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...
Sunday, February 12, 2006
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…
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Cooks turn over new leaf with herbs
The Telegraph
By David Derbyshire, Consumer Affairs Editor
There was a time when the height of British culinary sophistication was a spoonful of mustard, a dash of Worcester sauce or a pinch of dusty "dried mixed herbs".
But now Britain is shedding its reputation for unadventurous flavouring and is in the middle of a herb revolution.
Read more...
By David Derbyshire, Consumer Affairs Editor
There was a time when the height of British culinary sophistication was a spoonful of mustard, a dash of Worcester sauce or a pinch of dusty "dried mixed herbs".
But now Britain is shedding its reputation for unadventurous flavouring and is in the middle of a herb revolution.
Read more...
Tables turned as health inspectors tell Ramsay: 'Clean that freezer now'
The Independent
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
"... you might think that when local authority health inspectors called at Ramsay's kitchens they would have found them spotless. But you'd be wrong. Their inspections, obtained by The Independent under the Freedom of Information Act, are likely to embarrass the celebrity star of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares as well as some of London's other leading restaurateurs, whose reports have also been seen."
Read more...
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
"... you might think that when local authority health inspectors called at Ramsay's kitchens they would have found them spotless. But you'd be wrong. Their inspections, obtained by The Independent under the Freedom of Information Act, are likely to embarrass the celebrity star of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares as well as some of London's other leading restaurateurs, whose reports have also been seen."
Read more...
The war of the chocolate orange
The Guardian
By Lucy Mangan
To many of us, it is more beautiful than Helen's visage, but it still comes as a shock to learn that Terry's Chocolate Orange has sparked a war. Admittedly, it's between foodies and non-foodies and therefore more likely to end in thrusts with a bread stick than in an epic bloodbath, but it's an unexpected clash all the same.
Read more...
By Lucy Mangan
To many of us, it is more beautiful than Helen's visage, but it still comes as a shock to learn that Terry's Chocolate Orange has sparked a war. Admittedly, it's between foodies and non-foodies and therefore more likely to end in thrusts with a bread stick than in an epic bloodbath, but it's an unexpected clash all the same.
Read more...
Monday, January 30, 2006
Food giants accused of underhand tactics to target child customers
The Independent, Home
Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
"Food companies have hijacked new technology such as the internet and text messaging to promote sugary and fatty food to children, a report on junk food's "marketing tricks" claims today.
An investigation by the consumers' association Which? found sophisticated use of mobile phones and computers were among 40 "underhand" ways of advertising unhealthy snacks and meals to children."
Read more...
Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
"Food companies have hijacked new technology such as the internet and text messaging to promote sugary and fatty food to children, a report on junk food's "marketing tricks" claims today.
An investigation by the consumers' association Which? found sophisticated use of mobile phones and computers were among 40 "underhand" ways of advertising unhealthy snacks and meals to children."
Read more...
Are additives in dried fruit bad for you?
The Times, times2
By Jane Clarke
In an effort to eat more healthily I’ve made up my own snack mix of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, whole almonds, dried apricots and cranberries. But I’ve noticed that most dried fruit seem to contain hydrogenated vegetable oil and/or sulphur dioxide, both of which sound like something I should be avoiding. In the end I found some that had the oil but not the sulphur dioxide, nor any Es, and I’ve mixed this fruit sparingly. Dried fruit is always recommended as a snack, but should I be worried about the additives?
Read more…
By Jane Clarke
In an effort to eat more healthily I’ve made up my own snack mix of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, whole almonds, dried apricots and cranberries. But I’ve noticed that most dried fruit seem to contain hydrogenated vegetable oil and/or sulphur dioxide, both of which sound like something I should be avoiding. In the end I found some that had the oil but not the sulphur dioxide, nor any Es, and I’ve mixed this fruit sparingly. Dried fruit is always recommended as a snack, but should I be worried about the additives?
Read more…
And another thing...
The Times, times2
SpongeBob says you must eat your greens
Parents know that if you slap a cartoon character on a box of choco-doughnutgolden-honey-Os, or any brand of breakfast sugar “with added vitamins”, children will pester for that particular box of sweeties disguised as cereal.
Some well-meaning creatives have now turned the idea on its head, using cartoon characters to promote fruit and vegetables. There is, after all, a precedent — US spinach growers said that Popeye’s antics increased sales by 33 per cent (although who’s to say that children actually ate the stuff?)
Read more…
SpongeBob says you must eat your greens
Parents know that if you slap a cartoon character on a box of choco-doughnutgolden-honey-Os, or any brand of breakfast sugar “with added vitamins”, children will pester for that particular box of sweeties disguised as cereal.
Some well-meaning creatives have now turned the idea on its head, using cartoon characters to promote fruit and vegetables. There is, after all, a precedent — US spinach growers said that Popeye’s antics increased sales by 33 per cent (although who’s to say that children actually ate the stuff?)
Read more…
Migration bill could be threat to curry houses
The Guardian
By Alan Travis, home affairs editor
Hundreds of curry houses and Chinese takeaway restaurants will be forced to close if ministers press ahead with their new migration policy, which closes the door to low-skilled workers from outside Europe, community leaders have warned.
The government's immigration bill, now going through parliament, introduces a points-based system that will bar low-skilled workers from outside the EU from settling in this country and restrict the appeal rights of those refused visas.
Read more…
By Alan Travis, home affairs editor
Hundreds of curry houses and Chinese takeaway restaurants will be forced to close if ministers press ahead with their new migration policy, which closes the door to low-skilled workers from outside Europe, community leaders have warned.
The government's immigration bill, now going through parliament, introduces a points-based system that will bar low-skilled workers from outside the EU from settling in this country and restrict the appeal rights of those refused visas.
Read more…
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Skye Gyngell - our new star chef
The Independent
By Terry Durack
She's the award-winning Australian cook the whole food world is talking about. And as of this week, Skye Gyngell's unique recipes will be appearing [in the Independent] fortnightly.
Read more..
By Terry Durack
She's the award-winning Australian cook the whole food world is talking about. And as of this week, Skye Gyngell's unique recipes will be appearing [in the Independent] fortnightly.
Read more..
