Bensoir! It's me, Benjamin. I like to eat and drink. And cook. And write.

You may have read stuff I've written elsewhere, but here on my own blog as Ben Viveur I'm liberated from the editorial shackles of others, so pretty much anything goes.

BV is about enjoying real food and drink in the real world. I showcase recipes that taste awesome, but which can be created by mere mortals without the need for tons of specialist equipment and a doctorate in food science. And as a critic I tend to review relaxed establishments that you might visit on a whim without having to sell your first-born, rather than hugely expensive restaurants and style bars in the middle of nowhere with a velvet rope barrier, a stringent dress code and a six-month waiting list!

There's plenty of robust opinion, commentary on the world of food and drink, and lots of swearing, so look away now if you're easily offended. Otherwise, tuck your bib in, fill your glass and turbo-charge your tastebuds. We're going for a ride... Ben Appetit!

Saturday, August 3, 2019

How times change...

Having reached my 40s, and considering myself really quite open-minded about food and drink, Ive been thinking about how little my tastes have changed in adulthood, yet how drastically they were altered in the space of a few years - probably from 14-17 or so.

Happily, there seem to be far more things that I've 'grown into' than those with which I've fallen out of love.



Stuff I liked as a child but now pretty much detest Stuff I hated as a child and still don't really like Stuff I thought I didn't like as a child but now rather enjoy
  • Milk
  • McDonalds
  • Cadbury's Chocolate
  • Margarine
  • Cake Icing (the traditional hard, white kind)
  • The adhesive you lick on the back of stamps.

  • Peas
  • Tuna
  • Quorn (and its laboratorial ilk)
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Broad Beans
  • Liquorice
  • Marzipan - even when I liked the icing that goes with it.
  • Mushrooms
  • Haggis
  • Venison
  • Broccoli 
  • Black Pudding
  • Anchovies
  • Carrots
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Butter Beans 
  • Smoking
  • While we're on the subject, Frankfurters and other smoked sausages
  • Tofu
  • Blue Cheese
  • Pâtés and Terrines
  • Poached Eggs
  • Game Birds
  • Veal
  • Grapefruit
  • Yoghurt