The Guardian
By Patrick Barkham
*International cuisine spreading in smaller cities
*Quarter of Glasgow's restaurants are Italian
Culinary snobs take note: it is not London but Glasgow that is the true home of Italian dining, while the English capital comes top of the kebab league, according to a new survey.
The Frequency of Overseas Dishes (Food) study, conducted by MSN Local Search, found that Glasgow has more Italian restaurants per square mile than anywhere else in the country. More than a quarter (26%) of the city's restaurants have an Italian theme.
Read more…
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
The world's most dangerous drinks
The Guardian
By Patrick Barkham
As Degas didn't say, absinthe is for wimps. So too is Jägermeister, ouzo, and other nasty spirits with top notes of a hen night in Lesvos and base notes of vomit. Whisky made from a 17th-century recipe and distilled four times to reach up to 92% alcohol is proper, grown-up firewater. Jim McEwan, master distiller at the Bruichladdich distillery in western Scotland, was hard at it yesterday producing the first batch of what will be the world's strongest whisky when it is released in a decade or so.
It was known as "the precarious whisky" 300 years ago because one tablespoonful would make you live for ever and two could make you go blind. "If any man should exceed this, it would presently stop his breath, and endanger his life," as writer Martin Martin explained in 1695.
Read more…
By Patrick Barkham
As Degas didn't say, absinthe is for wimps. So too is Jägermeister, ouzo, and other nasty spirits with top notes of a hen night in Lesvos and base notes of vomit. Whisky made from a 17th-century recipe and distilled four times to reach up to 92% alcohol is proper, grown-up firewater. Jim McEwan, master distiller at the Bruichladdich distillery in western Scotland, was hard at it yesterday producing the first batch of what will be the world's strongest whisky when it is released in a decade or so.
It was known as "the precarious whisky" 300 years ago because one tablespoonful would make you live for ever and two could make you go blind. "If any man should exceed this, it would presently stop his breath, and endanger his life," as writer Martin Martin explained in 1695.
Read more…
Monday, February 27, 2006
Vietnam: the new fast food nation
The Independent, World, p. 24
By Jeremy Laurance
As Vietnam enjoys unprecedented economic growth, its people have discovered a taste for high-calorie, high-fat, Westernised food - and are beginning to suffer the consequences.
Read more…
By Jeremy Laurance
As Vietnam enjoys unprecedented economic growth, its people have discovered a taste for high-calorie, high-fat, Westernised food - and are beginning to suffer the consequences.
Read more…
The unknown food critic
The Guardian
By Helen Pidd
Depending on who you ask, the Metro's London restaurant critic Marina O'Loughlin is on the tall side, extremely short, with bleached blonde, rather dark, cropped, long hair.
She is single and childless, with two daughters and a husband, who may or may not be Palestinian. She is in her mid-40s, young, Scottish and Italian.
Only one thing is certain: with a readership of well over a million, O'Loughlin is an influential food writer and the fact that she can walk incognito through the door of any establishment is driving the capital's restaurateurs crazy.
Read more…
By Helen Pidd
Depending on who you ask, the Metro's London restaurant critic Marina O'Loughlin is on the tall side, extremely short, with bleached blonde, rather dark, cropped, long hair.
She is single and childless, with two daughters and a husband, who may or may not be Palestinian. She is in her mid-40s, young, Scottish and Italian.
Only one thing is certain: with a readership of well over a million, O'Loughlin is an influential food writer and the fact that she can walk incognito through the door of any establishment is driving the capital's restaurateurs crazy.
Read more…
Distillery to recreate 92% malt whisky
The Guardian
By Sam Jones
Even the most seasoned whisky drinker may want to make sure their stomach is well-lined and add a drop more water than usual to the tumbler.
A distillery on Islay in the Western Isles is to produce a single malt with an alcoholic content of at least 92%, making it more than twice as strong as most whiskies and stronger than absinthe. The company, Bruichladdich, will use an ancient recipe to create the whisky, which they believe will be akin to a drink described 300 years ago by the 17th-century travel writer Martin Martin.
Read more…
By Sam Jones
Even the most seasoned whisky drinker may want to make sure their stomach is well-lined and add a drop more water than usual to the tumbler.
A distillery on Islay in the Western Isles is to produce a single malt with an alcoholic content of at least 92%, making it more than twice as strong as most whiskies and stronger than absinthe. The company, Bruichladdich, will use an ancient recipe to create the whisky, which they believe will be akin to a drink described 300 years ago by the 17th-century travel writer Martin Martin.
Read more…
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Food: We need it. We love it. So why do 11 million of us have trouble with it?
The Independent
By Jonathan Owen and Andrew Johnson
Eating to feel better is now being recognised as a severe clinical problem in Britain. Which is why the Priory is treating chocoholics.
Original article
By Jonathan Owen and Andrew Johnson
Eating to feel better is now being recognised as a severe clinical problem in Britain. Which is why the Priory is treating chocoholics.
Original article
A recipe for success: 'Two fridges and a lot of passion'
The Independent
Italian food retailer, Umberto's, was launched in Thame by Umberto Della Valle in 1997.
Being passionate about what you do in business invariably leads to success; Umberto Della Valle, 40, is a good example. Coming to England from his native Italy, Umberto found employment with award-winning baker, Dan Schickentanz in 1995. It wasn't long before Umberto became the manager of the shop, a post that he held for the next 18 months. But when his employer expanded, Umberto made the brave decision to take over the shop lease and start his own business.
The original article
Italian food retailer, Umberto's, was launched in Thame by Umberto Della Valle in 1997.
Being passionate about what you do in business invariably leads to success; Umberto Della Valle, 40, is a good example. Coming to England from his native Italy, Umberto found employment with award-winning baker, Dan Schickentanz in 1995. It wasn't long before Umberto became the manager of the shop, a post that he held for the next 18 months. But when his employer expanded, Umberto made the brave decision to take over the shop lease and start his own business.
The original article
Proof positive for the world's strongest malt
The Guardian
By Lorna Martin
It is often described as the water of life, but this particular dram could leave you gasping for breath. Tomorrow, the Islay-based Bruichladdich distillery, on the west coast of Scotland, will revive the ancient tradition of quadruple distilled single malt. The process will produce the world's strongest whisky at 92 per cent.
Centuries ago, people drank it as a cure for colic, smallpox and other common diseases. But according to the world's oldest whisky tasting note, written more than 300 years ago by the traveller Martin Martin, anything more than two spoonfuls could prove fatal. In 1696, he wrote: '... two spoonfuls of this last liquor is a sufficient dose; if any man should exceed this, it would presently stop his breath, and endanger his life.'
