Cous Cous, from Ainsley Harriott. An instant and ideal addition to your Barbecue

At one time serving food at a British barbecue meant shoving a sausage in a finger roll, or putting a burger in a bread bap. If you were very, very lucky.

But that's all changed now. People want quite a good deal more by way of an accompaniment for their barbecued food! The meats (or the vegetarian equivalents!) are grilled and barbecued to perfection, but in order to make the barbecued meal more of a real meal, if you will pardon that expression, what are you going to serve with it?

A nice, fresh salad, perhaps? Yes, a nice fresh salad is a good idea. But what else are you going to serve besides that? What are you going to serve with the barbecued meat, the bread bap and that nice, crisp, fresh salad?

What about some cous cous? Or, to be more specific, what about some Ainsley Harriott Cous Cous?

Ainsley Harriott Cous Cous is the ideal accompaniment for your barbecued foods, be they meat, fish or vegetarian dishes.

You will find the Moroccan Medley (comes with apple, tomato, sunflower seeds and cumin) the Wild Mushroom (real wild mushrooms and garlic) and the roasted Vegetable Cous Cous flavours all equally flavoursome and the treat is that the only preparation that is required is boiling water, a stir and to be left for five minutes when it will be ready to be served! What could be easier than that?

To find out more visit www.ainsley-harriott.com

Nando’s BBQ range boosts the summer heat!

This year Nando’s is injecting some heat into the British summer with its BBQ range. PERi-PERi pioneers Nando’s have a fiery selection of PERi-PERi sauces, spicy marinades and delicious rubs perfect for the summer months, each created to compliment grilled poultry, meat, fish and vegetables.

With a range of heat levels to suit both heat seekers and the less adventurous, enjoy the taste of Nando’s throughout the BBQ season!

For those seeking out full flavour but who do not want too much heat, Nando’s Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Marinade provides a mouth-watering combination of sun ripened tomatoes and lemons, basil and PERi-PERi – a medium heat level to create a tingle on the tongue. To turn up the heat, Hot PERi-PERi Sauce will make ordinary burgers extraordinary while PERi-PERi BBQ Sauce gives a flavoursome smoky kick to sausages.

For those BBQ nuts who like to take a hands-on approach, Nando’s range of PERi-PERi Seasoning Rubs will gently infuse all your poultry, meat, fish and vegetables with a blend of herbs, spices and PERi-PERi heat. Nando’s chips (crisps) and dips range make a fiery little starter that are perfect for keeping hunger pains at bay while the main meal sizzles on the grill.

Nando’s PERi-PERi Sauces and Marinades will ensure that each bite packs a punch so, despite no-guarantee of good weather, Nando’s can always provide the nation with some welcome heat, try this BBQ recipe to get you going . . .

Nando’s Hot PERi-PERi Sauce is available from all major retailers. RRSP £1.65

Nando’s Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Marinade is available from selected Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Asda stores. RRSP £1.99

Nando’s Sweet & Sticky Marinade is available from selected Tesco, Waitrose, Asda and Coop stores. RRSP £1.99

Nando’s BBQ Sauce is available from selected Asda & Morrisons stores. RRSP £1.49

Nando’s PERi-PERi Rubs are available from selected Tesco, Asda and Morrisons stores. RRSP £1.25

For information on the complete Nando’s product range visit www.nandos.co.uk

Don't just spice your barbecue meat! Schwartz it, instead!

We must all have done it at one time or another. Just shoved some generic spice into the shopping basket, used it in our cooking and thought: “I don't really like that. There's no real taste!”

But you really do not want to risk that with British Barbecue Week, do you? We must let the Sunshine in and Celebrate British BBQ Week with Schwartz!

After a brutally snowy winter, everyone is overjoyed to see summer fast approaching. What better way to celebrate the sunshine then to throw a fabulous BBQ with all your friends and family?

Show off your BBQ skills with a fantastic array of tasty recipes from Schwartz. From Cocoa Chilli Pork Ribs to Chilli and Herb Beef burgers, the aromas will get every nose in the street twitching with intrigue. Your culinary delights will be the talk of the town!

