Ragù, Bristol BS1: ‘I recommend it wholly, effusively and slightly enviously’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Ragù is a cool, minimal, romantic ode to Italian cooking that’s housed in a repurposed shipping container on Wapping Wharf in waterside Bristol. No, come back, please – don’t be scared. There are tables, chairs, napkins, reservations and all the other accoutrements of a bricks-and-mortar restaurant, even if this metal box may at some point in its existence once have been used to ship things to China and back. To my mind, Wapping Wharf has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and no longer feels at all like one of those novelty “box parks” that have about them a heavy whiff of the edgy temporary fixture. Today’s Wapping Wharf is a true independent food destination in its own right, and with a bird’s-eye view from one of Ragù’s window seats, while eating venison rump with gorgonzola dolce and sipping a booze-free vermouth, you can watch the crowds head for the likes of the modern French Lapin, Tokyo diner Seven Lucky Gods, modern British Box-E, Gurt Wings and many more; by day, there’s also a bakery, a butcher, a fromagerie and so on

Raise a glass to National Beer Day: tips on the perfect pint

I didn’t write a Valentine’s Day column, I also didn’t do one for Mother’s Day, and I won’t be doing one for Father’s Day, either. Who am I to tell you how to enjoy your time with your most beloved – and who am I to tell you what they ought to be drinking, seeing as these days that’s invariably informed by gendered marketing and targeted campaigns?The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.I am, however, writing a column for National Beer Day on 15 June (the same as Father’s Day – yawn)

Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for cherry and honeycomb cheesecake pots | The sweet spot

Honeycomb gets lots of attention in the autumn months, but this crunchy brittle is such fun to make all year round, and adds a playful texture to all sorts of desserts such as today’s cheesecake pots. The quantities make more honeycomb than you need here, but extra snacking is inevitable. The cheesecake itself, which I’ve lightened with greek yoghurt, is super-simple to put together – just mix and chill.Prep 5 minCool 1 hr Cook 30 min Makes 6For the honeycomb200g caster sugar 200g golden syrup 2½ tsp bicarbonate of sodaFor the cherries255g pitted cherries, fresh or frozen and defrosted30g caster sugar Squeeze of lemon juiceFor the cheesecake150g digestive biscuits 50g salted butter, melted330g greek yoghurt 250g cream cheese 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 50g icing sugar 100ml double creamLine a 20cm square cake tin with greaseproof paper. Put the sugar and golden syrup in a deep saucepan and heat gently until the sugar melts

Ken Don obituary

My colleague Ken Don, who has died aged 80, was a passionate real ale brewer who played a key role in saving Maris Otter, considered the finest variety of malting barley. He spent most of his career at the Young’s Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, south London, where the ruling Young family was committed to cask-conditioned beer.Ken was born in Alloa, in Clackmannanshire, the son of Ian Don, who worked in a local glass factory, and his wife, Margaret (nee Cook). He was educated at Alloa academy and trained as a brewer at Alloa Brewery, where the main product was Skol lager. Keen to broaden his skills, he went on the brewing and distilling course at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh

‘The quality of Lebanese wine is absolutely incredible’

Lebanon has one of, if not the most ancient winemaking traditions in the world, so it stands to reason that we ought to drink more of it. This historic wine industry started way back with the Phoenicians, who spread viticulture throughout the Mediterranean, and then, in 1857, Jesuit monks planted vines from Algeria in the Bekaa valley, in an area that is today one of the country’s most prestigious wine-producing regions.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more

Rachel Roddy’s salad of hazelnuts, gorgonzola and honey dressing | A kitchen in Rome

Recently, I listened to the Italian chefs Niko Romito and Salvatore Tassa in conversation about Italian food culture, and in particular the role of the trattoria. During the warm conversation, Romito, who is one of Italy’s most visionary chefs and whose Ristorante Reale in Abruzzo has three Michelin stars, spoke about the first time he ate at Tassa’s Nu’ Trattoria Italiana dal 1960 in Acuto, which is in the province of Frosinone about an hour south of Rome. Romito recalled the homely atmosphere and Tassa as an old-school host: welcoming, communicative and the conduit (which didn’t sound pretentious when he said it) between local traditions, producers and those who came to eat. But Romito also described a dish of onions, simply braised, but of such goodness that he couldn’t stop thinking about and imagining them. In fact, Romito credits those onions as being the starting point for one of his own most well-known dishes: “absolute” onion broth with parmesan-filled pasta and toasted saffron