Burmese BAR-B-Q – or a Munch in Mynanmar

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Well-travelled and experienced trencherman, Francis Geldart, who is resident in the foothills of the Troodos, Cyprus, from time to time wrote for me about pleasures of the table at local eating places.  But he loves far-eastern food and he is prepared to travel some distance – well beyond Limassol, for instance – to get it. […]

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Boiled-in-the-Bag

Among my gastronomic memories a meal we had 13 years ago stands out – I often remember it and smile. This is my report at the time, published in the Cyprus Mail. Around the dinner table this week we got to talking about memorable meals and one of our sons said of such occasions that […]

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The Pullman Car from Worthing

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So often I am asked which have been my most memorable meals. I often disappoint the questioner.   I recall so many, but mostly they were not at banquets or Michelin-starred restaurants. Instead a moment or an incident etched a meal on my mind. One that vividly stands out was taken long ago in 1966 on […]

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‘W’ is for Whisky (and Waterloo, Weybridge, Wimbledon, West Byfleet, Woking and Worplesdon)

Older British readers may remember being one of a million people travelling into London every day in years gone-by by the green trains of “Southern Electric” – attractively posterised in the 1930s by the railway company. I don’t think the headline is relevant to the author of the story above!

A hazard of commuting When I began travelling daily in the 70’s between Surrey and London, Waterloo, I had no idea of the hazards that could befall the uninitiated rail commuter. It began one morning when the phone rang in my office in Piccadilly.   A cheery cultured voice said ‘Hello old chap, I hear you’ve […]

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Lunch in a Bower

It was Sunday, and I had woken up with an urge for grilled chicken and fried potatoes. Nothing could dispel it. However hard I tried imagining a healthy bowl of salad or a really decadent sandwich, grilled chicken and potatoes was all I had on my mind. I was on my own, but I detest […]

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Writing About It

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The most convenient way to enjoy food and wine without suffering from indigestion, gout, obesity or hangovers, is to read about them. But not always is one successful. Often, when reading a biography, a novel or a travel book, I look up from the page and mutter crossly: ‘Very interesting…but what did they eat and […]

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