Learn about a career in chocolate

If you love the idea of a career in chocolate, two new courses from chocolate events company Chocolate Delight could be the golden ticket to a dream job.

Fundamentals of Chocolate is a two day course perfect for anyone considering a career as a chocolatier. It’s ideal too for chocolate lovers who want to turn their hobby into a business.

For those keen to take their chocolate making skills to the next level, the one day Advanced Chocolate course covers speciality moulding as well as the legal aspects of making and selling chocolate.

Both courses can be adapted for people who are lactose intolerant.

“The aim of the fundamentals course is to give delegates a thorough understanding of basic chocolate making skills," says chocolatier Gerry Wilton of Chocolate Delight.

“The advanced session then builds on those skills. Both are hands-on as well as informative and entertaining.”

Fundamentals of Chocolate covers:

• The history of chocolate and the production process from bean to bar
• Health benefits of chocolate
• Different types of ganache
• The theory and science of tempering
• Making and coating truffles
• Flavouring chocolate
• Moulding chocolate
• Chocolate tasting, featuring some of the world’s best chocolate
• Packaging chocolates professionally

As well as speciality moulding and the legal aspects of making and selling chocolate, the advanced course also covers decorating chocolates and different types of filling.

Both courses take place at the relaxed and friendly family-owned Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth on dates midweek till April 2013. Complimentary refreshments and lunch are provided. Specially discounted room rates at the hotel are available too for those who wish to stay overnight.

Chocolate Delight also holds chocolate truffle making workshops nationwide as well as arranging chocolate themed corporate team building events.

To find out more, visit
www.chocolatedelight.co.uk/fundamentals-of-chocolate.html
www.chocolatedelight.co.uk/advanced-chocolate.html

Play the Very Lazy Footie Feast Challenge during Euro 2012!

New online game for super fast footie food!

Forget junk food and pizzas for half time. With a new online game from cooking ingredient specialist Very Lazy, you can now whip up a quick and tasty half time treat for you and your mates and be back in front of the TV for the second half. Easy Peasy.

The challenge is simple. All you need is a few key ingredients, a pan or wok and the Very Lazy Footie Feast Challenge online game! Here’s how it works:
• Start off with a base of noodles during the first half of the game
• Every time you spot one of the listed events, click the circle on the pitch [right] to add an ingredient to your dish
• Get in the kitchen at half time and cook your dish in 10 minutes
• Relax and watch the second half of the game with your Very Lazy dish
When a red card is produced the game won’t be the only thing hotting up as you add some Very Lazy red chillies to the mix! The Footie Feast Challenge is more fun and a lot healthier and quicker than ordering a takeaway. Footie fans have an easy recipe for half time and begrudging viewers will have a fun game to pass the time while the match is on!

The ingredients needed to play the full game are: Very Lazy red chillies, Very Lazy ginger, Very Lazy garlic, cooked chicken, prawns, mushrooms, spring onions, soy sauce, cashew nuts, red pepper, sesame oil, bean sprouts, honey, greens and nutmeg. But don’t worry if you are missing some of the ingredients - feel free to swap them for one of your family favourites.

Very Lazy may not be able to give England an advantage on the pitch, but its range of top notch essential cooking ingredients does give you an unfair advantage in the kitchen, allowing you to whip up a footie feast in just ten minutes.

Have some Very Lazy fun as Poland take on Greece in the opening match of the tournament at 5pm on Friday 8th June by visiting www.facebook.com/VeryLazyFood and clicking on the Footie Challenge icon. But don’t worry if you miss the first match, here’s a list of some other key fixtures:

• France V England: Mon 11 June, 17:00
• Sweden V England: Fri 15 June, 19:45
• England V Ukraine: Tues 19 June, 19:45
• Quarter finals: Thurs 21 June – Sun 25 June
• Semi finals: Weds 17 June – Thurs 18 June
• The final: Sun 1 July, 19:45

Popper’s Little Treat for Popa!

With Father’s Day just around the corner, treat deserving Dads to these tasty Jalapeño Poppers. This fiery recipe combines juicy Jalapeños and mature Cheddar and is perfect as a snack or starter.

The recipe is taken from Dan May’s fantastic Red Hot Chilli Cookbook, out now.

Jalapeño Poppers 20 Jalapeño chillies 140 g grated mature cheddar 50 g plain flour 1 egg, beaten sunflower oil, for deep frying cooking thermometer (optional) Makes 20 Slit the Jalapeños along one side and carefully remove the seeds.

Stuff them generously with the grated cheddar. Put the flour in one shallow bowl and the beaten egg in another. Roll the Jalapeños in the flour, dip in the egg and then coat once more with flour, ensuring that they are completely covered.

