Inspiring life at the epicurean edge …
Freelance educator, writer and photo blogger in food, wine, sake and spirits—more details in my Bio. Also enjoy fly fishing and travel in pursuit of my professional and leisure interests.
On this website, you can peruse various Articles concerning all my passions, find out about the educational Courses and Masterclasses I run, and learn more about my previous and upcoming Trips. I hope you will also find my Instagram photo blogs interesting and inspiring—see my most recent posts below.
My new go to snack. Really delicious. Made in Thailand for an Australian company and made its way here totally sustainability negative Big Time. Only noticed on package when I got home. Won’t be buying it again!! Daughter will kill me!! Pity cos they are really really super uber delicious. I won’t mention the brand or what they are called. #snack #delicious #yummy #thelarderat36
After Storm Eunice. So happy my big Mirabelle with gorgeous blossoms survived. Praying James my gardener will have some ideas to ensure we get some mirabelles this summer. Damson tree is fine. Blossoms not out yet. #mirabelle #spring #gardening #beautiful #londonlife #afterthestorm #stormeunice @nattypattieee @ereladana @barnyardbollinger
A fab afternoon at Kanpai Brewery with The Association of Wine Educators on Sake vs Wine. Fab tour with expert Toji and Owner Tom Wilson finishing the session with tastings of Kanpai sake including the his new seriously heaven and back Koshu (which was just speechlessly delicious with my Ultimate Umami bomb - Kanpai Kasu and Miso Comte) and an exquisite Yuzushu (a must for the summer). Both limited editions and will be available next week, promises Tom. The wines Linda Simpson (AWE council member) chose were just sensational. The Yalumba Viognier was super fruity floral. Chateau Mercian’s Koshu Gris de Gris 2017 was surprisingly fresh and complexed. The Graham Beck Brut to celebrate AWE’s first outing in over 2years thanks to Covid was invitingly refreshing. Lots of laughter and learning. Thank you @kanpaibrewer for hosting us, to Linda Simpson for organising this trip and to all the AWE members who attended. The @okan_london Osaka Streetfood was authentically delicious. #sake #kanpaibrewery #sumisake #sorasake #koshu #yuzushu #yalumba #viognier #wines #chateaumercian #koshuwine #okonomiyaki #gyoza #okra #aubergine #thelarderat36 @okan_london @kanpaibrewer @winfieldwines @wineeducators @brit_sake_assoc @heatherdoughertyuk @chazle76 @christosioannou82 @winklorch @vogliolowelch @kanpailondon
A fab Valentine’s evening Italian style with Gordon and his team. Lovely food, some wine and live operetta music. Love themes including a lovely surprise solo of “Sakura”. Amazing soloists. Caroline you were amazing - Queen’s Night of the Opera and theme from Love Story were beautifully played!!! Thank you Gordon and Chean. #valentines #italianfood #livemusic #lovethemes #operetta #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #deliciousness @barnyardbollinger @gs_wines @rie_hamaguchi
SPRING…. My first Mirabelle blossom of 2022. Snow Drops hiding behind the Damson tree and the first forced Rhubarb for supper tonight. Making a Rhubarb, Rainier Cherry and Almond cobbler - a small one to celebrate Valentines. Life is good. #rainiercherries #rhubarb #supper #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #homecook #deliciousness #cobbler #spring #mirabelle #blossom @nattynibbles @barnyardbollinger @nikkicompsoncooks @helencompson @lecordonbleulondon @thegfw
Lazy Saturday night supper with the Nerdy Geek. Two day Cantonese slow braised short Rib of Beef in a dried scallop and shiitake stock. Over fresh ramen noodles with some BokChoy. The obligatory fresh cut green chillis with good soya sauce. No alcohol tonight. Now ready for a couch potato moment watching movies till we fall asleep. It’s been a very very long week. One friend getting a take out portion. #beef #braised beef #boychoy #cantonese #driedscallop #shiitake #supper #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #homecook #deliciousness
#eseaeats #chinesefood #asianfood
#travel #noodleworship @nattynibbles @ereladana @taipolondon @nikkicompsoncooks @helencompson @barnyardbollinger @brit_sake_assoc @sdua100 @beautimken @lecordonbleulondon @thegfw
The highlight of the evening - Birthday Longevity Truffle Noodles - signature dish of Chef Taipo and they were just delicious. The BSA team. And a chinese new year tradition of a lucky red packet “AngPow” to every guest. #truffle #trufflednoodles #angpow #brit_sake_assoc #sanjugoangel #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #homecook #deliciousness
#eseaeats #chinesefood #asianfood
#noodleworship @sdua100 @sakestudies @jewelisland_ @sanjugo_angel @chef__jimmy @ehochef_hama @susan_gallon @tengusake @henreetee @nattynibbles @taipolondon @ereladana @chef__jimmy @brit_sake_assoc
A fab fab “Yan Yat” - everybody’s birthday celebrations dinner with the British Sake Association. Lots of Laughter, GOOD LUCK and sake!! The food was amazing too. Thank you to the BSA team, Chef Taipo and Sanjugo for making this event so wonderful. Lovely seeing the BSA community enjoying themselves. #sanjugoangel #brit_sake_assoc #chinesenewyear #yanyat #yusheng #scallop #truffle #sake #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #homecook #deliciousness
#eseaeats #chinesefood #asianfood
#noodleworship @taipolondon @brit_sake_assoc @nattynibbles @ereladana @henreetee @tengusake @susan_gallon @ehochef_hama @chef__jimmy @sanjugo_angel @jewelisland_ @sdua100 @sakestudies
Happy happy New Year of the Roaring Tiger. Wishing all friends and family a fab fab year of prosperity, luck, health and happiness. May bouncy Tigger bring you all his happy Love of Life. #chinesenewyear #yearofthetiger #reuniondinner #happynewyear #hotpot #steamboat #thelarderat36#sake @nattynibbles @ereladana @harryymarshall @casparthewestie @barnyardbollinger @nikkicompsoncooks
One of the best interviews I’ve done to date in my day - in - the - life - of - a -sake - writer!!
