A huge bubbling, burping, living thing: The rise (and rise) of sourdough starters
‘We look after not only our recipes, but our starters themselves — the forces of nature that keep us all going’
Food and Drink
Discover the latest in food and drink news, try our delicious and easy recipes using fresh seasonal produce and read our pub and restaurant reviews.
Here at Country Life we love to cook and we love to eat. Seasonality is important, whether you’re growing your own or visiting the farmers’ market for your ingredients – but we love to cook seasonally. Whether it’s our brilliant collection of elderflower recipes in the summertime, our ultimate sloe gin recipe in autumn or gorgeous roast goose recipes in the winter, we have collected the best seasonal recipes by ingredient on dedicated pages
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Best bar none: The London pub renaissance
Against all odds, the pubs of the capital are thriving. William Hosie raises a glass to their comeback.
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A cake with a surprise ingredient that's either a stroke of genius or 'grounds for divorce'
The best way ever to get one of your five a day, or a crime against baking? You decide.
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Curious questions: Where did Quality Street get its name from?
You sit there, devouring them all Christmas, and you didn't even think to ask, did you?
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'After one lunch, our server took £5 out of a tip we had left and handed it back to our gobsmacked four year old. He’s still talking about it': The best places for Sunday lunch in south-west London
Jo Rodgers tracks down the finest roast lunches in London's smartest postcodes to see you through the winter.
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Can a gentleman use food as an aphrodisiac? Tom Parker Bowles on mankind's search for the ultimate 'jiggy jiggy juice'
Tiger's penis, baboon wee, horny goat weed, snake soup — do any of these unusual dishes actually have what it takes to help the wannabe lothario?
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How to make three-cheese sourdough bread and a perfect winter-warmer soup to go with it
We'll leave it up to you to decide whether the soup or the sourdough is the star of the show in this pair of recipes...
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Salt of the earth: The secret history of the pub peanut
Having profited from the downfall of the oyster as a bar snack, the salted peanut itself is now in danger of being usurped.
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The strange tale of why margarine used to be pink
Margarine has been a staple of our breakfast tables for over a century, but it hasn't always had a smooth ride — particularly from the dairy industry, who managed to impose a most bizarre sanction on their easily-spreadable, industrially mass-produced rival. Martin Fone explains.
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The 1,000-year-old sweet chestnut tree you'll find in the Cotswolds — and what to do if you have a younger example near your home
Tis the season to roast sweet chestnuts.
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'A British comfort-food classic, it soothes and satisfies in equal measure': Tom Parker Bowles and the perfect cottage pie
A British food classic, the humble cottage pie–lusciously rich beef mince, topped with buttery, yet crisply tipped mashed potato–is guaranteed to sooth and satisfy in equal, economic measure.
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The Dawn Chorus: We tried a Guinness shandy so you don't have to
Plus the quiz of the day, swimming the Channel three times to raise money for the Garden Museum, and why the moon looks so big and bright.
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The garden fruit that's a blend of strawberry, blueberry and kiwi — and it grows beautifully in Britain
The Chilean Guava was Queen Victoria's favourite fruit — so why don't we grow more of them, asks Mark Diacono.
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Wine has been made in Britain for over 1,000 years — so why have we only just turned it into an industry?
With the UK wine industry booming, Martin Fone takes a look at its history.
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Dessert divine: A pear and saffron clafoutis
This recipe from Melanie Johnson combines two seasonal fruits you can find in your garden to create a sumptuous dessert.
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'Handheld heaven: Tom Parker Bowles on the 'baroque symphony' of spicy, sublime Mexican corn
Hot and cool, sharp and sweet, spicy and sublime, Mexican corn on the cob is peerless — but the golden kernels must never, ever be allowed near a pizza.
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A fig, honey and walnut cake that's the perfect autumn bake
Make the most of these sweet late summer fruits, and finish them off with a Cognac glaze.
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Charlie Bigham: The man behind the meals on food, farming, and why cooking his lasagne takes three hours
Who doesn't love a Charlie Bigham fish pie or tikka masala? We spoke to the main man on the Country Life podcast to learn the secrets behind his famous food and hear more about his new cookbook.
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'I enjoy seeing people having a good time. That, for me, is the key': Meet some of London's best restaurateurs
The secret to success in hospitality is often a simple one — give people what they want and do it well.
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This Victorian boozy blackberry cordial is as good today as it was 150 years ago. Here's how to make it.
Deborah Nicholls-Lee has been delving into the history of the blackberry, and discovered a brandy-enhanced blackberry cordial recipe from Victorian cook Phyllis Browne.
