It’s a simple question that required a very complex but forward thinking answer.
Just how do you keep food constantly cold in the most demanding of environments?
That was the question posed to Adande, a Lowestoft-based company that specialises in refrigeration and ventilation systems in offshore locations.
The company’s founders, Ian Wood and George Young, had been asked by people within the foodservice industry that worked primarily on North Sea oil and gas rigs, if it was possible to create a refrigerator or freezer that would constantly holds its temperature.
[ Read More ]
An early morning slice of bread, toasted, and then covered in butter and (lime) marmalade is one of the simpler things in life that I enjoy from time to time. Come to think of it, I really do like a good bread and butter pudding as well.
Basically, I like bread – this recipe is great too by the way.
However there is one freshly cooked loaf that I think would have to be kept away from the toaster or the oven. Instead of finding a home in the breadbin, it is more likely to take up residence in a heavily guarded Swiss bank account.
Robert Didier, who at one point trained with Raymond Blanc, has baked what is set to become the United Kingdom’s most expensive bread.
[ Read More ]
Urban and rustic decors have become very popular within the restaurant trade in recent years.
Characterised by exposed brick and woodwork, antiquated character pieces and open hanging light fittings; this scheme has been picked up by a new wave of establishments that have taken gastronomy to new heights of popularity.
On the surface, it may appear that Christmas themes may be out of the question. However there’s always a style to suit any and all venues. But by adopting a neutral base palette with flashes of brighter colours of white, silver and gold, traditional festive colours can be injected without in any way being overbearing.
[ Read More ]
The weather is set for a September renaissance this week, but sadly the longer term forecasts suggests that we are set for a traditional British autumn rather than a prolonged ‘Indian summer’. However that won’t stop us from talking about a true heatwave treat: Ice cream.
Did you know that we are beginning to shift away from the traditional Neapolitan flavours towards crazier varieties?
That is what an ice cream supplier found out in a recent survey.
Chefs, operators and restaurant owners were all asked about the dining habits of their clientele and over two-thirds of respondents said that new flavours such as grape and salter caramel were being gobbled up at the end of a meal.
[ Read More ]
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%.
[ Read More ]
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.
[ Read More ]
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.”
[ Read More ]
“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.
[ Read More ]
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.
[ Read More ]
Author
Damien Wilde