The whisky is expected to become a collector's classic with only 12 barrels being produced.
Original article
By Lorna Martin
It is often described as the water of life, but this particular dram could leave you gasping for breath. Tomorrow, the Islay-based Bruichladdich distillery, on the west coast of Scotland, will revive the ancient tradition of quadruple distilled single malt. The process will produce the world's strongest whisky at 92 per cent.
Centuries ago, people drank it as a cure for colic, smallpox and other common diseases. But according to the world's oldest whisky tasting note, written more than 300 years ago by the traveller Martin Martin, anything more than two spoonfuls could prove fatal. In 1696, he wrote: '... two spoonfuls of this last liquor is a sufficient dose; if any man should exceed this, it would presently stop his breath, and endanger his life.'
The whisky is expected to become a collector's classic with only 12 barrels being produced.
Original article
Take two cooks, blend carefully and enjoy
The Observer, Review
By Paul Levy
Julie & Julia, Julie Powell's account of her bid to make all the dishes in America's favourite cookbook, is rich fare, says Paul Levy, though its author might not have approved of her over-salty language
Read more…
By Paul Levy
Julie & Julia, Julie Powell's account of her bid to make all the dishes in America's favourite cookbook, is rich fare, says Paul Levy, though its author might not have approved of her over-salty languageRead more…
Food: We need it. We love it. So why do 11 million of us have trouble with it?
The Independent
By Jonathan Owen and Andrew Johnson
Eating to feel better is now being recognised as a severe clinical problem in Britain. Which is why the Priory is treating chocoholics.
Britain is heading towards a comfort-eating health crisis because millions of people are becoming addicted to sugary and fat-rich foods, new research has revealed.
At least 11 million of us have an unhealthy relationship with food, according to medical experts who claim that in some cases eating to feel better is now a severe clinical problem distinct from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.
Read more…
By Jonathan Owen and Andrew Johnson
Eating to feel better is now being recognised as a severe clinical problem in Britain. Which is why the Priory is treating chocoholics.
Britain is heading towards a comfort-eating health crisis because millions of people are becoming addicted to sugary and fat-rich foods, new research has revealed.
At least 11 million of us have an unhealthy relationship with food, according to medical experts who claim that in some cases eating to feel better is now a severe clinical problem distinct from eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.
Read more…
So is this the very best of British food?
The Observer
Using produce and recipes from all over the country, top chefs will take on the challenge of preparing a perfect four-course menu to be served at a lunch celebrating the Queen's 80th birthday. Amelia Hill reports
Read more…
Comment by restraurant critic Jay Rayner:
Whoever wins, there will still be a flavour of France
Using produce and recipes from all over the country, top chefs will take on the challenge of preparing a perfect four-course menu to be served at a lunch celebrating the Queen's 80th birthday. Amelia Hill reports
Read more…
Comment by restraurant critic Jay Rayner:
Whoever wins, there will still be a flavour of France
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Eat it now: Purple sprouting broccoli ...
The Guardian
By Nikki Duffy
Purple sprouting broccoli is an utterly delicious, seasonal British crop. Harvested in areas where frost can be warded off (such as the Isle of Grain, in Kent), its traditional season is February and March, though growers have stretched this, so these days it begins before Christmas. Any greengrocer, farm shop or supermarket worth its salt will have it in stock now.
Read more...
By Nikki Duffy
Purple sprouting broccoli is an utterly delicious, seasonal British crop. Harvested in areas where frost can be warded off (such as the Isle of Grain, in Kent), its traditional season is February and March, though growers have stretched this, so these days it begins before Christmas. Any greengrocer, farm shop or supermarket worth its salt will have it in stock now.
Read more...
Friday, February 24, 2006
French chefs feel the heat as Welsh and Germans beat them in international contest
The Guardian
By Steven Morris
The result will not go down well in the restaurants of Paris, and the brasseries of Biarritz will be rocked by the news. After three decades of declining to compete in international culinary competitions a French team stepped back into the arena yesterday - and finished a dispiriting last behind Germany and Wales, countries not always associated with haute cuisine.
Read more…
By Steven Morris
The result will not go down well in the restaurants of Paris, and the brasseries of Biarritz will be rocked by the news. After three decades of declining to compete in international culinary competitions a French team stepped back into the arena yesterday - and finished a dispiriting last behind Germany and Wales, countries not always associated with haute cuisine.
Read more…
It's the goner kebab
The Mirror
By Emily Nash
DONER kebabs are the most dangerous fast food - packed with six times more fat than a Big Mac and fries, a study claimed yesterday.
They contain 5.8g of killer trans fats - that's an adult's entire daily allowance (4 to 6g) in one meal.
Read more…
By Emily Nash
DONER kebabs are the most dangerous fast food - packed with six times more fat than a Big Mac and fries, a study claimed yesterday.
They contain 5.8g of killer trans fats - that's an adult's entire daily allowance (4 to 6g) in one meal.
Read more…
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Food fight erupts after top Paris restaurant loses a Michelin star
The Independent
By John Lichfield in Paris
An unseemly food fight has broken out after France's most prestigious restaurant guide demoted one of the country's oldest, best-known and most exclusive eating places.
The Michelin Guide Rouge for 2006, the annual bible of French gourmets, reduced the 424-year-old Tour d'Argent restaurant in Paris from two stars to one.
Read more…
By John Lichfield in Paris
An unseemly food fight has broken out after France's most prestigious restaurant guide demoted one of the country's oldest, best-known and most exclusive eating places.
The Michelin Guide Rouge for 2006, the annual bible of French gourmets, reduced the 424-year-old Tour d'Argent restaurant in Paris from two stars to one.
Read more…
Why can't I be proud about British food?
The Independent
By Iqbal Wahhab
I was born in Bangladesh and sell a British food experience. So what? Get over it.
Last year I opened a restaurant called Roast. It serves classic British dishes like potted shrimps, steak and kidney pudding and rhubarb crumble with custard, and our cooks prepare them using the best of British seasonal produce sourced from Borough Market, where we are based. As New Yorkers say, what's not to like? Yet in that very British way, we were mercilessly torn apart by the critics. Not in the fair comment, "Not so good, must do better" kind of way, but in a vicious and violent way.
OK, so I was born in Bangladesh and now I am selling a British food and drink experience. So what? Get over it. It's not relevant - or so I thought. Perhaps it takes someone initially from another culture to step back and say that British food can be great.
Read more…
By Iqbal Wahhab
I was born in Bangladesh and sell a British food experience. So what? Get over it.
