Archive for December, 2007

The Crisis Cookbook

Crisis CookbookThe Crises Cookbook is a collection of recipes from 28 top chefs.

These luminaries of the cooking world include Heston Blumenthal, Alain Ducasse, Ferran Adria of El Builli, Rick Stein of The Seafood Restaurant and Rowley Leigh of Le Café Anglais. They have all collaborated on this collection to raise much required funds for Crisis the homelessness charity.

The book was compiled by Nick Launder, the restaurant critic of the Financial Times.

The attraction of the Crisis Cook Book is the opportunity to create from one slim volume a dinner party where the first course is inspired by Paul Bocuse, the main course comes from Simon Hopkinson and the dessert is one of three supplied by Clare Clark, the lovely English pastry chef now based at The French Laundry in California.

The Crises Cookbook is available for £5 from Marks & Spencer and Amazon.co.uk. Of the cost £3 goes to the Crises Charity.

The France Show

The France ShowThe greatest attraction of The France Show will be a cookery masterclass run by France’s most acclaimed chef, Jean-Christophe Novelli.

He will be conducting three live cookery demonstrations each day at the show with his “mobile” Novelli Academy Cookery School, revealing the secrets that have made him one of the most celebrated Chefs in Britain – and the best news is the demonstrations will be free to Show visitors.

Other attractions include:

  • wine seminars (costs range from £5-£10) covering Languedoc, Bergerac, Champagne, fine Bordeaux and Cognac
  • three French restaurants and a champagne bar surrounding a unique French experience of music, dance and artists
  • a number of local vineyard owners displaying, talking about and sampling their produce
  • over 60 stand holders expected showcasing the best French food and produce

The France Show 2008 runs at Olympia for three days in January (18th – 20th). If you register to attend before New Year’s Ebe entrance is free.

Delicious Magazine’s Top Cookery Books 2007

“A cookery book is a perfect gift for fellow foodies – and there have been some corkers out this year. But which to choose?” Six of the very best from Delicious Magazine.



See also the Sunday Times Top Food Books

Food Standards Agency

Food Standards AgencyThe Food Standards Agency is an independent Government department set up by an Act of Parliament in 2000 to protect the publics health and consumer interests in relation to food.

The Agency is both a Government department, an independent regulator and a consumer protection body.

They work with business ‘from farm to fork’ to help them keep consumers safe, with local authorities and other food law enforcement bodies to help them take proportionate, timely and resolute action and with consumers to provide reliable and up to date information to help us all make healthy choices about food.

It is the Food Standards Agency that constructed the Food Traffic Light System now on many food items.

They also issue regular allergy alerts and details of product withdrawals due to incorrect labelling or contents. Surprisingly there are quite a regular stream of these. Over the last two days alone they have issued alerts on

  • Asda withdrawing cans of its Chicken Noodle Soup because they have been labelled as Scotch Broth and therefore contain egg, which is not shown on the label. This makes the product a potential health risk for people who are allergic or intolerant to eggs.
  • Green & Black’s recall of a batch of its ‘The Assortment’ boxed chocolates because of water damage during storage resulting in mould growth on the surface of chocolates.
  • New Ivory recall of its own-brand Poultry Gravy due to a labelling error which means that it contains butter that is not mentioned in the ingredients list.
  • Waitrose has recalled a batch of its own-brand Shortcrust Mince Pies because there could be pieces of plastic in the product.
  • an updated Allergy Alert in relation to a recall by Bart Spices Ltd of a batch of its Bart Coconut Cream (200ml) containing milk that is not declared in the ingredients list. The two affected batches are unsuitable for people with a milk allergy and they are advised not to eat this product.

Provenance Foods Spicy Tomato Relish

Provenance Tomato RelishThe label says it all really –

“Our tomatoes are grown in Yorkshire and Teeside by David Baarda who won World Salad Grower of the Year 2006. Clint Judd grows our onions on his farm in East Anglia. Solent Wight garlic is grown by Colin Boswell on the Isle of Wight. The spices are selected by Mark and Matt, the spice aficionados of Seasoned Pioneers.”

Seems to answer that all important question regarding processed foods – “just where do the ingredients come from?”

Available from Waitrose for £2.29 (260g). The label also shows that it was cooked in the kitchen of Atkins and Potts. It is not though, listed on their website, perhaps a Waitrose only label, but the site itself is well worth exploring being a fine deli-type on-line store.

A little too runny in consistency perhaps but certainly tomatoey in flavour with a nice bit of spice heat. In the background of the picture some Nairn’s Organic Oakcakes; just add cheese!