travel from Norwich and Sainsbury’s most popular turkey is also reared in Norfolk. Marks & Spencer’s Simply Food whole turkey travels from Pembrokeshire."

To read the full article on Christmas dinner food miles by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher for the Channel 4 Food website, click here

Celebrities name their favourite local restaurant - feature for Channel 4 Food

2009-11-12T13:35:00.003Z

"While Gordon's on the hunt for Britain's Best Local Restaurant, Channel 4’s TV favourites, designers and Gordon’s own celebrity chefs reveal their favourite local gems to Craig Butcher for 4Food."

Read the full 'Top 10' feature by freelance food and drink journalist Craig Butcher, which details Channel 4 celebrities' favourite local restaurant, to coincide with Gordon Ramsay's new F Word series. Click here to read the feature on the Channel 4 Food website.

Milanese cookery masterclass feature for GQ.com

2009-11-12T13:29:00.003Z

"Nestled in Italy's Lombardy province and overlooked by the snow-capped Alps, Milan rightly lays claim as one of Europe's most fashionable destinations. Home to the country's power-players and financiers, this haute couture city is also host to the five-star Principe Di Savoia hotel - a member of the Dorchester Collection, which includes The Dorchester, London and the three Michelin-starred Le Meurice, Paris."

To read the full review of the Italian cookery masterclass at The Dorchester's sister hotel in Milan, the Principe di Savoia by freelance journalist Craig Butcher, click here.

How to Match Beer and desserts - Esquire Magazine

2009-11-05T13:39:00.003Z

"It's not just dessert wines that complement your spotted dick -- with some puds you'll find you can't fail"

Read the full article of 'How To Match Beer and Desserts' in the December 2009 issue of Esquire Magazine in the UK, out now, or click here to read the article on the Craig Butcher website, along with the rest of my food, drink and travel articles.

All About Cheese - delicious. magazine website

2009-11-02T18:07:00.004Z

"With the World Cheese Awards recently announced and Christmas coming up, we sent Craig Butcher to the experts at La Fromagerie to discover everything there is to know about cheese, including how to craft the perfect cheese selection for Christmas Day and how to make cheese yourself."

Click here to read the full 'All About Cheese' article on the delicious. magazine website, one of the biggest food and drink websites in the UK.

Boar Hunting in Tuscany - GQ.com

2009-10-28T13:46:00.003Z

"Autumn in Tuscany offers porcini, wild boar and the legendary white truffle.

Think of Tuscany and most people think of baking summer days, rolling hills and olive groves. But those in the know swear it is at its finest in Autumn, when the fields are bustling with grape harvests, the harsh sunlight gives way to early morning mists and porcini mushrooms, truffles and wild boar are in season. Autumn, they say, is when Tuscany's real cooks come out to play."

Click here to read the full boar hunting in Tuscany article by Craig Butcher for GQ magazine's GQ.com website.

How To Make The Perfect Espresso - GQ.com

2009-10-28T12:07:00.004Z

"38 million cups of coffee are consumed daily in Italy - that's one for each man, woman and child in the country.

In Turin, there are more caffès per person than anywhere else. With their art nouveau interiors, intricate detailing and bow-tie bedecked baristas, it's fair to say there are few places in the world where coffee is taken so seriously and yet with such pleasure. GQ.COM joined the experts at Lavazza at their Turin academy to learn how to make the perfect espresso."

Click here to read the full article on the GQ magazine website at GQ.com, How To Make The Perfect Espresso by Craig Butcher.

Foraging for Supplies -- delicious. magazine

2009-10-19T14:45:00.005+01:00

"Few restaurants are shy about proclaiming their local, ethically-sourced provenance message. But when you discover the owner John Rensten spends his weekends picking mushrooms in the New Forest, you wonder whether there might be something special on offer. Craig Butcher reviews John's restaurant, The Compass, to learn just how easy it is lay your hands on nature’s own larder."

Click here to read the full article on foraging and read the restaurant review of The Compass in Angel, North London. All available online at the delicious magazine website.

Deer stalking in Scotland - The Spectator online

2009-09-25T10:50:00.003+01:00

"Crawling through a moss-strewn stream on my hands and knees after six hours tramping and trailing up glen and doon valley by Tayside in the Scottish Highlands, the water flowing through and around my attire, I’m reminded why hunting deer is called stalking."

Click here to read the full article on deer stalking in Scotland and some tips on cooking game on The Spectator Scoff! website.

The Best of The US in the UK - Channel 4 Food

2009-09-24T09:56:00.002+01:00

While Jamie's making his way around the USA, you can make the most of everything Stateside right here in the UK. From bowling alleys to diners, bars to steakhouses, Craig Butcher brings the best UK American venues to 4Food.

Click here to read the Jamie Oliver American Road Trip feature in full on the Channel 4 Food website.

Homage to Fromage - For GQ.com

2009-09-22T13:20:00.003+01:00

"Learn how to pair cheese and alcohol for the perfect match.

"Just because cheese often heralds a meal's finale, doesn't mean you can't continue enjoying a tipple alongside it. There are an incredible variety of drinks that complement cheese. From lively hoppy ales to a dry sherry or full-bodied white wine, there's no reason you can't find your ideal match and wrap up your cheese course with a quaffable little number."

Click here to read the full cheese and alcohol matching feature on GQ.com

Forthcoming features

2009-09-04T16:39:00.004+01:00

In the past I've routinely just linked to food and drink features I've already written which are live on the web and available to read. But with the changing of the seasons I thought now would be a good time to highlight what's coming up over the next few months with various outlets for Autumn. Unfortunately I can't be particularly specific as features editors rarely enjoy their stories being aired to competitors, but here's what's coming up:

1) An Italian food feature for men's magazine website GQ.com due online in November.
2) A food and drink matching feature, also for GQ.com due online in October.
3) A drinks feature for Esquire magazine in the UK, coming out in the November issue which will be on the news-stands in early October.
4) An Icelandic travel and food feature for Foodtripper.com, online in October.
5) A Scottish travel feature for The Specator / Scoff, online in late September.
6) An Autumnal feature for the delicious. magazine website, online in late September.
7) A restaurant feature for Channel 4 Food, online in early September to accompany the Jamie Oliver American Road trip TV series.
8) A coffee feature for US coffee magazine Roast, available in their January/February 2010 issue, out early January 2010 I think.

