Venice foodie guide: where locals eat and drink
Explore the sights fuelled by natural wines, squid-ink spaghetti and pear, chocolate and ricotta pie
Looking for Venice restaurants? Local food writer Gina Tringali shares her insider tips for where to eat in Venice, and where to get cream-filled doughnuts, squid-ink spaghetti and more in the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region. Now learn 10 things we love about Puglian cuisine. Cantina Do Mori – for cicchetti Visiting Venice without trying cicchetti (the Venetian equivalent of tapas) at a bacaro (a neighbourhood wine bar) would be unthinkable. Venerable Cantina Do Mori is an institution where francobolli – tiny sandwiches filled with sliced meats, radicchio, gorgonzola or roasted vegetables – is the speciality. 00 39 041 522 5401 Osteria ai Promessi Sposi – for low-key dinner For a quiet meal away from the crowds, grab a table at the unassuming Osteria ai Promessi Sposi. Order the stuffed mussels, squid-ink spaghetti, ravioli with red radicchio and fegato alla veneziana (fried calf’s liver and onions). Then finish with the molten chocolate lava cake. 00 39 041 241 2747 Estro – for a contemporary enoteca (wine bar) With a list of more than 700 (mostly natural) wines from Italy and beyond, at contemporary enoteca Estro you can snack on baccalà mantecato (creamed salt cod), meatballs in tomato sauce and sarde beccafico (sardines baked with lemon, cheese and breadcrumbs) at the bar or try one of three tasting menus. estrovenezia.com Where to stay in Venice – Hotel Ca’ Gottardi All hotels have been chosen and reviewed independently by our expert locals. This page contains affiliate links and we may receive a small commission for purchases made, but this comes at no extra cost to you and helps us to continue providing top-quality content for our loyal readers. Doubles from £62 per night, check availability at booking.com Conveniently located in the central Cannaregio district, in a 15th-century Venetian palace, Hotel Ca’ Gottardi oozes Italian style. Arty and elegant, the tiny hotel has comfortable rooms, helpful staff and a lounge that offers tea, coffee and biscotti throughout the day. cagottardi.com Torrefazione Cannaregio – for old-school coffee Sip on a creamy cappuccino or straight-up espresso at the lively Torrefazione Cannaregio, where beans have been roasted for more than 80 years. Stock up on chocolate-covered coffee beans to take home. torrefazionecannaregio.it Acquolina Cooking School – for cookery classes Escape to the tranquil island of Lido for a lesson with chef Marika at the Acquolina Cooking School. Dishes are prepared with local products and include stuffed calamari with braised artichokes, pasta with seafood, and panna cotta. acquolina.com Vino Vero – for natural wines A gathering place for natural-wine lovers, minuscule bar Vino Vero stands out among the mediocre restaurants and pubs located along the Fondamenta della Misericordia. Feast on sublime cured anchovy canapés with friarielli greens, baccalà mantecato and seasonal vegetables over a glass or two. vinovero.wine Osteria Alle Testiere – for a fish supper Book one of the nine tables at charming Osteria Alle Testiere, where the fish-based menu changes daily. Dine on fluffy gnocchi with baby squid, local sautéed caparossoli clams and grilled crustaceans. For dessert, ask for a tasting of the weekly featured cheese or indulge in a pear, chocolate and ricotta pie. osterialletestiere.it Dal Nono Coluss – for a family-run bakery Family-run Dal Nono Colussi is the real deal. Franco (aka Nono), daughter Linda and granddaughter Marina work tirelessly making their renowned fugassa (a sweet focaccia) and krapfen (cream-filled doughnuts). Get there just after 9am to buy the latter still warm from the oven. dalnonocolussi.com CoVino – for bistro dining Cosy CoVino features a three-course, prix-fixe menu packed with Slow Food produce. Its creative seasonal dishes include squilla mantis shrimp with radicchio and pomegranate, spaghetti in salsa di gò (a strongly flavoured Venetian sauce made with fish from the adjacent lagoon) and roast capon with a pumpkin purée. covinovenezia.com Words by Gina Tringali Food writer Gina Tringali designs food and wine tours for Casa Mia Italy Food & Wine Tours and GT Food & Travel. High waters are a common occurrence in Venice during the winter months and can cause flooding in parts of the city. If you’re planning a trip, monitor weather updates and follow the advice of local authorities. More places to eat and drink in Venice… Osteria Ca’d’Oro/ La Vedova A picturesque and historic bacaro known by two different names, people jostle at the bar here for small plates of Venetian meatballs, baccalà mantecato (creamed salt cod), sardine in saor (sweet and sour sardines), and artichoke hearts to go with their drinks. Calle del Pistor 3942; 00 39 41 528 5324 La Cantina With its outside tables La Cantina is worth a stop whatever the time of day. As its name (‘the cellar’) suggests, it’s a place to drink good wine and also a house beer, Morgana. Let Francesco advise you. He prepares high quality, market-driven dishes such as raw and cooked fish with crisp seasonal vegetables. Cannaregio 3689, Campo San Felice; 00 39 041 522 8258 Alle due Gondolette In a working-class neighbourhood far from the tourist flow, don’t miss Alle due Gondolette. This restaurant’s respectable family cooking includes baccala mantecato (creamed dried cod) and the baccala alle vincentina (dried cod with polenta). Fondamenta de le Capuzine, 3016, 30121 Anice Stellato Amid an elegant yet rustic setting, packed with locals and serving traditional Venetian cooking with modern influences, Franca, the chef, and her team will take very good care of you at Anice Stellato. The menu changes every day; if it’s on, definitely try the frittura of fish and vegetables. osterianicestellato.com Osteria Bancogiro With its large terrace overlooking the Grand Canal, everything at Osteria Bancogiro is original and good, from eggplant-lardo-octopus tramezzini (little sandwiches, €2-5) to home-made bigoli (long, thick pasta) in salsa served with a cardoon (artichoke-like vegetable) puree (menu €35). osteriabancogiro.it Above words by Wby Laura Zavan This feature was published in February 2015 and updated January 2020 Photographs by Getty Images/Maremagnum
Bologna, Italy foodie guide: where locals eat and drink
Local markets, mortadella pizza and 'tree bark' chocolate make this northern Italian city a foodie hotspot
Looking for restaurants in Bologna? Want to know where to eat in the Italian foodie capital? Local food and travel writer Sarah Lane shares her insider tips for the best restaurants in Bologna, along with where to find the best pizza, handmade pasta and mortadella sausage. For more inspiration, see our best ever Italian recipes and the 10 things we love about Trentino food, Sicilian cuisine and Tuscan food. Now learn 10 things we love about Puglian cuisine. Osteria del Sole – for local atmosphere Market stall holders have gathered to drink and put the world to rights at Osteria del Sole since 1465; nowadays they’re joined by students, tourists and professionals drawn to its old-time vibe and good wine. osteriadelsole.it Mercato di Mezzo – for pizza A beautifully converted market pavilion is home to Mercato di Mezzo, the new hot spot at the heart of Bologna’s historic open-air food market. Here there are a dozen stalls serving local snacks. Head upstairs for the main event, a ricotta and mortadella pizza. Via Francesco Rizzoli 9 Vecchia Scuola Bolognese – for a cookery school TV chef Alessandra Spisni, who picked up her traditional style of Bolognese cooking from her grandmother, is partly responsible for the recent surge in popularity of handmade pasta. After a half-day course with lunch at her Vecchia Scuola Bolognese you’ll come away with some much-sharpened pasta skills. lavecchiascuola.com Salumeria Simoni – for a food tour Book a mortadella tour with Davide Simoni of the Salumeria Simoni deli and you’ll be rewarded with an hour of culture and history focussed on Bologna’s famous sausage. Alternatively, buy a few slices from the deli to make your own panino filling. salumeriasimoni.it Trattoria Serghei – for authentic cuisine Tiny Trattoria Serghei, one of the city’s temples of authentic Bolognese cuisine, hides behind an unassuming exterior. Inside the cosy wood-panelled interior, choose from specialities like tagliatelle al ragù, stuffed courgettes with meatballs and sautéed chicory. Via Piella 12, 00 39 51 233 533 Osteria Dal Nonno – for a farmyard lunch A favourite treat for the locals is a trip into the hills for fragrant crescentine (fried dough puffs) and tigelle (baked bread discs) served with cold meats and cheeses. Find them at the farmyard tables of Osteria Dal Nonno. osteriadalnonno.bologna.it Da Maro – for Sicilian dishes Mediterranean-style Da Maro offers a lighter alternative to Bologna’s meatheavy menus. Sicilian chef Cristian Salas creates dishes inspired by his native island. Try the spaghetti with mussels, clams, frigitelli peppers and tomato confit. trattoriamaro.it Majani – for chocolate Italy’s first solid chocolate, the crinkly Scorza, which translates as ‘tree bark’, was made in 1832 by Bologna-based Majani. Another long-standing favourite worth stocking up on is the Fiat – a smooth and tender nutty flavoured chocolate commissioned in 1911 to mark the launch of the Fiat Tipo 4. majani.it/en Photographs: Matt Munro/Lonely Planet Traveller, Fabio Baradi
