It cost less than a tenner, made bottles of the stuff and at the end of it I was always so sick of drinking it, the smell of ripe peaches often made me wretch. Looking back, I’ve no idea why, other than the value of getting litres of booze quite cheap, because I was never a fan of Peach Schnapps.

It also managed to stink the house out during the brewing process, which didn’t exactly enamour my family to my new hobby.

So when a press release for iBrew, a new product to make your own beer, arrived in my inbox, I jumped at the chance of trying it. The makers boast that it costs less than 50p a pint, which is true, if you take the initial outlay of the starter system out of the loop. It’ll set you back around £64.99 (refills that’ll do 20 pints cost £9.49). So once you’re up and running it is quite cheap, but unlike my Schnapps making days, you have to spend a fair few quid to get going. And unlike my younger days this didn’t make my house smell like yeast for three weeks.

The starter kit (pictured right) comes complete with everything you need to become your very own brewery and the whole process takes just 21 days to make the beer.

It’s as simple as kicking a ball. Just 15 minutes is all it takes to complete the first phase, then even less time a week later.

Leave it for another two weeks and you’re ready for action. It’s expensive, yes, but it’s a great gift for Father’s Day or if you want to have a batch of beer ready for the World Cup final!

To find out more log on to www.ibrew.co.uk

We were rambling up Las Ramblas on the morning after the night before and we spotted a small kebab place and sat down. €10.50 for a kebab seemed reasonable and our heads were ready to explode. Happy Snapper was in no mood for eating but was convinced into having some chips by the waiter. Two cokes and a water were added to the order.

The kebab wasn’t all that bad, came with a great salad and wasn’t the greasy rubbish you get in some places – there was a mix of lamb, veal and chicken on the plate. It did a great job at making me feel a little better. But then I had been robbed the night before so it didn’t take much.

We ask for the bill and it arrives, totaling €50. Fifty fricking Euro? It was €21 for the two kebabs so for two cokes, a water and a plate of chips it cost €29. They were having a laugh, but our brains hurt so we just paid up and left, reflecting on how wonderful it was to be robbed a second time.

The first season of Great British Menu could have taken a completely different path had Michael Deane decided to take up the offer to appear on the BBC show. He was replaced by Richard Corrigan, who is enjoying a stint on the current show as a ‘judge’.

“Corrigan actually replaced me [on Great British Menu]. I was meant to do it the first year and our PR company elected for me not to do it, because I was meant to do it against Paul Rankin and I think we felt that it would have been hard for me to beat Rankin because Paul is a very, very media trained chef and he would also probably have been seen more as maybe not the number one restaurateur any more and if he had of beat me then it probably would have been all over the papers,” said Michael Deane.

“We decided between myself, our PR company and Kate that reality TV is maybe not always the truth. The problem is with the BBC it’s the same formula. To me it’s all a bit ‘here we go again’. I think Brian McCann is a good chef, but his answers sound like they have been manufactured before he was even in the program. I think Niall has come across very well, even though he’s a rival. He deserves to win it. But Corrigan is the Godfather of it, even though he’s not from Northern Ireland and he got a lot of flack about it. I love Richard. I loved the Shanks Apprentice, it was just a bundle of energy.”

Next week’s magazine, which will be in all our titles features Michael Deane talking about the closure of his Howard Street restaurant and whether he thinks he’ll get a Michelin star again or not. Raymond Blanc is also featured talking about his forthcoming wedding (exclusive, maybe… haven’t read it anywhere else), Theirry Henry’s hand of God and last season’s The Restaurant winners, JJ and James.

Our very own Manuel is also interviewed, expect, well, you know what to expect. Lots more, and next week we move to a brand new website, new address, new look… suggestions welcome!

How bad could it be to use the disposable kind? We bought two big ones and a combination of myself, the Veg, Mouthy Sister and a few of the elderly all had turns. Mouthy Sister took over when the Veg and I got a little trigger happy, putting meat on before the coals were white. A batch of burgers wasted.

Everyone pretty much had a go at ruining various types of meat, ending with me biting into what I thought was a well cooked chicken drumstick to find a raw centre.

It seems to me that I could blame our cooking, but I’ve BBQ’ed many times. I was also at the Mouthy Sister and the Veg’s house warming party where there was a stonking BBQ. How could so many cooks get it so wrong? I believe it was the disposable BBQs.

