Extra Matter

Other people’s larders

An old friend sent me a cutting of a column in The (London) Times magazine, exploring the contents of Food Editor Tony Turnbull’s larder. I’d like to take credit for inspiring this, the very week of my podcast on the same topic, but I know how magazine journalism works and the piece was probably rustled up long ago.

One good point is that looking in the larder is not a good way to find favoured foods. “Being a naturally greedy sort of fellow,” he writes, “the only things that hang around in my kitchen are the bits and bobs I don’t fancy much.” True enough. The other that he made me miss was the ready availability of good quality spices, often by mail order. Postage to Italy would be prohibitive, so I make do with what I’ve got, but some of that “proper Ceylon cinnamon … Full of warm citrus flavour” would be fun to have around. And it wouldn’t hang around long.

Hey ho.

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