Big Ears and Noddy – no childhood (well 60′s childhood perhaps) could be complete without the delights of Noddy and his adventures. There’s a new TV version now I believe (not that I watch children’s TV you understand; I don’t actually own a TV at all to be truthful!).

So kiddies and grown-up kiddies should delight in these whimsical egg cups featuring Noddy and Pal Big Ears. Available from Lark for £7 each. They are exact replicas of the 1960′s originals.

Found via Retrotogo

Artisan-Food is an on-line magazine, a directory, a database and a lot, lot more… They cover almost everything about food in Cumbria — restaurants, shops, chefs, farmers, recipes, producers, local specialities, books, news, views, cooking, farmers markets,
online shopping, restaurant reviews, plus loads more.

“The focus is all about local food in Cumbria, who produces it, where to get it, how to cook it, where to eat it and what it’s like.
We have links to all the producers’ on-line shops so you can order directly and get their products delivered to your door.
We are Martin & Cecilia Campbell, we live in Grasmere. Martin is the photographer and looks after the web side of things, Cecilia is the writer and designer.”

A lot of the detailed information is presented using Google’s maps, with clickable links to get more info, such as one showing the location of Rick Stein’s Cumbrian food heroes.

The more frequently updated news section is in blog format.

“We have a section on the site called “news and views”, for the technically savvy it is referred to as a “blog”. It is the part of the site that is updated most inbetween the monthly updates. It contains some great snippets of whats going on in the food scene in Cumbria as well as some curious foodie items. I regularly post material as does Cecilia, but don’t miss our other contributors, such as Ivan Day Cumbria’s great food historian or Paul from Howbarrow Organic farm and Nick our bloggin scouse chef. There is some great stuff on the blogs with the last ten postings showing at any one time.”

For everything (and more) that you wanted to know about Goose Fat you should head on over to the Goose Fat Information Service!

Here you can find recipes and information about the healthy properties of this poly-and mono-unsaturated fat, which in addition to being ideal for Roast Potatoes, is also good for the cardiovascular system (compared to butter) and thought to be one of the reasons why despite their relatively rich diet, rural French people have a lower incidence of heart disease.

Of course, any mention of Goose these days tends to raise the thorny issue of Foie Gras.Recently we have seen the introduction of “ethical foie gras” – i.e duck or goose liver which is made by fattening the birds so that their livers become enlarged. Tradtionally this is done through “gavage” which is a form of forced feeding. The ethical approach avoids forced-feeding and instead relies on the greedy bird’s habit of putting on weight prior to their natural winter migration to warmer climes – see the Telegraph (19 Feb 07). This is available at Club Gascon in London – the place to buy and dine on the best of South West France cuisine.

Mark Hix in the Independent (28 Oct 07) praises the improved quality of British ducks and also has some interesting recipes for using one whole duck (French or British) without wasting a morcel:-

1. Szechuan peppered duck breast
2. Slow-cooked leg of duck with Bramley apple mash and cider sauce
3. Duck and quince salad
4. Duck and cep broth

When it comes to talk of restaurants, it is usually the chefs who get all of the attention. However, finding the perfect wine for your palate and meal can be just as important as the food it accompanies.

To help redress the balance and recognise that a genius in the kitchen is not alone in creating an exceptional dining experience, The Restaurant Show in association with Restaurant magazine is delighted to announce its Sommelier of the Year in the very first Front of House Awards.

Commenting on the awards, Master of Wine, respected restaurant consultant and judge of the Sommelier of the Year category Peter McCombie said:

“The era of the snooty, superior sommelier of cliché might just be over. Our finalists were confident and enthusiastic and offered excellent advice based on sound knowledge of both food and wine. They make eating out both enjoyable and memorable.”

The Front of House Awards 2007 Sommelier of the Year is Gearoid Devaney at Tom Aikens. The judges were highly impressed with the runners up, citing Zuma’s Alessandro Marchesan’s ability to put customers at ease with the difficulties of cross cultural food and wine matching as impressive and that Les at Strattons (in Swaffham, Norfolk) unpretentious enthusiasm reflected the style of the restaurant very well.

But of course, it was the brilliant Gearoid who made top marks. A consummate professional without pomposity, his breadth of knowledge was reflected in the impeccable choices – both conventional and unconventional – that were offered without a wrong move.

The full list of the Front of House Awards winners is:
Manager of the Year : Silvano Giraldin at Le Gavroche
Waiter of the Year : Lionel Fauvet at Sketch
Sommelier of the Year : Gearoid Devaney at Tom Aikens
Front Desk of the Year : The Fat Duck
Bar Team of the Year : Shochu Lounge
Overall Service : The Fat Duck
Front of House Team of the Year : St. John Bar & Restaurant

The BBC is reporting that the Soil Association is going to strip food flown into the UK of its organic status unless it meets new stricter ethical standards.

The association, which certifies 70% of the UK’s £1.9bn organic food sector, says firms must show trade brings real benefit to developing world farmers.

It wants all air-freighted food to meet tough “ethical trade” standards.

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