Monday 7 May 2012

That's Business: New Business Venture For Cornish Chef

That's Business: New Business Venture For Cornish Chef: A new private catering service has been launched by Emily Scott, chef and owner of The Harbour Restaurant in Port Isaac, North Cornwall.  ...

That's Travel: Food Galore At The Rock Oyster Festival

That's Travel: Food Galore At The Rock Oyster Festival: The Rock Oyster Festival is set to return to the north Cornish coast this June with an all star foodie line-up destined to tantalise your ...

That's Books: First Preserves: Marmalades Now Available On iBook...

That's Books: First Preserves: Marmalades Now Available On iBook...: Vivien Lloyd, the country's leading authority on preserves, has released First Preserves: Marmalades as an iBook®, featuring recipes ...

Parmigiano Reggiano Celebrates The Launch Of Parmesan.com!


Food lovers and cheese addicts should note that Parmigiano Reggiano is celebrating the launch of its new website to remind the world that Parmigiano Reggiano is the ONLY cheese that can be called Parmesan.

Please visit www.parmesan.com and enjoy exploring the site. As well as learning about the history and craftsmanship of the King of Cheeses, check out the videos section and test your knowledge with our new Truth Behind Parmesan game.

Don't forget to sign up to share your favourite recipes in the exclusive members area and receive regular newsletters.

Vegan 'Fish' On The Menu At Leading Sushi Restaurant


Vegan 'fish' produced by ethical food firm Redwood is now on the menu at Brighton's best-loved sushi restaurant.

Moshi Moshi, renowned for its work in fish conservation, is using the faux 'fish' in dishes such as vegan 'fish' udon and stir fry noodles.

"It's proving very popular," said Karl Jones of Moshi Moshi, which is keen to help protect global fish stocks. "Customers love it - not just vegans, but the carnivorous too. As the flavour is so good, it's a viable alternative to real fish."

As Karl Jones points out, ethical consumption is at the heart of everything Moshi Moshi does.   

"We firmly believe in 'restorative eating'," he says. "It's a way of eating that aims not just to make the environment sustainable but actually restores and improves it. Our aim is to give back more than we take.

"One way we can do this is by decreasing our reliance on animal proteins and to eat more vegetarian food. It's why we teamed up with Redwood."

To show just how versatile plant-based alternatives to meat, fish and cheese can be, Moshi Moshi recently joined forces with Redwood to launch The Great Moshi Vegan Challenge, in which eight of Brighton's leading chefs went head to head to create the best sushi using vegan ingredients.

Among the ingredients that particularly impressed judges was Redwood's vegan 'duck', which was used in five separate dishes and combined variously with mango, kale, ginger, grapefruit, sansho pepper, boshi jelly and shiitake mushrooms.

It was also the basis for the winning dish duck chettinad created by chef Alun Sperring, who added mango and nut sauce and red chilli chutney to give the sushi a kick familiar to the Indian food he serves at Chilli Pickle, named as one of the top 50 curry houses in the UK.

"We're delighted that our foods are capturing the imagination of chefs," said Lee Rockingham of Redwood. "We hope many more will follow in Moshi Moshi's footsteps."

Everything in the Redwood range is made from natural plant-based ingredients so free from animal products and derivatives as well as cholesterol, artificial colours/preservatives, lactose, hydrogenated fats and GMOs. This makes them suitable not just for vegetarians and vegans, but also for people suffering from lactose or casein intolerance and anyone looking for a healthier and more ethical lifestyle. 

Redwood products are also kosher certified and the company itself is halal process certified.

According to The Ethical Company Organisation and The Good Shopping Guide, Redwood is the UK's most ethical vegetarian foods firm. Find out more at www.redwoodfoods.co.uk.

