Day Tripping From London
I love London and all it has to offer, during my first few months in the city I downloaded self- guided walking tours of London neighbourhoods and discovered the nooks and crannies of this incredible city on two feet. I am quite confident in saying I have seen parts of London that many Londoners haven’t!
However, I must say there is something rejuvenating about getting out of the city. Whether is it exploring the outstanding beauty of the coastline, the quaint villages of the English countryside or the charming historical cities I am enchanted by it all! And with food always the draw for me, venturing out of the city suddenly puts me that much closer to, dare I say, the poetry of food.
Four Seasons, Hampshire
Butter 74km. Watercress 11km. Wild venison 75km. Beef and Lamb 15km - the journey your food has traveled before reaching your table at the Farmers Market Sunday Lunch at the Four Seasons Hampshire. A jaw dropping oh-my-God, food experience that will have you questioning where to begin and when to end. Bring your appetite as you are going to want to spoil yourself with all the fantastic offerings – but honestly I was had at the butter alone!
The Company Shed, Mersea
The beauty of The Company Shed is this: it is all about the food – not the décor or service - just the fish and seafood. Bring your own bread and butter (and tipple!) and sit down at the vintage oil cloth tables before ordering from the counter. Not your fancy Sunday lunch establishment but a destination for simple seafood indulgence – without the London price tag. Satisfy your cravings of lobster, crab, oysters…you will be hooked on just one visit!
Bills Produce, Brighton
Go to Brighton, go to Bills. Part restaurant, part grocery store this funky space will lure you by the ingredients on the shelves (read: buy the Bills own brand red pepper jelly!) let alone the comfort food when you finally sit down. With an almost New York deli feel, the all day menu screams comfort food. It’s hip, it’s happening and will warm the soul after a seaside stroll.
Andrea Stewart
It’s not surprising that three of Andrea Stewart’s favourite foods are bread, butter and champagne, since her approach to all things culinary has always been pure and simple. This experienced, creative and enterprising chef and editor approaches cooking and eating with a solid appreciation for fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Andrea’s journey with food began while living in France, working as an au pair for Grace Jones. While feeding the young offspring of the famous singer, she was tempted on a daily basis by the busy, colourful French food markets. Later on, she spent a summer at Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise Ritz-Escoffier and fell in love all over again with everything France had to offer. Upon returning to Canada, she was accepted at the acclaimed Stratford Chefs School and after completing her first year she headed to New York to further sharpen her skills, working alongside some of the finest (including Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto) and catering Martha Stewart’s executive meetings. Andrea returned to Toronto in 1996, and further immersed herself in her career, working at some of the city’s top food fixtures, including Mildred Pierce and Ace Bakery. She eventually took a side-step out of the kitchen and into the halls of magazine publishing, landing a position as Food Editor of Wish Magazine in 2004. While inspiring busy Canadian wonder-women to cook from scratch, she published her first cookbook, Wish, Market to Table. From street food to fine dining to unfamiliar grocery stores, food still motivates Andrea at every turn. She recently sold everything but a prized collection of cookbooks and moved to the U.K., where her culinary library spans the two floors of her London flat. She won’t rest until she has cooked from every one of them!