They seemed to me to be either too hot or too cold, and you don’t have the luxury of being able to move things to a place of lower temperature.

So here’s my advice – don’t fricking bother with the disposable ones, they’re a crock of shit.

It really tells the story of a restaurant when, out of 15 main courses, a children’s meal is the second nicest meal of the lot. Had it not been for a wonderful smoked salmon risotto (which the Veg ordered because he saw that it was locally cured salmon) then the kids’ battered cod would have been top.

That said, in my eyes, it was a close-run contest. Yes the salmon was excellent and it was a perfectly cooked risotto with some sort of red pepper dressing, but the cod was cooked to perfection with a wonderful batter. I had to remind myself that stealing your daughter’s dinner because yours isn’t up to much is frowned upon in modern society. Especially with so many witnesses at the table.

We were at the Bayview Hotel in Portballintrae and, as the name would suggest, is on the coast. The views from the dining room, which looks out over the Atlantic Ocean, are nothing short of stunning. If they tidied up their menu a bit, and did a lot of work some of the staff, this could be one of the North’s great restaurants.

I could beat around the bush, but I’m too tired from night feeds for that. The waiting staff were dreadful. We arrived and all 15 of us were seated and it was 10 minutes later that Mrs F had to ask was there any danger of seeing a menu (obviously in a nicer way).

The starters did make me expect a lot more than was ultimately delivered. I had the crispy Whitebait with a lemon mayo which was excellent. Mrs F had locally cured smoked salmon with a caper salad and wheaten, which was equally as good. The oldies, as is their need with false teeth and all that, seemed to stick to the soup and Mouthy Sister went for some Haloumi Cheese served on an asian style noodle salad.

When it came to the mains, however, things went downhill. First off the menu. It’s cluttered, unsure of itself and like a naturally beautiful woman who puts too much make-up on, covering up her beauty, the mains do the Bayview a great disservice.

There’s so many nationalities covered that you wonder whether the person who came up with the menu was involved in a drinking game at the time. If they stuck to serving steaks and seafood, I’d probably go out of my way to drive back down.

But the menu is full of noodle dishes, tandoori, Thai curries in amongst classic fish dishes. Non Mouthy sister’s dish was alright but was in the wrong restaurant. And the portioning is all over the place. One main course would easily feed a small family, the next would just about fill you up. The Bayview is particularly over the top when it comes to the curries. The non drinker had a Thai Green Seafood curry. On the menu it came with noodles but mentioned you could have rice instead. He asked the waitress (she was as poor an example of waitressing as I’ve seen in a while) could he have rice instead. On calling her back when he received it to say that there was noodles in there instead of rice she seemed like she didn’t know what he was talking about.

Even at that, there was far too much of it. I tasted mostly everyone’s mains and whilst mine and Mouthy sister’s were very poorly cooked, the salmon special wasn’t far behind it.

We had ordered fresh fillet of hake with butternut and roast fennel puree which had a drizzle of curry oil. The puree and oil were great, the hake was so far past the point of overcooked we could probably have used it as a tennis ball in the court behind our holiday homes.

The scampi wasn’t bad but back to the portioning, it came with nothing other than a small salad and tartare sauce. No choice of side, and at £12.25 that’s a bit much. We hake eaters, desperate to fill up had to order a bowl of veg to try and salvage our mains.

I tried the curries and they were okay, not bad, full of seafood, but ultimately a major part of a confused menu. The Bayview should be a restaurant celebrating its stunning coastline location with perfectly cooked local seafood. Who the hell wants Teriyaki Duck when you could have a piece of locally cured smoked salmon?

The poor service didn’t end there, my uncle ordered beef. The waitress brought out a stirfry. He told her it wasn’t what he ordered and, long story short, he was landed with a dish he didn’t want, nor like. That, in my book is the ultimate in disgraceful waiting practice. Even if he had mistakenly ordered the wrong thing, which he didn’t, with 15 people eating and drinking in their restaurant, the least they could do is to bring him what he wanted.

We finished with a handful of us getting desserts – the sticky toffee pudding being a triumph for all those who sailed in her. But it helped to show the inconsistencies of a restaurant that really hasn’t found its identity yet. Here’s a tip for you – simplify the menu, train those members of staff who aren’t customer friendly and think local… you might just be in with a shout then.