Last year I opened a restaurant called Roast. It serves classic British dishes like potted shrimps, steak and kidney pudding and rhubarb crumble with custard, and our cooks prepare them using the best of British seasonal produce sourced from Borough Market, where we are based. As New Yorkers say, what's not to like? Yet in that very British way, we were mercilessly torn apart by the critics. Not in the fair comment, "Not so good, must do better" kind of way, but in a vicious and violent way.
OK, so I was born in Bangladesh and now I am selling a British food and drink experience. So what? Get over it. It's not relevant - or so I thought. Perhaps it takes someone initially from another culture to step back and say that British food can be great.
Read more…
Venue sparkles for chef who shunned stars
The Guardian
By Angela Charlton in Paris
The bible of fine dining is awarding two of its treasured stars to Alain Senderens, a chef who grew so tired of the rigours of the Michelin rating system that he closed his top Paris restaurant to be free of them. He opened a simpler, cheaper eatery only to find it listed in the 2006 edition.
"I left this shallot race. I wanted to make another style of restaurant," Senderens said after learning of the honour. "I didn't want the stars anymore, but I can't do anything. Michelin says they give stars to whomever they want."
Read more…
By Angela Charlton in Paris
The bible of fine dining is awarding two of its treasured stars to Alain Senderens, a chef who grew so tired of the rigours of the Michelin rating system that he closed his top Paris restaurant to be free of them. He opened a simpler, cheaper eatery only to find it listed in the 2006 edition.
"I left this shallot race. I wanted to make another style of restaurant," Senderens said after learning of the honour. "I didn't want the stars anymore, but I can't do anything. Michelin says they give stars to whomever they want."
Read more…
Food running out as ferry strike maroons Greek islanders
The Guardian, International
By Helena Smith in Athens
Thousands of tourists and local residents stranded on Greek islands by striking ferrymen were last night facing dwindling food, fuel and medical supplies, as marooned islanders warned their situation was growing increasingly desperate.
With supply routes to the mainland severed by a seven-day stoppage, isolated residents on the popular resort islands of Crete, Cephalonia and Chios, as well as further flung outposts, reported shortages of bread and other vital products.
Read more…
By Helena Smith in Athens
Thousands of tourists and local residents stranded on Greek islands by striking ferrymen were last night facing dwindling food, fuel and medical supplies, as marooned islanders warned their situation was growing increasingly desperate.
With supply routes to the mainland severed by a seven-day stoppage, isolated residents on the popular resort islands of Crete, Cephalonia and Chios, as well as further flung outposts, reported shortages of bread and other vital products.
Read more…
Monday, February 20, 2006
Olympic team's caviar 'broke export ban'
The Guardian, International
By Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow
The Russian delegation at the Turin Winter Olympics has been accused of breaking international environmental conventions by shipping a large amount of rare black caviar into Italy for a lavish feast at the games.
Read more…
By Nick Paton Walsh in Moscow
The Russian delegation at the Turin Winter Olympics has been accused of breaking international environmental conventions by shipping a large amount of rare black caviar into Italy for a lavish feast at the games.
Read more…
Cod sold in hundreds of chippies linked to Russian black market
The Guardian, Special report: Marine threat
By David Leigh and Rob Evans
* Birds Eye supplier accused of trading depleted stocks
* Up to 30% of fish could be illegally caught
The Birds Eye brand and hundreds of fish and chip shops in Britain are selling cod from Russian suppliers accused of operating a black market in one of the last large ocean reserves of this potentially endangered species.
Read more…
By David Leigh and Rob Evans
* Birds Eye supplier accused of trading depleted stocks
* Up to 30% of fish could be illegally caught
The Birds Eye brand and hundreds of fish and chip shops in Britain are selling cod from Russian suppliers accused of operating a black market in one of the last large ocean reserves of this potentially endangered species.
Read more…
No such thing as a free lunch?
The Independent, the green pages
By Liz Scarff
They're not homeless or unemployed, yet they scavenge in bins for discarded food. Freegans, shocked at the extent of consumer waste, are changing the way they eat.
Read more…
By Liz Scarff
They're not homeless or unemployed, yet they scavenge in bins for discarded food. Freegans, shocked at the extent of consumer waste, are changing the way they eat.
Read more…
Glenfiddich award: Restaurant critic competition
The Independent
Fancy yourself as the next Terry Durack? Then why not enter our competition to find a hot new restaurant critic.
Read more…
Fancy yourself as the next Terry Durack? Then why not enter our competition to find a hot new restaurant critic.
Read more…
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Naked lunch? Make it dinner
The Sunday Times, Ecosse
By Eva Langlands
Eating in the altogether with perfect strangers is not everybody’s idea of a relaxing evening, but one Edinburgh couple has turned eating naked into an art form.
Read more…
By Eva Langlands
Eating in the altogether with perfect strangers is not everybody’s idea of a relaxing evening, but one Edinburgh couple has turned eating naked into an art form.
Read more…
The diet that died
The Sunday Times Magazine
A report by Ed Moloney
When Dr Atkins died in 2003, his multi-million-dollar business evaporated. Then a leaked report suggested he was killed by his own creation.
Finally, it was a patch of ice, lurking unseen but deadly on a Manhattan sidewalk, that started the slump - that, and a mayor who couldn't keep his mouth shut, a careless New York City bureaucrat and a Florida-based millionaire with a blocked heart artery. From there, it was downhill all the way.
Read more…
A report by Ed Moloney
When Dr Atkins died in 2003, his multi-million-dollar business evaporated. Then a leaked report suggested he was killed by his own creation.
Finally, it was a patch of ice, lurking unseen but deadly on a Manhattan sidewalk, that started the slump - that, and a mayor who couldn't keep his mouth shut, a careless New York City bureaucrat and a Florida-based millionaire with a blocked heart artery. From there, it was downhill all the way.
Read more…
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Eat it now: Indian black salt
The Guardian
By Nikki Duffy
I'm excited that spice company Seasoned Pioneers has started selling Indian black salt - it's one of those fantastically exotic, unique ingredients without which certain dishes just aren't authentic. It is curious stuff, too: a type of volcanic rock salt, ground finely to a pinkish-grey powder, black salt is tangy and salty with an unmistakeably sulphurous note. It's most unpromising tasted neat, but works wonders if used the right way.
Read more...
By Nikki Duffy
I'm excited that spice company Seasoned Pioneers has started selling Indian black salt - it's one of those fantastically exotic, unique ingredients without which certain dishes just aren't authentic. It is curious stuff, too: a type of volcanic rock salt, ground finely to a pinkish-grey powder, black salt is tangy and salty with an unmistakeably sulphurous note. It's most unpromising tasted neat, but works wonders if used the right way.
