Observer Food Monthly

[BertieWooster]

All of you complaining about the celebrity-focus of OFM will of course be waiting with breath bated for next Sunday's issue. A food meets music special--

It features noted food writers Beth Ditto, Emma Bunton, McFly, Wynton Marsalis, John Eliot Gardner and Amy Winehouse. Guess the editors looked at the latter's name and said --'see, it's relevant...'

[jayrayner]

All of you complaining about the celebrity-focus of OFM will of course be waiting with breath bated for next Sunday's issue. A food meets music special--

It features noted food writers Beth Ditto, Emma Bunton, McFly, Wynton Marsalis, John Eliot Gardner and Amy Winehouse. Guess the editors looked at the latter's name and said --'see, it's relevant...'

←

We do it specifically to piss off all of you.

[BertieWooster]

Hmm, and wear black cloaks, top hats and twirly moustaches for the occasion I'll be bound.

Actually, quite looking forward to Beth Ditto on 'Fat'. Just to compare with Dawn French on fat. 'Fat's sexy...' 'nope, however many times you say it, however loud you say it, you know and we know that that's not true...'.

[David Naylor]

Talking of celebs my sources tell me that the G Marshall establishment in westow is to be featured in Sundays edition. I know he is a big fan of Mcfly so naturally he is quite excited

david

[jayrayner]

Talking of celebs my sources tell me that the G Marshall establishment in westow is to be featured in Sundays edition. I know he is a big fan of Mcfly so naturally he is quite excited 

david

←

He's in the mag not OFM.

[Soapy Joe]

All of you complaining about the celebrity-focus of OFM will of course be waiting with breath bated for next Sunday's issue. A food meets music special--

It features noted food writers Beth Ditto, Emma Bunton, McFly, Wynton Marsalis, John Eliot Gardner and Amy Winehouse. Guess the editors looked at the latter's name and said --'see, it's relevant...'

←

We do it specifically to piss off all of you.

←

And it works quite effectively too....

[algy]

All of you complaining about the celebrity-focus of OFM will of course be waiting with breath bated for next Sunday's issue. A food meets music special--

It features noted food writers Beth Ditto, Emma Bunton, McFly, Wynton Marsalis, John Eliot Gardner and Amy Winehouse. Guess the editors looked at the latter's name and said --'see, it's relevant...'

←

this comment is, like, so non creative. Loosen up grandad - "food meets music special" - it's got wow factor written all over it.

I just can't wait to discover what they'll pair with food next - "food with WAG's special"; "food with cosmetic surgery special"; "food with contrived shock about racism on TV special". Mind you, not all of these would be mutually exclusive, but a month is a long time and people have short memories.

[BertieWooster]

"food with cosmetic surgery special";

that would be Polly Vernon. She's in every month.

[Zoticus]

All of you complaining about the celebrity-focus of OFM will of course be waiting with breath bated for next Sunday's issue. A food meets music special--

It features noted food writers Beth Ditto, Emma Bunton, McFly, Wynton Marsalis, John Eliot Gardner and Amy Winehouse. Guess the editors looked at the latter's name and said --'see, it's relevant...'

←

this comment is, like, so non creative. Loosen up grandad - "food meets music special" - it's got wow factor written all over it.

I just can't wait to discover what they'll pair with food next - "food with WAG's special"; "food with cosmetic surgery special"; "food with contrived shock about racism on TV special". Mind you, not all of these would be mutually exclusive, but a month is a long time and people have short memories.

←

Surely it's only a matter of time before we get a Celebrity Chefs on Cooking issue.

[fisherman]

They'll never go for that, far too revolutionary.

[bethesdabakers]

I just can't wait to discover what they'll pair with food next - "food with WAG's special";

Welsh Assembly Government?

Mick

[malcolmwilliamson]

I just can't wait to discover what they'll pair with food next - "food with WAG's special";

Welsh Assembly Government?

Mick

←

Excuse my Americanism but is that a Wild-ass guess?

I'm sure that Wag, a medieval province and now a highland district in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia , has some interesting lines in food.

[Tim Hayward]

All of you complaining about the celebrity-focus of OFM will of course be waiting with breath bated for next Sunday's issue. A food meets music special--

It features noted food writers Beth Ditto, Emma Bunton, McFly, Wynton Marsalis, John Eliot Gardner and Amy Winehouse. Guess the editors looked at the latter's name and said --'see, it's relevant...'

←

We do it specifically to piss off all of you.

