http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/ JournalLive for North East news. Read the latest from The Journal newspaper covering Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, Northumberland all areas across the Northeast. en-gb JournalLive http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/07/18/good-service-is-with-a-smile-and-sensitivity-61634-21362176/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/07/18/good-service-is-with-a-smile-and-sensitivity-61634-21362176/ ARE there things that irritate you about waiters? I find there are and it seems to be a very subjective and personal matter. In a recent unscientific survey carried out by yours truly, there appears to be some common complaints. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/07/11/throwing-business-out-alongside-food-scraps-61634-21322704/ Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/07/11/throwing-business-out-alongside-food-scraps-61634-21322704/ I’M getting to know builders quite well. Work has recently started at our new restaurant site in Newcastle but I’ve also had the builders in at home – for a two to three-week job that’s taken seven weeks. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/07/04/money-making-wheeze-will-scare-off-customers-61634-21226075/ Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/07/04/money-making-wheeze-will-scare-off-customers-61634-21226075/ I’VE got this fabulous money-making idea. It’s occurred to me that if you own a restaurant and are already paying for the building, that we can do more, and in fact have a responsibility to our investors, to get the best return on that investment. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/06/20/banning-alcohol-will-only-help-make-it-seem-more-attractive-61634-21108796/ Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/06/20/banning-alcohol-will-only-help-make-it-seem-more-attractive-61634-21108796/ WITH the rising problems associated with the extreme drinking habits of our adolescents, at first it seems completely logical to ban anyone under the age of 21 from buying alcohol, as they are proposing in Scotland. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/06/13/why-playing-the-name-game-gives-me-food-for-thought-61634-21066361/ Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/06/13/why-playing-the-name-game-gives-me-food-for-thought-61634-21066361/ I’ve toyed with the handle “Bill’s Café” over the years but never been able to convince anyone that it’s a goer http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/06/06/image-isn-t-everything-61634-21031323/ Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/06/06/image-isn-t-everything-61634-21031323/ “PEOPLE eat with their eyes,” argued my colleague some years ago. “Yes,” I replied, “but the eating has to be the priority. Let’s not lose sight of that.” http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/05/30/let-s-not-play-the-name-game-61634-20994722/ Thu, 29 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/05/30/let-s-not-play-the-name-game-61634-20994722/ WHAT’S in a name? I mean, are you more likely to be successful in life if your name is Peregrine or Julian or Piers, rather than Dave or Steve or Bill? http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/05/23/to-the-core-of-my-grumpiness-61634-20965195/ Thu, 22 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/05/23/to-the-core-of-my-grumpiness-61634-20965195/ A USED-to-be friend recently bought me the book, Grumpy Old Men. Why, I don’t know, as I’m the epitome of sweetness and light and go through life like a child skipping through a field of daisies. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/05/16/online-and-off-message-61634-20918658/ Thu, 15 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/05/16/online-and-off-message-61634-20918658/ IT’S a good thing they’ve finally painted the Forth Bridge with a special paint which means that now, for the first time since it was built, they don’t have to start all over again immediately they finish. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/05/02/carrot-and-stick-beats-ranting-61634-20849426/ Thu, 01 May 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/05/02/carrot-and-stick-beats-ranting-61634-20849426/ BEING in the food industry, you’d expect me to believe in the carrot and stick approach to management, but not everybody in my position seems to agree. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/04/25/good-food-requires-getting-back-to-basics-61634-20817030/ Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/04/25/good-food-requires-getting-back-to-basics-61634-20817030/ I WAS reminded recently about the first time I connected to the internet. It was some years before Google and I remember marvelling at how quickly the old modem connected (it probably took little more than five minutes) and the speed at which information was downloaded. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/04/18/the-dishes-that-made-us-great-61634-20781857/ Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/04/18/the-dishes-that-made-us-great-61634-20781857/ MAYBE I’d have been better off if it hadn’t happened, but I bumped into an old girlfriend recently. And both “bumped into” and “old” are apt words as she was considerably bigger than how I remember her and much older than I expected. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/04/11/perhaps-it-s-time-to-praise-ourselves-61634-20749113/ Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/04/11/perhaps-it-s-time-to-praise-ourselves-61634-20749113/ IT’S a difficult one this. The recent debacle at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 demonstrates that we seem to love a home-made disaster more than anything; particularly when there are obvious culprits. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/04/04/reality-alive-and-kicking-61634-20717109/ Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/04/04/reality-alive-and-kicking-61634-20717109/ I’VE been running my own businesses for 11 years now and, believe me, the ups and downs certainly teach you a thing or two about life – real life. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/03/28/one-wrong-word-and-you-re-off-the-trolley-61634-20684560/ Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/03/28/one-wrong-word-and-you-re-off-the-trolley-61634-20684560/ I KNOW I’m a useless husband but, in mitigation, it’s not my fault. It’s my genes. At least I hope it is – and that there’s not something terribly wrong with me. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/03/21/keep-customers-safe-from-prying-eyes-61634-20654495/ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/03/21/keep-customers-safe-from-prying-eyes-61634-20654495/ I’VE just been flying over our house. Not in a plane like you’d expect but courtesy of some government satellite and those nice people who provide Google Earth for free. I love Google Earth. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/03/14/dishes-that-stir-the-dinner-memories-61634-20620462/ Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/03/14/dishes-that-stir-the-dinner-memories-61634-20620462/ WHETHER schooling on its own can turn a little so-and-so into an academic angel or a committed student into a thieving, vandalising, hooligan is definitely up for debate. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/03/07/i-ve-done-it-before-but-it-s-still-frightening-61634-20570887/ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/03/07/i-ve-done-it-before-but-it-s-still-frightening-61634-20570887/ ONE of my sisters is a teacher, an honourable profession for which she underwent a thorough training, was tested in exams and given on-the-job experience before being let loose within the well-ordered structure that is a school. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/02/29/a-natural-talent-for-learning-new-skills-61634-20538766/ Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/02/29/a-natural-talent-for-learning-new-skills-61634-20538766/ THERE are some things you’re a natural at and others that you have to be taught. For instance, over the years I’ve discovered by chance that I’m actually quite handy around the house. http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/02/22/if-you-dislike-cabbage-blame-those-romans-61634-20508151/ Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-taste/wine-reviews/bill-oldfield/2008/02/22/if-you-dislike-cabbage-blame-those-romans-61634-20508151/ WHATEVER did the Romans do for us? Apart from introducing us to prefabrication, mechan- ised weapons, baths, central heating, aqueducts, sewage systems, cats, glass and street cleaners, as well as libraries, public order, firemen, police and an extended calendar, what did they actually do for us?