Thistles The Rougemont Hotel gets an afternoon delight from local sisters

Thistle's Exeter hotel, The Rougemont, saw Exmouth sisters Tilly and Ellis Jephtha reign supreme and crowned the best bakers as local finalists battled it out to revitalise the classic British pastime and create the ultimate afternoon tea.

In an attempt to see their very own afternoon tea recipe on the Nelson's Lounge and Bar menu at The Rougemont Hotel, competition finalists, Tilly and Ellis Jephtha, Phyllis Liles and Charlotte Baker were invited to take part in an exciting 'bake off' at the hotel, where entries were judged on visual appeal, taste, smell and texture.

The judging panel comprised the mayor of Exeter, councillor Marcel Choules; Mrs Stella Fernyhough, food judge from Chudleigh Women's Institute of Devon; Shane Munro, group development manager, Food and Beverage, Guoman and Thistle Hotels; and Mark Beedell, general manager, The Rougemont Hotel.

The winning entries from Tilly and Ellis saw the judging panel torn between Tilly's scones with thick Devonshire clotted cream and homemade passion fruit and raspberry jam and Ellis' scones with cream, raspberry blackcurrant and rhubarb jam.

In the end the panel thought the sisters were equally deserving of first place thanks to the superior taste and texture and taste of their scones, and the overall presentation of the dishes!

The sisters' winning entry features as the hotel's specialist, traditional Devonshire afternoon tea on its new teatime treats menu.

Mark Beedell, who is the general manager at The Rougemont Hotel said: "After weeks of collating entries for the competition, we're extremely pleased to award both Tilly and Ellis the title of ultimate afternoon tea champions.

“Their creations will make fantastic additions to our afternoon tea menu at Drakes Restaurant and we're certain that our guests will be as excited as we were when sampling their afternoon delights."

After impressing the general manager with her passion for cooking, Tilly who is the baker in the family and wants to study Catering at Exeter College next year has also been offered work experience at The Rougemont Hotel.

This will help her in her college application, plus it will give her the opportunity to experience all departments in the hotel. Also, and to assist her in building her experience whilst studying, Tilly has been invited to join the team on day release after she has started her college course.

Says Tilly: "The competition has been a wonderful experience which I feel will benefit my future career in catering, and I very much look forward to starting my work placement at The Rougemont Hotel."

FACTFILE:

The Rougemont Hotel in Exeter is a stylish Victorian building situated near the city centre and Rougemont Gardens. The hotel's Drakes Restaurant is relaxed and welcoming and features home cooked favourites and modern European dishes, perfect after a spot of shopping or sightseeing.

Celebrate BBQ Week with The Pampered Chef

Celebrate this year’s National BBQ Week between Monday 30 May and Sunday 5 June.  With the BBQ range from The Pampered Chef, you can take the stress out of alfresco dining and enjoy those relaxing summer afternoons cooking up a sumptuous feast with your friends and family.

Long gone are the days of burnt chicken thighs and dry, horrible sausages! The BBQ Grill Tray (£24) allows you to cook anything from asparagus to meatballs.  It has a large stainless steel frame and thin wires that make a perfect surface for grilling.  It also perfectly grills more delicate foods like fish.  If you are cooking for a large party, you should try the BBQ Grill Basket (£25.50), which makes it easy to grill generous amounts of food like prawns and veggies.

The BBQ Skewer Set (£16.95) is a nifty addition to your BBQ utensils.  The stainless skewers have chef’s hat handles with angled tips, ideal to pierce meats and vegetables.  A food slider removes cooked foods in one smooth motion and doubles as a handy way to store the skewers.  To season your meat just to your taste, try the BBQ Basting Brush (£18).  The silicone head holds more sauce for better bastings and detaches for easier cleaning.