Top crisp maker crunches fat levels
The Sunday Times
By Mark Kleinman and Jon Ungoed-Thomas
WALKERS, the manufacturer of Britain’s bestselling crisps, is to cut saturated fats in its products by more than 70% amid rising concerns about the health risks from snack foods high in salt and fat.
PepsiCo UK, owner of Walkers, says the reformulation is the biggest relaunch of the brand in its 58-year history. A £20m campaign to promote the new crisps will be headed by Gary Lineker, the former England footballer who is now a BBC sports presenter.
Read more…
By Mark Kleinman and Jon Ungoed-Thomas
WALKERS, the manufacturer of Britain’s bestselling crisps, is to cut saturated fats in its products by more than 70% amid rising concerns about the health risks from snack foods high in salt and fat.
PepsiCo UK, owner of Walkers, says the reformulation is the biggest relaunch of the brand in its 58-year history. A £20m campaign to promote the new crisps will be headed by Gary Lineker, the former England footballer who is now a BBC sports presenter.
Read more…
Peace, love and profit - meet the world's richest organic grocer
The Observer
He made millions from selling organic food to well-heeled Americans. Now hippie entrepreneur John Mackey plans to bring his meat, veg and laid-back style to Britain's upmarket high streets. John Arlidge meets the founder of Whole Foods
Read more…
He made millions from selling organic food to well-heeled Americans. Now hippie entrepreneur John Mackey plans to bring his meat, veg and laid-back style to Britain's upmarket high streets. John Arlidge meets the founder of Whole Foods
Read more…
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Eat it now: Roast artichokes
The Guardian
By Nikki Duffy
Artichokes are a wonderful, deeply flavoured vegetable - or thistle flower, if you want to be accurate - but they are time-consuming to prepare. There's nothing wrong with that in itself but, in this country, it's also not always easy to find good fresh artichokes. Nevertheless, a person can get addicted to their unique, savoury flavour, further enhanced by caramelisation through roasting. I always have a jar of roast artichokes in the fridge: they are delicious, good for you and useful.
Read more...
By Nikki Duffy
Artichokes are a wonderful, deeply flavoured vegetable - or thistle flower, if you want to be accurate - but they are time-consuming to prepare. There's nothing wrong with that in itself but, in this country, it's also not always easy to find good fresh artichokes. Nevertheless, a person can get addicted to their unique, savoury flavour, further enhanced by caramelisation through roasting. I always have a jar of roast artichokes in the fridge: they are delicious, good for you and useful.
Read more...
Greece: Wining and dining
The Telegraph
There's more to Greek cuisine than moussaka, says Andrew Purvis, while Robert Joseph highlights the new wave of excellent local wines.
Read more...
There's more to Greek cuisine than moussaka, says Andrew Purvis, while Robert Joseph highlights the new wave of excellent local wines.
Read more...
Food Detective: Cream
The Times, Food&Drink
By Sheila Keating
The old-fashioned way of making cream was to leave milk in a bowl so that the fat, or cream, collected at the top and could be skimmed off. Today’s mass-produced creams are typically made using milk from different farms, which is then transported to centralised dairies where it is separated by massive centrifuges. It is pasteurised and mostly homogenised to a uniform thickness by being forced at high pressure through a small aperture to form tiny globules which are too small to float, and so are held in suspension.
Read more…
By Sheila Keating
The old-fashioned way of making cream was to leave milk in a bowl so that the fat, or cream, collected at the top and could be skimmed off. Today’s mass-produced creams are typically made using milk from different farms, which is then transported to centralised dairies where it is separated by massive centrifuges. It is pasteurised and mostly homogenised to a uniform thickness by being forced at high pressure through a small aperture to form tiny globules which are too small to float, and so are held in suspension.
Read more…
Learning to think small
The Times, Body&Soul
By Rosie Millard
Can you teach a mum who’s never seen raw garlic to cook healthy food for kids in just two hours?
There were six of us in the kitchen: five mums and a nanny. Between us, we had a total of 15 small children; 15 rapidly growing bodies, needing regular instalments of freshly cooked, nutritious food. Were they getting it? Er, sometimes.
Read more…
By Rosie Millard
Can you teach a mum who’s never seen raw garlic to cook healthy food for kids in just two hours?
There were six of us in the kitchen: five mums and a nanny. Between us, we had a total of 15 small children; 15 rapidly growing bodies, needing regular instalments of freshly cooked, nutritious food. Were they getting it? Er, sometimes.
Read more…
Why taste for dogs is changing in China
The Times
From Jane Macartney in Beijing
MY CHOPSTICKS hovered over the cold starter. It looked appetising if highly spiced. Sliced dark meat, perhaps a touch fatty, marinated in ginger, garlic and Sichuan pepper.
The dish was dog — signature cuisine of the Sour Fish Soup Household restaurant in one of Beijing’s fashionable developments. With tomorrow marking the start of the Year of the Dog, the 11th animal in the Chinese twelve-year Chinese zodiac cycle, it seemed a perfect moment to try to understand the paradox of the Chinese relationship with dogs.
Read more…
From Jane Macartney in Beijing
MY CHOPSTICKS hovered over the cold starter. It looked appetising if highly spiced. Sliced dark meat, perhaps a touch fatty, marinated in ginger, garlic and Sichuan pepper.
The dish was dog — signature cuisine of the Sour Fish Soup Household restaurant in one of Beijing’s fashionable developments. With tomorrow marking the start of the Year of the Dog, the 11th animal in the Chinese twelve-year Chinese zodiac cycle, it seemed a perfect moment to try to understand the paradox of the Chinese relationship with dogs.
Read more…
Friday, January 27, 2006
Are you a risky drinker?
The Independent
So you like a glass or two - sometimes a few too many. You could be on the brink of an alcohol problem. But changing your habits can be easier than it sounds, says Hugh Wilson.
Read more…
So you like a glass or two - sometimes a few too many. You could be on the brink of an alcohol problem. But changing your habits can be easier than it sounds, says Hugh Wilson.
Read more…
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Greek salad and Turkish delight
The Times Magazine
By James Collard
A week-long cruise around the Anatolian coast with Real Greek culinary instruction was a foodie’s dream come true
"Is that Greece or Turkey?," we would wonder, as The Borina sailed along the Anatolian coast. Above us, blue sky; around us, the deeper blue of the Aegean and rocky chunks of sun-baked land dusted with little patches of green, olive trees perhaps, or gorse.
