Mutti's Golden Tomato Cook Competition Returns

Italy's top selling and favourite tomato brand Mutti is again searching for the UK’s best tomato cook with the return of its Golden Tomato Cook competition. 

The winner will not only pick up this prestigious culinary award, but they will also receive an incredible prize of a trip to Parma, Italy, the home of Mutti.

The Golden Tomato Cook competition launched in 2021 in reverence to Mutti’s Pomodorino d’oro (Golden Tomato) award which, for over two decades, has been presented each year to the farmer who supplies the best quality produce whilst using sustainable practices, and the cooking competition is back again to recognise and reward the home cook who creates the best three course menu using Mutti tomatoes.

Anyone who loves to cook at home and has a passion for creating exciting dishes is invited to enter. Mutti is challenging home cooks to discover and experiment with the Mutti Essentials range - Polpa Finely Chopped Tomatoes, Peeled Tomatoes, Passata and Double Concentrated Tomato Puree. Each of these Mutti products have unique characteristics and so are best suited to different styles of recipes and Mutti wants to see contestants letting their imaginations run wild and deciding which Mutti product they will make the star of their show. To enter, you'll just need to create and submit a delicious starter, main and dessert with each dish using a different and perfectly matched Mutti tomato product.

This year’s judging panel includes Head judge and Head Chef at Mutti, Italy, Carlo Casoni, food broadcaster and journalist Nigel Barden, Chef and author Ben Tish, and Chef and influencer Gabriella Margiotta. 

They will be looking for the best menus based on key criteria including originality, taste, presentation, overall appeal and of course making the tomato the hero of the dish. Five shortlisted menus will be put to the public vote before the three selected finalists are invited to cook in front of the judges during a live final at Sauce, by The Langham in London on 27th October 2022.

Carlo Casoni said: “Chefs from all over the globe tell us Mutti is the gold standard when it comes to tomato products. 

"At Mutti we passionately believe every great recipe deserves a great tomato, and that there’s a best fitting tomato product for every dish.

"Last year’s competition was a great success, with a high number of extremely accomplished menus which really did make the tomato the hero of the dishes. We can't wait to see and try the menus people will be producing this year, and just like our 2021 winner, Hannah Such from Kilburn London, you too could be crowned our champion and win a trip to our home in Parma, Italy, including a private cooking lesson with me. Good luck to everyone!"

Fantastic prizes to be won. 1st prize is a trip to Parma, Italy for 2 people for 5 nights including accommodation, return economy flights, car hire and a cooking lesson with Carlo head chef, Mutti Italy. 2nd prize is a private virtual cooking class with Gabriella Margiotta, head chef at Cucina di Vincenzo. 3rd prize is a 3-course meal for 2 at one of the Eataly restaurants. 4th and 5th place will receive a product hamper from Mutti.

You have until 23:59 16th October 2022 to create and submit your menus online so, there’s no time to lose, get creating and get those entries in. To enter, visit here where you can also discover recipe inspiration and tips too. Full terms and conditions apply.

Mutti products are available now at leading supermarkets including Waitrose, Ocado, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Booths, and Tesco.

For full details of prizes and competition terms and conditions please visit competition website here https://mutti-parma.com/en/golden-tomato-cook-2022-entry.

That's Christmas: Brie & Pickle Pastry Wreath

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Agua de Madre. It's vegan, naturally fermented, sparkling and low in sugar

Agua de Madre has been awarded Gold 95 at the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

The globally recognised International Wine & Spirit Competition is one of the world’s largest, foremost and highly influential drinks awards. 

All the IWSC awards are blind tasted by a specially selected panel of experts and Agua de Madre Blood Orange Bitters kefir water secured a stunning, but well-deserved, 95 points out of a possible 100 and was awarded a gold medal.

According to the IWSC, to win a gold medal a beverage must be: “Superb with great personality, character and complexity, but that is also true to its origins. An example that stands out among its peers as a supreme drinking experience.”