Keep checking the Craig Butcher website which will have links for all the features above once they've gone live.

Top 10 hottest chefs in the USA: Channel 4 Food

2009-09-04T10:49:00.004+01:00

"Celebrity chefs aren’t a uniquely British phenomenon - the USA has some serious talent of its own. Craig Butcher pits award-winning American chefs, old and new, against home-grown favourites here in the UK for 4Food."

This is a commissioned feature for the Channel 4 Food website to accompany Jamie Oliver's new American Road Trip TV series. Click here to read the full article on the Channel 4 Food website and keep an eye out for another feature to accompany the new Jamie Oliver American Road trip series coming soon.

Cocktail bar review: Foodtripper.com

2009-09-01T11:12:00.003+01:00

"Unashamedly swanky, JuJu's crafted cocktails and Asian inspired nibbles draw a distinguished crowd. Craig Butcher plays barfly.

At the quieter end of the King’s Road where Babushka bar once stood, award-winning champagne and cocktail bar JuJu has cosied up next to Brazilian sushi sensation Sushinho..."

Click here to visit the Foodtripper.com website and read the article in full.

Lovely Bubbly -- Epernay and Reims for Foodtripper.com

2009-08-18T13:05:00.003+01:00

The Champagne region is deliciously awash with fizz and a few foods to match, as Craig Butcher discovers.

Just 45-minutes from Paris on the high-speed TGV train, Reims and its neighbouring town Epernay lie at the heart of the Champagne region in north-eastern France. Famously home to the great Champagne houses including Moet & Chandon, Taittinger and Mumm, it’s impossible to dine out anywhere in this ancient Roman town without hearing the constant popping of corks, the gentle sloshing of ice buckets and contended sighs of appreciation. These towns live, breathe and are, Champagne.

Click here to visit the Foodtripper.com website and read the article in full.

All About Rum

2009-08-04T12:32:00.002+01:00

"Once the fuel of choice for hard-drinking European navvies of the seventeenth century, rum is experiencing something of a resurgence, showing it can stand alongside the greatest Scotches and Cognacs.

There’s a diverse range on offer and it’s adaptable behind the bar and in the kitchen. Craig Butcher sought out renowned UK rum ambassador Ian Burrell to lift the lid on Caribbean rum."

Click here to read the article in full at the delicious. magazine website.

Spanish Tapas in London

2009-07-29T18:49:00.002+01:00

Spanish tapas restaurants have taken London by storm in recent months. Craig Butcher reviews El Pirata de Tapas and chats with head chef Omar Allibhoy – protégé of El Bulli’s Ferran Adria – to learn just how easy it is to make superb tapas at home.

Click here to read the full article on the delicious. magazine website.

Food hotel: Kinloch Lodge, Isle of Skye

2009-07-20T09:36:00.002+01:00

"Overlooking the sea-loch Na Dal in Sleat at the southern end of the Isle of Skye in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides, Kinloch Lodge retains the mystical other-worldliness so sought out by travellers the world over. With nothing but the loch, the mountains and the sky to hinder your view, the ancestral home of the Macdonald clan of Sleat is perfectly located and breathtaking from the outset."

Click here to read the rest of this feature on the Foodtripper website.

Eateries Toying With Technology

2009-07-10T09:33:00.002+01:00

"Hungry for your business, high end restaurants are going to extraordinary lengths to lure diners through the doors. From Damien Hirst artwork to Champagne call buttons, menu projectors to cigar humidors, Craig Butcher goes in search of restaurants toying with technology for 4Food"

Click here to read the rest of this feature on the Channel 4 Food website.

Latte art on Channel 4

2009-07-03T09:32:00.005+01:00

"The Americans simply love their coffee - they caress it, they tease it, they make it look good enough to drink. Craig Butcher takes a 4Food look at a whole latte art from the world’s best baristas - American and otherwise."

Click here to read the rest of this feature on the Channel 4 Food website.

8 of the Best Wines for Summer

2009-06-12T12:45:00.015+01:00

After the success of the Top 10 Wines for Spring round-up earlier this year, and with the mercury slowly rising across the UK, it's time for another installment. Again our friends at Oddbins on Marylebone High Street, London have tipped their eight best wines for summer. With the economic outlook improving, we've also upped the budget -- it's summertime, after all... This time, Oddbins manager Barbara Siembida guides us through her top tipples for toppy temps this summer.

WHITES

Contelucio, Pinot Grigio, Bellanote, 2007
£13.99/11.19 as a part of mixed case of 12
Pinot Grigio has earned an awkward reputation for itself from cheap versions found in pubs and bars and is often best avoided, though as a Pinot Gris it often makes a brilliant wine. This is admittedly very expensive for Pinot Grigio, which is a good sign, but the proof is in the glass. It is slightly tinged - with a pinkish hue to it (ramato or copper in Italian, neither white nor red), and that’s what it should be. Pinot Grigio as a mutation of the Pinot family is not really a white grape. The nose is intense with dry hay, elderflowers and dried tea rose; medium bodied with slight mineral oiliness similar to an Alsatian Pinot Gris, light dried fruit character, almonds and walnuts and a very refreshing streak of acidity. Should work wonderfully with vegetarian main courses - carrot ragout, roast pumpkin with butter and sage or even chunky, succulent soups.

Bourgogne Blanc, Francois Jobard, 2001
£24.99/19.99 as a part of mixed case of 12
Yes, it is a generic Bourgogne and yes, it is £25. But you should try it because of the legend behind it, Francois Jobard, and because it is produced in miniscule quantities. Don't quite know what our French buyer did to get it on our shelves, but the important thing is it's there. Mr Jobard is known for his classic whites - very clean and steely with an amazing ageing potential. This one is still fairly young on the nose and the palate, with lovely primary fruit of ripening Golden Delicious apple, dairy undertones and slight smokiness. Very complex, this should be drunk very slowly - fois gras anyone?

