The Complete Airfryer by Sam & Dom Milner

Once or twice a month I visit the offices of my main employer in Liverpool. In the staff kitchen there is an airfryer. I have never used it so far because, to be honest, I don't know how to and I haven't gotten around to asking for advice on how to use it from my colleagues.

But there's a fantastic new cookery book out, published by White Lion Publishing (publication date 21st September) called The Complete Airfryer by Sam & Dom Milner that will help everyone become airfrying experts.

Sam and Dom are the air fryer experts, so this handy book is your comprehensive go-to resource, with something for every day, every meal and every taste, too.

Whether you're a busy parent, a budget-conscious student, a healthy eating-focused home cook or just cooking for one, an air fryer is the perfect choice for your kitchen.

It's got a lot going for it, really. It's eco-friendly as it's energy efficient, uses a minimal amount of fat and creates crispy, flavourful food, often in half the time of a traditional oven. 

The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook delivers all the recipes and know-how that you will require to make the most of this genuinely game-changing appliance.

Authors Sam and Dom Milner have lived and breathed air-fryer cooking for over a decade. As the creators of the highly successful website RecipeThis.com, they offer exactly the recipes you are looking for, along with excellent tips on how to get the most delicious of results.

This beginner-friendly book contains 140 recipes for every meal, from breakfasts and baking right through to family roasts and healthy (and budget-friendly) alternatives to takeaways. 

The delicious recipes include: Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs. Simple Minted Lamb Steaks, Rainbow Salmon Bowls, Perfect Halloumi Fajitas, The Ultimate Roast Chicken Dinner and Chocolate Cake, too.

On top of that, key step-by-step recipes, like how to make the perfect roast chicken and air fry vegetables, share their expert techniques which you can apply to a whole range of dishes.

Both metric and imperial measurements are included throughout the book, plus dedicated advice and instructions for a wide range of different machines.

The Complete Air Fryer Cookbook is your one-stop shop for tasty, fuss-free food.

So how did it all begin? Sam Milner and her chef husband Dom fell in love with the air fryer after buying their first machine back in 2012. 

After three years of daily air frying, they launched Recipethis.com, the first food blog dedicated to kitchen gadgets. 

RecipeThis is visited by over a million people every month, with users from all over the world sharing a common interest in making mealtimes easier and stress free. Sam, Dom and their children live in Yorkshire, with their huge collection of kitchen gadgets.

https://www.facebook.com/recipethis

https://twitter.com/Recipe_This

https://www.youtube.com/c/Recipethisnow

https://www.tiktok.com/@recipe_this

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/recipethisblog/

That's Food and Drink thinks that this book will make a great Christmas present for the home chefs in your life.

However, it's unlikely we'll be buying an airfryer because as we have pet birds we can't have kitchen gadgets with non-stick components as they are very toxic to birds.

Calbee Harvest Snaps

In the snack bowl in our kitchen are several bags of some Calbee Harvest Snaps.

They bill themselves as being "baked not fried" and they are crunchy lentil rings.  The flavour we have is Sour Cream and Chives and I have to say that I am very impressed with them.

They are modestly sized baked lentil rings and although they are crunchy they are not too crunchy.

What do they taste like? They taste good, there's definitely a sour cream vibe going on and there's  delicious notes of chives, too, which is just as you would expect.

They are 100% OK for vegans and as they are guaranteed to be gluten free they are safe for coeliacs, too.

With only 75kcal per page they'll fit nicely with a calory controlled diet.

The ingredients include lentils, rice, rapeseed oil, sour cream and chive seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, some potato, paprika extract and some parsley.

They have crunchy Lentil Rings, Crispy Pea Snaps, Crispy Lentil Puffs and Crunchy Chickpea Sticks available as part of their range.

You can learn more about them here www.harvestsnaps.co.uk or call them on 0800 591114, which is their customer care line. 

They are currently available in Waitrose, Ocado and Sainbury's.

Aldi lets loose with its fruit and veg

But it's all in a good cause! Because Aldi is set to trial four new loose fruit and vegetable lines in a bid to further cut plastic waste.

Beginning this week, items including garlic, limes, lemons and oranges will be introduced as loose in select Aldi stores all over the country.

Specially chosen Aldi branches in the North East, Cumbria, Yorkshire, South East, and London will start offering loose garlic and limes, while shoppers in the East of England, East Midlands and London will be able to purchase loose garlic, limes, oranges and lemons.

If rolled out across all its branches, this move will see Aldi remove a further 94 tonnes of plastic packaging every year.

