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English Quince Preserve

Several years ago and elderly lady was bemoaning the sad fact that Quince jams were no longer available.

It transpires that he melancholy was unfounded, because English Quince Preserve is available on sale within the UK.

It is available from www.gardenofenglandfoods.co.uk of Kent.

It is made from hand picked English Quince fruits, but only when they are at the peek of ripeness  in the autumn.

Preparing the fruit is described as a "nightmare" because the tougher than tough skin declines most forcibly to be parted from its fruity flesh!

The preparation of Quince Preserve is a long and laborious task, but is it worth the wait?

In my opinion, it certainly is.

What does it taste like? It is actually quite hard to define. Some people say it is a cross between apple and pears and whilst I can't argue with that, I fear it only tells half of the story of its remarkable taste.

It goes well on crackers, crumpets and toast and can be used in cooking, too, with some very "flavourable" results.

I costs £3.29 for a 320g jar at http://www.agafoodhall.com amongst other outlets.

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Beer review Sadler's Mud City Stout

Sadler's Mud City Stout is a truly delicious dark stout style beer brewed by Sadler's of Lye, near Stourbridge in Worcestershire.

It is made using raw cocoa, vanilla pods, flaked oats, wheat and dark malts.

It is as moderately strong beer at 6.5%.

It provides a complex range of tastes, all dark and satisfying, balanced by a sweetness that is almost toffee-like in nature.

www.sadlersales.co.uk

Legend of Kremlin Vodka

After a successful launch into the prestigious Mayfair venue Brown’s last month (EDITOR: My wife and I really must visit Brown's again, soon!) Legend of Kremlin Vodka is on a mission for 2013 – to become the most consumed and talked about vodka in W1, London!

Already in discussions with some of the most iconic venues in and surrounding Mayfair, over the coming months Legend of Kremlin Vodka will announce exclusive collaborations, guest appearances and home residencies throughout W1, widely regarded as one of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods.

Legend of Kremlin Vodka prides itself on being derived from the very FIRST vodka recipe, making it Russia’s oldest export (probably!). Taking this original formula, and fusing the finest modern technology with top quality ingredients, Legend of Kremlin has become THE definitive Russian vodka.

Made using luxurious wheat grain infused with artesian well water, and distilled in the only traditional copper vats in use in Russia today, Legend of Kremlin has what most legends lack: authenticity. Each precious drop is enclosed in unique bottles: a Potyomkin glassworks pastiche of an ancient vodka carafe, juxtaposing cold brilliance and golden translucence.

Legend of Kremlin has won eleven “Grand Prix” and nine Gold Medals at the biggest international and Russian degustation competitions, making it a truly legendary drink.

    

Legend of Kremlin’s predisposition with quality has seen it ally with those who share similar priorities. Over the last year we have seen exciting collaborations with HR Owen, Lamborghini, the Saatchi Gallery and world famous mixologist Salvatore Calabrese!

Legend of Kremlin (70cl) is available from Harrods, leading wine merchants and online retailers. A 50cl carafe will be launched with Harrods in June 2013.

(EDITOR: It has a brilliant and transcendental range of flavours and that knowing tingle that only a high quality Vodka can provide properly!)

BBQ safety tips from That's Food and Drink

These BBQ safety tips are supplied courtesy of www.nationalbbqweek.co.uk

Position BBQs on level ground, well away from hedges, fences, or overhanging shrubbery. 

When lighting charcoal, only use proper BBQ lighter fuel, never, ever use petrol or other flammable liquids. 

If using gas ensure grill lights immediately, if it fails, turn off gas, leave for a few minutes and try again.

And here is a top safety tip from That's Food and Drink: Never, ever use a BBQ in a tent, a kitchen or a garage or a shed, as carbon monoxide gas released from it could kill.

Blue Monday cheese to be made for Alex James by Shepherds Purse

Musician, writer and cheese maker Alex James has selected Shepherds Purse to produce his Blue Monday cheese under trademark.  

North Yorkshire based Shepherds Purse was chosen for its award winning artisan cheese making skills and innovative speciality for making top notch blue cheese at its family farm in Thirsk.

Blue Monday, traditionally handmade with 100 per cent cow's milk, has been redeveloped to a new recipe created by Alex and the Shepherds Purse team over the last 6 months to ensure its premium quality. The new Blue Monday is a soft, creamy blue cheese with strong blue veining which delivers a smooth, satisfying piquancy to the palate.

Originally named after Alex's favourite New Order song, the new Blue Monday will be added to his fine British artisan cheese range, 'Alex James Presents' and is set to officially launch in August at The Big Feastival, a two day celebration of music, food and fun for the family, founded by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and Alex James.

Says Alex James:   "Delicious taste and quality are the cornerstones of the Alex James Presents artisanal cheese range and I am very proud of all our award-winning cheeses.  Blue Monday has perhaps been the most popular and best known, but it hasn't had the chance to shine alongside the others. So we thought we'd bring in the experts at Shepherds Purse to give it some extra love and attention and I'm absolutely delighted with the results."

Caroline Bell, director, Shepherds Purse said: "Innovation blended with tradition is at the core of what we do at Shepherds Purse and we remain proudly artisan, making every cheese by hand using only the best British cow's, ewe's and water buffalo milk. 

"It has been a pleasure to work with Alex developing the Blue Monday recipe and we believe that we have created another world-class blue cheese.  We're excited that the new Blue Monday will be launching at The Big Feastival at the end of August and are looking forward to introducing this cheese to the public".

Shepherds Purse Cheeses produces a range of award-winning, traditionally handcrafted cheeses using British cow's, ewe's and water buffalo milk.  From its kitchen table beginnings in the 1980s, Shepherds Purse has gone from strength to strength, picking up international awards each year. Today, Shepherds Purse is still a family run business, with founder Judy Bell's daughters Katie and Caroline now at the helm. 

Unrivalled for taste and quality,  Shepherds Purse cheeses can be found online at www.shepherdspurse.co.uk, and nationally in specialist cheese shops, delis and farm shops and in the best major supermarket chains. They are also a great favourite with the nation's top chefs, and can be found in dishes and on the cheeseboards of top hotels, restaurants and pubs across the UK and beyond.

(EDITOR: Shepherds Purse cheeses are amongst some of the best cheeses that I have ever had the pleasure of eating.)

Linda's No Bake Birthday Cake

The recipe for this very rich chocolate birthday cake was made specially for our good friend Linda's birthday.

1 Large page of digestive biscuits
1 pack shortbread biscuits
2 large cans of evaporated milk
1 pack of butterscotch instant pudding mix (of the type to be made with cold milk)
5 bars of chocolate
1 to 2 ounces of butter
Icing, if desired

Crush all the biscuits to a reasonably fine powder.
Then melt the butter in a pan and add the biscuit powder and the butterscotch powder and mix very well.
Remove from heat, place mix in large, deep greased cake tin.
Add the evaporated milk and mix well.
Use a double boiler (if available) to melt 4 bars of chocolate and when totally melted vigorously swirl this through the mix in the cake tin.
Smooth surface, break up fifth chocolate bar and use to decorate the surface, gently pressin in to mixture.
You can add icing to decorate, Dr Oetker's ready-made cake icing is ideal.

Then place in the fridge over night or for several hours.

This is a very rich cake and should prove popular!

Serves well with ice cream and individual portions can be heated in the microwave.

Enjoy! 

What is coming on That's Food and Drink?

Over the next 12 months That's Food and Drink will carry many different news stories about food and drink, recipes and a range of special features.

There will be special features on dietary requirements, our Wine and Beer  Festivals, our barbecue feature and many more other features.

If you would like to have a product featured, please email afj_uk@yahoo.com and mention That's Food and Drink in the subject line, please.

Bee Happy with Divine’s Chocolate & Honeycomb Bees

Divine is excited to announce a new and very interesting product for the Spring 2013 season: bee shaped chocolates made with their own smooth milk chocolate and small pieces of honeycomb crunch.