This Friday I head to Barcelona for the Grump’s stag do. Yes, we’ll probably end up drinking when we get to the airport at 7.30am on Friday morning. Yes, there’ll be casualties… I’d put money on the fact that nine will go and there’ll be less returning. And, yes, we’ll be tying the Grump to a lamppost, spraying him with Eau De Dog, before handcuffing him to a horny pitbull. But that’s just your average stag do.

What I want to know from any of you who’ve been there is where should we eat and drink? We’re staying just off La Rambla so places near there where we can stagger to and from… There must be some fantastic little restaurants and bars and cocktail places to go to. I’ve been to Barça a few times now, but I’ll be damned if I can actually remember anywhere I’ve been (apart from a little jazz bar). So help me out… where should we go?

Pulp Fiction was a memorable film for many reasons but one of my favourite scenes was when Vincent Vega had Mia Wallace sit down in Jack Rabbit Slim’s 50s- themed restaurant.

Uma Thurman, who plays Wallace, asks for a $5 milkshake and, on tasting it, Travolta’s character says: “That’s a pretty f**king good milkshake. I don’t know if it’s worth five dollars but it’s pretty f**king good.”

Ever since I watched the movie I’ve been wondering when someone would open up a shop selling milkshakes. I pride myself on my own milkshakes, but up until last week I hadn’t ever had one in a restaurant or cafe in Belfast that was worthy of a Pulp Fiction mention.

That is until I nearly crashed the car driving through Stranmillis and noticing Got Milkshake whose strapline shouts ‘Shakes, Cakes, Coffee’. The vibrant aqua blue-painted building against the large pink and white logo screams come in and drink me.

On the pretence that it was for the children, I ventured down with my daughter and nephew. On entering the Aladdin’s cave of non-alcoholic beverages you’re hit with a menu that’s dazzling and slightly overwhelming at first. There’s so many types of milkshake to choose from it’s hard to know where to start on the menu.

The list of shakes on offer ranges from the plain and simple chocolate and strawberry to drinks that use old sweets or chocolate bars as their base.

After changing my mind more times than the children, I finally decided on a Fruit Salad shake (the sweet made by Barratts) with the kids going for chocolate and bubblegum.

My mum, also piggybacking on this ‘trip for the children’, went for a Bounty milkshake and we all settled on various types of cup cakes.

The cupcakes were fresh and light with thick buttercream icing in various guises swirled on top, messy to eat, delicious with a milkshake and perfect for an after- school run.

The milkshake was perfect – freezing cold, not too thick and with a great kick of Fruit Salad. The Bounty milkshake was equally good with small nuggets of coconut sitting at the bottom and thankfully all the straws are slightly spoon shaped at one end to allow you to ravage for hidden treasures at the bottom of the shake. The only thing missing was proper milkshake glasses, instead you’re given your drink in a disposable cup, which is okay, but a proper glass would make the experience all the better.

I can’t think of a better way to spend half an hour in the afternoon than sitting down with a great milkshake and a fluffy cupcake. If you like shakes, you must go.

I think they could probably even convince Vincent Vega they’re worth every penny…

Got Milkshake, 141 Stranmillis Road (also in Castle Court)

Another piece of a major expansion plan for Little Wing Pizzeria fell into place last week when the Lisburn Road branch officially opened.

The second Little Wing to open is, however, only a starting point with the company looking to have 40 branches open within five years.

And Managing Director Conall Wolsey believes that the ambitious plans are already well on their way to being fulfilled.

“The idea is between years four and five to be up 40 units across all Ireland. We’ve  Ann Street currently, then ourselves here [Lisburn Road]. Ballyhackamore will be open towards the end of May, then Bangor and Holywood will be towards the end of September and that’ll bring us up to five,” said Conall.

“We’re currently looking in other provincial towns and we’re looking down South as well quite actively. In under a year we’ll be up to five. Come May next year we’ll be well on target to 10. So years four to five, the goal is 40 outlets.

“The product is there and we have the passion for it. It’s something we enjoy – providing a good product to everyone. You get certain brands and certain restaurants that are specific to one age group or one demographic whereas here it’s across the board.”

Passion is the key to success in the group of pizzerias, believes Conall.