Men will be wowed by the BBQ Jumbo Turner (£19), allowing the chef to turn two burgers at a time.  The extra-wide, stainless bevelled head makes cooking outside just that little bit more effortless.  If that isn’t impressive enough, The Pampered Chef has a BBQ Flexible Turner (£19) that flexes to slide under and neatly turn longer foods, such as salmon.  Another addition is the durable BBQ Mitt (£14.25) made with black suede and has an insulated lining to protect your hands.  It also has a unique split finger, which helps you grasp barbecue tools.

Take away the stress of spilled drinks with The Pampered Chef’s Outdoor Party Sticks (£33.50) –an essential gadget to keep your bottles, glasses, cans and candles safe.  Just place them in the ground and feel confident that your drink will be safe from toppling over.  The set includes one bottle holder and six glass holders.

Be inspired with The Pampered Chef’s Fresh and Fabulous Cookbook (£8.95), which you can find in the new Spring/Summer catalogue available online and from Pampered Chef’s consultants across the UK.  This cookbook has a tasty selection of great grilling and salad recipes, including tips on preparing vinaigrettes.

Products can be bought online at www.pamperedchef.co.uk  or through in-home cooking shows and catalogue shows. Call 01344 823600 to find a consultant in your area or become a consultant yourself. 

Go nuts for Wonderful Pistachios!

It appears as though pistachio green is everywhere this season. You'll be seeing it everywhere. From top designer shoes and bags, to home accessories, décor and beauty products.

However, why not go back to basics? Get yourself some Wonderful Pistachios to munch on! Wonderful Pistachios are not only merely delicious, but with only three or four calories per nut and with masses of important nutrients, they are also the perfect snack for those of us who like a bite or two, but who need to watch out weight.

Wonderful Pistachios are available in two delicious flavours, Roasted and Salt n’ Pepper, and come in stylish green and black packaging.  Take on a picnic, off to the beach or share them with friends and family at the BBQ, or as a desk snack or mid-afternoon pick-me-up, or as part of your healthy lunch.

Just watch out for the distinctive Wonderful Pistachios packs. You'll spot them in Tesco, Holland & Barratt and Julian Graves (RRP £2.49).

Catalan potatoes and pink Himalayan sea salt? Meet San Nicasio Spanish crisps!

Fayrefield Foods are launching a new super Spanish crisp into the UK - San Nicasio Patatas Fritas.

Hand made using extra virgin olive oil, Catalan potatoes and Himalayan pink sea salt, they are produced in the Córdoba mountain range in Andalucia, the centre of the olive growing region in Spain.

The distinctive pink bags are used in top Spanish delicatessens, hotels and restaurants where they are justifiably famed for their high quality ingredients, unique taste and texture.

Created by four times gold medal winning Rafael del Rosal, the crisps are slow cooked and the extra virgin oil they use is from the first press of olives grown at nearby groves.

This extra virgin olive oil has “Priego de Cordoba” denomination of origin and is recognised as being amongst the best olive oils in the world.

San Nicasio also contains Himalayan pink salt which is rich in minerals and trace elements, its pink colour reflecting its high iron content. (EDITOR: It is sea salt from an sea from pre-historic times)

"San Nicasio have won four Gold awards from the Brussels World Selection of Quality in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and are a truly artisan product", explains Fayrefield Foods’ Mike Coleman.

“San Nicasio is a new concept in potato crisps. It is an authentic delicacy for cosmopolitan consumers who appreciate great taste, natural ingredients, provenance and traditional production methods. It is a gourmet product that uses super premium ingredients and we think will be coveted by the very best delicatessens, hotels and restaurants. San Nicasio is a truly unique product that will enhance social eating and drinking occasions and we can’t wait for UK consumers to get the chance to try them.”

San Nicasio will be available at RSP £3.49 to £3.99 for 190g.

The Stone Bake Oven Company, Wood Fired Ovens Making Kids Parties Easy!

Are children fussier these days? A question most parents ask when planning a party for their beloved brood, catering for kids can be a bit of a headache. But one company think they have found the answer, and it lies in… the pizza!