Read more…
By James Collard
A week-long cruise around the Anatolian coast with Real Greek culinary instruction was a foodie’s dream come true
"Is that Greece or Turkey?," we would wonder, as The Borina sailed along the Anatolian coast. Above us, blue sky; around us, the deeper blue of the Aegean and rocky chunks of sun-baked land dusted with little patches of green, olive trees perhaps, or gorse.
Read more…
New Forest skirmish over the chanterelle picker
The Telegraph
By Stewart Payne
A specialist in wild mushrooms took the Government to court yesterday to defend her right to pick them in an ancient forest
Read more…
By Stewart Payne
A specialist in wild mushrooms took the Government to court yesterday to defend her right to pick them in an ancient forest
Read more…
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Classic cases of food and drink
The Times, Student Law
Legal study requires good sustenance. If you spend your student shopping budget wisely, you will be well nourished and properly set to study cases such as these, GARY SLAPPER writes.
Read more…
Legal study requires good sustenance. If you spend your student shopping budget wisely, you will be well nourished and properly set to study cases such as these, GARY SLAPPER writes.
Read more…
Spotlight on lunchboxes
The Times
INTERVENTION is a serious business, usually deployed in an emergency rather than at mealtimes.
But the School Lunchbox Intervention Project is serious about making packed lunches healthier. The Food Standards agency is considering funding the Barnardo’s initiative, reports Third Sector (Jan 18), which will evaluate the nutritional contents of packed lunches before and after Barnardo’s staff give parents advice on healthy eating, “pester power” and food refusals.
A pilot at up to 20 schools will be aimed at parents of nine and ten-year-olds, with low income areas and ethnic minority groups targeted.
Read more…
INTERVENTION is a serious business, usually deployed in an emergency rather than at mealtimes.
But the School Lunchbox Intervention Project is serious about making packed lunches healthier. The Food Standards agency is considering funding the Barnardo’s initiative, reports Third Sector (Jan 18), which will evaluate the nutritional contents of packed lunches before and after Barnardo’s staff give parents advice on healthy eating, “pester power” and food refusals.
A pilot at up to 20 schools will be aimed at parents of nine and ten-year-olds, with low income areas and ethnic minority groups targeted.
Read more…
Lemon aid
The Times, times2
By Bridget Harrison
A detox diet invented 60 years ago has a new generation of fans. But is it safe to live on lemon juice, maple syrup and water?
Read more…
By Bridget Harrison
A detox diet invented 60 years ago has a new generation of fans. But is it safe to live on lemon juice, maple syrup and water?
Read more…
Haggis hankering hampered
The Guardian
By Donald MacLeod
Scotland's national dish has been ranked alongside chicken nuggets and turkey twizzlers in the government's fight against childhood obesity, in guidelines published this week.
Praised by the poet Robert Burns as the "great chieftain o the puddin'-race", haggis has fallen foul of nutritionists, who say its "honest, sonsie face" hides a high fat and salt content unsuitable for small Scots. Haggis producers are outraged, insisting that its natural ingredients, such as lamb's liver and heart, onions and oatmeal, put it in a different category from mere burgers.
Read more…
By Donald MacLeod
Scotland's national dish has been ranked alongside chicken nuggets and turkey twizzlers in the government's fight against childhood obesity, in guidelines published this week.
Praised by the poet Robert Burns as the "great chieftain o the puddin'-race", haggis has fallen foul of nutritionists, who say its "honest, sonsie face" hides a high fat and salt content unsuitable for small Scots. Haggis producers are outraged, insisting that its natural ingredients, such as lamb's liver and heart, onions and oatmeal, put it in a different category from mere burgers.
Read more…
Monday, January 23, 2006
Vive les rosbifs! And the Stilton and the scones...
The Times, s2
By Adam Preston
British cuisine? It's not an oxymoron in Paris
Mention English food at a Parisian dinner party and you suffer several rounds of knockabout humour in which the words “bread-and-butter pudding” constitute a fully formed gag. England’s growing reputation for culinary excellence is taking time to sink in across the Channel and it would take a brave soul to try to sell English food to the French.
Read more…
By Adam Preston
British cuisine? It's not an oxymoron in Paris
Mention English food at a Parisian dinner party and you suffer several rounds of knockabout humour in which the words “bread-and-butter pudding” constitute a fully formed gag. England’s growing reputation for culinary excellence is taking time to sink in across the Channel and it would take a brave soul to try to sell English food to the French.
Read more…
Sunday, January 22, 2006
BBC serves up Queen as prize in chef contest
The Sunday Times - Scotland
By Marc Horne
SOME of Britain’s top chefs are to compete in a television talent show with the winner getting to cook the Queen’s 80th-birthday dinner.
Read more...
By Marc Horne
SOME of Britain’s top chefs are to compete in a television talent show with the winner getting to cook the Queen’s 80th-birthday dinner.
Read more...
High cost of cooking with a pinch of salt
The Sunday Times - Scotland
Top chef Nick Nairn believes that lowering our daily intake of salt is as important for our health as stopping smoking, so he’s calling for government action to make it happen, writes Gillian Bowditch.
Read more...
Top chef Nick Nairn believes that lowering our daily intake of salt is as important for our health as stopping smoking, so he’s calling for government action to make it happen, writes Gillian Bowditch.
Read more...
You were right, mother
The Sunday Times
Opinion by India Knight
One of the abiding memories of my childhood is of my mother banging on about the evils of processed foods, E numbers, additives, apples sprayed with chemicals, white plastic bread, intensively farmed meat and so on. This was roughly 30 years ago, and it used to drive me mad.
Read more…
Opinion by India Knight
One of the abiding memories of my childhood is of my mother banging on about the evils of processed foods, E numbers, additives, apples sprayed with chemicals, white plastic bread, intensively farmed meat and so on. This was roughly 30 years ago, and it used to drive me mad.
Read more…
Retailers feast on Britain’s foodie fad
The Sunday Times
Sainsbury and M&S are leading the drive to cash in on interest in better quality food. Report by Richard Fletcher
IN the coming weeks almost every member of staff at J Sainsbury will receive a pack containing tuna, coriander, chilli and soy sauce.
