I follow a number of different YouTube channels that cover cookery matters. One of these is called Tasting History, presented by historical cooking expert Max Miller.
In this episode viewers will learn how to cook as if they were making a feasting meal for Celtic Druids, cooking a Celtic Boar Stew.
We have two great recipes from Julienne Bruno, the creator of truly original plant-based products that are designed to cleverly take home cooking to gastronomic levels.
Its debut range, Collection 01, features BURRELLA®, CREMATTA™, and SUPERSTRACCIA®, is perfect for conscious eaters who want to participate in gastronomy but are limited by the standard of plant-based products. From salads, pizzas, pastas, or desserts, Julienne Bruno can complement any dish you can rustle up.
First recipe:-
Cook Time: 2 hours (including baking and chilling)
Servings: 2
INGREDIENTS
1x 175g tub julienne bruno crematta™
50g wholemeal flour
75g plain flour
25g caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
65g vegan block butter, chilled and chopped into cubes
½ tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tsp icing sugar
160g forced rhubarb stalks
20g caster sugar (+ 4 tsp extra)
¼ lemon zest, and squeeze of the juice
demerara sugar
METHOD
Step 1: combine flours and sugar in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor, stir well to combine. add the chopped butter, then if doing this by hand, cut the butter through the flour until there are no larger bits of butter left. gently then rub the flour and butter using your fingertips and thumbs until everything is evenly combined. if using a food processor, gently pulse the mixture until the butter is evenly incorporated.
Step 2: add the vinegar and 50g of crematta™ then mix through with a spoon before using your hands to bring the dough together into a ball. do not knead the dough, just bring it together.
Step 3: weigh the dough, then divide into two even pieces. gently flatten each piece into a thick disk before wrapping in cling film and chilling in the fridge for around an hour. mix the remainder of the crematta™ in its pot with the icing sugar, lid, and then place in the freezer.
Step 4: whilst the dough is chilling, make the filling. wash the rhubarb, trim the ends and then cut 1 inch long pieces on the diagonal. in a bowl, toss the rhubarb with the lemon zest/ juice and sugar. allow to sit and macerate gently until ready to use.
Step 5: heat your oven to 180c fan, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. remove the pastry from the fridge, unwrap then place on a well floured (second) sheet of parchment paper ready to roll out. making sure the rolling pin is also floured, gently roll each piece of dough out, one by one, into a rough circle approximately 6 inches in diameter.
Step 6: drain the juices from the rhubarb bowl into a small dish, set aside for later use. sprinkle 2 tsp of caster sugar over the centre of each pastry disk before then arranging the sliced rhubarb over, ensuring to leave approximately a 1.5 inch border all the way around the edge. gently fold the pastry over the filling, place onto the baking sheet before lightly glazing with the juices and then finally sprinkling with demerara.
Step 7: bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden. set the baking tray on a wire rack and allow the galettes to cool for at least twenty minutes to half an hour. remove the crematta™ from the freezer and place in the fridge until ready to serve spooned on top of the galettes.
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes + overnight chilling
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
350g JULIENNE BRUNO Crematta™
250ml unsweetened non dairy milk
75g fine caster sugar
1 tsp nutritional yeast
40g cornflour, sieved
¼ tsp sea salt flakes
1 vanilla pod, split, beans removed
2 tsp vanilla extract
60g demerara sugar (to caramelise tops)
4x 9 cm brulee ramekins
METHOD
STEP 1: Combine milk, sugar, nutritional yeast, cornflour in a small pan. Heat gently whilst whisking constantly until the mixture no longer feels grainy. This is a sign that all the sugar has dissolved. Add the salt, vanilla pod, seeds and vanilla extract to the pan. Increase the heat, bringing the mixture to a gentle simmer (again whisking constantly so that it does not burn or stick) until it begins to thicken.
STEP 2: As soon as the mixture thickens, remove from the heat and transfer from the pan into a large mixing bowl to cool. Remove the vanilla pod.
STEP 3: Using a large spatula, fold through both tubs of Crematta until fully combined before pouring the custard into the four ramekins to cool completely. Once cool, cover with cling film then transfer to the fridge to set overnight.
STEP 4: Before serving, evenly sprinkle a tablespoon of demerara sugar over the top of each ramekin to completely cover the vanilla custard. Caramelise the sugar using a kitchen blowtorch, or place under a very hot preheated grill until the sugar is golden brown. Serve immediately.
