The Scotsman
By Emma Cowing
'AH!" SAYS the impeccably turned-out French maitre d', taking our coats. "You are the people who asked to see the chef's table, yes?" We confirm that we are. "That is no problem," he says, threading his way through the faux snakeskin chairs to our table as numerous, equally impeccable-looking French waiting staff hover nearby. "You will go after the meal, yes?"
Welcome to Abstract Edinburgh, the newest fine-dining restaurant to open its doors in the capital. You will have heard of Abstract. You will probably have heard of the chef's table, too. Most likely you will have heard of them in conjunction with the name Gordon Ramsay, as it was as a result of two visits by the fearsome chef to Abstract's first restaurant in Inverness, for his Channel 4 show Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, that both entered the media spotlight.
Read more...
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Foodie at large: Kale the chief. Why, at this time of year, Britons should bring out the brassica
The Times
By Tony Turnbull
Just had your vegetable box delivered? Seen those same familiar curly green leaves poking out? Yes, I’m afraid so. More curly kale, and you’ve still got last week’s to get rid of. It’s not a great time of year for homegrown veg, is it? Winter’s root crops are over, and the first flush of spring, with its promise of tender peas, asparagus and even – oh, what exotic joy – broccoli, is still months away. No wonder they call this the hungry gap.
One person you won’t find complaining, though, is Chris Molyneux, the brassica king of Lancashire. On his farm near Ormskirk he grows green kale, red kale, Russian kale, black kale – anything with a “k” in it, plus spring greens and Brussels sprouts.
To schoolchildren he must seem like the Antichrist, but as we tour his fields, the wind whipping in off the Irish Sea, his passion is infectious. “That’s cavolo nero, or black kale,” he says, pointing to a puckered leaved plant. “It’s got a lovely taste, with a bit of pepperiness to it, but you can see where the frost got to it the other night. That’s the Italians for you – not very hardy. And this,” he says, ripping leaves off another plant, “is red Russian. It doesn’t look so good on the stalk, but it’s the sweetest of the lot.”
Read more...
By Tony Turnbull
Just had your vegetable box delivered? Seen those same familiar curly green leaves poking out? Yes, I’m afraid so. More curly kale, and you’ve still got last week’s to get rid of. It’s not a great time of year for homegrown veg, is it? Winter’s root crops are over, and the first flush of spring, with its promise of tender peas, asparagus and even – oh, what exotic joy – broccoli, is still months away. No wonder they call this the hungry gap.
One person you won’t find complaining, though, is Chris Molyneux, the brassica king of Lancashire. On his farm near Ormskirk he grows green kale, red kale, Russian kale, black kale – anything with a “k” in it, plus spring greens and Brussels sprouts.
To schoolchildren he must seem like the Antichrist, but as we tour his fields, the wind whipping in off the Irish Sea, his passion is infectious. “That’s cavolo nero, or black kale,” he says, pointing to a puckered leaved plant. “It’s got a lovely taste, with a bit of pepperiness to it, but you can see where the frost got to it the other night. That’s the Italians for you – not very hardy. And this,” he says, ripping leaves off another plant, “is red Russian. It doesn’t look so good on the stalk, but it’s the sweetest of the lot.”
Read more...
TV chef leads fight against supermarkets
The Independent
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the television chef and champion of small producers, is fronting a new offensive against the supermarkets which he portrays as a "bullying" force destroying British food.
The Channel 4 presenter will denounce the supermarkets at a public meeting in Westminster tonight and demand new powers to limit their growth.
Four campaign groups are behind the event, Supersized Supermarkets: Friends of the Earth, War on Want, ActionAid and the anti-Tesco website Tescopoly. They are asking the public to write to their MPs and the Competition Commissioner to make five demands, ranging from a new consumer watchdog to stronger labour rights.
The Commissioner is investigating whether the supermarket groups, which take 72 per cent of grocery spending in the UK, are abusing their dominant position.
Campaigners argue that stores harm the environment, diminish local communities and bully suppliers over prices and councils over planning permission.
Read more...
By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the television chef and champion of small producers, is fronting a new offensive against the supermarkets which he portrays as a "bullying" force destroying British food.
The Channel 4 presenter will denounce the supermarkets at a public meeting in Westminster tonight and demand new powers to limit their growth.
Four campaign groups are behind the event, Supersized Supermarkets: Friends of the Earth, War on Want, ActionAid and the anti-Tesco website Tescopoly. They are asking the public to write to their MPs and the Competition Commissioner to make five demands, ranging from a new consumer watchdog to stronger labour rights.