Ramsgate foodie guide: where locals eat and drink
Discover our pick of the best places to eat and drink in Ramsgate on the northeast coast of Kent
Looking for Ramsgate restaurants? This seaside town on the far northeast tip of Kent cashes in on old-world charm, offering hungry visitors much more than your standard beachside fish and chips. Here are our best places to eat and drink in Ramsgate... Arya – best small plates restaurant in Ramsgate To get to Arya, you have to go through The Ravensgate Arms – not exactly a hardship. Leave yourself time for a pre-dinner cocktail, the staff will happily add it to your restaurant bill, to be paid at the end. Enquiring glances follow you as you head up the stairs behind an unmarked door. At the top, a window into the kitchen gives you a glimpse of the action before you’re ushered into the small, six-table dining room decorated with local art, all of which is for sale. The menu is as petite as the dining room, but with three snacks, six small plates, three sharing plates and three desserts, there’s still plenty of choice – if, by some miracle, you’re not tempted to order one of everything. The larger sharing plates are simple but focused: baked Tunworth cheese with bread, whole bream with pink fir potatoes and Iberico pork with padron peppers. Read our full review of Arya here Vinyl Head – best vegan food in Ramsgate For a vinyl and vegan vibe, head to Vinyl Head café-cum-record store in Ramsgate’s Georgian heart. facebook.com/vinylheadramsgate The Albion – best place to stay in Ramsgate On the corner of grand Wellington Crescent, overlooking Ramsgate’s harbour, The Albion hotel is in prime position for sea-gazing, especially if you book the suite that comes with a wraparound terrace. The nine bedrooms at this Regency-style hotel are set around a beautiful circling staircase and come with fine bedlinen, plush carpets and an immaculate finish. The on-site restaurant and bar, Townley's, has just been renovated and covers most bases, from super-healthy salads to sliders, small plate sharing dishes to larger meat and fish dishes (try the whole chicken for two). If you visit at the weekend and don't fancy running the gauntlet of the noisier bars along the harbour, stay here and wallow in the elegant surroundings of the lounge areas or the hotel bar. albionhouseramsgate.co.uk Words and pictures by Leanne Bracey and Pami Hoggatt.
Trancoso, Brazil: best places to eat and drink
Where and what to eat and drink in Trancoso, an idyllic, palm-fringed beach town in the northeast of Brazil
Brazil’s 8000km of coastline isn’t short of tropical, palm-fringed paradise. But the best bit is surely Trancoso, in Bahia, Brazil’s northeastern coastal state. The hippies tripped into town here back in the Seventies, mingling with local fishermen, and chilling under the trees around the town square, known as the Quadrado. Now, this hippy escape has grown up, with a merry string of relaxed and unpretentious pousadas and boutique hotels, restaurants, and cafes. So what makes it better than anywhere else? Well, there’s an idyllic tropical beach. A thriving local community. Plentiful fresh seafood. Friendly people… we could go on. But what’s extra special, is that Trancoso has grown with its tourism. Incomers have blended with the community, used local tradesmen to restore, build and decorate, and put money in where it works best. For example, Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa, a sublime boutique hotel, owned by ex-Diesel Creative Director Wilbert Das, has put the local capoeira teacher, Diney, on its payroll. Now most of the community takes lessons, and gets together for performances of this mesmerising martial-arts inspired dance. When Diney is not teaching locals, Uxua guests get the benefit of his expert dance and music tuition. In fact, Wilbert’s entire Uxua project is born out of his desire to share and inspire – from employing a weaver to make stunning rugs, to producing one-off furniture pieces with local craftsmen, and creating an ‘art house’ where visiting artists make Trancoso-influenced pieces, which they then leave behind as payment. Another philanthropist inspired by Trancoso is Reinold Geiger, boss of the L'Occitane cosmetics empire, who has a villa here and built a music school and Sydney-opera-house-esque concert hall for the community. This means you see young Brazilians playing a mix of Bach and Coldplay on violins and cellos outside bars at night. There’s always music in Trancoso – someone singing, drumming, strumming. This mix of philanthropy and integrated involvement is an everyday reality in Trancoso, and it’s a successful and enchanting mix; happy and celebrative. Trancoso seems to bring the best out in people. There are no big faceless resorts within Trancoso. By coming together, local hoteliers, artisans, shop-keepers, fishermen and musicians have kept the big boys at bay to protect what they know is special - their pure, low-level take on tourism. At Trancoso’s heart is that picture-perfect grassy Quadrado – a car-free focal point for community and visitors, where locals play footie, horses mooch about, and visitors sip cocktails in bars under the trees. It’s tipped with a white-washed church straight from the pages of a child’s story book, and framed with 50-odd UNESCO-protected multicoloured one-storey homes, cafes, pousadas, shops, bars, and of course, Uxua – a very special hotel. But what of the food? Those 1970’s hippies have left their mark. Arriving with bellbottoms stuffed with brown rice and quiche-recipes, their healthy eating habits have fused with traditional fish-based Bahian cuisine and it’s a happy pairing. So, while you’re here enjoying paradise, this is what to eat: Cook moqueca Guests at Uxua Casa Hotel can sign up for lessons in how to make this Bahian fish stew with chef Bernardo Silva – or anyone can pitch up at the restaurant and order a bowl. The celebrated dish is made with whatever white fish has been caught that day, plus fat prawns, garlic, coconut cream, chilli, sweet peppers, parsley and coriander. Brazilians cook with palm oil – it’s the local oil (olives don’t grow well in a tropical climate), and the taste can take a bit of getting used to for Europeans. Traditional accompaniments are rice – sometimes infused with coconut, and farofa (made with cooked plantain and spiced cooked manioc flour), which becomes a crunchy sprinkle that’s served with any Brazilian meal that has a sauce. Also look out for pirão, a dhal-like accompaniment, made by taking sauce from the simmering moqueca and stirring in manioc flour on the heat to create a thick, creamy side-dish. Tapioca pancakes Tapioca pancakes are a Brazilian staple, and can be stuffed with whatever you like. A Brazilian favourite is simply cured meat and cheese but look out for Tapioca da Elma, the most adventurous of the three food stands just outside the quadrado. Elma offers substantial fillings, including a pancake overflowing with meat, tomatoes, herbs, and pineapple chutney. Coconut juice & ceviche Uxua Beach Bar’s freshly prepared lunches are the best, made from whatever the fishermen have brought in. Ceviche and fish tacos are simple and delicious. Always have a fresh coconut juice, too. It’s the most refreshing option, straw directly in fruit, with the natural cooling flesh and shell to keep the drink icy. Caipirinhas on the Quadrado The Brazilian national cocktail, containing cachaça (sugarcane-juice spirit), crushed fresh lime, sugar and ice, is served at every Quadrado bar. Do a tour starting from one side and work your way around – then see if you can stand up. A flat white Yes, you read that right. Flat white. Aussie boy meets Trancoso girl, they marry and set up The Coffee Bar, just off the Quadrado. This young couple know what’s what, and serve a selection of inexpensive Bahian food, smoothies, cakes, and caipirinha-induced-hangover busters, such as acai juice, excellent bacon, egg, and homemade relish toasties – and decent flat whites. South American steak A long-standing restaurant up a side alley off the Quadrado, Capim Santo has wooden tables surrounded by giant tropical greenery, and a guitar player