Food journalism is not just food criticism; Percy Pig’s cult of personality; and why octopus might be back on the menu

Professional gluttony exists in various forms, plus the usual assortment of local food intel for this month’s paying WFJ subscribers

Feb 25 • Hugh Thomas

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Where to eat in Frome: A local's guide (updated for 2026)

Featuring a Frome-dwelling food journalist's heavily-opinionated suggestions

Feb 12 • Hugh Thomas

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"When January hit, we saw a massive decline"

Chester Ellis on the realities of running a drinking establishment in January/February, moving into his own brewery, and the symbiosis between pubs and…

Feb 11 • Hugh Thomas

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January 2026

The author is dead, long live the author

A revelation alongside the usual assortment of local food intel for this month’s paying WFJ subscribers

Jan 28 • Hugh Thomas

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8 ways to eat out on a budget in Somerset

Dining – or rather mostly lunching – at independent restaurants and for £30 per head or under (updated for 2026)

Jan 14 • Hugh Thomas

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Food and farming in 2026: Change is afoot

The latest intel on food, farming & food culture in Somerset (and beyond)

Jan 3 • Hugh Thomas

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December 2025

A cheesemonger's guide to Somerset cheddar

The Cheese Lord on what separates a Westcombe from a Glastonbury Twanger and a Keen's from a Monty's. Also: when's a cheddar a cheddar, and how to…

Dec 17, 2025 • Hugh Thomas

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Panettone parties, feminist opposition to caged hens, and the long-awaited return of a Bruton pub

The latest intel on food, farming & food culture in Somerset (and beyond)

Dec 3, 2025 • Hugh Thomas

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November 2025

"The margins on a bag of flour are nothing like the margins on a handbag"

Amid one of the biggest nut harvests in recent memory, Glastonbury farmer Roger Saul reflects on the ticking "timebomb" of British farming

Nov 19, 2025 • Hugh Thomas

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Tax-dodging snail farms, the food bank moral dilemma, and how we might prepare for a more food resilient future

Here we are, then – after this month’s (quite thorough!) survey of supermarket prices versus independent food shop prices, it’s back to the monthly…

Nov 5, 2025 • Hugh Thomas

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October 2025

Can independent shops beat supermarkets on price?

While in Frome on a weekly food shop, I wonder: are independent retailers really as expensive as people think?

Oct 22, 2025 • Hugh Thomas

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Notes from a food festival in Bristol, does local food have a place in mainstream grocery shops, and huzzah for global warming

Roll up roll up for this month’s intel on food, farming & food culture in Somerset (and, on occasion, beyond)

Oct 8, 2025 • Hugh Thomas

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