The Commissioner is investigating whether the supermarket groups, which take 72 per cent of grocery spending in the UK, are abusing their dominant position.
Campaigners argue that stores harm the environment, diminish local communities and bully suppliers over prices and councils over planning permission.
Read more...
Prince Charles and the Abu Dhabi burger ban
The Times
By Alan Hamilton
As if the Middle East didn’t have enough conflicts already, a new one erupted yesterday between the Prince of Wales and the burger.
Visiting a medical centre in Abu Dhabi, the Gulf state that has the second highest incidence of diabetes in the world, the Prince suggested that banning McDonald’s could be the key to improving the emirates’ health.
The burger chain, which has six outlets in the largest of the United Arab Emirates, immediately sprung to its own defence, suggesting that the organic and environment-loving Prince was out of touch with current burger thinking, particularly in Britain. He was, the company implied, bordering on the ungrateful.
Accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall on his ten-day tour of friendly Gulf states, the Prince was learning about new initiatives to improve Abu Dhabi’s health as he visited the centre backed and largely staffed by Imperial College, London. The royal couple watched a class of children being taught about food choices when the Prince turned to Nadine Tayara, a nutritionist who had put the children through their well-rehearsed paces, and asked: “Have you got anywhere with McDonald’s? Have you tried getting it banned? That’s the key.”
Read more...
By Alan Hamilton
As if the Middle East didn’t have enough conflicts already, a new one erupted yesterday between the Prince of Wales and the burger.
Visiting a medical centre in Abu Dhabi, the Gulf state that has the second highest incidence of diabetes in the world, the Prince suggested that banning McDonald’s could be the key to improving the emirates’ health.
The burger chain, which has six outlets in the largest of the United Arab Emirates, immediately sprung to its own defence, suggesting that the organic and environment-loving Prince was out of touch with current burger thinking, particularly in Britain. He was, the company implied, bordering on the ungrateful.
Accompanied by the Duchess of Cornwall on his ten-day tour of friendly Gulf states, the Prince was learning about new initiatives to improve Abu Dhabi’s health as he visited the centre backed and largely staffed by Imperial College, London. The royal couple watched a class of children being taught about food choices when the Prince turned to Nadine Tayara, a nutritionist who had put the children through their well-rehearsed paces, and asked: “Have you got anywhere with McDonald’s? Have you tried getting it banned? That’s the key.”
Read more...
Why Malta's men weigh in as Europe's fattest
The Guardian
By Marie Benoît
European Union figures released this week make grim reading for British men, 22% of whom, we are told, are obese. But it is Malta that has the dubious honour of heading the league table. Here, a quarter of men are at least 20% over their healthy maximum weight.
How can this be possible, you may ask, given the much vaunted Mediterranean diet? The fact is that, apart from olive oil, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables, the typical Maltese meal also includes large amounts of crusty, slightly salty bread. The picture is made worse by big portions at every meal and the fact that most Maltese prefer buffet restaurants where you can fill your plate with portions verging on the obscene. But no one is embarrassed. It is the norm. Quantity rather than quality is what goes down well.
Read more...
By Marie Benoît
European Union figures released this week make grim reading for British men, 22% of whom, we are told, are obese. But it is Malta that has the dubious honour of heading the league table. Here, a quarter of men are at least 20% over their healthy maximum weight.
How can this be possible, you may ask, given the much vaunted Mediterranean diet? The fact is that, apart from olive oil, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables, the typical Maltese meal also includes large amounts of crusty, slightly salty bread. The picture is made worse by big portions at every meal and the fact that most Maltese prefer buffet restaurants where you can fill your plate with portions verging on the obscene. But no one is embarrassed. It is the norm. Quantity rather than quality is what goes down well.
Read more...
Charles voices distaste for McDonald's food
The Guardian
By Matthew Taylor and Rebecca Smithers
It is unlikely that the Prince of Wales has ever sat at a plastic table in his local McDonald's and tucked into a Big Mac and fries. But yesterday the country's most famous organic farmer did not let his lack of firsthand experience deter him, suggesting that a global ban on the fast food giant was the key to improving children's health.
During a tour of a diabetes centre in the United Arab Emirates the prince asked a nutritionist: "Have you got anywhere with McDonald's, have you tried getting it banned? That's the key." A spokeswoman for Clarence House, who was travelling with the prince and Duchess of Cornwall on their 10-day trip, said Prince Charles was simply promoting healthy eating and the "importance of a balanced diet, especially for children".
Read more...