strumming sweetly on the side. The menu is a mix of Brazilian and European. Brazil enjoys a succulent South American grilled steak as much as the rest of the continent – have one here accompanied by rich Parmesan risotto, and you won’t need to eat for another 12 hours. A weighty lunch Food by the kilo may not inspire confidence, but don’t fear, Rabanete is the place to be on the quadrado at lunchtime (it doesn’t open for dinner). For about £15 per kilo, the buffet changes daily and might include octopus, slow-cooked pork, fish and meat stews, sides – all traditional Bahian fare. There’s also a dedicated room for puds, also sold by the kilo. Hippy cakes When the hippies first pitched up here back in the 1970s, they brought a taste of their high-fibre, healthy diet. The large cakes you’ll find at pousadas, cafes and on hotel breakfast and tea tables in Trancoso, are a nod to this. They tend to be a variety of coconut, carrot, or fruits, and will often be made using manioc flour. Cheesy breakfast balls You can’t come to Brazil without eating pão de queijo; they’re everywhere. Ideally served warm for breakfast, these pool-ball sized bread puffs are crisp on the outside, and deliciously soft and cheesy within. Harmless, right? But once you’ve had one, it’s hard to stop. Capeta Time your trip to coincide with one of Trancoso’s festivals and you’ll find sellers rolling into the quadrado with handcarts of beer, juice and capeta (little devil). Capeta is a heady mix of vodka, ground guarana powder (from the Amazon guarana berry, a strong natural caffeine-like stimulant, and the base of a popular Brazilian soft drink, also called Guarana), condensed milk, cinnamon and honey, and a little chocolate. It tastes like alcoholic milkshake and will aid the up-all-night vibe. HOW TO DO IT TAP Portugal flies from London Heathrow, Gatwick & Manchester to Salvador via Lisbon six times a week, prices start at £503 return including all taxes and surcharges. Suites at UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa cost around £440 for two people, b&b (uxua.com). For a package including flights and accommodation we recommend Bespoke Brazil (bespokebrazil.com). More info: visitbrasil.com or trancosoportal.com Written by Sophie Pither editor Laura is just back from a trip to Brazil and has some great tips for eating and drinking olive magazine podcast ep48 - Brazil, fish curing and mozzarella View oEmbed on the source website
Check out our round up of the best bottomless brunches in London 2017. From a truly elegant British drinks trolley, to bottomless Bloody Marys and the best places to get avocado on toast
We've found the best bottomless brunches in London. All day weekend brunch with a side of bloody marys, mimosas and coffee cocktails have taken the capital by storm. Check out our pick of the best eggs, avocado on toast, banana bread and fritters below, all with free-flowing brunch cocktails. Check our selection of the best bottomless brunch in London: Beany Green, Little Venice Beany Green is a funky spot that brightens up the concrete canal-side area just off Paddington’s Sheldon Square. Stone picnic tables and hot pink deckchairs donning pop-art banana illustrations spill out onto the astro turf that hugs the side of this industrial building. The fun combo continues inside this coffee shop and brunch spot – bold and bright furnishings (colourful metal chairs, pop art posters and shaggy fluorescent orange cushions) breath life into the urban features. Bottomless brunch is a two course affair. The hot ‘main’ options include French toast, plenty of eggs and a full Aussie breakfast (The Bondi). Avocado on toast was given one of the best twists we’ve tried, with crisp organic charcoal sourdough topped with avocado, a crunchy lime and lemon dukkah, a dollop of creamy labneh and fiery homemade chilli pesto. Huge discs of fritters were textured with bursts of corn and plenty of broccoli, accompanied with avocado and home-made chilli pesto. For your second course banana bread is a winner. The banana bread sandwich stacks up two hefty slices of moist toasted banana bread laden with mascarpone, marinated fresh berries and flaked almonds, complete with a drizzle of honey and a little edible flower on top. Beany Green’s exclusive espresso blend (roasted by The Roasting Party in Winchester) was served Aussie-style by some of the smiliest baristas we’ve met. Little glasses of espressos and killer cortados woke us up. There were also plenty of fresh juices on offer (red zinger with beetroot, carrot, apple and ginger, and green detox with cucumber, spinach, celery and apple) and smoothies with fat-free frozen yogurt – go for an extra caffeine hit with banana, dates, coconut H20, almonds and espresso sprinkled with shaved coconut and freshly roasted coffee beans. Menu must-order: The fancy bacon roll was a fab twist on the bacon sarnie, with thin, flaky paratha roti piled high with crisp onions, poached eggs, back bacon, chilli, and The Ribman’s punchy Holy Fuck Hollandaise. Bottomless drinks: Pokey bloody marys and mimosas made with freshly squeezed orange juice are free-flowing and come swiftly after one another. HIX Mayfair, Brown’s Hotel Mark Hix’s Mayfair outpost is the destination for a leisurely weekend brunch cocooned in British elegance – white linen tablecloths, dark wood paneling and impeccable service make it extremely special. The focus is on seasonal British produce: colourful Isle of Wight tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic, finely shaved Wye Valley asparagus topped with smoky cheese and a zesty lemon dressing, and Hodmedod’s green pea dropped scones with Black Coombe ham and a perfectly poached pheasant’s egg. Go for a proper toastie for your main, filled with sweet brisket, Montgomery’s Cheddar and pickled cucumber. This brunch is a full three course affair, and desserts are worth saving room for – Bakewell tart has a crunchy base and a generous dollop of Cornish clotted cream, and 80% Peruvian Gold chocolate mousse is thick and rich with a strong hint of booze from soaked cherries. Bottomless drinks: As soon as your glass begins to empty, a waistcoat-clad gentleman wheels over the elegant, marble-topped drinks trolley to tempt you with “more Champagne, ma’am?” Ask him to make up pokey bloody marys using creamy Black Cow vodka from Dorset, homemade tomato juice and crunchy celery. Bellinis are given a British twist with homemade seasonal syrups such as Wye Valley rhubarb. hixrestaurants.co.uk Bad Egg, Barbican The wonderfully named Bad Egg’s weekend brunch menu offers a spiced-up menu of diner classics and breakfast cocktails - definitely for adults only. Forget gentler breakfast staples like smoked salmon bagels or eggs benedict - Bad Egg packs a full-on flavour punch. Sticky Korean fried rib tips are hot with ginger and more gochujang; tacos are filled with scrambled eggs, chipotle, salsa and guacamole, and beans on toast is ramped up with pulled pork and kimchi. You’re encouraged to choose three plates each, share with your friends, and to order as many bloody marys, mimosas or prosecco as you like within your two–hour sitting. Perch on on bar stools in the window or relax into comfy diner-style red booths. Music is loud and customers and staff alike show off tats with pride. Leave granny and kids at home – this is two hours you’ll want to yourself. Menu must-order: Fries with ndjua fondue – made with raclette and red leicester it has a deliciously gooey texture reminiscent of cinema-style chip and dips but a hundred times better. Chilaquiles are hard to go past, too: fried corn tacos with salsa, goats’s curd, chilies and a fried egg. Finish with deep-fried chicken with caramelised banana – served with maple syrup on buttered brioche it act as a pudding of sorts. Bottomless drinks: Kick off with a bloody mary spiced with gochujang - and if anything can wake up jaded tastebuds it’s this Korean red pepper paste. There is also a tempting virgin drinks menu for a cheaper price featuring freshly squeezed orange juice, homemade lemonade and soft drinks. Click here to read our full review of brunch at Bad Egg Bernardi's, Marylebone This chic, sophisticated Italian restaurant is ideal for a leisurely brunch with a Mediterranean twist. Clean and bright Bernardi’s has a hip hotel bar vibe – groups settle into soft leather booths or leather-cushioned chairs around marble tables while the open kitchen hums in the background. The stylish furnishings and brass light instalments designed by the restaurant’s owner, Gabriel Bernardi, make this a trendy place to be seen; nevertheless, staff are discreet and maintain a friendly, un-hassled atmosphere. An Italian take on the English fry-up is a meticulously prepared plate of silky wild mushrooms with crisp pancetta and well-seasoned fried eggs, topped with crunchy focaccia croutons. For