Luke Emery, Plastics and Packaging Director at Aldi, said: “At Aldi we're firmly committed to removing plastic packaging wherever we possibly can and we are constantly reviewing ways to make a real difference.

“By trialling these packaging-free produce lines, we hope to help our customers cut back on unnecessary plastic when shopping at Aldi.”

Aldi already offers loose produce options on a number of ranges, including potatoes, peppers and avocadoes.

Waitrose first supermarket to announce leading animal welfare standards across Italian continental meat

Waitrose is held to be the number one supermarket for animal welfare across the UK and its latest move puts it in the supermarket in the top spot for Italian charcuterie welfare standards.

All it's own brand Italian continental meat suppliers meet Compassion in World Farming prestigious Good Pig Award standards.

Waitrose hopes that its progress will urge other retailers to raise the bar on welfare for continental meats.

In an industry leading move, Waitrose has announced all of its own brand Italian continental meat is now produced to the highest of animal welfare standards, beating all other supermarkets.

So this means that those shopping at Waitrose can now enjoy Waitrose Parma ham, Mortadella or Prosciutto knowing that the Italian animals lived a life free from confinement, with more room to roam and socialise and with deep straw bedding to root around in. 

Traditionally, animal welfare standards for continental meat have, sadly, lagged behind those of British meats. 

But a long-term partnership between Waitrose and its supplier, The Compleat Food Group means Waiotrose was the first Italian meat producer to win a Good Pig Award back in 2016, and now they have rolled out their high standards across all Italian producers.

Jake Pickering, who is the Senior Manager for Agriculture at Waitrose, said: “We’re already the number one supermarket for animal welfare in the world and are delighted this move helps us raise the bar even further. 

“We're confinement free in UK farming, and have a 2025 commitment for all of our continental meat. This represents a huge step forward for the welfare standards within our Italian breeding, growing and finishing supply chains and means well over 50% of our continental meat sales will now come from higher welfare pigs. 

“We have worked with our Italian suppliers to improve standards significantly and they have the backing of Compassion in World Farming’s Good Pig Award.”

Louise Valducci, Head of Food Business (Europe), Compassion in World Farming, said: “We're encouraged by the steps Waitrose is taking to improve the welfare of pigs in its continental meat supply. 

"It highlights the importance of working closely with producers, giving them the confidence and support to invest in cage-free systems, to ensure a successful transition across the business. 

“Consumers are increasingly concerned about animal welfare and any company committing to cage-free production is sending a good, powerful signal to the market that it's not only the compassionate choice, but also achievable at scale.”

In 2017 Waitrose was awarded the ‘Cage Free Award’ by Compassion in World Farming. This was in recognition of their work to remove the use of cages for farm animals. In 2001 they stopped selling eggs from caged hens, and they only retails outdoor-bred or free range British pork. 

They also pledged to improve the welfare standards within their continental meat supply chain by 2025 by removing all confinement. 

In support of Waitrose's Cage Free award from Compassion in World Farming, all their Continental pigs will be free from confinement including prohibiting sow stalls and farrowing crates by 2025. 

They will continue making progress on welfare in our other continental meat supply chains to hit our 2025 target. They have issued a call to encourage other retailers to follow their lead to ensure British shoppers can enjoy delicious and ethically sourced charcuterie.

https://www.waitrose.com

September heatwave? Aldi's got you covered with 50% or better price cuts on ice cream!

The reduced prices are available now in Aldi stores across the UK, so nip down now for a cooling, tasty bargain is the advice of That's Food and Drink!

With temperatures set to soar to up to 30 degrees across the UK this week, shoppers can now enjoy massive savings of up to 57% on Aldi’s best-selling ice creams.

This includes the creamy Gianni’s Mini Viennese Vanilla Ice Creams (now a mere 99p) and the refreshingly fruity Specially Selected Lollies in Coconut, Valencia Orange, or Raspberry (down 35% to just £1.29).

Gianni’s Milk Lollies were £1.15 and are now only £0.49, a 57% cut!

The supermarket provides affordable and delicious alternatives to rival the popular brands, and with a vast selection to choose from, the whole family can keep cool and enjoy their favourite frozen treats for less this week.

www.facebook.com/AldiUK 

www.twitter.com/AldiUK 

www.instagram.com/AldiUk   

Another first for Asda. It's the first supermarket to stock 'vertical salads'

Asda has announced it's the first UK supermarket group to stock a range of bagged salads nationally and also online which have been grown in ‘vertical farms,’ which significantly reduces the amount of energy and water required to grow them.

A new British salad range brand, Homegrown, is being launched in Asda stores this week. The range includes three SKUs: 80g Mixed Salad, 60g Rocket and 80g Hot & Peppery Cress.

