Fiona Beckett
@fibeckett.bsky.social
Bristol-based former Guardian wine writer. Food and wine pairing geek. Publisher matchingfoodandwine.com and Eat This, Drink That on Substack fionabeckett.substack.com. @fibeckett_winematcher on insta
A fitting tribute to a groundbreaking and much-loved chef
A lot of what Skye did - seasonal cooking, eliminating single use plastics, using 'waste' products - is so well integrated into the cooking mainstream that it is easy to forget how pioneering it was. My obituary tries to give some small sense of it on.ft.com/4ptDNJF
Skye Gyngell, pioneering chef, 1962-2025
[FREE TO READ] At Petersham Nurseries and Spring, she brought style and beauty to seasonal cooking
on.ft.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:45 PM
A fitting tribute to a groundbreaking and much-loved chef
You don't have to be eating Japanese food to drink sake. Here are a couple of pairings you might well not have thought of www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
November 24, 2025 at 2:34 PM
You don't have to be eating Japanese food to drink sake. Here are a couple of pairings you might well not have thought of www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
Why Jerez is about more than just sherry. Including some great music open.substack.com/pub/sweeneyp...
Booze, bulls and bulerias. Sherry week in Jerez and Bristol
Six pages of wine and music with playlist... including Rosalia!
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Why Jerez is about more than just sherry. Including some great music open.substack.com/pub/sweeneyp...
I remenber bring commissioned by Rachel when she was on the Sunday Times. A really great editor and a great writer. Such very sad news observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Remembering Rachel Cooke | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 10:55 PM
I remenber bring commissioned by Rachel when she was on the Sunday Times. A really great editor and a great writer. Such very sad news observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Now that snacks are becoming a regular part of eating out maybe we should start pairing drinks with them, especially cocktails. Here's one combination that was spot on www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
Crab dumpling with a Citrus and Espelette cocktail
Citrus and crab is a tried and tested pairing but maybe you don’t always have it in cocktail form? If not you should!?
www.matchingfoodandwine.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Now that snacks are becoming a regular part of eating out maybe we should start pairing drinks with them, especially cocktails. Here's one combination that was spot on www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
Even sherry fans might question whether an amontillado would go with duck. Turns out it's a doozy #matchoftheweek www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...
Duck and amontillado sherry
A spectacular pairing menu which shows that it doesn’t matter whether a dish comes from Spain or Malaysia - it can work with sherry wines
www.matchingfoodandwine.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Even sherry fans might question whether an amontillado would go with duck. Turns out it's a doozy #matchoftheweek www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...
Like wine? Love cheese? Join me tomorrow! open.substack.com/pub/fionabec...
Cheese, wine & Waitrose
Some suggestions for tomorrow’s online tasting
open.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Like wine? Love cheese? Join me tomorrow! open.substack.com/pub/fionabec...
Good read on chef Alain Passard's conversion to veganism from Philip Sweeney sweeneyp.substack.com/p/how-i-slep...
How I slept with Alain Passard
without catching veganism
sweeneyp.substack.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Good read on chef Alain Passard's conversion to veganism from Philip Sweeney sweeneyp.substack.com/p/how-i-slep...
Ironically my #matchoftheweek from my trip to Georgia last week was not typically Georgian though it did involve a Georgian wine www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...
Chicken liver paté with qvevri-aged amber wine
You might expect a qvevri aged wine to go with typically Georgian food - and it does - but here’s a classic appetiser that works just as well.
www.matchingfoodandwine.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Ironically my #matchoftheweek from my trip to Georgia last week was not typically Georgian though it did involve a Georgian wine www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...
Pasta always goes with wine, surely? Not necessarily. #matchoftheweek www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...
Mushroom pasta and sake
You might think when it comes to food and wine pairing that wine is the perfect drink with pasta but this pairing proves that sake can do the job too.
www.matchingfoodandwine.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Pasta always goes with wine, surely? Not necessarily. #matchoftheweek www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...
You might not think of pairing full-bodied Aussie reds with Chinese food but you should! www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
Australian icon reds and Chinese food
You might think aromatic white wines like riesling are the best pairings for Chinese food but there are many dishes that could take a full-bodied red.
www.matchingfoodandwine.com
October 6, 2025 at 11:05 AM
You might not think of pairing full-bodied Aussie reds with Chinese food but you should! www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
When whisky is as good a pairing as wine. (And it's not with cheese or chocolate) www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
Wood roasted meat and a smoky island whisky
You might automatically think of drinking red wine with roast meat but in fact whisky works surprisingly well when it’s cooked over an open fire
www.matchingfoodandwine.com
September 30, 2025 at 8:54 PM
When whisky is as good a pairing as wine. (And it's not with cheese or chocolate) www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
Definitely a good rum - and music - interlude from my pal Philip Sweeney, an excellent writer who I can't seem to lure onto social media. And who can blame him although Bluesky is much more civilised than most. open.substack.com/pub/sweeneyp...
