The Scottish Baker Of The Year 2013

by Andrew on May 9, 2013 in On The Web with No comments

scottish_baker_2013Scottish Bakers has announced the names of the final 6 bakers shortlisted for the ultimate accoldade, the title of SCOTTISH BAKER OF THE YEAR 2013:

Harry Gow – Inverness
Stevens the Bakers – Dunfermline
Brownings the Bakers – Kilmarnock
Border Biscuits – Motherwell
Macleans Highland Bakery – Forres
Cuckoos Bakery Edinburgh

Each of the 6 finalsts have already been recognised by their customers and a panel of expert judges as producing some of the BEST products in Scotland following an intense judging day in Dunfermline last month.

Following the judges taste tests, all of the regional winners were judged on a national level and a total of 24 bakers were put forward for the main prize.

Each of these bakers were then asked to submit a business case for why their bakery is the best in the land and each baker has also been subjected to a panel interview by independent business judges including James Withers, CEO of Scotland Food and Drink, David Lonsdale, Assistant Director, CBI Scotland and Mike Tully, CEO Bako Northern and Scotland.

The bakers will now complete video interviews for the judges to make their decision on who will be crowned Scottish Baker of the Year 2013

Paul Hollywood, Artisan baker and TV presenter, will announce the winner and present them with their prize, a specially commissioned silver rolling pin at this year’s Scottish Baker of the Year Awards, at a prestigious ceremony in Glasgow on 18th May.

15,000 customers from Stranraer to Shetland voted for their best bakery products during March and the top products in each of the 6 categories were baked and delivered to Dunfermline on 10th April. All products were then judged a panel of independent experts led by artisan baker Robert Ross and including retired master bakers with extensive experience of the bakery sector in Scotland.

The panel professionally judged some 300 items shortlisted in the 6 categories: breads, scones, individual cakes, savouries, morning rolls and new category biscuits, to decide who bakes the best products in Scotland.

Each category has been divided into 3 regions, covering Northern, Central and Southern Scotland. Within each category, the judges will award regional Gold, Silver and Bronze awards and all our shortlisted bakers will be invited to the Awards ceremony in May where they will find out what colour their regional award will be.

The final results will remain a closely guarded secret until 18th May when Paul will announce the results and also name the Scottish Baker of the Year 2013, a crown currently held by Harry Gow.

But for now, each of our 6 bakers can take pride in their place as one of the best bakers in the land.


St Martin’s Courtyard Food and Flowers Festival

by Andrew on May 7, 2013 in Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

st martins courtyard
St Martin’s Courtyard will pay tribute to the heritage and future of Covent Garden this summer with a festival celebrating food and flowers.

On Saturday 13 July between 12 noon and 5pm, all six international restaurants will serve unique dishes and drinks with a floral theme. Flowers look beautiful but can also taste great, from the peppery taste of a nasturtium, to a sweetness of a hibiscus and the more familiar flavour of rose.

Cantina Laredo, the modern Mexican in Covent Garden, will be in full bloom, bringing the fiesta to the St Martin’s Courtyard Food and Flowers Festival. Visit Cantina Laredo’s pop-up bar in the courtyard where they will be giving away 2,000 limited edition Casa Ambar Hibiscus Margaritas. Guaranteed to make your taste buds blossom, this fragrant floral concoction is made using home-made syrup infused with tropical hibiscus flower, boutique Casa Ambar Blanco 100% Blue Agave tequila, Cointreau and freshly squeezed lime. Enjoy free samples of Cantina Laredo’s signature dishes their Top Shelf Guacamole, prepared before your eyes, as well as delicious signature dishes. The special Casa Ambar Hibiscus Margarita will be available for half price when you dine in the restaurant on 13 July.

Inside the restaurant, Cantina Laredo will be serving a specially created Squash Blossom dish (also known as zucchini flower) stuffed with feta cheese and fresh herbs, coated and fried in a light batter with a drizzle of sweet and spicy chilli honey.

Suda Thai will be serving ‘Chor-muang’, steamed Thai dumplings handcrafted into a flower shape, from a Bangkok style street food cart in the courtyard. Don’t miss the ‘Butterfly Kiss’ cocktails garnished with a viola.

Visit Italian enoteca Dalla Terra for a floral notes wine tasting in the courtyard, Bill’s for flower cupcakes or Dishoom for a rose and cardamom lassi. Jamie’s Italian will also create a special floral dish exclusively for the festival.

The courtyard will be dressed with a fabulous floral installation and The Covent Garden Academy of Flowers will create a spectacular banquet table with a full spread made entirely from flowers which will be displayed in the courtyard. Displays of floral prints will adorn the windows of the international flagships and boutiques.

Covent Garden was traditionally the home of the Flower Market (made famous by Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady) and is now a renowned foodie destination. St Martin’s Courtyard is shopping and dining destination in the heart of Covent Garden, a must-visit for shopping, style and restaurants.

www.stmartinscourtyard.co.uk
For live updates follow @smccoventgarden on twitter.

