Pigs don their wellies on Alex James’ farm for the launch of ‘Jamie Oliver Presents The Big Feastival with Alex James’
Supper heroes
By day they walk amongst us, spending their weeks unnoticed, as they live out a normal life as teachers, journalists and doctors. But at the weekend, their super-human cooking powers come to life, turning their homes into pop-up restaurants around London to become ‘The Supperheroes Series’.
Courtyard at 51
I thought I knew London well, but The Courtyard at 51 was a real surprise. Hidden away in a quiet street in Victoria just minutes from the station is a secluded alfresco eating and drinking spot that I had no idea existed. I don’t mean a tiny terrace or narrow pavement that is so typical of inner London outdoor spaces: this atmospheric area with an elegant fountain as its centrepiece is a spacious oasis.
Get half price tickets to Global Feast 2012
Global Feast is an unforgettable artistic dining experience that will dish up the best foods of the world every night during the Olympic Games. Each evening 80 diners will head to the courtyard at Old Town Hall Stratford to discover a country through its cuisine starting in West African on Wednesday 25th July and ending with a symbolic handover to Brazil on Monday 13th August
Love Affair in the Kitchen; French Wines with Style
Give Alan Kingsbury a bottle of French regional wine and he starts to get hungry.. Give him two and the cooking really begins.
Restaurant review- Bombay Palace
Arguably, everyone loves a curry. But, as any discerning fellow knows, there’s curry and there’s curry. There’s the huge vats of base gravy turned into sickly-sweet kormas; dull, derivative dhansaks; or vicious, volcanic vindaloos. Then there are scratch cooked, silky, butter-based sauces; bright green, spanking fresh herbal preparations; and thick, nut-enriched pastes. And Bombay Palace are firm champions of the latter bunch.
Slow-cooked Venezuelan Orange Pork with Plantain Yo-yo’s and Handmade Herby Flatbreads
A few weekends ago, I was in the Boiler House Food Hall on Brick lane and had my first taste of Venezuela…and it was good! I probed the stall owner for the recipe for his outstanding slow cooked orange pork, but a reticence to divulge a family secret meant I walked away empty handed. So, I had to invent this recipe from the flavours I could discern from the original. The addition of Plantain Yo-Yos is a fun South American classic I had always wanted to try, and herby flatbread is an old favourite of mine. Give this recipe a try, or alternatively get down Brick Lane. If you manage to wrestle the recipe from the stoic stall owner, tweet Foodepedia. Please!
Chocolate making with Lindt’s Master Chocolatier
It’s graphic art. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Metallic gold leaf, once adorning my chocolate martini, is now sticking firmly to my red lipstick. It’s anything but subtle, as several of my compatriots have pointed out. Cocoa loco, indeed.
Avocado recipes
The sun is coming out at last! And to celebrate, here’s a hamper full of sandwich recipes, all featuring Hass avocados. Easy to prepare Hass avocados are a great ingredient for healthy and tasty sandwiches. They’re packed with nutrients and monounsaturated fats (or “good†fats). The Hass variety has a creamy flesh and a nice nutty flavour. They are available in the UK until September.
Thorntons GB chocolate competition
Keith Hurdman holds the accolade of 2011’s Joint Chocolatier of the Year. He also hold the title of Thorntons’ master chocolatier- surely one of the most desirable jobs on the market. He might have trained all over Europe, winning medals left, right, and centre, but Keith’s current obsession is with all things British. And one of my current obsessions is his Bakewell Tart bar- a remarkable Willy Wonka treat distilling every last drop of the scrumptious pudding into a block of creamy milk chocolate.