Chief executive Justin King hopes that the goodie bag will encourage his staff to try Jamie Oliver’s marinated tuna, a recipe that is part of a Sainsbury advertising campaign to encourage us all to “try something new today”.
Read more…
Sainsbury and M&S are leading the drive to cash in on interest in better quality food. Report by Richard Fletcher
IN the coming weeks almost every member of staff at J Sainsbury will receive a pack containing tuna, coriander, chilli and soy sauce.
Chief executive Justin King hopes that the goodie bag will encourage his staff to try Jamie Oliver’s marinated tuna, a recipe that is part of a Sainsbury advertising campaign to encourage us all to “try something new today”.
Read more…
Saturday, January 21, 2006
Eat it now: Radicchio
The Guardian
By Nikki Duffy
Sometimes, a little bitterness is very welcome, especially alongside the rich, creamy foods of winter - and no more so than when it comes in the form of a beautiful, crisp leaf.
Radicchio, a type of red chicory, is a stunning vegetable, its robust, creased leaves striated with deep crimson and pure white. Its season is winter - it needs cold weather to bring out its deep red hue.
Read more...
By Nikki Duffy
Sometimes, a little bitterness is very welcome, especially alongside the rich, creamy foods of winter - and no more so than when it comes in the form of a beautiful, crisp leaf.
Radicchio, a type of red chicory, is a stunning vegetable, its robust, creased leaves striated with deep crimson and pure white. Its season is winter - it needs cold weather to bring out its deep red hue.
Read more...
Food detective: Spice of life
The Times, Food&Drink
By Sheila Keating
A spice is a spice, is a spice… well, not necessarily. Various factors can contribute to whether or not a particular spice imparts the full flavour hit. “Even with commonplace seasonings such as peppercorns or coriander seeds, the provenance is important because every spice has different grades, depending on the way it has been grown and the essential oils it contains,” says Mark Steene, who founded specialist spice company Seasoned Pioneers after returning from his world travels with a backpack full of spicy treasures.
Read more…
By Sheila Keating
A spice is a spice, is a spice… well, not necessarily. Various factors can contribute to whether or not a particular spice imparts the full flavour hit. “Even with commonplace seasonings such as peppercorns or coriander seeds, the provenance is important because every spice has different grades, depending on the way it has been grown and the essential oils it contains,” says Mark Steene, who founded specialist spice company Seasoned Pioneers after returning from his world travels with a backpack full of spicy treasures.
Read more…
For goodness sake, embrace the turnip
The Times, Body&Soul
A diet of health scares about meat has made veg the main attraction at top restaurants, discovers Fiona Sims.
Read more…
A diet of health scares about meat has made veg the main attraction at top restaurants, discovers Fiona Sims.
Read more…
Just say no to morning muffins
The Times, Body&Soul
Greed or hunger? Knowing which was which has made Sarah Vine slimmer, trimmer — and happier.
Read more…
Greed or hunger? Knowing which was which has made Sarah Vine slimmer, trimmer — and happier.
Read more…
Balti heaven
The Telegraph
Birmingham's gift to gastronomy is the Balti. Max Davidson would not have missed its birthplace for the world.
Read more...
Birmingham's gift to gastronomy is the Balti. Max Davidson would not have missed its birthplace for the world.
Read more...
Friday, January 20, 2006
Fairlie cooks up second Michelin star
The Scotsman, News
By Emma Cowing
"HE'S battled a brain tumour and risked the scorn of Jacques Chirac, but Scottish chef Andrew Fairlie proved yesterday that nothing would stand in the way of his cooking, when his eponymous restaurant became the only one in Scotland to gain a second Michelin star."
Insert: Menu Degustation
* Ballottine of Foie Gras; Fondant of Leek
* Veloute of Cepes; Fricasse of Wild Mushrooms
* Roast Skye Scallops; Ginger Butter
* Coral Roasted Langoustine; Saffron Risotto
* Roast Peppered Fillet of Wild Venison; Pommes Dauphine
* Citrus Panna Cotta; Fruit Consomme
* Coffee and Chocolates
Read more...
By Emma Cowing
"HE'S battled a brain tumour and risked the scorn of Jacques Chirac, but Scottish chef Andrew Fairlie proved yesterday that nothing would stand in the way of his cooking, when his eponymous restaurant became the only one in Scotland to gain a second Michelin star."
Insert: Menu Degustation
* Ballottine of Foie Gras; Fondant of Leek
* Veloute of Cepes; Fricasse of Wild Mushrooms
* Roast Skye Scallops; Ginger Butter
* Coral Roasted Langoustine; Saffron Risotto
* Roast Peppered Fillet of Wild Venison; Pommes Dauphine
* Citrus Panna Cotta; Fruit Consomme
* Coffee and Chocolates
Read more...
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Learn the trade secrets of Michelin-starred chefs
The Independent
By Isabel Best
Get tips from the top when you enrol in the world's most exclusive, and expensive, cookery school.
Read more…
By Isabel Best
Get tips from the top when you enrol in the world's most exclusive, and expensive, cookery school.
Read more…
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Cornish pasties, the healthy fast food option, enjoy a twenty-first century renaissance
The Independent
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
"For so long the Cornish pasty lurked in the glass cabinet of the baker's shop, an unloved mass-produced lump of pastry. [...] In the foodie 21st century, the pasty is enjoying a revival with dozens of outlets springing up dedicated to the sale of Cornwall's greatest culinary export."
Read more...
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
"For so long the Cornish pasty lurked in the glass cabinet of the baker's shop, an unloved mass-produced lump of pastry. [...] In the foodie 21st century, the pasty is enjoying a revival with dozens of outlets springing up dedicated to the sale of Cornwall's greatest culinary export."
Read more...
Monday, January 09, 2006
From big cheese to burnt crisp
The Guardian
The chips are down for Golden Wonder. Mark Tran charts the crisp maker's rise and fall.
Read more...
The chips are down for Golden Wonder. Mark Tran charts the crisp maker's rise and fall.
Read more...
