Food 'n' Drink – Food and Drink news |

Bistro du Vin, Hotel du Vin, Smoak and Malmaison have announced that they have created 2 new food and drink dining clubs; Societe du Vin and ClubMal. Over the years, these well known brands have created several food and drink initiative that have been tailored to the loyal following they have from their diners.

In the latest wave of voucher 3^rd parties, they have created a new programme where guests reap heavily discounted benefits that carry no hidden costs, only great perks that are being passed directly onto the customer.

Food favourites to be enjoyed at such hotel restaurants as the Roast du Vin include 2 course Sunday lunches and cheese platters with a bottle of wine. Whereas the popular Mal Steak Nights will also be available for fine diners who enjoy a hearty meal.

The two programmes – ClubMal for Malmaison and Smoak, and Societe du Vin for Hotel du Vin, Pub du Vin and Bistro du Vin, launched on the 4th January 2012 with a 50% off food offer for January. On registration an email is dispatched with the latest offers based on the register’s preferences. Each month the brands will distribute varying promotions as well as individual hotels providing independently tailored offers for the properties. The user simply clicks on the URL to the registration pages, completes the form stating their preference, and will receive the voucher via email or direct to their smart phone. There is no obligation or cost to sign up and receive the offers.

In addition, Hotel du Vin, Pub du Vin, Bistro du Vin, Malmaison and Smoak will be working with their nominated suppliers to create bespoke packages, events and offers integrating their valued products. Everything from Donald Russell steak nights and La Cave à Fromage cheese tastings, to exclusive competitions and inspired menu’s created in partnership with local suppliers; the offers will support the brands ethos of homegrown and local, a celebration of all that’s great about the regions and their amazing people.

Malmaison will convert any pessimist with divinely tasty, beautifully presented cuisine prepared with incredible local ingredients and served with passion. All the Mal bars have lashings of attitude, and have been designed with an eye to the hip, trendy and chic, offering patrons a venue in which to sip delicious signature cocktails before taking up the ClubMal offer. Hotel du Vin’s concept is bistro dining and an excellence in wine with rooms attached. An elegant and atmospheric setting for lunch or dinner and an ideal place to meet, celebrate or simply pass the time. Add to this the passion for everything from whisky to local beers and of course, wine, all served by knowledgeable, helpful and passionate people.

The programmes ClubMal and Societe du Vin are about rewarding and engaging the loyal diner at a time when the passion for great dining reigns supreme, but a cost conscious market place dictates a need to drive value for money.

Spanish Young Chef of the Year title goes to Pierre Koffmann protege

A young protege of Pierre Koffmann has been named as the Spanish Young Chef of the Year in the 2012 competition. Ben Murphy is a 21 year old chef working under Koffmann at the Berkeley, and his prize for coming first in the competition is to spend a week in the kitchen of one of only the few restaurants in Spain which have 3 Michelin stars; Akelare.

Ben travels to Spain later in the year to complete his placement under the world renowned chef Pedro Subijana. Ben competed against 8 other finalists in the cook-off stage of this nationwide competition, which has a first round that is paper based. This is an annual competition held with the aim of encouraging chefs under the age of 25 to experiment and explore the exciting range of fresh Spanish produce and other ingredients.

Dishes which are inspired by the great Spanish cuisine are actively encouraged, and every course has to feature an ingredient from these pairs; rice or pulses, persimon or picota cherries and strawberries or raspberries.

Ben’s winning menu was a starter of Salmon with pickled lemon zest, cauliflower, chorizo and yolk; a main course of leg and breast of duck, potato cannelloni and stuffed morcilla cherries; and Tonka bean & almond soufflé, with cherimoya, raspberry and almond for dessert.

Second place was awarded to William Chilila of The Orrery restaurant in London, and third place went to Billy Stock of the Opera Tavern also in London.

William’s menu included a dressed crab starter with persimon and beetroot salad; seared marinated fillet of black Ibérico pork with pickled fennel, caramelised salsify, white onion puree and wild rice for main course; followed by orange panacotta with marinated Spanish strawberries and basil sorbet for dessert.

Billy’s menu featured Spanish style potted crab with ajo blanco, raspberry gel and Iberico de Bellota for starter; a main course of spiced Ibérico pork loin with braised Ibérico cheek and black bean stew finished with Pedro Ximenez jus; and Créme Catalan parfait torta de almond crumb and black olive caramel for dessert.

María José Sevilla, Director of Foods from Spain said: “The quality of this year’s finalists has been outstanding. It’s great to see young chefs taking inspiration of Spanish cooking and ingredients to produce such superb dishes.

“We were very impressed by Ben’s menu and knowledge of Spanish cuisine. I’m sure his placement at Akelaŕe will be both enjoyable and beneficial to his career and we wish him every success in the future”.