Thursday 3 May 2012

Whisky for Father’s Day

Father’s Day, Sunday 17 June, is an occasion to wise-up on whisky and buy Dad his favourite. Or, for a more adventurous choice, where can you get the best inspiration? Whichever way, you will also want to know that you are buying smartly. Click on www.WhiskyMarketplace.co.uk for recommendations and an easy way to buy from established online whisky retailers. Browse all in one place and rest confident as you save time and effort by buying at the keenest prices, and knowing that delivery will be efficiently taken care of.

This absorbing and informative site does so much more than list prices. Enjoy the www.WhiskyMarketplace.co.uk blog; also videos of tastings presented by master distillers and behind the scenes visits with experts at different distilleries. Pierre Thiebaut of WhiskyMarketplace, and presenter on WhiskyMarketplace TV, is also a judge in the World Whisky Awards. Here he gives a few of his top recommendations. “If you know Dad’s favourite brand, he may like to try a different aged bottling from the same distillery. Or you can search by style, for example, a smokey, peaty Islay whisky or a more subtle, sweet Lowlands style. You can then easily choose from a list of choices, prices, and availability, for everyday drinking right through to rarities to collect.”

Compass Box: Great King Street ‘The Artist Blend’
“A blended whisky?” I hear you cry. Yes, but this is not any old blend. Before we get into that, let us be clear, there is nothing wrong with blended whisky; some of the greatest whiskies are blends. This little number stands head and shoulders above anything in its price range. The secret to a great dish is fine ingredients, and whisky-maker John Glaser knows that only too well. With his attention to detail and a simple, confident recipe of fine malts and grain whiskies, he has crafted a masterpiece. Around £24.
http://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/whisky/compass-box-great-...

Lagavulin 16 years old
Is Dad a fan of deep peat flavours? If he already has some Laphroaig or Ardbeg stashed in the cabinet, he might just be missing this other gem from the Island of Islay, the spiritual home of the peat beasties. This whisky is rich with smoldering peat embers and a delicate touch of sweetness. It will transport him to a beach on Islay, with the moonlight glinting on the water, as the fire dies down on a summer night. Around £43.
http://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/whisky/lagavulin-16-year-...

Highland Park 21 years old
Now we are getting serious. Gentle peat, woody notes and fruits combine to produce an elegant and beautifully balanced whisky. A luxurious and rich texture delivers the wonderful flavours with aplomb. Bottled at a higher strength 47.5%, it is perfect for appreciating the subtle complexities it holds. Yes please! Around £92.
http://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/whisky/highland-park-21-y...

Brora 1982 ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ bottled by Gordon & MacPhail

This is one for a Dad who knows his distilleries. Brora, the most famous of the ’lost distilleries’, shut down its stills in 1983. Some of the whisky it produced still rests in casks in the dark corners of warehouses. From time to time, it gets bottled, although there is less of it about than there used to be. The price is modest for a Brora but there is more to this and other whiskies from that sadly missed distillery than just scarcity value. The whisky is as intriguingly complex as it is rare. Around £130.
http://www.whiskymarketplace.co.uk/whisky/brora-1982-connois...

www.WhiskyMarketplace.co.uk is an essential companion to premium whisky buying. It provides an easy one-stop retail comparison of over 4,000 whiskies. No longer need will you have to trawl through individual retailers to find a chosen whisky. Major brands through to boutique expressions, limited editions and rarities can be easily tracked down. With just a couple of clicks, you can land on the product purchase page of a selection of online retailers and know that your choice is available to buy.

www.WhiskyMarketplace.co.uk was created by brothers Pierre and Jean-Luc Thiebaut who designed the resource as an extension of their well established whisky social network www.connosr.com. This currently features over 2500 product reviews from registered consumers.

Tuesday 1 May 2012

That's Education: Furze Platt and Misbourne schools renew Innovate c...

That's Education: Furze Platt and Misbourne schools renew Innovate c...: Takes Innovate’s contract renewal tally up to ten consecutive renewals since the start of 2012 - Furze Platt Senior School in Maidenhead a...

