Harrods has unveilled its brand new Boulangerie and Patisserie department, located in the heart of the Ground Floor Food Halls. Expect a delicious range of new pastries, cakes and breads, all freshly crafted each day by some of the UK’s most celebrated bakers.

Each morning Harrods team of expert pastry chefs prepare over 100 new pastries, desserts and cakes for the department – from fresh fruit clementines and fraiser tarts to innovative green tea-infused crème brulées.

And in response to the latest demands from shoppers, an array of gourmet marshmallows flavoured with orange blossom and strawberry has also been created, alongside a range of savoury mini muffins, including sautéed leek and thyme and bacon and cheddar.

Complementing Harrods own selection are exclusive patisseries from award-winning chocolatier William Curley and renowned artisan baker Paul Hollywood. The Boulangerie and Patisserie is now home to Curley’s stunning patisseries, including a cream-filled Paris brest and a Venezuelan chocolate cadeaux, while a variety of Hollywood’s freshly made, exclusive breads – such as a Stilton and walnut loaf – are delivered from Kent each morning.

Completing the area is a brand new, beautifully designed counter. Here shoppers can enjoy perusing endless displays of patisserie, special occasion cakes, baskets of gourmet breads and a host of freshly baked seasonal exclusives.

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Giovanni Rana is excited to announce the launch of the latest restaurant-inspired range of fresh filled pasta, Trattoria. Inspired by Giovanni Rana’s restaurant in Verona, Tre Corone, Trattoria is a range of large, filled ravioli, perfect for when you want to impress!

The Trattoria range, launched in Asda and Sainsbury’s, comprises four authentic Italian recipes:
• Tomato and Mozzarella – this Italian favourite is known for its great flavour
• Porcini Mushroom – chosen for the fine texture of the filling and the warm, earthy taste of the mushroom
• Blend of Aromatic Cheeses – a sumptuous but delicate blend of cheeses
• Goat’s Cheese and Caramelised Onion – two distinct ingredients perfectly complementing one another in a contrast of sweet and savoury

As always with Giovanni Rana, a typically Italian level of care and attention has gone into the preparation of this new range, with the larger size of the pasta shapes allowing for even more filling to be included in each piece. On cutting into one of the pasta parcels, it is possible to distinguish the ingredients that have gone into making the filling – individual pieces of mozzarella cheese are easily visible to the naked eye in the Tomato & Mozzarella variant, for example.

The larger size of the ravioli makes the Trattoria range perfect for a dinner party or meal where you want to impress. Served the Italian way, with some melted butter and parmesan cheese, or with a delicious sauce, the delicious taste of the fillings will be sure to wow. A packet contains around 12 ravioli pieces, plenty for a meal for 2, or as a starter for 4 people.

Signor Giovanni Rana began making fresh pasta in 1961 with the help of ten women in a small shop in San Giovanni Lupatoto, not far from Verona. Giovanni Rana rose to prominence as his ultra thin pasta and carefully selected ingredients made his produce the only pasta that people trusted as an alternative to their own, and his company grew to cater to busy customers who were unwilling to compromise on great taste, and his fresh pasta fast became the number one brand in Italy. Today, his enthusiasm for creating the perfect fresh pasta extends to the Trattoria range, allowing people to enjoy the quality and enjoyment of restaurant food in their own home.

The Trattoria range is now available at Asda, Sainsbury’s and selected delis, RRP. £2.10

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September signals the start of the mushroom season and visitors to selected Carluccio’s caffès will be able to browse a huge selection of fresh and dried, wild and cultivated mushrooms in the bustling open air market outside the following caffès* from 11am – 5.30pm:

* Stratford – 25th and 26th September 2010 – 13 Waterside, Stratford Upon Avon, CV37 6BA
* Windsor – 2nd and 3rd October 2010 – 28 Windsor Royal Station, Windsor, SL4 1PJ

MORE MUSHROOMS AT CARLUCCIO’S
Whilst shopping, why not tie in your visit with a delicious lunch at Carluccio’s and look out for the delicious weekly changing seasonal mushroom dishes. In addition, for fresh funghi on the go, choose from deli specials including caponata di funghi (spicy, sweet and sour aubergine and mushroom salad), delicious zuppa di funghi con pancetta (mushroom soup with pancetta) and arancini di riso ai funghi (deep fried rice balls with mixed mushroom).

For food lovers wanting to create an authentic Italian feast at home or looking for gifts for friends, Carluccio’s foodshop will be filled with a selection of delicious, seasonal mushroom and truffle grocery products throughout autumn. All products will also be available to buy online at www.carluccios.com.

