That's Books: Eat London

That's Books: Eat London: “2012 is rather an important year for London and the UK as we will be welcoming the world to our cities, so it is just as well that there ha...

Everything's coming up Rosé!

What is it about pink champagne which makes it so special? Most people love champagne, and in particular, rosé, but have you ever considered why? Champagne Gosset, the oldest wine house in Champagne, Aÿ 1584, produces two rosés, Grand Rosé (non vintage) and Celebris Rosé (vintage), its prestige cuvée. Let’s take a look at what is so special about rosé champagne.

Why choose rosé? For a start it looks pretty in the glass and there are numerous shades of pink, ranging from the slight hint of a tint, through to strikingly dark, almost mauve in tone. Maybe rosé is particularly popular with lovers due to the colour’s associations with blushing?

Perhaps it is the depth of flavour, often reminiscent of fresh strawberries, raspberries or cherries? Brut rosé can be just as dry as its white counterpart; it is fruitier but just as good, and, by some, considered even better.

How is it made? There are two ways of producing rosé champagne; by blending in a small proportion of still red wine, or by the saignée (or ‘bleeding’) method, where the wine is simply allowed to have more contact with the red grape skins than in normal champagne production. The former method is more usual, and that is the method used by Champagne Gosset; a blend of the finest red wine from the region is added to the white champagne to produce the rosé.

Champagne Gosset’s rosés are both particularly special and ideal for all celebrations, from weddings and anniversaries, to Valentine’s Day, when sales of rosé champagnes and sparking wines tend to soar. Rosé champagne is made by blending juice from the Pinot Noir grape to the white grape juice. In the case of Grand Rosé, the balance is 35 per cent Pinot Noir, with 58 per cent Chardonnay and the remaining 7 per cent red wine made of Grand Cru Pinot Noir of the region (from the local villages of Bouzy and Ambonnay).

In the glass, Grand Rosé is a delicate pale salmon-pink, but on the nose a veritable ‘explosion’ of strawberries – fresh and the finest strawberry jam. In the mouth, it is well balanced with a voluptuous strawberry flavour giving a hint of sweetness. Retailing for around £55 a bottle, a bottle of Grand Rosé makes a very special Valentine’s gift.

Champagne Gosset Celebris 2003 Rosé Extra Brut is 68 per cent Chardonnay and 32 per cent Pinot Noir Grand Cru (also including 7 per cent red wines from Ambonnay and Bouzy). It is very dry but deliciously fruity and true to the character of all Gosset champagnes, there is no malolactic fermentation in the production process. It has a delicate, luminous pale pink hue and displays a spectacular constant stream of thousands of tiny bubbles. On the nose it is more complex than the Grand Rosé, giving fresh, pure scents of freshly picked red berry fruits, with floral notes.

A burst of rose petal jam and red berry coulis titillate the taste buds, developing into a full, rounded flavour, leaving a soothing aftertaste, with notes of aniseed and sweet liquorice, and a persistent hint of vanilla. Retailing at around £120 a bottle, Champagne Gosset Celebris 2003 Rosé is perfect for that very special occasion (or person).

Champagne Gosset is available from most independent fine wine shops and retailers including Berry Bros, Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols. It is distributed in the UK exclusively by McKinley Vintners (Tel: 020 7928 7300 or visit http://www.mckinleyvintners.co.uk )
http://www.champagne-gosset.com

Worried About Eating Processed Meat? Try Redwood's Vegideli Sausages And 'Bacon' Instead.

Worried about eating processed meat? Concerned about suggested links between eating sausages and bacon and pancreatic cancer?

There is an alternative.

Award-winning ethical food firm The Redwood Wholefood Company produces tasty meat-free sausages and meat-free ‘bacon’ from 100% natural, plant-based ingredients.

Redwood sausages and ‘bacon’ are free too from egg, dairy, lactose, cholesterol, hydrogenated fats, artificial colours/preservatives and GMOs.

You’ll find them in good health food stores nationwide.

To find out more about Redwood, the UK’s most ethical vegetarian foods company according to consumer handbook The Good Shopping Guide, or to shop online, go to www.redwoodfoods.co.uk.