Saturday, January 07, 2006
The world turns up its nose at French cuisine
The Telegraph
By Sally Pook
French cooking? Mais non, merci. The anticipated de- lights of a goat's cheese salad and creme brulee in a smoky Parisian bistro can no longer, it seems, match reality.
In an international survey published in the Wall Street Journal of more than 20,000 people in 20 countries, French cuisine was shrugged off as the most overrated of all cuisines. Even the French agreed.
Read more...
By Sally Pook
French cooking? Mais non, merci. The anticipated de- lights of a goat's cheese salad and creme brulee in a smoky Parisian bistro can no longer, it seems, match reality.
In an international survey published in the Wall Street Journal of more than 20,000 people in 20 countries, French cuisine was shrugged off as the most overrated of all cuisines. Even the French agreed.
Read more...
Tasty morsels
The Telegraph
The Wall Street Journal survey found:
2 per cent of Russians drink spirits with their main meal
42 per cent of Italians say French food is overrated
13 per cent of Germans dieted in the past two years
92 per cent of French women drink water with their main meal
64 per cent of Austrians cook at home every day
14 per cent of Czechs say Chinese food is overrated
38 per cent of Turks say their own cuisine is the most fattening
50 per cent of Greeks who dieted in the past two years lost all the weight they wanted
53 per cent of Finns drink milk with their main meal
Read the original article
The Wall Street Journal survey found:
2 per cent of Russians drink spirits with their main meal
42 per cent of Italians say French food is overrated
13 per cent of Germans dieted in the past two years
92 per cent of French women drink water with their main meal
64 per cent of Austrians cook at home every day
14 per cent of Czechs say Chinese food is overrated
38 per cent of Turks say their own cuisine is the most fattening
50 per cent of Greeks who dieted in the past two years lost all the weight they wanted
53 per cent of Finns drink milk with their main meal
Read the original article
Friday, January 06, 2006
The baker who beat McDonald's
The Times, Europe
By Richard Owen in Rome
AFTER a five-year battle, the fast-food giant McDonald’s has retreated from a southern Italian town, defeated by the sheer wholesomeness of a local baker’s bread.
The closure of McDonald’s in Altamura, Apulia, was hailed yesterday as a victory for European cuisine against globalised fast food.
Read more…
By Richard Owen in Rome
AFTER a five-year battle, the fast-food giant McDonald’s has retreated from a southern Italian town, defeated by the sheer wholesomeness of a local baker’s bread.
The closure of McDonald’s in Altamura, Apulia, was hailed yesterday as a victory for European cuisine against globalised fast food.
Read more…
Monday, January 02, 2006
Camembert with that, sir?
The Guardian
Move over, Ronald McDonald: gourmet burger joints - selling posh meat, in posh buns, and with posh extras - are the next big thing. Josh Lacey on fast food for an organic generation.
Read more...
Move over, Ronald McDonald: gourmet burger joints - selling posh meat, in posh buns, and with posh extras - are the next big thing. Josh Lacey on fast food for an organic generation.
Read more...
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Blind waiters in a pitch-black restaurant: the toast of Paris diners comes to town
The Independent
By Danielle Gusmaroli
Does eating a meal in total darkness make your food taste better? London will soon be able to find out.
We have been treated to bacon-and-egg ice-cream and the £100 pizza, but the latest culinary experiment on offer to British diners will have them rubbing their eyes in disbelief. For it is a blind tasting like no other.
Despite a bizarre approach to haute cuisine, the restaurant Dans le Noir has won over Parisian diners, and next month it opens in London. Guests will be led to a pitch-black dining room and served food that they cannot see. Guiding them will be a team of 10 blind waiters.
Read more…
By Danielle Gusmaroli
Does eating a meal in total darkness make your food taste better? London will soon be able to find out.
We have been treated to bacon-and-egg ice-cream and the £100 pizza, but the latest culinary experiment on offer to British diners will have them rubbing their eyes in disbelief. For it is a blind tasting like no other.
Despite a bizarre approach to haute cuisine, the restaurant Dans le Noir has won over Parisian diners, and next month it opens in London. Guests will be led to a pitch-black dining room and served food that they cannot see. Guiding them will be a team of 10 blind waiters.
Read more…
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Gluttony is good for you
The Guardian
By Zoe Williams, columnist
Eat up. The fatter you are, the less likely you are to get depressed and commit suicide.
Read more…
By Zoe Williams, columnist
Eat up. The fatter you are, the less likely you are to get depressed and commit suicide.
Read more…
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
The rising price of gastropub food gives Ronay a case of indigestion
The Independent
By Thair Shaikh
Egon Ronay recently celebrated British gastropubs by comparing their food and service favourably with more expensive restaurants and claiming that they were often better than traditional French bistros.
He even defended British cuisine against the acerbic opinions of France's President Jacques Chirac, and flew the flag for British mutton, still an unfashionable cut of meat.
But now, only a few weeks after praising them, the doyen of food critics has criticised gastropubs for being too expensive.
Read more…
By Thair Shaikh
Egon Ronay recently celebrated British gastropubs by comparing their food and service favourably with more expensive restaurants and claiming that they were often better than traditional French bistros.
He even defended British cuisine against the acerbic opinions of France's President Jacques Chirac, and flew the flag for British mutton, still an unfashionable cut of meat.
But now, only a few weeks after praising them, the doyen of food critics has criticised gastropubs for being too expensive.
Read more…
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Yorkshire pud seduces Italians
The Telegraph
By Richard Alleyne
When it comes to food, the traffic between Italy and England has been one way for centuries. But for the first time the Italians have developed a taste for British cuisine.
Read more...
By Richard Alleyne
When it comes to food, the traffic between Italy and England has been one way for centuries. But for the first time the Italians have developed a taste for British cuisine.
Read more...
Simon Hopkinson: You Ask The Questions
The Independent
Born and raised in Lancashire, Simon Hopkinson was 17 when he got his first kitchen job at La Normandie restaurant in Birtle. There he worked under the tutelage of Yves Champeau, before moving to London to set up Bibendum (right) in Kensington with Sir Terence Conran. He left in 1995 to concentrate on being a food writer (he was an award-winning columnist for The Independent), and his book, Roast Chicken and Other Stories, was recently voted, by a panel of food experts in Waitrose Food Illustrated, "the most useful recipe book ever written".