Explore our full collection of delicious recipes with step by step instructions at www.schwartz.co.uk

COCOA CHILLI PORK RIBS

900g (2lb) pork spare ribs
1 onion, quartered
100g (4oz) brown sugar
1 tsp Schwartz Cinnamon Ground
1 tsp Schwartz Garlic Salt
2 tsp Schwartz for Chef Chilli & Cocoa Bean
150ml (1/4 pint) apple juice
4 tbs tomato puree

STEP 1

Preheat the oven to 200ºC, 400°F, Gas Mark 6.

 STEP 2

Place the ribs in a large roasting dish with the onion, cover with boiling water and foil. Place into the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

 STEP 3

Meanwhile mix together the sugar, Cinnamon, Garlic Salt and COOK ART spice blend in a small bowl.  Reserve 3 tbs of this spice mixture for the sauce.

STEP 4

Remove the ribs from the oven and drain. Rub the remaining spice mixture over the ribs, until well coated. Place the ribs in a single layer on a foil-lined roasting pan. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for a further 30 minutes.

 STEP 5

Meanwhile make the sauce, gently heat the apple juice, tomato purée and reserved spice mixture until well combined and glossy.  Use half the sauce to baste the ribs and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes, until the ribs are sticky and glossy. 

 STEP 6

Place the other half of the sauce in a serving bowl.

CHILLI AND HERB BEEF BURGERS

(Serves 4)

1 tbs oil
1 onion, finely chopped
450g (1lb) beef mince
2 tsp Schwartz Chilli Powder Mild
2 tbs tomato purée
1 tbs Schwartz Mixed Herbs
4 burger buns, halved and toasted if desired
1 bag mixed salad leaves of your choice
2 tomatoes, sliced
Schwartz Sea Salt Mill to season
Schwartz Ground Black Pepper to season

STEP 1

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes, until softened.

STEP 2

Tip the onions into a bowl and add the beef mince, Mild Chilli Powder, tomato purée and Mixed Herbs. Season well and blend the mixture together.

STEP 3

Divide the mixture into four and shape into burgers. Cover and refrigerate, until ready to cook.

STEP 4

Brush with a little oil and cook on the barbecue, or under a pre-heated grill for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through, turning occasionally. Ensure the burger is piping hot and cooked throughout before serving.

STEP 5

Add a few mixed salad leaves and tomato slices to each burger bun and top with the cooked burger. Serve with the remaining salad and sauces of your choice.

CLASSIC BBQ CHICKEN

4 tbs honey
6 tbs tomato ketchup
4 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs Schwartz Perfect Shake Classic Barbecue Special Blend
Juice of 1 lime
1kg (2.2lbs) chicken drumsticks, thighs or wings
1 bag mixed salad leaves of your choice
1 French baton

STEP 1

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat evenly.

STEP 2

Cover and leave to marinade for 30 minutes, or for best results overnight in the refrigerator. 

STEP 3

On the barbecue or under a pre-heated low-heat grill, cook the chicken drumsticks and thighs for 30-40 minutes, and the wings for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through. 

STEP 4

Ensure the chicken is piping hot and cooked throughout before serving with the salad and French bread

The London Fine Meat Company. Meat to your door

At last, the denizens of South West London can enjoy the luxury of having fresh cuts of fine quality meats delivered directly to their doorss. And just in time for this year's barbecue season, too!

The London Fine Meat Company (LFM) has launched. It's an independent British meat supplier based in the South West London area.

They not only pride themselves on the standard of the meat they supply but can promise to deliver it easily and conveniently to your door ready for you to cook.

LFM has been created and launched by Stuart Ferretti, who is a skilled and knowledgeable local butcher who has worked in the profession for in excess of two decades.

LFM use traditional butchery skills alongside the latest vacuum packing technology in state-of-the-art, purpose-built facilities to ensure that the meat is delivered to you in prime condition.

With their pristine premises and modern facilities designed to the highest standards, customers are assured LFM always go above and beyond the basic health, safety and hygiene requirements.