a healthy kick, try the paca verde ‘green peace’ juice made from freshly pressed fennel, cucumber, parsley stalks, mint, apple and lemon, or go all-Italian with Arabica-Robusto blend of Musetti coffee. Bullseye: The pizzettes. A refreshing choice is the confit leeks and melting Taleggio topping, garnished with plenty of celery leaves and stalks to cut through the pizza dough. Pair it with a punchy Virgin Mary. Bottomless drinks: Two hours of unlimited prosecco or punchy Bloody Marys with premium polish Wyborowa vodka and plenty of spice. bernardis.co.uk Jinjuu, Soho Step out of Carnaby Street’s busy shopping district into Jinjuu’s cool, moodily lit restaurant. Blue teel velvet booths hug exposed brick walls, a central wooden communal dining table is suspended from the ceiling with hefty chains, and giant dragon murals are painted onto concrete walls downstairs. The Korean take on brunch kicks off with a feast of an anju sharing plates: little bowls of steamed edamame beans with a chilli panko mix sit alongside large steamed beef and pork mandoo dumplings, crispy Korean fried chicken wings and crisp prawn lollipops served with creamy gochujang mayo. Choose your main from the menu of meats cooked on an open grill served with kimchi, spicy ssam jang paste and white rice. The hero dish is the Tong Dak chicken board – generous pieces of super crisp golden brown chicken with a punchy Asian slaw and zingy roasted corn salsa. We love the mini squeezy bottles of homemade soy sauce and ktown kourage. Bottomless drinks: £20 gets you unlimited spiced kimchi marys (a punchy spice mix infused with vodka-like soju rice liqueur and fresh tomato juice) and five berry bellinis with homemade omija syrup, along with an extensive fresh juice bar and red and white wines. Upgrade to the £35 menu to treat yourself to added bubbles and Korean pale lager style Hite beers. jinjuu.com
Freezer meals guide: how to freeze food at home
If you, like us, love the idea of make ahead meals, check out our expert freezer guide now. Including top tips on good ingredients to freeze, how to best freeze your meals and all about freezer 'dump' bags
For many people, the freezer is just a stop-gap for food on the way to the bin. Packs of badly-wrapped, half-used-up sausages, at-sell-by-date ready meals and random unmarked freezer bags full of mystery sauce are just some of the things that get bunged in the freezer with good intentions but then binned once a big clear out comes. But used wisely your freezer can be a brilliant way to save not only waste but time and money. Your freezer is also invaluable for make ahead meals. It can save you and your family a lot of time, and also opens the door to cooking in bulk. Give our 'freezer dump bag' suggestion a go, too - it's a readymade slow cooker kit, and doesn't take that much room up in the freezer. This feature includes a freezer meal recipe. Freezer tips Cook for a crowd Double or triple your favourite curry, chilli or pasta sauce then weigh out and freeze in portions. That way you only have to cook once but get to eat three or four times. Plan ahead When you’ve got time on a weekend have a root through the freezer and stick a post it note on front, reminding you what to pull out that week. If it helps, designate days like pasta Mondays, curry Thursdays, so you have a constant turnover of meals. If the freezer is looking low, plan a big cook-up for one day to restock. Label it Most freezer bags have a panel for writing the contents on – use it! You are so much more likely to eat what’s in the bag if you can see the recipe and when it was made. Also remember to add how many you think it will serve – no one likes mini portions. Prep ahead You’ll be more likely to use something if you’ve prepped it to the point where you can cook with it so peel and cut left-over veg into pieces and, if you’re freezing left-over cooked or raw meat, cut it into chunks or strips first before bagging so you can defrost it more quickly and evenly, ready to be added to sauces or stir-fries. Good ingredients to freeze Herbs Mash left-over herbs into butter, roll into a baking paper sausage and freeze. Alternatively, you can mix with olive oil and freeze in ice-cube trays. Bread Sourdough is expensive and goes stale really quickly. Slice then freeze so you can just grab a couple for toast each morning. Whizz stale bread to breadcrumbs then bag and freeze for later. Wine Freeze left-over wine (don’t laugh) or port in ice cube trays for adding richness to sauces. Dairy Milk, double cream and butter will freeze well but single cream might split. Cheese is best grated first then stored in bags for adding to sauces. Eggs Freeze egg whites in freezer bags – they work great in meringues, just remember to label how many are in each bag. Avocados Peel, stone and quarter then open freeze on trays before bagging up. Exotic ingredients I overbuy hard-to-find ingredients like scotch bonnet chillies, kaffir lime leaves, Indian curry leaves and galangal when I find them, then freeze portions in small bags. Scraps and bones Keep a stock box or bag for adding scraps and off-cuts of veg. Keep a separate one for bones. When you have enough use them as a base to make stock. Freezer dump bags So-called because the ingredients are prepped ahead, bagged and frozen ready to ‘dump’ straight into a slow cooker. The beauty of freezing this way is you can prepare batches of several meals ahead, adding marinades and flavourings while freezing to give them even more oomph. Broths, chillies, curries and stews all really suit this style of freezing and cooking. How to freeze If the surface of the ingredient or meal you’re freezing can be damaged it’s best to freeze uncovered until solid then wrap or bag up. This prevents things sticking together. If you’re freezing a bake-in-the-dish meal like mac and cheese, line your dish with overhanging foil, then fill and freeze. Once solid, lift out the frozen meal, wrap in the foil and a layer of clingfilm, then put in the freezer. When you’re ready to cook, peel away the wrapping and slot back in the baking dish to cook. That way your dishes won’t be tied up in the freezer. Keep your freezer full as this means the air has less are a to circulate and it makes the whole operation more economical. Filling plastic bottles with water and freezing will fill space and make sure you use less energy. The quality of food will generally start to deteriorate after three months, so rotate meals regularly. If you find something you can’t identify it’s best to discard it, rather than risk a dodgy stomach. The safest way to defrost is overnight in the fridge. Put the bag in another container in the bottom of the fridge to prevent it dripping on other foods. You can defrost small pieces of meat by leaving them in the freezer bag and immersing in luke warm water. Get baking! This key lime pie recipe freezes brilliantly, so it’s a great make-ahead pud for dinner with friends. It’s best to freeze it before the cream goes on top then just add the topping before serving. Just click on the image to go through to the recipe. Photos: Kris Kirkham listen to food director Janine share her top tips for freezing like a foodie olive magazine podcast ep37 – kalettes, veg in desserts and freezing like a foodie View oEmbed on the source website
Peru, South America: best places to eat and drink
Super-fresh ceviche in Lima, alpaca carpaccio in the Andes and pisco-spiked lomo saltado in Ica – a culinary journey around Peru is no mean feast
Maria Julia Raffo hands me a helmet and we sputter off into Peru’s cloud- and traffic-cloaked capital by Vespa on a tour of Lima’s culinary highlights. Gone are the days when this coastal city, founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535, was simply the jumping off point for Peru’s Inca sites. Today, it’s a magnet for foodies, the searing core of the novoandina gastronomic trail that blazes all the way from London’s Lima to New York’s Llama Inn via Tampu in Madrid and many more. Our first stop is El Pan de la Chola, an artisan bakery and brunch spot in Lima’s chic Miraflores neighbourhood. Here, bakers knead dough beside a giant brick oven while, ouside, the city’s well-to-do tuck into jam jars of juice and scoop creamy avocados from their skins. Revived, we set off again to gritty Surquillo Market. According to Julia, this is where chefs come to buy their ingredients rather than at the chi-chi eco markets now peppering the Peruvian capital. Inside there’s an encyclopaedic array of produce from avocados to aji, maracuya to mandarin, banana passion fruit to tree tomatoes, papaya to prickly pears. She points out lucuma fruit, cherimoya (custard apples), cacao pods and bags of chuño, a chalky, dried potato, rehydrated to make sauces – or mixed into a paste to soothe babies’ bottoms. Potatoes are Peru’s most famous