We liked this report from Olive magazine which has just dropped into our inbox. According to their first ever cool list, builder’s tea, milkmen, baking your own bread and food vans are all in. Organic nettle tea, water sommeliers, champagne bars and supermarket sushi are out.
According to Christine Hayes, the mag’s ed , ‘For too long cool was synonymous with exclusivity and elitism. Olive’s cool list celebrates the affordable and inclusive and puts you in-the-know, celebrating inclusive, ethically sound and affordable treats.’
The report goes on to praise Delia Smith while taking a swipe at celeb cook books.
‘First Sid Owen, then Fay Ripley, now Norman Tebbit is writing about game. What next? Jeremy Kyle’s emotional baking memoir?’ she asks, not unreasonably.
Right now, at the top of my cool list are decent neighbourhood diners, pleasant surprises at the cheaper end of wine lists and the reappearance of proper pies on restaurant menus.
My pet peeves this week include Greg on Masterchef; tough, tasteless meat from supermarkets and a cabbage bought from a farm shop that didn’t last 24 hours. Oh, and stale filter coffee from restaurants that should know better.
What would make the grade on your cool list and, just as importantly, what do you think should end up in the kitchen bin?