10 great reasons why you should try LFM...
The convenience of having delicious, great value meat delivered to your door (no need to waste time going to several supermarkets to get the cut you want)
Wide range of cuts and sizes available, including a full organic range
Money-saving discounts when you buy one of the meat boxes
100% satisfaction guaranteed (or your money back)
They use the latest technology (and years of experience) to make sure the meat reaches you in perfect condition, every time
Quick and easy-to-use online shop
Orders arrive chilled, ready to cook or freeze, in quantities to suit you
British-sourced meat, which means it's not only fresh but hasn't had to travel thousands of miles before it reaches you
Delivery times to suit you
And do not forget! There is a very welcome 10% DISCOUNT and FREE DELIVERY on your first order!

Stuart is the latest in a family of butchers and he learnt the profession from his father and uncle who created their own business in the late sixties. He later professionally trained with various firms learning modern butchery skills, up-to-date health, safety and hygiene requirements and business practice.

He set up his own business as a catering butcher supplying top notch restaurants, hotels, pubs, restaurants, schools and catering companies which led him to establish, what is now known as, The London Fine Meats Company.

London Fine Meats pride itself on being as ‘green’ as it can possibly be, and they go to great lengths to maintain this. With a passion for the environment and preserving energy and waste, the company uses their own wind turbine to help with power needs, light sensors to prevent the waste of electricity and sensor controlled water taps to monitor and reduce water waste.

They have top-of-the range fridges that are highly efficient within a temperature controlled prep room and they vacuum pack the majority of their products to ensure freshness and to cut down on the amount of packaging used. They are committed to recycling as much as possible and they are working towards having a paper free office. All their products are delivered in returnable poly boxes.

Stuart is firmly convinced that eating a healthy diet with plenty of natural food is very important and therefore LFM does not supply any processed meats and only sells the highest quality organic and some non organic meat. Visit http://londonfinemeats.com.

Stone me! That's a good idea!

The Pizza Stone from Emile Henry is a fantastic idea! It is perfect for barbecues. You can really go to town with it! You can use it to create your own, special recipes, something different to use the barbecue for perhaps?

Why not make a pizza on your barbecue? Or your own flat garlic breads? Now that IS a novel and exciting idea, isn't it?

The striking Emile Henry range of cookware has been extended and now includes the brand new Pizza Stone. 

Featuring the special and innovative Emile Henry Flame® technology, the new Pizza Stone brings a new delicious dimension to barbecues, making flatbreads, pizzas, pittas, garlic and herb breads and all manner of doughy creations possible – all with the unmistakably authentic stone baked crust. And all for just £48.35 from www.emilehenry.co.uk

Some Habits are Worth Keeping, or developing. Get into the new Blue Nun

Blue Nun has done something quite exciting with its range of UK wines by introducing fresher and more fruity styles and a striking new design for the packaging.

The winemakers behind this iconic German-produced wine have used their passion, heritage and expertise to create a family of quality wines that really do deliver on taste for today’s wine lovers.

The new Blue Nun “Original” white wine, still in its famous blue glass fluted bottle, now contains the Rivaner and Riesling grape varieties.

Previously a blended non-varietal designated wine, the Rivaner Riesling has been carefully blended to ensure it will appeal to the taste and palate of the UK wine drinkers and offers more body and flavour.

The Langguth winemakers have crafted a beautifully finished wine with perfect balance, softness, and depth of fresh fruit flavours.

The new Blue Nun is an unpretentious, contemporary wine best consumed lightly chilled (Alc 10.0 % Vol).

The brand is also launching a new premium range of four German varietal wines, including a Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Dornfelder Rosé and Pinot Noir, each with its own distinctive style and character.

The Pinot Grigio has fresh aromas and flavours of bright apple and exotic pineapple, rounded off with a touch of fruit flavors and a crisp clean finish.

The Riesling is a wonderful combination of bright fresh fruit flavor with hints of white peach.  It has a light, zesty feel with a soft, cool finish.

The Pinot Noir is elegant and fresh with aromas of bright cherry and flavours of mulberry.  A medium bodied wine with hints of oak and a silky texture on the palate.