The Stone Bake Oven Company makes a wide range of wood fired pizza ovens in the UK at affordable prices, and these are proving to be a hit with passionate cooks and kids alike.

Tom from the Stone Bake Oven Company, says “I am yet to find a child that does not love authentic wood fired pizza! They always go down a storm and the kids love getting involved in the cooking process.”

Capable of cooking an authentic pizza to crispy perfection in under 90 seconds, a wood fired oven can cater for a large group or even just one person, and don't forget, they’re not just for pizza either, stone bake ovens can cook breads, desserts, roasts and more, besides.

They are not hard to use, you can find a wealth of information online from the Stone Bake Oven Company, including pizza recipes and a cooking techniques guide.

Keep the kids entertained this summer and keep in the good books of other parents as you cut the junk with this fast food that can be as healthy as you want to make it!

So for big kids, small kids or other, tackle the fussy eaters with an alternative means of cooking which delivers in flavour and style with the Stone Bake Oven Company.

For more on stone bake ovens, contact info@thestonebakeovencompany.co.uk or visit www.thestonebakeovencompany.co.uk where you will find the most up to date information, recipes and videos to help with outdoor party planning.

“Last Suppers” cookery course

A cookery school in France is launching a course based around some of the most famous Last Suppers throughout history. The course is the brainchild of British chef, Jim Fisher, a former BBC Masterchef finalist who has since worked with Rick Stein, Tony Tobin and Alistair Little.

Now running his own school in the Dordogne, Jim will be offering people a choice of Famous Last Suppers including:

- The Titanic’s Final Banquet
- Pompeii’s Last Meal Moments
- The Last Supper
- Elvis Presley’s Fried Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwich
- King Edward V111 & Wallis Simpson’s Abdication Dinner
- French gourmand, Julia Child’s, last wish menu
- Will & Kate’s Royal Wedding canapes

With the rise in popularity of dinner parties, people are looking for something original to serve to their guests. Famous Last Suppers offers a truly unique experience to impress friends and also provides a great opening gambit for dinner-party conversation. Jim Fisher takes up the story:

“We’ve had great success with our courses as everyone loves to learn ‘cheffy’ techniques that they can recreate at home. People also enjoy finding out about the science of cookery – why do eggs curdle and what can you do when this happens to salvage, for example, mayonnaise?

“Our Famous Last Suppers Course offers something for everyone, whatever level of ability and experience. There’s the challenging Titanic menu which is a five-day course in itself. Then there’s a simple, Elvis Presley-style snack which, together with a couple of other celebrity favourites, can be learnt in a day.

“Whilst not quite a last supper, we’ve added the Royal Wedding canapé menu as everyone would love to be able to share a taste of the event of the decade with their friends.

“As with all of our courses, a range of techniques will be incorporated including knife skills and bread making. We’ve already had lots of interest in our Famous Last Supper courses and, if they prove a success, we’ll look at a host of other, themed courses”.

The Famous Last Suppers Courses will begin in Autumn 2011 and more information on this and Jim’s other courses can be found on www.cookinfrance.com.

Cost for the courses are €220.00 EUR for a day course (per day for 1 or 2 days excludes accommodation) and €995.00 EUR for the full, all-inclusive five nights.

Quick! Chill that wine fast with the Wine Bottle Chiller!

The Wine Bottle Chiller is a fast, portable drinks chiller that is perfect for restaurants, bars and wine shops that want to serve their wine at the perfect temperature.

This fast chiller only takes few minutes to bring the wine to the desired temperature and can be used with glass bottles, plastic bottles or cans.

It has four compartments: one of them is large enough for bottles with a large diameter such as magnum bottles. Each of the four housings can be set to different temperatures as desired. Acoustic and visual signals alert you when the drinks have reached the programmed temperature.

Irwen Martin of Wine Corner comments, “We are continually developing new products and the Wine Chiller is our latest addition. Attention to detail has been important and the Chiller has an elegant finish in either black or stainless steel sides. There are wheels (with stoppers) allowing easy moving which makes it perfect for restaurants and wine bars where finish is as important as functionality.”

