Have you got the 24th September written down in your diaries and importantly; are you lowering your prices on that day?
Many pubs and restaurants in the United Kingdom will be reducing the cost of their food and drink in an industry wide effort to highlight the benefits of slashing hospitality VAT.
15,000 venues have already signed up to take part in what has been dubbed ‘Tax Equality Day’, which has been masterminded and organised by the VAT Club.
During opening hours the participating establishments will cut their food and drink prices by 7.5%.
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With the August Bank Holiday tantalisingly on the horizon just like the late summer sun, people are hoping that the weather holds up so that they can turn towards a little bit of outside catering over the course of this extended weekend.
But the Food Standards Agency has issued a few carefully chosen words on warning ahead of the elongated weekend.
Food poisoning, they say, is still a real danger and that problem is exasperated when people turn to cooking outdoors. [ Read More ]
We’ve seen and heard of some pretty exhausting shifts that have been put in by chefs, but the near two day shift worked by Gareth Kyle really does take the biscuit – and the world record.
As part of the Eat! Festival, Kyle, from Gateshead, set himself the mammoth challenge of breaking the current world record for non-stop cooking. Over the weekend he put in a ridiculous 41 consecutive hours in Newcastle city centre and entered the record books.
Streamed live, Gareth’s event will now enter the Guinness Book of World Records and as per the rules passers-by got to sample his culinary handiwork as none of the food prepared could go to waste.
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One of the leading potato breeders in the United Kingdom – yes, such a title does exist and it is highly sought after in the industry – has spoken out to criticise the current fascination with aesthetically beautiful spuds.
According to Dr Finlay Dale, from the James Hutton Institute, people are far more on concerned with external quality that other factors, especially when it comes to the breeding process.
Speaking at the Potatoes in Practice event, held this year just outside of Dundee, Dr Dale stated that “[Britain] must have the most attractive compost heaps in Europe.”
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“I say smoke is the sixth sense,” says Edward Lee, a Korean-American-Southern chef in his 2013 cookbook. For all of us who are immediately drawn to barbecues as soon as the sun comes out, we’re likely to agree. That unmistakable smell and then, during that first bite, that irreplaceable and utterly comforting smoky flavour permeates from the meat and produce and lingers on the tongue.
But, those pesky scientists have other ideas with their empirical evidence and whatnot. Flavour, is different to taste and comprises of three elements: taste, physical stimulation and smell – and most of the flavour of smoke comes from smell.
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In the grand scheme of things, there aren’t many better things that a perfectly cooked steak – if you enjoy a more carnivorous diet, of course. The beauty of the steak is its simplicity. To do cook it perfectly you need not stare away at the oven longingly for a couple of hours whilst the afternoon passes by; all it needs, as you will well know, is a handful of minutes and you have an almost flawless meal prepared in, comparatively, next to no time at all.
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Revered for a pungent odour that has been likened, rather diplomatically, to raw sewage and a formidable thorn-covered husk, the Durian has unsurprisingly failed to make any inroads into the culinary habits on our shores just yet.
But, prepare yourselves; whilst the infamous south-east Asian fruit has been available in Great Britain for some time, a new, more repugnant variety is set to hit the shelves. Banned in many public establishments and spaces in Singapore, the Durian splits opinion; a bit like marmite only a lot smellier.
Writing in The New York Times, Thomas Fuller waxes lyrical about the fruit stating that ‘you’ll experience overtones of hazelnut, apricot, caramelised banana and egg custard.’ Yet, ‘words fail’ in describing just what lies inside the barbed casing. Others just point to towards its pong as reason enough never go near it.
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Our flavourite storm in a teacup
This little creation could not be easier to make, nor could it look any more elegant if you want to combine crockery and cooking to create one sumptuous tea-time desert! (Though of course you won’t be eating the cup unless you have a taste for porcelain
We recommended using some small china teacups for the best and most antique look, however any size of cup, or mug, will suffice! Those unable to resist this delicious recipe may want to invest in a builder’s mug to fill up with this squidgy, chocolate pudding.
It is probably best not to use the priceless family heirloom for these. Just in case.
…continue reading Chocolate teacup puddings
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Don’t let the dinner cause you problems!
We all want you to have the best time over the next couple of days and many houses up and down the country will be looking forward to a beautifully roasted turkey for Christmas dinner.
Unfortunately, it could also be the most dangerous part of the holidays.
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Love them or hate them…they are here, Brussel sprouts.
They appear every year and as a child I dedicated many a Christmas day avoiding them like the plague. For some reason it seemed to take an age to prepare them, boiled for at least an hour so the whole house stank…and what you were left with was soggy cabbage-like mush.
Well no longer!
This is actually the worst way to cook sprouts- or in fact any vegetable.
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Author
Damien Wilde