Happy eater
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The prophets of modern dieting want you to feel guilty about foodThere have always been diet books – and they’ve always been stupid. But now they have added a moral dimension
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Ham and the curse of 'first world problems'It is possible to disapprove of machine-cut jamon and to feel outrage over Syria at the same time. Not that everyone agrees with me …
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The system of service charges is crass, inefficient and demeaning. Let’s end itIt’s time for restaurants to get rid of tips
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Cumbrian sheep, Veronese pasta – the protection of food culture can go too farThe mayor of Verona has banned new restaurants selling mostly ‘ethnic’ food - but surely the city’s pasta joints can hold their own against kebabs?
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What makes a meal really memorable?It’s not dishes served in sheep skulls or any manufactured ‘wow factor’. It’s much more subtle and emotional than that
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The 12 things that restaurants must stop doing in 2016Get rid of the tiny tables and put in some lights so I can read the menu. Please …
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My wishlist for really useful kitchen gadgetsA mandoline that won’t slice your hand open, a prawn peeler and a self-cleaning hob. Who could ask for more?
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Turkey, beef or scrawny goose? I’m already in a panic about Christmas dinnerIt was all a lot simpler when we put up with the Christmas turkey, whether anyone liked it or not
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There are just so many imaginative ways to deal with a pig’s headBraised, stuffed, slow roasted … it’s something the English upper classes have long appreciated
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Learn to make a soufflé? I’ve got better things to doI’ve reached an age where I can proudly say there are certain things in life that it’s just not worth starting
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Don’t bang on to me about ethical food if you still keep a stash of very unfairly traded weedMillennials and urban hipsters love the hashtag #eatclean – but do they apply the same standards to their grass and coke?
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What’s so bad about ‘processed food’?Some food campaigners should mind their language just as much as they mind what they eat
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Wedding season is here: bring on the crimes against foodJay Rayner: Let’s stop paying catering firms more than the cost of a Michelin-starred meal for grim chicken and sauces that could creosote fences
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Rules for a happy life: never look under a teenager’s bed and never clear out your kitchen cupboardDinky jars of harissa, rice wines and things with furry moulds: all stood as testimony to my lack of commitment as an adventurous cook
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There’s one photograph all politicians fear: the one of them eatingAt one time politicians were allowed to be distant and dignified. And maybe when it comes to consuming food in public, it should remain that way, says Jay Rayner
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It’s Mother’s Day – and no one’s better suited to tasting your kitchen disasters than mumJay Rayner: Across the country, terrible meals will be served up today in an atmosphere of anxiety and desperation. Never mind – just get on with it
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We don’t hand down family recipes any more. Maybe that’s not such a bad thingJay Rayner: I want to pass on an enthusiasm for food and a sense of adventure
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My cooking is a mess – and tastes better for itJay Rayner: There’s a place for artful food presentation – it’s just not usually on my plate
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From foams to foraging, food trends are as silly – and enjoyable – as any other fashionJay Rayner: Here’s my prediction for 2015. There will be food. Some of it will be horrible. Some of it will be really nice. Just get on with it
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In the kitchen, I got the powerJay Rayner: When modern life gets out of control, there’s one refuge where I get to play God
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Some dishes just aren’t made for sharingJay Rayner: Some filthy food secrets are simply unforgivable. Best that you keep them behind closed doors
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Just because you can go foraging doesn’t mean you shouldJay Rayner: It’s that time of year when chefs are spotted stumbling around the countryside looking for produce. But, more than what you pick, it’s how you cook your haul that really matters
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Hey, kids – leave my bad food stash alone
Jay Rayner: What do you do when the children find your sherbet lemons and pork scratchings – and all the other things you told them were bad?
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The war on fat is over – and I won
Jay Rayner: The killjoys can eat humble pie. Dairy and red meat fats aren't bad for you – and now there are hard figures to back up the case I've been making for years
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Clean eating: yet another pious diet to squeeze the joy out of good food
Gwyneth Paltrow 'eats clean', which tells you all you need to know about the latest self‑deluded food fad, writes Jay Rayner
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Salt beef sandwiches, my dad and me
My father Des was always there to remind me that there are more important things than lunch, writes Jay Rayner
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Burnt toast? Spare ribs? Why the dirtiest food is the most delicious
Fine dining is all very well, but sometimes there's nothing like burnt toast or those lurid chicken-shop spare ribs, writes Jay Rayner
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The end of the world is nigh. Time for a bacon sandwich
Jay Rayner: After Armageddon, survivors will need the essentials of comfort food: Findus crispy pancakes and Angel Delight
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Why I'm so bored with superfoods
Jay Rayner: The dreary cult of superfoods makes too many foolish promises. And it ruins a good lunch
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Don't even think of knocking Nando's
Jay Rayner: it's a sign that the food on British high streets is better than its European equivalent
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Why posh restaurants are wasted on the rich
Jay Rayner: Louboutin heels, Botox and no taste: fine restaurants are wasted on their pampered clientele
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Why you won't catch me queuing for a burger
Jay Rayner: Waiting two hours in a line for beef in a bun was never going to be a good idea
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You don't like tripe? You're not trying hard enough
From marmite to oysters, there's food people say they can't stand. Maybe they should make an effort (but with some things, once is definitely enough)
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Krispy Kreme doughnuts, naughty food and me
Jay Rayner: So there might be a magic bullet for obesity. I'm sorry, but that's just wrong
Why do so many people choose dull ‘death row’ meals?