The solid exclusively designed chocolates come in a honeycomb shaped box and make a charming gift for young or old. Priced at £4.00, their honeycomb bees (100g) will be available from February at Oxfam stores, some independent stores and Divine’s own online shop: www.divinechocolate.com/shop. More stockists will be announced closer to the launch date.

At Divine they are keen on the humble bee. In fact, they love them! So they have produced their delicious chocolate bees as a reminder of how vital bees are to the planet’s eco-system – they’re responsible for pollinating 70% of the food we eat. 

But worryingly,  they are under threat, with numbers dropping to dangerous levels – in Britain they are disappearing faster than anywhere else in Europe. You can help encourage bees back to Britain by planting wild flowers. So Divine have joined forces with www.beehappyplants.co.uk to get consumers four bee-friendly plants for the price of three. Just use the promo code you’ll find under the flap on their chocolate bee box and plant some beautiful bee-friendly flowers this Spring.

As with all Divine’s products, their honeycomb bees are made from the “best of the best” cocoa from the co-operative that owns the company. They are free from artificial flavourings, colourings and preservatives, and are suitable for vegetarians, too!

For Spring/Easter launches in the United States please visit www.divinechocolateusa.com

How far would you go for Fantastic Delites?

How far would you go? Personally, I doubt I'd go that far, but I would go as far as Morrison's...

Are you too scared to order wine in a restaurant?

According to the French Wines with Style Report it appears we British are a bunch of scaredy-cats when it comes to ordering wine in a restaurant, with just 12.4% of us being confident of selecting the right wine when ordering in a restaurant, and over a quarter (25.8%) passing the buck to our mates rather than risk making a faux pas.

Surprisingly however, although we are a nation of ditherers at the wine list, we also don’t take advantage of the help to hand, with only 20.8% saying that we would ask the advice of the waiter, the rest presumably being prepared to close their eyes and point to any random beverage on the wine list!

France is the most popular country of choice for Brits when choosing wines in a restaurant, with nearly one quarter of Brits opting for their near-neighbour wine-producers (24.1%) when perusing the wine list. Australia (18.6%) and Italy (13.4%) take the second and third place podiums.

Gerard Basset OBE, arguably one of the greatest wine professionals of his generation and reigning World Champion Sommelier, comments:

“People can often be overwhelmed when looking at a wine list. It is important not to feel intimidated. When you are eating out, the experience is all about your enjoyment. If you know about wines, then great; but if you are confused or uncertain about which wine to choose, then take advantage of the help to hand. The waiter or sommelier is there to help.”

Basset also underlines some handy tips to remember when choosing wines:

• If you taste a wine try to define it by style: light-, medium-, full-bodied or aromatic:
o Generally delicate, light foods are better with light or medium wines; heavy dishes with heavier wines; and aromatic wines with spicy foods
• Use the tasting notes on the wine list to guide you
• Wait until everyone has ordered their meals before choosing the wine – that will help you decide on a match or matches
• Set a price bracket for the wine you select and stick to it – there will be fewer choices to make
• Don’t forget to check out the wines by the glass offer – often people choose very different dishes around a table – it might be better to order individual wines for each dish

And if you are ordering French then simplify: try to remember the approximate guidelines for the French regions which break down into the following style groups:

Reds:
• Light styles: Loire, Beaujolais, Burgundy
• Medium styles: Rhone, Bordeaux
• Full bodied styles: Languedoc-Roussillon, South West
Whites
• Light styles (fresh and crisp): Loire; Bordeaux, Chablis
• Medium styles (smooth): Languedoc-Roussillon, South West, the rest of Burgundy
• Aromatic styles: Alsace

Aunt Bessie’s launches five hot new desserts!

Everyone should have an Aunt Bessie! Someone in the family who can cook perfect hot deserts (ideal to cheer us up on a winter's day! Well, everyone does have an Aunt Bessie!

Aunt Bessie’s is launching five delicious new desserts this autumn, including three juicy fruit crumbles, a tangy lemon sponge and a gooey chocolate pudding.

Whether you’re looking for a quick and tasty family dessert, or fancy an indulgent sweet for two, Aunt Bessie’s has created five new desserts to suit every occasion and taste. All are -as you'd expect, from Aunt Bessie!- free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, and can be popped in the oven and served to perfection within a matter of minutes – ideal for busy couples and mums on the go.

Aunt Bessie’s new crumbles come in two sizes: a Perfect for Two size – smaller desserts that are ideal for couples; or a family size – designed to fill up the whole family. For dining in pairs choose from an Apple Crumble made from juicy Bramley apples, or a Rhubarb Crumble made with chunky rhubarb pieces – both topped with an oaty crumble topping and ready to serve after forty minutes in the oven.

For families getting together this autumn, Aunt Bessie’s family-size Rhubarb and Custard Crumble provides plenty of servings and will have the whole family coming back for seconds. The oven baked crumble features tasty rhubarb pieces with dairy custard and is topped with a crunchy, oaty topping.

Aunt Bessie’s has added a new Tangy Lemon Sponge Pudding to its dessert range that the whole family will enjoy. This zesty lemon flavour sponge with lashings of lemon sauce can be sliced into individual portions to cater for everyone’s appetite! Served hot, the pudding can be oven baked or microwaved and is ready to serve in 5½ minutes.

Last but not least, Aunt Bessie’s has created an indulgent Gooey Chocolate Sponge Pudding – the perfect treat to complement dinner, any night of the week. Combining deliciously moist sponge with an irresistible chocolate sauce, this pudding will have families and couples coming back for more time and time again.

To its existing range, Aunt Bessie’s has also increased the size of its Sticky Toffee Sponge, which is now 10% bigger and even tastier.

Aunt Bessie’s Perfect for Two Apple Crumble is available in Asda, Morrison’s, Tesco, Waitrose and Co-op (from £1-£1.29), with Perfect for Two Rhubarb Crumble (£1) available in Morrison’s and Waitrose. Aunt Bessie’s Family Size Rhubarb and Custard Crumble (£1.79) is available in Iceland and Waitrose, and Tangy Lemon Sponge Pudding and Gooey Chocolate Sponge Pudding are both available in Iceland (£1.50).

For those looking for a helping hand or to serve up something different at meal times, visit the Aunt Bessie’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/auntbessies, follow @AuntBessie’s on Twitter or go to www.auntbessies.co.uk for plenty of hints, tips and recipes.

Trick or Treacle with Lyle's

This Halloween you can show off your spooky kitchen skills with Lyle’s Limited Edition ‘Trick Or Treacle’ – the perfect ingredient to create ghoulish delights family and friends will love.

The vamped up version of kitchen staple Lyle’s Black Treacle features three collectable pumpkin designs which will bring even more theatre to the baking experience and inspire you to produce truly spooky snacks.

They've created fiendish snacks using the product including Popcorn Toffee Apples and Witches' Ribs with Vampire Toast!

Lyle’s Trick or Treacle will be sold from early October in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose stores nationwide, with prices starting from 88p per tin (454g) with additional great value offers available at individual retailers. 

ROKK Processing Launch New RFE Continuous Freezer Range

ROKK, the award winning manufacturer of high-end ice cream manufacturing machinery, has launched the new RFE range of continuous freezers which are capable of freezing ice cream quicker than any other machine in it’s class.

The continuous freezer boasts uniquely designed high efficiency barrels fitted in each RFE continuous freezer can cool an entering ice cream solution to freezing point and beyond exceptionally quickly to ensure that ice molecules don’t have time to form and a hard, smooth and luxurious end product is created each and every time.

Phil Darvell, managing director of ROKK, commented: “Each machine in the range is also fitted with a twin piston pump to ensure that seeds, fruit and other particles are passed through easily without the risk of causing blockages and disruption to the business through the subsequent downtime.”