The judging panel was made up of Director of Foods from Spain, María José Sevilla, chef and author Peter Gordon, President of the Guild of Food Writers, Jane Suthering, and chef lecturer José Souto.

The competition was sponsored by LA Organic and Endor Gourmet Foods, who provided ingredients for the cook off. Foods from Spain expects to launch the Spanish Young Chef of the Year 2013 competition later this year.

Celebrity chef and author of the #1 best selling book Indian Superfood, Gurpareet Bains, has produced a new collection of recipes entitled Indian Superspices. These recipes are all lab inspired and are aimed at helping sufferers of everyday ailments such as PMT, colds, insomnia and hangovers.

In his own unique way, Bains uses spices in a medicinal capacity to help in alleviating anxiety, stress, allergies and a whole host of other common ailments. They are also an aid to detoxing as well as helping to manage weight loss. Bains enjoys a vast fan base including Royalty and A list celebs. He created the ‘worlds healthiest meal’ and was names as chef of the year by the 2011 English Curry Awards.

On his journey, Gurpareet reveals the amazing secrets of a spice that has been scientifically-proven by the US FDA in the treatment of asthma, diabetes, psoriasis and viral infections, as well as inhibition of cancer cell growth and improvement of the immune system. Gurpareet proves that Indian cuisine is robust enough to absorb medicinal quantities of spices and still deliver delicious meals.

This Ebook is an extraordinary collection of over 60 recipes augmented with compelling medical research and photography. Indian Superspices is a radical shakeup of the Indian kitchen: a fascinating voyage into virgin gastronomic territory.

Release date: Thursday January 26, 2012 – OUT NOW!

Available to buy online from Amazon: here.

Guy Wolley, the celebrity chef, has recently said that there is a huge shift in what people in Britain are eating, and typical fry ups for breakfast are changing into something much more healthy.

In a recent newspaper interview he commented, “Twenty years ago no one would have thought that the state of food in Britain would be like it is today. We have moved away from a very traditionally unhealthy diet to something much better for us. No one would have predicted that we would be seeing sushi bars on almost every high Street.”

Mr Wholley became a food commentator in 2002 and is also known for being the head chef at the Applegarth Farm restaurant, which is located in Grayshott, Surrey. He is known for his commentary on environmental issues as well as increasing the health of the diet the people in the country eat.

He continued, “The British breakfast is a bit boring and we need to add a bit of interest to it. We can look to our European neighbours for some inspiration into a breakfast foods. In Scandinavia they eat dark bread and herring for breakfast which is worlds away from anything we would consume.”

He has also been working to change the way we eat breakfast and is wanting to move it away from a single course meal. In London he has recently started serving breakfast with three courses. Starting off with muesli, moving onto eggs and cheese and then finishing it off with coffee.

Kallo Foods, Dorset Cereals, Windmill Organics, The Food Doctor, Tree of Life, Green & Blacks, Infinity Foods and Clipper Teas are just some of the big names that will be exhibiting in this years Natural Food Show at Olympia on the 1st and 2nd of April 2012. This is the only event in the UK dedicated to organic and natural products and is a trade event run by Natural and Organic Products Europe.

The Natural Food Show will be showcasing thousands of speciality brands of food and drink from well over 300 exhibitors, as well as providing products for thousands of professional buyers from the likes of caterers, specialist retailers, restaurants, cafes, delis and farm shops.

These establishments get the opportunity to purchase a vast array of organic, natural, Fairtrade, biodynamic, and free from and special diet item from suppliers across the globe who all converge to give the trade a real treat as a far as natural and organic produce goes.

Although there has been a dedicated food section at Natural & Organic Products Europe throughout its 16-year history, the launch of the rebranded Natural Food Show last year, in 2011, reflected the ongoing shift in consumer awareness and demand for natural, more sustainably and ethically produced, food and drink. Having worked on the show for nine years, event director Simon Barry has personally witnessed many former niche exhibitors become internationally-recognised brands with mass-market appeal. Commenting on recent research carried out by IGD ShopperTrack (source: ‘Jamie Oliver generation’ emerges from the UK foodie revolution, 28 November 2011), which found that shoppers under 35 were twice as likely to want organic food as those over 35, Barry said:

“There has been a huge increase in the understanding of the benefits of natural and organic food. Companies like Amy’s Kitchen, nakd, innocent smoothies, Green & Black’s and Nairn’s Oatcakes, were virtually unknown outside of the industry before they exhibited at Natural & Organic Products Europe and now they have a huge consumer following. And, based on the evidence, it’s a trend that’s going to continue.
As each new generation becomes more and more health conscious, stores and eateries will need to ensure that they expand their natural, organic, free-from and special diet selections to cater for the growing number of customers who care about provenance and sustainability, and how their food and drink is processed. ”
With just under three months still to go, visitor pre-registration, which opened just last week, is already up over 50% on the same time in 2011, and exhibition space is now 90% sold out.