* Risotto Con Tartufi e Porcini, 300g, £5.95 – NEW
Risotto with truffle and porcini mushrooms is a classic Italian dish. This new risotto mix is perfect for autumn. To create this delicious dish at home, heat five tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan, empty the contents of the bag into the pan and coat the rice in the oil for a couple of minutes. Cover the rice with approx one litre of hot water and cook on a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed. When the rice is cooked, stir in a generous knob of butter and sprinkle grated Parmesan to serve.
* Bricioloni Di Porcini, £6.95
Dried porcini are an indispensable item for any store cupboard. They can be used with fresh mushrooms to give an intense flavour and texture to risottos, sauces or stews. To use, soak in warm water for 20 minutes and then drain the mushrooms. Keep the water as it is full of flavour, but make sure you strain it to remove any impurities before using it in stocks and sauces
* Bavette ai Funghi Porcini, 500g, £3.95
This delicious durum wheat pasta from Puglia is made with porcini mushrooms. It is best served with a tomato or porcini sauce, or on its own with butter.
* Mushroom Knife, £17.75
The essential item for any mushroom hunter. The stainless steel blade allows you to cut the mushroom at the base of the stem, so as not to disturb the roots. The back of the blade is designed so it can be used to clean the stem of the mushroom. The brush is made from real bristle which is perfect for cleaning the mushroom.
* Fontanafredda Pradalupo, 50cl, £9.95
From a prime wine producing area in the heart of the Langhe region, Fontanafredda Pradalupo is a white wine with an intense straw like colour and a bouquet reminiscent of exotic fruits and honey. Great with food but also excellent as an aperitif, this wine has a sweet velvety texture with a long aftertaste. Plus, the bottle is made from 85% recycled glass.

For even more information on cooking and choosing mushrooms, buy Antonio Carluccio’s ‘Complete Mushroom Book
– The Quiet Hunt’, on sale at Carluccio’s for £14.99.

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Alara Wholefoods are undoubtedly one of the most environmentally friendly and forward thinking food companies in the UK, having become the first food company in the country to go ‘zero waste’. They were also the first cereal company in the world to be certified organic, the first to be licensed for gluten-free production and the first to make Fairtrade mueslis.

Over the last five years they have developed numerous organic garden projects at their factory site at Kings Cross; including an orchard, a vineyard and a demonstration Permaculture forest garden, as well recently as winning prestigious awards recently including Fast Growth Green Business of the Year, Small Food Manufacturer of the Year and Resource Management Company of the Year

They now hope that by re-branding their entire product range they can encourage customers to share their values and vision for a greener planet.

Alara’s motto is to ‘Welcome the Sun’, which is a shorthand way of signifying the profound move from an unsustainable society relying on fossil fuels to a sustainable one using solar energy – and this is the message they hope to spread through the new branding.

“Over the 35 years we’ve been around we’ve introduced numerous ranges to the Alara brand with the result that, at the moment for instance we have four different logos in the market. We feel that to move Alara forward we have to bring these ranges together under a common message. Given that enhancing the environment is our passion it makes sense to utilise this within the new branding; we also hope it will help our sales effort.

Research confirms that consumers do want that bit more from an organic and natural brand and like to see what we’re doing behind the scenes to enhance the environment – that we’re walking the walk as well as talking the talk. Our marketing last year focused on our green work, and whilst the organic sector saw a drop in sales our own brand saw an increase of 20% turnover; so along with our good prices this seems to be a worthwhile message. We believe the new brand will both reflect what we’ve been doing, act as a continuation of it, and through our ‘Welcoming the Sun’ message allow us to influence those in contact with the company to move, if only a step or two, in the same direction.”- Alex Smith MD and founder

The new branding, which utilises the image of a sun rise is also packaged in recyclable card and film and includes links to the Alara website which has hints and tips on how to become more sustainable as well as green competitions and an environmental blog.

The newly branded products include the ‘Everyday’, ‘Into the Garden’ and ‘OT’ ranges, bringing a total of 17 products to market, all with the same sustainable message – to ‘Welcome the Sun’

Alex Smith also says –

‘This rebrand is building on the experience and volumes we produce which enable us to offer a fantastic range of organic, Fairtrade and gluten free products at prices similar to ordinary run of the mill muesli. In short these are products that allow customers to maintain their values without making a financial sacrifice.’

The new branded products are now available and for more information or to stock visit www.alara.co.uk

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Available from the various Peyton and Bryne stores (and lucikly for those outside the capital, via their online store) are a new range of chocolate bars.

Self-confessed chocoholic, Oliver Peyton has put his passion for all things British into chocolate, creating a delicious range of Peyton and Byrne chocolate bars in a host of exciting flavours such as elderflower and English rose. Each deliciously rich, velvety bar has a high cocoa content, with even the milk chocolate boasts 40%, and is flavoured using quintessentially British ingredients.

While the Cornish Sea Salt and Milk Chocolate bar was deliciously morish it was the Elderflower and Dark Chocolate bar that blew me socks off! Initially subtle the Elderflower flavour really bloomed on the finish with the flavour lasting for an age. Needless to say the bar didn’t last long at all, even in this seasonal moment of chocolate excess! Expecting the Marmalade and the Toffee versions to be equally as divine.

When elderflower bloom it’s a very pretty but all too brief sign that summer’s arrived. At Peyton and Byrne we think their sweet citrussy fragrance is too good to miss, so we’ve added it to our favourite rich dark chocolate to create a truly British treat, all year round.

