Food and Drink

  The Walled Garden, Cowdray On Sunday 11th June the Taylor clan set off for an afternoon tea at the Walled Garden, Cowdray. We arrived slightly earlier so that we could have a wander around the gardens. The gardens are in full bloom at the moment, with an array of …

Heralded as one of the first of its kind in the UK, the Hannah Peschar Sculpture Garden continues to exhibit contemporary sculptures in a truly magical environment. The story started thirty five years ago, when landscape designer Anthony and his wife Hannah bought some land in Surrey. Having grown up …

https://www.britanniaguildford.co.uk/ The Britannia, Guildford.  There is nothing more comforting than walking into a cosy traditional pub in the winter. Stepping out from the cold into a warm, dimly lit pub, with the smell of mulled wine in the air and the sound of general chatter filling the air. On Friday …

  At a recent editorial meeting, it was our Lauren who came up with the idea of tasting various smoked salmon in the December issue and give our verdict to readers. As you can imagine, we all warmly embraced the idea. I researched the contact details for all the major …

As cliché as it sounds, a lot of little girls do dream of their big day. Dressing up in that white dress, walking down the aisle with all of their friends and family watching, twirling and dancing into the moonlight to live happily ever after. Yes, a lot of little …

Aromatic beef with orange and apricots Ingredients: 450g/1lb lean braising or topside steak, cubed, 5ml/1tsp fennel seeds, 5ml/1tsp ground coriander, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped, 2 small onions, peeled and sliced, 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped, 50g/2oz dried apricots, chopped, 50ml/2floz orange juice, …

Last Friday 12th October, I was invited along to the Georgian Hotel’s first Spanish Tapas and Wine evening, and a fun evening was had by all. On arrival, we had an opportunity to try four Spanish wines brought along by the local wine merchant, the Haslemere Cellar whilst listening to …

  Apple Tarte Tatin Serves 2-3 Ingredients: 3 – 4 Pink Lady apples, 100g unsalted butter, 100g caster sugar, ¼ vanilla pod, a pinch of ground cinnamon, 2 sheets puff pastry, egg wash to brush. Method: 1. Place soft butter in smaller sauce pot and spread evenly on bottom. 2. …

There will not be many foodies out there who will not have heard of The Ivy restaurant. It has been a staple on the capital’s dining scene, much-loved by actors, celebrities and those from the arts. First opened in 1917, it has occupied its landmark building in London’s West End …

Phil Kemp meets artisan cheesemakers Pam and Francis Gimblett Operating from a well-equipped micro-dairy in the Surrey Hills near Haslemere, Pam and Francis Gimblett produce a fragrant soft washed-rind cheese they endearingly call Floyd, to their own unique recipe developed through sheer hard work and undoubtedly mixed with an intuitive …

On Friday 1st June a couple of the VantagePoint team went for lunch at the Giggling Squid in Guildford.  It was a sunny afternoon, so we decided to sit at a table outside by the cobbles of Chapel Street, which was reminiscent of eating outside a restaurant on holiday in …

Are you a local wine lover? Then the Albury Wine Club is for you!  Albury Vineyard is located in the beautiful Surrey Hills just outside Guildford and produces award-winning English wines from its 12 acres of organic grapes. Membership of the wine club for 2018/2019 starts on 1st May and …

British Asparagus & Cheese Brunch Muffins Ingredients: 12 spears of British asparagus, 400g self raising flour, 200g Cheshire cheese, cut into small cubes, 125g butter, 1 small bunch chives, snipped into pieces, 150ml milk, 100ml plain yogurt, 1tsp English mustard, 2 eggs, salt & freshly ground black pepper. Makes 12 …

Phil Kemp visits the award-winning vineyard on the Hog’s Back The chalky south-facing slopes of the North Downs provides a perfect setting to reward a small group of pioneering vineyard owners for their forward-thinking adventure, this being to establish English wine as not only a popular choice for wine-lovers but …

Watercress Soup Ingredients: 1.5 onions; diced; 3 cloves garlic; peeled and crushed; 3 medium potatoes; peeled and sliced; 300g watercress; 1 vegetable stock cube; 125ml double cream; 75g unsalted butter; salt and pepper; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 litres boiling water. Serves 5. Method: 1. Heat the olive oil in …