Txokos are societies dedicated to celebrating northern Spain’s extraordinary culinary and vinous heritage. Food writer Victoria Stewart reports on how these gastronomic gatherings came about and what goes on behind the societies’ (normally) shut doors Sitting in a room that feels like the intersection of […]
Food
Here you’ll find a wide selection of food stories: interviews and Q&As with chefs and producers (primarily in London as well as around the UK), commentary on women working in food and hospitality; profiles on food businesses and food-related social enterprises and community projects, ‘cookbook challenges’, food trends, street food traders and restaurant profiles, and eating out guides.
Please take a look around. If you are interested in commissioning me, please get in touch using the form on the ‘about’ section here.
A guide to the best food markets and delicatessens in San Sebastián (Evening Standard)
Victoria Stewart celebrates San Sebastián’s star foodie producers San Sebastián (translated as Donostia in Basque), situated in the Basque Country in northern Spain, is a particularly special city because it is filled with all sorts of people discussing, praising, criticising, sharing, making and eating food. […]
Brixton People’s Fridge: meet the donors (Impact Hub Brixton)
By our resident storyteller, Victoria Stewart Brixton People’s Fridge. Heard of it? If not, it’s a fridge called Freddie. Well, it’s a fridge in the sense that it looks like one, acts like one and it has food in it. After that, everything about it is […]
Ramadan 2017 in Bloomsbury: An evening breaking fast and sharing food with strangers (Evening Standard)
Victoria Stewart attends a public iftar during the Muslim festival of Ramadan Sitting cross-legged on the floor of a huge marquee, it is only when my neighbour offers me a bowl of dates to share, before quickly swigging from a bottle of water, that I realise […]
Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen: the West African food we should all be eating (Evening Standard)
Victoria Stewart interviews Zoe Adjonyoh, owner of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen about delicious West African dishes we should all be cooking at home. (Photo: Nassim Rothacker) If you’re a hesitant cook, there’s nothing worse than a cookbook that insists you must follow it to the word, or […]
Stir it up: London’s cocktail craze (Foodism)
From cocktail bars to mixing masterclasses and the number of drinks being served, Victoria Stewart charts the facts and figures of stratospheric rise of London’s cocktail scene WE ALL KNOW Londoners love cocktails. The availability, quality and interest in them has been growing steadily since about […]
Local sustenance: meet the Brixton restaurants feeding Open Project Night
By our resident story teller, Victoria Stewart Imagine an evening where anyone – literally anyone, regardless of their background, race, gender or beliefs – was welcome to come and meet in one place to share ideas about how they wanted to change their local community. […]
Mazi Mas: why you should follow this London catering business (Evening Standard)
This London catering business employs migrant and refugee women to bring dishes from their home countries to London, Victoria Stewart Mazi Mas is a London catering business founded in 2012 by Nikandre – Niki – Kopcke, employing migrant and refugee women who cook dishes from […]
Happy Nowruz: 3 British-Iranian cooks share their favourite New Year dishes (Evening Standard)
Today is the start of Nowruz, Iranian New Year. Victoria Stewart talks to three London-based cooks about what they cook to celebrate Today is significant for Iranians around the world, most of whom will be celebrating New Year, the start of a 13-day festival of […]
Food Memories: Harneet Baweja on growing up in Calcutta (Evening Standard)
Victoria Stewart talks to Gunpowder London founder Harneet Baweja about his childhood food memories and how they influence the menu at his London restaurant. Harneet Baweja is the co-founder of the Shoreditch restaurant Gunpowder London, which he has owned with his wife, Devina, since 2014. […]
Finding the balance (Berry Bros. & Rudd blog)
(Article originally published on BBR.com, November 2016) Inspired by a trip to Kiln Soho, food writer Victoria Stewart writes about finding the perfect sense of poise, the balance not just within a dish or a wine, but between the two. (Pic: Kiln Soho) A good wine and food pairing […]
The kitchen cupboard essentials you need for Syrian-inspired cooking (Evening Standard)
Victoria Stewart gives you the lowdown on Syrian cuisine (Pic: Syrian Supper Club) Food adventurers, I’ve got an idea. When did you last eat Syrian food? In fact have you ever tried Syrian food? If not, maybe this is the month you give it a […]
Animal instinct: under the skin of Soho restaurant Smoking Goat (Foodism)
Smoking Goat and Kiln restaurateur Ben Chapman’s dedication to careful sourcing means success not only for him, but his suppliers too, by Victoria Stewart BEN CHAPMAN IS a special kind of restaurant owner. If his name isn’t familiar to you, then Smoking Goat, the Thai […]
Food memories: Bao’s head chef Erchen Chang remembers eating poached goose in Taiwan (Evening Standard)
Victoria Stewart asks Erchen Chang about her food memories of Taiwan With her husband Shing Chung, and his sister Wai Ting, Erchen Chang runs the two Taiwanese restaurants, Bao and Bao Fitzrovia, as well as their original weekend street food stall in Netil Market. All […]
10 of the best late-night bars in London – chosen by the experts (The Guardian)
If you’re after a well-crafted cocktail or beer, these late-drink hangouts keep the party going across the capital. They’re what the Night Tube was made for. I was asked to contribute one of my favourite bars in London for a guide in Guardian Travel. You […]
The high-flyer whose life changed when she cooked for Bill Gates (The Times)
Two of the richest men in the world persuaded her to switch careers. Now Saima Khan feeds film stars and dotcom billionaires. By Victoria Stewart (Image: Katie Wilson) Article appeared in The Times, September 2016