Category Archives: Food and Drink

Noel Riley Fitch’s Appetite For Life, The Biography of Julia Child

For many of us, the name Julia Child brings to mind memories of television broadcasts featuring a somewhat fluttery older lady as she prepared some sumptuous dish. For some, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, her 1961 book with Simone Beck … Continue reading

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Remembrance of Things Chocolate

The best hot chocolate I ever had was not in Paris, though some Parisians I know would be very upset to hear that. And honestly, there’s a lot to be said for sitting at a cafe on the Bastille, sipping … Continue reading

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Carolyn Wyman’s Spam: A Biography

Yes, spam. The stuff that Monty Python made such memorable fun of a skit oh so long ago. Now you won’t find any spam here at this Estate as we’ve got more natural meat here than you can shake your … Continue reading

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William Sitwell’s A History of Food in 100 Recipes 

Some books are so obvious that I wonder why it hasn’t been done before. Indeed I suspect it is, but this take on it is certainly a very good one. Iain ordered it for the Estate Library and passed it … Continue reading

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Betina J. Wittels and Robert Hermesch’s Absinthe: Sip of Seduction, a Contemporary Guide

This book promises a great deal, and delivers most of it. It’s designed beautifully from beginning to end — the cover is colored the perfect shade of pale green to match the absinthe in the glass in the photograph under … Continue reading

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Dagoba Chocolates: Dagoba Hazelnut, Dagoba Dark Chocolate and Dagoba Xocolatl

You could think of Ashland, Oregon as the home of Southern Oregon University, of the beloved Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and of the Ashland Peach, which was deemed a huge success at the 1893 World’s Fair. Or you might think of … Continue reading

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Lillie Belle Farms’ Purple Haze 75% Bean To Bar Dark Chocolate

Never open a review with a cliche, right? Well, rules are made to be broken, so … I know they say you can’t judge a book by its cover. Turns out you also can’t judge a chocolate by its wrapper. … Continue reading

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Jeff Koehler and Fajer Al- Kaisi’s Darjeeling: The Colorful History and Precarious Fate of the World’s Greatest Tea

Tea is my favourite beverage since I was resident in southern Asia some decades ago as it was much easier there to find good tea than it was to find even one cup of coffee that was anything but horrible … Continue reading

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Jennifer L.S. Pearsal’s Big Book of Bacon

Yes bacon. We use a lot of bacon at this Scottish Estate. Bacon in cheddar and bacon rolls, bacon and tomatoes in eggs, bacon in beef stew for a little extra flavour. Even one enterprising Kitchen staffer even created ice … Continue reading

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Trader’s Joe’s Super Dark Chocolate, Super Dark Chocolate with Almonds and Dark Chocolate Truffle

Trader Joe’s may very well be the most socially conscious grocery store in the country. The Web site promises that everything packaged under the “Trader Joe’s” label offers no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, no genetically modified ingredients, no MSG, … Continue reading

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