By Matthew Taylor and Rebecca Smithers
It is unlikely that the Prince of Wales has ever sat at a plastic table in his local McDonald's and tucked into a Big Mac and fries. But yesterday the country's most famous organic farmer did not let his lack of firsthand experience deter him, suggesting that a global ban on the fast food giant was the key to improving children's health.
During a tour of a diabetes centre in the United Arab Emirates the prince asked a nutritionist: "Have you got anywhere with McDonald's, have you tried getting it banned? That's the key." A spokeswoman for Clarence House, who was travelling with the prince and Duchess of Cornwall on their 10-day trip, said Prince Charles was simply promoting healthy eating and the "importance of a balanced diet, especially for children".
Read more...
Ice cream 'helps increase chance of pregnancy'
The Independent
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
For a woman trying to conceive, the best prescription could be a knickerbocker glory. It might play havoc with her diet but the old-fashioned confection, made with cream and ice cream, could help her get pregnant, according to a study.
Researchers have found that women who drink whole milk and eat full-fat dairy products are more fertile than those who stick to low-fat products. The findings could help explain the growth of infertility in the West as fashion-conscious young women trying to eat healthily and stay slim have shunned full-fat dairy products such as whole milk.
Eating two or more servings of low-fat dairy products a day - which could include a portion of cottage cheese and a low-fat yoghurt - increased the risk of infertility due to lack of ovulation by 85 per cent, the researchers found. But women who ate at least one serving of high-fat dairy food a day cut their risk of infertility from this cause by 27 per cent.
The more ice cream the women ate the lower was their risk of infertility. Women eating ice cream two or more times a week had a 38 per cent lower risk of infertility than those who consumed ice cream less than once a week. In the US, ice cream is made with full-fat dairy milk. Low-fat versions, sold in Britain as ice-cream, are called sherbet in the United States.
The study involved more than 18,000 women aged 24 to 42 who had no history of infertility and had tried to become pregnant between 1991 and 1999. They were part of a larger study of 116,000 women called the Nurses Health Study II in the US.
Jorge Chavarro, of the Harvard School of Public Health who led the study published in Human Reproduction, said women wanting to conceive should examine their diet."Women should consider changing low-fat dairy foods for high-fat dairy foods, for instance by swapping skimmed milk for whole milk and eating ice-cream, not low-fat yoghurt," he said.
Even substituting one glass of whole milk for skimmed milk a day made a significant difference. The changes should be made without increasing the total amount of saturated fat or calories in the diet by making small adjustments elsewhere. Once pregnancy was achieved it was wise to switch back to a low-fat diet because it was easier to limit the intake of saturated fat and calories.
The advice runs counter to official US dietary guidelines, which recommend adults should eat at least three servings a day of low-fat dairy products. Similar advice is issued in the UK.
Dietary fat has an impact on hormone levels and this was the most likely explanation for the effect, Dr Chavarro said. Whey proteins added to low-fat milk have been found to have androgenic (male hormone-like) effects in animals which could suppress ovulation. Whole milk and other high-fat dairy products have higher concentrations of oestrogen (the female hormone) which promote ovulation. Dr Chavarro said: "It is possible that the trend to eating more low-fat dairy products in recent decades could have increased infertility rates but more research is needed."
Chris Barratt, professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Birmingham, said: "It's a very comprehensive study, and because of the large number of patients you can have some confidence in the results. Diet clearly has a big effect on fertility in both men and women."
Read more...
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
For a woman trying to conceive, the best prescription could be a knickerbocker glory. It might play havoc with her diet but the old-fashioned confection, made with cream and ice cream, could help her get pregnant, according to a study.
Researchers have found that women who drink whole milk and eat full-fat dairy products are more fertile than those who stick to low-fat products. The findings could help explain the growth of infertility in the West as fashion-conscious young women trying to eat healthily and stay slim have shunned full-fat dairy products such as whole milk.
Eating two or more servings of low-fat dairy products a day - which could include a portion of cottage cheese and a low-fat yoghurt - increased the risk of infertility due to lack of ovulation by 85 per cent, the researchers found. But women who ate at least one serving of high-fat dairy food a day cut their risk of infertility from this cause by 27 per cent.
The more ice cream the women ate the lower was their risk of infertility. Women eating ice cream two or more times a week had a 38 per cent lower risk of infertility than those who consumed ice cream less than once a week. In the US, ice cream is made with full-fat dairy milk. Low-fat versions, sold in Britain as ice-cream, are called sherbet in the United States.
The study involved more than 18,000 women aged 24 to 42 who had no history of infertility and had tried to become pregnant between 1991 and 1999. They were part of a larger study of 116,000 women called the Nurses Health Study II in the US.