Judges Queue Up To Taste Test 'FreeFrom' Foods!

With judging sessions for this year’s FreeFrom Food Awards set for the first week in February, expert ‘freefrom’ judges are queuing up to taste-test this year’s entries into 16 categories of freefrom foods.

Judges come from the professional food world (manufacturers, chefs and cookery writers) and from the medical world (dietitians and nutritionists) but also include allergy sufferers and coeliacs – plus some ‘normal’ food enthusiasts to benchmark the freefrom foods against their non-freefrom equivalents. This year judging ranks will also be swelled by a number of freefrom and gluten-free bloggers, all experts in tracking down new and tasty freefrom foods to write about on their blogs.

Says Michelle Berriedale-Johnson, editor of www.FoodsMatter.com who chairs the judging sessions: "We have some really exciting entries this year and are particularly pleased to see that previously slender categories, such as FreeFrom Ready Meals, are positively bulging.

"We are also very much looking forward to tasting the offerings in our new Raw Food and Superfood category – and, of course, in our ever popular gluten-free beer category. We never have any problems recruiting judges for that one!"

A shortlist of successful entries will be published on March 1st and the winners, including the winner of the FAIR trophy of the Best FreeFrom Food 2012 (won last year by Doves Farm for their gluten-free self raising flour blend) will be announced and presented with their certificates at an invitation-only party in West India Dock on April 17th.

All details on the awards are to be found on the Freefrom Food Award site www.freefromfoodawards.co.uk/index.html

Twitter: @FFFoodAwards

Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/wwwfoodsmattercom/230382425337

Sponsors of the FreeFromFoodAwards 2012 include:

Asda (2 categories), Delamere Dairy, Fria Gluten Free, Genius Gluten Free, Genon Laboratories , Hale & Hearty, Juvela, Livwell, Mrs Crimbles, Produced in Italy, Pure Dairy Free, Swedish Glace, Tesco (3 categories)

Schwartz Collaborates With Chef Maria Elia To Launch McCormick's Global Flavour Forecast® 2012

Maria Elia creates six tasty recipes to bring top flavour trends to the table all year round.

Herbs and spices experts Schwartz, in partnership with parent company McCormick & Company, Incorporated, a global leader in flavour, uncovers the future of flavour and releases its first ever global Flavour Forecast 2012. Since 2000, the report showcases McCormick and Schwartz leadership in culinary trends and innovations. It pinpoints common trends and flavours driving culinary innovation and reveals a singular set of forces driving what we will eat across the globe in coming years. In the UK, Flavour Forecast was released annually since 2008.

This first global edition of the Flavour Forecast was crafted by an international team of McCormick and Schwartz chefs, sensory scientists, trend trackers, marketing experts and food technologists spanning Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa, Latin America and North America. It highlights the six hottest global culinary themes for this year illustrated by 12 regional flavour combinations.

Trends highlighted in the report include honouring a cuisine's traditional roots, seeking the ultimate in sensory stimulation, a focus on vegetables, simplicity, flavourful swaps, and breaking boundaries.

To bring Flavour Forecast 2012 to life in the UK, Schwartz is collaborating with Chef Maria Elia, who has added her twist on Flavour Forecast by developing six contemporary new recipes appealing to the UK palate. A further six recipes have been crafted by Schwartz Concept Development Chef, Steve Love, a member of Schwartz's dedicated team of Development Chefs, who collectively identified these flavours which showcase the trends. In total a selection of twelve inspiring on-trend recipes have been created for flavour enthusiasts to replicate at home.

