Articles

While St Valentine's Day will be very different this year, there are plenty of ways to make sure it's a memorable occasion - and an excellent start would be to order one of the many excellent celebration menus available for collection or delivery. Here's just a few of the best, selected by Jillian Bolger for you to choose from...
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Never afraid to speak her mind, our intrepid columnist JILLIAN BOLGER says bluntly that if we want to get to the bottom of the obesity problem there's no point in blaming restaurants. The problem - and its solution - lies a lot closer to home. And this month’s column is aimed squarely at parents.
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Remember the last time you went online to google a restaurant? Do you recall what information you were looking for? Maybe you wanted to learn more about somewhere new or to check the address, opening hours or make a booking. Perhaps you wanted to browse the menus to decide if the food would appeal to everyone, or whether it was within budget.
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JILLIAN BOLGER wonders why we so rarely see the work of highly skilled pastry chefs credited by including their names on menus
Over many years as a food writer I’ve always been struck at how many of us rank our dessert as the highlight of a meal. It’s not always those of us with the sweetest teeth either. That sensational citron tart, that amazing crème brûlée, that luscious chocolate fondant: they’re often the thing we remember most about dining out.
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The first time I ever tasted a Hendrick’s gin and tonic was in Chapter One. Former manager, Declan Maxwell, introduced me to the cucumber-enhanced aperitif one evening several years ago, and with that it became my aperitif of choice for visits here.
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BAD SERVICE - Food & Travel Writer JILLIAN BOLGER has got the bit between her teeth on this one, and she’s not letting go. And she’s dead right.
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Disappointed with the service at a famous Irish restaurant, JILLIAN BOLGER says proprietors need to realise that investing in front-of-house training is investing in a satisfied customer.
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All the fuss about The Great British Bake Off leaving the BBC has got Food & Travel Writer JILLIAN BOLGER thinking about CAKE SALES - and she is on a (slightly tongue in cheek) mission to raise standards at school halls around the country.
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On the BBC’s Room 101, host Frank Skinner invites three guests each week to nominate their pet hates, things they’d most like to see banished to Room 101 forever. The chosen items usually range from the mundane to the obscure, but are all things that drive their nominator crazy.
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Some days you have to wonder about the qualifications of restaurant designers? There are times I think some of them can't have dined out in public at all. And if they have, are they actually paying attention to their surroundings?
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