REDS

Barbera d'Alba, 'Il Ciotto', Bovio 2007
£12.99/10.39 as a part of mixed case of 12
Bright purple in colour, slightly earthy/mineral tones on the nose with oodles of cherries and red berry leads to a medium bodied palate with more juicy sour cherry and raspberry, fairly high acidity but in perfect balance with the fruit intensity and alcohol. Beautiful for tomato and olive based sauces and light casseroles.

Wiengut Niklas, Sudtiroler Lagrein, 2007
£11.99/9.59 as a part of mixed case of 12
We are having a bit of Italian epiphany as a team (though this one is as much Austrian as Italian, or probably neither as Alto Adige is its own territory) and this is our new favourite red. A grape rarely seen anywhere else shines brightly in this example. Intense and purple to look at, the nose is reminiscent of very good aged Merlot from California, with stewed plums, figs and dark forest fruits, some herbaceous notes and sweet spice. Light in body, also reminiscent of Loire reds (could be served slightly chilled - and on a hot day, probably should be) with very soft, ripe tannins and more plummy fruits follow. Medium length with a slightly bitter coffee-tinged finish. Would make a killer match with a lovely veal ragout, should be prefect for all the game birds as well, dried meats (Parma ham style) and hard cheeses.

SPARKLING

Codorniu, Pinot Noir, Rose
£7.00/6.39 as a part of mixed case of 12
Cava is not everybody's cup of tea - but this is different. The first in Penedes to be made of Pinot Noir, rather than the three traditional varieties, it screams summer. First of all, lovely shade of pale pink, the bubbles are just right and the mousse very soft on the palate. On the nose heaps of raspberry, strawberry and red currant, and that moves onto the delicate palate and finishes with a lovely lemony/citrussy kick. Great in the garden at the end of a summer day on its own, but it will go well with summer fruit based desserts just fine.

Louis Roederer, Brut Premier NV
£37.49/30.39 as a part of mixed case of 12
Drink this regardless of the season. Now back in stock, this is the Champagne to have. Very decently priced for the quality of the stuff that is in the bottle. Heavy on Pinots with the reserve wines aged in oak it's a biscuity, creamy style of champagne. On the nose - freshly baked brioche, yeast and hazelnuts, wonderfully soft mousse and stewed apples, more cream and nuttiness on the palate. The finish lingers in the mouth well. It matches wonderfully with shellfish or sushi.

DESSERT WINES

d'Arenberg, 'The Noble Wrinkled' Riesling
£9.99/7.99 as a part of mixed case of 12
d'Arenberg wines have a special place at Oddbins, and the stickies have long been favourite among the staff and punters. This Riesling made from grapes affected by Botrytis is yellow golden in colour with a delicate nose - white flowers, white fleshy stone fruit and lime. The palate is yet more peachy fruit, ripe grapefruit and lemony zestiness. Wonderful to drink now, but will get better/different with age, so it's best to get a few bottles, just to see how it develops! Wonderful with fruit desserts.

Domain Berthoumieu, Pacherenc du Vic Bilh
£9.99/7.99 as a part of mixed case of 12
The name comes from an old Gascon dialect and means (more or less) 'vines grown on slopes in the old country'. A blend of less common grape varieties - mainly Petit/Gros Manseng and L'arrufiac that are picked over-ripe for raisin-like richness. It's a match made in heaven for all creamy patisseries, brioches and crème Brulees or even soft, blue cheeses. Golden in colour with aromas of honey and citrus peel on the nose, the palate has marmalade and honey, with a touch of herbaceous notes (perhaps bergamot) and lovely, refreshing acidity on a long finish.

Note: Not all Oddbins stock these wines -- click here to find out if your nearest store has them in stock.

All About Taste for delicious. magazine

2009-06-10T14:41:00.004+01:00

Let’s face it – regardless of the season or tipple, the British love to drink. Whether it’s a glass of fine wine, a pint of real ale or a cup of tea or coffee, there’s a world of flavour out there. Craig Butcher shows you how to appreciate them all fully with just one simple technique.

Click here to read the full article 'All About Taste' at delicious. magazine online.

Month of Taste starts Saturday 13th June

2009-06-09T16:34:00.006+01:00

The Month of Taste is a national celebration of the best of British summer foods available direct from the farm, whether from farm shops, farmers' markets, pick your own farms and box schemes.

The festival from Saturday 13th June to 19 July 2009, highlights the abundance of UK seasonal produce available including soft fruit, salads, beans and peas, asparagus, herbs and edible flowers, as well as seasonal cheese, ice-cream and fresh fish.

Which is just a very long way of saying it's a great excuse to eat some great food and drink. Click here to take a look at their website.

Channel 4 Feature - Supermarket Psychology

2009-06-03T13:31:00.003+01:00

Anyone who saw last night's television will have seen Channel 4's new supermarket programming, I'm Running Sainsbury's. My latest feature for the Channel 4 website looks at how supermarkets use colour to influence shoppers:

"Food brands spend tens of millions of pounds each year telling you who they are and what they stand for. What they don’t tell you is why discounts are always written in red, why Cadbury's is purple and why Sainsbury's branding is orange.

Craig Butcher met Angela Wright, the UK's foremost colour psychologist, to learn how supermarkets use colour to influence our purchasing decisions."

Click here to read the rest of the feature on the Channel 4 Food website.

Channel 4 feature - Supermarket Design

2009-06-03T13:18:00.003+01:00

Anyone who saw last night's television will have seen Channel 4's new supermarket programming, I'm Running Sainsbury's. My latest feature for the Channel 4 website looks at how supermarkets are designed to influence shoppers:

"It’s no coincidence that the sweets are right by the till in supermarkets, nor that the one thing you really came for is at the far corner, past the pet food you don’t need.

Supermarkets have designed their layouts to control the way you move around their stores and what you buy. Craig Butcher talks to the retail design experts to discover what the supermarkets are up to."

Click here to read the rest of the feature on the Channel 4 website.