Enjoy both of the recipes.
You can learn more by visiting their website, here: https://www.juliennebruno.com.
Having launched in Heavenly Desserts' 50 restaurants UK-wide, the vegan, warm and delightfully fluffy bao buns are filled with a smooth, melt-in-the-middle chocolate filling and are served alongside a delicious caramel dipping sauce.
This addition to the Heavenly Desserts menu results from itsu’s continual efforts innovate ranges with new flavours that excite modern audiences with trending ingredients and with unique concepts.
The bao buns created by itsu will be available at Heavenly Desserts’ restaurants, and will also become a core item on its ‘dessert tapas’ menu.
“After a lot of consumer research and flavour profiling and following on from the popularity of our mochi desserts which we announced last summer, we learned bao buns are setting a trend in the dessert sector as itsu has become the go-to brand in the UK market for this recognisable Asian dish.
“Most Brits are aware that bao buns come with a savoury filling like duck and hoisin sauce, but they can be made differently by using a sweet middle. So, it was a no-brainer that these would attract new customers familiar with the cuisine to Heavenly Desserts."
As a pioneering Asian inspired restaurant and grocery brand, itsu is based within the UK. The global company was founded in 1997 by Julian Metcalfe, who was co-founder of sandwich chain Pret A Manger.
"These have been really popular, so alongside the bao buns we're also announcing our Strawberry Daquiri mocktail and extending our springtime drinks into summer for the perfect refresher.”
Julian Metcalfe, itsu's founder said: “Sweet Bao is really an historic breakthrough, -every now and then, the team hits a real bullseye; this is one such lucky example. After in excess of 50 failed trials, we managed to get rich quality chocolate to flow, molten warm, from inside the fluffy bao bun. It's the result of our dedicated 10-person strong NPD team who have worked tirelessly for a whole year to create this phenomenal first-to-market, brand new product.”
For more information about Heavenly Desserts and its menus visit: https://www.heavenlydesserts.co.uk.
Serves 6
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 1¼ -1½ hours
225g (8oz) strawberries, hulled
100g (4oz) raspberries
Meringues
2 egg whites
100g (4oz) caster sugar
To finish
300ml (1/2 pint) double cream
200g (7oz) 0.1% fat fromage frais
225g (8oz) strawberries, hulled, roughly chopped
50g (2oz) raspberries
1 Preheat the oven to 110oC (225oF), Gas Mark ¼. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.
2 Puree the strawberries and raspberries in a liquidiser or food processor then press through a sieve.
3 Whisk the egg whites in a large clean dry bowl until they form stiff moist looking peaks and you feel confident that if the bowl was turned upside down the egg whites wouldn’t fall out! Gradually whisk in the sugar a teaspoonful at a time then continue whisking for a minute or two until really thick and glossy.
4 Add 2 tablespoons of the berry puree then very briefly mix until marbled. Spoon into a large piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm (¾ inch) plain piping tube, pipe small rounds on to the lined baking sheet. Bake for 11/4-11/2 hours or until the meringues may be easily lifted off the paper. Leave to cool.
5 To serve, lightly whip the cream until it forms soft swirls then fold in the fromage frais. Crumble the meringues then layer in jam jars or plastic containers with the remaining berry puree and diced strawberries. Decorate with the raspberries. Add the lids and keep in the fridge until ready to serve or transport to a picnic in a cool bag with a frozen ice block to keep them cold. Serve within 1½ hours or the meringues tend to lose their crunch.
This recipe is courtesy of Love Fresh Berries and you can find more delicious berry recipes here https://www.lovefreshberries.co.uk
I have a confession. There's a supermarket my wife and I visit. But the only thing we buy there is Charlie Bigham's delicious meals. And maybe some wine and some real ale to accompany it!
So you can imagine our joy when we received some news that we want to share with you. Charlie Bigham is now working with Remeo to bring you pudding perfection!
You might say these are the ultimate puddings pairings, and it's all down to Charlie Bigham’s proper puds and Remeo Gelato!
Everyone knows how much work goes into hosting a dinner party, so next time you’ve got your friends or family members round to your place for a spot of evening dining, or even if you’re the one being hosted, why not allow Charlie take care of dessert?
