HB&B Blog — Natural wine

Natural Wine Killers - Ras El Hanout Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Chickpea Pulao & Les Cadoles La Cadole à Marcel Mâcon Chardonnay 2021

Claire Bullen France Natural wine Natural Wine Killers White wine

Natural Wine Killers - Ras El Hanout Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Chickpea Pulao & Les Cadoles La Cadole à Marcel Mâcon Chardonnay 2021

A Sunday roast is a special thing – or at least it is for a lot of people. Blame my US upbringing, but I never felt that attached to the tradition, especially since so many Sunday roasts (whisper it) just aren’t that good. For every gastropub that’s nailed the formula, there are a dozen who haven’t, churning out meals that simply aren’t delicious enough to justify the ensuing food comas. But there is something life-affirming about a weekend meal as a main event, about taking several hours to cook an ambitious dish with care, time in the kitchen as meditative...

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Natural Wine Killers: Truffle Cheese Pasta with Camillo Donati Ribelle Rosato 2020

Claire Bullen Italy Natural wine Natural Wine Killers Red wine Sparkling wine

Natural Wine Killers: Truffle Cheese Pasta with Camillo Donati Ribelle Rosato 2020

I’ve come around on Valentine’s Day. February is short on festive feeling; why not take the opportunity to make a special occasion out of what would otherwise be another grey Wednesday? No matter whether you’re coupled-up, seeing friends or going solo – this year, set aside time to celebrate. Just don’t do it at a restaurant. Having dinner out on Valentine’s Day is like going out on New Year’s Eve: Overcrowded, overpriced and never as good as you hope. Instead, swerve the hassle with a vibey meal at home. Turn off the big light, put on a jazz album (I’ve got...

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Wine & Food Killers: Braised Turkey Legs with Mole Rojo and Strekov 1075 Bob 2022

Claire Bullen Natural wine Natural Wine Killers Red wine Slovakia

Wine & Food Killers: Braised Turkey Legs with Mole Rojo and Strekov 1075 Bob 2022

For years, I thought I hated turkey, scarred by the overcooked turkeys served at childhood Thanksgivings. Who needs turkey when you can have duck or goose – or even roast chicken, half the stress and probably even more delicious? But a few years ago, I decided to give turkey another chance. Rather than roasting a whole bird, I prepared its best bits separately: breast cooked in the sous vide until silkily soft, legs confited in the oven until mid-collapse. Turkey really could be good, I discovered then – you just had to take care with it. This year, a friend mentioned he was...

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Wine & Food Killers: Merguez Sausage and Pumpkin Tagine with Couscous and Bergkloster Super Lecka 2021

Claire Bullen Germany Natural wine Natural Wine Killers Red wine

Wine & Food Killers: Merguez Sausage and Pumpkin Tagine with Couscous and Bergkloster Super Lecka 2021

This time of year in England can be hard to love. It’s one of the biggest things I miss about living in the States, where autumn (fall) is treated like a three-month-long festival. An American fall means trick-or-treating as competitive sport, scouring farmers’ markets for apple cider donuts as an essential weekend pastime; sporting a plaid flannel jacket to go leaf-peeping or apple-picking. And it certainly isn’t fall until every single thing you eat and drink has been pumpkined. In comparison, autumn here is more damp squib than long-awaited event, and pumpkin feels both under- and over-exposed. It might be ubiquitous...

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Wine & Food Killers: Chilaquiles with Salsa Roja and La Grange Saint André Le Marmot 2022

Claire Bullen France Natural wine Natural Wine Killers Red wine

Wine & Food Killers: Chilaquiles with Salsa Roja and La Grange  Saint André Le Marmot 2022

There are few better teachers – or creative constraints – than necessity. The best of my cooking over the past year has arisen out of leftovers that urgently needed using: wilting spinach and stale sourdough that turned into ribollita, old takeaway pulao that was reborn as fried rice. Striving to avoid food waste has become less a slogan and more a challenge – one taken up with some gusto and humility, and one that has pushed me to the outer limits of my knowledge. There are few better examples of necessity cooking than chilaquiles – stale tortillas sliced, fried into...

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