Foodtripper.com: Tea in High Places - London

2009-05-25T23:18:00.004+01:00

Iconic London buildings take centre-stage in an eccentric celebration of English tea-drinking, reports Craig Butcher

“Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors” wrote Pullitzer Prize-winner and author of The Colour Purple, Alice Walker. After a recent publicity stunt by London tourism chiefs Visit London, it seems we have dispensed with the charade once and for all.

To read my complete article at Foodtripper.com, click here

Insert Headline Here

2009-05-22T15:52:00.003+01:00

Gearing up for the long bank holiday weekend, I for one will be looking forward to some well earned R&R. Two weeks is too long to leave the blog without an update. But where there is nothingness on the site right now, in time you can expect fullness elsewhere. I've been working on features for Channel 4 Food and FoodTripper.com which I'll post links to when they're live. In the meantime, have a great bank holiday weekend.

Nic Nac and Spaniel at Cabbages and Frocks

2009-05-08T09:54:00.002+01:00

Nicky Hawtin and Anna Ford return to Marylebone High Street this Saturday 9th May for the Cabbages and Frocks market where they'll be selling cakes, biscuits and the like on Children's Day. I'll confess, I live with one and know the other, so clearly I'll be in and around the stall trying not to eat too much of the wares. Drop by if you're around -- it runs from 11am to 5pm Saturday, just off Marylebone High Street opposite The Conran Shop / Orrery. There's a good variety of stalls and the weather promises to be a whole heap better than today. Click here for more details from the Cabbages and Frocks website.

Eat, Drink, Live…London Lunches

2009-05-05T18:59:00.003+01:00

London’s lunch scene is preparing for change. Wave goodbye to the cardboard sandwich; say hello to a new breed of entertainers. Craig Butcher reports...

Click here to read the rest of the article in its original format at www.foodtripper.com. The article will open in a new window.

Eat, Drink, Live…Hong Kong

2009-05-05T18:55:00.004+01:00

Craig Butcher grew up amidst the sights, sounds and smells of Hong Kong. Here he roots out the best new openings in the bustling city...

Click here to read the rest of the article in its original format at www.foodtripper.com. The article will open in a new window.

Foodtripper.com : New food and travel website launches

2009-05-05T18:41:00.005+01:00

In recent weeks I've been contributing features for a new food and travel website and today I'm pleased to say Foodtripper.com launched. Foodtripper is an online magazine serving a niche market for people who travel to eat. Aiming to bring information and inspiration about food destinations, food culture, food history and events together in one place on the web. There's a diverse range of specialist food and travel writers based both in the UK and key food destinations around the world contributing and I'm delighted to be involved. Please do take a look and let me know your thoughts -- you can e-mail me via the contact page of my website here.

Coffee feature in today's Evening Standard

2009-04-29T13:59:00.003+01:00

Today's Evening Standard includes my coffee feature which focuses on World Barista Champion Gwilym Davies. See page 39 in the food pages of the Wednesday print edition. Online links will follow if it makes the transition to the Evening Standard online.

Update: 20th May 2009. This feature was only published in print. Contact me via e-mail at info@craigbutcher.co.uk if you would like to see the article and I'll happily send you a PDF version.

Evening Standard food feature

2009-04-27T13:14:00.002+01:00

Look out for new features which will be publishing in various media shortly and which have prevented me from posting to my blog. First out will be a feature for the Evening Standard appearing in this Wednesday's food pages so keep an eye out for that. This may or may not subsequently appear on their website but I'll post the link if so. Also keep an eye out on the Channel 4 Food website in early May when two new supermarket-related features will go live. A restaurant review and chef interview are due on the delicious. magazine website later in the Summer to tie in with a special in the print magazine. I'll post again as these features become available. In the meantime, I'm digging out new stories and welcome any suggestions.

UK & Ireland finalists in World Barista Championships

2009-04-19T16:09:00.004+01:00

The World Barista Championships are well underway here in Atlanta, Georgia. Of the 51 national champions representing their countries over the course of Friday and Saturday, just six went through to the finals being held today, Sunday 19th April. Gwilym Davies, UK national champion and barista behind his coffee cart on Whitecross Street in London, and Ireland champion Colin Harmon will be fighting it out alongside entrants from Hungary, Korea, the U.S. and Canada.

Alongside the Championships is the world's largest gathering of coffee professionals - growers, producers, importers, exporters, roasters and baristas all gathered under one huge roof to talk shop. The expo winds up today and I'll be back in London on Tuesday to fill in the details of what's going on here. But in brief -- new home roaster from Behmor; interview with Cup of Excellence Executive Director to follow; Intelligentsia and Counter Culture Coffee leading the way in sourcing and roasting coffee here in the U.S.; and Has Bean owner Steve Leighton continuing to expand his quality coffee range.

Get in touch if you'd like any specific feedback from the show.

Ditch your plastic

2009-04-08T10:33:00.003+01:00

I was recently struck by a remarkably obvious idea. Granted, I was prompted in this, so I can't take any credit for it, but can it make any sense to repeatedly buy bottled water for the sake of wanting the bottle on the go?

Wouldn't it make so much more sense to have a reusable water bottle, that wouldn't taint the contents with plastics leeching into it and which wouldn't contribute to mountains of plastic in our landfill? I'm not ordinarily an eco-activist, but I think this idea has legs.

This April is Earth Month and Swiss water-bottle maker SIGG has teamed up with AVEDA salons to sell their co-branded 500ml water bottles to raise awareness not only for reducing plastic waste, but also to highlight the huge number of people around the world without access to safe drinking water. Additionally, they're holding an Aveda Walk for Water in London on the 22nd April. Covering five miles, this charitable walk will raise funds for the Global Greengrants Fund who provide grants for community based water projects around the world.

Specialty Coffee Association of America

2009-04-07T19:42:00.003+01:00

Later this month in Atlanta, Georgia, the great and the good of the specialty coffee world (i.e. the quality end of the coffee market) will meet for the largest coffee convention of its kind in the world.

Hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America from 16th to 19th April 2009, the Symposium plays host to the finals of the World Barista Championships -- essentially the World Cup of coffee. Representing the U.K will be Gwilym Davies whose coffee cart on Whitecross Street near the Barbican in London is increasingly swarmed by devotees. Gwilym serves the same quality coffee from Square Mile Coffee that I source my own from -- it's seriously good stuff.