To find out more visit our Wine Bottle Chiller website page, now.

Wine Corner also offers made to measure wine cabinets as well as the design and installation of bespoke wine cellar solutions, visit www.winecorner.co.uk.

Festival Season Kicks Off - Laphroaig's Distillery Events At The Islay Festival Of Malt And Music

Ideas for a UK break, festival or to discover more about whisky: Head to Islay for Feis Ile, 21st-28th May 2011. Laphroaig will host events throughout the week at its beach-side distillery, including: whisky masterclasses, cooking with whisky and a one-off food pairing dinner.

Planning a UK break this year? Islay's' Festival of Malt and Music' promises to be a destination with a difference; a treat for whisky lovers and an inspiration for newcomers to scotch.

Now in its 15th year, the festival, known as Feis Ile (fesh eel) runs from 21st-29th May 2011. The week-long programme takes place across the island and celebrates Islay culture: music, sport, craft and, crucially, its most famous product, malt whisky; despite being only 25 miles by 20 miles, the island boasts 8 world-famous distilleries!

At Feis Ile the population of Islay doubles in size as visitors traverse the globe to pay homage to their favourite single malts.

Laphroaig, is the world's No.1 Islay whisky and it is expecting over 1,000 visitors for its dedicated open day on 24th May and events during the week, which will include: one-off, whisky-pairing dinners; distillery tours; whisky master-classes; live music and cookery demonstrations and classes with The Whisky Kitchen. Intimate tastings will also take place in Laphroaig's beachfront 'friends' lounge with Master Distiller, Robert Hicks, Distillery Manager, John Campbell, Visitor Centre manager Vicky Stevens and Laphroaig Master Ambassador Simon Brooking.

John Campbell, Laphroaig Distillery Manager, said: "We are really excited about this year's festival and as it's the 15th anniversary, we are launching some great new tours and tastings that will give our visitors a truly inspirational Laphroaig experience. The theme this year is "Steeped in Islay" and we look forward to welcoming our Friends of Laphroaig and whisky lovers from around the world!"
To reserve places for Laphroaig events, email visitor.centre@laphroaig.com or telephone 01496 302 418. (Places are special tours are LIMITED - bookings operates on a first-come, first-served basis)
• For accommodation and camping, visitors should call the local Tourist Information Centre on Islay 01496 810 254

www.laphroaig.com

FACT FILE:
Laphroaig (La-Froyg):
Laphroaig (La-froyg) is an Islay (Eye-lah) single malt whisky
Laphroaig 10 Year Old is the world's best-selling Islay whisky. The liquid is sparkling gold in colour with a huge smoke, seaweed and a hint of sweetness on the nose. Full bodied, the taste of 10 Year Old comprises Islay peat smoke and is full and earthy with tangy salt-laden air and an echo of sweetness at the end.
• The current distillery was founded in 1815 and still runs at full capacity.
• The process of crafting Laphroaig has remained the same since inception and includes a malting floor, drying in peat smoke and distillation in copper pot stills.
• The Laphroaig distillery is currently managed by John Campbell, an Islay native (an 'Ileach') whose father also worked for the distillery.
• There exists a 'Friends of Laphroaig' website where whisky lovers throughout the world could meet and chat. Each 'friend' is granted a lifetime lease on a square foot of distillery land, many of which have made a pilgrimage to see and claim their rent from the distillers, 'a wee dram'.
• Laphroaig is the only single malt to wear the Royal Warrant Prince of Wales feathers and in 2008 HRH Prince Charles travelled to the Laphroaig to claim his square foot and his wee dram rent!
• Laphroaig is traditionally served neat, with a splash of mineral water or mineral ice cube.
• Laphroaig core range includes: Laphroaig 10 Year Old and 10 Year Old Cask Strength; Laphroaig Quarter Cask; Laphroaig 18, 25, 27 and 30 Year Old. (From time to time Laphroaig also produce a number of additions to the range with new expressions and finishes)

(EDITOR: I have a bottle of Laphroaig 10 years old under my desk! In fact I have Christened this article with a wee nip from that very bottle, just now!)

