Archive for June, 2008

Easy Bean Pots

by Andrew on June 18, 2008 in food, In Search Of... with No comments

Easy Bean PotsComing soon or available now: Easy Bean pots.

An ideal healthy lunch or to form part of a tasty supper Easy Bean pots are authentic recipes that are hand prepared in small batches using 100% natural ingredients. Each pot counts towards two of your five-a-day portions.

“People generally know so little about beans and pulses in the UK and yet there is such an enormous variety and nutritionally they are so good for you. I love to cook with them, probably because I have an excuse to use lots of herbs and spices. They even fertilise the soil as they grow, so you could say superfood and superplant!”

Choose from:
Moroccan Tagine – chickpea and aubergine slow cooked with apricot and aromatic spices
New Mexican Chilli – red bean and sweet pepper in a richly spiced tomato and jalapeño chilli sauce
Indian Sambar – toor dhal and vegetable curry with tamarind, coconut and mustard seed
Spanish Puchero – butter bean and chorizo sausage with red pepper and rich smoky pimentón
African Palava – brown beans with chicken, sweet potato and spinach in a spicy peanut sauce.

What I can’t find out is the retail price…


Top Tips On Becoming A Wine Connoisseur At 35,000 Feet

by Andrew on June 17, 2008 in On The Web, Tasting Events/Shows with 1 Comment

Taste of LondonWith summer now in full swing, many of us will be getting ready to jet off to sunnier climes but before boarding your flight and taking a sip of your on-board glass of wine, did you know that at 35,000ft your taste buds lose about 40 per cent of their ability to differentiate between flavours?

Or that flying at high altitude in a pressurised cabin makes one glass in the air equal two on the ground?

Well this and many other quirky facts are explained by head wine buyer for British Airways Peter Nixson in this new video. Peter has to satisfy the taste buds of around 35 million people every year with a very small selection of wine so he’s used to making cut and dry judgements about which bottles are worth keeping in the wine rack and indeed which bottles are the best tipple to kick off your holiday.

If the video whets your appetite for more then why not catch Peter at this year’s Taste of London Festival taking place in Regent’s Park from 19th to 22nd June. As well as playing host to 40 of the capital’s top restaurants, the festival features extensive wine tasting workshops where you can learn everything about French Classics to New World favourites by the top industry experts.

If that wasn’t enough you can rub shoulders with famous culinary faces such as Gary Rhodes, Antony Worrall Thompson, Michel Roux Jr., Angela Hartnett, Tom Aikens and Aldo Zilli, to name but a few whist sampling their signature dishes.

Click here for some top wine tasting tips.

For more on wine at the Taste of London see UKWinesOnline.

Bridport Food Festival

by Andrew on June 16, 2008 in Tasting Events/Shows with 4 Comments

Bridport Food FestivalYou may think that it was the passions of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his River Cottage that put the Dorset town of Bridport on the food-map. But any serious foodie knows that this remarkable town was producing some of the finest regional food in the country, long before HFW cracked a free-range organic egg.

Bridport Food Festival, an annual fete-style event that takes place this year on June 27, 28 and 29, is a showcase for West Dorset producers dedicated to keeping food at the heart of the community. It’s also a chance for anyone interested in real food to get up close and personal with some of the finest produce in the region.

From biodynamic meat and organic vegetables to the hottest chilli in the world and Dorset-grown blueberries, the Bridport Food Festival is packed with surprising and delicious produce to taste and buy.

It’s also a chance to learn and swap ideas, with demonstrations from some of the area’s leading food practitioners including local Indian, Thai, Japanese and Chinese chefs, all using local produce.

Set in Asker Meadows on the outskirts of Bridport, there’s also plenty to make the festival a family day out, with a coconut shy, bouncy castle, beer tent and live music throughout the weekend.

To reap the full benefits of the Festival, out-of-towners can get £100 off at Hyde Cottage in Walditch with Dorset Costal Cottages. Number three offers three bedrooms, furnishings to a high standard and a pretty country kitchen where you can practice your culinary skills learned from the cookery demos. With the discount, the cottage costs just £455 for a week during the Festival. Further information: Dorset Coastal Cottages or 0800 980 4070

Making Lunchtime Green with the Wrap n Mat

by Andrew on June 11, 2008 in In Search Of..., Online Retailers with 2 Comments

Wrap n MatHow green is your lunchbox? Swap the cling-film and sandwich bags for a reusable Wrap-N-Mat and do your bit for the environment.

Fitting snugly around sandwiches or other lunchbox staples like biscuits or vegetable sticks, a secure Velcro-style fastening ensures it’s easy for big and little fingers to open without assistance. And, at full size, the 33 x 33 cm placemat will catch any spillages and provide a practical and clean eating surface in any situation.

Designed for daily use, the Wrap-N-Mat has a food safe PEVA lining which can be wiped clean in seconds. It is also suitable to machine wash (on low-heat) and has a lifespan of years rather than just hours unlike the traditional plastic sandwich bag!

Available in different colours, including an eco-warrior-themed version which uses vegetable-based dyes, the Wrap-N-Mat is a clever product which provides everyone in the family with a simple way to reduce waste and say no to plastic!

Available online at www.wrap-n-mat.co.uk. The Wrap-N-Mats cost £4.25 each.

Remember:
Simple things can make a difference – the average two child household can make its way through nearly 200m of cling film a year, all of which ends up in the bin after a single use. By contrast, a Wrap-N-Mat will last for years.

Win a Kitchen Garden Course at River Cottage

by Andrew on June 10, 2008 in On The Web with No comments

Freerange ReviewThe Free Range Review website has teamed up with HFW’s River Cottage to offer one lucky person the chance to win two tickets for the River Cottage Kitchen Garden course at Park Farm (River Cottage HQ) in Devon. The course normally costs £150. (Hugh does not attend.)

“There are many magical moments in the gardener’s year. The first sweet tender peas podded straight into your mouth, a just-picked Gardeners Delight tomato eaten wrapped in a basil leaf, or the first sweet-sharp raspberries fresh from the cane. Yet to many growing your own seems a mystery – something we at River Cottage hope to dispel in a day dedicated to helping you make the most of your patch, be it large or small.”

For your chance to win this, you simply need to post a review on the Freerange Review website between the dates of June 1st, 2008 and June 30th, 2008, the closing date.

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