In the blind taste test judges found “Strong citrus notes that help create a sparkling drink with a delicate character. It has a light and gentle carbonation, great structure, an attractive bitterness, and wonderful punch. A real delight.”

Agua de Madre is at the forefront of a new and very exciting category of live feel-good drinks. This award is a wonderful accolade for the brand. 

Blood Orange Bitters is created in partnership with Mindful drinks expert Camille Vidal and is one of their best selling flavours.

Carefully fermented in London, Agua de Madre was founded and launched by dedicated foodie and film producer Nicola Hart. 

It's jam-packed with great taste and flavour and it is the sole water kefir on the market with billions of live cultures per 100ml and merely traces of alcohol.  

It’s newly developed  recipe means it has under 9 kcals per 100ml. It's a delightful and truly sophisticated thirst quencher of a drink, which is packed full of goodness, is organic, vegan, naturally fermented, delightfully sparkling and is low in sugar, too.  

Agua de Madre has the same amount of live cultures as most milk-based kefir, with none of the somewhat vinegary mouth feel of kombucha, it's the ultimate super food which as well as being ultimately drinkable, also promotes a healthy gut and positive mental wellbeing, too.

The key ingredient is the mother culture which was discovered some 2000 years ago in Mexico.

 Following the Madre’s secret recipe, the live culture is added to organic fruit and ginger and left to do its own thing, creating a naturally probiotic water kefir. As a result of this entirely natural process it also becomes delightfully effervescent, too.

A study conducted by the University of Huddersfield confirmed the dominant strains of lactobacillus culture within Agua de Madre.  These natural live micro-organisms are easily absorbed, helping to restore or improve our gut flora. 

Water kefir is currently seen as one of the best sources of dietary probiotic, which studies have shown boost cognitive and mental wellbeing, reduce IBS symptoms and improve digestion.

Film producer Nicola Hart, founded Agua de Madre in 2017. 

To learn more visit aguademadre.co.uk.

It's our belief that this drink will make an ideal drink over the Chirstmas and New Year period, so may we suggest that you make this a part of your Christmas drink order as soon as possible?

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Guinness Cold Brew Coffee Beer

 

Several weeks ago whilst in a checkout queue in a branch of Tesco I notice some purchasing some Guinness Cold Brew Coffee beer. I mentioned it to my wife who said: "Oh, yes. I saw it advertised in the Tesco magazine, the other day."

So, today whilst I happened to be in Tesco to visit the in store branch of Holland and Barrett I remembered to go into the Tesco store itself and buy four cans of Guinness Cold Brew Coffee beer.

Once suitable chilled in the refrigerator at home I decided to poor some glasses of this beer for my wife and myself.

The first thing we noticed was the very strong coffee aroma. Was the head a little darker than usual? We thought that it might be, although that could have been a touch of expectation over reality.

There is a very strong coffee taste to it, it's a strong and somewhat butter coffee that they have chosen.

The official description of the taste is "Flavourful notes of Coffee, Chocolate and Caramel."

Yes, I would agree that there is a strong coffee flavour and perhaps a hint of caramel, but chocolate? Not so sure, but I think I tasted a nut-like aftertaste.

It's a worthy effort, but I fear that it's a little too harsh for my taste. However, my wife loves the taste, so there you are!

A 440ml can is OK, but I don't think I'd be too keen to try this by the pint on draught in a pub or a bar. But, you'll need to be your own judge, so nip down to your nearest Tesco or other supermarkets or off-licence, hand over your £6 for four cans and form your own opinion. 

Nairn's Cheese Oatcakes

Whilst shopping with my wife for some nuts for our parrot in our nearest branch of Holland and Barrett (we only buy nuts that are for for human consumption for our parrot, only the best for her!) I happened to see on the counter a packet of Nairn's Cheese Oatcakes.