Grown using 90% less water than traditional farming, and powered with 100% renewable energy, the products grown all year round in Gloucestershire will be available nationally online and in 270 Asda stores nationwide from now onwards. 

The plants are grown in trays, stacked vertically, and are exposed to optimum growing conditions. They are fed nutrient-rich solutions, and by using temperature control and artificial lighting, Homegrown can achieve year-round crop production whilst also reducing water, chemicals used and land use.

Asda is continuously looking to offer its customers sustainable healthy options when they visit their stores and reduce its overall environmental impact. 

Asda recently published its ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) report for 2022, and this year marks 10 years of the Asda Supplier Sustainability Exchange, helping suppliers share knowledge and improve their own environmental impact.

Dom Edwards, who is Asda's Produce Director said: “We’re delighted to be the first British retailer supplying a vertically farmed bagged salad range at this kind of scale, enabling customers to buy nationally and online. As well as clear sustainability benefits, the salad leaves aren’t subject to adverse weather – resulting in better availability and more consistent quality for our customers.”

www.asda.com

It's the largest in the world. Lidl's Luton-based RDC

Lidl GB has officially launched its new Luton-based £300m RDC, the world's largest Lidl warehouse, marking Lidl's continued commitment to expansion across the whole of Great Britain.

The 1.2 million square foot RDC, which is half a kilometre in length and could fit three of Lidl’s existing warehouses inside it, is located in Houghton Regis, Luton, and will be delivering over 9,400 pallets a day to 150 stores. This compares to its existing distribution centres, which service between approximately 60-80 stores.

It will be the first Lidl GB warehouse that features automation, helping the company to store more goods and increase capacity at the distribution centre, which in turn is helping to create more jobs. 

It’s also been designed with sustainability in mind. It features solar panels set to generate 2,000,000 kWH’s of electricity every year. In fact, at certain times throughout the year the warehouse will run fully on its own generated solar power. As an eco-bonus, all its delivery fleet vehicles are fuelled by biogas which is created from food waste, supporting Lidl's firm commitment to have 100% of its fleet diesel free within the next seven years.

This milestone development comes as Lidl doubles down on its commitment to further strengthen its infrastructure as it caters for growing numbers of customers up and down the UK. 

In 2022 Lidl opened over 50 new stores, that's more than any other supermarket in the UK. It also Great opened a further 19 stores at the beginning of this year.

The warehouse will create up to 1,500 jobs for the local community. Warehouse colleagues will benefit from working at the highest paying supermarket after hourly wages increased this month to £11.40 from £11.00, with the potential to rise to £12.30 with length of service. Benefits also include life assurance and optional health and dental insurance schemes, plus enhanced holiday entitlement, and 10% discount in stores.

The opening is being marked with a ribbon cutting and parade featuring local performers from Luton, allowing Lidl colleagues to celebrate along with local community stakeholders.

Richard Taylor, Chief Development Officer at Lidl GB, said: “The opening of this new RDC in Luton is a seminal moment for Lidl GB. Demand for Lidl has never been higher, and we are seeing an increasing number of people walk through our doors to make savings on every shop. 

"The fact Lidl's largest RDC in the world is here in Britain speaks for itself not only in terms of us needing to meet the growing demand from customers, but also in terms of our ambition to grow that demand in the future. 

"Its a spectacular state-of-the-art site that our team has worked incredibly hard on to get to where we are today. It has the capacity to service 150 stores, nearly triple the amount of some of our existing warehouses, demonstrating the true scale of our ambition and growth potential.”

Jennifer Davidson, Lidl’s Regional Director responsible for the new distribution centre added: “In my 26 years at Lidl I’ve had the chance to work on some really incredible projects, but none of which I'm prouder of than this. To see the culmination of all the work that went into it and knowing the boost it’s giving the local economy, including the 1,500 jobs, is truly something. We have an exceptional team here, and I’m excited about what the future has in store for us, and Lidl in general.”

Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “It’s fantastic to see Lidl investing in the UK and creating thousands more well-paid jobs. As our plan to halve inflation this year and grow the economy bears fruit, businesses can be confident that investing in the UK is the right decision.”

The multi-million pound investment builds on momentum already made this year. In April, Lidl announced it was recruiting for 400 roles as it submitted a planning application at a 38-acre site in Gildersome, Leeds. This followed the recent opening of four RDCs including Motherwell, Peterborough, Doncaster and a second site in Belvedere.