Monday 30 April 2012

Bargain Restaurant Deals for Spring Available on DiscountVouchers.co.uk

Discounts available at Toby Carvery, La Tasca and Pizza Express on a budget this April and May

Saving money on dining out is always popular with UK consumers - and voucher codes website DiscountVouchers.co.uk has introduced new deals to help UK consumers do just that this spring. Among the deals redeemable at more than 800 stores are deals for money off at La Tasca, Pizza Express and Toby Carvery.

Great Italian meals can be enjoyed on a budget thanks to the new round of deals available on the DiscountVouchers.co.uk website. Pizza Express has branches throughout the country and can be enjoyed for less via DiscountVouchers.co.uk right now - the site is carrying Pizza Express voucher choices offering 3 courses for £12.95 and 25% Off Your Food Bill.

Great Spanish food is available on a budget this spring too through the DiscountVouchers.co.uk website - with a choice of deals available for use at La Tasca. Consumers can log on right now and use new La Tasca vouchers to enjoy Buy 1 Get 1 FREE on Tapas to share.

Dining out on quality roast dinners can be done on a budget this spring thanks to the latest offers sourced and offered on the DiscountVouchers.co.uk site. By logging onto the website UK diners can get hold of new Toby Carvery vouchers which they can exchange for 2 Daytime Carveries for £10 and Free Dairy Ice Cream with any Carvery Meal.

Doug Scott, managing director of DiscountVouchers.co.uk, commented, “Dining out at top UK restaurants can be expensive as every Brit knows, so we're pleased to offer a helping hand this spring. New vouchers available on our site can help people eat out on a budget at places like Toby Carvery, Pizza Express and La Tasca."

DiscountVouchers.co.uk offers consumers money saving deals at major high street brands and specialist retailers, including stores like Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Travelodge, First Choice, lastminute.com and Boden.

For more information visit www.discountvouchers.co.uk

Are we more selfish? Fudges says "yes"

We may be in the middle of a recession, but a new survey has revealed we Brits are as self-serving as ever, with one in ten admitting to becoming more selfish since the downturn first bit five years ago.

The study found that almost one in five Brits are more concerned with looking after number one when it comes to their eating habits in particular. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed confessed to never sharing food with friends or family members, with more than a third blaming this on ever-soaring food prices.

Those aged 18-24 were found to be the worst culprits when it comes to putting themselves first – one in ten admitted to always nabbing the larger piece when sharing food, with a small percentage even going to extreme lengths such as eating in private to avoid sharing in the first place.

Nevertheless, Fudges, who commissioned the research exposing the selfish traits of modern Britain, is backing the camp of Brits who remain steadfast in their generosity, and claim to still share food at least once a week despite the tightening grip of the recession. The Dorset-based biscuit makers is launching a campaign designed to encourage even the most miserable amongst us to spend more time with friends and family by breaking a biccie. This is kicking off with the launch of a limited-edition biscuit ‘sharing tin’ later this year.

“I always think of Britain as a nation of sharers so it’s surprising to think that the reality is we’re just getting more selfish. The tradition of ‘breaking bread’ goes back thousands of years and is a way of expressing how the simple act of sharing food brings people together. Our campaign is designed to remind Britain to do just that… but, of course, with a biscuit,” said Steve Fudge, Managing Director of Fudges.

Pitting the nation against one another, the survey found that people in Wales are the least generous with their food, with one in three revealing that they never share a meal with friends or family either in or out of the home. Conversely, those in London and Northern Ireland are the nation’s biggest sharers, with more than two thirds sharing food at least once a week.

Meanwhile, while women did emerge as the more generous of the sexes, one in four confessed to feeling angry when people assume they can take things off their plate, compared to just one in three men.

FACTFILE:
• Fudges was founded by Percy Fudge in 1926 and the family has worked hard to preserve his legacy, adapting his award-winning savoury and sweet biscuits, delicious luxury cakes and indulgent treats to suit today’s discerning tastes.
• Fudges’ range of sweet and savoury biscuits, cakes and flatbreads is available from most major supermarkets, delis and farm shops.