Bogota Coffee Company

by Andrew on May 6, 2013 in Online Retailers with No comments

bogota_coffee_companyTwo college friends – Paul Ashby and Carl Meek – reunited in 2012 and over a cup of the good stuff realized that they shared a mutual love of ‘Colombia’s finest export’. The pair decided to work together and create a business offering high quality Colombian coffee at affordable prices. The ethically sourced beans are all hand-roasted at Café de la Fonda in Bogota.

“Our aim is to acquaint people with great Colombian coffee and bring a piece of Latin American distinction to the familiar setting of home”.

The finest 100% Arabica beans are sourced from sustainable farms where the altitude, volcanic soil and optimum rainfall create the perfect growing conditions for ‘The best coffee in the world’.

The beans are carefully harvested by hand and then sun-dried before being washed and transported to the Bogotå plant where they are hand-roasted by experts. The beans are shipped the same day to ensure absolute freshness.

All of our products are certified by the Colombian coffee growers federation to ensure that all ethical standards are met.

Two products are currently offered online: Espresso Roast ‘smooth, medium acidity with a strong, full-flavoured aroma’ for use in espresso machines or home grinder (£11 per 500g bag) and the Classic Dark Roast (£9 per 340g bag) for cafetiere, Moka pot or filter.

Bilton Basics

by Andrew on April 19, 2013 in Books For Cooks with No comments

Bilton Basics: Recipes and Essential Cooking Skills with a Touch of Plain Speaking“GET BACK TO BASICS”, SAYS TOP YORKSHIRE CHEF IN HIS NEW COOKERY BASICS BIBLE

Want to tell your hogget from your mutton, your chasseur from your chimichurri, your flat iron from your featherblade?

If you’re befuddled by blanching, confused by coddling and perplexed by parboiling then Tim Bilton’s new book – Bilton Basics – giving you the know-how to knock up restaurant standard dishes in the comfort of your own kitchen.

The plain-speaking Yorkshire chef/proprietor of The Butchers Arms in Hepworth takes budding cooks back to basics in his new book, sharing more than 50 of his favourite recipes in a simple, easy-to-read format, alongside store cupboard secrets and in-depth guides that include how to select meat and fish cuts, how to prepare and roast a turkey, and how to make basic sauces and stocks.

“The title is a pun on ‘Built on Basics’ and that’s exactly what it’s all about – recipes and essential cooking skills with a touch of plain speaking,” says Tim, who trained in the kitchens of Raymond Blanc. “It’s all about getting the textbook stuff right before moving on to more complex techniques.

“In this industry, young chefs can’t be great chefs without a foundation in the basics no matter what style of cooking they want to do. I see so many new kids making spheres out of seaweed veloute before they can make a stock!”

Bilton Basics also exemplifies Tim’s enthusiasm for Yorkshire produce – The Butchers Arms has won a clutch of national awards for its seasonal, locally-sourced food, including a prestigious 2013 ‘Top 50 Gastropubs’ listing – with recipes including Yorkshire rhubarb and game. Needless to say, there is also a recipe for the perfect Yorkshire pudding!

Bilton Basics: Recipes and Essential Cooking Skills with a Touch of Plain Speaking. currently listed by Amazon for £17.08.

Courvoisier Great Gatsby Pop-Up

by Andrew on April 17, 2013 in Tasting Events/Shows with No comments

Courvoisier Great Gatsby Pop-UpAs the hotly anticipated film-adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece makes its way to the silver screen, Courvoisier – in true revolutionary style – is set to celebrate the resurgence of the Roaring Twenties with the Courvoisier Great Gatsby Pop-Up in Harrods, London.

Between 9 and 20 May 2013, Harrods visitors can experience the pop-up daily in the exclusive Tasting Room in the Wine Shop on the lower ground floor. The pop-up bar will be available to visit throughout the day, and, on selected days, 1920s revellers can relish in the excitement and glamour of the epoch by savouring the fine flavours of the Courvoisier liquid in a Brandy Crusta cocktail sample inspired by the Great Gatsby era.

Complimentary Brandy Crusta samples will be served to visitors on selected days between 2:00pm and 8:00pm (1:00pm – 6:00pm on Sundays) on 9 – 20 May. They will be created as part of a series of theatrical cocktail-making sessions held by the legendary Mixxit team of bartenders within the pop-up during these times. Whilst sipping away, visitors will be transported to the bygone age of flappers, jazz music and Art Deco, as they take in their surroundings of a moody 1920s underground bar and lounge area.

A bespoke Courvoisier cocktail devised by the brains behind the 200 year-old brand, the Brandy Crusta replicates the creation of the “improved” or “fancy” cocktail, which saw the addition of a liqueur to the original classic cocktail ingredients of spirit, bitters, sugar and water. The result is a cocktail which is a clear stepping stone on the path which leads to the “sour” cocktail family – in particular the Sidecar which was first created in 1922 – giving the concoction real historical integrity. The Brandy Crusta balances the warm spiciness of ginger cookies, dried plums and roasted coffee in the Courvoisier Exclusif with sharp lemon, orange curaçao and bitters, resulting in a refreshing yet intriguing drink, with a depth of flavour perfectly befitting the infamous Prohibition era.

There will also be limited availability to enjoy the Courvoisier Brandy Crusta at the main bar of the Harrods Wine Shop during this time, and the Food Halls will be dressed to capture the essence of the Great Gatsby era.

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