If you are a fan of Sticky Toffee Pudding, moon over a Cherry Bakewell or if gooey Molten Chocolate Pudding is what gets you going, Charlie has partnered with Remeo Gelato co-founder Jacopo Cordero Di Vonzo, who has you covered with the perfect gelato pairings to have alongside Charlie Bigham’s puddings, for a final course that is sure to wow your guests without any added stress.
For a choc-lovers dream, pair Charlie Bigham’s Molten Chocolate Pudding with Remeo’s velvety Stracciatella.
Cherry Bakewell Pudding + Raspberry &
Get your fix of fruity decadence with oozing cherry compote and tart raspberry sauce, delicately balanced with mascarpone and a sprinkling of flaked almonds.
Sticky Toffee Pudding + Salted Caramel Gelato…
Bread & Butter Pudding + Madagascan Vanilla Gelato…
Charlie Bigham’s ‘Proper Puds’ are carefully crafted to give you exactly what you need to round off a tasty meal and are all made with the same care and attention as all the other Charlie Bigham’s meals.
Summer is all about enjoying quality time with friends and family and the puds allow you to do exactly that, by saving you from being caught up in the kitchen! The range isn’t just for autumn or winter months, with the puds making for a delicious end to a summer evening when paired with some gelato, too.
Says Remeo Co-Founder Jacopo Cordero Di Vonzo: ‘‘Remeo is all about bringing the authentic Italian experience to the UK, and nothing epitomises this more than these Italian-English pairings that work so well not only during the summer months but all year round, too!
"‘La Dolce Vita' is all about sharing simple pleasures, and not only do these pairings taste truly ‘delizioso’ but the Charlie Bigham’s trays and Remeo Gelato jars are the perfect sharing sizes.’’
All puddings and gelato can be purchased on Ocado, details below:
Charlie Bigham’s Cherry Bakewell Pudding - RRP £5.
Charlie Bigham’s Bread & Butter Pudding - RRP £5.
Charlie Bigham’s Molten Chocolate Pudding - RRP £3.95.
Charlie Bigham’s Sticky Toffee Pudding - RRP £5.
Remeo Raspberry & Mascarpone Gelato - RRP £6.
Remeo Madagascan Vanilla Gelato - RRP £6.
Remeo Stracciatella Gelato - RRP £6.
Remeo Salted Caramel Gelato - RRP - £6.
The indulgent new Oat Boosts are bursting with decadent flavour and combine rich treacle, sticky dates and rolled wholegrain oats into an easy on-the-go flapjack.
The bars join other ultimately moreish flavours in the Oat Boost range like Lemon Blueberry, Cocoa Vanilla, Cherry Bakewell and Peanut Butter.
The delicious snacks are available in packs of four and can be enjoyed on their own, as an accompaniment to a hot cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate, or as a post-workout treat.
graze firmly believes that no one should ever have to compromise on taste, and the new Sticky Toffee Oat Boosts reflect this. As their chefs have expertly combining simple, wholesome ingredients to recreate the household famous, mouth-watering flavour.
Each Sticky Toffee Oat Boost is 122 kcals per serving and has 45% less sugar than the average cereal bar. Like the rest of the graze Oat Boost range, the delectable bar is high in fibre and free from artificial flavours and preservatives.
Healthy snackers lovers will be able to pick up the new graze Sticky Toffee Oat Boosts at Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, WHSmith and via Amazon, with more stockists on the way soon. Sticky Toffee Oat Boosts are priced at a RRP of £2.75 (120g) for a box of four.
Eleanor McClelland, who is the graze Head of Food at graze said: “We know many Brits feel it’s hard to find snacks that both taste good and are also healthy, with recent research showing 20% of us struggle to find healthy and tasty snacks when we're out shopping. Our new Sticky Toffee Oat is first in spontaneous awareness for healthy snacking brands."
It's an amazing show, combining food and art, nostalgic objects and the ultimate fetishes, Juicy! is the inaugural solo exhibition by classically-trained contemporary artist Florence Houston. Hosted by the J/M Gallery this November, Juicy! will be set to spark an interesting conversations about the intersection of art, history, and gastronomy.
Juicy! offers an experience that engages all of the senses, showcasing a collection of monumental and dramatic paintings centred around the enchanting theme of Victorian jellies. Mysterious yet captivating, Juicy also features a selection of still life paintings depicting pills, flowers and plastic bags filled with colourful fruit.