The Dornfelder Rosé is bursting with tangy raspberry and cherry aromas with a soft fresh finish, which results in a lovely summery wine.

Blue Nun wines have been produced since 1921 and come with the added assurance of their Sichel Superior Vinification winemaking method.  This involves temperature controlled fermentation, which results in a remarkable improvement in taste, aroma and smoothness of wines.

In the UK, Blue Nun sells over 31,000 bottles every week and is also enjoyed in over eighty countries around the globe.  So raise your glass to that! 

The new Blue Nun Rivaner-Riesling will be in most UK supermarkets nationwide from May 2011 with a RRP of about the £4.99 mark.

These new Blue Nun wines will really provide a fantastic partner for your barbecued foods this summer. So best to get a bottle (or five!) in to ensure you and your guests can enjoy good food, good company and good wine, all summer-long.

You, too, can indulge in some healthy barbecuing with Flora Cuisine

Barbecuing is a nice and relativity healthy way of cooking. But did you know that you can make it even healthier? How? By using Flora Cuisine, that's how!

Why? Because you can use Flora Cuisine to fry, roast and barbecue, too! (You can use it on your griddle, for example, and to coat sausages, burgers, steaks, et., whilst they are cooking. And you can smear it on barbecue grills and griddle plates to ensure the meat and vegetables do not stick.

Not only that, but if you are making sauces for your barbecue meals, Flora Cuisine is ideal fort that, too. And you can also use it to roast potatoes, vegetables, meat and fish, too, for when maybe the weather has rained the barbecue off? And do not forget, it helps you make perfect muffins and cakes, too!

Not only is Flora Cuisine a delicious alternative to other types of cooking, it can also make the proud claim to have 45% less saturated fat than than olive oil.

Clippy’s Apples, giving your BBQ the Fruit-factor!

This summer no BBQ will be complete without Clippy’s Apples wonderful range of tasty conserves, jellies, chutneys and relishes. 

Created by working mum and Master Preserver, Clippy, Clippy’s Apples products contain only British apples and, unlike other sugary supermarket brands are totally fruit-tastic, packed full of lovely juicy fruit and combined with indulgent hedonistic ingredients – they’ll set your taste buds alight!  Available nationwide, Clippy has hand-picked from her range the ones that best capture this season in a jar:

Apple, Garlic & Thyme Jelly

This tongue-tingling preserve is made with pressed British apple juice, perfectly roasted garlic, and thyme. Use it to add some zing to your BBQ meats.  This jelly is also delicious melted down and used as a mild marinade.

Apple, Redcurrant & Chilli Jelly

The word 'addictive' describes this hot but not hellish chilli jelly.  It contains 63g of fruit per 100g.  Again, this jelly, when melted down makes a lovely marinade with a chilli kick!

Apple Tomato & Roasted Garlic Relish

The perfect dip for any BBQ, it’s light and refreshing, everyone’s favourite!

Apple, Mango & Chilli Chutney

Wow!  This really packs a punch - try with your BBQ sausages or to perk up your burger!  Also yummy with big juicy prawns or fish on the BBQ.

Clippy is on a mission to save British apple orchards and uses only British apples in all Clippy’s Apples products.  All of Clippy’s recipes have been developed in her home kitchen using apples from her back garden with daughter Rosie, 2, as chief taster!  (EDITOR: That's a very important job!)

Clippy’s Apples products are available via Ocado.com, ASDA (North West stores only), Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols and E.H. Booths.

All of Clippy’s Apples products come with handy serving suggestions on the label to give you a little inspiration.

Clippy’s passion for British apples began when she found out that two-thirds of British apple orchards have been lost since 1970 and Clippy, together with fiancé Paul Gorman, wants to reverse this disturbing trend.  Clippy Founded Clippy’s Apples in 2008 by using apples from her back garden.

(EDITOR: That's Food and Drink raises a glass to Clippy, Paul and Chief Taster, Rosie!)