Jorge Chavarro, of the Harvard School of Public Health who led the study published in Human Reproduction, said women wanting to conceive should examine their diet."Women should consider changing low-fat dairy foods for high-fat dairy foods, for instance by swapping skimmed milk for whole milk and eating ice-cream, not low-fat yoghurt," he said.
Even substituting one glass of whole milk for skimmed milk a day made a significant difference. The changes should be made without increasing the total amount of saturated fat or calories in the diet by making small adjustments elsewhere. Once pregnancy was achieved it was wise to switch back to a low-fat diet because it was easier to limit the intake of saturated fat and calories.
The advice runs counter to official US dietary guidelines, which recommend adults should eat at least three servings a day of low-fat dairy products. Similar advice is issued in the UK.
Dietary fat has an impact on hormone levels and this was the most likely explanation for the effect, Dr Chavarro said. Whey proteins added to low-fat milk have been found to have androgenic (male hormone-like) effects in animals which could suppress ovulation. Whole milk and other high-fat dairy products have higher concentrations of oestrogen (the female hormone) which promote ovulation. Dr Chavarro said: "It is possible that the trend to eating more low-fat dairy products in recent decades could have increased infertility rates but more research is needed."
Chris Barratt, professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Birmingham, said: "It's a very comprehensive study, and because of the large number of patients you can have some confidence in the results. Diet clearly has a big effect on fertility in both men and women."
Read more...
Monday, February 26, 2007
Anton Mosimann: Master chef turns 60
The Independent
The napkins have been pressed; the cutlery polished. In a ballroom off Park Lane, staff are dusting fine bone china, and performing other luxury hotel alternatives to putting up the bunting. The Dorchester is preparing to honour its greatest living son.
Anton Mosimann, OBE, boasts a place in history as the man who created the modern hotel kitchen. Arguably, the world's first celebrity chef, he also invented a school of cooking that is now standard restaurant fare, and became one of the first top restaurateurs to share his secrets with the masses via television.
Today, he's 60, and some of the world's top foodies have come to London to celebrate with an old-fashioned banquet. Three hundred guests will tuck into an eight-course meal, drink double magnums of vintage plonk, and smoke the finest Havana cigars.
You may not have eaten his food, stepped into his discreet Belgravian club, or seen his face adorning a new range of kitchenware. But without Mosimann we would not be living in the era of Jamie, Heston and Gordon.
Read more...
The napkins have been pressed; the cutlery polished. In a ballroom off Park Lane, staff are dusting fine bone china, and performing other luxury hotel alternatives to putting up the bunting. The Dorchester is preparing to honour its greatest living son.
Anton Mosimann, OBE, boasts a place in history as the man who created the modern hotel kitchen. Arguably, the world's first celebrity chef, he also invented a school of cooking that is now standard restaurant fare, and became one of the first top restaurateurs to share his secrets with the masses via television.
Today, he's 60, and some of the world's top foodies have come to London to celebrate with an old-fashioned banquet. Three hundred guests will tuck into an eight-course meal, drink double magnums of vintage plonk, and smoke the finest Havana cigars.
You may not have eaten his food, stepped into his discreet Belgravian club, or seen his face adorning a new range of kitchenware. But without Mosimann we would not be living in the era of Jamie, Heston and Gordon.
Read more...
A warm glow: entrepreneurs start up 'farmers markets without the draughts'
The Guardian
By Angela Balakrishnan
Situated on a bustling high street in south-west London, Farmers' City Market appears to be just another shop. The only clues to what may lie within are the two white statues of cows. A glimpse inside and it soon becomes clear that this is not your average store.
But nor is it your average farmers' market. This is a venture that aims to provide all the quality and reliably sourced food of other farmers' markets but without the draughty surroundings and temporary stalls. More ambitiously, the three founders, Jana Satchi, Stephen Wilkinson and George Beach, say they want to redefine food shopping.
Read more...
By Angela Balakrishnan
Situated on a bustling high street in south-west London, Farmers' City Market appears to be just another shop. The only clues to what may lie within are the two white statues of cows. A glimpse inside and it soon becomes clear that this is not your average store.
But nor is it your average farmers' market. This is a venture that aims to provide all the quality and reliably sourced food of other farmers' markets but without the draughty surroundings and temporary stalls. More ambitiously, the three founders, Jana Satchi, Stephen Wilkinson and George Beach, say they want to redefine food shopping.
Read more...