←

I'm staying right out of this one

[Catriona]

I just can't wait to discover what they'll pair with food next - "food with WAG's special";

Welsh Assembly Government?

Mick

←

Excuse my Americanism but is that a Wild-ass guess?

I'm sure that Wag, a medieval province and now a highland district in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia , has some interesting lines in food.

←

The ethiopian thing might actually be interesting.

Unfortunately, the WAGs are the Wives And Girlfriends of a sports team. Originally (I think) the England football team at the World Cup.

WAGs will be hitting the US shores soon in the form of Victoria Beckham. Ugh. I know. I apologise for lowering the tone.

[algy]

it's every bit as good as I expected

[petrus]

it's every bit as good as I expected

←

I agree. Up to the OFMs usual standard. How they manage to maintain it is a continual source of wonder to me.

[Catriona]

I'm FURIOUS. I'm not some kind of rabid republican by any means, but the OFM does NOT have the prerogative to annex Ireland. [nastiness removed] The Clarence in Dublin included (on a sidebar somewhere) among top somethingorothers in the UK.

OFM did this once a while back about food producers, but then stopped, and I was very pleased. But this is just seriously sloppy stuff.

I know sinn fein are being all very nice at the moment, but with all the cr*p I've been going through moving to London, it would have been much easier if we were indeed part of the UK. If so, please let me know so that I can tell the phone companies & banks.

Edited January 29, 2007 by Catriona (log)

[thom]

But this is just seriously sloppy stuff.

←

Not quite on the same scale I admit (and excuse the slight tangent) but I am continually annoyed about how often the (London) media fail to grasp what and where the North is.

Yes, world peace and global warming bother me too, but they are over-facing concerns and everybody needs a small scale pet peeve to go on (and on) about as a sort of comforter.

Anyway, latest guilty culprit was the normally reliable Olive magazine who listed Juniper as being in the Midlands.

Said restaurant is actually in Altrincham which is essentially a fairly well-to-do suburb of South Manchester and is classed varyingly as part of Greater Manchester or Cheshire (depending on snobbishness and/or whether you accept the 70's redrawing of county boundaries) but either way it is firmly in the North.

I do remembering another magazine doing a 'Northern special' and then being told that articles about Jessicas and Simpsons (both Birmingham) would not sit quite right within the section. Northern to your average London-based journalist yes, but not 'Northern' per se.

Right, time to get off my hobby horse and do some work.

Cheers

Thom

[Catriona]

I have an apology to make. I shouldn't have dragged Jay's name into my little rant above, it's quite obviously nothing to do with him.

Sincere apologies to Jay, and please all excuse me for being out of line.

Stepping back into line with red face.

[JudyB]

[Not quite on the same scale I admit (and excuse the slight tangent) but I am continually annoyed about how often the (London) media fail to grasp what and where the North is.

Yes, world peace and global warming bother me too, but they are over-facing concerns and everybody needs a small scale pet peeve to go on (and on) about as a sort of comforter.

Anyway, latest guilty culprit was the normally reliable Olive magazine who listed Juniper as being in the Midlands.

Said restaurant is actually in Altrincham which is essentially a fairly well-to-do suburb of South Manchester and is classed varyingly as part of Greater Manchester or Cheshire (depending on snobbishness and/or whether you accept the 70's redrawing of county boundaries) but either way it is firmly in the North.

Actually I would have said that this is a matter of perspective. As someone who used to live near Manchester I would agree that it isn't in the "Midlands", but realistically there is a lot of England further North!

My family is originally from near Newcastle-upon-Tyne and living near Manchester was definitely regarded as being "down south" from that viewpoint.

In other words, you can't win - if you use simplistic terms like "the Midlands" or "the North" you will offend someone. So why not just get it right and describe Juniper as being in Cheshire or "near Manchester"? Both are clearly defined areas which will not be misunderstood. (I'm assuming that they haven't redefined which county Altrincham is in when I wasn't looking...)

[thom]

Actually I would have said that this is a matter of perspective.

←

Nooooo this is my point you see. It is a matter of perspective to describe a place as being more Northern or Southern then another place (be that London or Newcastle) but that is a completely different thing to the fixed allocation of counties (and the towns and cities within them) to tightly defined English regions which are pretty much universally accepted.

Altrincham, whether Manchester or Cheshire, is without a shadow of a doubt in the North West of England. The North West is made up of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire and Cumbria and to be in the North West of England means that you are in the North of England. (though I accept the North/South divide is not so neatly cut in other places).