I happen to consider Nairn's Oatcakes and cheese as two of my major food groups, so I was happy to add those to the nut order and continue with our shopping trip. More fit for human consumption nuts, this time from an adjacent branch of Home Bargains, as it happens.

And this evening I am testing the Nairn's Cheese Oatcakes.

The cheese content is a very respectable 15% and as soon as I opened the packet of Cheese Oatcakes I smell what to my nose seemed to be the scent of a rather fine cheddar cheese.

I ate one without anything spread on it and it was deliciously cheesy. Almost decadently cheesy, in fact.

With some extra mature cheese and enough butter to help things move along a bit more smoothly, the Nairn's Cheese Oatcakes tasted every bit as good as you would be able to expect from a family oatcake baker who have been in the business of carefully baking oatcakes since 1896, so that's 126 years of service to oatcake lovers the world over.

They are gluten free, contain no added sugar, have none of that unfortunate hydrogenated fat, no artificial colours, flavourings and preservatives and they are baked using gluten free oats. They are great for people who have coeliac disease, in fact they are certified by Coeliac UK. they are also suitable for vegetarians, too. 

This pack that I am now working my way through will be replaced with others and kept for Christmas, along with the other members of the Nairn's range of oatcakes.

To learn more please visit www.nairns.com

Leicestershire Good Food Event, 29 September at the Allerton Project

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust's demonstration farm,  the Allerton Project, is hosting the Leicestershire Good Food Event, a sustainable food and procurement summit, with Good Food Leicestershire, on Thursday 29 September. 

It's the aim of the organisers to showcase the benefits for the environment, health and economy of increasing the amount of locally produced, sustainable and healthy food in the county’s schools, hospitals and other public services settings.

The recent government Food Strategy set out a goal of 50% locally produced or higher standard food in the public sector. The summit will gather together food producers with school and hospital caterers and supply chain managers, and Leicestershire County Council.

Joe Stanley is the Allerton Project’s Head of Training and Partnerships, and NFU County Chair for Leicestershire, Northants and Rutland. Joe will launch the event. He said: “Obviously, we're thrilled to be hosting the summit. It's a perfect example of our home county’s efforts to turn the government Food Strategy’s 50% target into reality.

“In conjunction with Leicestershire Country Council, we believe incorporating local, high quality, high welfare and eco-friendly food from Leicestershire businesses is more important now than ever to ensure the health and wellbeing of our citizens and our planet.

“We'll be talking about the health and business benefits of a more sustainable approach to public-sector food procurement. And we will examine how farmers can utilise more sustainable production methods and champion their existing high environmental and welfare standards to key public sector buyers.”

The event is free to participate in and is open to all those interested in how farmers and the supply chain can work together with local authorities to improve the sustainability of public sector food procurement. 

The day’s programme includes a panel discussion and a special Q & A session, plus the opportunity to sample some fine food from local producers in the lunchtime ‘Food Court’ and to network with potential suppliers and customers.

It's happening on Thursday 29 September 2022, from 10:30 – 15:30.

The location is: The Allerton Project, Main Street, Loddington, Leicestershire, LE7 9XE

For more details on the event and to book places, please visit allertontrust.org.uk/events/ or call 01572 494541.

The event is part of the ongoing partnership between the Allerton Project and Leicestershire County Council.

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – providing research-led conservation for a thriving countryside. The GWCT is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies.

The Allerton Project www.allertontrust.org.uk/

The GWCT Allerton Project is a combination of commercial farming, research, demonstration and community engagement, based on a 320-hectare estate in Leicestershire. 

The Project researches the effects of different farming methods on wildlife and the environment, sharing results of our research through advisory and educational activities.

They identify management that delivers multiple benefits for the rural landscape. Their work encompasses  natural capital accounting, agri-environment schemes and regenerative farming systems. 

From soil and water, to woodland and environmental habitat that increase biodiversity, their aim is to build farmland resilience. 

Their own research team works with and collaborate with other research organisations and help co-supervise numerous PhD and MSc projects.