Saving St Lucia: UK supermarket sweeps up 100m bananas
The Guardian
By John Vidal
Just seven years ago the banana farmers of the Caribbean Island of St Lucia were hanging up their machetes and ready to turn their steep hillsides back to forest. UK subsidies for their fruit were doomed, they couldn't compete with giant "dollar" bananas from South American plantations, and a dying industry seemed to provide only back-breaking work for scant reward.
Today, the island where bananas are not so much a crop but a way of life is celebrating. Just about every St Lucian banana sold for export now commands a premium price and European supermarkets are queuing for more. Money is going into run-down schools, the banana sheds are being repaired and the farmers can scarcely believe the turn round in their fortunes.
Read more...
By John Vidal
Just seven years ago the banana farmers of the Caribbean Island of St Lucia were hanging up their machetes and ready to turn their steep hillsides back to forest. UK subsidies for their fruit were doomed, they couldn't compete with giant "dollar" bananas from South American plantations, and a dying industry seemed to provide only back-breaking work for scant reward.
Today, the island where bananas are not so much a crop but a way of life is celebrating. Just about every St Lucian banana sold for export now commands a premium price and European supermarkets are queuing for more. Money is going into run-down schools, the banana sheds are being repaired and the farmers can scarcely believe the turn round in their fortunes.
Read more...
Cadbury's graveyard stunt falls flat
The Guardian
By Richard Luscombe
As a marketing promotion, it seemed like a splendid idea: hide a coin worth $10,000 in a well-known place, and tantalise treasure hunters by offering the finder a chance to win up to another $1m. But even the most well intentioned public relations plans sometimes come a cropper, and yesterday Cadbury Schweppes was forced to apologise for its "tasteless" stunt.
Choosing an historic graveyard to hide the coin proved the undoing of the idea; a cemetery that contains some of America's greatest revolutionary heroes.
Read more...
By Richard Luscombe
As a marketing promotion, it seemed like a splendid idea: hide a coin worth $10,000 in a well-known place, and tantalise treasure hunters by offering the finder a chance to win up to another $1m. But even the most well intentioned public relations plans sometimes come a cropper, and yesterday Cadbury Schweppes was forced to apologise for its "tasteless" stunt.
Choosing an historic graveyard to hide the coin proved the undoing of the idea; a cemetery that contains some of America's greatest revolutionary heroes.
Read more...
'I was entirely alone'
The Guardian
Anorexia is seen as a 'women's problem'. But eating disorders in men are widespread and on the increase. Tom Dodds, 19, tells how his quest for a 'manly' body became an obsession that almost killed him
Read more...
Anorexia is seen as a 'women's problem'. But eating disorders in men are widespread and on the increase. Tom Dodds, 19, tells how his quest for a 'manly' body became an obsession that almost killed him
Read more...
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Glenfiddich award: Restaurant critic competition
The Independent on Sunday
The Independent on Sunday has teamed up with the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Awards to launch a search for a talented new restaurant critic. Winning a Glenfiddich is regarded as the highest accolade in the food and drink industry. Every year, it celebrates the best in food and drink writing and broadcasting by giving out 10 highly sought-after gongs. Categories include food writer, drink writer, TV presenter and restaurant critic.
This new prize was introduced for the first time in The Sunday Review last year and was enormously successful. One of the runners-up, Andrew Shanahan, submitted his first-ever restaurant review, which helped him land a top job as food and drink editor of Time Out Manchester and a stint at reviewing restaurants for the Metro newspaper in the North West.
Read more...
The Independent on Sunday has teamed up with the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Awards to launch a search for a talented new restaurant critic. Winning a Glenfiddich is regarded as the highest accolade in the food and drink industry. Every year, it celebrates the best in food and drink writing and broadcasting by giving out 10 highly sought-after gongs. Categories include food writer, drink writer, TV presenter and restaurant critic.
This new prize was introduced for the first time in The Sunday Review last year and was enormously successful. One of the runners-up, Andrew Shanahan, submitted his first-ever restaurant review, which helped him land a top job as food and drink editor of Time Out Manchester and a stint at reviewing restaurants for the Metro newspaper in the North West.
Read more...
Packing for your alcoholidays
Scotland on Sunday
By Will Lyons
AS A rule, I have usually avoided non-alcoholic alternatives to wine. Why pretend to be drinking something when you're not? The expansive range of fruit juices, concentrates and cordials are all very well for a hot summer's day or a garden party, but when it comes to accompanying a steak or a poached salmon I would rather stick to the hard stuff.