Read more...
Foodie at large: the big chill
The Times, Food&Drink
By Tony Turnbull
We’ll all be losers if frozen food goes out of fashion
I’m a bit worried about my friend Mark Leatham. He’s one of those self-sufficiency types who claims never to buy food from a shop, lives off the game he shoots, the vegetables he grows, the fruit he forages from the hedgerows, etc, etc.
Read more…
By Tony Turnbull
We’ll all be losers if frozen food goes out of fashion
I’m a bit worried about my friend Mark Leatham. He’s one of those self-sufficiency types who claims never to buy food from a shop, lives off the game he shoots, the vegetables he grows, the fruit he forages from the hedgerows, etc, etc.
Read more…
Please Sir, we want more
The Times, Body&Soul
A year after Jamie Oliver stirred up a big row over school meals, Simon Crompton asks if lessons have been learnt.
Read more…
A year after Jamie Oliver stirred up a big row over school meals, Simon Crompton asks if lessons have been learnt.
Read more…
Food detective: Pork pies
The Times, Food & Drink
By Sheila Keating
Pork pies have been in the news with the continuing fight between the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association and Northern Foods. In December, the champions of the Melton Mowbray pie were given the go-ahead by the High Court to apply to the EU for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, which would mean that only pies made to strict specifications within a designated area could carry the name. The court’s decision quashed a protest from Leeds-based Northern Foods, which supplies own-label pies to supermarkets and is vowing to take the case to the Court of Appeal. Its view is that Melton Mowbray has become a generic name for a pie of a certain quality, irrespective of where it is made.
Read more…
By Sheila Keating
Pork pies have been in the news with the continuing fight between the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association and Northern Foods. In December, the champions of the Melton Mowbray pie were given the go-ahead by the High Court to apply to the EU for Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, which would mean that only pies made to strict specifications within a designated area could carry the name. The court’s decision quashed a protest from Leeds-based Northern Foods, which supplies own-label pies to supermarkets and is vowing to take the case to the Court of Appeal. Its view is that Melton Mowbray has become a generic name for a pie of a certain quality, irrespective of where it is made.
Read more…
Obituaries: Edna Lewis
The Times
April 13, 1916 - February 13, 2006
Chef whose books helped to draw attention to Southern cuisine
EDNA LEWIS was the leading light of Southern American cooking. Her books recalled a childhood when “all food tasted delicious”; her intention always to “recapture those good flavours from the past”.
As a poor black child growing up in Virginia, each meal started with the act of harvesting vegetables, catching fish or plucking game. This experience informed Lewis’s love and respect for good, fresh food.
Read more…
April 13, 1916 - February 13, 2006
Chef whose books helped to draw attention to Southern cuisine
EDNA LEWIS was the leading light of Southern American cooking. Her books recalled a childhood when “all food tasted delicious”; her intention always to “recapture those good flavours from the past”.
As a poor black child growing up in Virginia, each meal started with the act of harvesting vegetables, catching fish or plucking game. This experience informed Lewis’s love and respect for good, fresh food.
Read more…
Scientists produce the diet apple
The Times
Scientists can now produce fruit with almost half the normal amount of sugar, a report says today.
A team at the University of California in Davis has used apples to show that it is possible to tweak the level of the natural sweetener sorbitol.
This has led to the successful creation of “mutant apples”. The technology can also be used on pears, peaches, plums and cherries.
Although fruit is healthy, its high sugar content can be a problem for people on diets.
Scientists can now produce fruit with almost half the normal amount of sugar, a report says today.
A team at the University of California in Davis has used apples to show that it is possible to tweak the level of the natural sweetener sorbitol.
This has led to the successful creation of “mutant apples”. The technology can also be used on pears, peaches, plums and cherries.
Although fruit is healthy, its high sugar content can be a problem for people on diets.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Soundbites
The Guardian, G2
By Alex Kapranos
I am eating in Osaka and entrust myself entirely to the perfect taste shown by my Japanese hosts. Akiko and Fukima translate the menu - symbols painted on teak tickets that hang from brass pins on a board. Smelt, sashimi, fugu. Fugu? Isn't that blowfish?
Read more…
By Alex Kapranos
I am eating in Osaka and entrust myself entirely to the perfect taste shown by my Japanese hosts. Akiko and Fukima translate the menu - symbols painted on teak tickets that hang from brass pins on a board. Smelt, sashimi, fugu. Fugu? Isn't that blowfish?
Read more…
Expensive and shameless - how the Chinese take pride in an exotic cuisine
The Telegraph
Chinese society is generally conservative, but food opens all doors shamelessly when it comes to showing off the newly acquired wealth of the rich and powerful.
Read more...
Chinese society is generally conservative, but food opens all doors shamelessly when it comes to showing off the newly acquired wealth of the rich and powerful.
Read more...
Cornish pupils give thumbs down to pasties
The Guardian
By Steven Morris
Pupils at a Cornish school have ruled that pasties ought to be scrubbed from the menu on health grounds.
Read more...
By Steven Morris
Pupils at a Cornish school have ruled that pasties ought to be scrubbed from the menu on health grounds.
Read more...
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Eat, drink and be slimmer
The Telegraph
A weight-loss holiday that doesn't involve rabbit food? Suzanne Duckett tries four European spas offering gourmet low-care calorie cuisine:
The Capri Palace Hotel & Spa, Italy
Mardavall Resort Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Thermal Spa Resort Ronacher, Austria
Les Sources Des Caudalie, France
Read more...
A weight-loss holiday that doesn't involve rabbit food? Suzanne Duckett tries four European spas offering gourmet low-care calorie cuisine:
The Capri Palace Hotel & Spa, Italy
Mardavall Resort Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Thermal Spa Resort Ronacher, Austria
Les Sources Des Caudalie, France
Read more...
Chef who created snail porridge cooks up bangers and mash for his television debut
The Independent
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Heston Blumenthal, the culinary pioneer whose most famous dish is snail porridge, is to join the ranks of the celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Delia Smith by fronting a prime-time television series.
Rather than teach the public how to make his signature experimental dishes, such as green tea and lime mousse in liquid nitrogen, the chef will opt for more popular fare for a BBC2 show this summer.
Read more…
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Heston Blumenthal, the culinary pioneer whose most famous dish is snail porridge, is to join the ranks of the celebrity chefs Gordon Ramsay and Delia Smith by fronting a prime-time television series.
Rather than teach the public how to make his signature experimental dishes, such as green tea and lime mousse in liquid nitrogen, the chef will opt for more popular fare for a BBC2 show this summer.
