Debbie does Dining

Debbie does the Deep South

Adieu for a while, dear DDDers - I am dragging my sorry carcass to the food mecca that is the Deep South.

Hopefully, I will return with many a tale of soft-shell crabs and po'boys, grits, gumbo and lashings of Southern style - and I have given myself a special brief of seeking out the weirdest groceries the US has to offer, which I'll review on my return. 

If anyone has recommendations for Louisiana (chiefly New Orleans) and Alabama, tell me quick.

I'll miss you all.

Recipe: Gravad lax

Gravad lax - cured salmon with dill - is a great favourite in Scandinavia. Terribly fresh and clean-tasting, this healthy dish makes a sophisticated starter, and being able to say 'I made it myself' gives you innumerable smug points (don't be coy, we all know they exist).

The whole thing's off: Tesco chicken arrabbiatta sandwich

Tesco says arrabiatta, I and the whole nation of Italy say arrabbiata – let’s call the whole thing off.

Awkward interval: Barbican food hall

The Barbican centre - a City cultural mecca and architectural mess - has always been a bit crap for food. I can’t see why this should be the case, but like Tube overcrowding and the inevitability of death, it’s something one comes to accept.

However, the times they are a-changin' – as nobody who has ever played at the Barbican would say – and the tired old Waterside restaurant, with its overtones of French service station cum staff canteen, has been revamped into a ‘food hall’.

Pot noodle: Doner kebab

This is not an illustration. It is a warning notice.