Get it marked in your calendars for August. The Dale Hurst Writing Show podcast is coming back.

A new series of my podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show will launch in just a few weeks.

As always, the show brings together authors, poets, screenwriters and other creatives to discuss various topics within the worlds of writing, publishing and storytelling.

For this new season, we tackle such subjects as writing fantasy for younger readers, introductions to the Western, the Slasher, and speculative fiction, and the benefits of engaging a professional editor. We also cover the gangster on screen and character creation within tabletop role-playing games.

A host of new and familiar faces join to lend their expertise. Old friends Alex Colvin, Collin Glavac and Ryan Avery appear alongside authors Jacob North, Eve Smith, Nathanael Hummel, Chloe Caldicott and Cecilia L. Maddison; filmmaker Zak Fenning; screenwriter Tom Keane; editor Gary Dalkin and illustrator Ben Page.

Season 6 of The Dale Hurst Writing Show will launch on Thursday 6 August. We release new episodes every two weeks leading up towards Christmas. Also, like last year, the show is brought in association with The Bournemouth Journal.

You can catch up with the whole series on Spotify.

In 2025, I was lucky enough to take two trips to Edinburgh — my first-ever visits to Scotland. And I have no shame in admitting how positively in love I fell with the city. A state I remain in to this day. To the extent that I could not resist returning in January as a birthday present to myself. The jewel in the crown of this trip? Dinner at a much-talked-about Thai restaurant called Chaophraya.

We weren’t fortunate enough to get a table with views of Edinburgh Castle by night. There’s a glass conservatory of sorts offering that vista, reserved for diners who book well enough in advance. Still, the main body of the restaurant offers plenty of Thai ambience. A relaxing place to sit while you await your menus.

Chaophraya (a sharing starter)

The restaurant offers a diverse selection for all levels of Asian food lovers, including a couple of sharing platters. One of which shares its name with the venue itself. The Chaophraya sharing platter exhibits a handful of classics: chicken satay skewers, spring rolls and tempura king prawns, plus Thai chicken tacos and a crispy duck salad. There’s plenty going on in there to divide and conquer, and you’re still almost stuffed by the time you’re finished. It’s recommended for two people, but I wonder if three or more might be wiser.

Gaeng Massaman

I came to Chaophraya, as I so often do with Thai food, desperate for a Massaman curry. It should nearly always be lamb, unless one is watching one’s weight in which case they can settle for chicken. There would be no settling on this occasion — the diet started after we got back to England! One of my favourite things about a Massaman? It’s mild enough for everything to keep its flavour and texture, but hot enough to cause your nose to run and make you seem adventurous to your more pro-spice friends. Everything about this one was pretty much bang-on — melting sous vide lamb, tender veg, the odd crunch of a cashew. Brilliantly balanced. Delivered on all levels.

A Mystery Under a Smoking Dome

At Chaophraya, it’s not all about the food. There are specialist cocktails available as well. But I must confess a lapse in my professionalism as a reviewer: I forgot to note down the names of my choices. And, would you believe it, the latest copy of the cocktail menu isn’t available on their website. So, all I can give you is the description: a delightful golden concoction served with that classic of food theatre props: a glass dome full of smoke.

Based on memory alone, similar to their food menu, there’s a ton of choices for cocktails and mocktails. Suitable for all tastes.

Final thoughts on Chaophraya

This is a solid 9 out of 10 meal. The service was wonderfully friendly; especially for a restaurant as busy as this was. But as you’d expect for a place of its calibre, it’s somewhere for a special occasion, like a birthday. When you factor in multiple cocktails in addition to your food, even between two people, you can rack up a bill heading towards the £100 mark and beyond. Don’t get me wrong — it’s worth it!

To stay up to date with Expensive Tastes and other projects by Dale Hurst, follow on Instagram @dalehurst_author and sign up to The Writer’s Monocle newsletter.