One of the odd upsides of the Covid pandemic and London’s interminable lockdowns is that it has now been so long since I visited some parts of London that arriving there (now that things are opening up again) is almost as novel and exciting as visiting a new city. On a recent visit to Soho to see a show, emerging from the theatre into crowded streets made me feel quite disoriented, as if I needed to check from which direction the cars were coming before I stepped off the pavement, as I need to in Paris! As my Jubilee Line train pulled into Wembley Park station on a recent Saturday, I tried to remember when I had last set foot in the area – probably in summer 2017 for an ELO gig. So I was unprepared for just how bustling the area is and how much there is to do there, even on days with no football and no concerts (hello Boxpark, hello London Designer Outlet Mall!). And nestled literally shadow of the famous Wembley arch, perfectly positioned to take advantage of all this foot traffic, is Masalchi, a new pan-Indian street food restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar – his first foray into casual dining. Click here for a full portion
Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
Last weekend I had the great pleasure of seeing the stage version of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 musical Moulin Rouge – the first stage production I have seen since Message in a Bottle in Feb 2020! It is an absolute riot of colour, inventive sets, fabulous voices and more songs than you can shake a stick […]
Click here for a full portionRoasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
I have a good friend who has introduced me to an excellent tradition: whenever she travels somewhere, rather than buying a T-shirt, mug, ornament or some other dust-gathering tchotchke, she tries to buy a piece of original art that will always remind her of the place and/or the trip. As a result of this tradition […]
Click here for a full portionLove Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
Does it ever feel as if you are a former citizen of the lost city of Atlantis? As if you come from a world that has sunk without a trace beneath the waves, never to be seen again? I’ve been feeling that way a lot lately as I look through Google’s handy reminders of what […]
Click here for a full portionAntillean
When I was about ten years old, my older sister (then in her mid 20s) decided that she was off to adventure and left South Africa on an extended working holiday. These were the early 1980s before migration became as hot a potato as it is now and work visas were easier to come by. […]
Click here for a full portionFestive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Have you ever thought about the difference between culture and tradition – or even wondered whether there is even a difference between them? They are definitely intertwined and both inform and influence each other – for example, a tradition can grow to be so widespread that it becomes an accepted part of a culture. But […]
Click here for a full portionRustic blood orange and pistachio galettes
[Reading this in a feed reader like Feedly or Flipboard? Cooksister’s feed is being updated to https://www.cooksister.com/feed – please resubscribe in your reader of choice!] When people start getting wistful about the “good old days” and how thing were so much better when they were young/before the world wars/before the Rolling Stones were born, I […]
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