Representatives from all the major coffee producing countries, their unions, the Rainforest Alliance, FairTrade, not to mention the cafes, bars and restaurant which pour your coffee will be there. Not least among them, Stephen Leighton of HasBean.co.uk-- a leading importer and online retailer of coffee and equipment I'm hoping to catch up with. They'll all be discussing the latest production methods, equipment, politics and policies.

I'll be there soaking it all up and seeing what's going on -- I'll report anything and everything when I get back.

New York, New York

2009-04-07T19:28:00.002+01:00

Ladies and gents I'll keep this news brief -- it's simply a prelude to more extensive and, hopefully, more interesting blogs to follow in the coming weeks.

I'm off to New York City tomorrow, Wednesday 8th April for the extended Easter break. While there, I'll be checking out the lively bars and restaurants of Bedford Avenue, in hip Williamsburg, get amongst the quality beer and burgers at BLT Burger (Bistro Laurent Tourondel) in West Greenwich, the food shops of Soho (including browsing uber-pricey Dean & Deluca), living it up in the Meatpacking District and generally getting amongst all the food and drink New York can throw at me. I'll be drinking Brooklyn Lager at every available opportunity and seeing exactly how far my increasingly worthless British Pounds will carry me.

On my return, expect food and drink news galore. Feel free to let me know of any recommendations of where I should go, what I should visit -- this is my third time to New York, but there's always something new to see and do. Let me know by e-mailing me info@craigbutcher.co.uk or following me on Twitter here.

In the meantime, Happy Easter.

How to Buy A Knife

2009-04-01T13:52:00.001+01:00

"Jay Patel of the Japanese Knife Company gives us the lowdown on how to buy a blade."

Click here to read the second of my features for the Channel 4 food website which offers top tips on buying kitchen knives.

Jay Patel: The sharpest knife in the drawer

2009-04-01T13:49:00.002+01:00

"Chefs at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck and 40-50% of all UK Michelin-starred chefs buy their knives from just one Englishman who spent eight years in Japan learning the trade."

Click here to read my latest feature for the Channel 4 food website.

Dark Side of the Cha Cha Moon

2009-03-26T19:58:00.007Z

Alan Yau's Chinese noodle bar venture Cha Cha Moon opened back in 2008 just off London's Carnaby Street. The first time I went there, it didn't go well -- it was packed, the staff rushed and the menu both complex and unhelpful. When I ended up back there last Friday after a few drinks at The Clachan pub on Kingly Street, I thought I'd give Cha Cha Moon another chance.

Cha Cha Moon is Alan Yau's second attempt at Wagamama's, to my mind. I have a lot of time for the Hong Kong-born restaurateur behind some of the best recognised restaurants in London, including the high-end Hakkasan, dim sum palace Yauatcha, Thai chain Busaba Eathai and previously, Wagamama's. Not least because, having grown-up in Hong Kong myself, I love Asian cuisine.

The ambition is apparent -- its modern, sleek design is sophisticated and aspirational, and the Time Out award in 2008 as Runner-Up for Best Design is well-deserved. But on our visit last Friday, the front entrance on Ganton Street was boarded up for refurbishment. The back entrance in Kingly Court had a bouncer granting access. This didn't bode well. If bouncers are the new maitre d', then we really are in trouble. Inside, things didn't get much better. Staff were surly, the menu was ill-defined -- superficially Chinese there are still forays to Singapore and Malaysia, but it's testament to the lack of inspiration on the menu that I ended up with the same dish as my first visit. Except the notable difference is the prices -- they have quite literally doubled since opening. What was £3.50 last December is now £7.00. This is now fairly standard practice -- get in the journalists when prices are low, their reviews are published proclaiming good value and then the prices are inflated. Most reviews aren't updated, so the 'good value' proclamation remains. Hence a large beer at Cha Cha Moon now costs £6.00. There is only one type on offer.

Noodle dishes were bland, the Chinese chives side dish lacked the blossoming head so distinctive of this variety and the chilli oil condiment lacked depth of flavour or sizzling punch. Staff are so used to speeding diners on and turning around tables that they neglected to notice the place was only half-full, so we were still hurried on.

Central London is full of authentic Chinese restaurants offering a bowl of flavourful noodles, atmosphere and service for a reasonable price. It's just that Cha Cha Moon doesn't appear to be one of them. It wasn't all bad news though -- The Clachan, on the other hand, was a great find -- just tucked behind Liberty's, the upstairs bar has Timothy Taylor Landlord and London Pride on draught, a great space and good atmosphere.

Cha Cha Moon, 15–21 Ganton Street, London W1F 9BN
Click here to go to the Cha Cha Moon website.

The Clachan, 34 Kingly Street, London W1B 5QH.
Click here to see the location of The Clachan.

Note: The photograph does not show Cha Cha Moon.

Add malt, hops, water and, er, fruit

2009-03-17T22:59:00.009Z

Some wags at The Juice Brewery have decided that now is the time. It's Spring, it's sunny, and it's no time to launch a new alcoholic drink that'll be taxed off the shelves quicker than you can say 50p per unit. So they haven't. What they have launched instead is what they wittily refer to as 'the world's first soft-brew'.

Tucked behind the Old Vic Theatre behind London Waterloo is The Juice Brewery -- and they're churning out a new range of non-alcoholic soft drinks brewed with the malts and hops you'd expect from a thirst-quenching real ale, but without the alcohol or the hangover. These aren't beer replacements, but a refreshing alternative choice available at your local, provided your local is in London, mind.

The two flavours I tried are Blackcurrant and Citrus -- there is a crisp fruitiness that comes through in both flavours which is derived from the hops, while the malts add bitterness. The sweetness is controlled and not sickly and it's relatively flat, which avoids any bloatedness. Is it as good as beer? No. But then it's not meant to be. But they would probably make an excellent alternative at the pub to any of the other non-alcoholic drinks available. To get your hands on some, click here for a list of outlets from The Juice Brewery website, which incidentally includes The Natural Kitchen on Marylebone High Street in London -- a fantastic deli and cafe which has a great range of beers and real ales too. Click here to go to The Natural Kitchen website.

