Archive for April, 2008

Black Pudding and Foie Gras by Andrew Pern

by Andrew on April 21, 2008 in Books For Cooks with 5 Comments

Black Pudding and Foie Gras by Andrew PernBlack Pudding and Foie Gras is a new cookbook, independently published, by Andrew Pern of the Michelin-starred Star Inn at Harome.

I’ve seen a few pages of extracts as part of a press pack; looks good! The book offers 60 recipes, many of them Pern’s signature dishes. There are also 227 photographs. OF these recipes there are 15 starter dishes including a Pressed Terrine of Yorkshire Gammon with Fried Ledstone Quail Egg, Spiced Pineapple Pickle, Mustard Seed Dressing. This is described as

“A play on the pub grub classic gammon, egg and pineapple. Pressed Ham Knuckle Terrine, a gently fried quail egg perched on top with a rich golden chutney spooned around is again another firm favourite on the Star Inn menu”

Dinner party food at its finest, it would seem.

There are 22 main dishes (including A Plate of Harome-reared ‘Loose Birds’ Duck with Garden Thyme Mash, Traditional Yorkshire Sauce), 15 dessert dishes (including a local honey creme caramel with mead soaked sultanas), 16 cheese counter recipes (Baked Tunworth with Ampleforth Apple Brandy, Rosemary and Apple ‘skewers’) and 9 drinks cabinet recipes (Eddlethorpe Sloe Gin Flip). The book concludes with 8 chef’s pantry recipes – stocks and other such ‘basics’.

Black Pudding and Foie Gras is to be released on the 10th May.
It is currently listed on Amazon.co.uk for £35.

New: Organic Food Bar

by Andrew on April 18, 2008 in food with 2 Comments

Organic BarsNow available Organic Food Bars described as the “the perfect snack for the health conscious user who is on the move. As a great alternative to cereal and snack bars the Organic Food Bar is a lifestyle bar, packed full of raw organic bio-sprouts and other healthy ingredients to aid with digestion and give your body the goodness it needs”.

They have been available in America for a couple of years and will now be available in the UK from health food stores.

Each bar is rich in phyto-nutrient dense sprouts and superfoods in a base of easily digestible, alkaline-forming vegetable protein. The complex carbohydrates give long lasting energy, so there is no ‘crash’, which most bars that are high in refined sugars give.

Organic Food Bars are only sweetened with whole-food sweeteners, including organic dates, organic raisins, organic honey and low Glycaemic Index (GI) organic agave nectar to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

I found them rather tasty, and not overly sweet at all. They do look a little ‘brown’ and ‘shiny wet’, if you get what I mean! They are available in 3 flavours: Chocolate Coconut, Chocolaty Choc Chip and Cinnamon Raisin, with a junior bar available in Apple Pie flavour. On taste alone they are recommended. They retail for just 99p each.

Real Food Festival Webchat

by Andrew on April 16, 2008 in On The Web, Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

Real Food Festival webchatThe subject is ‘How to Choose Real Food Over the Lure of Supermarkets’ The date is this Friday, 18th April 2008 at 2pm.

The British public’s passion for ‘real’ food is alive and kicking. However, there is still a lot more we can do to help the humble farmer!

“We consumers are becoming increasingly food conscious and shopping at the local market is becoming ever more popular. However, supermarkets are still selling cut-price produce that could squeeze British farmers out of the food market. So many of us say we want to show our support for independent producers as well as the British tradition of farming but where should we start?

Well the Real Food Festival, which is set to be the biggest ever Farmer’s Market is an opportunity to meet over 500 small producers from across the UK. There will be the best line-up of produce and ingredients, incredible food and drink from small, unique producers, restaurants serving carefully sourced dishes and a entertaining and educational workshops to take part in.

Before you head down to Earls Court, an Independent Producer Rose Grimond and Philip Lowery from the Real Food Festival will be on hand to tell you what to expect at the event and answer all your questions about the issues facing British Farmers and Independent Producers.”

If you love food and want to learn more about how to support your local independent producers then log onto the webchat where Philip and Rose will offer advice on these matters and more….

Independent Producer Rose Grimond and Philip Lowery from the Real Food Festival join us live online on Friday 18th April at 2pm to discuss the importance of British Farming and this year’s Real Food Festival.

Ready Steady Grow

by Andrew on April 15, 2008 in Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

London Chefs at Taste of LondonThis image shows a host of London Chefs, including Michel Roux Junior, Anthony Worrall Thompson and Aldo Zilli planting a range of produce at Regents Park today (Tuesday).

All 40 chefs participating in Taste of London will be competing for the coveted title of “Green Fingers” – an award given to the chef with the biggest and best produce by the time Taste of London takes place that will take place in Regents Park over the 19th – 22nd June.

Taste of London is the capital’ s most exciting restaurant, food and drink event. In its fifth year as one of the World’s Top Food Festivals, Taste of London is the foodie event of the year.

Visit Channel4.com/taste to book tickets, where your be able to get up close and personal with acclaimed chefs such as Gary Rhodes, Tom Aikens, Anthony Worrall Thompson, Rowley Leigh and Aldo Zilli.
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Tesco’s ‘Enjoy the Taste of Scotland 2008’

by Andrew on April 11, 2008 in Tasting Events/Shows with 3 Comments

Taste of ScotlandFour of Scotland’s top chefs – including the country’s only two-star Michelin chef – are to appear at Tesco’s Enjoy the Taste of Scotland event in April.

The event – taking place at Glasgow’s George Square – will see two-starred Michelin chef Andrew Fairlie and one-star Michelin chef Tom Kitchin, along with gifted gastronomers Brian Maule and Paul Tamburrini, take part in the inspirational ‘Tesco Celebrity Cookery Theatre’.

Taking place on Saturday April 26 and Sunday April 27, this is the third year of the showcase event which gives consumers a chance to see the diversity of products Scotland provides to Tesco customers.

And with more than 100 suppliers participating, who better to showcase the potential of the produce than the team of celebrity chefs to show off their skills with the finest Scottish ingredients. Scottish Chef of the Year 2007, Tom Kitchin, will be on hand to wow audiences with his cooking wizardry. As always, Tom will be using fresh, seasonal Scottish produce.

Also attending is gastronome extraordinaire Paul Tamburrini, head chef at Glasgow’s luxury boutique hotel, Hotel du Vin and former head at Cameron House on Loch Lomond.

This year’s ‘Enjoy the Taste of Scotland…Get to Know Your Locals’ promises to build on the success of the previous two events, raising a glass or two to the diverse range of delicious, healthy and versatile fare produced in Scotland.

Visitors are invited to come along to what promises to be a memorable diary date and join in the fun from 10am until 6pm on Saturday 26 April and from 10am until 5pm on Sunday 27 in Glasgow’s George Square. Admission is free.

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