“Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast”
- William SHAKESPEARE
TO FEAST
‘TO EAT ALOT OF GOOD FOOD AND TO ENJOY IT VERY MUCH’
- CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY
a feast for all the senses..
When I think of what ‘good’ food is. I am very aware that this is subjective. My delight in particular flavours is not the same as my husbands, or my friends or the stranger across the street.
Our enjoyment of food and flavours comes from different places. Often places that are largely shaped by our history, our financial situation and also where we live in the world.
Even within my family, we share a love and appreciation of food but within the different groups we seek out different experiences. Joy is found in different places for each of us.
My husband is Polish, he loves pickled foods. He longs for Pierogi and his Mum’s Bigos. Now I can attest to how delicious his Mum’s Pierogi are but a lot of that longing comes from the memories he has that he cherishes of times when he was with family and eating those dishes.
My Sister in Law is from an Italian family and my Brother and she and their family are great Pasta and Pizza lovers. They can eat on the go but also sit for hours with antipasti and fried pasta dough. They like to sip their coffee in the morning and catch up over the mass making of ravioli.
My Father is from a fishing family and he loves to be by the sea. Looking out at the ocean, ideally with a fresh fish to feast on.
We all have different ideas of what a great feast is, where we can find it and what it would comprise of.
For me, if I am eating out, whether it be a cake from a cafe or a 5 course meal in a restaurant, there are a few common components that can make any meal a feast.
Firstly look to the product of course, the FOOD, I want to eat good food. Well made & well flavoured.
Secondly the SETTING. Does the environment welcome me in, is it appealing to the eye (not so important if you aren’t hanging around). I don’t mean is it fancy, or is it big. I mean, is it pleasing to me. For me, personally, that likely means is it light, is it clean, is it cosy, whatever takes my fancy at the time. It will help if it draws me in.
Thirdly the SERVICE. Having worked in hospitality for many years and also being a convivial person, I like to make a connection and I appreciate a friendly smile. I don’t need you to sing a song and do a dance, I would actually really rather you didn’t! But a welcoming hello is lovely. Sometimes we make connections with a stranger and when that happens it really brightens my day and is quite often the thing that I will reflect on to a friend or a family member later that day.
Lastly but by no means least, COMPANY. Now sometimes that company might be just you. Sometimes the perfect date is just you, quietly sipping on a coffee or maybe reading a book over a salad. But more often than not, the eating and drinking experience is shared and that companion is an essential ingredient in the creation of this particular feast. My best meals have been laughing over memories with dear friends, making future plans with my husband and casual banter with family. The company to me is nearly as important as the food.
I think that one thing that we would agree on is that if we are able to combine the main elements of a good feast then we might all be as happy as clams.
THE PLACES TO BE..
I have spent years being asked about where to go when I visit.. what should i eat when i visit…..
I hope that this blog and summary of some of my favourite eateries will be of interest and of help to those of you, like me, that love to find yourself in a place that makes you smile. That place that you walk away from and you really hope that you can share with someone one day, so they also can walk away from it smiling..
INSPIRATION
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LAURA JACKSON - GLASSETTE
Laura Jackson is a broadcaster, fashion and interiors tastemaker and founder of the hugely popular food and lifestyle brand HOSTE, as well as two successful podcasts, HOSTEing and So How Do You.
She also has a monthly interiors column in ELLE Decoration.
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LUCY LAUGHT - PHOTOGRAPHER
Lucy Laucht is a photographer devoted to working with natural light.
Imbued with a strong sense of story, Lucy's transportive photographs capture the essence of the destinations she visits. Each scene sheds light on the soul of a place and the people who live within it call it home. A Leica ambassador, Lucy’s work appears regularly in Elle France, Conde Nast Traveller, Grazia, Vogue Australia and House & Garden Magazine.
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THE NEWT - SOMERSET
Just like nature, their garden changes throughout the seasons. Membership is your ticket to enjoy everything they offer, from estate-led menus to workshops and seasonal events; Garden Day in spring, Garden Lates in summer, Harvest and Apple Day come autumn, and enchanted trails in winter.
“When you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving toward perfection becomes clear: to make people happy, that is what cooking is all about.”
- Thomas Keller