Driving from beautiful Sonoma down towards SFO to catch my flight home, a stop in Oakland to visit none other than DEN Sake was a must. When Yoshi san grants a visit, you just make it happen. He is a busy man and I caught him as he was making koji and finishing a sake. Totally humbled that he gave me some of his precious time and sake.
Yoshi san’s Kura is compact, meticulously clean and very busy. Love it. Loved his rice steamer most. Love his ethos, the work put into each koji making session, his perfumed Moromi and his energy into making the best sake he can out of the local Calhikari rice, local water and all things Californian.
His sakes are sensational and when you meet him you understand why. Taste his sakes then let’s talk…. Yoshi san ほんとほんとありがとうfor the lovely time we had tasting and listening to you. As Arnie says, “I’ll be back!”… #sake #densakebrewery #nama #namazake #koji #california #oakland #fun #sakebrewery #junmai #thelarderat36 @densakebrewery @thelarderat36drinks @barnyardbollinger @beautimken @truesake @sakeschoolofamerica @sarestein @nomusakebar @tony.m.t.yip @jamiefengo0 @drunkenlobsterbar @wineeducators @circleofwine @brit_sake_assoc @jss_nihonshu @jssinfo @ollie.drinks.sake
Very Early Sunday breakfast in Napa’s Black Bear Diner. The winehand’s omelette with everything including a freshly baked American biscuit. I do love these fluffy light and freshly baked scone like delicious but dangerously hedonisticqlly fattening morsels. Nerdy Geek went for the more traditional eggs Benedict with properly made grated crispy hash brown. Washed down with copious mugs of black coffee. #blackbeardiner #napa #breakfast #hedonistic #biscuit #omelette #eggsbenedict #eggs #coffee #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #homecook #deliciousness #travel @nazlinaspicestation @nattynibbles @barnyardbollinger @nikkicompsoncooks
Iconic Roadside cafe. Used to run as a food truck but so so amazingly good. The Crab burger is to die for. Huge chunks of Dungeness crab meat stuffed in a brioche bun. And the onion rings - what can I say… chunky whole rings of sweet onion in a crunchy crispy batter. The best I have ever eaten. Washed down with a pistachio milk shake. The queues was ridiculously long but people were patient. On a serious diet now. #gottsnack #gottsroadside #gottssthelena #crab #dungenesscrab #onionrings #pistachio #sthelena #napa #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #deliciousness #travel @nattynibbles @nikkicompsoncooks @barnyardbollinger
Dinner in The Hazel Hill restaurant at the Montage. Sonoma’s newest Uber resort hotel with hills, electric carts and amazing surroundings and the service to match. The Auberge du Soleil of Sonoma. Eclectic food with a fabulous international wine list. Hamachi, smoked sturgeon and caviar, Wagyu tenderloin, stripe bass and local cheeses. Semi Freddo washed down with my chosen bottles, both local very small producers but fantastically made wine. The Chardonnay had beautiful balance of citrus lemons and tropical apricots with just enough oak to give the creamy buttery hints of a Burgundian style white. Worth a visit if you can get in. The Pinot noir was just divine. Again a small producer of three friends from childhood living the Sonoma life. Red cherries, red currants and beautifully soft tannins with a long gorgeous finish. #dinner #sonoma #themontage #wagyu #caviar #hamachi #stripebass #cheeses #sen3s #charlesheintzvineyard #senseswines #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #deliciousness @nattynibbles @ereladana @beautimken @ueno_toshio
Dinner at Morimoto with Executive Chef Ichiro at the Sushi bar. Moriawase sushi including otoro, kinmedai, hirami, kanpachi, kohada, uni and the most amazing minced tuna paste with caviar and a assortment of sauces and dips. The most delicious Wagyu carpaccio and hamachi tacos. Sable fish to share followed by Japanese cheesecake. Heaven. Washed down with Junmai Daiginjo from Ishikawa, kome Shochu and a fab Japanese made Russian River Sauvignon Blanc. #sushi #sake #shochu #wine #wagyu #tacos #sablefish #uni #cheesecake #morimotonapa #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #deliciousness @nattynibbles @brit_sake_assoc @sakeschoolofamerica @wineeducators @beautimken @gohan.london @nikkicompsoncooks