Cast judgement on Great Taste

2009-03-17T16:01:00.002Z

The Guild of Fine Food has launched a competition to find a judge for the Great Taste Awards 2009 -- a golden opportunity to impose your impeccable taste on an unsuspecting British public. One lucky winner will join the ranks of industry legends such as Mark Hix and Alex James by becoming a judge at the Great Taste Awards 2009. Which means lots of free food and drink and an eager audience for your unsubstantiated opinions.

You might not recognise the name but the Great Taste Awards stickers are widely recognised on quality food and drink from specialty producers as well as some larger producers who have made a name for themselves as a result. The categories range from cheeses to pies to sorbets to cider from every corner of the UK. Products are blind tasted by a panel of independent judges.

The competition winner will be able to bask in the reflected glory of better respected foodies including Charles Campion at the Real Food Festival 2009 at Earl’s Court on May 9th, where they will judge beer, wine, chocolate and espresso coffee -- basically all the important categories.

To enter, you'll have to write up to 400 words about why you should be chosen along with your foodie dreams and aspirations to gemma@completemediagroup.co.uk.

Click here to see the winners from the Great Taste Awards 2008.

Terms and Conditions:
The competition is open to foodies of any age and profession. The deadline is 30th April 2009. All applications will be judged by the Guild of Fine Food who organise the Great Taste Awards.

London Restaurant Week kicks off

2009-03-16T12:07:00.005Z

Today sees the start of London Restaurant Week, which actually runs for a fortnight until Sunday 29th March. An annual event where high-end restaurants open their doors for a fraction of the usual rates, there's a wide range of venues involved, including The Cinnamon Club, Galvin At Windows, Jim Thompson's Nahm and Roast at Borough Market. Booking is online through LastMinute.com. Discounts aren't as appealing as previous years, primarily because there are so many great deals on offer, but worth it nonetheless. Click here to go the London Restaurant Week site for more information and to book.

UPDATED Top 10 Wines for Spring

2009-03-15T17:09:00.026Z

UPDATE – 3rd April 2009

Since this Oddbins blog was posted, the wine experts at Decanter.com have come up with their own Top 10 Wines from Oddbins –
Click here to take a look at their own take on Oddbins’ best.

After a beautiful sunny weekend across the UK, now's the time to be thinking about those refreshing Spring whites while still clasping to the big juicy reds of Winter. Who better to guide us through the best on offer at Oddbins than Peter Ingram, Assistant Manager at the Marylebone High Street store.

I have more wine at home than my wine rack knows what to do with, and it's primarily down to one man -- Peter Ingram, Assistant Manager at Oddbins on Marylebone High Street. I frequently go in for one bottle and come out with six -- sheer lunacy. But the man has a way with words, and with wine, so what can I do?

Oddbins was bought out several months ago by the original owners and this is welcome news -- Oddbins' focus over the coming months will be to return to their 'small bins' of exceptional wines from lesser-known producers in prime regions. The core offering will be reduced so that more of the wines are rotated. Which is a long way of saying they'll have a great range that's constantly changing. Here are Peter's tips of the best currently on offer:

REDS

Quinta de Bons-Ventos, Portugal, 2007. £5.99
A Portuguese blend from Casa Santos Lima in Estremadura in southern Portugal. They specialise in Portuguese varieties but using modern techniques. A medium bodied wine with red fruits but with lights tannins. Soft, well-rounded fruit.
Pair with: Very tolerant of most pairings being medium bodied. Any light meat or light stew.

Punta Final, Malbec, Argentina, 2007, £8.49
Argentine malbec, further south than Chile which is also well-known for its malbecs which are lighter fruited and more earthy. In this example, you get dark fruit aromas with a little licorice on the nose as well. On the palate, a certain amount of jammy fruit which melts into a very mineral finish with comparatively restrained alcohol.
Pair with: Something fuller-bodied -- a richer stew or anything a bit gamey.

El Quintanal, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2007, £8.99
100% tempranillo from an up-and-coming region of Spain. Made by a co-operative but the winemaker is a family-owned bodega which is becoming something of a cult winemaker. This is unoaked, lots of very distinct, clear fruits -- red cherries, a little white pepper, medium bodied. Very smooth and approachable.
Pair with: Chicken and lighter meats or with vegetarian foods.

El Quintanal, Vendima Seleccionada, Ribera del Duero, Spain, 2007, £12.99
Similar spec to the wine above, but this is oaked, much fuller-bodied, getting into rich cedar flavours, darker fruit flavours.
Pair with heavier meats -- roasts, steak or any sort of Spanish tapas.

WHITES

Caves de Lugny, Macon-Villages, Chardonnay, 2007. £6.99
100% chardonnay from southern Burgundy, France. Unoaked so distinct cream fruit flavours, citrus and apples with a little bit of stonefruit coming through -- peachy. A little creamy butterness.
Pair with: Very light foods, a light starter or ideal as an aperitif.

Dr Loosen, Riesling, 2007. £7.49
Off-dry, so a little sweetness to it. A tangy acidity to balance the sweetness. Again, stonefruits with a little lychee. Fairly light-bodied, slightly lower alcohol than the others -- just 8.5%. A German wine.
Pair with: Goes very well with Vietnamese, Thai or Chinese -- sweet and spicy Asian foods.

Gemtree Vineyards, Tadpole, McLaren Vale, Australia, Chardonnay/Viognier, 2008. £7.99
This is a chardonnay / viognier blend from the McLaren Vale, Australia. A bit fuller-bodied, quite luscious, tropical fruits. Some stonefruits, but that's a lychee tinge. Unoakced, very clear fruits.
Pair with: Generally a wine to have by itself but can also go well with shellfish, scallops particularly.