Independent wine retailers and local restaurants invited to team up for Bordeaux wine promotion

In 2010 the inaugural Bordeaux Dinners initiative was a great success and the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) has launched plans for the 2011 promotion.

The proposal is very straightforward: independent wine retailers are invited to team up with a good local restaurant and host a Bordeaux Dinner. Together they promote Bordeaux Wines and receive a contribution of £250 towards the event as well as materials to publicise the evening.

They then create a special dinner menu matched with at least four Bordeaux wines listed by the independent and set a ticket price that will appeal to customers.

Douglas Morton of the CIVB points out: “For generations Bordeaux has been making food-friendly wines. The overall style, diversity and range of flavours produced in the region result in wines that complement rather than overpower food. So we have developed a promotion that helps to prove that 'Good Food Would Choose Bordeaux'.”

New for 2011, the Bordeaux Wine Council is working with Restaurant Magazine to organise Bordeaux Dinners directly with restaurants. The same rules apply as with the independent wine merchants. Also, the best performing 15 restaurants will have the chance to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to Bordeaux. The winners will be selected by Restaurant Magazine and will be judged as having organised exceptional dinners.

For details please visit www.goodfoodwouldchoosebordeaux.com/bdxdinners

Cafe Luc, Marylebone, London

Recently my wife and I were in London on business and as we were in Marylebone we decided to try Cafe Luc which is in Marylebone High Street.

We were both immediately impressed with the 'look' of the place, both outside and inside.

It is modern, although discretely designed and there is plenty of room for diners. The seating is comfortable and well-chosen, as is the décor.

We decided to opt for the set menu which is available weekdays from noon until 3pm and also from 6pm until 10pm from Monday to Sunday.

The choice was extremely inviting, consisting of starters, a main cause and a desert.

For the starters the options are: Tomato gazpacho with basil oil,

Fine smoked salmon with English crumpet, horseradish cream and

Terrine of duck confit with foie gras, toasted sourdough.

The main courses are: Pea risotto with aged parmesan, wild rocket

Pan fried Cornish Mackerel with Piperade and Steak & frites, pepper or béarnaise sauce.

And for deserts the choices are as follows: Nutella crème brûlée, Lemon tarte with raspberries and Chantilly plus Tiramisu.

We both decided to have the Fine smoked salmon on an English crumpet with horseradish cream.

An excellent choice, the salmon was melt in the mouth and the horseradish cream tasted as if it had come from Heaven that morning!

We both ordered steak. We both asked for 'very well done' and it was cooked to perfection. The béarnaise sauce was absolutely delicious, as was the pepper sauce, which was my option.

The Pomme frits were a revelation. Fast food restaurants do not sell French Fries. Cafe Luc, on the other hand, does. They were by far and away the nicest chips (of any type!) we had tasted in ages.

For desert my wife chose the Lemon tarte with raspberries and Chantilly whilst I went for the Tiramisu.

The Lemon tart was truly delicious and well-complemented by the raspberries and the Chantilly.

And the Tiramasu? The best I have ever tasted!

Please bear in mind that this is in the heart of London and that the cost per meal was only £15.50. A very modest price.

My wife had a sweet white wine whilst I chose a mineral water. Both modestly priced, too.

The service is excellent and attentive, yet without being over eager.

It is open from 7am until 11.30 with different menus reflecting the time of day.

50 Marylebone High Street
London
W1U 5HN
Tel 020 7258 9878.

http://cafeluc.com

It's probably best to check to see if reservations are necessary.

We noticed a very mixed clientèle, business people, office workers, shoppers and tourists and local people meeting up for lunch.

Will we be going back there? You can count on it.