Ok caved in. After over a year - Took my first bite into a burger. Actually my first bite into a bun/bread/wheat roll in over a year. How can you resist an “In-N-Out” when you’re in California??? Was it worth it ? OMG that Double-Double animal style with peppers was amazing. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣💦💦 #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #homecook #deliciousness @nattynibbles @barnyardbollinger @ereladana @al89188 @beautimken @liesylew
The study of Oysters. Just for fun tasting . Matched with a lovely 2020 Albariño from Monterey County. One of each from:
Damariscotta Flat – Damariscotta River, ME, Drakes Bay – San Quintin, Baja
East Beach Blonde – Ninigret Pond, RI Kumamoto – Humboldt Bay, CA
Kusshi – Deep Bay, BC
Olympia – Tomales Bay, CA
And my favourite is the Damariscotta from Maine
#oysters #wine #damariscotta #albariño #waterbar #yummy #delicious #sanfrancisco @nattynibbles @barnyardbollinger @dolswongeats
My best day in SFO… meeting up with the Sake Samurai, Beau Timken in his sake “Aladdin’s Cave”. There were so many amazing sakes. Lock me in there and throw the key away - better still lock me in there with Beau!! So much to catch up on over a fabulous lunch at his favourite Absinthe Brasserie. The Salad Lyonnaise was perfect as with the shoe string fries. No wonder he’s there all the time. So much fun. Return match in London. Warning - I won’t be able to match the sakes, Beau! Thank you for the tour, lunch and the Minato Yamahai Nama Genshu which I haven’t had for years. #sake #truesake #sanfrancisco #absinthebrasserie #akita @truesake @brit_sake_assoc @jssinfo @jss_nihonshu
The Mexican Tamale. Another world ethnic dumpling. The tamale is probably Mexico’s oldest form of dumpling thought to have first originated as early as 8000 BC. A portable food eaten on hunting and travelling trips by the Mayans and Aztecs. Eaten at festivals and celebrations too. Today probably more tasty and better made, the tamale crept into USA probably as early as 1894 where they were the most popular ethnic food in LosAngeles. Made with masa (nixtamalised corn or hominy) where corn kernels are cooked in an alkaline solution to kill off bugs, to release vitamins and minerals and to gelatinise the starch. The cooked kernels are then ground, ready to reuse in doughs or as corn meal.
My fascination with food anthropology - other parts of the world there are similar style wrapped dumplings found in South America, and as far as Philippines and the likes of the Harm Yuk Chung/ Zhung /Zongzi of China, Onigiri and Chimake of Japan, many Malaysian Kuih, Thai desserts, just to name a few.#dumplings #tamales #corn #hominy #masa #mexican #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #homecook #deliciousness @nattynibbles @barnyardbollinger @nikkicompsoncooks @aliciastamales
Sumo Citrus, they are called. My first time eating these. Ugly they maybe but never judge the looks as they say. Very juicy and sweet. A definite one to try if you can find them. @wasabigrowersuk will you have these plants soon????? #sumocitrus #sweet #juicy #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #travel #deliciousness @nattynibbles @barnyardbollinger https://sumocitrus.com/alittleweird?gclid=CjwKCAiArOqOBhBmEiwAsgeLmT-jnsLEm38FEwSTmSt0PEiSc7FvU6wS6g4QtlTEtvyyA0Us0L2mXxoCaoEQAvD_BwE
Birthday boy. Another year another birthday. Birthday noodles. This year a little different to keep in line with Covid. Locally sourced - nothing decadent. Just delicious and lovingly made. Nyonya style with the obligatory sambal belacan which we enjoyed. Opened a bottle of The first barrel Chardonnay made by Schalk back in 2012. I made him personally sign all the bottles I bought!! Deliciously golden and still very fresh and fruity. Mutsu Hassen never goes wrong. #birthdaynoodles #lammee #nyonya #sambalbelachan #holdenmanz #mutsuhassen #birthday #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #homecook #deliciousness
#eseaeats #chinesefood #asianfood
#noodleworship @nattynibbles @ereladana @al89188 @barnyardbollinger @helencompson @meiteck_dw @casparthewestie
Simple supper of 4 hour slow confit of tuna steak in a whole bottle of Best olive oil. Served on a crispy baked potato drizzled with confit oil and a sprinkling of Iranian saffron and freshly ground black pepper. Of course it’s good. So so good. Dry January. No sake tonight!!! #confit #tunaconfit #saffron #bakedpotato #supper #dryjanuary #thelarderat36 #foodphotography #thegfw2021 #igfood #yummy #tasty #foodblog #foodporn #instafood #thefoodwriter #foodphotography #foodblogger #foodporn #foodie #foodgasm #homecook #deliciousness @nattynibbles @ereladana @barnyardbollinger