The Eatanddrink Team

Phil Bradley

W. Sandro Melkuhn

• Restaurant dining, particularly enjoy Italian, Thai, French and Indian cuisine. Like restaurants to have some ambience but don't like sloppy or over familiar service (bit of a snob). Bad food in a restaurant is unforgiveable. Strongly believe in the distinction between dining out and eating out. One should be a pleasurable and unforgettable experience the other is an expedient.
• Growing and using herbs, favourite herbs are sweet basil, dill and coriander. Have a smallish herb garden including a superb rosemary bush that is well established and has a flavour and aroma that is par excellance. Never short of supplies of mint, parsley, basil, coriander for my own cooking.
• Indian cookery, maintain a big herb and spice collection and mix own marinades and garam masallas. Insist on making my own yoghurt because you can control the consistency and flavour unlike the bought varieties.
• Fresh foods, have very negative views on convenience food and processed food. Like to plan meals in advance and buy ingredients fresh for specific meals. Hate waste and always try to use leftovers. I think I get that from my parents who lived through rationing during and after the war.
• Gadgets - give me a food processor, electric grinder, bread maker - anything really and I'll play for hours.
• Collecting cookery books. I can't pass a bookstore without browsing the cookery collection, often can't leave the store without buying a book. I'm particularly proud of my assortment of Italian and Indian cookery books. Have a look at our book sections for my recommendations.
• Fishing :- coarse and sea angling, in particular boat angling off the Welsh coast. Next project is my own fishing boat.
• My wife has a Patchwork & Quilting business, selling all the necessary fabrics, notions and embellishments. For my part I maintain her website - Quilt Studio

My mother was born in Rome, and my father in a part of Hungary which became part of Romania (or was that the other way araound?). I was born and bred in Lancashire.

Although I  have a British outlook, engendered because my parents tried hard to integrate, I also have a strong Mediterranean bent, tempered with Eastern influences from my father's side,

Unlike Phil, I do very little cooking myself, but when I do, I like to "push the boat out". Knowing how difficult it can be to create a special meal, I really do appreciate it when I sit down to one - whether at a restaurant, or at home, where my wife Margaret, has learned well everything I taught her (Ow! Ow!, Stoppit... I was only kidding!!!)

I have always liked trying new food and drink, but, as I'm getting older, I am beginning to gravitate to fewer, but more refined experiences - for example, I now know I don't in general favour Indonesian dishes (though I do like some), and I'm leaning more and more to, well, if not vegetarianism then eating less - but better quality - meat.

When it comes to drink, I just love many of the "real" ales, Italian wines and liquers, and Cognac. However, my aging inners can't take as much alcohol as I'd like, and again, I find that I don't like having drunk too much alcohol - if someone could develop a drink which had the same taste and "hit" as a good Cognac, but without the debilitating effects of the alcohol, I'd buy it by the gallon!

In common with Phil, I too have a desire to be on, or near, water, and I'm trying to persuade Marg that she really can overcome her dread of seasickness!!!

The main reason I'm involved with this site is that I believe that food and drink means much more to us than just the provision of sustenance. Food and Drink is Art. It's Communication, It's Pleasure. It's Sharing.

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