Domaine de Villargeau, Coteaux du Giennois, Loire, France, Sauvignon Blanc, 2007. £9.99
Loire Valley sauvignon blanc and quite similar to an unoaked Pouilly-Fume -- lots of herbaceous cut-grass and flinty notes. A little more gooseberry than you'd normally get with a Pouilly-Fume and more towards a Marlborough, New Zealand style. A little more body, a little more fruit.
Pair with: Very much with seafood.

WILDCARDS

Gemma, Vigna Florita, Moscato D'asti, Italy. £6.99
An Italian moscati d'asti -- sweet but light and fresh. Quite low alcohol -- they're usually 5% to 7%. A great finish to any heavy meal. Refreshes your palate and doesn't weigh down with lots of alcohol.
Pair with: Dessert, but nothing too sweet. Goes really well with a pavlova or chilled with a Spring picnic -- chicken and cold cuts.

Lustau, Dry Amontillado, Los Arcos, Sherry, Spain. £10.99 A dry amontillado sherry which I've included because I think it's massively underrated. You get a rich, nutty character to it. The thing with sherries is that it's not that expensive but you're getting quite an aged wine. They blend in different barrels and some of the sherry you're getting is up to 30 or 40 years old. You get a rich, developed flavour for £11 which you'd normally pay alot more for.
Pair with: Suitable as an aperitif or with a coffee and cheeses.

Pie and a Pint deal for Pie Week

2009-03-04T13:02:00.005Z

Having got amongst a chorizo and butter bean pie last night, my enthusiasm for British Pie Week is now fully stoked. But lo, it gets better -- some of South London's best gastropubs are getting in on the action with a pie and pint deal for just £10. Better yet, the deal runs well past Pie Week until 15th March.

Participating pubs include The Avalon, The Stonhouse and The Abbeville in Clapham, The Bolingbroke in Battersea and The White Hart in Kennington and you can choose from pies which include a rich rabbit pie with black pudding and prunes; and a full monty take on Desperate Dan’s favourite cow pie, packed with braised steak oxtail, tongue and tripe. Other pies include; chicken, ham and tarragon; beef and chorizo; and cottage pie.

You can choose from any draught lager and some selected bottled beers, but most pies pair better with a real ale like the award-winning Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Meantime Pale Ale or a guest ale including Doombar from Cornwall, Bedford-brewed Bombardier and Edinburgh’s Deuchars Caledonian.

Venue details below:

The Avalon, 16 Balham Hill, London SW12 9EB. T: 020 8675 8613
The Stonhouse, 165 Stonhouse Street, London SW4 6BJ. T: 020 7819 9312
The Abbeville, 67-69 Abbeville Road, London SW4 9JW. T: 020 8675 2201
The Bolingbroke, 174 Northcote Road, Battersea, London SW11 6RE. T: 020 7228 4040
The White Hart, 185 Kennington Lane, London SE11 4EZ. T: 020 7735 1061

Click here for more information

Comments welcome.

Heston Blumenthal's superb lunatic display

2009-03-04T11:08:00.004Z

I spend alot of time eating, drinking and writing about both, but I'll admit I barely watch any of the food programming on TV, in much the same way as an accountant doesn't come home in the evenings and do the family accounts -- it's too much like work. But given the excited build-up ahead of Heston Blumenthal's new Feasts series on Channel 4, I demured.

Without doubt one of the strangest food series ever commissioned, on the strengh of the opening show -- Heston had a luminescent absinthe jelly gyrating with multiple vibrators in deference to the Victorian classic Alice in Wonderland. Not to mention the absinthe carnage in France which involved a wholly unnecessary trip to taste the 'green fairy' in its spiritual birthplace. The wholly edible garden with soil of black olives, clay-covered potatoes and stuffed crickets was sheer, fantastical, madness and huge entertaining stuff. It seems the Channel 4 execs have finally admitted that no-one watching food programming actually attempts to cook what's on display for themselves and have come out pie-eyed and guns a-blazing.

Unaccustomed to using the 'series link' on my Sky remote, I've now exercised it for the first time this year -- with the expectation that there's more madness to follow.

See Last Night's TV at the Guardian for more:

It's British Pie Week!

2009-03-03T16:42:00.006Z

Call me cynical, but it may well be that British Pie Week isn't a 'proper' designated week, in the sense that there's no time off from the office, no 'bearded man in awkward hat-of-thorns' associated with it and there's no sense of a charitable whip-round in aid of it. More to the point, it's primarily promoted by Jus-Rol, purveyors of pastry across the UK and, co-incidentally, a key ingredient in any humble pie.

That aside, I like a pie as much as the next man and if there's an excuse to get amongst one, count me in. Besides, I already have some pastry in the freezer (yes, it's Jus-Rol) so technically I've not sold-out to participate.

To get things off to an excellent start, use Rick Stein's chorizo and butter bean stew recipe for the innards, then top and tail with pastry. Incidentally, the recipe comes from Rick's latest book, Coast to Coast -- read my review on the delicious. website here and buy the book from Amazon here.

Of course, for a quick route to success, get hold of a pie from Higgidy Pies -- they're the same pies you'll find in EAT sandwich shops, and available in selected Sainsbury's stores.

British Pie Week runs until Sunday 8th March 2009. Click here for more information.

Growers afraid our taste for coffee is going off the boil

2009-02-27T13:04:00.003Z

Published Date: 23 February 2009

As Fairtrade fortnight begins, Craig Butcher asks if trouble is brewing for the world's coffee giants?

Click here to read one version of the feature online at the Yorkshire Post

Galvin Bistro offers credit crunch lunch

2009-02-26T12:52:00.007Z

If you're sick of the same ham and cheese sandwiches you keep bringing in to the office, you're not alone. Not if Galvin Bistrot de Luxe is anything to go by -- packed with business diners on a recent Wednesday lunchtime shirking the credit crunch for a superb-value set lunch.

Offering a three course set lunch Monday through Saturday for £15.50 plus service, this is classic French bistro dining at a fraction of the price. The eponymous French bistro of Galvin brothers Chris and Jeff has won awards and favourable reviews aplenty -- Winner of the Drinking Out Excellence Awards "French Wine Restaurant of the Year 2009" and "French Restaurant of the Year" at the London Restaurant Awards last year. But more importantly, they've won over cash-strapped customers. Granted, these are business-class diners eating out on expenses, but they're doing so at economy seat prices.