Taking place in the heart of London for a limited time only, this unique exhibition will transport viewers into a bygone era through a contemporary lens.
Celebrated for her whimsical paintings, Florence Houston’s array of luscious and elaborate jelly designs capture the essence of Victorian elegance and extravagance. Through vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and nostalgic charm, Juicy! explores the fascinating history and cultural significance of these gelatinous delights.
Connoting something sexy in today’s pop culture, “jelly” in Victorian times had a very different meaning. From the opulence of royal banquets to the creativity of home cooks, Victorian jellies were not only a culinary delight but also a symbol of sophistication and status.
Victorians created these incredible wobbling, gleaming jelly sculptures that they used as centrepieces on a table. By exploring this unique aspect of Victorian culture, Florence Houston invites viewers to reflect on the ways in which food and art intertwine to shape our collective history and identity.
"I really enjoy taking something that feels disregarded or unimportant and painting it seriously, really cherishing it. There’s something comedic about it but I also want to show how beautiful those things can be. It’s very satisfying painting a plastic bag or a jelly using exactly the same material and technique that’s been used to paint centuries of Kings, Popes and other pomp and glory. All my work focuses on beauty, I feel very sensitive to it, finding it and recreating it in my paintings feels like my ultimate goal”.
Juicy! will continue online until the end of November via www.florencehouston.com
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The decrease in disposable income has been particularly evident for low-income families, with 40% of UK households in negative income last month, so their take home pay didn't cover spending on bills and essentials.
Families in Northern Ireland, the North East and the West Midlands struggled the most during the second quarter, when average weekly disposable incomes were at £95, £133 and £163 respectively, well below the UK average of £208 across the quarter to 30 June.
In addition to these regions, other areas of the UK that also saw a decline in disposable income during the quarter were the South East (excluding London), East of England and Wales.
Those regions faring worse than others during the cost-of-living crisis tend to be characterised by a greater concentration of spending on consumption categories that have seen high inflation recently. They also have lower employment rates or a higher concentration of employment in lower paid or low wage growth occupations than other parts of the UK.
In contrast, many families living in London fared better with rising living costs and have seen disposable incomes rise by 5.8% year-on-year to an average of £272 per week during the same period. A key factor behind this rise is the strong labour market and concentration of higher paying jobs in the capital city.
While family disposable income as a whole across the UK rose by £5.74 a week in June to an average of £210 per week, a 2.8% increase compared to the same period last year, rising living costs continue to outstrip wage growth for the majority of households that are outside our capital.
Asda continues to support families across the UK and last week announced it was cutting the prices of in excess of 200 own-label lines by an average of nine percent. Products include a host of fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen meat and fish products, cupboard staples and popular ready meal options.
Kris Comerford, who is Asda’s Chief Commercial Officer, commented: “We know families are continuing to feel the pinch financially, especially as they head toward the long summer holidays, and so they're looking for help to make their grocery budget stretch a bit further. Whenever there's a chance for Asda to help them make their money go further by lowering prices, we'll continue to do this.”
Asda's also extended its massively popular ‘Kids Eat for £1’ café meal offer until the end of the year. Since launching this initiative last July, Asda has served 2 million meals from its cafes and invested £1.3m subsidising the offer to keep the meal prices at £1.
Asda recently added a selection of half priced adult meals to the menu, thus giving a family of four the chance to enjoy a meal in any Asda café for as little as £8.50 in total.
The bags are pre-filled with items that are most needed by families.
The donation bags, which customers can pick up as they enter the store, will contain the items most needed by foodbanks and charities, likes pasta, pulses and pasta sauce and will typically cost around £3.50.
The bags make it a quick and easy way for shoppers to give a helping hand to food banks and charities feeding people in their local communities this summer.
Last year, the total amount of food donated by Tesco shoppers to the Trussell Trust and FareShare was the equivalent of 12.5 million meals.
The donation bags will be available in Tesco stores until Sunday September 3, alongside every Tesco store’s permanent collection point where customers can donate long life food items all year round.
Over the summer, customers can also round up their bill to the nearest pound at the checkout to make it even easier to offer financial support to those who are in need. This will be available to 6th August and 28th August to 3rd September.
