13/08/2026
So good to be back in Bristol for a meeting of the Collaborative Cooking Club (CCC). We’re a group of friends all involved in food: and , both food journalists, and food consultant and teacher — they’ve all written cookbooks (perhaps that’s something Field Kitchen might do one day🤨). We were just missing founder member one of Bristol’s food heroes and an inspiration to many of the city’s most important chefs.
This time around our theme was Greek food — quite apposite for the hot Mediterranean summer we’re enjoying in England this year (and an obvious choice for us as our daughter-in-law is Greek Cypriot.)The aim of the club is to explore a particular cuisine and experiment with authentic, traditional techniques and recipes we haven’t tried before, with the support and encouragement of each other.
What a feast we created! All enjoyed with a fantastic array of Greek wines, sourced by our resident wine aficionado, Fiona.
We kicked off with cheese fritters (Caroline at the helm of the deep fat fryer) and dolmades (a team production line was formed), followed by a Cretan salad with rusks, and Luke’s taramasalata made with smoked cod’s roe and flatbreads for dipping. We paused for a tiny cup of soup made by Xanthe from trahana — the most delicious and unusual flavour, thanks to its fermented nature.
Our main course was kid, slow-roasted over charcoal, which Xanthe had marinated in coriander, accompanied by Luke’s potatoes par-boiled in stock and lemon juice before roasting (heaven!), horta (in Greece these are whatever greens are growing wild at the time - we substituted cicoria sourced from our son and classic gigantes beans, prepared by the queen of beans herself, Jenny.
We even managed a final course of loukoumades (honey doughnuts, Caroline again) with mastic ice cream (and again!) and baked figs.
It was a joy to spend an afternoon prepping together, sharing tips, and enjoying the fruits of our toil. We’ll return to Morocco inspired and ready to infuse our menus with new ideas.