Voodoo Hotel Fire Tragedy
Long Read. A Haitian story, with rum interlude
open.substack.com
September 16, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Definitely a good rum - and music - interlude from my pal Philip Sweeney, an excellent writer who I can't seem to lure onto social media. And who can blame him although Bluesky is much more civilised than most. open.substack.com/pub/sweeneyp...
Would you serve a fine wine like Brunello with the pasta course? Maybe you should ... www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
Pasta with salsiccia and Brunello
If you’re wondering what t pair with a great red like Brunello di Montalcino you might be surprised there’s such a simple answer!
www.matchingfoodandwine.com
September 16, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Would you serve a fine wine like Brunello with the pasta course? Maybe you should ... www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
In its eagerness to court Gen Z is the wine trade overlooking its core consumer? A bit of a rant on my website! www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/recent/...
Wine consumers: the forgotten 40s, 50s and even 60s
In the frantic scramble to get Gen Z into wine are wine drinkers in their forties and fifties overlooked these days?
www.matchingfoodandwine.com
September 9, 2025 at 12:24 PM
In its eagerness to court Gen Z is the wine trade overlooking its core consumer? A bit of a rant on my website! www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/recent/...
Artichokes are a notoriously tricky ingredient to match but here's a wine that kicks them into touch www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
September 8, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Artichokes are a notoriously tricky ingredient to match but here's a wine that kicks them into touch www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
Thinking of going to Brussels this autumn? This might be a useful read open.substack.com/pub/fionabec...
A first timer’s food guide to Brussels
+ a cheap hotel, a warning about heavenly handbags and a paean of praise to Belgian brick.
open.substack.com
August 31, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Thinking of going to Brussels this autumn? This might be a useful read open.substack.com/pub/fionabec...
Loving the sound of this book by Michael Rosen www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Michael Rosen’s guide to having a happier day: listen to music, get a good night’s sleep ... and add raisins to ice-cream
Philip Larkin wrote that ‘days are where we live’. Even in the bleakest of times, there are things you can do to improve yours. Former children’s laureate Rosen has some suggestions …
www.theguardian.com
August 31, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Loving the sound of this book by Michael Rosen www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
If you're idly scrolling before your Bank Holiday barbecue you might fancy giving this pairing a try #matchoftheweek www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...
August 25, 2025 at 10:23 AM
If you're idly scrolling before your Bank Holiday barbecue you might fancy giving this pairing a try #matchoftheweek www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o...
If you're at or planning to go to the #edinburghfestival next week - or even next year - you might find these tips useful. fionabeckett.substack.com/p/how-to-sur...
How to survive the Edinburgh Festival
And get the best out of the Fringe
fionabeckett.substack.com
August 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
If you're at or planning to go to the #edinburghfestival next week - or even next year - you might find these tips useful. fionabeckett.substack.com/p/how-to-sur...
If you're enjoying a kebab there are other options to drink than a lager... www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
August 12, 2025 at 11:00 AM
If you're enjoying a kebab there are other options to drink than a lager... www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/match_o... #matchoftheweek
He certainly was! Even I wouldn't go that far! 😉
Food/Wine Pairing in Decanter -
Enjoyed an eloquent article on the aforementioned by @vinography.com and @fibeckett.bsky.social. Thanks for being such good sports.
My old boss (1995 ish) took great pleasure in recommending different sherries with every food / wine pairing enquiry. Hero!
Enjoyed an eloquent article on the aforementioned by @vinography.com and @fibeckett.bsky.social. Thanks for being such good sports.
My old boss (1995 ish) took great pleasure in recommending different sherries with every food / wine pairing enquiry. Hero!
August 12, 2025 at 10:58 AM
He certainly was! Even I wouldn't go that far! 😉
A super-easy, pretty recipe for two (plate from your nearest charity shop) open.substack.com/pub/fionabec...
Chicken with grapes and tarragon
A retro recipe for two for a sunny summer evening.
open.substack.com
August 5, 2025 at 12:05 PM
A super-easy, pretty recipe for two (plate from your nearest charity shop) open.substack.com/pub/fionabec...
A week late to this but what a great idea and a beautiful illustration
August 3, 2025 at 9:39 AM
A week late to this but what a great idea and a beautiful illustration
This week's Friday 5 includes under £10 summer whites, the way to host a cider feast, a ridiculously cool London restaurant, why you should buy direct from the farmer and the nationwide obsession with 'picky bits' fionabeckett.substack.com/p/the-friday...
The Friday 5 #149
Summer whites under £10, the coolest restaurant in London (probably) and how we’re all obsessed with picky bits
fionabeckett.substack.com
August 1, 2025 at 3:10 PM
This week's Friday 5 includes under £10 summer whites, the way to host a cider feast, a ridiculously cool London restaurant, why you should buy direct from the farmer and the nationwide obsession with 'picky bits' fionabeckett.substack.com/p/the-friday...