How to eat out on your own And if you're still hesitant here are some tips to make you feel more comfortable about it

Are you uncomfortable with eating on your own? This may change your mind open.substack.com/pub/fionabec...

Prawn cocktail and Silvaner A prawn or shrimp cocktail is a bit of a retro dish but what kind of wine should you pair with it? Here’s an unexpected but very successful match.

A perfect match for prawn cocktail you might not have come across www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek

What Easter means to the Greeks. A post from the archives by wine writer Ted Lelekas www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/recent/...

Have been meaning to go there for ages!

Paris without a plan Mooch through the Marais, meander along the Canal St Martin, idle - and eat ice-cream - on the Ile St Louis

The virtue of travelling without a plan fionabeckett.substack.com/p/paris-with...

Wrong Beckett I'm afraid!

Hake with butter beans and piquillo peppers and oaked white Bordeaux Hake with butterbeans cooked Spanish-style is the sort of dish that could as easily pair with a red wine as a white - but here an oaked white is the star

This is the sort of fish dish that would work with a red wine but an oaked white is probably in more people's comfort zone. #matchoftheweek www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...

Cashew parfait with apple and apple Kombucha When it comes to a drink pairing the texture of a dish and what it looks like can be more important than what it’s made from as this vegan starter proves

Alcohol-free drinks can be as successful pairing as wine as this week's #matchoftheweek proves www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...

The best wine and beer pairings for savoury pies Pies are classic pub food but does that mean you have to drink beer with them? Depends on the filling - and of course whether you like beer!

Given it's #britishpieweek and you might be indulging in a pie or two what are you going to drink, wine or beer? Here's a quick guide www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/feature...

Gewurztraminer is extraordinarily good with ginger so imagine that would have been sensational

Duck a l’orange and cabernet franc What do you pair with this retro dish of duck à l’orange? It depends how sweet it is - in this instance not too much so which made this light red a good match

what do you drink with duck à l'orange? Here's one wine that works www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...

How to eat, drink and be merry – while pregnant – at Christmas Some traditional treats may be off the menu, but there are plenty of alternatives for a festive feast

Excellent guide from Clare Finney on how to negotiate Christmas eating and drinking if you're pregnant (or not drinking for any other reason) www.theguardian.com/food/2025/de...

I would love to go there

The two masters were visiting from Korea on an trip sponsored by the Korean Association on Traditional Jang
Preservation and Research but were invited by a Korean chef Wizzy Chung who has her own Bristol restaurant Sky Kong Kong www.instagram.com/sky_kong_kon...

Like most omnivores I tend to be sniffy about the limitations of vegan food but this extraordinary meal by 2 Korean Masters in Bristol yesterday was exquisite. More like art than food, a beautifully curated contrast of colour, texture and taste. Thankyou Wizzy of Sky Kong Kong for the privilege.

Rotisserie chicken and Mencia If you’re cooking chicken on a rotisserie will it have an impact on your wine pairing? Chances are it’ll taste different from your standard roast chicken

A wine for rotisserie chicken that would also be good for Boxing Day www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek

Smoked salmon and sparkling Vouvray Many people think champagne is the automatic go-to pairing for smoked salmon but it’s worth experimenting with other wines like these two I tried this week

I've never been entirely convinced about smoked salmon and champagne and both these alternative pairings were better, maybe down to the smoke or cure www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek

Is the Waitrose ‘fine wine’ offer worth it? Or would you be better going for one of their other deals?

If you're shopping in Waitrose this weekend and wondering whether to take advantage of their 'fine wine' deal here's my pick of the offers (paywalled but you can sign up for as little as £5 which you'll easily save yourself on the bottles I'm recommending!) fionabeckett.substack.com/p/is-the-wai...

Which cookbooks to give your family and friends this Christmas 'Cos everyone’s different

It's not that some cookbooks are better than others simply that they're better for the type of cook you're giving them to. Here's my Christmas round-up matched to the ideal recipient fionabeckett.substack.com/p/which-cook...

Tarte Tatin and Barsac The principle that the way you cook a dish will influence the wine match applies as much to desserts as it does to meat or fish as this pairing proves.

Food and wine pairings are not absolute - they depend, as in this instance, on how the dish is cooked and how old the wine is. www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek

What food to pair with appassimento wines If you’re a fan of appassimento wines what should you pair with them - and if you’re not what sort of food offsets their sweetness

An appassimento red could be the answer to the 'what wine to drink with my Thanksgiving turkey' dilemma. Depending whether or not you're into appassimento wines as I explain in my latest post www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/feature...

I met her a couple of times and she was such a lovely, warm, person. She touched everyone she met as you can see from the tributes from fellow chefs

A fitting tribute to a groundbreaking and much-loved chef

You don't have to be eating Japanese food to drink sake. Here are a couple of pairings you might well not have thought of www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek

Booze, bulls and bulerias. Sherry week in Jerez and Bristol Six pages of wine and music with playlist... including Rosalia!

Why Jerez is about more than just sherry. Including some great music open.substack.com/pub/sweeneyp...

Remembering Rachel Cooke | The Observer

I remenber bring commissioned by Rachel when she was on the Sunday Times. A really great editor and a great writer. Such very sad news observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Crab dumpling with a Citrus and Espelette cocktail Citrus and crab is a tried and tested pairing but maybe you don’t always have it in cocktail form? If not you should!?

Now that snacks are becoming a regular part of eating out maybe we should start pairing drinks with them, especially cocktails. Here's one combination that was spot on www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek

Duck and amontillado sherry A spectacular pairing menu which shows that it doesn’t matter whether a dish comes from Spain or Malaysia - it can work with sherry wines

Even sherry fans might question whether an amontillado would go with duck. Turns out it's a doozy #matchoftheweek www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...

Are you suggesting I buy my followers? If so that is a totally unjustified slur.

Cheese, wine & Waitrose Some suggestions for tomorrow’s online tasting

Like wine? Love cheese? Join me tomorrow! open.substack.com/pub/fionabec...