Archive for March, 2008

Taste Lancashire 08

by Andrew on March 31, 2008 in On The Web, Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

Taste Lancashire 08Taste Lancashire 08 is a year-long programme featuring a wide range of food events, activities and promotions. Join in by eating at their Award Winning and Quality Assured establishments, sample dishes created by famous talented chefs and savour local delicacies.

‘Taste Lancashire 08 – the Year of Food and Drink’ has been created in partnership with Liverpool’s status of European Capital of Culture 2008.

The site is extensive in its coverage – a blog, regularly updated food events, details of a Food Trail up the Ribble Valley, cycle tours and food fairs. The latter includes details of the The 11th Lancashire Food Festival in Accrington, where the The Hairy Bikers will make an appearance on Saturday 5th April.

Even if you cannot make the trip to Lancashire this year you can still participate by recreating local recipes such as Paul Heathcote’s Black Pudding and Cheese Hash Browns and Caramelised Pears.


Countryman’s Cooking

by Andrew on March 30, 2008 in Television, Radio, Video, Film with No comments

Tomorrow (Monday 31st) sees the wonderful Leslie Phillips reading “with relish”, according to the Sunday Times, the cookery manual for men by Willie Fowler.

Fowler was a bomber pilot who later farmed and, in 1965, wrote a book and sold it through his local pub. It has only recently been rediscovered via a chance encounter in a charity shop. Apparently most of the non-PC stuff concerning woman making pastry have not made it through to the broadcast but there are sections on rook-shooting and casseroled pigeon. The recipe for cormorant is “Simmer gently in seawater for six hours and apply a thick paste of meths and curry powder”. Presumably to mask the taste.

Countryman’s Cooking begins on BBC Radio 4 at 3:30pm with extracts broadcast through the rest of the week.

Fortnum & Mason Launches Largest Airport Store at Terminal 5

by Andrew on March 28, 2008 in Specialist Shops with 1 Comment

Fortnum and Masons Termninal 5 special hamperWhile Terminal 5 might be experiencing a few, (how can we put this?), ‘teething-troubles’, Fortnum & Mason has announced the opening of the Fortnum & Mason store within World Duty Free at Heathrow’s new Terminal. The 1,500 sq ft store will offer an exclusive range of food and drink from the unusual to the traditional – and all with a touch of wow-factor.

Visitors will have the opportunity to purchase a superb selection of cheeses, fine wines, mouth-watering chocolates and enviable gifts from the Terminal 5 Fortnum & Mason, creating a totally new and indulgent experience for travellers. Furthermore, in true Fortnum’s style, a special hamper has been created to mark the occasion.

The Monarch (£5,000) contains tea, marmalade, caviar, champagne, chocolates, Fortnum’s branded kitchen linens and smoked salmon, as well as other classic Fortnum & Mason products.

Fraser Dunlop, Head of Category for Food, Liquor and Tax Free Items, World Duty Free says: “With Fortnum & Mason’s luxurious food and drink array and this exclusive hamper for sale, the store is sure to proffer a varied and extravagant experience for the passenger.”

“This new location will offer the same superb quality and excellent service as the Piccadilly store” says Alison Jordan, Commercial & Marketing Director. “We’ve chosen the range of products very carefully, so customers have a true taste of Fortnum’s and the sense of Englishness the brand evokes, whilst the store itself is designed to echo the fabulously refurbished Piccadilly flagship.”

A Cook’s Tour of Spain

by Andrew on March 20, 2008 in Television, Radio, Video, Film with 9 Comments

A Cooks Tour of SpainDid you close your eyes when they slit the pigs throat?

One of the best food programs made its debut on on TV this evening – A Cook’s Tour of Spain – offered a ‘no holes barred’ approach to rural Spanish life and cuisine. As I have learnt over the last few months the most tasty and interesting food from Spain is the ‘peasant’ food. Using what-ever ingredients are too hand; the tastiest food is often the simplest.

I for one are more than looking forward to next weeks episode of A Cook’s Tour of Spain. Rather Jamie-esque in its approach, which is forgivable, I loved the local characters they portrayed – from the matriarchal squabblings though to the manly tasks of butchering and Sherry drinking.

The program was presented by Tommi Miers, a champion Masterchef of 2005, who now runs the Wahaca restaurant in London. This also has a Spanish connection offering Mexican ‘street food’.

Xotiq Foods The Taste Of The East For Dinner Parties In The West

by Andrew on March 18, 2008 in food, Online Retailers with 3 Comments

Xotiq Foods screenshotXotiq Foods is serving up a recipe for success with a range of dinner kits that will enable even inexperienced home chefs to cook a complete South East Asian meal with confidence in just 30 minutes.

Prepared with the help of BBC ‘Masterchef’ finalist Daksha Mistry, each Xotiq kit contains all the key ingredients for an authentic Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian or Thai meal, including spices, dipping sauces, chutney, fragrant rice, crackers and even stock – the cook needs only to add a favourite meat, fish or vegetables.

Underwhelmed by the quality of supermarket take home curries, conventional cook-in sauces and simple spice pastes, Xotiq’s creators spent two years developing their easy-to-prepare pack for time-poor professionals who love fine food.

And there’s much more on the Xotiq Foods menu than carefully selected and ethically sourced ingredients: accompanying instructions include everything from the cooking method for each dish and how to prepare perfect rice, to table decoration tips and the best wines to complement the meal.

The Xotiq Foods website features a real time audio download – so you can listen on your MP3 player while cooking – of step by step instructions, videocasts, and quick cooking guides. All dinner kits serve two generous portions, cost just £5.49 and can be purchased online or from selected retailers. Online orders are dispatched within 24 hours.

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