February in my household is dominated by cups of tea and water as I fidget my way through a month of abstinence. It's a practice I was introduced to by the great Edward Demery, chairman of Justerini & Brooks, who for three blissfully happy years was my boss. Demery's theory was that January is just far too busy to abstain. February, by contrast, is relatively quiet and short - a whole 12 days fewer than Lent. "A lot of my friends give up in January," Demery explained, "but it's 31 days long! Go for February instead, Wills, but beware the leap years."
Read more...
By Will Lyons
AS A rule, I have usually avoided non-alcoholic alternatives to wine. Why pretend to be drinking something when you're not? The expansive range of fruit juices, concentrates and cordials are all very well for a hot summer's day or a garden party, but when it comes to accompanying a steak or a poached salmon I would rather stick to the hard stuff.
February in my household is dominated by cups of tea and water as I fidget my way through a month of abstinence. It's a practice I was introduced to by the great Edward Demery, chairman of Justerini & Brooks, who for three blissfully happy years was my boss. Demery's theory was that January is just far too busy to abstain. February, by contrast, is relatively quiet and short - a whole 12 days fewer than Lent. "A lot of my friends give up in January," Demery explained, "but it's 31 days long! Go for February instead, Wills, but beware the leap years."
Read more...
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Foodie at large: Kale the chief. Why, at this time of year, Britons should bring out the brassica
The Times
By Tony Turnbull
Just had your vegetable box delivered? Seen those same familiar curly green leaves poking out? Yes, I’m afraid so. More curly kale, and you’ve still got last week’s to get rid of. It’s not a great time of year for homegrown veg, is it? Winter’s root crops are over, and the first flush of spring, with its promise of tender peas, asparagus and even – oh, what exotic joy – broccoli, is still months away. No wonder they call this the hungry gap.
One person you won’t find complaining, though, is Chris Molyneux, the brassica king of Lancashire. On his farm near Ormskirk he grows green kale, red kale, Russian kale, black kale – anything with a “k” in it, plus spring greens and Brussels sprouts.
To schoolchildren he must seem like the Antichrist, but as we tour his fields, the wind whipping in off the Irish Sea, his passion is infectious. “That’s cavolo nero, or black kale,” he says, pointing to a puckered leaved plant. “It’s got a lovely taste, with a bit of pepperiness to it, but you can see where the frost got to it the other night. That’s the Italians for you – not very hardy. And this,” he says, ripping leaves off another plant, “is red Russian. It doesn’t look so good on the stalk, but it’s the sweetest of the lot.”
Read more...
By Tony Turnbull
Just had your vegetable box delivered? Seen those same familiar curly green leaves poking out? Yes, I’m afraid so. More curly kale, and you’ve still got last week’s to get rid of. It’s not a great time of year for homegrown veg, is it? Winter’s root crops are over, and the first flush of spring, with its promise of tender peas, asparagus and even – oh, what exotic joy – broccoli, is still months away. No wonder they call this the hungry gap.
One person you won’t find complaining, though, is Chris Molyneux, the brassica king of Lancashire. On his farm near Ormskirk he grows green kale, red kale, Russian kale, black kale – anything with a “k” in it, plus spring greens and Brussels sprouts.
To schoolchildren he must seem like the Antichrist, but as we tour his fields, the wind whipping in off the Irish Sea, his passion is infectious. “That’s cavolo nero, or black kale,” he says, pointing to a puckered leaved plant. “It’s got a lovely taste, with a bit of pepperiness to it, but you can see where the frost got to it the other night. That’s the Italians for you – not very hardy. And this,” he says, ripping leaves off another plant, “is red Russian. It doesn’t look so good on the stalk, but it’s the sweetest of the lot.”
Read more...
Food detective: sugar
The Times
By Sheila Keating
Sugar has come in for its fare share of demonising recently, and it's true most of us eat too much. But beyond the issue of the quantity of sugar we consume, is its quality. Most of the sugar used in the food industry is refined white sugar, which comes from sugar beet, whereas the kind preferred by chefs and aficionados is unrefined, which comes from sugar cane.
How is sugar refined?
In the case of beet, which is grown in the UK and Europe, the beet is sliced, cleaned and soaked to produce juice, which is filtered and boiled to form a syrup and crystallise. The crystals — always white, though they may be coloured brown later — are separated from the liquid, which is known as molasses. Beet molasses is too bitter for human consumption.
Read more...
By Sheila Keating
Sugar has come in for its fare share of demonising recently, and it's true most of us eat too much. But beyond the issue of the quantity of sugar we consume, is its quality. Most of the sugar used in the food industry is refined white sugar, which comes from sugar beet, whereas the kind preferred by chefs and aficionados is unrefined, which comes from sugar cane.