(EDITOR: We know several people employed by Lidl and they speak very highly of the company, especially in one instance the health and dental insurance schemes which they were particularly impressed with. To learn more about careers with Lidl check them out here https://careers.lidl.co.uk)

Sainsbury’s invests an additional £6m annually in its dairy farmers

Dairy farmers supplying Sainsbury’s with milk will be paid more from next month thanks to a £6m annual investment made by the company to support dairy farms for the future.

Recent reports have indicated that due to factors like rising costs nearly 5% of dairy farmers left the industry last year and one in 10 believe they will have left the sector by 2053.  

Acknowledging the increasing volatility of input costs and high levels of capital investment required by dairy farmers, Sainsbury’s undertook a year-long review, with the support of its Dairy Development Group (SDDG) farmer steering group, into how it pays farmers for milk.

Over the last year Sainsbury’s have paid over £66m of support to British farmers, including increased pay for milk. 

Coming into effect from October First, this latest investment in dairy pay is on top of an £8.9m booster payment given to SDDG farmers in April 2022. 

Since introducing the Cost of Production model to the SDDG back in 2012, Sainsbury’s has paid farmers, on average, 2.45p per litre more compared to the rest of the market, delivering a benefit of £114m.

£4.3m of this new investment will go towards giving farmers an additional fixed 1p per litre for milk on top of the independently calculated Cost of Production price Sainsburys the currently pays farmers.

 With the typical volume of milk produced per year, per farm being roughly 2.7m litres, this means the average farm could receive around £27,000 extra per year. 

Alongside the investment in the new price model, the retailer has also committed £1.7m for sustainability bonuses. Farmers will be rewarded for helping Sainsbury’s achieve its Plan for Better targets, specifically carbon reduction, through activities such as using sustainably sourced feed and using the correct amount of fertiliser, in the proper way. 

The retailer previously committed a sum of £2.6m in bonuses for dairy farmers but is expanding the investment as it shifts the focus towards sustainability.

With new compliance legislation for dairy farmers it’s expected many will need to make expensive updates to their farms, like upgrading and improving feed stores and increasing the size of slurry storage. 

This additional support from Sainsbury’s aims to give farmers the confidence and desire to invest in these long-term changes so they can continue production for years to come.

Gavin Hodgson, Director of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Horticulture at Sainsbury’s, said: “The dairy farming industry is increasingly challenging for farmers and we recognise the responsibility we have as a retailer to support farmers and the need for continuous investment in this sector. 

“We are justifiably proud of our continued investment into the Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group and we're fully confident our £6m annual investment will help farmers plan for a long-term, sustainable future. In turn, we hope this will also provide surety of supply for our customers as we continue to champion British milk now and for the future.”

The SDDG was founded back in 2007 to provide more support to farmers. It includes over 260 farms who supply Sainsbury’s with its own brand milk. The group includes. For more information visit: Meet our milk farmers – Sainsbury's (sainsburys.co.uk)

More Reasons to Shop at Morisons as it kicks off 'More Month': Four weeks of industry leading deals and money saving offers

Morrisons is helping customers stock up, budget and bank extra loyalty card points with the launch of ‘More Month’ this month, September. They are available both online and in-store. 

More Card customers will have access to more exclusive offers than ever before, with an average discount of over 30% on cupboard staples such as breakfast cereals and lunch box fillers, as customers get back into their life routines during the month of September. 

Stock up items like confectionery pouches have also been included ahead of Halloween and Christmas and customers can now find More Card Exclusives in Morrisons petrol filling stations, too. 

Extra ‘More Points’ will also be available to customers on a range of branded products for the first time ever, plus a wider selection of Morrisons own brand products. 

Once a customer has saved 5,000 points, they'll receive a ‘Morrisons Fiver’ which can be redeemed on a future shop. For example, customers can earn:

400 points when they buy 1.75l Coke

300 points on Dolmio sauces 750G

1,800 points on Huggies Drynites (carry packs)

500 points on selected wines

150 points on Morrisons 12 British Beef Meatballs 340G

600 points if they purchase a meal of the day in a Morrisons café.

Customers can continue to earn points when shopping at Morrisons Market Street counters, where trained and skilled colleagues prepare fresh food, daily.  Offers include 100 points on sweet treats like brownies, doughnuts and a variety of loaves at the bakery and 500 points when customers buy three products at the Deli counter.  

Morrisons Fish Fridays and Steak Saturdays, where More Card customers can get 20% off fresh fish or British steaks from the Market Street counter are also continuing following positive feedback from customers. (EDITOR: Steak Saturdays? Time for a trip to our local Morisons at the weekend, I think!)

Also, Morrisons is reducing over 170 prices across the store this week. That's its eighth round of price reductions this year, so far.

