Archive for May, 2008

Culinary inspiration from the ‘Taste Master’ – Loyd Grossman

Loyd Grossman live webchatThe ‘Taste Master’ Loyd Grossman offers exclusive culinary advice to help us to be a little more adventurous in the kitchen…

Chat date: Monday 2nd June 2008
Chat time: 14:30

Most of us like the idea of trying new dishes but how many of us actually experiment once we get in the kitchen? New research shows that 95% of us are itching to sample new flavours but almost half of us only manage to do so once a month at the most. Over a third only try new flavours once every six months or less!

To unlock our taste buds and offer up some much needed culinary inspiration we’re hosting a live webchat with the Nation’s ‘Taste Master’ himself Loyd Grossman. Loyd dedicates much of his time to new research and experimentation with food and is going to be offering his top tips and advice for creating new and exciting recipes and exposing ourselves to the flavours locked up in our store cupboards.

As it’s a live webchat you’ll be able to submit all your culinary queries to Loyd. So if you’ve ever wondered how much garlic you should put in that bolognaise sauce or what dishes would taste that much better with a touch of oregano then why not log on to our webchat and submit your questions to our very special guest?

Join Loyd Grossman live online at Culinary Inspiration on Monday 2nd June at 14:30 to help all you taste evaders out there become taste crusaders! You can submit questions from the same link.


River Cottage Spring

River Cottage SpringBeginning tonight on Channel 4 is a new series with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall down at his River Cottage again.

Hugh’s opening the doors of River Cottage again to celebrate all that’s smashing about Spring

Britain’s freshest food is coming into season in the fields, allotments and gardens around the country and Hugh will be showing us how we can enjoy the River Cottage way of life with locally produced, seasonal food.

To prove that growing your own is practical and affordable, Hugh has challenged five families from Bristol to turn an acre of derelict city land into a fruit and vegetable plot. They’ll even be keeping pigs, right in the heart of the city. How will the urban families get on with creating a country idyll in their concrete jungle and will they meet their budgetary target?

In true River Cottage style, Hugh will be getting hands on with meat, sharing his cleaver skills on a butchery course to show that eating quality meat doesn’t have to punish the pocket. But Susan, his new apprentice, is a vegetarian and will be handling meat for the first time in fifteen years. Will she conquer her squeamishness to learn the tricks of the trade from Hugh and master butcher Ray?

River Cottage Spring Wednesday 28th May 9pm

12th National BBQ Week

National Barbecue Week Guide to Better Barbi EtiquetteIt might well have rained continuously across the majority of the UK this weekend but this hasn’t dampened (sorry) the launch of the 12th National Barbecue Week.

Yes, it’s that time of year again and what better an excuse do you need to embrace the Mediterranean alfresco lifestyle than the annual National BBQ Week which runs from 26 May – 1 June. Whether you’re a gastro griller or just want to become a Better BBQer, National BBQ Week offers you the chance to really show off your grilling skills. You can really impress friends and family with your alfresco culinary capabilities and find out more about the gastro grill evolution from sausage to swordfish and burger to brochette by visiting the website www.nationalbbqweek.co.uk for some sizzling recipes, such as Corsican spatch-cocked chicken or Cevapicci 3-meat brochette, as well as inspiring top tips and advice that are guaranteed to help you become a real grill master!

In recognition of the more ‘upmarket trends in alfresco summer eating, entertaining & BBQ’, National BBQ has created, in conjunction with Debrett’s, a Guide to Better Barbi Etiquette, entitled The Little Black Barbi Book – viewable on line it is a light-hearted guide to all things BBQ.

If you are already tired of the same old barbecue fare the site lists 22 recipes.

Whole Earth Organic Sparking Drinks

Whole Earth ORganic Sparkling DrinksOrganic pioneers, Whole Earth are seeing the summer in with their range of organic sparkling drinks in six different varieties.

Whole Earth organic drinks combine natural fruit juices and flavours topped up with sparkling H20 to give subtle, refreshing tastes without any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Choose from zesty Lemonade, refreshing Elderflower, tangy Apple & Raspberry, nutty Cola nut, spicy Ginger and crushed Cranberry. Chill, zip off the rip pull, then kick back and enjoy!

As well as being a refreshing drink on their own Whole Earth drinks can also form a base for some mouth watering combinations.

Available from leading supermarkets and health food stores in 330ml cans starting from .59p.

Update: The Whole Earth Ginger came out well in a recent taste test.

Midsummer’s Day Food And Wine Matching Evening

food and wine tasting bianco neroBianco Nero, Hammersmith’s finest Italian restaurant, is hosting a food and wine matching event for a ‘celebration of summer’. Classic summer wines will be matched with seasonal flavours of ripe English tomatoes, summer risotto, and delicious monkfish.

The evening will begin with a fresh peach Bellini and a talk from a top wine specialist , who will explain how to match food and wine. They will then explain their selections for the evening which will include a classic French rose Château St Marguerite perfect for a summer’s evening, a crisp white wine to accompany the creamy risotto, a red wine that perfectly compliments our fish dish and a rich dessert wine to match with nuts and cherries.

The special 4 course dinner designed for the evening will include:

Caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella with yellow, green and red tomatoes

Summer risotto of baby broad beans, peas and pecorino

Roasted monkfish with pancetta, new potatoes and zucchini fritti

Pistachio Bavarese with fresh cherry sauce

PRICE: 4 course dinner and wine followed by tea or coffee and cantucci biscuits is £50

Telephone 020 8748 0212 now to book.