As with all ROKK machines, the range has been designed and manufactured around the core principles of being ‘simple, solid and dependable’, resulting in only the very best, industry-recognised, components being used to ensure each machine is of the highest quality and extremely reliable.

Phil continued: “The new RFE freezer is a heavyweight industrial ice cream machine that offers unrivalled build quality. The simple excellence of our machines means that faults, and the consequent downtime, are few and far between meaning manufacturers can run and meet demand without that niggling thought of ‘when’s the next breakdown going to happen’ – it’s surprising what a difference it makes to a production line not having that over-hanging worry.”

The RFE continuous freezers are available in three sizes. The RFE 400 offers a maximum capacity of 410 litres per hour, the RFE 600, 620 litres per hour and the largest of the range, the RFE 800 which offers 840 litres per hour.

ROKK is extremely confident that any machine in the RFE range will make a dynamic and effective addition to every production line and as a result, is also offering free onsite demonstrations, anywhere in the UK.

For more information about ROKK, its new RFE continuous freezer range or to book a free demonstration, please visit www.rokk-processing.co.uk or call +44 (0)1455 220 179.

A Jamie Oliver inspired Red Tractor roast for Kate and Wills

UK mothers have come home to roost with Royal guests and classic dishes as the ultimate dinner party wish list, a new survey by The Red Tractor has revealed.

One in four mums said they would most like to invite the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge over to dinner ahead of Dame Judy Dench, Jess Ennis, Mo Farah and David Beckham according to research by Red Tractor Assurance. Only one in twenty wanted to add some va-v-avoom to the dinner table and invite Shades of Grey author EL James.

And while most households enjoy watching cookery programmes, the reality of juggling the kids and running a busy household makes them play it safe when it comes to cooking the evening meal, with over a quarter of families not wanting to take inspiration from television celebrities. Whilst two out of ten mums’, seek tips and recipes from the home grown, mover and shaker Jamie Oliver, ahead of Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson ; Gordon Ramsey, Marco Pierre White and Heston Blumenthal don’t come close.

Despite all the wild and wonderful cooking books, cookery shows and ethnic restaurants, over 50 percent of households opt to cook a traditional roast dinner with over a third taking the easy route and preparing the great British classic, apple crumble for pudding.

Richard Cattell, Head of Marketing, at Red Tractor who commissioned the study on 2,080 British families said: “We’re aware that shoppers are faced with a variety of choices, both from the high-street supermarkets and also when eating out. The survey tells us that shoppers like to support British food, with more than 55% already looking out for the Red Tractor logo when choosing their dish, a clear sign people care more about food which is produced to good standards of farming and food production, with a guarantee of origin.”

Interestingly, over a quarter of husbands surveyed said they would like to cook something new for their guests, but over a half of them strongly agreed that cooking something already tried and tested was the best decision. A remarkable 13.3% of the respondents also commented that they wouldn’t cook anything for their guests.

Launching 24th September, Red Tractor Week will be showcasing what the logo means to consumers and explaining how it provides the shopper with a shortcut to affordable, quality food and drink, covering everything from food safety, environmental protection, animal welfare as well as origin. To join in the fun and view spoof videos of Debra Stephenson and her celebrity friends go to www.redtractor.org.uk/RTW2012 and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ottB... to see Debra’s Red Tractor Pals’ shenanigans

Chack 89 gets musical

Chak 89, London’s Award winning Restaurant got all musical on Saturday when singing legend Anuradha Paudwal turned up to the famous Indian eatery for a meal with a couple of her friends.

Anuradha, looking great and relaxed, enjoyed the night with her friends and even joined in with other diners, giving one diner the best Birthday present she could have wished for.

Anuradha, who has a portfolio of hit songs in the Bollywood industry, overwhelmed by the decor and ambience at Chak 89, sat humbly with her friends and tucked into an array of pure vegetarian starters including a variety of Chak 89 chaats.

Chak 89 known for its traditional Indian cuisine and elegant ambience were only too happy to have the legend Anuradha dine at the restaurant and to be added to Chak 89’s celebrity wall.

We asked Frank, the owner of Chak 89, what he thought about Anuradha signing the celebrity wall and he replied, “To have a legend like Anuradha sign our wall only makes me more happy to see how far we have come since we started and having stars like Anuradha coming to Chak 89 only makes me feel honoured. Sooner or later I will have to look at having another celebrity wall; this one’s running out of space”

Tea Room visits

Ellis Tea Room Guide website, sweep across the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales in his bid to seek out the highs and lows of English tea rooms and save more from closing. His passion is not for the ‘cuppa’ tea itself, but for the tea room: the ambience, the staff friendliness, and the attention to detail of both what is served and the environment.

Ellis said ‘statistics show that 15 traditional English tea rooms are closing down every week, and they really need our support to keep going. If I find a tea room which is what I deem not my cup of tea, I am not afraid to say so. Many tea rooms finding themselves in this category in the past have contacted me for advice on what they can do to improve, and I am always happy to help’.

Ellis advocates supporting the more traditional tea rooms; painted pretty colours, with lace tablecloths and pretty china; and staff who get to know their customers. They usually give their customers a hearty welcome and value for money.

Ellis was delighted with the standard of tea rooms in the areas visited although he was disappointed that the majority he visited were self service.

Ellis points out ‘the experience of an afternoon tea, or even brunch or lunch in a tea room should be relaxing and enjoyable. Having to order at the counter is not really conducive to this concept. I even encountered one establishment, where the waitress came to the table specifically to tell me to order at the counter…why could she have not just taken my order?’

Of course the vast majority of the tea rooms visited on this trip had the added bonus of the beautiful countryside of the Peak District and Derbyshire Dales, and therefore the views from windows and tea gardens were worth the visit alone. Sadly though out of 19 tea rooms visited, 11 were open and were reviewed, two were closed despite the visits during opening hours, and the other six had closed down apparently only recently.

Just one tea room received the accolade of not my cup of tea but this was mainly because it was more of a café than a tea room in the true sense of the title.

Ellis continues to travel England in his quest to save the English tea room.

Joe Ellis’ website is very popular and he receives good feedback on the tea rooms he visits daily. He is also editor of the Time for Tea magazine which can be subscribed to via the site at www.tea-room-guide.org.uk

Britain's oldest farm shop critical of supermarkets

Hinchliffe's Award Winning Butchers

The boss of the UK’s oldest farm shop has criticised supermarket giants for being too expensive and not providing consumers with enough good quality produce from their region.

Simon Hirst, partner in the family-run Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop based in Netherton, West Yorkshire – which was established in 1974 – said consumers were “missing out” by being forced to buy from supermarkets.

“The supermarkets have had a stranglehold on our food chain for so long we’ve been given little choice but to trawl the multiples’ aisles for food that is poor quality, poorly sourced and, particularly in the case of the meat products, over-priced,” says Hirst, the fourth generation manager of the Yorkshire farm, which is famed for its top-quality beef, chicken and on-site butchers shop. “The supermarkets would have us believe they are cheaper than the farm shops and farmers’ markets but, in many cases, this simply isn’t true.”

For two years in a row, Hinchliffe’s meat cuts have proved to be cheaper than those from the nearest supermarket with its latest price comparison survey showing that 18 out of 20 products are the same or better value than the local Sainsbury’s, with cooked ham, chicken breasts, pork chops and cooked beef more than half the price.

“Supermarkets may sell ‘value’ meat but really it has no value,” says Hirst, the great-grandchild of Hinchliffe’s founder Charlie Hinchliffe. “Our meat is hand reared on the farm, and we butcher on site too so we know exactly what has gone in to the meat from plot to plate. Because there’s no middle man and zero food miles we can offer it at a cheaper price than the supermarkets but still ensure top quality.”

Hinchliffe’s butchers sell award-winning fresh beef from its own herd of South Devons, bred and fed on family-run farms – and the family are closely involved in every stage from feeding to handling. Hinchliffe’s highly skilled butchers bone out and cure meat, and make award-winning sausages and homemade pies and pasties on site.