Read more…
Food and drink to die for ... well, nearly
The Times, times2
By Damian Whitworth
Taras Grescoe scoured the planet for food and drink that is vilified by an over-regulated world
Epoisses is something more than a smelly French cheese. It is the smelliest of all smelly French cheeses. Dubbed the “King of Cheeses” by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, the great gastronome, it is a combination of milk, rennet and mould so ripe that it takes a determined foodie just to fight a way past the stench of putrefaction to actually sample the cheese. Two of those who did so in 1999 contracted listeria and died.
Read more…
By Damian Whitworth
Taras Grescoe scoured the planet for food and drink that is vilified by an over-regulated world
Epoisses is something more than a smelly French cheese. It is the smelliest of all smelly French cheeses. Dubbed the “King of Cheeses” by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, the great gastronome, it is a combination of milk, rennet and mould so ripe that it takes a determined foodie just to fight a way past the stench of putrefaction to actually sample the cheese. Two of those who did so in 1999 contracted listeria and died.
Read more…
Nestlé seeks expert help for chocolate
The Times, Consumer goods
From Graham Keeley in Barcelona
HE IS best known for such dishes as duck sweetbreads and cream, parmesan foam with raspberry muesli, and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes paella; it is almost impossible to get a table at his restaurant; and now Ferran Adrià, Spain’s most celebrated chef, has turned his attention to the humble chocolate bar.
The chef, whose El Bulli restaurant two hours’ drive from Barcelona is said by some to be the best in the world, has agreed to improve the flavour of Cailler chocolate bars for Nestlé, which admitted yesterday that its sales of the confectionery were in need of “beefing up” — especially since its own research suggests that people are regaining their taste for premium chocolate.
Read more…
From Graham Keeley in Barcelona
HE IS best known for such dishes as duck sweetbreads and cream, parmesan foam with raspberry muesli, and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes paella; it is almost impossible to get a table at his restaurant; and now Ferran Adrià, Spain’s most celebrated chef, has turned his attention to the humble chocolate bar.
The chef, whose El Bulli restaurant two hours’ drive from Barcelona is said by some to be the best in the world, has agreed to improve the flavour of Cailler chocolate bars for Nestlé, which admitted yesterday that its sales of the confectionery were in need of “beefing up” — especially since its own research suggests that people are regaining their taste for premium chocolate.
Read more…
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Families stick to ancient dumplings
The Times
By Jane Macartney
Special new year food marks 2,000 years of togetherness
THE fireworks stopped and the traffic jams began when China returned to work yesterday, families going their separate ways after a final meal of sticky rice dumplings to mark the Lantern Festival that ends the 15-day lunar new year holiday.
Under a full moon, families preserved a 2,000-year-old tradition by gathering round the dinner table to chew their way through a steaming bowl of glutinous rice balls.
Read more…
By Jane Macartney
Special new year food marks 2,000 years of togetherness
THE fireworks stopped and the traffic jams began when China returned to work yesterday, families going their separate ways after a final meal of sticky rice dumplings to mark the Lantern Festival that ends the 15-day lunar new year holiday.
Under a full moon, families preserved a 2,000-year-old tradition by gathering round the dinner table to chew their way through a steaming bowl of glutinous rice balls.
Read more…
Why don't we use our recipes?
The Guardian
By Matthew Fort
Research suggests that of the 171m cookery books owned by aspiring home cooks, 61m are never opened. And while this still means 110m are still out there gathering splodges of fat and gravy stains in the line of duty, the survey found that the average Briton will try only 35 of the recipes within. Of that supposedly burgeoning class of male cooks, only 28% will try a new recipe (as against 71% of women).
Read more…
By Matthew Fort
Research suggests that of the 171m cookery books owned by aspiring home cooks, 61m are never opened. And while this still means 110m are still out there gathering splodges of fat and gravy stains in the line of duty, the survey found that the average Briton will try only 35 of the recipes within. Of that supposedly burgeoning class of male cooks, only 28% will try a new recipe (as against 71% of women).
Read more…
Monday, February 13, 2006
Cookbooks are leftovers of good intentions
The Telegraph
By Fiona Govan
Despite the best efforts of celebrity chefs to turn us into a nation of gourmands, the average Briton attempts to replicate a mere 35 of the 1,000 recipes in the cookbooks that line the shelves of their home.
Read more...
By Fiona Govan
Despite the best efforts of celebrity chefs to turn us into a nation of gourmands, the average Briton attempts to replicate a mere 35 of the 1,000 recipes in the cookbooks that line the shelves of their home.
Read more...
Food for the gods
The Telegraph
Foreigners often think of the British as a practical people, with little interest in abstract ideas. They are also convinced that we don't care about cuisine. It seems they are wrong on both counts.
Read more...
Foreigners often think of the British as a practical people, with little interest in abstract ideas. They are also convinced that we don't care about cuisine. It seems they are wrong on both counts.
Read more...
Celebrity chefs fail to spark adventure
The Independent
By Lucy Phillips
"Although the average household now has cookbooks containing more than 1,000 recipes, a new survey of 2,893 people by the daily food television show Food Uncut on UKTV Food reveals that we will only attempt 35 of them. Britons own a total of 171 million cookbooks - but 61 million will never be opened, with almost two-thirds of people admitting that they keep them for show rather than practicality."
Read more...
By Lucy Phillips
"Although the average household now has cookbooks containing more than 1,000 recipes, a new survey of 2,893 people by the daily food television show Food Uncut on UKTV Food reveals that we will only attempt 35 of them. Britons own a total of 171 million cookbooks - but 61 million will never be opened, with almost two-thirds of people admitting that they keep them for show rather than practicality."
Read more...
In praise of... dinner ladies
The Guardian, Leader
When Jamie Oliver stirred the pot on school dinners, it was clear that there were going to be long-term consequences to his chirpily successful campaign.
Read more...
When Jamie Oliver stirred the pot on school dinners, it was clear that there were going to be long-term consequences to his chirpily successful campaign.
Read more...
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Skye whisky firm will only employ Gaels
The Sunday Times, Scotland
By Gayle Ritchie
A BITTER row over the imposition of Gaelic on the Isle of Skye is set to escalate after a new distillery said it will only employ people who speak the language.
Sir Iain Noble, chairman of Praban na Linne, owners of the Gaelic Whisky Collection, has said that all 20 jobs at the £3m distillery on the Sleat peninsula will be reserved for people who speak the language.
Read more...
By Gayle Ritchie
A BITTER row over the imposition of Gaelic on the Isle of Skye is set to escalate after a new distillery said it will only employ people who speak the language.
Sir Iain Noble, chairman of Praban na Linne, owners of the Gaelic Whisky Collection, has said that all 20 jobs at the £3m distillery on the Sleat peninsula will be reserved for people who speak the language.
Read more...
Forbidden foods ...and with good reason
The Independent on Sunday
Taras Grescoe travels the world on a mission to seek out - and sample - all of the tasty foods, intoxicating drinks and illicit treats the authorities don't want us to enjoy:
Norwegian moonshine
Epoisses unpasteurised cheese
Marks & Spencer savoury crackers
'Criadillas', or animal testicles
Castro's Cohiba cigars
Authentic Swiss absinthe
Mate de coca tea
Chocolate mousse
Pentobarbital sodium
Read more...
Taras Grescoe travels the world on a mission to seek out - and sample - all of the tasty foods, intoxicating drinks and illicit treats the authorities don't want us to enjoy:
Norwegian moonshine
Epoisses unpasteurised cheese
Marks & Spencer savoury crackers
'Criadillas', or animal testicles
Castro's Cohiba cigars
Authentic Swiss absinthe
Mate de coca tea
Chocolate mousse
Pentobarbital sodium
Read more...
Chefs feel no love for Valentine food
The Observer
By Amelia Hill, culture and society correspondent
What could be better than an evening devoted to the heady combination of food and romance? Practically anything, say some of Britain's leading chefs, who believe restaurants that try to make a meal out of Valentine's Day are the culinary equivalent of a cold shower.
Read more...
By Amelia Hill, culture and society correspondent
What could be better than an evening devoted to the heady combination of food and romance? Practically anything, say some of Britain's leading chefs, who believe restaurants that try to make a meal out of Valentine's Day are the culinary equivalent of a cold shower.
Read more...
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Eat it now: Lemon myrtle
The Guardian
By Nikki Myrtle
Incredibly lemony, with hints of thyme, green tea and fresh-cut grass, lemon myrtle is a lovely herb to use in the colder, darker recesses of the year. Coming as it does from the hot, steamy rainforests of coastal Australia, it brings a certain warmth with it. The lemon myrtle tree has thick, bay-like leaves that are dried, then ground; their intense flavour is due to the fact that they're absolutely packed with citral, the aromatic compound that makes lemony things taste lemony.
Read more...
By Nikki Myrtle
Incredibly lemony, with hints of thyme, green tea and fresh-cut grass, lemon myrtle is a lovely herb to use in the colder, darker recesses of the year. Coming as it does from the hot, steamy rainforests of coastal Australia, it brings a certain warmth with it. The lemon myrtle tree has thick, bay-like leaves that are dried, then ground; their intense flavour is due to the fact that they're absolutely packed with citral, the aromatic compound that makes lemony things taste lemony.
Read more...
Salvation on a plate
The Times
By Sarah Vine
When Julie Powell's life lost its zest, she rescued it one recipe at a time.
Read more...
By Sarah Vine
When Julie Powell's life lost its zest, she rescued it one recipe at a time.
Read more...
Foodie at large: choc tactics
The Times, Food&Drink
By Tony Turnbull
It’s all vintages and single estates in the cocoa world these days
At last the world can rest easier in its bed – as from this week, Notting Hill has a specialist chocolate shop of its own. No longer will Stella or Trinny have to schlep all the way to Knightsbridge for their fresh mint truffles or passion fruit bonbons. Just opposite Ghost and a few doors up from Emma Hope they’ll find their heart’s desire on the cool marble counters of Melt. This being Notting Hill, the shop hasn’t just been bodged together over a weekend. It was designed by London’s favourite architects, Michaelis Boyd, who were responsible for Babington House. The chandeliers are one-offs from Alfie’s Antique Market, and the ribbons that adorn your parchment-clad purchases are sourced from a specialist supplier to the rag trade whose range puts V.V. Rouleaux to shame.
Read more…
By Tony Turnbull
It’s all vintages and single estates in the cocoa world these days
At last the world can rest easier in its bed – as from this week, Notting Hill has a specialist chocolate shop of its own. No longer will Stella or Trinny have to schlep all the way to Knightsbridge for their fresh mint truffles or passion fruit bonbons. Just opposite Ghost and a few doors up from Emma Hope they’ll find their heart’s desire on the cool marble counters of Melt. This being Notting Hill, the shop hasn’t just been bodged together over a weekend. It was designed by London’s favourite architects, Michaelis Boyd, who were responsible for Babington House. The chandeliers are one-offs from Alfie’s Antique Market, and the ribbons that adorn your parchment-clad purchases are sourced from a specialist supplier to the rag trade whose range puts V.V. Rouleaux to shame.
Read more…
Food detective: Cabbage
The Times, Food&Drink
By Sheila Keating
It must be tough being a cabbage, when your cousin broccoli is constantly being fêted as a superfood, full of vitamins and minerals, and substances that can help reduce the risk of cancer. So tasty, so user-friendly, so attractive, they say. Whereas poor old cabbage, despite being revered since ancient times for its health-giving properties, seems to haunt people with memories of overcooked school dinners.
Read more…
By Sheila Keating
It must be tough being a cabbage, when your cousin broccoli is constantly being fêted as a superfood, full of vitamins and minerals, and substances that can help reduce the risk of cancer. So tasty, so user-friendly, so attractive, they say. Whereas poor old cabbage, despite being revered since ancient times for its health-giving properties, seems to haunt people with memories of overcooked school dinners.
Read more…
Big mistakes
The Times, Body&Soul
Vivienne Parry on stories behind the news
BET YOU a big fat doughnut that you are more confused this week about food labelling than you were last week.
Full-page adverts from Sainsbury’s introduced its colour-coded “wheel of health” system while leading food manufacturers unveiled their guideline-daily-amount (GDA) labelling “to help consumers understand what’s in their food at a glance”.
All of this comes ahead of the Food Standard Agency’s proposed traffic-light scheme for food labelling, which is still in the pipeline.
Read more…
Vivienne Parry on stories behind the news
BET YOU a big fat doughnut that you are more confused this week about food labelling than you were last week.
Full-page adverts from Sainsbury’s introduced its colour-coded “wheel of health” system while leading food manufacturers unveiled their guideline-daily-amount (GDA) labelling “to help consumers understand what’s in their food at a glance”.
All of this comes ahead of the Food Standard Agency’s proposed traffic-light scheme for food labelling, which is still in the pipeline.
Read more…
Sustainable cod due on supermarket shelves
The Guardian
By David Adam
Guilt-free cod and chips is back on the menu for the eco-friendly shopper.
A British company is poised to take delivery of the world's first stocks of sustainable cod, caught from a newly approved green fishery off the coast of Alaska.
Read more…
By David Adam
Guilt-free cod and chips is back on the menu for the eco-friendly shopper.
A British company is poised to take delivery of the world's first stocks of sustainable cod, caught from a newly approved green fishery off the coast of Alaska.
Read more…
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Is eating too many smoked and cured foods bad for me?
The Times, s2
By Dr Thomas Stuttaford
A 55-year-old reader from Chiswick has written to ask if eating cured foods, especially smoked cured foods, is dangerous. He fears that they may represent an appreciable medical hazard. He especially enjoys eating traditionally wood-smoked bacon, ham, chicken breast and kippers. He always prefers wood smoked products to unsmoked cured meats, but wonders if this is a wise decision.
Read more…
By Dr Thomas Stuttaford
A 55-year-old reader from Chiswick has written to ask if eating cured foods, especially smoked cured foods, is dangerous. He fears that they may represent an appreciable medical hazard. He especially enjoys eating traditionally wood-smoked bacon, ham, chicken breast and kippers. He always prefers wood smoked products to unsmoked cured meats, but wonders if this is a wise decision.
Read more…
Obesity crisis prompts leading food firms to add health labels
The Guardian
By Felicity Lawrence, consumer affairs correspondent
Health labels are to be put on some of the biggest-selling food brands in the UK because of growing fears about the crises of obesity and diet-related illnesses.
Five of Britain's largest food manufacturers will announce an agreement today to place labels on the front of all their products, including Walkers crisps, Dairylea, Shredded Wheat and Kit Kat. The companies, Danone, Kellogg's, Kraft, Nestle and PepsiCo, have been under pressure to be more open about the nutritional values of their wares.
Read more…
By Felicity Lawrence, consumer affairs correspondent
Health labels are to be put on some of the biggest-selling food brands in the UK because of growing fears about the crises of obesity and diet-related illnesses.
Five of Britain's largest food manufacturers will announce an agreement today to place labels on the front of all their products, including Walkers crisps, Dairylea, Shredded Wheat and Kit Kat. The companies, Danone, Kellogg's, Kraft, Nestle and PepsiCo, have been under pressure to be more open about the nutritional values of their wares.
Read more…
Let's toast drink laws
The Mirror
THE government appears to have got it right on 24-hour licensing laws.
Official statistics that show a big drop in violent offences since the opening hours shake-up will leave killjoys crying into their beer.
The project is proving a success.
Instead of the high street bloodbath predicted by opponents, we have fewer fights in taxi queues and outside kebab shops.
The Daily Mirror backed the relaxation of the licensing laws and we are delighted at the fall in booze-fuelled thuggery.
We acknowledge a £2.5million crackdown by police on yobs has played a key part. But that's a small price to pay.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke must ensure that officers remain on duty, to maintain the success of the new law.
Read more…
THE government appears to have got it right on 24-hour licensing laws.
Official statistics that show a big drop in violent offences since the opening hours shake-up will leave killjoys crying into their beer.
The project is proving a success.
Instead of the high street bloodbath predicted by opponents, we have fewer fights in taxi queues and outside kebab shops.
The Daily Mirror backed the relaxation of the licensing laws and we are delighted at the fall in booze-fuelled thuggery.
We acknowledge a £2.5million crackdown by police on yobs has played a key part. But that's a small price to pay.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke must ensure that officers remain on duty, to maintain the success of the new law.
Read more…
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Fruit, vegetables and low-fat diet have 'little impact' on cancer risk
The Times, Health news
By Sam Lister, Health Correspondent
A DIET high in fruit and vegetables and low in fat may be seen as the panacea for all ills, but research questions its effectiveness in tackling some of the deadliest diseases in women.
Three studies, as part of the Women’s Health Initiative study in the United States and involving 50,000 post-menopausal women, indicate that eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and low-fat foods does not reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and breast and bowel cancers.
Read more…
By Sam Lister, Health Correspondent
A DIET high in fruit and vegetables and low in fat may be seen as the panacea for all ills, but research questions its effectiveness in tackling some of the deadliest diseases in women.
Three studies, as part of the Women’s Health Initiative study in the United States and involving 50,000 post-menopausal women, indicate that eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and low-fat foods does not reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and breast and bowel cancers.
Read more…
Scientists measure the hidden sounds of food
The Guardian
By Paul Lewis
The sound made when we bite into food is as important as taste, look and smell in determining whether we like it, even if we cannot hear some of the noise it makes, according to Leeds University scientists.
Read more…
By Paul Lewis
The sound made when we bite into food is as important as taste, look and smell in determining whether we like it, even if we cannot hear some of the noise it makes, according to Leeds University scientists.
Read more…
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower: the vegetables that may prevent cancer
The Guardian
By Ian Sample, science correspondent
Natural chemicals found in soya beans and vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower boost the body's ability to repair damaged DNA and may prevent cells turning cancerous, scientists said yesterday.
Read more…
By Ian Sample, science correspondent
Natural chemicals found in soya beans and vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower boost the body's ability to repair damaged DNA and may prevent cells turning cancerous, scientists said yesterday.
Read more…
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Feel good special: Foods to boost your mood
The Independent
Altering your diet can help you beat the winter blues. Siski Green reveals the best foods to boost your mood.
Read more...
Altering your diet can help you beat the winter blues. Siski Green reveals the best foods to boost your mood.
Read more...
May contain cynicism
The Guardian
Comment by Zoe Williams
Health warnings on chocolates are based on the fact that they will make no difference at all.
Read more...
Comment by Zoe Williams
Health warnings on chocolates are based on the fact that they will make no difference at all.
Read more...
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Prince Charles and mutton dressed as lamb. Discuss
The Independent on Sunday
By Janet Street-Porter, Editor-at-large
"One hundred and fifty years ago, mutton - meat from sheep more than two years old - was, like oysters, the mainstay of a working-class diet. But tastes change and over the past 20 years the time we spend preparing food has shrunk, just as the time we spend working has increased. Mutton needs slow cooking and good root vegetables. It's not something you can assemble in 20 minutes and garnish with a packet of frozen peas."
Read more...
By Janet Street-Porter, Editor-at-large
"One hundred and fifty years ago, mutton - meat from sheep more than two years old - was, like oysters, the mainstay of a working-class diet. But tastes change and over the past 20 years the time we spend preparing food has shrunk, just as the time we spend working has increased. Mutton needs slow cooking and good root vegetables. It's not something you can assemble in 20 minutes and garnish with a packet of frozen peas."
Read more...