The set lunch on my visit gave a choice of ballotine of ham hock and lentils or veloute of wild mushrooms to start with, followed by Barnsley chop with roasted potatoes and grilled tomatoes or Cornish pollack with Meditteranean vegetables. The ham hock was similar to a terrine, with a refreshing puy lentil aioli, while the pollack was a whopping piece of dense white fish accompanied by, amongst other things, a zippy olive oil marinaed. All superbly cooked, immaculately presented and personably proffered by the native French staff. Dessert choice was a homemade rhubarb panna cotta or Brie de Meaux with walnut and raisin bread. The panna cotta was an excellent palate cleanser after a hefty meal (not to mention the £21 bottle of Le Saboutin Rhone...)

With wine and service you're nudging £20 per head but with such quality cooking in a relaxed environment, it's something of a bargain.

Restaurant details:

Galvin Bistrot de Luxe

66 Baker Street

London

W1U 7DJ
United Kingdom

T: +44 (0) 20 7935 4007

F: +44 (0) 20 7486 1735
E: info@galvinrestaurants.com

Map & Directions: Click here

Opening hours:

Lunch: Monday – Saturday 12pm – 2 30pm (last orders)
Lunch: Sunday 12pm – 3 30pm (last orders)
Dinner: Monday – Wednesday 6pm – 10 30pm (last orders)
Dinner: Thursday – Saturday 6pm – 11pm (10 45pm last orders)
Dinner: Sunday 6pm – 9 30pm (last orders)

Cafedirect launches Tastefair for Fairtrade Fortnight

2009-02-24T10:26:00.009Z

Last night saw the launch of Cafédirect's Fairtrade Fortnight activities with the press night for TasteFair at Whole Foods on Kensington High Street. Their cunningly-named programme encompasses live events and entertainment including tastings, screenings and live music highlighting this year's Fairtrade Fortnight, a two-week event running from 23rd February to 8th March this year.

Wine bon vivant, Cafedirect figurehead and all-round good egg Olly Smith extolled the virtues of the Cafedirect relationship between producer and coffee consumers, while Amen Mtui, below, from the Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union in Tanzania was on hand to roast beans from the cooperative. The quality of the coffee is excellent and a personal favourite: lively cassis flavours with a good chocolate body and refreshing acidity.

TasteFair continues with food demonstrations from Tim Maddams of River Cottage, and Joe Swift from Gardener's World; 'eco chic' design ideas from Wayne Hemmingway and Changing Room's Oliver Heath; live music from Vashti Anna, Hadar Manor, Quixote and Narration; an exclusive screening of the film Black Gold presented by its director Nick Francis; Plus children's story time and coffee direct from growers. Go to www.tastefair.co.uk for more.

Photos: Olly Smith, beans -- John Millar. Cupping -- Cafedirect

Website Launches

2009-02-23T12:46:00.002Z

After several weeks' work, I've now finished work to launch my website -- it's now live at www.craigbutcher.co.uk. There's an extensive look at my portfolio, details of the freelance services I offer and links to other sites I'd like to recommend. I'll also be updating this blog regularly with articles and features along with launches I've attended and any news which might be of interest. Feel free to post comments here about the new site and let me know if you've had any problems with it.

Portfolio: Drinks

2009-01-26T19:14:00.013Z

BEERS

How Beer Is Made (delicious. magazine online)

Home brew is all well and good, but if anyone recalls their dad's home-made concoctions blowing up in the airing cupboard, there are some things best left to the experts. Our resident beer fanatic at delicious. went to meet Alastair Hook, Master Brewer at micro-brewery Meantime to learn what's in it and how it's done.
Click here to read the article in full.

Top 20 Beers, Part 1 (delicious. magazine online)

There’s more to beer than mass-produced lager – there’s a huge amount of variety out there and many go superbly with food. Craig Butcher plays matchmaker.
Click here to read the article in full.

Top 20 Beers, Part 2 (delicious. magazine online)

We continue our round-up of recommended beers...
Click here to read the article in full.

WINES

Food and Wine Matching With Inspector Grape (delicious. magazine online)

Matching food with wine can be a tricky affair. Craig Butcher met wine pro Dawid Koegelenberg to learn how it’s done, seek out some accessible recommendations and pass on top food and wine-matching tips, including advice for those on a budget.
Click here to read the article in full.

SPIRITS

All About Whisky (delicious. magazine online)

Choosing from the array of whiskies on offer as a gift, or appreciating one you’ve received, can be a little daunting, so we asked delicious. magazine's Craig Butcher to experience a Whisky Masterclass with host Glynn O’Shea at Scottish bar and restaurant The Albannach to clear the fog on this time-honoured tradition. Unsurprisingly, our roving (soon to be raving) reporter was happy to participate.
Click here to read the article in full.

All About Vodka (delicious. magazine online)

No longer about bootlegged industrial ethanol in deepest darkest Russia, luxury-grade vodkas are now distilled globally for your drinking pleasure. Learn how to taste, what our fave brands are, plus 15% off at TheDrinkShop.com.
Click here to read the article in full.

About me

2009-01-26T17:33:00.002Z

I provide freelance editorial and PR services including copy-writing, feature and news writing, proof-reading and fact-checking to the magazine and news media, in the UK and abroad.

Specialising in the food and drink sector, my work has appeared across a range of titles including delicious. magazine, Decanter and Waitrose Food Illustrated, along with features syndicated to the UK regional press via the Press Association.

I have also turned my hand to men's interest, sport and travel for the Sunday Times Travel Magazine, The Wisden Cricketer and Nuts.

Click here to learn more about me.

Find Me

2009-01-26T17:20:00.007Z

My office is centrally located just off Baker Street at 115 Montagu Mansions, London, W1U 6LG.

The closest tube station is a short two minute walk away from Baker Street for the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines.

For national rail services, Marylebone is a five minute walk.

Both Gloucester Place and Baker Street are well served with buses.

View this map on Multimap.com
Bird's Eye view on Multimap.com
Get directions on Multimap.com