“Some 85% of the food and drink that is sold in the farm shop is sourced from trusted local producers,” adds Hirst. “Giving our customers the confidence that what they buy will be top notch – and from their region – injecting money back into their local communities, and not into the pockets of the supermarket bosses.

“Like many local, family businesses, we’re passionate about what we do, and can give that one-to-one personal service that supermarkets cannot. Multinationals and chains are stripping away the unique character of our high street – and our countryside – so let’s make a stand before we all end up living in identikit towns and cities.”

Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop, Butchery and Restaurant, established in 1929, has been an integral part of the landscape of Huddersfield for generations, weathering eight prime ministers, four recessions, three royal jubilees and a great fire that completely destroyed its Netherton premises back in 2010. Hinchliffe’s can say with all honesty that nothing stops its from serving its customers.

It’s commitment to its customers saw it win a coveted ‘Customer at the Heart’ award this month, which is nominated solely by customers to celebrate and praise independent retailers who work hard to make sure their customers are happy, that they have great choice and that they leave the store feeling content.

Visit www.hinchliffes.com

My Secret Kitchen launches UK’s first Sweet Seasoning

The UK's first food tasting company are very proud to the first to launch a sweet seasoning mix which is included in the next of their range of Secret Spices.

Secret Vanilla Pudding Spices cleverly combine vanilla with cinnamon, ground coriander seed, ginger and the secret ingredient, roasted cassia. Cassia – also known as Chinese cinnamon – has a similar appearance to cinnamon bark but with a stronger flavour. Roasting it also gives a wonderfully unique toasted flavour, and helps to make the Secret Vanilla Pudding Spices a must-have ingredient for autumn and winter comfort baking.

It will add a tasty twist to puddings and desserts – and is especially awesome in a traditional English apple pie. Phil Moran, co-founder, commented “There are so many varieties of savoury seasonings in the market place, why not sweet? Our Vanilla Pudding Secret Spices help continue our quest to provide people with different ingredients that have a multitude of uses. You can use it as a sweet topping for drinks, mixing into custard or dusting onto popcorn or marshmallows”

Another new addition is the Firecracker Chilli Secret Spice. This seasoning is simply bursting with fiery flavours thanks to an authentic blend of Mexico’s ‘holy trinity’ of chillies. This includes the sweet and mild ancho, the dark and liquorice-like pasilla, and the red and fruity guajillo. Together with the flavours and spicy heat of cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic and Mexican oregano, this Secret Spice is so much easier to use than fresh chillies – just ¼ tsp will replace one small red chilli.

Both Secret Spices are priced at £4.49 and available from www.mysecretkitchen.com or through a home tasting via My Secret Kitchen independent team of consultants

60 Redwood Vegetarian And Vegan Foods Awarded Halal Certification

Sixty vegetarian and vegan friendly foods produced by award-winning ethical food firm The Redwood Wholefood Company have been certified halal by the European Halal Development Agency (EHDA).

It is believed to be the first time that a vegan food manufacturer has been awarded halal certification. In 2010, Redwood was also awarded kosher certification by the Manchester Beth Din.

"We sought halal certification because we wanted to make our vegetarian and vegan friendly foods available to Muslims throughout the world" said Lee Rockingham at Redwood, which makes plant-based foods under the VegiDeli, Cheezly and Cheatin’ brand names.

Among the many different vegetarian and vegan friendly foods now halal certified by the EHDA are Redwood’s animal-free alternatives to beef, poultry, fish and cheese, including burgers and sausages, ‘bacon’, ‘fish’ fingers and ‘mozzarella’.

Owned by charity campaigner Heather Mills, Redwood was recently rated the UK’s most ethical vegetarian foods provider by The Ethical Company Organisation for the seventh year running.

All its foods are free from animal ingredients and derivatives as well as cholesterol, artificial colours/preservatives, lactose, hydrogenated fats and GMOs.

In the UK, the range is sold through health food shops, selected supermarkets and Redwood’s online store www.redwoodfoods.co.uk.

Lockhart Catering Equipment brings latest innovations to Wembley

Lockhart Catering Equipment has announced that a showcase of the latest innovations in catering equipment from over 30 of the world's leading manufacturers will once again be returning to Wembley Stadium, for one day only on Wednesday 5th September from 10.00am - 4pm. Promising to be bigger and better than ever, 'The Show', now in its 4th year, will feature live cooking demonstrations, food samples and top tips from Michelin star chef, Mark Sargeant.

Visitors can also expect to see the latest innovations and gadgets from leading manufacturers such as Rational, Frima International, Winterhalter, Steelite International, Churchill China, Dudson, Gram, Falcon Foodservice, Lincat, Elia International, T&G Woodware and many more.

The experience will kick off with hands on product demonstrations and visitors can also view the latest 'must-have' equipment for the catering industry, whilst getting up front and personal with new launches.

A highlight of the day will be the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the London 2012 Olympic Venue, including the kitchens, which cater for up to 90,000 people in a 20 minute half-time interval, plus the changing rooms, press box, Royal box and pitch side.

Chris Wakeman, Managing Director, Lockhart Catering Equipment commented: "We're thrilled to be returning to Wembley for the fourth consecutive year to showcase the latest innovations in catering equipment. We'd like to extend a very warm welcome to Mark Sargeant who'll be cooking up some fantastic dishes and taking part in a Q&A session. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see product ranges before buying, as well as taking advantage of amazing price offers exclusively available on the day."

To register a place, interested parties can visit www.lockhartcatering.co.uk, click on the link 'join us at the show' and then the image of Wembley. Alternatively, email the.show@bunzl.co.uk. Places are restricted for

Cake & Bake Show -UK's first baking show

Brits are embracing baking like never before, it’s become one of our biggest growing trends and to celebrate this, the UK’s first baking exhibition, The Cake and Bake Show launches at Earls Court in September. The show offers something for everyone with an array of features that will appeal to home bakers and professionals alike.

The Cake and Bake Show stars the biggest names in the baking world including Great British Bake Off judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry as well as winners Edd Kimber and Jo Wheatley along with Eric Lanlard, Richard Bertinet, Fabulous Baker Brother Tom Herbert, renowned chocolatier Paul A Young, plus many more.

Highlights of the show include:
• A dedicated cake demonstration area headlined by Mary Berry
• A dedicated bread area and demonstration theatre supported by the Real Bread Campaign
• A food market offering cakes, breads and pies and stands selling the latest baking equipment
• Classroom areas with tutorials on the latest baking trends and techniques
• For sugarcraft fans there’ll be expert-led classes and demonstrations, Squires Kitchen’s International School and Mich Turner MBE will be on hand at the show in their own dedicated feature areas
• A children’s area headlined by Annabel Karmel from CiTV and featuring The Grainchain.com Bake Off offering the chance for amateur bakers to test their baking skills across a number of categories

The world of cake and bake has never been so popular and The Cake & Bake Show 2012 offers everything the home baker, sugarcrafter, cake eater, amateur enthusiast or professional baker would need. Baking fans of all ages will come together for a weekend of guaranteed eating, encouragement, education and entertainment.

• www.thecakeandbakeshow.co.uk
• Twitter: @cakeandbakeshow Facebook: www.facebook.com/cakeandbakeshow
• Dates: 22-23 September 2012
• Venue: Earls Court, London
• Tickets: In advance - £12.50 adults, £10 concessions (OAPs and students), £5 children aged 5-12, free for under 5s; £18 weekend. On the door - £15 adults, £12 concessions, £7 children, free under 5s
• Headline sponsor: BakingMad.com is the UK’s most visited home baking website - is a friendly online community where all types of home bakers find inspiring recipes and tips; meet like-minded people; and connect with home baking experts, making it the perfect partner to the Cake & Bake Show 2012.