Since January, Morrisons has committed to having over 1,000 prices lowered and locked every week to help tits customers plan their budgets without worrying unduly about price fluctuations.  

Rachel Eyre, who is Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Morrisons, said: “Customers tell us September is a chance for them to ‘reset’ and try new routines after the more expensive summer months.  

"We also know saving for Christmas is already on their minds and so we've launched ‘More Month’  to help.  We’ve added industry leading exclusive offers to items our customers buy weekly, plus products to stock up on ahead of the festive season.  Customers can also benefit from More Points on branded and own brand products and on top of that we are continuing to cut prices across our stores.”

Morrisons More Card launched in May 2023 and gives loyal customers even More Reasons to shop at Morrisons.  Customers can earn points on selected products and counters in store and online as well as 5 points for every 1 litre of fuel purchased in a Morrisons petrol filling station.  

As well as More Card Exclusive offers, customers are rewarded with regular, personalised deals on the categories they say matter most to them including meat, dairy and impulse buys.  Once a customer has saved 5,000 points, they earn a Morrisons Fiver which they can also opt to save for a special occasion or convert to Fivers straight away.

More Month offers are available in all of Morrisons 499 supermarkets and the majority of products can be found online, too.

morrisons.com

Transforming Restaurants: KAIKAKU’s Robots to Augment Human Capabilities

The three founders

The Gen-AI craze has largely overshadowed the revolutions bringing AI to the physical world. Robotics. 

A 22-year-old serial entrepreneur is embracing both AI and Robotics to revolutionise the way we consume food and has assembled an A-list team of respected innovators and “do-ers”.

The core philosophy of KAIKAKU centres around augmenting human capabilities by automating the repetitive chores and manual tasks native to the restaurant sector, which has long been riddled by chronic staff shortages and low job satisfaction. Unleashing the potential of robotics and AI, they aim to empower hospitality staff to embrace creativity and innovation, making the industry more dynamic and more engaging than ever before.

At its helm is CEO Josef Chen, who is a serial tech and food entrepreneur who at just 17 years old founded his first successful venture, which achieved a successful exit in just two years. 

Chen grew up in a Chinese Restaurant family helping with chores like slicing up cabbage at the age of 7. He said: “Having experienced all the problems first-hand and seeing my parents struggles to find staff, I've given thought to finding ways to radically change the industry.”

KAIKAKU, derived from the Japanese term for “radical change”, was founded in April 2023 by a stellar team with a mixture of F&B and technical expertise.

“I endeavoured to assemble the best team in Europe that can build everything at breakneck speed, and I believe we’re off to an amazing start!”opined Chen.

Co-Founder and CTOis  Dr David Sharp, who has a remarkable track record of delivering breakthrough innovations as former Head of Ocado Technologies 10x and Head of Engineering of Ocado’s Autonomous Mobility Team, joined the mission after researching commercial food and beverage  Technologies. 

Sharp said: “There's an exciting opportunity to apply the latest automation, robotics and AI technologies to transform the customer proposition and operational economics for the quick service restaurant sector."

Another notable addition to the team is Piers Millar, who Chen convinced to drop out of his studies at the London School of Economics to join as Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer. 

Bringing hands-on experience as the UK’s youngest Crew Trainer at McDonald's and having helped Chen scale a dark kitchen dessert brand to 6 figure revenues within 3 months of inception, Millar confidently pre: “By 2030, will robotics be a common sight at restaurants and cafes? I have no doubt!”

Chen went on to say: “To achieve our hyper-ambitious goals, we needed expertise on scaling the world’s largest locations of F&B chains, creating delicious food consistently at massive scale and the details on creating and opening new food and beverage concepts from ground Zero.”

He added: "So we went out and found the world’s leading experts in their fields to join our advisory board!”

Featuring industry veterans including Don Fertman, former Chief Development Officer of Subway, David Crean, former Global Chief Science Officer at Mars Inc and Jonathan Hart, former MD of Café Nero and CEO of Thorntons.

Automation and robotics aren’t distant dreams for the food and beverage industry; they’re today’s reality. 

Leading restaurant chains worldwide are embracing technology to streamline their operations and elevate customer experiences, emphasising the immense potential KAIKAKU is poised to harness.

Readers can learn more by visiting their website:- https://kaikaku.ai

(EDITOR: What do you think of AI and robotics being used in the food industry in an increasing fashion? Is it a good or a bad development?

Is it going back to the old days of the automated robo-diners of the 1950s? They were called Automats and you'll find details of the rise and fall of Automats here:- https://www.thoughtco.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-automat-4152992)