The Gallery at Fortnum and Mason

The Gallery at London's iconic Fortnum and Mason department store is a wonderful place for lunch, and I was lucky enough to find myself there with my two favourite people on Sunday. Just up the stairs from Fortnum's amazing food hall, The Gallery focuses on seasonal ingredients for menus that highlight foods available in the Fresh Food Hall.  


Their menu has lots of variety and caters for just about every taste, and they also offer a spectacular afternoon tea. We chose from their lunch menu and were very impressed by the dishes that were on offer. 


My husband and I both ordered fish. I had one of their daily specials - loin of cod on a bed of cannellini beans - and my husband had a wonderful fillet of John Dory served on a bed of shaved yellow and green zucchini in a light lemon sauce. 

Loin of Cod on Cannellini Beans

John Dory

Our son chose the rib eye steak which was served with a herb butter and chips.

Sadly he was not given a steak knife, and unfortunately he did need one. The flavour of the meat was nice but the steak itself was on the tough side. The chips, on the other hand, were wonderful.


We also ordered a side salad and some sauteed spinach, both of which were lovely. There is a superb wine list and wines are available both by the bottle and the carafe which I always think is a nice touch as sometimes a bottle is just too much at lunchtime. We shared a beautiful Sancerre.


It did take us rather a long time to order our desserts after our main course plates were cleared away. I am sure there is no way we can have offended our waiter as we were very enthusiastic about the food and incredibly polite, but he became utterly distracted and at one point stood and stared off into space ignoring all his tables while other waiting staff flew around him. When we finally managed to discreetly attract his attention after about twenty minutes we were able to order some lovely desserts and very refreshing coffee.


I chose a Tarte Tatin - which was listed as apricot, but as they did not have enough in season apricots I was served the traditional apple variety. (The waiter did tell me this as I ordered.)

It was outstanding - perfectly caramelised and not too sweet. My husband chose the raspberry Eton mess. 

A glorious retro fuschia, it tasted lovely (he shared) with a perfect balance of tart fruit and sweet cream. I was also allowed to taste this beauty ordered by our son.

A brandy snap with cooked cherries served a la mode, this was one of those 'why didn't I think of that' desserts - simple but spectacular. The cherries were neither too sharp nor too sweet - in fact they were the perfect flavour and texture. Even my husband, who is not a fan of cherries, really loved it.


We had a wonderful lunch at The Gallery. I would not recommend their steak, but everything else was absolutely scrumptious. All the dishes were beautifully presented too. The service was rather hit and miss, but I'm hoping that it was just a one off, and I will definitely be returning to find out!

An Old Favourite with A New Twist - Piccolino Restaurant and Bar

There are some restaurants that you come back to time and again, firm favourites that you rely on when entertaining or when you fancy treating yourself to something you just know is going to be good. For us, one of those places is Piccolino, just off London’s Regent Street in Heddon Street’s restaurant quarter. My family and I go there often, and we always receive a warm welcome. Recently my husband and I went there on a Friday night and were delighted to see that Piccolino had updated their menu, adding some great new additions to their traditional favourites. We enjoyed it so much that we returned on the Sunday night with our son!

I’m a huge fan of their new Pear, Pecorino and Parma Ham Salad served on a bed of rocket and garnished with pine nuts.  It can be served as a starter or as a larger main course, and the flavours are just wonderful. If I were to visit for lunch, this is definitely what I would order.

We also love their Fritto misto, fried seafood and asparagus with a positively addictive garlic mayonnaise dip that can also be served as a starter or a main course. 

 Unlike some other restaurants, Piccolino know the importance of keeping their old specialties – like their amazing Pasta Carbonara and Trofiette – as well as introducing new dishes. You can see why we love their Trofiette, a pasta dish in a light cream sauce served with chicken and spring vegetables.

The chef at their Heddon Street branch is also wonderful at cooking and presenting fish and one of the specials when we visited last weekend was Cod on a bed of pea risotto with a light tomato dressing. Beautifully cooked and presented, there was not a single bone in the delicately flavoured cod, and the risotto was perfectly al dente.

Piccolino also have a really tempting dessert menu which includes a baked limoncello cheesecake garnished with candied lemons, panacotta with strawberries and basil and many decadently delicious chocolate desserts including a chocolate fudge pudding with vanilla ice cream that is utterly heavenly. They also offer seasonal specials, and on the Friday my husband and I succumbed to their beautiful strawberries and ice cream – their pistachio ice cream is probably the best I have ever tasted. We were good though, and shared - it was the perfect finish to a lovely meal.

Although there are several other locations in the United Kingdom, we have only ever visited the Heddon Street branch of Piccolino, and over the last three years it has become a family favourite. If you find yourself near Piccadilly Circus, do walk up Regent Street towards Oxford Circus and seek out the Heddon Street restaurant quarter on the left hand side.Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or just want to share a great family meal, Piccolino is well worth a visit.

Stephanie's on Newbury

Since 1994, Stephanie's has been an institution on Boston's fashionable Newbury Street. The menu focuses on sophisticated comfort food and the delicious dishes are all beautifully presented. As you would expect of a New England restaurant there is a great selection of seafood, but there are also plenty of other choices for those who prefer their dishes more from the land.

During our recent visit to Boston we found ourselves at Stephanie's on two occasions. On the first I enjoyed a beautiful dish composed of pan roasted native cod over corn chowder and herb roasted potatoes, topped with buttermilk onion strings. It tasted just as good as it looks.

