Category Archives: Excellence

Lost in the dessert…..

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Food,Photography & France

I’m one of the easiest people in the world to talk to which means that it’s a rare waking moment when I and I are not chewing the fat which term is far from apposite as I and I is … Continue reading →

Posted in 2019, baking, Bistro, Cooking, Creme Caramel, desserts, Digital photography, Eggs, Excellence, Food and Photography, Food photographer, Humour, Instagram, Recipes, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

et dieu crea la reine claude…

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Food,Photography & France

As I ate my five hundredth greengage of the day I began to ponder on aw and awe and concluded  how awful, meaningless and fucking annoying is the current use of awesome as a superlative particularly if Oh My God … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Autumn, Baking, Cooking, creme fraiche, Excellence, food, Food and Photography, Food photographer, France, Fruit, Garden, greengages, Humour, Photography, photography course, Religion, tart, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

juggling on radio…..

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Food,Photography & France

A blindfolded man is given a glass of dark beer to taste. He tastes the beer, licks his lips and nods in approval at which point the blindfold is removed causing the subject of the tasting to smile and say … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, aubergine, aubergine, Cheese, Cookery Writers, Cooking, Cream, Cuisine bourgeoise, Digital photography, Eggs, Excellence, food, Food and Photography, Food photographer, France, goat cheese, Mediterranean food, Photography, Photography holiday, Rachel Roddy, Recipes, Richard Olney, Ricotta, ricotta gratin, tomato, tomatoes, Uncategorized, Vegetables, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

several hours before the mast ……

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Food,Photography & France

As an archivist I would make an excellent document shredder. I have been a professional photographer for 50 years yet, from the paucity of hard evidence confirming that boast, it would be easier to believe that there is intelligent life … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Art photography, Drinks, Excellence, Excess, fashion, Humour, lifestyle, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

smoke and sorcery….

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Food,Photography & France

This morning I awoke to the scent of wood smoke; a scent so filled with memories that I wished it could somehow be preserved. On inspection it was clear that some red hot ashes, all that remained of last night’s log fire, had metamorphosed … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, apples, Calvados, cherries, Cherries in Kirsch, desserts, Digital photography, Drinks, Excellence, food, Food and Photography, Food photographer, France, Fruit, Herbs and Spices, Memory, Mirabelles, Pears, Photography, photography course, Photography holiday, Plums, Poire William, Poire William, Recipes, Uncategorized, vanilla, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

giving up giving up……

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Food,Photography & France

There are so many things that I should have given up for Lent. I should have given up turning on the radio, reading newspapers, believing politicians, thinking that the daft cunts were politicians in the first place, having faith in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, apples, Baking, desserts, Digital photography, Eggs, Excellence, food, Food and Photography, Food photographer, France, Patricia Wells, Photography, photography course, Photography holiday, Recipes, tart, Tarte aux Pommes a la Creme, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

cooking with my hat on…..

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Food,Photography & France

When the stars make you drool just like pasta fazool, that’s amore: no it’s not. What it is is pasta e fagioli but even though Dean Martin was Italian, Italians in America become American after quite a short time which entails … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Alistair Little, beans, Cookery Writers, Cooking, Digital photography, Excellence, food, Food and Photography, Food photographer, Herbs and Spices, Humour, Italian food, Olive oil, Parmesan, pasta, pasta e fagioli, Photography, photography course, Photography holiday, Recipes, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

lunch…alone…

Posted on February 10, 2017 by Food,Photography & France

“…lost to almost everything but a vague sense of jam and idleness”*  Although, pace Maggie Tulliver, in my case “jam” was supplanted by “lunch”. This perfectly conceived emotion had caught my imagination as I was reading last night and had come flooding back … Continue reading →

Posted in 2017, Cuisine bourgeoise, Digital photography, Drinks, Eggs, Excellence, food, Food and Photography, Food photographer, France, Humour, oeufs meurette, Photography, photography course, Photography holiday, poached eggs, Uncategorized, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 35 Comments

If Heineken made a year….it wouldn’t be this one

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Food,Photography & France

  The cold but radiantly sunny morning found me filled with a sense of purpose as I motored along peaceful winding lanes towards an isolated house in the countryside on a mission of mercy. Once inside that house, through some simple manipulations, I … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, Digital photography, Dogs, Eggs, Excellence, Expectation, France, French countryside, harmony, Humour, lifestyle, New Year, Poultry, Uncategorized, Vendee, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Hobson’s egg….

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Food,Photography & France

Given the choice,  we humans will invariably choose to have a choice. The more extensive the list of choices may be, the more highly we regard that which is on offer. Not withstanding, that in this time of ours,  knowledge has … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016, Bad Habits, Bad luck, Digital photography, Dreams, Emotion, Excellence, Expectation, Food and Photography, Food photographer, France, Good luck, Google, Humour, Illusion, Luck, Reality, Uncategorized, Wine, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments