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The Observer Food Monthly Awards Launch

by Andrew on April 18, 2010 in In the Press, On The Web with 8 Comments

The Observer Food Monthly (OFM) awards, in association with First Direct’s Little Black Book, have been launched in todays Observer Food Monthly. Over the last seven years the awards have been the essential date in the foodie calendar. The search has commenced to find this year’s culinary connoisseurs.

Allan Jenkins, Editor of OFM, will be chairing a panel of renowned judges, including award winning food writer, Nigel Slater; Masterchef winner, Thomasina Miers; broadcaster, Mariella Frostrup; The Observer’s ethical correspondent, Lucy Siegle and Observer critic, Jay Rayner, as they tease out the top producers, chefs and retailers that this isle has to offer. The categories that the judges cast an expert eye over are: best producer, best newcomer, outstanding achievement award, and young chef of the year.

We can join in the fun too by entering a favourite restaurants, the local pub that holds a place in your heart, the recipe your friends think is your pièce de résistance or an independent local retailer that goes further than other shops in their quest for food perfection. For the first time this year you can enter your own commentary in the best food blog category.

By nominating you have the chance to win a food lover’s trip to Flanders; an overnight stay at Langham Hotel London; a six-course dinner at Fifteen Cornwall; a Laithwaites food hamper; a Maison du Chocolat luxury box, a meal for 10 at Kitchen Italia; a hamper of Cornish Yarg from Lynher Dairies; a hamper of Luscombe’s soft drinks; an ice-cream party for 10 at Freggo; or a Weber Genesis E-310 gas barbecue. For the full list of prizes and to nominate visit: www.observer.co.uk/foodawards

The remaining categories that readers can nominate are: best restaurant, best cheap eats, best Sunday lunch, best ethical restaurant, best reader’s recipe, best bar, best reader’s cocktail recipe, best food blog, food personality, sponsored by Weber and best independent local retailer.

Bbc Good Food Magazine Launches Cooking Series For Junior Food Fans

by Andrew on March 30, 2010 in In the Press with 1 Comment

The April issue of BBC Good Food magazine sees the launch of the ‘We love to cook’ series; a cut-out-and-keep guide created to encourage youngsters to start cooking. The first instalment is an Easter themed egg-stravaganza, featuring three egg-tastic recipes; baked dippy eggs, easy cheese frittata and iced fairy cakes.

The specially designed series features fun, and easy to make recipes to get kids cooking. Every recipe was cooked by children shown in the guide, and tested in the BBC Good Food kitchen, with the aim of getting kids to make their very own ‘We love to cook’ recipe book.

Each guide will feature a different main ingredient and contain simple step by step instructions; complete with photos and bolded sections flagging up when grown-up help is needed with all the recipes carrying an age rating, allowing both youngsters and adults to select a suitable recipe with ease, with recipes aimed at 3-6 year olds, 5-9 year olds and 8-14 year olds.

According to Lulu Grimes, food director at BBC Good Food magazine: “The Easter holidays can be a long holiday to fill for restless children, and what better or more constructive activity than to get kids into the kitchen and learning what could turn into a fantastic skill for life? We promise our triple-tested recipes are fun, easy to make and really work.”

The April issue of BBC Good Food magazine is on sale now, priced at £3.40. Next month our junior cooks will be cooking with chicken.

A Berry Good Beer from the Eden Project and Sharp’s

by Andrew on January 29, 2010 in In the Press with No comments

A new seasonal beer created by Sharp’s Brewery and the Eden Project has been flavoured with some very special ingredients – berries picked from bushes at the project’s site in Bodelva. Sloes, rosehips and hawthorn berries were picked by Eden staff in October and then used by Sharp’s head brewer Stuart Howe to create Winter Berry Ale, the latest in the brewery’s Seasonals range.

Winter Berry is a cask conditioned beer with a dark ruby colour, full of vibrant berry flavours, with the sharp fruitiness of the berries balanced and enhanced by the use of top quality malts and hops. This winter beer is now available in pubs across the country and in the Eden Project’s own restaurants and bars.

For the Seasonals range, the Eden team has unearthed the unusual, sometimes forgotten plant products used to flavour beer. The other beers in the range are 6 Hop IPA (spring), Honey Spice (summer) and Red Ale (autumn).

Complementing the new brew is a special pint glass which has a unique ingredients panel on the back.

Tracey Smith, Eden’s Commercial Relationship Manager, said: “It’s great to have worked with Sharp’s on this range, combining our plant expertise with their brewing know-how. Together, we have produced a selection of beers showcasing the best local ingredients that are proving to be a hit with drinkers.

“The glass adds that extra Eden touch too. We’re all about illustrating the relationship between plants and people and if people sipping on their pints get to the bottom of the glass knowing a little more about what goes into their beer, then all the better.”

The relationship between Eden and Sharp’s is long established and has previously produced Eden Pure Ale, which continues to be a popular part of the brewery’s bottle range.

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The Low FODMAP Diet For IBS Sufferers

by Andrew on December 1, 2009 in In the Press with 19 Comments
Brussels Sprouts
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A new diet recently introduced to the UK from Australia looks set to finally offer long-term treatment for the one in five Brits who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

IBS is a common functional disorder of the gut that can cause pain, bloating, wind, constipation and diarrhoea. Up to one in five people develop IBS at some stage in their life and it is twice as common in females as in men. It can affect anyone at any age, but it commonly first develops in young adults and teenagers.

This new form of dietary intervention called the ‘Low FODMAP’ diet has been described as a significant advancement by leading gastroenterologists. With a success rate of 70% among those who are already following it, the diet’s success is attributed to the restriction of foods containing poorly absorbed sugars or ‘FODMAPs’ from the diet.

Common foods containing FODMAPs include:
• Honey
• Apples and pears and stone fruits, such as peaches, plums and nectarines
• Onion, leek, garlic and artichoke
• Cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts – traditionally regarded as ‘windy’ vegetables
• Polyol sweeteners (e.g. sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol) often added to sugar-free varieties of gums, mints and chocolate
• Beans and pulses, such as baked beans, lentils and chickpeas

The diet works on the principle that not all sugars can be successfully ‘broken-down’ and absorbed within the small intestine. As a result, these sugars are rapidly fermented by bacteria in the bowel which draws in fluid and produces gas. This can cause a number of symptoms for those with a functional gut disorder, such as IBS, including bloating, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

Dr Peter Irving, Consultant Gastroenterologist at The London Clinic and London Digestive Health, has ‘transported’ the ‘Low FODMAP’ diet from Australia. Dr Irving comments: “Most treatments for IBS fail to improve symptoms in a significant proportion of people. Although many people with IBS are keen to try dietary therapy, in the past, studies of dietary treatments have either been of variable quality or have produced conflicting results. In contrast to this, the ‘Low FODMAP’ diet has been shown to be effective in a high quality, placebo controlled trial and is also supported by data from other studies investigating how it works.”

The ‘Low FODMAP’ diet is not as restrictive as some diets and most people find it easy to adhere to, therefore also significantly increasing its chance of long-term success among followers. Close consultation with a trained dietitian is of key importance as they can provide patients with an individualised diet plan. This plan will incorporate appropriate alternatives for ‘High FODMAP’ foods, while also ensuring their diet remains nutritionally adequate.

Dr Irving adds: “In the past, dietary intervention has mainly been non-specific and often just revolved around the removal of wheat and dairy products. However, everyone is different and what works well for one person with a functional gut disorder, may not work well for another. This new diet offers a really positive outlook for sufferers of IBS and other functional gut disorders.”

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London Pizzeria Imports Real Italian Mamma

by Andrew on November 21, 2009 in Eating Out, In the Press with No comments

rossopomodoroA London restaurant owner has drafted in his mother all the way from Naples to make sure his chefs can cook her secret recipe for Italian ragù sauce properly.

Simone Falco, Managing Director of Neapolitan restaurant chain Rossopomodoro, today launched a new menu featuring the traditional Italian dish, made from his mother’s secret recipe.

Since arriving in London from Naples last month, Bianca La Montagna, aged 66, has spent a week with each of the head chefs at Rossopomodoro’s three restaurants, to make sure they know exactly how to recreate her coveted recipe.

The special dish, which is named ‘A Tagliatella’ on the menu, is not served with the traditional spaghetti but instead with tagliatelle made in Gragnano, a small town just outside of Naples. The meat ragù sauce is one of a kind because it is made using carefully sourced secret ingredients, all of which come from the Neapolitan region of Campania. As well as the expected tomatoes, which are from San Marzano, and olive oil from the Sorrento peninsula, Signora Falco uses some surprising additions from the Napoli area to achieve the delicious flavour of the sauce, but refuses to reveal her methods.

Simone Falco said: “I was absolutely delighted when my mother finally allowed us to use the recipe in the restaurants. I’ve been enjoying this dish all my life and up until now, the family has kept the recipe a closely guarded secret.”

“This is not your average Italian sauce; the flavours are particular to the Neapolitan region of Italy and the recipe is unique. It is essential that the chefs know how to make it properly and my mother is the only woman for the job.”

“Spaghetti Bolognese is regularly billed as one of Britain’s favourite dishes. We want Londoners to experience the real, authentic Italian ragù and not think of it as something that comes out of a jar.”

Signora Falco said: “The recipe has been passed down through the women in my family for generations, I am very proud of the flavour and it has always been kept a secret, but Simone kept pestering me and finally convinced me to share it with the people of London. I agreed, on the condition that I was able to personally teach each of the chefs how to make it.”

Rossopomodoro, which was originally founded in Naples and is now one of Italy’s largest restaurant groups, uses only the finest ingredients from the Napoli region. The team is fanatical about staying true to its culinary roots – even the water to make its pizza dough and coffee comes from Naples.

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