What on earth is going on with our flimsy half baked politians in power , they cannot pass any law or statute which might offend someone somewhere at sometime which means they just flannel on without ever resolving anything .
They are making it illegal to smoke in the pub but only if it serves food . Eh ? Smoking is bad for your health only when there’s food about ? Am I missing something here or is it just another spineless pointless bit of half assed appeasement . Italy may have some colourful shady and rock n roll type political characters but at least they have the balls to pass laws (like last years no smoking in bars , restaurants etc) and enforce them even though there are still a hell of a lot of smokers in the country . I got back to my hotel in Genoa at 2 in the morning to find the owner croucing behind the setee having a crafty cig ! Flipping heck what are they threatening smokers with ?
We know that food manufactured in a factory instead of grown or raised slowly as nature intended is making our children hyper , obese , forgetful and scatty . They will die before their time but they may be around a lot longer as dead bodies are not decomposing like they used to on account of all the preservatives in the stuff we’re eating – Now that is an intriguing thought .
We have a budget for education and we should include feeding our kids properly in it as another tool for turning out well adjusted young people into society . Is learning about the importance of food and the joy of gastronomy more important than ,say learning a classic yet quasi defunct language like Latin . You decide – I know I did a long time ago . To say there is a pitifully small budget that CANNOT adequately feed a flippin’ dog , never mind a child is another nonsense . Come on you polititians , pull your finger out ,you know it makes sense .
I saw a lovely bit of graffiti in a restaurant called la Lumaca (the Snail) in Pescara this July.
Anyone who wasn’t left wing in their twenties and right wing in their fifties has learned nothing in life. Typical Italian thinking!

Last week I visited London and the Fine Food Exhibition in Olympia which is a good place to revisit suppliers and hook up with small growers , producers and merchants from other countries (Italy in my case ) who are looking for outlets and distributors . It was a fruitful (no pun intended! ) trip and hopefully we can do business with some exciting new Italian merchants .

At the fair I met my old friend Simon Shaw with his business partner Chris Williams who is moving back ‘Oop North’ after many years in the Smoke. Simon was the Head Chef at Harvey Nicks in Leeds until he moved on to run the kitchens at their flagship store in London, and then was Head Chef at the highly rated ‘Prism’ in the City . Well the good news is he is opening a Spanish restaurant and Tapas Bar in Ripponden to feed his obsession with Nueva Onda Spanish food (think Foodie destinations like San Sebastian , Barca and Bilbao ) , the bad news is it’s not opening until November . Chris worked with Simon as Restaurant Manager at Harvey Nicks London and will be providing a professional but easy going ambience in the dining room . Roll on November , I can’t wait! Oh it’s called El Gatto Negro ….. Miaow !
Simon recommended a great Spanish tapas bar on Goodge St called Salts Yard , Top quality food and wine at a very reasonable price . I really recommend it . I’ve eaten at some excellent restaurants in our great Metropolis but , flippin’ heck ,there aint half some pretentious over hyped over priced crap in the Capital that just don’t hit the spot whatsoever . Is it just me?

A highlight of my trip was a visit to the warehouse(is there such a thing as a boutique warehouse of the Sardinian Specialist , Gastronome and all round good guy Stefano Vallebona . We spent a pleasant hour or four tasting his pasta , cheeses , salami ,hams , wine and assorted delicacies from the network of small suppliers , farmers and growers , mostly from Sardinia , Sicily and the southern tip of Italy . Some unusual products included prosciuttos of sheep and goat ( how many Italan Food lovers do I know who can’t eat traditional prosciutto because of their religious or dietary requirements ) and some wonderful Smoked Swordfish which you will see soon on Salvos menu!
gip

Many chinese restaurants in Leeds are glorified chop suey parlours stir frying tinned ingredients with scrappy meat and liberal doses of msg - it's pretty incredible that a lot of menus are identical not only to each other but to the menus of the early 70's when Oriental work migrants set up mom'n'pop type takeaways and restaurants serving cheap and cheerful dishes to the hungry masses . We Brits took this food to our hearts and bellies , not to mention our clothes ; oh the joy of leaning forward at the bus stop outside the pub so the river of grease seeping out of the giant spring roll (filled with tinned beansprouts and nowt much else didn't scar your Ben Sherman and Burtons crombie for life , oh the excitement of trying to use chopsticks on your special flied lice and Sweet n Sour Pork. Back to the present and one or two establishments actually serve professionally prepared meals of a more authentic bent . The Lucky Dragon in Leeds serve some excellent dim sum including scallop sui mai , saday whelks and sweet tasting shrimp har gow .
Get there early enough on a Sunday to experience the roast suckling pig with fabulous wafer thin crackling , another recomended dish is the aubergine and green chilli hot pot with pork while the ho fun topped with belly pork , soy chicken and guy lan - a kind of sprouting broccoli - is the perfect hangover food when teamed with an ice cold tsing tao beer . Not all these dishes are on the (still a bit old fashioned) menu but the staff are happy to make suggestions which is how I got to try these dishes in the first place .
The Lucky Dragon is very much a Hong Kong style restaurant - big , bright , brash and full of chinese people! The prices are very reasonable , the service is friendly and knowledgable and you dont have to go down the chop suey / sweet and sour road to get your Chinese fix..
Another great Chinese restaurant for Dim Sum in Leeds is of course Maxis . They must have recently appointed a new Dim Sum chef as the standard of their Dim Sum is even better than previous years - I don't think there is better in Leeds for sure .

gip dammone