In this issue we say a fond farewell to Jay Rayner, who has written his final OFM column. After 15 years of wit, wisdom and enthusiasm for all things porcine, it is no exaggeration when I say he will be dearly missed. Jay’s last piece for us is jam-packed with home truths. He leaves some juicy little bones for us to chew on, so many of which I wholeheartedly applaud.
This is also the time of the year when we publish our annual list of all that we love about the world of food. There is much to choose from, but we have narrowed it down to 30 of our favourite people, venues and movements – from the return of the supper club to the rise of urban wineries and the unstoppable march of the gourmet sandwich. We feature the cult of bizarre restaurant names, the move towards places to eat in less obvious locations and our ongoing hunger for pickles and ferments. It would be hard to assemble a more varied list.
As always, we have recipes for you. There are easy traybakes from Gill Meller, so heat up the oven for a toad in the hole made with black pudding and squash, or an orange, honey and polenta cake. There’s a dish of lamb and apricots, too.
Our regular features are all here, and this month’s Life on a Plate belongs to Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi, who discusses the connection between eating and making music. Tim Adams eats lunch with Caroline Lucas at a vegetarian restaurant in Brighton. The activist and author tells us about her parliamentary frustrations, her failure (so far) to become a fully paid-up vegan and her refusal to retire.