Half-fill a large saucepan with oil. Heat until the oil reaches 190˚C (375˚F) on a cooking thermometer. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, the oil is ready when a 2.5-cm cube of white bread dropped into it browns in less than 60 seconds.

Fry the Jalapeños in small batches for 6–7 minutes until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

ZEO: NEW Non-Alcoholic Adult Drink with Sensorial Effects has launched

ZEO celebrated its launch at London's County Hall 30th May 2012 with the one and only Jonny Woo - for a wonderfully unusual evening of exquisite mixology, perfect food and acts to match. A host of unique acts danced, sang, stripped and entertained their way through the evening including Bruce Airhead (the metamorphosis of a man and a six-foot balloon) and Count Fettucini as well as Le Gateau Chocolat, and the celebrated Ursula Martinez!

The taste?
ZEO is lightly carbonated with a distinctive, unique taste sensation that tantalises the taste buds, ZEO is new, original and like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. In addition to its intriguing blend of natural extracts and essences, ZEO delivers a range of sensorial effects (such as chilling, warming and tingling). Taken from the flora of all continents, these extracts include trees, virgin flowers, wild berries, fresh green herbs, grains and exotic spices. ZEO hits the senses with tingly, fizzy sensorial effects and spicy, peppery, exotic flavours followed by a refreshing, clean aftertaste but watch this space... Each time you indulge in ZEO – whether on its own or in a cocktail - you’ll be surprised by different sensations.

FACTFILE:
ZEO goes beyond the conventional idea that drinks must be alcoholic to be interesting. Intrigued? This summer, bar-goers have a new reason to head to the bars with the launch of ZEO, a drink that has been specifically created for adults and which will be available in select premium bars across the UK.

ZEO Served?
- The ZEO Twizt, the brand’s perfect serve. ZEO’s flavours are simply showcased with ice and a citrus twist of your choice. Refreshing, zingy flavours make this the perfect choice during the day or while out on the town;
- The G and Z, THE English summer classic reinvented which brings out ZEO’s peppery notes;
- The Swiss ZEO, an absinth-based sharing punch which will set the mood for friend gatherings;
- The Dirty ZEO, the brand’s take on the Dirty Martini. Sexy and sophisticated even without the alcohol;
- The Big Z, the new fruit cup! Lightly alcoholic, fruity and refreshing, it’s the perfect drink for a long summer evening.

ZEO will be available in leading bars across the UK as well as online www.seekzeo.com from this summer from £5.00.

Use your loaf to celebrate in style!

Research by the Flour Advisory Bureau (FAB) reveals one in six Brits are planning to organise, or help to organise, at least one more party than usual this summer. The Love Your Loaf research also revealed that more than half of Brits prefer to do a buffet than a sit down meal when celebrating.

Planning for the perfect buffet has now been made simple thanks to the free-to-download Love Your Loaf party planning toolkit launched on www.fabflour.co.uk today

Toolkit author Catherine Borowski of top London event company Produce says, “The FAB research shows that the top three worries for Brits planning a party this year are the weather, the cost of hosting a party and how much preparation is involved. While we can’t do much about the weather, my FAB Love Your Loaf party planning toolkit will help make the preparation easier.

The Love Your Loaf research reveals that the nation’s top three menu choices for party buffets are sandwiches (68%), sausage rolls and cocktail sausages. Whilst 15% of people will be having a traditional British party buffet menu at their party, 1 in 10 will be experimenting with new sandwich fillings. Egg and cress sandwiches will be taking centre stage to help us toast 60 years of the Queen, the traditional tea party stalwart, the cucumber sandwich, has been voted our least favourite sandwich filling.

Master baker and Great British Bake Off star Paul Hollywood is heading up the Love Your Loaf campaign and he says, “My favourite sandwich is made from sliced white bread with crispy unsmoked back bacon and butter and for a buffet, I always head for the egg and cress sandwiches first so I’m delighted that the nation agrees with me!”

Catherine continues, “As an events and party planner, I’m a huge fan of the classic party buffet which is a great way to keep costs down too. Sandwiches remain a stalwart of the Great British party buffet 250 years after being ‘invented’! Check out my delicious sandwich ideas and cake recipes brought up to date for the 21st century to help you celebrate in style.”

The status of the trusty white slice at party buffets across the country was also delved into by the FAB Love Your Loaf research. Around a third of Brits voted for this family staple as the best bread for party buffet sandwiches. Wholemeal and seeded bread came second and third respectively with more exotic varieties trailing a long way behind. Why not celebrate with sliced bread this summer? Whether you’re planning a Jubilee party or creating a healthy snack, the versatility of a loaf of bread can help you celebrate every day.

