• RICHARD HOLMES discovers it’s not only the fruit of the vines that makes Napa a popular foodie destination It’s hard to think of a more impressive way to leave the city streets behind and head off into wine country than by driving over the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. And on a sparkling autumn morning, San Francisco’s Bay Area was showing her best face, as ferries plied the waters rushing through the famous rocky promontory that gives the bridge its name. Tourists and locals cycled and wandered across the 80-year-old span as our Trafalgar coach cruised across the gap. Behind us…

    For the Greek community, Easter is a time for family, food and tradition. It’s a feast. A Feast of the Gods, if you will. There is a moment of silence. The deeply comforting aroma of garlic lingers in the air, almost tangible, and Nick Papadopoulos stands in the kitchen surveying counters full of food. His wife, Katia, stands to one side and his business partner, Eric Edwards, flanks the other. It too is like a marriage as they’ve worked and cooked together for 22 years. As if on cue, Nick’s parents arrive and conversation erupts in Greek. They stop to cast…

    By Jane Lawson (Murdoch Books)Reviewed by Kate TurnerSelf-confessed ‘Japanophile’, Jane Lawson, captures the restorative power of Japanese food in this superb collection of Japanese recipes. Finding herself stressed and unhappy, Jane retreats to peaceful Kyoto to seek balance and equilibrium in her life. What she haps upon is the artistry of Japanese cuisine, the wizardry concealed by pluming pots. Jane explores the concept of zenbu zen (everything is zen) and compiles this coffee-table book equivalent to a raked zen garden.