Read more...
Born and raised in Lancashire, Simon Hopkinson was 17 when he got his first kitchen job at La Normandie restaurant in Birtle. There he worked under the tutelage of Yves Champeau, before moving to London to set up Bibendum (right) in Kensington with Sir Terence Conran. He left in 1995 to concentrate on being a food writer (he was an award-winning columnist for The Independent), and his book, Roast Chicken and Other Stories, was recently voted, by a panel of food experts in Waitrose Food Illustrated, "the most useful recipe book ever written".
Read more...
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Black pudding meets white truffle as Yorkshire chef's recipes sweep Italy
The Independent
By Ian Herbert, North of England Correspondent
Britain's enthusiasm for Italian cuisine has made celebrities out of chefs such as Antonio Carluccio and Giorgio Locatelli, who have travelled to these shores in the hope of making a modest living. But now it seems that British cuisine has something to offer the Italians, too.
Read more...
By Ian Herbert, North of England Correspondent
Britain's enthusiasm for Italian cuisine has made celebrities out of chefs such as Antonio Carluccio and Giorgio Locatelli, who have travelled to these shores in the hope of making a modest living. But now it seems that British cuisine has something to offer the Italians, too.
Read more...
Friday, December 16, 2005
I ate all the pies
The Guardian
By Paul Lewis
As a struggling vegetarian who eats organic bran flakes for breakfast, I was hardly the most likely contender for yesterday's World Pie-Eating Championship. Yet there I was at Harry's Bar in Wigan, pitted against the world's top pie- eaters in the ultimate test of chomping endurance.
Read more...
By Paul Lewis
As a struggling vegetarian who eats organic bran flakes for breakfast, I was hardly the most likely contender for yesterday's World Pie-Eating Championship. Yet there I was at Harry's Bar in Wigan, pitted against the world's top pie- eaters in the ultimate test of chomping endurance.
Read more...
An unsavoury online guide to restaurant kitchens
The Independent
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
What really goes on in the kitchens of restaurants has long been a matter of conjecture to the customers waiting for their food. Now diners in one provincial city can check the cleanliness and safety of their local restaurants before they book a table.
In what is believed to be the first scheme of its kind in Britain, Norwich city council is publishing reports from its environmental health inspections on its website. The council has given a one to five star rating for all of the city's 217 food outlets.
Read more…
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
What really goes on in the kitchens of restaurants has long been a matter of conjecture to the customers waiting for their food. Now diners in one provincial city can check the cleanliness and safety of their local restaurants before they book a table.
In what is believed to be the first scheme of its kind in Britain, Norwich city council is publishing reports from its environmental health inspections on its website. The council has given a one to five star rating for all of the city's 217 food outlets.
Read more…
Sunday, December 11, 2005
First sitting: The world's hot tables
The Independent
He's eaten his way around the world - and in all the best restaurants. The Indepenednt's food critic Terry Durack reveals the coolest places to unfurl your napkin.
Read more…
He's eaten his way around the world - and in all the best restaurants. The Indepenednt's food critic Terry Durack reveals the coolest places to unfurl your napkin.
Read more…
Thursday, November 24, 2005
The sceptic: Diets
The Guardian
By Druin Burch
There's no bullshit like dietary advice. It starts off with a dumb observation that someone hasn't bothered to think through or an experiment so badly designed that it never stood a chance of revealing anything reliable. Then people who don't understand it - or who won't take the trouble to try - puff it up and it ends up getting spewed out as though it were an accepted truth. But today it's my excuse for being cheerful, for offering you at least a little bit of good news.
Read more...
By Druin Burch
There's no bullshit like dietary advice. It starts off with a dumb observation that someone hasn't bothered to think through or an experiment so badly designed that it never stood a chance of revealing anything reliable. Then people who don't understand it - or who won't take the trouble to try - puff it up and it ends up getting spewed out as though it were an accepted truth. But today it's my excuse for being cheerful, for offering you at least a little bit of good news.
Read more...
Sunday, November 20, 2005
2005 reasons to eat out
The Independent
After 12 long months of intensive research, reigning Restaurant Critic of the Year Terry Durack picks the big winners - and losers - from the British culinary scene.
Read more…
After 12 long months of intensive research, reigning Restaurant Critic of the Year Terry Durack picks the big winners - and losers - from the British culinary scene.
Read more…
Friday, November 11, 2005
Hormone raises hope of victory in war on obesity
The Guardian
By Alok Jha, science correspondent
Scientists have discovered a hormone that suppresses appetite, raising hopes of new treatments in the fight against obesity, according to a study published today.
The hormone, named obestatin, halved food intake in rats and resulted in the animals losing a fifth of their body weight.
Read more…
By Alok Jha, science correspondent
Scientists have discovered a hormone that suppresses appetite, raising hopes of new treatments in the fight against obesity, according to a study published today.
The hormone, named obestatin, halved food intake in rats and resulted in the animals losing a fifth of their body weight.
Read more…
Sunday, October 30, 2005
I have seen the future, and it's pork
The Guardian
By Martin Wainwright
We have finally outgrown the traditional sausage. Those sad little tubes of fat have been replaced by 'premium' bangers, crammed to bursting with real meat and fresh herbs. One in three comes from a little-known Yorkshire company, without which this revolution might never have happened.
Read more...
By Martin Wainwright
We have finally outgrown the traditional sausage. Those sad little tubes of fat have been replaced by 'premium' bangers, crammed to bursting with real meat and fresh herbs. One in three comes from a little-known Yorkshire company, without which this revolution might never have happened.
Read more...
Friday, October 28, 2005
Tutankhamen 's top tipple
The Guardian
By Andrew Catchpole
No one knows if the ancient Egyptians had a problem with binge-drinking revellers in the taverns of the Nile but those old Pharaohs certainly liked their wine. Take the wonderfully named King Scorpion the First. In 3500BC (give or take a few years), his royal cadaver was entombed with 700 amphorae of resin-infused grog to help ease his journey into the afterlife. This hooch probably resembled today's retsina from Greece - all the rage in Scorpion's era -and would have been considered a worthy send-off for a royal.
Read more...