Westfield Stratford City works with Popular UK Restaurants to Release Free Cookery Book

Today Westfield Stratford City launches a free downloadable cookery book, packed full of recipes from its famously diverse collection of East London restaurants

Showcasing Westfield Stratford City’s extensive food offering, the ‘Around The World Recipes From Westfield’ book hopes to inspire visitors to taste something new at the centre and try some of the authentic recipe creations at home.

The cookery book features 25 recipes from ten popular restaurants including a variety of cuisines like moussaka from The Real Greek, Busaba Eathai’s pandan chicken, Caribbean sea bass by Rhythm Kitchen and All Star Lanes’ champion chilli con carne.

To assist with re-creating the dishes from home, the cookbook highlights expert advice from senior chefs at these leading restaurants, describing why their recipes were selected.

Executive Chef at Busaba Eathai, Krit Sangsida, describes their pandan chicken as: “Great for family and friends, when you have a special occasion.”

Thomasina Miers, co-owner of Wahaca, points out that: “The secret to a good guacamole is to really mash up the chilli to a paste before you even think about adding the avocado.”

To download the free cookbook and watch videos of the chefs re-creating these much-loved recipes step-by-step, visit: http://uk.westfield.com/stratfordcity/food-and-drink/

As well as accommodating 1100 diners in The Balcony area alone, Westfield Stratford City has over 50 places to eat and drink, so hungry shoppers will be sure to find something to their taste.

Find out more about the extensive range of eating options at Westfield Stratford City here.

The restaurants featured in the book include;

• The Real Greek
• Busaba Eathai’s
• Rhythm Kitchen
• All Star Lanes
• Arancini
• El Cantara
• L’Orchidee
• Pasta Remoli
• Umai
• Wahaca

To download the cookery book just visit uk.westfield.com/stratfordcity/food-and-drink/|http://uk.westfield.com/stratfordcity/food-and-drink/] and click the ‘Around The World Recipes From Westfield’ banner.

To view the full range of restaurants at Westfield Stratford City, click here: http://uk.westfield.com/stratfordcity/directory/search/dinin...

To view the current food offers and discounts available see here:
http://uk.westfield.com/stratfordcity/special-offers/food-of...

Peppersmith launch 100% natural Sicilian Lemon Fresh Mints

They bring a burst of summer freshness to your tastebuds!

Peppersmith's are award-winning UK-based confectioners for a very good reason. They are really very good at what they do.

And they have launched a supremely high quality Sicilian lemon and fine English peppermint Fresh Mints.

They are produced using the best quality Sicilian lemons from the Femminello and Monachello varieties, picked from the superior winter crop.

The mints also have a touch of Peppersmith’s distinctive fine English peppermint, farmed in Hampshire. As with all Peppersmith products, these new mints are sugar-free and have been accredited by the British Dental Health Foundation for actively reducing plaque and the risk of tooth decay. And as they are sugar-free, people who are diabetic can indulge themselves in these high quality minty, lemony treats, too!

The result is a fresh, zesty, cooling mint that is perfect for keeping your breath fresh and teeth clean this summer.

As you’d expect from Peppersmith they also have absolutely NO aspartame, artificial flavours, colours or preservatives (unlike most of their high street competitors). The new mints are priced around £1.49.

Stockists include Whole Foods Market, Holland and Barrett, Debenhams and www.peppersmith.co.uk

The Peppersmith range consists of four products; Fine English peppermint gum; Fine English spearmint gum; Fine English peppermint Fresh Mints; Sicilian lemon and fine English peppermint Fresh Mints.

(EDITOR: My favourite is the Sicilian Lemon and English Peppermint variety, although all flavours in the range have much to commend them.)

halfwine.com unveils wines for chilli & spice lovers

The British love affair with hot & spicy food is well documented and recent findings show no sign of it abating. On the contrary, it seems Brits are becoming ever more adventurous, developing a taste for increasingly spicy dishes.

Demand for Mexican chillies is up 20% in the last year*; Tesco has launched the UK’s hottest ever cheese, the fiery Scotch Bonnet Chilli – 50 times hotter than a Jalapeno, and according to a poll by the British Curry Club, The Jalfrezi – a hot dish cooked using green chillies – is now the most popular choice in Britain's 10,000 Indian restaurants.

But, until now, white wine has not been seen as particularly well suited to hot & spicy food.

Consequently, spice loving Brits have had limited choice when it comes to suitable wines to complement their fiery foods.

Thankfully, that is changing.

{halfwine.com, the quality half bottle wine merchant, is growing its portfolio to include the Alsace Collection, which features several wines that go well with chilli-based dishes and curries.

Here are some popular food pairing suggestions, featuring wines from the collection, courtesy of halfwine.com’s founder, Kevin Dilton-Hill:

“Riesling, which is characterised by lemons and acidity, complements chilli-based dishes, such as Chilli prawn noodles, Laksa or a Thai green chicken curry.”

“Gewurztraminer, a highly aromatic and spicy wine, is a great complement to certain curries, particularly the cream-based ones such as a Goan fish curry, or Tandoori chicken.”

But, if you don’t like spicy food or are looking for something different as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to fish and chicken dishes, then try the third wine from halfwine.com, the Pinot Gris.

In addition to the great tastes in the new collection, there are many other benefits to half bottles of wine:

* Reduced wastage – even if wine saving methods are used, opened bottles of wine de-generate quickly, which negatively alters the taste of the wine if the full bottle is not re-quired.

* Healthier options – With government initiatives such as drinkaware highlighting the dangers of long term excessive drinking, the need to limit intake is more pertinent than ever before. Half bottles of wine allow consumers to enjoy wine without the guilt of opening a whole bottle.

* Increased variety – Half bottles allow consumers to broaden their palate and try new varieties in a more cost effective way.

* Cost effective – Half bottles of fine wines are better value than regular sized bottles for those who do not wish to finish the whole bottle. The halfwine.com range also includes everyday wines, which are low cost, true to type and do not compromise on quality.

* Drink better quality wines – Half bottles encourage consumers to choose quality over quantity.

The New halfwine.com Wines

• Bott Frères (375ml), 2010, Riesling ~ White, Old World, Riesling from Alsace France. Fruity and characteristic nose, lively citrus fruit reaction in the mouth and quite dry. It’s what’s expected of an Alsatian Riesling. 2010 was rated as one of the best vintages in Alsace for some time. £7.30 from halfwine.com

• Bott Frères (375ml), 2011, Gewurztraminer ~ White, Old World, Gewurztraminer from Alsace France. This is a classic Gewurztraminer. Youthful, fresh and floral, combined with exotic fruit flavours and the subtle hints of oriental spices. £8.30 from halfwine.com

• Bott Frères (375ml), 2011, Pinot Gris ~ White, Old World, Pinot Gris from Alsace France. This is a classic Pinot Gris. On the eye, clear with tints of straw yellow. The wine recalls forest vegetation and has a delicate smoky aroma, with notes of linden-tree blossoms. £8.10 from halfwine.com

• Domaine Weinbach (375ml), 2009, Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg ~ White, Old World, Riesling from Alsace France. This wine is full of fruit, apples and lemons and has great minerality. There is a hint of bottle age adding further depth and complexity. £15.20 from halfwine.com

• Domaine Weinbach (375ml), 2009, Gewurztraminer Altenbourg ~ White, Old World, Gewurztraminer from Alsace France. This Gewurztraminer has a great nose, rose and lychee, a full mouth feel and a long finish. £18.50 from halfwine.com

• Domaine Weinbach (375ml), 2009, Pinot Gris Altenbourg ~ White, Old World, Pinot Gris from Alsace France. This Pinot Gris has great aromatic complexity, with a lot of deepness and power, it is wonderfully balanced. £18.50 from halfwine.com

In addition to being available individually, halfwine.com also offer a six-bottle collection to compare and contrast the main Alsace varietals and two very different quality vigneron, £75.90 + delivery (for orders under 12 bottles) from halfwine.com

The new Alsace Collection is a range that champions celebrated grape varietals Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, from the vineyards of Bott Frères and Domaine Weinbach.

