November 2025 Favourites list

Welcome to this month’s favourites list which is late because I’ve been busy in my professional life. I hope you enjoy my selections for the month, which include photos of some food I've had in my local area which has been truly delicious. 

Pork belly Sunday roast from Catford Bridge Tavern

Food writing

Planning on Christmas gifts to send to food loving friends? Kavey has the answer! Kavey's Guide to Food and Drinks Gifts Through The Post can be found here: https://www.kaveyeats.com/food-drink-gifts-postal

Can you trademark a word as generic as “vegetable”? This is a good article covering the debacle over Bloomsbury halting the release of Yasmin Khan’s book Sabzi, following a threat by a Cornish deli of the same name who claims the registered trademark. Literally a billion people use the word “sabzi” daily – it is common to more than one language.  https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/food-and-drink/features/sabzi-yasmin-khan-trademark-dispute-bloomsbury-deli-b2858092.html

As Amy Poon opens her restaurant in Somerset House, London, this interview with her covers her family’s legacy, her upbringing, and her love for Cantonese food: https://observer.co.uk/style/restaurants/article/dining-with-amy-poon

The Hull Pattie – mashed potato mixed with sage and onion, battered, fried and served in a bun. It’s like the Northern cousin to the Vada Pav! https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink/how-make-perfect-hull-pattie-80449

Lamb and veg stew - a Levante special

Sicily’s food is deeply Italian but with has Greek, Spanish, Jewish, Maghrebi, and Arab influences. This food and travel guide from the Evening Standard has me dreaming of going there: https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/taormina-to-catania-sicily-food-guide-b1258166.html

Chef Tim Siadatan from Padella shares his tips for cooking pasta: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/padella-chef-tim-siadatan-pasta-tips-recipes-b2823821.html

Just some of Nigella Lawson’s best cooking tips. You know you can always trust her. https://www.lovefood.com/galleries/103634/nigellas-best-cooking-advice-revealed?page=1

Rock and chips with tartare sauce and mushy peas from Brockley's Rock

Recipes

Three recipes from No Worries Just Chicken Curries, the new cookbook from Indian food writer and culinary teacher Suki Pantal - Mama’s fenugreek chicken (methi chicken), Keralan chicken curry (nandan kozhi), Butter chicken, Old Delhi 6 (murgh makhani Dilli 6): https://www.stylist.co.uk/food-drink/chicken-curry-recipes/1033626 Archived here: https://archive.ph/4BY5C

Autumn is when pumpkins/squashes and root vegetables come into their own. Here are 9 recipes for making the most of seasonal vegetables: https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/food-and-drink/recipes/autumn-recipes-pumpkin-soup-butternut-squash-ravioli-b2858364.html

3 soups by Diana Henry

Estonian chicken soup with caraway dumplings https://archive.ph/5I0JB

Pumpkin and coconut soup with hot-sweet-sour coriander dressing https://archive.ph/pxbBg

Greek-inspired soup of greens and potatoes with olives and feta https://archive.ph/aZzk2

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen

My review of Korean company Samyang’s Carbonara instant noodles:  https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/11/samyang-carbonara-instant-noodle-review.html

Homemade mushroom risotto

TV

Celebrity Traitors

Of course, like everyone else, I’ve been watching Celebrity Traitors. It has been fun to watch a show which everyone else has been watching in old school “appointment viewing” style, rather than independent binge watching. The tasks were sometimes silly and sometimes thrilling and the shenanigans well worth watching. How did the celebs not manage to find a single traitor for so long?

Available on iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002csng/the-celebrity-traitors

Worlds Apart

At first, I thought this was just Channel 4’s spin on the very successful Race Across The World. But this is a very different show. The fact the teams don’t know each other, and are made up of one very young person (under 25) who has never travelled before paired up with a pensioner who thought they’d never travel again makes for fascinating interactions, moving back stories, and unexpectedly poignant moments. Japan has the starring role as the contestants travel around the country, trying to solve puzzles relating to Japanese culture, food, and technology.

Available on Channel 4 OD: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/worlds-apart

Homemade Cottage pie

 

Music

Jeff Buckley Live in Chicago 1995

Jeff Buckley only released one album in his lifetime, Grace. It’s a genre spanning debut album in which his astonishing voice and deft guitar playing are front and centre, and I have loved it since I first discovered it. This is a rare concert where Buckley plays the songs from that album from 1995. I watched this mesmerised.

Available on iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002m4hq/jeff-buckley-live-in-chicago

Way To Blue – The songs of Nick Drake

I first saw this Nick Drake tribute concert when it was first screened on the BBC. Krystle Warren’s version of Time Has Told Me took my breath away. Other notable covers of Drake’s songs are performed by Vashti Bunyan, Green Gartside, Lisa Hannigan, Scott Matthews, and Teddy Thompson.

Available on iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00s06v5/the-songs-of-nick-drake-way-to-blue

Study involving 10,000 people finds that listening to music could reduce the risk of dementia by almost 40%. Get your records out! Make up your playlists! Get your headphones on! [But don't play your tunes too loud, you don't want hearing loss.]

https://www.sciencealert.com/listening-to-music-has-a-surprising-impact-on-dementia-risk-study-shows

Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.