If every description of a place as Northern/Southern/Eastern/Western etc was purely subjective then for people to get their bearings they would need to know the initial location of the journalist who wrote it. Chaos would ensue. Well more than you normally find amongst in the world of journalism...

You can tell I've given this subject too much thought.

Interestingly, on a cheffy/Newcastle/regional identity note, I have noticed One NorthEast (the Regional Development Agency (RDA) covering North East England, comprising Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham and Tees Valley) have been pushing the region as a leisure destination in the national press at the moment using Terry Laybourne as a figurehead much as the NWDA (North West Development Agency) always tend to lead in with Nigel Haworth.

Cheers

Thom

[BertieWooster]

Hmm, but the historical rule of thumb of 'the north' is from the Mersey to the Humber. Which could leave Cheshire (south of the Mersey) in the midlands.

The actual boundary between Northumbria as was and Mercia is at Dore in western Sheffield/Derbyshire, anywhere south of that must be part of the midlands.

It's when they start defining areas by East and West I get confused. West Yorkshire is quite easily defined as Eastern England if one takes the Penines as the divide. North Yorkshire heads further west than West Yorkshire, and (of course) really includes much of eastern Lancashire.

And then what happens when the Earth's magnetic flow reverses once more?

Edited January 29, 2007 by BertieWooster (log)

[thom]

Hmm, but the historical rule of thumb of 'the north' is from the Mersey to the Humber. Which could leave Cheshire (south of the Mersey) in the midlands.

The actual boundary between Northumbria as was and Mercia is at Dore in western Sheffield/Derbyshire, anywhere south of that must be part of the midlands.

It's when they start defining areas by East and West I get confused. West Yorkshire is quite easily defined as Eastern England if one takes the Penines as the divide. North Yorkshire heads further west than West Yorkshire, and (of course) really includes much of eastern Lancashire.

And then what happens when the Earth's magnetic flow reverses once more?

←

Hmmm... Does that mean the bit of Cheshire North of the Mersey is in the North then? Warrington? Possibly such historical vageries are another argument for sticking with the current government council set definitions.

That said, don't try that line of reasoning around Saddleworth, the outskirts of which have been swapped between Yorkshire and Lancashire by overexcited government bods so many times that the animosity barely bubbles below the surface.

Actually, I suffer from this regional confusion thing more than anyone. I live in Glossop and you couldn't get a more 'Northern' town - ex-Mill town, grim, forbidding moors, lots of talk of cobbles and pigeons, now slowly gentrifying commuter town for Manchester and Sheffield, the cities between which is sits - but technically we are in Derbyshire.

This makes us an 'East Midlands' town, even though we are more Northerly than either Liverpool and Sheffield (and the Mersey!) and on a level with Manchester. Worse still, this means we have Robery Killroy-Silk as an MEP.

I feel dirty just typing that out...

Cheers

Thom

[JudyB]

Hmmm... Does that mean the bit of Cheshire North of the Mersey is in the North then? Warrington? Possibly such historical vageries are another argument for sticking with the current government council set definitions.

Probably.

I'm almost certainly showing my age here, but remember that historically Warrington was actually in Lancashire and only became part of Cheshire (and therefore in some eyes "posh") in 1974 when they changed all of the boundaries and invented new "counties" such as Greater Manchester.

[thom]

Yes, and what's with this whole metric rubbish? Bring back pounds shillings and pence I say; not to mention pounds and ounces. And burning witches.

Interestingly (to me at least) Stuart Marconie (sp?) has a new book out specifically about the North of England. It sounds like a good read and although he has a slight North West bias (he's a Wiganer possibly?) he considers Crewe, in Southern Cheshire, the 'gateway to the North'.

This debate will rage I'm sure, but I remain adamant that Altrincham is in the North of England rather than the Midlands, and to say otherwise is lazy and incorrect journalism.

I stress again this is not an issue on a par with world poverty, it just gets my goat

Cheers

Thom

Hmmm... Does that mean the bit of Cheshire North of the Mersey is in the North then? Warrington? Possibly such historical vageries are another argument for sticking with the current government council set definitions.

Probably.

I'm almost certainly showing my age here, but remember that historically Warrington was actually in Lancashire and only became part of Cheshire (and therefore in some eyes "posh") in 1974 when they changed all of the boundaries and invented new "counties" such as Greater Manchester.

←