Maria Elia's Flavour Forecast 2012 recipes include:

Raw Lamb Kibbeh and Asian Pear Salad Honours Roots
Watermelon Cooler Cocktail takes you on a Quest for the Ultimate
Honey, Harissa Marinated Aubergines wrapped in Kataifi brings Veggies back in Vogue
Jerusalem Artichoke and Vanilla Soup with Seared Scallops gives Simplicity the Shine
Red Tea Ganache with a Cinnamon and Plum Compote encourages Flavourful Swaps
Blueberry and Cardamom Glazed Ham reminds that flavour has No Boundaries

"Being on top of culinary and flavour trends is something I'm passionate about as a chef, so it's a pleasure to work with Schwartz on their Flavour Forecast 2012," says Maria Elia. "I get to experiment with my love of flavour combinations and create innovative recipes, applying a fresh perspective on tradition that balances modern tastes and cultural authenticity. It's a fun and exciting challenge; a global adventure to inspire the palate!"

Steve Love adds, "Flavour Forecast 2012 demonstrates six global trends with some inspiring and delicious regional flavour combinations and food experiences, allowing you to eat in many countries without leaving your home nation. Now in its fifth year in the UK, the Flavour Forecast is inspired by the food we eat every day, from supermarket products to restaurant offerings. Trends pinpointed in past editions have moved once-edgy ingredients into mainstream popularity and we have no doubt it will continue to further enlighten the global culinary scene."

Schwartz is McCormick's leading "herbs and spices" brand in the UK, offering the greatest variety of herbs, spices and seasonings. Our spice experts from McCormick have travelled the world in search of the best spices and herbs available. Schwartz's extensive product portfolio spans into different sectors including recipe mixes, wet sauces, gravies and innovative stir fry seasonings.

To learn more about Flavour Forecast 2012 in the UK, visit www.schwartz.co.uk and to explore the future of global flavour, visit www.FlavourForecast.com.

Staying home is the new dining out. So long as you have a bottle of Harveys!

Forget fancy restaurants that might leave your stomach full but will certainly empty your wallet empty, this Valentine's Day Harveys is encouraging the nation's love birds to stay away from clichéd dining experiences and relax at home with a romantic meal for two and a glass of sensationally smooth Harveys VORS Pedro Ximénez (PX).

The award-winning Harveys PX is a lusciously sweet dessert wine made from dried Pedro Ximénez grapes, giving it a delicious concentrated flavour of raisins, liquorice, black treacle and chocolate - the perfect accompaniment to your romantic evening.

Add the rich and luxurious taste of Harveys PX to your dessert menu and you have a truly sensory sweet treat for you both to snuggle up and enjoy.

Seduce your sweetheart's palate with one of the following dessert options:

A chilled glass of velvety Harveys PX paired with decadent dark chocolate for a sumptuous after dinner treat
A generous drizzle of Harveys PX over creamy vanilla ice cream best served in one bowl with two spoons to share

Steamy hot sticky toffee pudding dripping with Harveys PX enjoyed whilst curled up on the sofa with a romantic film.

Produced from PX grapes grown at Harveys' own vineyards, Harveys PX is blended in the traditional method at its bodegas in Jerez in southern Spain. Steeped in heritage, Harveys PX is a Very Old Rare Sherry (VORS), with an average age of at least 30 years. This wine is full bodied with a lovely sweet balance and a long lasting finish.

Harveys VORS Pedro Ximénez (50cl RRP £20.98) is available from Waitrose, Booths, Morrisons, Gordon & Macphail and TheDrinkShop.com. For more information visit www.harveyshalfhour.co.uk

Delicious Delights At A Snip Of The Price, with Park Plaza

Dine at one of Park Plaza's award-winning restaurants this January and receive 30% off.
Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts has just the treat to help battle the January blues - 30% off food from the à la carte menus at one of seven award-winning restaurants.

The hotel restaurants are based in London, Leeds and Nottingham and offer a wide range of cuisine from Pan-Asian to contemporary French or British menus.

Enjoy delicious Pan-Asian fare at Chino Latino in Park Plaza Riverbank, Park Plaza Leeds and Park Plaza Nottingham, wholesome British cuisine at Park Plaza County Hall's Spectrum restaurant or healthy grilled options at Sherlock's Grill in Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes. Park Plaza Westminster Bridge offers both classic brasserie dishes at Brasserie Joël and the freshest Japanese delights at Ichi Sushi & Sashimi Bar.