Critics turn heat on chemical chef
The Sunday Times
By Graham Keeley, in Barcelona
MEN and women in white coats busy themselves with diagrams, lists and an array of machines; the odd cucumber or slice of ham are the only signs that you are in a kitchen.
This is the Barcelona “laboratory” of Ferran Adria, 43, a pioneering chef in the mould of Heston Blumenthal in Britain. He is hailed by gourmets across the world for such innovative dishes as strawberry walnut mayonnaise, foie gras ice cream and cocoa butter with crispy ears of rabbit.
Yet after years of adulation the godfather of Spain’s nueva cocina (nouvelle cuisine) found himself ridiculed last week over his use of unusual culinary accessories such as nitrous oxide to make fine mousses.
Read more…
By Graham Keeley, in Barcelona
MEN and women in white coats busy themselves with diagrams, lists and an array of machines; the odd cucumber or slice of ham are the only signs that you are in a kitchen.
This is the Barcelona “laboratory” of Ferran Adria, 43, a pioneering chef in the mould of Heston Blumenthal in Britain. He is hailed by gourmets across the world for such innovative dishes as strawberry walnut mayonnaise, foie gras ice cream and cocoa butter with crispy ears of rabbit.
Yet after years of adulation the godfather of Spain’s nueva cocina (nouvelle cuisine) found himself ridiculed last week over his use of unusual culinary accessories such as nitrous oxide to make fine mousses.
Read more…
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Eat it now: Food of gods
The Guardian
By Nikki Duffy
Little native British fruit grows in January (unless you count forced rhubarb, technically a vegetable), so it's the perfect time to indulge in some exotica. After all, things are growing great on the other side of the world. Tangy passion fruit, stupendously good-for-you kiwis and sweet, slippery lychees are all great now, but I'm currently enjoying plump, golden sharon fruit.
Read more...
By Nikki Duffy
Little native British fruit grows in January (unless you count forced rhubarb, technically a vegetable), so it's the perfect time to indulge in some exotica. After all, things are growing great on the other side of the world. Tangy passion fruit, stupendously good-for-you kiwis and sweet, slippery lychees are all great now, but I'm currently enjoying plump, golden sharon fruit.
Read more...
Time is ripe for tripe (and mutton prunes, brains...)
The Independent
By Ed Caesar and Ele Walker
Prince Charles is championing a revival of deeply unfashionable mutton. But it's not the only edible that's fallen from flavour. Ed Caesar and Ele Walker ask Britain's top foodies which forgotten favourites they want back on the menu.
Quotes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Presenter/Author), Giorgio Locatelli Chef/Proprietor), Rose Gray (Chef), Henry Harris (Chef/Proprietor), Paul Heathcote (Chef/Proprietor), Terry Durack (Restaurant Critic), Claudia Roden (Food writer), Nick Nairn (Chef & cookery writer), Antony Worrall Thompson (Chef & TV presenter).
Read more...
By Ed Caesar and Ele Walker
Prince Charles is championing a revival of deeply unfashionable mutton. But it's not the only edible that's fallen from flavour. Ed Caesar and Ele Walker ask Britain's top foodies which forgotten favourites they want back on the menu.
Quotes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (Presenter/Author), Giorgio Locatelli Chef/Proprietor), Rose Gray (Chef), Henry Harris (Chef/Proprietor), Paul Heathcote (Chef/Proprietor), Terry Durack (Restaurant Critic), Claudia Roden (Food writer), Nick Nairn (Chef & cookery writer), Antony Worrall Thompson (Chef & TV presenter).
Read more...
Food detective: Burgers
The Times, Food&Drink
By Shelia Keating
The citizens of Hamburg used to grind or chop beef into pieces and form them into a “patty”, which they cooked like steak. Great idea, thought the Americans, and so the Hamburg Steak, which became known as the Hamburger, and eventually just the burger, was born. These days you can get every kind of burger – from chicken to venison – but there may also be much more than meat in it.
Read more…
By Shelia Keating
The citizens of Hamburg used to grind or chop beef into pieces and form them into a “patty”, which they cooked like steak. Great idea, thought the Americans, and so the Hamburg Steak, which became known as the Hamburger, and eventually just the burger, was born. These days you can get every kind of burger – from chicken to venison – but there may also be much more than meat in it.
Read more…
Foodie at large: cereal winner
The Times
By Tony Turnbull
How the Mulberry man has made spelt flavour of the month.
Organic spelt muesli. There are three words to conjure with. Can you think of anything more likely to give the healthy eating movement a boot, open-toe sandalled or otherwise, right back to the dark ages of hessian smocks and lentil casseroles? It doesn’t exactly set the heart racing, does it?
Read more…
By Tony Turnbull
How the Mulberry man has made spelt flavour of the month.
Organic spelt muesli. There are three words to conjure with. Can you think of anything more likely to give the healthy eating movement a boot, open-toe sandalled or otherwise, right back to the dark ages of hessian smocks and lentil casseroles? It doesn’t exactly set the heart racing, does it?
Read more…
Slope off for dinner
The Independent
Truffles, cream, tender beef, pasta dumplings... Turin has it all. Caroline Stacey says the most important thing any visitor can take to the Winter Olympics host city is a hearty appetite.
Read more…
Truffles, cream, tender beef, pasta dumplings... Turin has it all. Caroline Stacey says the most important thing any visitor can take to the Winter Olympics host city is a hearty appetite.
Read more…
Friday, February 03, 2006
Let them eat pies
The Times, Leading article
Bring back our mutton! Then again, it never went away, sir
Sages know their onions — and also their muttons. The Prince of Wales launched his Mutton Renaissance Club last night with a feast for sage chefs, and other sheep’s heads who are all jaw. Its cuisine statement is to revive an old English dish, and to improve the living for native sheep-farmers. The present difficulty is that punters, and therefore supermarkets, prefer lamb to the real thing. Lamb sounds fresher and more innocent. Health fanatics panic about catching BSE from the older sheep. Mutton takes longer to hang. And it is perceived as a tough dish for pretentious middle-class Aga’n’larder cooks.
Read more…
Bring back our mutton! Then again, it never went away, sir
Sages know their onions — and also their muttons. The Prince of Wales launched his Mutton Renaissance Club last night with a feast for sage chefs, and other sheep’s heads who are all jaw. Its cuisine statement is to revive an old English dish, and to improve the living for native sheep-farmers. The present difficulty is that punters, and therefore supermarkets, prefer lamb to the real thing. Lamb sounds fresher and more innocent. Health fanatics panic about catching BSE from the older sheep. Mutton takes longer to hang. And it is perceived as a tough dish for pretentious middle-class Aga’n’larder cooks.
Read more…
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