Stephanie's are particularly good with fried onions, and their tower of breaded onion rings is very hard indeed to resist (even if you have had buttermilk onion strings on your main dish!). Their hamburgers are second to none, and their (justifiably) famous meatloaf is not to be missed. If you like macaroni and cheese, their baked three cheese macaroni is incredible, and you can even add proscuitto and truffle oil for a truly decadent experience. I also love their seared Atlantic swordfish, which is always fresh and served with a beautiful lemony beurre blanc.

Stephanie's also make some incredible deserts, and the bread they serve before the meal is home baked. Imagine my delight when the bread basket our server brought to the table last night which contained some exquisite soda bread arrived accompanied by a small card with the recipe attached! It really is delicious. I will probably halve the recipe when I make it at home, but I doubt that will affect the flavour in any way.

Wonderful Irish Soda Bread from Stephanie's on Newbury

8 cups flour
½ pound butter
1⅓ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups buttermilk
1¾ cups currants (I plan to use raisins)

Preheat your oven to 375℉ or 180 to 190℃ (170℃ for fan ovens).

Place flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar into a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal or bread crumbs.

In a separate bowl, add the eggs to the buttermilk and whisk together thoroughly. Add to the flour mixture all at once, mixing until all the liquid is absorbed. (Do not over-mix; the dough should not be smooth.)

Shape dough into 2 oval loaves scoring an 'x' into the top of each, or for mini soda breads (or scones) drop by tablespoons on to baking sheets.

Bake loaves for an hour, mini soda breads or scones for about 15 to 20 minutes.

If you do find yourself in Boston, Stephanie's a wonderful place to eat. For more information, please click here. Although you cannot book tables outside, indoor tables can be booked in advance, and I highly recommend you do this to avoid disappointment.

A Very Un-Stuffy British Institution

Dining at the Criterion is more than just having dinner; it is an experience. The restaurant does not look that remarkable from the outside, especially in the face of the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus, but when you walk through the revolving doors you cannot help but be struck by the décor.

The Criterion Restaurant is stunningly beautiful, a showcase of marble and mosaic. It’s exotic and elegant in the same breath, with rich fabrics hanging at the windows, mirrored walls, and a gold mosaic ceiling you cannot help but stare at open-mouthed. It’s said that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first imagined the meeting between Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes while having a drink at the Criterion Long Bar and it is a scene that is not at all hard to picture. In fact, if you changed the dress worn by patrons today to that of another era, it would be easy to believe you had stepped back in time. In the past, the Criterion has witnessed diners as illustrious as Winston Churchill, G K Chesterton and H G Wells. The suffragettes met there, as did many other groups including the Royal College of Science. It has also been used for films; most recently scenes from ‘The Dark Night’ and ‘A Good Year’ were shot there.

The Criterion Restaurant is located in Piccadilly Circus, right in the heart of the theatre district. In fact, it is adjacent to a theatre of the same name. Since the 1870’s, both theatre and restaurant have been a huge part of life in the West End.

But most of all, the Criterion is a wonderful place to eat. It is not just the décor that harks back to another era; the service does too. It is unfailing polite, efficient and discreet all at the same time. Although you will be offered bottled water, no one sniffs if you ask for tap water; in fact it will be presented to you in a decorative glass bottle (and no, there is no charge).

If you fancy something with a bit more kick, the Long Bar serves up just about any cocktail you can dream of, and there is a wonderful selection of wines at all price points – by the bottle and the glass.

I know from pleasant experience that the menu changes regularly, but it always offers a fine selection of dishes. Their seafood is outstanding and all sustainably sourced. They also offer a pre or post theatre set menu that is available Monday to Saturday lunchtime and evening. It was this menu my husband and I dined from on Saturday evening before going to watch our son perform at Her Majesty’s Theatre in The Haymarket. Offering a selection of five choices within each course, it is one of the most varied set menus I have yet to come across.

I started with the Charentais Melon and Parma Ham. The serving was incredibly generous and it was absolutely delicious. My husband had their Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Cream and pronounced it the best smoked salmon he had ever eaten. He can speak with some authority on this, having eaten quite a lot of smoked salmon in his time.

For main course, I chose pan-fried line caught Cornish Pollock with White Cabbage and Red Grapes. The dish was beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. It came accompanied by crushed new potatoes. I was pleased to be eating a fish that had been sustainably sourced and impressed that the menu emphasized this. My husband chose Braised British ‘Rose’ Veal, with Horseradish and a Celeriac Remoulade. ‘Rose’ veal is the only veal available in Britain, and is raised without the cruelty of veal crates, so this dish was politically correct as well as being very tasty indeed.

We had not intended to have dessert, but the choices proved far too tempting. I was particularly impressed, as some restaurants do not put their best desserts on a set menu, in the hopes of tempting you off it, but The Criterion’s set menu offered a selection of four tempting treats and some very yummy sounding cheese. In the end, I chose the Pecan Pie with Orange Syllabub and my husband had the Coffee Tiramisu. Both were divine. I’m sorry, but there is no other word for them.

The West End is notorious for expensive restaurants that are less than generous, but The Criterion is not one of these. Our meal cost about £40 (about US$65) per head, including two glasses of wine and a bottle of beer. This also included the tip. For the location, this is positively reasonable, and very good value indeed.

I highly recommend The Criterion. It’s quintessentially British with a touch of the Continent, and an experience you will not soon forget.