The chocolate bars are priced from £1.60 and are available at Peyton and Byrne Bakeries as well as www.peytonandbyrne.com.

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Back in September we reported on the Wedge card a London only inititive/loyalty scheme that aims to support local businesses via a discount card for consumers.

The company has recently expanded is reach by opening up discounts, for Wedge Card holders, in Pimlico and Victoria with 36 new establishments shops now accepting the card. Several of these are of interest to the food-lover:

For all the most delicious Italian delicacies, including freshly baked pizzas, Italian wine and coffee visit Gastronomia Italia. If you spend over £25 you will receive a complimentary box of Bolero (chocolate-covered pistachios).

John Norris’s Fish Stall in Upper Tachbrook Street, open every Thursday – Saturday now offers 10% off when you spend £10 or more.

Ivano Delicatessen and Take Away a delicattessen serving English and Continental food: tortillas, pastas, sandwiches, charcuterie, speciality produce, tapas. Sandwiches, salads and savoury items to take away. Spend £10 on food and receive a complimentary coffee.

The Contented Vine Restaurant, Wine Bar & Brasserie in Pimlico, London SW1 offers a complimentary glass of Prosecco for each diner on presentation of one Wedge Card per table or 10% discount on the food bill from 5-7pm.

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Since January this year the Crème de la Crème Delicatessen has been ‘open’ on-line allowing over 850 products to be delivered direct to your door with quality and freshness guaranteed.

Crème de la Crème opened for the first time in 1992 as a small family business in Tarleton, Lancashire. Since then, it has steadily grown by providing quality fresh products from local and specialist artisan producers across the continent. The products and suppliers are very carefully selected and they take great pride in guaranteeing quality and freshness with continued consistency.

“Crème de la Crème delicatessen is striving to reassure the consumer that it is possible to have the “Best of the Best” in fresh food. We are very passionate about our products and will not compromise on the quality of our food, which is why; if the product carries a Crème de la Crème label, they can have confidence that the quality is second to none!

In March 2008 Crème de la Crème Delicatessen was recognised as Independent Retailer of the Year at the Be Inspired Business Awards. This prestigious award encourages us to continue with our vision of creating Crème de la Crème Delicatessen as a recognised brand name in quality fresh foods.”

Creme de la Creme Delicatessen
20 Mark Square
Tarleton
Preston
Lancashire
PR4 6TU
Tel: 01772 816052

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Fowey Fish in the heart of my favourite Cornish village has launched a website for online ordering. Ninety per cent of the fish comes from local boats, including owner Karen’s brother’s boat, and from the fish market at Looe.

We are a traditional retail and wholesale fishmongers. Alongside the fresh fish we have a wide selection of fine wines. Local fresh fish and shellfish arrives into the shop every day, mainly from the day boats in Looe so it is really really fresh. If you are not local to Fowey we operate a nationwide mail order service for fresh fish, shellfish and fine wines. We dispatch mail-order deliveries four days a week, Monday to Thursdays, for next day delivery to where ever you live or work in the UK!

A quick look at the website shows wild Mackerel at £5.50 per kg, Dover Sole £15.95 and Red Mullet at £14.95. Plenty of deli produce are listed in addition to the fresh fish and seafood. If you are after samphire, you can order that too (£8.95 per kg).

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With all the hype surrounding the Whole Foods opening it is easy to forget that ‘other whole food stores are available’. Not sure how The Natural Kitchen will cope with the re-opening of the local Waitrose as a ethical store though…

“A pioneering slow food store, selling organic, wild and artisan foods… sustainability, seasonality, traceability, low food miles and animal welfare”

Products include everything from fresh fruit to takeaway foods from such suppliers as the River Cottage (wonder if they have their delicious liver paté), wines from organic specialists Vintage Roots and the Well Hung Meat Company. The store includes a café, a ‘wine cave’ and an ‘artisan tasting table’. Another must visit when I finally get round to a visit to London.

The Natural Kitchen
77/78 Marylebone High Street
London
W1U 5JX
020 7486 8065

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From its base in the old Barkers department store in Kensington High Street, Whole Foods Market opens it doors, and three floors, to the public on the 6th June.

This is going to be the American company’s biggest store with those three floors offering 80,000 square feet of selling space. The ground floor is the Provision Hall with 28 tills plus an espresso bar, bakery, cheese, olives, charcuturie, wine, flowers and a take-away.

The ‘Upstairs at the Market’ on the first floor will have seating for 350 with outlets selling juice and smoothies, crepes and waffles, ice cream, coffee, puddings and cakes, mezze, pizza, sushi and tapas. There is also a champagne and oyster bar. While on lower Market Hall, there will be groceries, fruit and veg, a butcher, fishmonger, dairy section, eco clothing and homeware.

“Our new Whole Foods Market store on Kensington High Street is truly remarkable. We chose one of London’s most iconic buildings and renovated it from the ground up. We believe that eating proper food is not simply a lifestyle choice – its what people need to do, and that its purchase should be a pleasure.”

“Why can’t a supermarket be as inviting as any other shop? We can’t think of one reason why not.”

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