export with a mind-boggling 3,800 types. Quinoa, its other staple, notches up a mere 2,000 varieties. The country’s rollercoaster topography careers from coastal desert to high-altitude plain. From the teetering, thin-aired Inca terraces of the Andes it plunges down to the steamy Amazon jungle. The numerous ecosystems produce a bountiful natural larder while its tumultuous history and waves of migration have created a vibrant fusion cuisine. The Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 16th century bringing with them limes and onions. The African slave trade added peanut sauce to the anticuchos (skewers of meat cooked over wood), and the traditional lomo saltado (slivers of sautéed beef with onions, rice and potatoes) can be traced back to the Chinese immigrants of the 1800s. Then, at the turn of the 20th century the Japanese brought with them their love of raw fish. Traditionally the fish in the national dish, ceviche, was marinated in lime juice for a couple of hours in the morning to ‘cook’ it. Today’s dish however, is raw fish tossed with lime juice, chopped chilli, onion and coriander and eaten immediately. This spicy marinade, known as leche de tigre (tiger’s milk), is also thought to be a hangover cure and aphrodisiac. As we pass Surquillo’s fish section, ceviche stalls are setting up for the lunchtime rush. “Ceviche is eaten from around 11am,” Julia; tells me. “You never eat ceviche at night – it has to be fresh, the fish straight off the boat.” Back on the Vespa we screech off to La Preferida (restaurantelapreferida.com) a 1940s bodega in Miraflores that’s now a Peruvian-style tapas bar. Grabbing a perch at the counter, Julia orders three ceviche tapas served in shells. Choro a la chalaca is a spicy mouthful of mussel mixed with onion, coriander, chilli and lemon – I scoop up the oniony juice with some crisp corn like a local. Next, scallop and avocado, then octopus in mayonnaise darkened with black olives to a pungent purple – drinking another purple concoction, chicha morada, with it. This non-alcoholic drink is made from purple corn, pineapple rind, cinnamon, cloves and sugar. Careering on to bohemian Barranco, once a seaside resort for the Limeños but now a coastal suburb, we dip in and out of little huariques, hole-in-the-wall joints like La Canta Rana, tasting traditional dishes such as causa – a circular tower of yellow mashed potato topped with seafood and avocado, and tiradito (milder than ceviche and minus the onion). Afterwards we join the queue at Isolina for lunch: ceviche, of course, served market-style, the edge taken off its zesty sharpness by the mounds of sweet potato and a double dose of corn – fried and on the cob. After our whirlwind tour Julia drops me back at my hotel and I reluctantly hand back the helmet. I’m staying at Hotel B (hotelb.pe) in Barranco where poems are placed on your pillow at night and Gregorian chants accompany a grand breakfast that stretches to quail eggs, delicate pastries and tiny cappuccinos in gold-rimmed cups and saucers. My gourmet grazing’s not over for the day yet, however. I’m dining at Astrid y Gaston (astridygaston.com), the flagship restaurant of celebrity chef Gaston Acurio. Gaston flies the flag for Peruvian cuisine around the world and paved the way for chefs such as Virgilio Martinez and Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, whose Lima restaurant, Malabar, is the setting for some inventive culinary conjuring from the weird and wonderful roots and shoots of the Amazon. Gaston also founded Mistura (mistura.pe), a local food festival that takes place every September and is now in its 10th year. In an elegant colonial mansion in the stylish San Isidro district, Astrid y Gaston is a warren of restaurants and bars, plus a food lab and kitchen garden. The restaurant’s 13-course tasting menu elegantly celebrates Peru’s cultural heritage with dishes such as Pekinese guinea pig, a Peruvian take on Peking duck with a hand-rolled mini purple corn crepe and a silkily sweet rocoto chilli and peanut hoisin sauce. The next morning I’m in another market, this time San Isidro, with chef Penelope Alzamora. A one-time colleague of Gaston, she spent seven years teaching Peruvian cooking in San Francisco before returning to Lima and offering cookery experiences in her Barranco apartment. We wander from stall to stall shopping for lunch ingredients, picking out scallops, flounder, thin-skinned limes from the northern province of Piura and tiny round orange chillies from the Amazon. Back in her kitchen Penelope whizzes up a jug of frothy pisco sours, the national cocktail made with pisco (grape brandy), sugar syrup, lemon juice, egg whites and angostura bitters, then spoons pisco onto the scallops before sprinkling them with chilli, coriander, salt and pepper as an appetiser. Next we make ceviche, first soaking the onions in water so they don’t overpower it. “Squeeze the lime by hand just until you feel resistance so you don’t get the oil from the skin and bitterness from the middle of the fruit,” she tells me. A sprinkling of chilli, sea salt, white pepper, garlic and coriander and we’re ready to eat. Ceviche, I discover, is not just a coastal compulsion. The following day, a one-hour flight from Lima in the ancient Inca capital, Cusco, I try a delicate pink trout ceviche in Cicciolina (cicciolinacuzco.com) – along with oil-drizzled, pepper – and chilli-sprinkled alpaca carpaccio. My base here is the new Explora hotel (explora.com), outside Cusco in the Sacred Valley. A sleek wood and glass space cradled in 24 hectares of farmland, there’s no TV, radio or WiFi in the rooms, just a window seat and a framed Andean tableau: fields of corn and fluffy-headed quinoa, clusters of adobe houses and peaks swathed in mist. For breakfast, a porridge of quinoa swimming in hot orange juice with dried apple is surprisingly delicious. This protein-rich super-food, now a western staple, has been dubbed Inca gold and was eaten by the Inca army to sustain it as it marched. The Sacred Valley takes its name from the Urubamba river which threads through it. The land here, with its cinnamon-coloured soil, is rich and fertile. Today, villagers still grow crops on ancient Incan terraces and use the irrigation systems and canals built by them. Driving to the Sunday morning market at Chinchero I pass villagers ploughing with cattle and fields of blowsy purple-flowered potatoes. At Chinchero trading is still done the traditional way and I watch women bartering beans for bananas. At makeshift cooking stalls people huddle over bowls of steaming chicharrone (fried pork) with crispy potatoes and tutu haucha, an Andean dish of beans, greens, potato and corn dressed with a spicy sauce and seasoned with Maras salt. Salt has been harvested on the mountainside at nearby Maras for over 500 years. All the work is done by hand as it was by the Incas. More evidence of the Incas’ agricultural innovation can be seen at Moray where a series of sunken concentric stone terraces, originally thought to be a giant amphitheatre, are believed to be one of the first food laboratories, where they experimented with crops at different elevations. The Spanish also contributed a little innovation to the agricultural landscape here, introducing vines. Down near Ica, 300km south of Lima, Hacienda Tacama (tacama.com) claims to be the oldest winery in South America, having been founded by Francisco de Carabantes Tacama in 1540. Today the hacienda – candy floss pink and frilled with flowers – is open for tours and tutored tastings. Owner Luz Maria ushers me in for a lunch paired with the estate’s wines and piscos. To start we have a salad of local lima beans, tomatoes, onions and basil. Then lomo saltado, filet mignon sautéed with ripe tomatoes and onions and flamed with the hacienda’s Demonio de los Andes pisco to give it a charred fieriness. For dessert we try tocino del cielo, a heavenly custard flan (which uses up the leftover yolks after you’ve whipped up a batch of pisco sours). I go in for seconds and beg for the recipe. It’s her grandmother’s. She smiles with pride. Pride in their cuisine has been a long time coming, but now, with the world applauding novoandina’s stratospheric rise, Peruvians are finally taking a bow. HOW TO DO IT Direct return flights from Gatwick to Lima start from £653 (ba.com). Peruvian specialists Aracari offer 10-day Peru with Flavour journeys from $4,847 per person including the Urban Eats tour of Lima but excluding flights (aracari.com). More info: peru.travel
Rosio Sanchez, Hija de Sanchez, Copenhagen: chef interview
In a new series discovering the hottest chefs around the world, Adam Coghlan interviews Rosio Sanchez, chef owner of Hija de Sanchez in Copenhagen