How is sugar refined?
In the case of beet, which is grown in the UK and Europe, the beet is sliced, cleaned and soaked to produce juice, which is filtered and boiled to form a syrup and crystallise. The crystals — always white, though they may be coloured brown later — are separated from the liquid, which is known as molasses. Beet molasses is too bitter for human consumption.
Read more...
Friday, February 23, 2007
TV’s new junk food rules allow chips with everything
The Times
By Valerie Elliott, Consumer Editor
Anomalies contained in new rules limiting junk food advertisements during children’s programmes mean that cheese and porridge cannot be promoted during Bob the Builder but fast-food restaurants have free rein to advertise during Dancing on Ice or The X Factor.
The rules, published yesterday by Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, have left parents, health campaigners, food manufacturers and the advertising industry all unhappy.
The consumer watchdog Which? predicted a rush of advertisements for oven chips, chicken nuggets and sugary breakfast cereals during early-evening family viewing.
There is concern that while characters such as Shrek or Postman Pat cannot be used to endorse food products on TV, companies can continue to use brand characters, such as Tony the Tiger on Kellogg’s Frosties.
Read more...
By Valerie Elliott, Consumer Editor
Anomalies contained in new rules limiting junk food advertisements during children’s programmes mean that cheese and porridge cannot be promoted during Bob the Builder but fast-food restaurants have free rein to advertise during Dancing on Ice or The X Factor.
The rules, published yesterday by Ofcom, the broadcast regulator, have left parents, health campaigners, food manufacturers and the advertising industry all unhappy.
The consumer watchdog Which? predicted a rush of advertisements for oven chips, chicken nuggets and sugary breakfast cereals during early-evening family viewing.
There is concern that while characters such as Shrek or Postman Pat cannot be used to endorse food products on TV, companies can continue to use brand characters, such as Tony the Tiger on Kellogg’s Frosties.
Read more...
In praise of ... hummus
The Guardian, Leader
The disappearance of hummus from the shelves after a hygiene problem at a plant supplying supermarkets has revealed the depth of popular addiction to this appealing paste. Its taste, at once earthy and refreshing, now has a large place in the British palate. Its grainy texture offers what food chemists call "mouthfeel" at its best. It is as moreish as chocolate or ice cream, yet its healthy ingredients induce a feeling of virtue not available with those of other foodstuffs. Who could shake a stick at sesame seeds, chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, garlic and lemon juice? And who expects to wake up to find that the British Medical Journal has identified hummus as the cause of some feared disease?
In praise of ... hummus
Leader
Friday February 23, 2007
The Guardian
The disappearance of hummus from the shelves after a hygiene problem at a plant supplying supermarkets has revealed the depth of popular addiction to this appealing paste. Its taste, at once earthy and refreshing, now has a large place in the British palate. Its grainy texture offers what food chemists call "mouthfeel" at its best. It is as moreish as chocolate or ice cream, yet its healthy ingredients induce a feeling of virtue not available with those of other foodstuffs. Who could shake a stick at sesame seeds, chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, garlic and lemon juice? And who expects to wake up to find that the British Medical Journal has identified hummus as the cause of some feared disease?
It is best made at home, but bought versions are not to be despised. In the Middle East it is a dip about which there are many schools of thought. The supersmooth hummus of Beirut is different from that of Damascus, lighter than that of Cairo, and a world away from the rougher product of Cypriot kitchens, while the Israelis tend to skimp on the olive oil. Apart from using good oil, the most important difference is to do with the chickpea skins, which must be rigorously rubbed off, or else grittiness ensues.
The process through which hummus, pesto and salsa have become essential lubricants of British life, displacing the old trinity of salad cream, tomato ketchup and brown sauce, has been a beneficial one. But while pesto divides and salsa inflames, hummus soothes. May it soon return to the aisles.
Read more...
The disappearance of hummus from the shelves after a hygiene problem at a plant supplying supermarkets has revealed the depth of popular addiction to this appealing paste. Its taste, at once earthy and refreshing, now has a large place in the British palate. Its grainy texture offers what food chemists call "mouthfeel" at its best. It is as moreish as chocolate or ice cream, yet its healthy ingredients induce a feeling of virtue not available with those of other foodstuffs. Who could shake a stick at sesame seeds, chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, garlic and lemon juice? And who expects to wake up to find that the British Medical Journal has identified hummus as the cause of some feared disease?