Nutritionist Fiona Hunter says, “Many people don’t realise that white sliced bread is fortified with vitamins and minerals to give your family great taste and a healthy choice: four slices of white bread provide a quarter of the recommended daily calcium intake for adults. And as bread is naturally low in sugar and lower in salt as well as being enriched with calcium, it is a good source of protein and fibre. For those of us constantly worrying about our weight, bread is a low fat food containing between 1.6 – 2.5% fat, if you’re watching your figure, remember to pick a healthy sandwich filling to keep on track.”

A fifth of people worry about under catering whilst 16% of people worry about being able to cater for everyone attending their parties. The Love Your Loaf toolkit has got this covered with guides on how many sandwiches, cakes and drinks you’ll need to rustle up however big a crowd you’re feeding. With more men than women hosting four more parties than usual, these guidelines are bound to come in useful: it looks like this summer of celebration has stirred up a patriotic party gene in the nation’s men!

Catherine concludes, “Whatever the occasion, be it for the Queen’s Jubilee, the London 2012 games or a family birthday, chances are there’ll be friends and family itching for an invite. So, prepare to step forward, don your pinny and throw your own British party buffet and Love Your Loaf!”

Award winning caterers choose Heterarchy to design their first Restaurant

Five Rivers Catering Group, the award winning event caterers in Punjabi cuisine, launched their first restaurant in Walsall which offers both dining and banqueting within its purpose built home. 

For this exciting new venture they chose Heterarchy to design of their dining area and bar as the company able to deliver on their mission statement with the interiors:
"Compromise nothing; deliver everything"

And Heterarchy have certainly delivered. Within the exposed brick shell of the building, which is in itself characterful, materials have been carefully chosen to create a sense of luxury whilst providing an intimate feel within what is quite a large space.

As you enter the building, into a small lounge area, upholstered wall panels with bronze finish framing act as a backdrop for the free-standing curved bench seats, creating the look of fixed seating but with added flexibility. Attention to detail is everywhere, from the delicate crackled paint finish to the carefully balanced tones of bronze in both upholstery and laminates. This curved bank of seating flows seamlessly into the main bar structure, again with bronze finish framing around buttoned and upholstered panels. A bar counter of solid black quartz, with a deliberately thin edge profile, is as crisp as it is luxurious.

In the bar area the contrasting steel and hardwood rolling ladder against the double height, wood shelving make for a striking focal point . Six columns of silvered antique oak provide support for both the ladders and the glass shelves. Bronze antique mirrors to the rear of the glass shelves are edge lit using linear LEDs. The overall effect is a carefully balanced mix of industrial and luxurious, bringing together the characterful brick walls with the more opulent setting of the main dining space.

Almost fully booked since it opened the striking décor has helped it stand out from its competitors marry perfectly with the quality of the food to create a unique and luxurious dining experience.

Tony Matters, Creative Director of Heterarchy, says: "This was an exciting project to be involved in, particularly working with the dynamic and highly motivated team at Five Rivers. We enjoyed a close working relationship with the client team and I hope we produced an interior that is a true reflection of their brand and entrepreneurial spirit."

Fantastic Father's Day gift for the foodie Father!

A YORKSHIRE entrepreneur has designed a range of hand crafted quality marble cheeseboards for father’s day. 

The Made from Marble dark marble cheeseboards measure 29cm by 15cm and are engraved with a choice of ‘Dad’s Cheese’, ‘Daddy’s Cheese’, or ‘Grandad’s Cheese’ the three cheeseboards have been specifically crafted for father’s day and retail at £29 including a free gift box and P&P.

Jayne Little, former head of merchandising at Marks & Spencer turned entrepreneur set up Made from Marble from her kitchen just four years ago. She says: “We have a range of 30 products for sale via www.madefrommarble.com but wanted to develop something specifically for father’s day as we understand how difficult present buying for the men in your life can be. 

“We decided to develop a personalised gift but were keen to make it affordable, and at under £30, we think these cheeseboards really hit the mark. The majority of our customer base is female and having gained a lot of insight into what sort of gifts they are looking for which is why we decided to take our most popular product and adapt it for father’s day.”

Made from Marble is also marketing a special ‘Salt Piggy’ for father’s day for kitchen conscious dads who like to cook. The ‘Salt Piggy’ is available in dark and cream marble, measures 29cm by 16cm by 10cm and retails at £49 including free P&P. 

Jayne adds: “Our new Salt Piggy has been released just in time for father’s day as we know that a lot of fathers like to cook and we thought it would provide a quirky alternative gift for those wanting to spend a little more on a gift that will last a lifetime.”