The new Alsace Collection has been sourced from two different suppliers in the Grand Cru vineyard packed region of Haut-Rhin. The first, Bott Frères produces great quality everyday wines from the vineyard in Ribeauvillé. The second, Domaine Weinbach wines, come from the town of Kayserberg, about 12 km away. The wines of the latter have been likened by some experts to Chateau Margaux or Chateau d'Yquem in Bordeaux, and as such these wines sit amongst the premium wines on halfwine.com.

“halfwine.com buyers have been looking to grow the white wines in the portfolio; whilst it is fair to say that the Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs are always popular choices, we think that these wines from Alsace will provide the necessary variety for those that want it. Not to mention lovers of chilli or spiced foods, with which Gewurztraminer and Riesling make worthy adversaries!" commented Kevin Dilton-Hill, founder and buyer for halfwine.com.

“Alsace is a heavenly area for wine-lovers; most cellar-doors will offer an extraordinary 20+ wines to taste. This is because there are three major varietals - Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer – and several minor ones – Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir. Each major varietal comes in different guises; a basic wine, a reserve, a Grand Cru. And then there are the sweet wines – Vedage Tardive (late harvest) and Grains Nobles (grapes affected by ‘noble rot’, Botrytis Cinerea). Finally, there are likely to be several vintages. We focused on Riesling and Pinot Gris in the Basic, Reserve and Grand Cru forms. We have selected wines for everyday from Bott Frères and our premium collection from Domaine Weinbach.

For more on the wine tasting trips, visit halfwine.com/blog.

Save a Cheese Campaign Launched to Preserve Earthquake-hit Parmesan

Cheese lovers are being encouraged to join an online campaign to help save one of the most famous cheeses in the world – Parmesan – production of which has been devastated by recent earthquakes in Italy.

In May 2012 two powerful earthquakes struck the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy - heart of the Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) producing region.

Parmesan producers now face financial ruin as the warehouses storing these highly prized cheeses crumbled under the impact of the tremors of May 20th and 29th, damaging 10 per cent of the annual production - a total of 608,000 cheeses.

The cheeses, now unable to complete their maturing process look to be headed for the bin as buyers shirk the fallen Parmesan.

However the Save a Cheese Campaign hopes to relieve the plight of these producers and cheeses by taking an innovative step and offering them online at www.saveacheese.com and in so doing give people the chance to buy their own piece of artisan history.

The Save A Cheese campaign is being headed up by award-winning artisan Welsh cheese maker John Savage-Onstwedder of Teifi Farmhouse Cheese.

John, whose raw milk cheeses have won countless awards - including The James Aldridge Memorial Trophy for Best British Raw Milk Cheese - says he could not stand by when he heard of the plight of his fellow producers in Italy, and is travelling to the region to meet with producers. As an organic farmer John will try to source certified organic Parmesan.

Says John, “As an artisan, raw milk cheesemaker I understand how important it is to support raw milk cheesemakers wherever they me be, because they are an endangered species not just in the UK, but all over Europe.”

Retailing at £22 per 1kg wedge the Parmesan bought through the website will be ready for distribution next month; with the price including postage and packaging, and the cheese will be stamped with the ‘Save A Cheese’ logo.

The bulk of the money will be paid to the individual cheesemaker with one further Euro per kg going to the Parmigiano-Reggiano Consortium for distribution to other cheese producers affected by the earthquakes.
Adds John, “The Campaign’s aim is to offer you the chance to help the struggling Parmesan producers by purchasing your own wedge of ‘Quake Cheese’, to be delivered direct to your door with a healthy slice of karma.”

(PICTURED: John Savage-Onstwedder of Teifi Farmhouse Cheese at home near Llandysul in West Wales with his own award-winning cheese.)

WJ King wins Gold

Horsham Best, Red River and Brighton Blonde produced by Horsham based WJ King have just won gold at the coveted Great Taste 2012 awards after being judged by a panel of 350 of the nation’s most discerning food and drink experts over 45 days.    

WJ King is a new style of micro brewery, using only the finest, natural, local ingredients and traditional brewing techniques to produce the finest quality local ales.

To achieve Gold in Great Taste is a significant achievement for any food or drink producer and results are eagerly awaited.  The scheme, run by the Guild of Fine Food, has been described as the epicurean equivalent of the Booker Prize and in 2012 a total of 8,807 different food and drink products were entered.

‘This means a lot to us here at WJ King. It is the first time that we have entered any of our beers into these awards and are thrilled to have won gold stars for Horsham Best and Red River, 2 of the old favourites that have been with us for over 10 years and for Brighton Blonde the latest beer to be added to our cabinet of some of the finest real ales in Sussex.’ Ian Burgess, Head Brewer.

The Real Ale sector is the fastest growing sector in the pub trade and new style microbreweries like WJ King are attracting a new generation of real ale fans all over the south east of England.

This new generation of Beer drinkers is passionate about what they eat and drink and have a real thirst for knowledge about the provenance, ingredients and manufacturing process of what they are drinking.

Judges this year included Pete Brown ‘the beer drinker’s Bill Bryson’, restaurant critic and Masterchef judge Charles Campion, and over 300 food buyers from leading food halls, delicatessens and farm shops, including Harrods, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason.

New Sweet Treats Waffle Stick Maker

Sweet Treats Waffle Stick Maker

Waffle Goodness in a Stick!

The mouth-watering smell of hot delicious waffles is hard to resist - now you can enjoy those same freshly made scrumptious waffles in an easy-to-handle stick shape, thanks to the new Sweet Treats Waffle Stick Maker. Perfect for sharing with family and friends for a fun breakfast or quick dessert, or even a tasty fondue, waffle sticks are also quick and easy to make. This nifty machine will turn out six waffle sticks in minutes, ready to dip or decorate with your favourite toppings.

Waffle Sticks couldn’t be easier to make. Simply pre-heat the Waffle Stick Maker, wait for the green light to illuminate, pour in the batter mix, close the lid and wait for approximately two minutes for six tasty waffles to bake. To retain the crispness of the waffles, simply pop them onto a wire rack to cool. If you want to make more waffle sticks then just repeat the process. And the great thing about waffle sticks is that they can be frozen and then reheated in the oven or toaster until hot and crisp.

The Sweet Treats Waffle Stick Maker also comes complete with inspirational recipes to get you started. Try chocolate flavoured waffle sticks, or how about buttermilk waffle sticks with a warm fudge dipping sauce. Or, if you prefer just drizzle plain waffle sticks with syrup or honey and serve with ice cream, the choice is yours! And if you are feeling more adventurous there’s a recipe for a savoury waffle stick with a rich cheese dipping sauce.

Cleaning your Waffle Stick Maker is quick and easy. When you’ve finished making your waffle sticks simply wipe clean the non-stick plates, then store away ready for use again.

Sweet Treats Waffle Stick Maker is great value too, at around (RRP £24.99) – available from Lakeland.

More about the Sweet Treats Range
Sweet Treats is a fantastic range of electrical home-baking products designed to give families hours of fun in the kitchen – not to mention offering some inspirational gift ideas. Choose from:

Sweet Treats Cupcake Maker £21.99
Sweet Treats Brownie Maker £24.99
Sweet Treats Cake Pops Maker £21.99

Food Business Start-up Boot Camp: London, 15-16 September 2012

Food business expert Monique Borst

A brand new workshop for people dreaming, or at the early stages, of running their own food business comes to London on September 15-16, 2012.

Led by food industry expert Monique Borst, the Food Business Start-up Boot Camp is touring the country this year and comes to Wallacespace Covent Garden at the end of September.

London is home to many innovative and entrepreneurial food businesses from individuals making cakes, pickles and jams to sell at farmers markets to success stories like Neal’s Yard Dairy and The Monmouth Coffee Company.