Simply quote '30Jan' when making a dinner reservation for January 2012 to receive the special discount. For more information and to book, please visit http://www.parkplaza.com/ukrestaurantoffer.

Dine at one of the following hotels to receive 30% off:

Park Plaza County Hall (1 Addington Street; www.parkplaza.com/countyhall); Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes (108 Baker Street; www.parkplaza.com/sherlockholmes); Plaza on the River and Park Plaza Riverbank on the Albert Embankment (18 Albert Embankment; www.parkplaza.com/riverbank); Park Plaza Westminster Bridge London (200 Westminster Bridge Road; www.parkplaza.com/westminsterbridge) Park Plaza Leeds (Boar Lane City Square www.parkplaza.com/leeds) and Park Plaza Nottingham (41 Maid Marian Way; www.parkplaza.com/nottingham).

Entice Your Valentine With Help From Leiths

Avoid the quintessentially kitsch, predictable, Valentine's day restaurant dinner this year with two special workshops designed to let you dine in comfortable seclusion with your own special menu for two.

This February Leiths will be hosting two special Valentine's classes, the first of which will guide you through a fresh and impressive menu featuring Spiced Roast Quail followed by Champagne and Passion Fruit Jellies, guaranteed to impress. This exciting but relatively fuss-free menu will allow you plenty of time to enjoy each other's company.

For the less confident cooks, join the Leiths chefs in the kitchen on Valentine's day itself. We have devised a special class to guide you through cooking a Valentine's meal for two, which you will take home for you and your dinner guest to enjoy. Highlights on the menu include Slow Roasted Rack of Lamb with Fondant Potatoes, light and airy Meringues with Passion Fruit Cream and indulgent Chocolate Truffles. Dining in is the new dining out. The teachers will give you all the cooking tips and presentation ideas you need so you just have to add the finishing touches at home, lay the table and pour the Prosecco.

Why not extend the celebrations and treat your Valentine to a Champagne Tasting Class. Taught by Champagne Ambassador of the Year, Richard Bampfield (MW), this is a fun, informative tasting of the world's most desirable tipple. Through a tasting of 6 Champagnes, you will learn to appreciate the differences between vintage and non-vintage, white and rosé. As well as learning the attributes of higher quality Champagne, you will discover what sort of foods and canapés tends to be the best match. "In defeat, you need it; in victory, you deserve it". Sir Winston Churchill neatly summed up Champagne's unique ability to refresh, revive and add sparkle to any celebration.

At Leiths there are many courses for your food-loving Valentine so why not purchase a gift voucher and let them choose from the extensive array we have to offer. There is everything from effortless entertaining to knife skills workshops and food writing to matching food with wine.

Valentine's Day Workshop
Saturday 11th February
10am-2pm Price: £130

Dinner for Two - Valentine's Special
Tuesday 14th February
10.15am - 2.30pm Price: £130

Champagne Tasting Class with Richard Bampfield MW
Tuesday 28th February 2012
7pm-9pm Price: £12

About the School Leiths School of Food and Wine is a first-class training school for chefs, attracting students of all ages from all over the world. With its dedicated teaching and friendly atmosphere, Leiths' guiding principle is to impart enthusiasm for the trade and instill a lasting love of good food and wine. This is not restricted to career cooks - many enthusiastic amateurs attend the varied programme of courses and diverse range of special events, from food and wine matching evenings to chocolate workshops and carving demonstrations.

For those with professional ambitions, the Leiths Diploma in Food and Wine is highly respected in the culinary world and can be achieved in three terms, starting in September of each year, or in two terms, starting in January. Students learn menu planning, budgeting and wine appreciation and attend daily demonstrations and practical classes, as well as lectures by leading gastronomic celebrities, famous retailers and head chefs from leading hotels and restaurants. Throughout the year, visits are organised and students get the chance to undertake work experience in leading London restaurants.

For those keen to learn the basic skills needed to become a confident, capable, efficient cook in just four weeks, the Leiths Essential Certificate takes place late summer every year, making it especially suitable as a summer course for amateur cooks at the start of a gap year.

