Italy

La dolce barbecue

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We tend to associate carnivorous barbecuing with Argentina (asado), South Africa (braai), Australia (barbie), the US, etc, but in parts of Italy meat is master and cooking it over charcoal or wood is a serious tradition. Think of Tuscany’s famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Continue reading →

Campari | Chroma

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Image credit: Chroma magazine.

I recently had a short story—Campari—published in Chroma magazine’s Red Issue. Chroma is a print/online arts magazine.

Note added August 2024: Chroma magazine ceased publication and I’ve now posted the story on my Substack here. The links have been removed above.

In which I went on a wine tour

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Our table at Avignonesi in Montepulciano.
Our table at Avignonesi in Montepulciano. Click to read the piece on Alderman Lushington.

Today in Bristol it’s raining heavily, it’s cool but not cold enough to be satisfying, the leaves are rotting on the pavement, and I’m thinking about drinking good wine with old friends on a hot summer’s day.

Click here to read the not-very-serious spread I published in Alderman Lushington on going on a wine tour in Tuscany.

The sweetness of life and the bitter herbs of death: Campari

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Campari-sunrise
Campari sunrise. Liking often comes with an epiphany.

I first tried Campari with soda. We were sitting outside a restaurant, looking at the menu and thinking about lunch. For a moment the taste was fresh, clean, easily enjoyable; then came the choking bitterness. I drank again, just to make sure. Yes, it really was partially decocted from the bitter herbs of death. So I took the remainder down in one, like medicine. I never thought I’d return to it. Continue reading →