Recently by Gavin Castle

Thanks for sending this in Richard:

It is Christmas again and I was made to go to that well know Italian restaurant in Leeds -Bibi's.
It is 3 years since I last darkened the door and thought thinks must be better.

Visited the Grove pub in Springwood on Friday....and Saturday. What a place, it's like a mini Antwerp picked up and dropped in Huddersfield.They have 15 or 16 guest beers on draught.
Loads of European lagers on tap, and then there is a Holy Grail of bottled beers, a menu with over 230 beers from all over the world. They even say "WE DON'T SELL CARLING!" in there. We tried a few then finished off with a Goose Island Bourbon County Stout at 13%...it was different!

Click here to visit The Grove's website

My mate had been out in Altrincham and said he'd been in two 'European' cellar type bars selling these type of beers and they were thriving. So if a place that size can run two successful places why shouldn't Huddersfield?
With all the talk of pubs shutting left, right and centre, we really should appreciate the 'drinking oyles' we have in the area. There's The Slubbers on Bradford Road, The Star at Folly Hall, The Rat and Ratchet at Chapel Hill, The Dusty Miller at Longwood, plus the Head of Steam, The Sportsman and Vox and Zephyr in town. Proper beer at not ridiculous prices.
Long may they prosper, and its just a shame the people running the bigger breweries cant see what works and what doesnt.

THE scientists have been meddling in the world of food again.
They're either telling us to eat less salt or more fish or less fish with more salt on, depending on which article you read. Concentrate on deconstructing atoms not tomatoes that's what I say.

The Rams Head Inn,
Denshaw, Saddleworth. OL3 5UN

Venue: The Rams Head Inn
Tel: 01457 874802
Website: www.ramsheaddenshaw.co.uk
Opening times: Mondays - noon-2.30pm,Tuesday to Saturday food noon-2pm, 6pm-10pm; Sundays noon-8.30pm
Disabled Access: Yes
Children: Yes
Bill: With beers and wine for four people: £163.00
Would you go again: Definitely, reckon Christmas would be a perfect setting.

Sad to hear of the passing of Keith Floyd, top chef, top man, top slurper of beers and wines... pretty rubbish businessman by all accounts, but a great loss to the world of food and drink none the less.

This summer at the Examiner office we've had courgettes, beetroot, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, rhubarb and blackberries flying around. People are growing fruit and veg like never before and theyve been put to very good use when they've passed into my hands!
Whether it's the credit crunch or just a new hobby that's taken off this year I don't know, but it's more than welcome to people who love food and cooking. I say new in the loosest of senses, as people have had alotments around the area for years and years but people seem to be really catching the bug (and hopefully their produce not!) in recent months.
It's great that people are sharing their produce too, it's like going back in time.
A fantastic courgette which was the size of a marrow, was brought in by a friend, "I'd never seen one as big as that before!", I took it home hollowed it out and fried the flesh with some onion, garlic, chorizo sausage and red pepper. I mixed that in with some cooked cous cous, added lemon juice and parsley and shoved it back in the casing, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and whacked it in the oven for ten minutes at 180 degrees. It was gorgeous. Thank you Karen!
Another colleague brought in a bag of the sweetest tasting cherry tomatoes I've ever had. He says he never has to buy any through the summer just picks them off his plants.
The one's that survived the day at work were put to good use, I made a tart base using ready made puff pastry, and added the halved tomatoes, some onion fried with a dash of balsamic vinegar and pieces of goat's cheese. These were baked for twenty minutes (180 degrees) and a few sprigs of basil added on top and they were fantastic. Cheers Dave!
My mum also made one of her fantastic rhubarb crumble with the help of some more home-grown produce. If I told you the recipe for that I'd have to kill you!
I've vowed to grow my own potatoes when the next time to sow them comes, you can do them in a bucket or bin by all accounts and although I've had limited success growing my own garlic and chillies, I'm pretty confident I'll end up with a bumper crop...reckon it's something in the air (or should I say soil!)

If things are tight during the credit crunch and your struggling to find money for your booze, fags and whippet shampoo, you'll probably tighten the purse strings when it comes to buying good, healthy food.

My work buddy passed this email onto me the other day and yes, I know we dont get the weather to make the most of our barbecues, but thought it might be worth a look anyway!

BRITAIN seems to be going food and cooking crazy.
Walk into any shop, works or pub and there'll be someone - and very probably a bloke, - talking about last night's Masterchef, what they'd knocked up for tea yesterday or what Gordon Ramsay did with that duck (or is that another story?).

Last weekend was spent (albeit in a bit of a haze) in the Belgian city of Antwerp with my oldest and most bizarre friend Craig. He loves his food and drink as much as me, so the agenda was pretty much set in stone.