Leiths excels on both the theoretical and the practical sides of cookery, benefiting from over 35 years' experience, whilst remaining fully abreast of contemporary techniques, styles and methods. Leiths is run by Managing Director Camilla Schneideman and is owned by Sir Christopher Bland.

www.leiths.com

There's "Bean" a new way to say "I Love You!"

For those who want to say I-love-you with great taste, Jelly Belly have created a beautifully romantic Valentine wrap for their ever popular 10, 20 and 40 flavour gift boxes. Decorated with elegant hearts and heartstrings they make the perfect Valentine present.

Jelly Belly are also available in individual flavours - over 50 in all - and each one can convey its own personal message. Lovers can create their own special story using their favourite flavours.

For instance:
I think you are totally, gorgeously sexy - Sizzling Cinnamon, You're the best - Top Banana, Your place or mine? - Cappuccino, I fancy you - Very Cherry or Tutti-Fruitti, You are totally delicious - Strawberry Cheesecake orJuicy Pear, Let's run away together - Island Punch, You're the apple of my eye - Green Apple or Red Apple, I've got a crush on you - Crushed Pineapple, You're my peach - Peach, I feel comfy with you - Chocolate Pudding, Let's stay in tonight - Toasted Marshmallow, Let's stay in tonight and watch a movie - Buttered Popcorn, You add spice to my life - Chilli Mango.

Each Jelly Belly jelly bean contains just 4 calories and is free from fat, wheat, nuts, gluten, dairy and gelatine. They are certified OU Kosher and are suitable for vegetarians.

www.jellybelly-uk.com

Jelly Belly beans are available nationwide in Sainsbury, Waitrose, Tesco and all the best department stores and confectionery shops in the UK.

For nearest stockist call freephone 0800 018 4416

A range of Jelly Belly product can be purchased at www.jellybelly-uk.com

PRICE LIST

30g fliptop box 61p

50g box £1.01

100g loose £2.04

100g assorted mix bag £2.24

The Big Bean £2.55

100g tube £2.66

150g assorted Window Box £3.22

20 Flavour tin £3.47

200g tube £5.11

200g Can £5.31

Cocktail Classics £5.36

Hello Kitty £5.36

10 Flavour Gift Box £5.36

300g assorted mix bag £6.38

350g Can £7.66

20 Flavour Gift Box £9.09

40 Flavour Gift Box £15.27

50 Flavour Gift Box £22.98

Petite Jelly Belly bean machine £23.48

Gold Jelly Belly bean machine £70.47

Fry's Vegetarian to be distributed by 3663

"We Are Delighted To Announce That From January World Leading Meat Replacement Experts Fry's Vegetarian Will Be Available From Leading Food Distributors 3663," said a spokeswoman for Fry's.

She went on to say: "This is a  ground-breaking feat that until now has never been achieved by a frozen food company that ticks so many boxes.

FRY'S are fully approved by the both The Vegan Society AND The Vegetarian Society as well as a BEST BUY in the Ethical Consumer.

FRY'S products are Kosher (Parev Mehadrin - a very high form of Kosher approval for Jews), Shuddha (suitable for Hindus) and Halaal (suitable for Muslims).

Several of the products are also free of onions and garlic and as such, they can be eaten by Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists, certain practitioners of Hinduism and followers of Hare Krishna - as well as people with onion and garlic allergies.

The diverse range of 16 products are all pre cooked making them fast and easy for cooks to use. Taste is not compromised either with Fry's winning 5 awards over the past 5 years.

Angela May Marketing Manager 3663 is excited to partner with Fry's in their food service launch in connection with their enviable brand ownership of the health food sector:

"Having Fry's on board is brilliant. We are passionate foodies here at 3663 and we know how important it is to offer our customers a fantastic choice of products. Now we can offer even more with Fry's. Never before has a range been suitable for so many types of people and taste so good too."

With so many people not being catered for properly Fry's is able to ensure that whether you are a meat reducer, vegetarian, Kosher or simply want a lower fat or cholesterol food item now there is something that tastes amazing for you and your customers.

www.frysdistribution.co.uk