But starting a food business can be a daunting task ... you need to be aware of all the rules – environmental, health, licensing and insurance – competition is fierce and profit margins are small. You also need a marketing strategy to give your business the best chance of being seen and heard and a realistic business plan.

For anyone starting that journey, or people with a fledgling business who are wondering ‘where next’? this Food Business Start-up Boot Camp will be a practical, inspiring and fun weekend. A combination of talks, exercises and a glimpse behind-the-scenes of a local food producer and retailer.

Delegates will:
• Increase awareness of their own business environment, including generating a business idea, the best legal structure for your business and understanding what skills, knowledge and personal qualities you need.

• Find out how well they know their market. Learn that your customers really aren’t ‘everyone’.

• Look at costing and pricing their product or service. How do you work out how much to charge? Whether you are selling a product or providing a service this session helps you to decide on a clear structure for your pricing policy,

• Take the time to learn about ways of financing their business and work out when their business will break even? In this session you will complete a personal survival budget and test the financial viability of your business.

• Learn how to stay on the right side of the law: the minimum standards for premises, personal hygiene and food safety, licensing, insurance.

• Learn how to control your business: get a grip on the records you need to keep and how to manage overheads

Monique is a great facilitator: calm, funny & credible. I thoroughly enjoyed and benefited hugely from her "Food Business Start-up Boot Camp"!

Details
Food Business Start-up Boot Camp, 15-16 September 2012
£295 per person including all refreshments and a delicious local lunch
Venue: wallacespace, 2 Dryden Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9NA

About Monique Borst
Monique is passionate about good food, made and sold with integrity and imagination. She brings a practical, business focused perspective on the niche food sector and start-up knowledge. She has over 20 years experience in the food and retail sectors and worked with companies like Harrods, The John Lewis Partnership, Waitrose and clients including House of Fraser, Blenheim Palace and Knebworth House as well as a number of smaller, independent food retail and food service clients on food strategy, improving sales and profitability, developing products ranges and menus. Monique’s clients are very honest about the fact that the reason they chose to work with her is because they either simply don’t have the time, expertise or confidence as an owner to make the decisions to really drive their businesses forward on their own. Monique is an independently selected member of The Future 500, a network for rising stars across the UK.

Louis Tomlinson Birthday Cake for Eleanor

London cake makers The Cake Store got overloaded with Twitter followers after Louis Tomlinson, from One Direction, ordered a cake for his girlfriend Eleanor Calder, who was 20, yesterday.

He ordered it last week and they delivered it at 12 noon, yesterday, and the happy couple answered the door to their delivery driver.

The amazing Birthday cake was presented to Eleanor, who was reportedly overwhelmed.

Louis Tweeted a big thank you to The Cake Store who have since been inundated with interest.

Swap your burger for a bag of nuts and help save the planet!

The UK is being urged to go nuts for the environment by swapping burgers for bags of nuts on Monday October 22nd to celebrate National Nut Day.

National Nut Day in the UK is promoted by Liberation Foods CIC, the pioneering farmer-owned Fairtrade nut company. October 22nd is well-established as National Nut Day in the USA and the organisers want Britain to ‘go nuts’ in the same way!

This year’s focus is on switching to nuts to help the environment.  If we in the UK eat less meat and highly processed veggie foods – our planet will benefit.. This will keep a lid on greenhouse gasses and won’t use up our valuable land resources.

For people who already eat plenty of meat and dairy products such as most people in rich countries, nuts and ‘nutty’ legumes – like Brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts and walnuts - are a good nutritional alternative to meat says Dr Donal Murphy-Bokern, independent agri-environmental scientist and author of several studies on food system impacts. 

“One of the keys to sustaining our planet is for those of us in the richer half of the world to switch some meat consumption to relatively unprocessed plant-based products such as nuts,” says Dr Murphy-Bokern.

“For every calorie consumed, the greenhouse gas emissions from the production of the meat and dairy component of our diets is nearly four times that of plant-based components. 

“Cattle and sheep release large quantities of methane gas as they digest their feed. And livestock generally require 4 – 8 kg plant protein in their feed for every kilogram of protein produced.  The overall result is that much more resources are used in meat-based diets, and very significant pollution problems are caused to our air and water by livestock farms.”

Dr Murphy-Bokern believes that when we reduce our meat consumption we often tend to replace some of it with other high protein foods such as nuts.

Both meat and nuts have the pleasant savoury taste described by the Japanese as umami – the fifth basic taste after sweet, salty, sour and bitter.

“Just as we seek some sweetness in diets, it is reasonable to speculate that people naturally migrate from one ‘umami’ taste to another, so when cutting down on meat they are likely to transfer to nuts or another umami food,” says Dr Murphy-Bokern. 

“Using plant-based ingredients high in umami is a feature of traditional cuisines which are low in meat.  Reducing meat consumption by half in the average ‘western’ diet is not difficult - and nuts are a high protein and environmentally friendly option.”

National Nut Day celebrates all that is great about eating nuts. As well as being a delicious snack and cooking ingredient, nuts are:

• Highly nutritious – a source of vital fatty acids, omega fats, protein and many vitamins and minerals.
• Good for the environment – switching our main source of protein from meat to nuts whenever we can helps to reduce carbon emissions. In addition the trade in Brazil nuts helps to preserve the Amazon rainforest.
• Good for the soil - legumes such as peanuts bring vital nitrogen to replenish  the soil as they grow.
• Good for our health – the UK Government’s Chief Medical Officer says 18,000 premature deaths from heart disease would be avoided every year if we cut our meat consumption by half. Nuts are a good value form of protein which can help us do this.
• –Available as Fairtrade! UK nut lovers can now buy Fairtrade Brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts, walnuts and almonds in many supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose plus other outlets.. This means the farmers and gatherers are protected by the guaranteed fair deal which comes with Fairtrade.

Visit the UK National Nut Day website for more information about our activities: www.nationalnutday.com.

National Nut Day is supported by The Vegetarian Society, The Vegan Society, Sustain – the alliance for better food and farming, the Sustainable Restaurant Association, and more.

Celebrity supporters include chef, broadcaster and food writer Allegra McEvedy, foodie and home expert Aggie MacKenzie and peanut devotee Harry Hill.

(EDITOR: That's Food and Drink would like to add a word of caution: If you have a medical condition (diabetic, an allergy condition, etc.) it is advisable to seek medical advice before commencing on any dietary change, no matter how well-meaning, as outlined in this article.)

Sainsbury's Increases Price Paid To Dairy Farmers

Sainsbury's is bucking the trend by increasing the price paid to British dairy farmers through the sustainable Cost of Production (COP) model. From 1st July, the standard litre price will rise to 30.56ppl.

Following a majority vote in April, the model is designed to reward Sainsbury's Dairy Development Group (SDDG) farmers for outstanding animal welfare and environmental standards. With the price currently sitting at 30.30ppl, one of the unique elements of the COP is the quarterly review of feed, fuel and fertiliser. This will ensure that the most volatile elements of costs will be reviewed every quarter and the COP milk price changes to reflect these varying costs, in turn ensuring a fair deal for the 324 farmers involved.

Alice Swift, Agriculture technologist at Sainsbury's said: "While input costs continue to be so volatile for farmers, we're pleased to show that the model is delivering a fair price for everyone whilst most importantly being sustainable for the whole supply chain.

The COP model was developed to be transparent and robust for our farmers however this is also good news for customers who want Sainsbury's to do the right thing on their behalf."

Mansel Raymond, NFU Dairy Board Chairman continues: "Farm gate costs of production are currently over 30ppl, and rising. With this in mind I'd like to congratulate Sainsbury's, whose cost of production model, which reflects feed, fuel and fertiliser inflation, will be awarding a price increase to farmers from 1st July.

"Dairy farmers need a sustainable future; further price cuts will jeopardise this and be met with real anger."