By Andrew Catchpole
No one knows if the ancient Egyptians had a problem with binge-drinking revellers in the taverns of the Nile but those old Pharaohs certainly liked their wine. Take the wonderfully named King Scorpion the First. In 3500BC (give or take a few years), his royal cadaver was entombed with 700 amphorae of resin-infused grog to help ease his journey into the afterlife. This hooch probably resembled today's retsina from Greece - all the rage in Scorpion's era -and would have been considered a worthy send-off for a royal.
Read more...
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The politics of sausages
BBC News Magazine
By Megan Lane
Just as the Italians and French embrace local dishes as part of their cultural identity, so too is that most British of foods, the sausage, enjoying a renaissance in the UK.
Just five years ago, with the traditional cooked breakfast in decline, it looked as if Britons were falling out of love with the banger. Today, the sizzle is back, with consumption up 17%. Forecasters say the nation will eat 189,000 tonnes this year, the equivalent of 140 sausages each.
Read more…
By Megan Lane
Just as the Italians and French embrace local dishes as part of their cultural identity, so too is that most British of foods, the sausage, enjoying a renaissance in the UK.
Just five years ago, with the traditional cooked breakfast in decline, it looked as if Britons were falling out of love with the banger. Today, the sizzle is back, with consumption up 17%. Forecasters say the nation will eat 189,000 tonnes this year, the equivalent of 140 sausages each.
Read more…
Forget the bacon stotty, Newcastle is culinary paradise
The Independent
By Cahal Milmo
Geordieland was yesterday proclaimed Britain's new hotspot of emerging culinary talent after it dominated an award for newly-opened restaurants. Newcastle took two of the top places in the Restaurant Remy awards.
Read more…
By Cahal Milmo
Geordieland was yesterday proclaimed Britain's new hotspot of emerging culinary talent after it dominated an award for newly-opened restaurants. Newcastle took two of the top places in the Restaurant Remy awards.
Read more…
Thursday, September 29, 2005
'Overnight change doesn't work'
The Guardian
By Felicity Lawrence
Dinner lady Jeanette Orrey was one of the catalysts for the campaign led by Jamie Oliver over school food. She had transformed meals at her school, St Peter's primary in Nottinghamshire, in 2000, replacing processed food with freshly cooked meals.
Read more…
By Felicity Lawrence
Dinner lady Jeanette Orrey was one of the catalysts for the campaign led by Jamie Oliver over school food. She had transformed meals at her school, St Peter's primary in Nottinghamshire, in 2000, replacing processed food with freshly cooked meals.
Read more…
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
'All I want for my children is a balanced, nourishing meal'
The Guardian
Parent Loan Tran has always endeavoured to provide healthy meals for her family at home, but recently she has been motivated to join the campaign for better meals at school. Here, she talks about a conference held last week for parents who want to help.
Read more…
Parent Loan Tran has always endeavoured to provide healthy meals for her family at home, but recently she has been motivated to join the campaign for better meals at school. Here, she talks about a conference held last week for parents who want to help.
Read more…
Friday, September 23, 2005
How to eat out in style
The Telegraph
Why do some people always seem to get the best table at the finest restaurant without any fuss? And why do the rest of us get stuck behind a pillar where we are ritually abused by the waiters - if we're lucky? Jan Moir finds out the secrets of dining like a pro - from a pro
Read more...
Why do some people always seem to get the best table at the finest restaurant without any fuss? And why do the rest of us get stuck behind a pillar where we are ritually abused by the waiters - if we're lucky? Jan Moir finds out the secrets of dining like a pro - from a pro
Read more...
Monday, September 19, 2005
Jamie's food fight goes on
The Guardian
Comment by Felicity Lawrence
School dinners have never been so hot or glamorous a subject before, and few would deny that Jamie Oliver performed a great public service by making his TV series last spring. But the trouble with star makeover treatments is they never seem quite the same when you try them at home, or at your local primary school.
Read more…
Comment by Felicity Lawrence
School dinners have never been so hot or glamorous a subject before, and few would deny that Jamie Oliver performed a great public service by making his TV series last spring. But the trouble with star makeover treatments is they never seem quite the same when you try them at home, or at your local primary school.
Read more…
Friday, September 16, 2005
A taste for gastro-tourism
BBC News Magazine
By Megan Lane
'Tis harvest time, the traditional season of plenty, and today the time for culinary festivals. With British cuisine no longer a national joke, food tourism is booming.
Foodies, rejoice. This weekend sees a smorgasbord of food festivals, in which the bountiful produce of Yorkshire, south Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland will be celebrated. These are but a taster for British Food Fortnight, which starts the following weekend.
Read more…
By Megan Lane
'Tis harvest time, the traditional season of plenty, and today the time for culinary festivals. With British cuisine no longer a national joke, food tourism is booming.
Foodies, rejoice. This weekend sees a smorgasbord of food festivals, in which the bountiful produce of Yorkshire, south Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland will be celebrated. These are but a taster for British Food Fortnight, which starts the following weekend.
Read more…
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Eat my blog
The Observer
She's a petite thirtysomething from Bangkok but 10,000 people a week want to know what she had for lunch. Jay Rayner meets a culinary explorer whose online diaries have won her a cult following among foodies the world over.
Read more…
She's a petite thirtysomething from Bangkok but 10,000 people a week want to know what she had for lunch. Jay Rayner meets a culinary explorer whose online diaries have won her a cult following among foodies the world over.
Read more…
Saturday, September 10, 2005
The big Mac story
The Guardian, Commentary
From limpets in Kidnapped onwards, Ian Jack reflects on diet in his homeland.
Read more…
From limpets in Kidnapped onwards, Ian Jack reflects on diet in his homeland.
Read more…
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Foodies flock to organic festival
BBC News
Celebrity chefs have been in Bristol demonstrating how to cook 'real' fast food with fresh, organic ingredients.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Sophie Grigson were among those at the Soil Association's Organic Food Festival.
The events included a performance by the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra whose carrot and cucumber instruments were later made into soup for the audience.
Ben Cull, from the sponsors, Yeo Valley Organic, said the idea was to educate as well as entertain.
"One of our aims is to increase awareness of the benefits of organic farming, food production and consumption," he said.
