The Handmade Burger Co. at Leicester

There are lots and lots (too many if anything) of burgers and burger chains. How does one choose?The Handmade Burger Co. has just five branches in the UK: Birmingham, Leicester, Sheffield, Solihull and Aberdeen. The reason I'm telling you where they are is because if you happen to be in any of these places, you must go.

Potatoes and Tomatoes

I have discovered that adding any kind of vinegar, a bit of oil, salt and pepper and sometimes a herb or two with a load of tomatoes, then roasted is one of the most delicious ways I have ever eaten the humble tomato.

Nigel Slater - Tender Volume 1

I bought Tender a few weeks ago thinking it looks like a nice big fat book full of interesting recipes. I was so wrong, it is so much more than that. It's one of the best cookery books I own.

If there is a vegetable he has not included in some form or other, I can't spot it. I have always thought I don't like certain vegetables, I was so wrong about this too. I now have a new love affair with vegetables and there isn't a single one I would overlook. Everything is made to seem so easy - it turns out it is.

Levi Roots Jamaican Pot Roast

I certainly saw Levi Roots putting music into his food! At the show, we were treated to several performances including the Reggae Reggae song!

He cooked mackeral with green bananas and ended up putting three scotch bonnet peppers in - at least 100,000 on the Scoville Heat Scale each. I don't think I'll be putting that many in. It filled the room with the smell of the Caribbean - Allspice, peppers, garlic.

Brasserie Gerard at Newbury

I went for a light lunch here and was a little disappointed at the small amount available if you don't want a boeuf bourguignon. My choices were limited also because of the price. I ended up with coarse pork pate. It was nice, nothing extraordinary apart from the waitress asking if I would like bread with it...how else to get from plate to mouth I thought?