The first quarterly review uses data from Dairy Co Datum which will affect the Sainsbury's milk price from 1st July 2012. The model was developed with independent consultants to suit all Sainsbury's farm types and sizes and ensure their sustainability and profitability in the long term.

FACTFILE:

Sainsbury's 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan

• By 2020, Sainsbury's will source all key raw materials and commodities sustainably to an independent standard. The plan also includes doubling our British sales, being number 1 for animal welfare and putting all waste to positive use.
• Sainsbury's has supported British farming for 140 years and we continue to work collaboratively for the best solutions on price, animal welfare and carbon efficiencies. This year marks the 5th anniversary of Sainsbury's Dairy Development Group. Sainsbury's now also has farmer Development Groups across Pork, Beef, Lamb, Cheese and Wheat
• The model is implemented across farmers of Wales, England, Scotland.

Learn about a career in chocolate

If you love the idea of a career in chocolate, two new courses from chocolate events company Chocolate Delight could be the golden ticket to a dream job.

Fundamentals of Chocolate is a two day course perfect for anyone considering a career as a chocolatier. It’s ideal too for chocolate lovers who want to turn their hobby into a business.

For those keen to take their chocolate making skills to the next level, the one day Advanced Chocolate course covers speciality moulding as well as the legal aspects of making and selling chocolate.

Both courses can be adapted for people who are lactose intolerant.

“The aim of the fundamentals course is to give delegates a thorough understanding of basic chocolate making skills," says chocolatier Gerry Wilton of Chocolate Delight.

“The advanced session then builds on those skills. Both are hands-on as well as informative and entertaining.”

Fundamentals of Chocolate covers:

• The history of chocolate and the production process from bean to bar
• Health benefits of chocolate
• Different types of ganache
• The theory and science of tempering
• Making and coating truffles
• Flavouring chocolate
• Moulding chocolate
• Chocolate tasting, featuring some of the world’s best chocolate
• Packaging chocolates professionally

As well as speciality moulding and the legal aspects of making and selling chocolate, the advanced course also covers decorating chocolates and different types of filling.

Both courses take place at the relaxed and friendly family-owned Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth on dates midweek till April 2013. Complimentary refreshments and lunch are provided. Specially discounted room rates at the hotel are available too for those who wish to stay overnight.

Chocolate Delight also holds chocolate truffle making workshops nationwide as well as arranging chocolate themed corporate team building events.

To find out more, visit
www.chocolatedelight.co.uk/fundamentals-of-chocolate.html
www.chocolatedelight.co.uk/advanced-chocolate.html

Play the Very Lazy Footie Feast Challenge during Euro 2012!

New online game for super fast footie food!

Forget junk food and pizzas for half time. With a new online game from cooking ingredient specialist Very Lazy, you can now whip up a quick and tasty half time treat for you and your mates and be back in front of the TV for the second half. Easy Peasy.

The challenge is simple. All you need is a few key ingredients, a pan or wok and the Very Lazy Footie Feast Challenge online game! Here’s how it works:
• Start off with a base of noodles during the first half of the game
• Every time you spot one of the listed events, click the circle on the pitch [right] to add an ingredient to your dish
• Get in the kitchen at half time and cook your dish in 10 minutes
• Relax and watch the second half of the game with your Very Lazy dish
When a red card is produced the game won’t be the only thing hotting up as you add some Very Lazy red chillies to the mix! The Footie Feast Challenge is more fun and a lot healthier and quicker than ordering a takeaway. Footie fans have an easy recipe for half time and begrudging viewers will have a fun game to pass the time while the match is on!

The ingredients needed to play the full game are: Very Lazy red chillies, Very Lazy ginger, Very Lazy garlic, cooked chicken, prawns, mushrooms, spring onions, soy sauce, cashew nuts, red pepper, sesame oil, bean sprouts, honey, greens and nutmeg. But don’t worry if you are missing some of the ingredients - feel free to swap them for one of your family favourites.

Very Lazy may not be able to give England an advantage on the pitch, but its range of top notch essential cooking ingredients does give you an unfair advantage in the kitchen, allowing you to whip up a footie feast in just ten minutes.

Have some Very Lazy fun as Poland take on Greece in the opening match of the tournament at 5pm on Friday 8th June by visiting www.facebook.com/VeryLazyFood and clicking on the Footie Challenge icon. But don’t worry if you miss the first match, here’s a list of some other key fixtures:

• France V England: Mon 11 June, 17:00
• Sweden V England: Fri 15 June, 19:45
• England V Ukraine: Tues 19 June, 19:45
• Quarter finals: Thurs 21 June – Sun 25 June
• Semi finals: Weds 17 June – Thurs 18 June
• The final: Sun 1 July, 19:45

Popper’s Little Treat for Popa!

With Father’s Day just around the corner, treat deserving Dads to these tasty Jalapeño Poppers. This fiery recipe combines juicy Jalapeños and mature Cheddar and is perfect as a snack or starter.

The recipe is taken from Dan May’s fantastic Red Hot Chilli Cookbook, out now.

Jalapeño Poppers 20 Jalapeño chillies 140 g grated mature cheddar 50 g plain flour 1 egg, beaten sunflower oil, for deep frying cooking thermometer (optional) Makes 20 Slit the Jalapeños along one side and carefully remove the seeds.

Stuff them generously with the grated cheddar. Put the flour in one shallow bowl and the beaten egg in another. Roll the Jalapeños in the flour, dip in the egg and then coat once more with flour, ensuring that they are completely covered.

Half-fill a large saucepan with oil. Heat until the oil reaches 190˚C (375˚F) on a cooking thermometer. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, the oil is ready when a 2.5-cm cube of white bread dropped into it browns in less than 60 seconds.

Fry the Jalapeños in small batches for 6–7 minutes until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

ZEO: NEW Non-Alcoholic Adult Drink with Sensorial Effects has launched

ZEO celebrated its launch at London's County Hall 30th May 2012 with the one and only Jonny Woo - for a wonderfully unusual evening of exquisite mixology, perfect food and acts to match. A host of unique acts danced, sang, stripped and entertained their way through the evening including Bruce Airhead (the metamorphosis of a man and a six-foot balloon) and Count Fettucini as well as Le Gateau Chocolat, and the celebrated Ursula Martinez!

The taste?
ZEO is lightly carbonated with a distinctive, unique taste sensation that tantalises the taste buds, ZEO is new, original and like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. In addition to its intriguing blend of natural extracts and essences, ZEO delivers a range of sensorial effects (such as chilling, warming and tingling). Taken from the flora of all continents, these extracts include trees, virgin flowers, wild berries, fresh green herbs, grains and exotic spices. ZEO hits the senses with tingly, fizzy sensorial effects and spicy, peppery, exotic flavours followed by a refreshing, clean aftertaste but watch this space... Each time you indulge in ZEO – whether on its own or in a cocktail - you’ll be surprised by different sensations.

FACTFILE:
ZEO goes beyond the conventional idea that drinks must be alcoholic to be interesting. Intrigued? This summer, bar-goers have a new reason to head to the bars with the launch of ZEO, a drink that has been specifically created for adults and which will be available in select premium bars across the UK.

ZEO Served?
- The ZEO Twizt, the brand’s perfect serve. ZEO’s flavours are simply showcased with ice and a citrus twist of your choice. Refreshing, zingy flavours make this the perfect choice during the day or while out on the town;
- The G and Z, THE English summer classic reinvented which brings out ZEO’s peppery notes;
- The Swiss ZEO, an absinth-based sharing punch which will set the mood for friend gatherings;
- The Dirty ZEO, the brand’s take on the Dirty Martini. Sexy and sophisticated even without the alcohol;
- The Big Z, the new fruit cup! Lightly alcoholic, fruity and refreshing, it’s the perfect drink for a long summer evening.

ZEO will be available in leading bars across the UK as well as online www.seekzeo.com from this summer from £5.00.