Read the original article
Celebrity chefs have been in Bristol demonstrating how to cook 'real' fast food with fresh, organic ingredients.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Sophie Grigson were among those at the Soil Association's Organic Food Festival.
The events included a performance by the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra whose carrot and cucumber instruments were later made into soup for the audience.
Ben Cull, from the sponsors, Yeo Valley Organic, said the idea was to educate as well as entertain.
"One of our aims is to increase awareness of the benefits of organic farming, food production and consumption," he said.
Read the original article
Friday, September 02, 2005
'I always wanted to be a butcher'
The Telegraph
By Colin Randall
Gérard Depardieu, France's most famous actor and bon viveur, has joined the massed ranks of celebrity chefs.
Read more...
By Colin Randall
Gérard Depardieu, France's most famous actor and bon viveur, has joined the massed ranks of celebrity chefs.
Read more...
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Minced tuna, caviar and raw shrimps - quite a catch at £200
The Guardian
By Audrey Gillan
London's top-end restaurants are flourishing thanks to the wealthy appetites of the city's affluent young.
Read more...
By Audrey Gillan
London's top-end restaurants are flourishing thanks to the wealthy appetites of the city's affluent young.
Read more...
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Pick of the blogs: Chocolate&Zucchini
BBC News
By Darren Waters, BBC News entertainment reporter
Blogs and blogging have become buzzwords in the last 18 months, with millions of people setting up their own web logs to record their lives, comment on world events or share news.
There are almost as many different types of blogs as there are bloggers. Some are highly professional while others are simple online diaries. We pick out six of the best.
Among these six: Chocolate & Zucchini: "Paris-based Clotilde is a software engineer with a love of food and aspirations to become a food writer."
Read more…
By Darren Waters, BBC News entertainment reporter
Blogs and blogging have become buzzwords in the last 18 months, with millions of people setting up their own web logs to record their lives, comment on world events or share news.
There are almost as many different types of blogs as there are bloggers. Some are highly professional while others are simple online diaries. We pick out six of the best.
Among these six: Chocolate & Zucchini: "Paris-based Clotilde is a software engineer with a love of food and aspirations to become a food writer."
Read more…
Sunday, July 10, 2005
If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn't everyone in Asia have a headache?
The Observer Food Magazine
What does chiefly animate Japanese soups and broths is an amino acid called glutamate. In the best ramen shops it's made naturally from boiling dried kombu seaweed; it can also come from dried shrimp or bonito flakes, or from fermented soy. More cheaply and easily, you get it from a tin, where it is stabilised with ordinary salt and is thus monosodium glutamate.
This last fact is of little interest to the Japanese - like most Asians, they have no fear of MSG. And there lies one of the world's great food scare conundrums. If MSG is bad for you - as Jeffrey Steingarten, the great American Vogue food writer once put it - why doesn't everyone in China have a headache?
Read more...
What does chiefly animate Japanese soups and broths is an amino acid called glutamate. In the best ramen shops it's made naturally from boiling dried kombu seaweed; it can also come from dried shrimp or bonito flakes, or from fermented soy. More cheaply and easily, you get it from a tin, where it is stabilised with ordinary salt and is thus monosodium glutamate.
This last fact is of little interest to the Japanese - like most Asians, they have no fear of MSG. And there lies one of the world's great food scare conundrums. If MSG is bad for you - as Jeffrey Steingarten, the great American Vogue food writer once put it - why doesn't everyone in China have a headache?
Read more...
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Feast fit even for a fastidious president
The Telegraph
By Auslan Cramb
The Queen welcomed the world leaders to Scotland last night with a banquet fit even for the refined palate of a French president.
Read more...
By Auslan Cramb
The Queen welcomed the world leaders to Scotland last night with a banquet fit even for the refined palate of a French president.
Read more...
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
'Chirac? He didn't seem interested in food at all'
The Telegraph
By Jan Moir
Rick Stein has more reason than most to be aggrieved over Jacques Chirac's claim that the British are terrible cooks.
Read more...
By Jan Moir
Rick Stein has more reason than most to be aggrieved over Jacques Chirac's claim that the British are terrible cooks.
Read more...
A feast of Scottish delicacies awaits Chirac
The Independent
By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor
"Jacques Chirac may be forced to eat humble pie when he joins the G8 Summit leaders at a glittering dinner tonight hosted by the Queen at Gleneagles.
The French President ignited a simmering row after being overheard lambasting British food and pouring scorn on Scotland's "unappetising" national dish, but M. Chirac will be reassured to learn that Andrew Fairlie, head chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant at Gleneagles, learnt his trade in south-west France with Michel Guerard."
Read more...
By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor
"Jacques Chirac may be forced to eat humble pie when he joins the G8 Summit leaders at a glittering dinner tonight hosted by the Queen at Gleneagles.
The French President ignited a simmering row after being overheard lambasting British food and pouring scorn on Scotland's "unappetising" national dish, but M. Chirac will be reassured to learn that Andrew Fairlie, head chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant at Gleneagles, learnt his trade in south-west France with Michel Guerard."
Read more...
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Chirac: 'The only thing the British have ever given European farming is mad cow'
The Telegraph
By Toby Helm and Henry Samuel
Anglo-French tensions heightened last night after Jacques Chirac delivered a series of insults to Britain as London and Paris fought to secure the 2012 Olympic Games and faced fresh disagreement at the G8 summit.
The president, chatting to the German and Russian leaders in a Russian cafe, said: "The only thing [the British] have ever given European farming is mad cow." Then, like generations of French people before him, he also poked fun at British cuisine.
"You can't trust people who cook as badly as that," he said. "After Finland, it's the country with the worst food."
Read more...
By Toby Helm and Henry Samuel
Anglo-French tensions heightened last night after Jacques Chirac delivered a series of insults to Britain as London and Paris fought to secure the 2012 Olympic Games and faced fresh disagreement at the G8 summit.
The president, chatting to the German and Russian leaders in a Russian cafe, said: "The only thing [the British] have ever given European farming is mad cow." Then, like generations of French people before him, he also poked fun at British cuisine.
"You can't trust people who cook as badly as that," he said. "After Finland, it's the country with the worst food."
Read more...
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