"For reasons that may already be apparent, and that are currently playing on BBC One, I have spent much of 2025 watching people cook scallops and souffles in a windowless television location unit in Digbeth, Birmingham. MasterChef, despite being one of the most exhilarating jobs a girl can do, sucked up most of my waking hours this year, and made my free time extra-precious."
"I'm talking about the likes of Tropea in Harborne, just down the road from the TV studio, and where I've spent a fair few Saturdays eating butternut squash arancini, fresh tagliolini and whopping great deep-fried salted cannoli. Over in Bristol, meanwhile, two absolute gems revealed themselves on the very same trip: Ragu and Lapin, both in Wapping Wharf and both in repurposed shipping containers, but entirely different creatures."
"Lapin I described as a peculiar, meta, slightly earnest and definitely delicious slice of France that serves asparagus with sauce gribiche, gnocchi Parisienne and, well, lapin itself whenever local hunters manage to bag some bunnies. Lapin will add caviar to any dish, if you ask for it, they play 80s French pop and serve a mint-green, menthe-over-club-soda diabolo for those French exchange school trip vibes."
Production of MasterChef in Digbeth, Birmingham occupied much of 2025, concentrating time on filming and creating scarce free time. Exceptional restaurants became especially important as rare escapes offering hospitality and memorable food. Tropea in Harborne served butternut squash arancini, fresh tagliolini and deep-fried salted cannoli. Bristol's Wapping Wharf hosted Ragu and Lapin in repurposed shipping containers with contrasting approaches. Lapin served asparagus with sauce gribiche, gnocchi Parisienne, rabbit when available, optional caviar and a mint-green menthe-over-club-soda diabolo amid 1980s French pop. Ragu offered crespelle in rich tomato brodo, artichoke fritti and chocolate budino with sour cherries and amaretti.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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