Kent's Kitchen can help you with your BBQ

When barbecuing first became popular in the UK, it was a case of somehow eventually starting a fire and, in clouds of billowing, choking smoke, turn some sausages and burgers in to charcoal lumps that were barely edible, though everyone did their best to chew through them, just to show willing.

But that's all changed, now! After watching TV chefs (who have crews of dozens to help them!) people want marinated these, rubbed those and really nice, tasty sauces. So, you can be stuck in the kitchen for hours even before you have wheeled the barbecue cooker out of the shed!

But there's an easier and better way to do it all! There's the Kent's Kitchen way! 

Kent’s Kitchen specialises in meal kits and risottos and aims to make the busy foodie’s life easier with products that mean you don’t have to have massively long shopping lists, or bother with lengthy prep time and over-complicated recipes.

For the summer season they have some fabulous bbq sauces, rubs and marinades on their website, perfect for al fresco dining and bbqs.

The meal kits contain 3 pots – infused oil, paste, and spices / herbs – all you need to buy a couple of ingredients and in 20 minutes you have an authentic, delicious meal! Easy!

The range includes Chow Mein, Thai Green and Thai Red curries, Madras, Spicy Korma, Rogan Josh....just £2.50 each.

The risottos are brilliant – all the hard work is done for you and you just add water. It really could not be easier! They come in 5 delicious flavours including wild mushroom, bacon & spinach, chicken & sage, prawn & lemon and vegetable. Just £2.40 each.

And Kent's Kitchen believe that there is no place for additives like artificial flavours, colours and the like in good quality food. So they do not use them!

And what's more, most of the range are vegetarian and coeliac friendly and you can order them on line at www.kentskitchen.co.uk.

So now you can barbecue like a professional with none of the pressure! And that's good!

Ideal nibbles for your barbie from Penn State

Top UK pretzel maker, Penn State Snacks, is experiencing an exciting period of growth as it launches a brand new range of popcorn and pretzel flavours this summer. And they look to be ideal nibbles to accompany your barbecue feasts this summer!

In a highly competitive market, Penn State Snacks is performing very well, with sales up 11%, so their the new range is perfectly positioned to meet the needs of the health conscious, on-the-go consumer. (EDITOR: I guess they mean you and me!)

Innovative new air popped Sweet & Salt (80g) and Monterey Jack Cheese (80g) popcorn flavours are launched this summer, along with the sizzling seasonal Spicy Tomato & Chorizo Pretzels (175g). Due to high demand, Penn State Snacks is also re-launching the popular Worcester Sauce Pretzels in share size 175g packs as well as handy 30g packs.

Steve Harger, from Intersnack, the firm behind Penn State said: “This is an exciting time of expansion for us as we launch our brand new line of popcorn and pretzel flavours. We are committed to meeting the needs of the consumer and driving forward growth throughout 2011 and beyond.

“Our team have been working hard to make certain these new flavours are of the highest quality and we would urge retailers to stock up on these guilt-free products.”

Following the trend of growth in the snacks, crisps and nuts industry, Penn State Snacks is outperforming in the baked category and with many major supermarkets stocking Penn State products and new listings in Boots and Superdrug, the brand presence is growing continually.

In a bid to refresh and add to the existing range, the growth will continue later into the year with the introduction of the only bottom coated milk chocolate pretzels on the market, as well as an addition to the seasonal range with the festive Gammon & Mustard Pretzels. (EDITOR: Must buy some for our next barbecue, they sound pretty good for barbecue nibbles, while we wait for the first food to cook!)

Steve went on to say: “All our snacks offer consumers the health benefits of a low-fat, low-calorie snack, without compromising on taste. We have been in the business of making pretzels for 15 years and after adding our delicious baked deli chips to the range in 2009, we’re now looking forward to extending further with our popcorn flavours.

“As always here at Penn State, the emphasis is on sharing and having fun and we hope our tasty new treats will continue to reinforce this.”

As the first company to produce pretzels in the UK, Penn State started production of their signature original sea salted pretzel flavour back in 1996 and since then, their popularity has steadily grown and the Great British pretzel now has a firm fan base.