It’s big, it’s blue and it has loads of uses. Get some Gorgonzola and don’t just save it for the cheeseboard.

Royal cheesemonger Paxton & Whitfield have launched a new line of’retro’ Pots of Cheese that come in two flavours – Cheddar Rarebit and Stilton with Tawny Port.

Are you taking your tablet to the kitchen to cook with? Then the QOOQ could be your next kitchen treat. Packed with recipes and professional videos and built to take the knocks, this dedicated tablet from France looks good. Nick Harman goes to meet the makers in Paris.

For Christmas, the hand crafted chocolate company from Gnawfolk has released two special chocolate bars that conjur up the spirit of the festive season.

You wouldn’t think that behind Oxford Street’s Christmas huffers and sharp elbows is an oasis of south Indian charm, but that’s La Porte des Inde’s secret. Now,on the final Friday of every month, they host a master class and Anita Pati got stuck in.

The White Horse held their Annual Old Ale Festival for the thirtieth time last weekend, an event that sees the pub meticulously clean their cellar and lines to bring in around 80 different beers, from old ales, porters, stouts and barley wines, to strong ales and milds.

Do you reach thoughtlessly for a packet of hard Italian cheese – or make your decision based on colour, age and flavour? Joanna Biddolph urges you to look carefully when you buy – including for evidence of success at the World Cheese Awards. 

Champagne goes hand in hand with Christmas, so put the fizz into this year’s festivities with Champagne + Fromage. The Covent Garden shop and bistro has a whole host of Christmassy gift boxes, bottles of beautiful grower Champagne, cheese and foodie favourites.

Stir Up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent, kickstarts preparations for Christmas over-indulgence – it’s traditionally the day the Christmas pudding mixture is made and cooked. It’s extraordinarily easy to make, as Joanna Biddolph discovered at a Stir Up Sunday event with Asda and Leiths School of Food and Wine.  

Forza Win(ter) being more of a supper club than pop-up restaurant means that you sit on communal tables of ten and there’s no choice of food. Instead a big pan of fonduta is placed onto a hotplate in the middle of the table, which you then ladle into bowls and eat with the roasted vegetables and meats, as and when they arrive.