A marriage made in heaven – Peach Melba Tart. Two historic dishes come together in this peach melba tart with Courvoisier cream, a delicious and easy dessert that can be made almost entirely from store cupboard ingredients. The lynch-pin is Opies Peaches in Courvoisier – something I keep on hand in the larder because straight […]
About Fiona Maclean
The Young Victoria at Kensington Palace
Growing up the Kensington Way – the Young Victoria. Kensington Palace is perhaps best known for its connection with Diana, Princess of Wales. She lived there through her marriage and even after her divorce from Prince Charles. William and Harry grew up there and knew it very much as their home. But, this year marks […]
Fucina Review – Modern Italian in Marylebone Village
Fucina Marylebone visits Amalfi. If you want to get an insight into the authenticity of a restaurant but don’t have an intimate knowledge of the cuisine, then taking a friend who just happens to come from the country isn’t a bad idea. Unless they happen to come from Italy, where regionality is so embedded in […]
Prezzo Reading – Summer Set Menu Review
Budget-Friendly Summer Dining at Prezzo, Reading. One of those Italian chain restaurants that you know will be a reliable place to meet up with friends, I was pleased to have the chance to pop along to Prezzo and check out their summer set menu. At £15.95 for 2 courses and a drink or £18.95 for […]
Adam Handling Afternoon Tea at the Belmond Cadogan Chelsea
Adam Handling at the Cadogan – Afternoon Tea Lined with designer shops, the walk from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square exudes luxury. About halfway down, opposite Cadogan Place Garden is the Belmond Cadogan, a discreet five-star hotel that whispers good taste and style. I know Belmond best for the Belmond British Pullman one of a portfolio […]
Châteaux and Champagne – visiting l’Aisne
Beyond the Battlefields – l’Aisne, France. A trip to l’Aisne in Picardie, France, is often triggered by an itinerary to explore the battlefields of the World Wars – but there’s much more on offer in this little-known region just an hour or so from Paris. Here’s a taster of what you can expect if you […]
Caxton Grill at St Ermin’s Hotel – Review
Caxton Grill – a Relaxed Dinner in Refined Setting St Ermin’s Hotel is a rather grand hotel with a lobby which always reminds me of a wedding cake, resplendent with white stucco plaster with a sweeping marble staircase running up the centre of the space. Despite the grandeur though, it’s a remarkably accessible place, one […]
Agatha Christie in Devon – The English Riviera
Exploring Devon and Agatha Christie. Who would you put on a list of English Literary Heroes? There are some obvious contenders – Shakespeare, Chaucer, Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, Byron, Shelley and Wordsworth for instance. How about more recent figures like J K Rowling or Julian Barnes? For whatever reason, despite being the best-selling novelist of […]
Summer Bars Where You Can Enjoy the Sun
Al-Fresco Bars in London. Perhaps 2019 hasn’t been the best summer for the weather. But, when the sun DOES shine, it seems to be doing so with a vengeance – the highest ever temperature recorded in the UK the other day in Cambridge. So, it helps to be in the know – not left searching […]
M Young Chef of the Year with Bookatable and Champagne Pommery
Testing the Finalists – M Young Chef of the Year. It’s the last day today of the Young Chef of the Year competition – sixteen finalists have been battling it out, taking over the M Victoria kitchen and dining room to cook a four-course menu for paying guests. I was lucky enough to go along […]