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Stuff is happening in Solihull

For anyone that regularly visits Solihull town centre, you’ll know that it’s pretty heavy on the chain restaurants, especially if you’re in Touchwood to go to the cinema.  Since Giraffe moved out a while back, I’ve been wondering what would take its place and it seems that instead of just getting one new restaurant, two eateries are opening up.  Although one is in the Mexican or burger place, I…

Free tap water via Refill Birmingham

So, I was sat listening to the council’s Sustainability and Transport Overview and Scrutiny Committee – stay with me.  They were talking about plastic-free solutions and one thing mentioned was Refill Birmingham. I’ve been meaning to mention for a while, because I enjoy sustainability, not having to empty my bin/recycling, and saving money. So here I am, finally getting round to it.

Refill…

Here we go again

Bureau’s gone Fressh has gone SmokeHaus and Rub have both gone So has Jailbird / Nosh & Quaff, despite the name change

January is always a hard month for bars and restaurants. The overindulgence of December means some places cling on, buoyed up by the extra footfall, only to realise the game is over come the new calendar year. I’m not going to repeat the blog post I wrote calling on people to use…

Festive Food (I forgot to tell you about)

Have we all recovered from

Pigs in Blankets Eggy Crumpets from Wayland’s Yard

Isn’t Wayland’s Yard great?  The first time we went in to this little cafe hiding on Bull St I thought it looked a bit like a Melbourne coffee shop, which is a compliment because Australians really know how to treat their coffee well and Melbourne has the best cafes in the world. So yes, the coffee in Wayland’s is…

I know, this is way later than I intended but if you’re running low on Christmas cheer and need some inspiration for Christmas gifts for your foodie friends and loved ones, here are five to get you started…

This Cookbook Belongs To Us

Hear me out, recipe books might seem like a naff idea for the foodie in your life but this one is actually good. Not only is it packed with recipes which actual…

Nigel Slater and Ravinder Bhogel at the Birmingham Literature Festival

I’m just back from one of those afternoons which are so simple and yet so sublime they’re the sort of thing you want to remember. My friend Beccy had snagged tickets for the Nigel Slater talk, a perk of volunteering at the Birmingham Literature Festival, and asked if I wanted to join her.  Of course I did, I adore Nigel Slater’s writing and tv shows.

We met in Yorks at Ikon gallery for lunch,…

The Midlands Whisky Festival 2018

Greetings, it’s been a while hasn’t it? And it’s not even me responsible for 99% of this blog post, but I’ll save you the sob story of where I’ve been and why I’ve not been blogging.

Anyway, I couldn’t make The Midlands Whisky Festival 2018, despite being in one of my favourite conference venues, The Studio. This saddens me because whisky, whiskey and bourbon are all great, and festivals are a…

Turkey Dinosaurs at Edwardian Tea Rooms, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

I was talking yesterday with fellow blogger friends about what would be your most ‘off brand’ thing you love.  And I was stumped, because I don’t really have off-brand; I’ve blogged about fast food chains and frankly lying means having to remember what fibs you’ve told and I can’t be doing with that mental gymnastics.  Essentially I have one rule: it has to be food and/or drink related and be in…

Summer menu tasting at Studio Venues, Birmingham

It’s no secret that I think the Studio on Cannon Street in the city centre is a pretty ace place.  I’ve written about them a bunch of times (see here), and the time has rolled round for another seasonal menu tasting.

If you’re not aware, and I have rescued many confused looking people on Cherry St to suggest that not everyone knows about the place, The Studio is part of a group of venues around…

Preview of Rebel Chicken in the Jewellery Quarter

I couldn’t make it to the preview of Rebel Chicken because I was too busy eating Melbourne out of burgersvisiting my sister and meeting my new niece. But I thought it looked cool and worth telling people about.  So I figured I’d ask someone who I pretty much only know on Twitter but I knew would have good opinions being he’s the King of Digbeth, which we know is the epicentre of street food in…

Pink drinks in Birmingham

Legally Blonde The Musical is coming to the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham this week, and I decided to compile a list of pink drinks in the city, in homage to Elle Woods.

For anyone not familiar with the musical, it’s based off the 2001 box-office smash movie starring Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a seemingly ditzy sorority girl who decides the best way to win her ex-boyfriend back is to…

The Digbeth Dozen map launches

I like food. I like Digbeth. And I like maps.

So top marks to The Ruin, who have unveiled a massive big map on the side of their wall showcasing some of their great neighbours – and having the guts to effectively point out where the competition is.

The map, a 16ft by 10ft graffiti-style map, created by local artist as Andy Mills (also known as Title, apparently, because I am not cool enough to…

Recipe: Medicinal vegan red lentil and lime soup

Look, I’m not about to tell you that food will cure you, but after two weeks of having the flu and still feeling pants, I decided that my diet of hot cross buns and more tea than I thought humanly possible could probably do with some help. So I decided to make this medicinal soup, and bonus points it’s vegan too.

Without descending into too much woo, this has a bunch of stuff that supposedly has…

What Would Elvis Eat?

Part-play, part-tribute act This is Elvis is showing at the New Alexandra Theatre for the next few days and it made me think, if The King of Rock and Roll really were in town, where would he eat.

Charting Presley’s monumental return to performing live for the first time in seven years via his ’68 Comeback Special’ and residency in Las Vegas, This is Elvis is a hell of a lot of fun, and I say…

First Bite: Bonehead, Birmingham

Finally – we have a fried chicken place in Birmingham that looks like it’s going to be great!

I popped into a preview night for Bonehead, the new fried chicken place just off John Bright Street in the city centre. It’s a pretty simple concept or fried chicken and craft beer, with Beavertown on tap / in cans and a takeover planned.

Lap-Fai Lee has been behind some of the most delicious fried…

Cherry Reds Kings Heath is closing…

Cherry Reds in Kings Heath is closing.  It hasn’t closed yet, but it is closing.  That’s the essence of this blog post and I want you to remember that it’s as simple as that.  A whole pile of things have closed or are threatened with closure and there are rumours swirling about, much like the current weather. But with Kings Heath’s Cherry Reds, it’s a lot simpler.

Jen, the owner of Cherry Reds,…

Crikey, it’s been a bit quiet on here recently hasn’t it?  On the off chance there’s anyone still looking here, then let me explain.

There’s a line in a Piebald song that has stayed with me for years: “If you’re bored, then you must be boring too.” And dear lord, I’ve been bored.  This is partly my own fault because I’d stopped exploring, weighed down by a pressure about all these new…