Sunday 29 April 2012

Pub Pie Wins Supreme At Pie Awards 2012


A  Pub Pie created by Dunkleys has been crowned the Supreme Champion at the British Pie Awards held at St Mary's Church in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire today (25th April 2012).  The winning Pie competed in the contest of a record number of 900 Pies created by professional bakers and butchers at this year's event organised and hosted by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association.  Dunkley's winning pub pie contains chicken, ham, mushroom and buttered leeks encased in a suet pastry.

The Pies, submitted in 18 Classes, underwent a stringent judging process by 93 food experts and celebrity chefs led by Andrew Chisholm. The panel, which included top food critic Charles Campion and food writer Xanthe Clay, TV chefs Rachel Green and Phil Vickery, scored the Pies on a range of criteria including appearance, and texture and  taste of both pastry and filling

The producer of the winning Pie, Mark Beeston who is Dunkleys pie ambassador, received a trophy and £1,000 prize commented: "We are absolutely thrilled that our Pub Pie has been crowned the Supreme Champion at these highly prestigious and creditable Awards. We don't compromise on the quality of the Pies which we have been making with care and passion for sixty years and to win against so many excellent bakers is an absolute joy!"

Matthew O'Callaghan, Chairman of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, added: "Pies are one of our nation's favourite traditional foods and we organise this event to celebrate the quality and heritage of these iconic products. This year's event was a resounding success and yet again we were impressed with the high quality of the Pies entered by passionate Pie makers. Our Judges, who faced the difficult task of choosing the winning Pie out of 900 entries, did a superb job. It is fantastic to see that the value of these Awards is recognised not only by large Pie makers but also by small producers who submitted over 70% of entries."

For more details please visit www.britishpieawards.co.uk   or @britishpies

Here are the winners:-

Class 1 - Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (cold) Winner: Walker & Son with their Large Melton Mowbray Pork Pie

Class 2 - Pork Pie (cold) Winner: Walker & Son with their Large Pork Pie

Class 3 - Steak & Kidney Pie (hot) Winner: Pieminister

Class 4 - Beef & any flavour combination (hot) Winner: Rose Cottages Pies with their Beef & Mushroom Pie

Class 5 - Beef & Ale Pie (hot) Winner: Brocklebys

Class 6 - Lamb Pie (Hot) Winner: lamb, Mint & Rosemary Pie Winner: Robert Bowning Farmer & Butchers

Class 7 - Chicken & any flavour (hot) Winner: Chicken & Bacon from Pieminister

Class 8 - Other meat pie (hot) Winner: Pork, Apple & Cider Pie from Morecambe FC

Class 9 - Savoury pie (cold) Winner: chicken & Ham hock pie from Stuart Smith & Sons Butchers

Class 10 - Fish pie (hot) Winner: smoked fish, salmon & prawn pie Great Walshingham Barns Cafe

Class 11 - Vegetarian Pie (hot) Winner: Butter Pie from Morecambe FC

Class 12 - Cornish Pasty (cold) Winner: Chough Bakery

Class 13 - Other pasty (cold) Winner: chicken & smoked bacon pasty from Chough Bakery

Class 14 - Dessert Pie (cold) Winner: Cherry Pie from Kensey Foods

Class 15 - Pub Pie (hot) Winner: chicken ham mushroom buttered leeks suet pastry pie from Dunkleys

Class 16 - Football Pie (hot) Winner: Beef steak & ale pie from Morecambe FC

Class 17 - Celebration Pie (hot/cold) Winner: Trio of mini pies (venison pie, chicken & mushroom pie & steak pasty from Dunkleys

Class 18 - Bramley Apple Pie (cold) Winner: Kensy Foods

Supreme Champion 2012: Class 15 - Pub Pie (hot) Winner: chicken, ham, mushroom, buttered leeks & suet pastry pie from Dunkleys

Small Producer Award: Morecambe FC


A full list of judges at the British Pie Awards can be found at www.britishpieawards.co.uk