In praise of ... hummus
Leader
Friday February 23, 2007
The Guardian
The disappearance of hummus from the shelves after a hygiene problem at a plant supplying supermarkets has revealed the depth of popular addiction to this appealing paste. Its taste, at once earthy and refreshing, now has a large place in the British palate. Its grainy texture offers what food chemists call "mouthfeel" at its best. It is as moreish as chocolate or ice cream, yet its healthy ingredients induce a feeling of virtue not available with those of other foodstuffs. Who could shake a stick at sesame seeds, chickpeas, olive oil, cumin, garlic and lemon juice? And who expects to wake up to find that the British Medical Journal has identified hummus as the cause of some feared disease?
It is best made at home, but bought versions are not to be despised. In the Middle East it is a dip about which there are many schools of thought. The supersmooth hummus of Beirut is different from that of Damascus, lighter than that of Cairo, and a world away from the rougher product of Cypriot kitchens, while the Israelis tend to skimp on the olive oil. Apart from using good oil, the most important difference is to do with the chickpea skins, which must be rigorously rubbed off, or else grittiness ensues.
The process through which hummus, pesto and salsa have become essential lubricants of British life, displacing the old trinity of salad cream, tomato ketchup and brown sauce, has been a beneficial one. But while pesto divides and salsa inflames, hummus soothes. May it soon return to the aisles.
Read more...
Thursday, February 22, 2007
A woman's place: France rocked by Michelin's latest three-star chef
The Guardian
By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
It has been lampooned as a stultifying snapshot of France's most pretentious places to eat - a testosterone-charged arena of stress-ridden alpha males catering to conservative businessmen on expense accounts. But the French Michelin guide, the influential "little red book" of gastronomy, appeared to take a step into the modern age yesterday by awarding its top three-star accolade to the first female chef in more than 50 years.
Anne-Sophie Pic, 37 - a petite, softly spoken and revered chef who has headed the kitchen at La Maison Pic in the south-eastern French town of Valence for more than a decade - is only the fourth woman to win the top award. A specialist in fish, her signature dishes include sea bass caught in coastal waters and steamed over wakame kelp, served with gillardeau oyster bonbons, cucumber chutney and vodka and lemon butter sauce. But although she came late to haute cuisine, the chef, who prefers to mix textures and flavours rather than radically alter ingredients, comes from a gastronomic dynasty. Both her grandfather, famous for his crayfish gratin, and father had three stars in their time.
Read more...
By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
It has been lampooned as a stultifying snapshot of France's most pretentious places to eat - a testosterone-charged arena of stress-ridden alpha males catering to conservative businessmen on expense accounts. But the French Michelin guide, the influential "little red book" of gastronomy, appeared to take a step into the modern age yesterday by awarding its top three-star accolade to the first female chef in more than 50 years.
Anne-Sophie Pic, 37 - a petite, softly spoken and revered chef who has headed the kitchen at La Maison Pic in the south-eastern French town of Valence for more than a decade - is only the fourth woman to win the top award. A specialist in fish, her signature dishes include sea bass caught in coastal waters and steamed over wakame kelp, served with gillardeau oyster bonbons, cucumber chutney and vodka and lemon butter sauce. But although she came late to haute cuisine, the chef, who prefers to mix textures and flavours rather than radically alter ingredients, comes from a gastronomic dynasty. Both her grandfather, famous for his crayfish gratin, and father had three stars in their time.
Read more...
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Bon appetit - and now we're growing our own
The Guardian
By Tim Hayward
Britain produces more mozzarella than Italy and air-dried ham to rival Parma's. On the way are olives and single-estate tea.
Talk to a foodie about food miles these days and you will probably get an enthusiastic response taking in local suppliers, independent traders and the simply super organic veg box they get from a little man just outside the M25. It has become cool to think and act local. But what about all that French cheese and charcuterie, that Umbrian olive oil and single-estate Darjeeling? In the dark days of our culinary past we learned to love the imported foods that tasted so much better than our own and now, in order to be green, it seems we may have to learn to live without them.
Read more...
By Tim Hayward
Britain produces more mozzarella than Italy and air-dried ham to rival Parma's. On the way are olives and single-estate tea.
Talk to a foodie about food miles these days and you will probably get an enthusiastic response taking in local suppliers, independent traders and the simply super organic veg box they get from a little man just outside the M25. It has become cool to think and act local. But what about all that French cheese and charcuterie, that Umbrian olive oil and single-estate Darjeeling? In the dark days of our culinary past we learned to love the imported foods that tasted so much better than our own and now, in order to be green, it seems we may have to learn to live without them.
Read more...
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