It was my privilege to present Tom Wells his gong for Most Promising Playwright at the Critics' Circle Awards in 2012. This was in honour of The Kitchen Sink, an adorably funny play which, in calculated contradiction of its class-war-promising title, showed how the family of a milkman who was facing a phase-out because of competition from Tesco fought to cope with life -  in a spirit of quirky resilience and stoical humour - in a North East Yorkshire world of recession and wind-down.

This week ive been drinking... Suntory whisky at Mizuwari

Last June when I arrived at Lumb Bank, a forbidding granite farmhouse above Hebden Bridge, the house manager Becky didn't take my luggage, but she did take a weight off my shoulders: "There's no television, radio or internet connection here," she mentioned breezily as she showed me to a small, sparse bedroom. It struck me then that a holiday might be as simple as removing the white noise of everyday life for a while. And that, I thought guiltily, includes my two small children whom I had left with my wife. But guilt passes. And in my case, quickly.

Serves 4

Illusionist Derren Brown has hit out at “hurtful” allegations that the “victim” of a zombie stunt in his latest Channel 4 television show was an actor.

Waking up in the super-sleek bed in my room at The Waterhouse (1-3 Maojiayuan Road; 00 86 21 6080 2988; waterhouseshanghai.com) leaves me delightedly confused – the last time I awoke in Shanghai I was in a grotty hostel. This time around, we're poshing out at the minimalist boutique hotel in the up-and-coming Cool Docks – a refurbished part of Shanghai's South Bund.

Exploring China: a Culinary Adventure is presented by a veritable Marco Polo of kitchen equipment, a heroic figure who ventured East and on his return transformed the cooking techniques of the Occident.

I never much cared for noodles. Too many underwhelming, broth-based Wagamama meals. Too many student-made Super Noodles. I've always resented sending a chopstick to do a fork's job.

Now authentic versions of the Japanese staple are starting to fill British bellies, as Tim Walker discovers.

Serves 4

Pot Noodle, the instant noodle "dish" from Unilever, has never bothered the female market too much before. Coming in such delightful flavours such as Doner Kebab, Bombay Bad Boy and Sticky Rib, it's the snack equivalent of Zoo magazine; women wouldn't be caught dead with it. (Look, I'm not saying I've never bought one, but I think we can agree who they are targeted at).

Serves 2

Serves 2

Serves 2