While this is largely due to the enthusiastic return of many big name brands – including The Health Store, Essential Trading, Suma Wholefoods, Community Foods, Clearspring, Marigold Health Foods, Alara Wholefoods, Amy’s Kitchen, Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods, Pukka Herbs, James White Drinks, Queenswood Natural Foods, and Redwood Wholefood Company – a wealth of first time exhibitors will also be in attendance. These include Morgiel Fine & Organic Foods, importers of high quality Polish produce; Devon-based Rookbeare Farm, with its uniquely-flavoured ice-creams and sorbets; award-winning organic seasonal soups producer Rod & Ben’s;
The Botanical Drinks Co, creators of Lull – a sparkling fruit and botanical relaxation drink; Bravura Foods, exclusive distributor for award winning Panda Confectionery products in the UK and Ireland; The Tomato Stall, who’ll be showcasing 100% natural tomato products from the Isle-of-Wight; and Dr Lucy’s, with its gluten, nut, egg and milk free cookies.

New features include the Natural Food Show’s first ever dedicated Vegan Society pavilion. Plus, there’ll also be plenty of opportunity for buyers to refresh their international ranges, with an all new French pavilion joining Austria, Brazil, USA, France, Italy, and Latvia.

While the show’s mainstays – The Fairtrade Trail, Vegetarian Trail, Free-from Trail, New Product Showcase, FoodLovers Approved pavilion, The West Country Food & Drink pavilion, Organic Trade Board pavilion, and the popular Soil Association Organic Marketplace promoting local delicacies from innovative new start-ups, all return with an eclectic mix of real food with sustainable provenance.

It’s not just the exhibitors at The Natural Food Show that promises to draw in the crowds however. This year’s live Natural Food Kitchen sessions will see a host of top chefs and nutritional experts demonstrating how a renewed focus on raw, vegan, vegetarian, organic, allergy-free and medicinal cookery can increase healthy menu options and boost business in the process.

The Natural Food Show at Natural & Organic Products Europe on 1-2 April 2012 is free to attend for pre-registered trade visitors and relevant press representatives only. To register, and be kept fully up-to-date with all the latest news and exhibitor information, please visit http://www.naturalproducts.co.uk quoting priority code NPE12050.

Folly Russian Matryoshka measuring cups

Folly, the stylish boutique found on the internet have added a clever and strictly limited edition set of Matryoshka  Russian measuring cups to their already abundant collection of home wares, vintage items and designer led gifts. Like the Russian dolls, these cups all fit inside each other to create an essential kitchen item that won’t clutter up the worktops.

The cups range in measurements from ¼ through to a full cup size, encompassing both quarter and third cup sizes, making 6 in all. They have been created from heavy duty and food safe Engineering plastic that ensures they will be invaluable for years to come. These Matryoshka cups are useful, easy to store and will add a charm to any kitchen.

Tea drinking in England goes back centuries, since the first tea was imported in the mid 17^th century, the British have gone mad for it. Although tea didn’t originate in England, we have China to thank for that, the craze took hold of England with such gusto that drinking tea is now very much thought of as an English tradition. Whilst its popularity has peaked and troughed over the years it has never gone out of fashion.

Tea is available absolutely everywhere these days; cafes, tea shops, restaurants, gastro pubs, supermarkets, health food outlets, anywhere you go sells tea in some shape or form. You can now buy tea online from a tea shop, and it is increasingly popular due to both convenience and the variety and ranges available. Those with a more discerning palate who like a tea that is out of the ordinary invariably head online to track down their favourite blend.

Master tea producers Twinings offer one of the most comprehensive online ranges of tea that you will find anywhere. The greatest teas from around the world are all covered by Twinings globally recognised and respected brand, and there literally is a tea to suit everybody and every occasion.

The rise in popularity of herbal and fruit teas has been phenomenal, and Twinings have been right at the forefront of this revolution. A trip to their website will take you into a world of teas that you never knew existed. There are loose teas, tea bags, traditional teas, green tea, exotic teas, you name it, and you can buy it online from Twinings. There are even 2 free samples available so you can try before you buy.

Whether you have a penchant for a Chai Black tea, or a revitalising cup of lemon and ginger tea, or even a caffeine free Redbush blend, you will find it online from Twinings. Whether you are already an avid tea drinker, or want to try something new and exciting, head down to the Twinings website and see what they have available. There is so much available that you would be hard pressed to have a drink of the same tea twice.

You can order multiple packs to try, or simply stock up on your favourite type and rest in the knowledge that you are never going to run out. As long as there are British citizens there will be tea, and as long as there is tea, we will have Twinings.

Article for Twinings