“We started and created this pizzeria with the feel that it should be casual and have a great atmosphere and that it should feel like a wee Italian pizzeria. We’ve gone for the cherry rosewood around here, which gives it a bit of depth and character. The ethos of Little Wing itself is authentic pizza with passion. We’ve put a great amount of effort and time into sourcing our quality ingredients. Everything we have here is fresh, nothing is processed.

“Our toppings are local and the cheese is local but the pizza sauce itself is imported from Italy. We sent our Executive Chef out there and he spent three weeks touring until he found a tomato that he was happy and satisfied with. There’s only three months of the year that they’re picked and turned into a paste and sauce and then sent over to us.”

The quality of the pizzas has already been making the Ann Street branch a major success story. The manager from that store was drafted in to get Ann Street up and running alongside 20 members of staff, and then he’ll move on to the Ballyhackamore store.

Officially launched on May 3rd after some dry runs with charities and a massive family day where 60 friends, family and suppliers along with their children enjoyed a fun Sunday, Little Wing’s Lisburn Road branch doesn’t offer a window like its Ann Street relative where you can buy a slice walking past. The footfall at night just isn’t there for it to be sustainable, though customers can walk in and order a slice to go.

One of the reasons for Little Wing’s success to date has been a concentrated online effort.

“We actively take on things like Facebook and Twitter and it’s done by ourselves. We put a lot of time and effort into that.”

Unsurprisingly, the biggest seller on the menu is pepperoni pizza. They group even did some market research into favourite toppings with some 80 per cent agreeing on pepperoni. Not content, however, to stick to night time, the Lisburn Road branch is trying out something new – breakfast.

“There will be things in each unit that will be unique. For instance, we’re doing breakfast pizzas here, called Morning Time at Little Wing.

“We’re doing a bacon and maple syrup one. It’s like a dough ball, a half pizza and it’s rectangular. There’s a cherry tomato and fried egg one and a bacon and egg one. There’s also a Nutella one, a cinnamon one and marmalade one. It’s unique for Belfast. There are no pizzerias you can walk in and get breakfast.

“For our pizzas we did a lot of research in New York and Italy.

“We liked the thin base of the Naples-style pizza, but we also liked the chewiness of the New York style pizza. New Yorkers like it a bit chewier, not as crisp, so we came to a happy medium.

“The dough is made to our recipe. The oven we have is critical to each place and we’ve invested heavily in the oven – that’s what makes the pizza. The wood stone ovens come over from England and they’re fantastic. After ventilation they cost us just over £45,000 – they’re not cheap but the secret to a good pizza is how quickly the moisture is taken out of the dough.

“In your average high street pizzeria they’ll have maybe a £6k or £7k oven and it’ll be heavy with cheese and it’ll be soggy because it takes 8-9 minutes to cook, whereas here it takes just over two minutes and gives you that crispness with a bit of chew to it.

“In our dry runs we had people having their pizzas on their tables  six minutes from ordering . It’s great for express lunches and things like that.”

Little Wing Pizzeria , 322 Lisburn Road,
T: 028 9066 6000
W: www.littlewingpizzeria.com

Some may think Michael Barrymore is madder than a vegetarian at a BBQ after watching this week’s Celebrity Gameshow host Come Dine With Me. I just thought he was sad.

Yes, he was crazy – from rubbing a dessert into the now mullet-less Pat Sharp; to nicking a fur coat from Bruce Forsyth’s ex, Anthea and then presenting it as a gift to Jenny Powell, he was a mad hatter for every night on the show except his own. But it looked to me like a man trying to cause as much controversy (and get as much publicity from the show) as possible in order to get back onto our televisions.

Granted, he was funny, but it all seemed rather predictable. It’s how I expected him to behave right down to the messing around with Anthea’s food whilst she was out of the room. Though it’s probably fair to say all their careers could do with a boot up the backside.

I haven’t heard of Pat ‘boob watch and crap jokes’ Sharp in two decades and I’m not sure I want to again. But it got me thinking – if you could have a celebrity or two over for dinner, who would it be and why?

I’d love to have had Robert B. Parker over, but unfortunately he died at the start of the year. I think I’d have Axl Rose over just to hear about the early days of Guns ‘n’ Roses and to ask him what the frick he was thinking about with Chinese Democracy. I could have made a shit album in a week, how it took him 15 years is beyond me…

So who would it be at your dinner table and why?