Tesco Head of Community Claire de Silva said: “We’re very proud of our partnerships with FareShare and the Trussell Trust and we are keen to continue to find ways to help them. With more people using food banks we wanted to make donating as easy as possible for customers who want to support their local community. The donation bags will be available throughout the summer holidays so it allows a real focus on families and children who need support.”
Polly Hoffman, Head of Retail at FareShare, said: “The need for FareShare food has been rising quickly as a result of the cost of living crisis, and will continue to do so throughout the summer holidays when more families rely on these vital local services to feed themselves and their loved ones.
“At a time when millions of people are going hungry across the UK, the donations we receive from generous Tesco customers is really vital for the charities and community groups we provide food to. That’s why we’re thrilled Tesco is making it even easier for people to support FareShare by introducing donation bags in store this summer.”
Emma Revie, CEO at the Trussell Trust, added: “We're extremely grateful to Tesco for again providing innovative new ways for their customers to support our network of more than 1,300 food bank centres. Over the last year, food banks have faced record levels of need and, while donations have increased by 18%, our network distributed 37% more emergency food parcels than in 2021/2022.
“The generosity of Tesco and its customers plays a vital role in ensuring that food banks can continue to support people who cannot afford the essentials, as we continue working towards our vision of ending the need for food banks.”
(EDITOR: Other supermarkets such as Morrisons also offer food bank bag donation points in their stores.)
The return bins from coffee pod recycling scheme ‘Podback’ is launching in 29 stores this month.
Used aluminium and plastic pods will be turned into new products including drinks cans, plastic crates and garden furniture.
The move which is being trialled in 29 stores is in partnership with Podback, the specialist pod recycling service.
In an effort to make coffee pod recycling even easier and more convenient, Morrisons is trialling a new drop-off service which allows customers to collect their Podback recycling bags, fill them up with their used pods, and recycle in a dedicated bin which will be sited at the front of the store.
Last year, Morrisons announced it was the first supermarket to support Podback and remains the only one to provide free coffee pod recycling bags for its customers to collect in all of its stores. The recycling bags can be filled at home and be taken to one of 6,500 Yodel drop off points around the UK with all postage covered by Podback.
Over the last year, it's estimated 800 million coffee pods were bought in the UK, making it even more important than ever for customers to have an easier route to recycle their pods.
Morrisons is also set to become a dedicated Podback member, meaning Morrisons own-brand pods can all be recycled through the scheme, besides 24 other pod brands across the coffee sector.
Customers need to use correctly colour coded bags, there's one for aluminium pods and one for plastic pods. This is because pods are separated and sent to different recycling processing plants in the UK.
Through Podback, used aluminium pods are turned back into aluminium ingots for new products, like beverage cans, and the used plastic coffee pods are turned into other plastic items, including building products and plastic crates. And there's more! The used coffee grounds go through a special anaerobic digestion process, which makes useful biogas and soil improver.
Natasha Cook, who is the Sustainable Packaging and Plastics Manager at Morrisons, said: “We’re excited to be launching this trial with Podback as we look to make it even easier for our customers who want to brew fresh coffee at home to recycle their used coffee pods. Now they can grab a Podback bag, fill it at home and just drop it off on their next store trip.”
Rick Hindley, the Executive Director at Podback, said: “Morrisons was the first supermarket to become a supporter of Podback and we’re thrilled that they’re now set to become a member; enabling their own brand pods to be recycled through the service and working with us to further improve access to coffee pod recycling by trialling a new drop-off system.
"This is another exciting step forward towards providing consumers with easy and convenient ways to recycle their used coffee pods. We also welcome and encourage other retailers to join Podback and make it even easier for consumers to recycle pods in the future.”
Morrisons stores across the UK currently offer soft plastic, battery and inkjet recycling facilities. Since 2017 Morrisons has reduced its own brand plastic packaging in its 499 stores by over 10,000 tonnes a year.
The following Morrisons stores now offer Podback drop off points with more stores to follow:
Aldershot
Letchworth
Aylesbury
Melton Mowbray
Banbury
Milton Keynes
Basingstoke
Northampton – Kettering Road
Bedford
Northampton – Victoria Promenade
Bracknell
Reading
Carterton
St Albans
Corby
Shefford
Farnborough
Watford
Fleet
Wellingborough
High Wycombe
Welwyn Garden City
Hoddersdon
Weybridge
Houghton Regis
Woking
Kettering
Wokingham
Leighton Buzzard