The Copenhagen taqueria Hija (pronounced ‘ee-kah’) de Sanchez is the creation of Rosio Sanchez, the 31-year-old Noma alumnus from the south side of Chicago and one of the most exciting young chefs in Europe. It’s hard to think of a better version of Mexican street food anywhere on the continent. Its brilliance is the result of Sanchez’s pedigree as a chef and the importance she and her team place on importing Mexican ingredients – including the chillies and the corn, from Oaxaca, which they cook and stone-grind on-site to make fresh tortillas every day. In March 2016, they opened at a second location where as well as tacos (carnitas, mole, queso fresco), paletas (ice-pops) and churros with liquorice salt, freeze-dried blackcurrant and cajeta (caramel), there are tacos al pastor (the Mexican version of a shawarma) – marinated pork basted with roasted pineapple. “What we’re doing is extremely rare,” explains Rosio, “we make everything!” But it seems less a self-gratifying DIY effort or marketing shtick, and more out of necessity. “In the States or in Mexico, the quality of the products you can buy means that if you did it yourself, you’d be overworking, but in Europe there’s nothing around,” she says. Especially corn. And it’s all about the corn. It was something she tested rigorously, and found the masa (dough) made from European varieties consistently failed to produce a tortilla that met her expectations. Settling for second best is not something that Rosio does. Her story starts in the USA, where she was born to Mexican parents. At 19, she attended the Cordon Bleu cookery school in Chicago to study pastry. Why? “I just love desserts, I love sweet things,” she says without hesitation. That love (and education) took her to wd~50, Wiley Dufresne’s Michelin-starred temple of molecular gastronomy in New York City where she spent three years as pastry sous chef. The basis of Wiley’s cuisine, she says, was technique – a challenging culture that always asked, “What can we do that’s never been done before?”. Beyond that, Wiley encouraged curiosity in his chefs, to take inspiration from the outside. He granted them all access to his office library, and it was here that Sanchez first remembers encountering Noma, and René Redzepi’s seminal book, Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine. The same spirit of curiosity took Rosio to Europe at the age of 23. “I wanted to explore, to have new experiences and to push myself with flavours that I’d never had before,” she says. She was in Spain when she learned of a vacancy at Noma, the kind of opportunity she had hoped her adventure would spring. And, after having pushed the boundaries of what was technically possible at wd~50, she relished the chance to learn the intricacies of an entirely unknown cuisine. (Albeit at a restaurant that was rapidly receiving the highest international acclaim.) Indeed, while Sanchez was there, it would become the ‘World’s Best Restaurant’. Sanchez’s specialism in pastry meant that’s where she theoretically slotted in at Noma. But what she quickly realized, and relished, was the kitchen’s fluid approach to traditional ‘sections’. “Everyone helped everyone. Everything was interconnected which gave it an unique energy and excitement,” she says. This ethos of shared responsibility extended to the whole restaurant – a fundamental that Sanchez seems to cherish. “When as chefs you’re serving the customers, you begin to learn what the hell is happening in the restaurant!” You’re not just plating a dish and ignoring what happens to it, in other words. She then says, seriously, “At Noma you pretty much learn how to run a restaurant.” I asked her, semi-jokingly, if it teaches you how to open a taco stall. She laughed before answering, emphatically, “Yes.” Given the many new ways people appreciate food – whether from an internationally-acclaimed restaurant or a hole-in-the-wall – all that matters and what earns an enterprise respect is whether or not it’s any good. Traditional signifiers – stars, tablecloths, song-and-dance – of what’s good matter less. The playing field has been levelled and it has liberated highly-qualified professional chefs like Rosio to cook whatever, wherever and however they wish. The way she puts it: “We’re not doing anything less; it’s just a different form of organising.” Beyond re-connecting to her past and her first memories of tacos and paletas on 26th Street in Chicago, Sanchez has also found a sense of purpose in her new home. Though Copenhagen is now one of the best restaurant cities in the world, it isn’t necessarily one of the best food cities. Sanchez laments the dearth of ethnic food: “Fine dining is covered but there’s no good Thai food, for example,” she says. It’s in this context that she imagined her own taco stand. And apart from wanting to sate a personal craving – “my fix is now dealt with” – she wanted to “do something that was so lacking and to provide for customers who might come back two or three times a week.” She’s proud of adding something that she says “was needed, and that’s really something that makes me happy.” Her decision has been wholly vindicated. Since opening in June 2015, after nearly seven years at Noma, she has gained the approval not just of former employers (René, an apparently ever-present influence, encouraged Rosio to open her own taqueria), but of an international milieu of who we might call the world’s best chefs – from Massimo Bottura, to Alex Atala and Daniela Soto-Innes. All have appeared as guest chefs on her stall in the ‘Amigo de Sanchez’ collaboration series. Staying relevant, always learning and having fun. It’s this and the culture of shared knowledge that’s kept Sanchez in Copenhagen. That’s not to say she’s sitting still. I spoke to Rosio from Tulum, where she’s on a research trip – “deciding how many ovens we need” – for the Noma Mexico pop-up which will open there in April. “Right now, rejoining and collaborating with my old team, I feel really lucky,” she says. To be in Mexico, steering one of the most influential chefs in a generation might seem like a career pinnacle. The sense with Rosio, though, is that there’s much more to come. hijadesanchez.dk ROSIO IN SHORT Favourite dish: Dessert, any Favourite drink: Mezcal or coffee Most memorable meal: Experiencing the service at Eleven Madison Park, NYC Chef you admire most: René Redzepi Guilty pleasure: Turning off my phone ROSIO'S GUIDE TO THE BEST PLACES TO EAT MEXICAN FOOD AROUND THE WORLD • Los Tacos no.1, NYC (tacos, lostacos1.com) • Quintonil, Mexico City (dinner, quintonil.com) • Hoja Santa, Barcelona (dinner, hojasanta.es) • Cochinita Pibil, Yaxunah (tacos) • Casa Oaxaca, Oaxaca (dinner, casaoaxacaelrestaurante.com) Love Copenhagen? Us too! Check out our guide to where to eat and drink in Copenhagen next:
Smart foodies know that ditching a recipe in favour of a ready-made product is sometimes a good option. Here are 30 products from our third annual Christmas Supermaket awards that we really rate, to make festive entertaining easier for you
The Christmas cake everyone will want to buy Winner: Asda Christmas Pudding Smash Cake. A fun family centrepiece that kids will love. Smash it open to reveal hidden treats and a moist chocolate sponge. The packaging is great, too. £13/1.7kg Best Christmas fizz Winner: Aldi Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut. This is a very accessible and affordable champagne with a creamy finish. £9.99/75cl Highly commended: M&S Monticella Prosecco Superiore. A great buck’s fizz contender, this is a light and easy-drinking prosecco with a strong pear nose. £15/75cl Canapés Winner: M&S 10 Mini Scallop En Crôutes with Champagne Sauce. An innovative, fun and luxurious canapé in a light sauce that delivers its promise of fizz. £9/150g A ready-made cheeseboard Joint winner (A): Asda Extra Special Cheese Selection. A stellar selection of cheeses, each prime examples of their kind (great gouda and a strong red), but subtle enough to please every palate. £6/590g Joint winner (B): Co-op Irresistible Luxury Cheese Selection. A top-quality selection of strong, pokey cheeses including a fab brie and creamy, piquant blue, presented in a rustic tray. £7/550g A standout starter Joint winner (A): Iceland Luxury Lobster Thermidor Tails. An easy, cook-from-frozen option that’s special enough for the festive period. £12/300g Joint winner (B): Ocado Scallop & Pea Fricasse Gratin. An indulgent, creamy queenie scallop and pea filling topped with a crunchy crumb and served in scallop shells for extra wow factor (and to save on the washing up!). £6/280g Smoked salmon Winner: LIDL Deluxe Oak & Applewood Smoked Scottish Salmon. Well balanced with a nice smoke, caramelised flavour and rounded creaminess. £2.29/100g Highly commended: Booths Whole Mulled Port Marinated Smoked Salmon. An impressive, pre-sliced whole side of salmon with subtle Christmas spicing. £28/800g A ready-made side dish for Christmas Day Winner: M&S Three Squash Bake. With roasted squash, lentils for added texture, cheese sauce and a crisp crumb, this is a properly comforting side dish. £5/300g A vegetarian main course Winner: M&S Two Butternut and Sweet Potato Rösti. This veggie dish looks and tastes really fresh and homemade. It packs in plenty of texture – its rösti base is topped with kale, slices of squash, silky onions, feta, crunchy pumpkin seeds and a zingy bright green pesto. £6/500g All the trimmings Winner: LIDL Deluxe With Love Garnish Pack. The stuffing stood out in our taste test for its great texture and subtle blend of herbs and spices. £3.99/392g Best fish centrepiece Joint winner (A): Co-op Irresistible Side of Salmon with Orange and Cranberries. The flavours and herbs in this salmon side are well balanced. The sweetness gives the fish a lift but is tempered by tart cranberries. Warning: very moreish! £8.99/775g Joint winner (B): Booths Poached Salmon & Prawn Centrepiece. With tender salmon, juicy prawns and dill cream, this impressive dish looks and tastes great. £29/1kg Best food gift under £20 Joint winner (A): M&S Oudinot Champagne Truffles in a gold jar. There’s substance behind style in this beautiful presentation jar. The artisan chocolates contain a smooth ganache with a boozy kick. £12/145g Joint winner (B): Aldi Exquisite Jewelled Layered Pie. A stunning hot-crust pastry pie with well-cooked layers of outdoor bred British pork, chicken breast, paté and glacier fruit with balanced spicing, and just the right amount of jelly. £14.99/1.75kg The Christmas ham Winner: Asda Smoked Gammon with Whisky & Ginger Glaze. This moist joint has a delicious glaze to make it extra festive – ideal for a striking centrepiece. £3.50/1.29kg Best gluten-free Christmas cake Winner: M&S Hand Decorated Gluten-Free Snowflake Cascade Christmas Cake. With juicy fruit, a great texture and an orange citrus hit, you’d never know this pretty cake was gluten-free. £12/935g Best gluten-free mince pies We made these joint winners – we couldn’t tell them apart! Both had light, crumbly pastry packed with plump fruit with just the right level of sweetness. Joint winner (A): Asda Free From Mince Pies. £1.75/280g Joint winner (B): Co-op Free From Mince Pies. £1.99/280g Best food gift over £20 Winner: LIDL Deluxe Serrano Ham Leg. Everyone loves a Christmas ham. This one had a maturity and depth of flavour with a nutty layer of fat that kept us going back for more. £29.99/6.5-7.5kg Best Christmas pudding Winner: M&S 8 Month-Matured Vintage Christmas Pudding. A classic example of a Christmas pud with a great shape packed with juicy fruit, spices and nuts, plus a decent whack of booze (port, sherry and cognac). £14/800g Highly commended: Booths Brandy Port and Walnut Christmas Pudding. If you like marzipan, this is the pud for you. It looks homemade, and has a hint of saltiness for those with less of a sweet tooth. £11/908g Mince pies Winner: Asda Extra Special Mince Pies. Well-balanced mince pies that are juicy with nicely-spiced filling encased in great crumbly pastry. £1.25/pack of six Alternative Christmas drink Winner: Maynard’s 40-year-old tawny port (Aldi). Absolutely delicious! A beautiful raisin nose – we wanted to keep drinking it all night long. £29.99/75cl Best frozen dessert Winner: Co-op Prosecco & Raspberry Meringue Stack. You wouldn’t know this crowd-pleasing dessert was frozen – the layers hold really well and there are contrasting and defined raspberry and prosecco flavours. £5/577g Highly commended: M&S Raspberry & Blackcurrant Dome. This shimmery dome reveals beautiful, neat layers when cut into. It has a zingy, berry flavour and a moist, almond sponge. £8/470g A show-off dessert for Christmas Day Winner: Morrisons The Best Chocolate Christmas Tree. This fabulously kitsch dessert is a stunning centrepiece with defined layers of chocolate mousse, ganache, sponge and feuilletine. £9/410g Highly commended: M&S Chocolate Pine Cones. These beautifully balanced desserts are unique, festive and have a chocolate sauce centre. £12/540g How we chose the winners The olive team chose 20 categories of products you might want to buy to make Christmas entertaining hassle-free. The supermarkets selected the products they wanted to put forward in each category (we only allowed them one entry per category, so they had to choose carefully). The panel tasted them without knowing where they came from, and rated each individually. As well as a few joint winners, we awarded some highly commendeds to those that deserved a mention. It’s easy to find the products – just look out for this label in supermarkets:
Five of the best airport restaurants in the UK
When it comes to in-flight meals those in the know tend not to worry: they’ve checked in early and filled up at one of the uk’s five best airport restaurants, from Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food to an outpost of Comptoir Libanais
James Martin Kitchen 'Proper British Food' might not be at the top of your mind as you prepare to jet off to sunnier shores but James Martin, housewives' favourite and ex- Saturday Kitchen presenter, dishes up just that in his first airport restaurant (Stansted in this case). It might be in Essex but he's taken the whole British Isles as his larder. Even the packaging packs a provenance punch with a shaded map detailing his supply chain. There are porridge oats from Scotland, of course, tea from Yorkshire, mineral water from the Peak District, peppery pea shoots from Lancashire and butter from Maryland Farm in Somerset. The menu is designed to be reassuringly familiar. Tuck into Bangers and Mash hotpot with sausages from butchers Nigel Fredericks (nigelfredericks.co.uk) or a smoked salmon sandwich, the wild salmon supplied by Severn & Wye (severnandwye.co.uk). Houghton Hams (houghtonhams.co.uk) in Northamptonshire provides the meat for his 'Posh Ham and Egg Salad' while the JMK burger comes in a bun baked by the London Bread Company (londonbread.com) - as do the muffins for the sausage and bacon butties. Detour here and you might start to wonder why you didn’t book a staycation. Comptoir Libanais If James Martin's airside eatery is enough to tempt you to stay in the UK, Comptoir Libanais - now at Gatwick, and Heathrow's Terminal 4 - is an answering riposte, with its fragrant flavours of the Middle East and souk-like setting. How much more civilized is a silver teapot of fresh rose mint tea (green tea, fresh mint, rose water and sugar) than a bucket of latte and limp croissant? The retro Formica tables, rose-patterned banquettes, Moorish tiles and shelves stacked with rose syrup and coffee conjure up a vintage Lebanese café as you tuck into a breakfast feast of granola topped with yoghurt, honey, banana and toasted sesame seeds or yoghurt, fresh pomegranate seeds and orange blossom water. For a light lunch there's a mezze – a mix of small dishes and dips such as hummus, tabbouleh (chopped parsley, cracked wheat, tomatoes, mint and spring onion with a lemon dressing) and grilled halloumi, marinated in wild thyme with sliced tomatoes, olive and fresh mint. For dinner the menu features a range of tagines - pungent lamb and prunes with butternut squash and peas with roasted almonds or chicken and green olives with carrots and preserved lemons. Jamie's Italian Of course there's a Jamie's in Gatwick. What's more surprising (and disappointing) is that there isn't one in every UK airport bearing in mind how fast he's rolled out the rest (Gatwick’s, in the North Terminal, opened in 2012). The rustic Italian restaurant with its industrial vibe is all rough wood, brick tiles and big picture windows and serves up high-stooled breakfasts in the bakery section, gourmet hot dogs in the Union Jacks Bar and the full Italian Monty in the main restaurant; think antipasti such as primavera bruschetta (lemony courgette, peas and beans with hazelnut and lovage pesto), Cornish crab bruschetta with organic yoghurt, lemon, chilli and crab aioli or, if there's a group of you, an Ultimate Plank to share (artisan fennel salami, mortadella, prosciutto, spiced chicken-liver pate, Cobble Lane bresaola and pork scratchings with grissini, Italian nachos, mini buffalo mozzarella, aged pecorino and chilli jam, olives and pickles, marinated peppers and rainbow slaw). That's just the starters. If it wasn't for the small suitcases rammed under the tables you could forget you were in an airport and settle in for the night. Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food If ever there was a game-changer for airport dining in the UK, it was the launch of Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food – a natural fit for the sleek, futuristic Terminal 5 when it opened. You can sip cocktails at the marble topped bar, relax over a three-course a la carte meal or if you're strapped for time – say if you've got a plane to catch - order the Express menu (two courses in 25 minutes or three in 35). Options include cannellini and artichoke soup with chives followed by chicken curry, cashew nut and saffron rice and for dessert, pineapple carpaccio, passion fruit and coconut sorbet. The Taste of Asia menu adds another dimension with seared beef tataki, watercress and ponzu dressing alongside spicy tuna tartare, wonton crisps and crème fraiche. You can also order a Plane Picnic to take onboard. Oh and the kids eat for free. It's probably worth getting there early and making a night of it. Heston's Perfectionists' Café Remember that TV series In Search of Perfection? Well this restaurant, at Heathrow’s Terminal 2, is a culinary offshoot. Heston Blumenthal has taken up the gauntlet to improve airport food, by way of taking traditional classics to a new level. Fish & Chips for instance. The beer batter is aerated through a siphon to make it extra crisp and light – and is served with a malt vinegar pickled onion juice spray. The fish is Cornish, the garden peas mushy and with just a hint of mint. Then there are the pizzas – cooked in Heathrow's first wood-fired oven at incredibly high temperatures and a Nitro Ice Cream Parlour. Using liquid nitrogen freezes the ice fast keeping the ice crystals tiny and producing a silkily smooth ice cream – best served as a Sundae, of course. If you're not peckish, you could perch at the bar for a Cocktail in a Cloud (there had to be a bit of cheffy smoke in there somewhere). Bramble with a Merlot cloud is a mix of Miller's Gin, Tyrian Purple Mure, Lemon and Peychaud's Bitters and a glass full of scented Heston-style vapour. Words by Lucy Gillmore, October 2016
The best summer supermarket products 2016
We pick the best supermarket products for 2016 to make BBQing and picnicing easier. Including the best burger bun, sausage, ice cream, pork pie and ice cream
Best BBQ show-off product What we were looking for: a hero piece of meat that will wow our guests and serve several people at the same time. WINNER: M&S Smokehouse Beef Rib (£5.50/375g). This chunky beef rib is served on the bone, so it looks really special when the barbecue lid is lifted. The natural smokiness and caramelised sticky crust transports you to the Deep South. HIGHLY COMMENDED: Asda Hot Dogs with Spicy Buffalo Sauce Pocket (£2/400g). This innovative hot dog sausage, with hidden pockets of hot sauce, is ‘dirty’ in all the right ways, and extremely moreish. Best vegetarian burger What we were looking for: a veggie burger that looks and tastes great and will stand up to be being barbecued. WINNER: M&S Edgy Veggie Burger (£3/240g). You can really taste the flavours of the various vegetables and fresh herbs coming through in this burger. We love the texture: a proper crust gives way to a soft and moist centre. Best BBQ condiment What we were looking for: something special to dollop on our burgers. WINNER: Aldi Specially Selected Bloody Mary Ketchup (£1.29/340g). All of the components of a pokey bloody mary in a bottle. Celery – check. Worcestershire sauce – check. Tomato – check. A great match for well-seasoned meat. Best burger bun What we were looking for: a bun that could hold a burger. If we’re buying good meat, we’re not prepared to compromise on the bread. WINNER: M&S Two Ultimate Burger Buns (£1/145g). We were really impressed with the rise and shine of this brioche bun. Not too sweet – perfect for burgers. Best BBQ seafood product What we were looking for: fish or shellfish that would impress. WINNER: M&S Sea Bass in a Corn Husk (£7/281g). These pretty corn husk parcels look great on the BBQ and open to reveal neatly filleted fish seasoned with fresh herbs, and stuffed with a sweet corn and tomato salsa that is a perfect balance of heat and sweetness. Best show-off salad What we were looking for: an innovative combination of flavours to up our summer salad-game. WINNER: M&S Rainforest, Super Grain and Avocado Salad (£2/160g). Contains a healthy mix of brazil nuts, quinoa and avocado, while a fruity mango and chilli dressing supplies a fruity lift. Best pork pie What we were looking for: a cracking pork pie that can be eaten cold. WINNER: M&S Patron’s Lunch Pork Pie (£3.50/454g). This is a proper pork pie with a chunky meaty texture, a crisp hot-water crust and soft jelly with loads of flavour. Best pâté or terrine What we were looking for: a pâté or terrine to take on a picnic, to serve on bread or crackers. WINNER: Aldi Specially Selected Chicken Liver Parfait (£1.19/170g). Smooth and strong, this chicken liver parfait is a moreish spread. We could eat the whole lot. Best BBQ burger What we were looking for: a burger, designed to be eaten in a bun and suitable for cooking on the BBQ, that will have everyone asking for more. WINNER: LIDL Deluxe Scotch Aberdeen Angus Beef Burgers (£2.25/340g). A succulent and juicy burger, that’s substantial and homemade-looking,with a strong black pepper hit. HIGHLY COMMENDED: Morrisons The Best British 6oz Chuck Steak Burger (£3/340g). This juicy burger has a deliciously complex flavour. If you feel like making your own burger, try one of our burger recipes Best BBQ banger What we were looking for: a great sausage with plenty of flavour and a good structure that will stand up to being chargrilled on the barbie. JOINT WINNER: M&S Smokehouse Pork Links (£3/400g). This show-stopping sausage is enough to feed two and hasa great, authentically smoky flavour. JOINT WINNER: Aldi Specially Selected British Outdoor Bred Pork and Bramley Apple Sausages (£1.75/400g). A top banger with proper chunks of apple. HIGHLY COMMENDED: Asda Hot Dogs with Spicy Buffalo Sauce Pocket (£2/400g). This innovative hot dog sausage, with hidden pockets of hot sauce, is ‘dirty’ in all the right ways, and extremely moreish. Use your sausages in our best ever sausage recipes Best BBQ skewer What we were looking for: a meaty skewer for us to fill our pittas. WINNER: Aldi British Minted Lamb (£1.99/320g). This lean lamb kebab has a clean and complementary mint flavour that we love. Best vegetarian skewer What we were looking for: a meat-free kebab with bags of flavour. WINNER: M&S Chilloumi Cheese Kebabs (£4/225g). These halloumi kebabs have a satisfying squeak when you bite into them, and the fiery tomato marinade really complements the cheese’s natural saltiness. Best frozen summer dessert What we were looking for: a summer dessert that can be pulled out of the freezer for an impromptu BBQ or al fresco supper. WINNER: Iceland Bellissima 2pk Tartufo Nero (£1.50/2 x 90g). These cocoa-dusted rich chocolate-mousse domes are rich with a deep cocoa hit. Best summer dessert What we were looking for: a showstopping summer dessert that we’d be happy to serve for a smart lunch or dinner. WINNER: M&S Dulce de Leche Cheesecake (£6/340g). A good-looking cheesecake with an even, buttery biscuit base, a smooth and creamy topping with some dangerously good dulce de leche swirled through it. HIGHLY COMMENDED: Asda Patisserie Eclairs (£2/2pk). These summery éclairs are an easy-to-serve triumph – thumbs up from all of us. Try our summery strawberry eclairs recipe if you fancy making your own Best summer wine What we were looking for: a refreshing wine, ideal for drinking outside in the summer sun. WINNER: M&S Picpoul de Pinet (£8.50/75clg). This white wine is crisp and zesty with lovely pear notes – great to serve with seafood and summer salads. Best pre-bottled cocktail What we were looking for: a ready-to-drink summer cocktail to pour over ice or straight into the glass (or mouth). WINNER: M&S Papaya Piña Colada (£12/60cl). The papaya is a subtle addition in this pre-made, hassle-free piña colada. Serve over plenty of ice. Naff umbrella and colourful straw optional. Best savoury snack to serve with drinks What we were looking for: a savoury, salty snack to eat with a cold drink on a picnic or at a BBQ. WINNER: LIDL Crusti Croc Cheese Butter Straws (85p/150g). These buttery straws are crisp, have impressive layers, and a strong hint of salty cheese that kept us going back for more, and more. Best flavoured bread What we were looking for: a bread to be served at room temperature that we’d want to tear and share on a picnic. WINNER: Morrisons Lemon and Pumpkin Seed Cob (£1). This cob looks good and has a delicate lemony aroma with a fluffy middle that’s perfect for dipping in olive oil and balsamic. Check out our exciting bread recipes for baking at home Best summer dip What we were looking for: dip, designed for dipping crudités, breadsticks or crisps into, that would make us want to scrape to the bottom of the tub. WINNER: The Co-operative Loved By Us Middle Eastern Hummus (£1.50/165g). The spice adds a gentle hum to make this creamy chickpea dip a bit more interesting than your average version. Best ice cream What we were looking for: the ultimate scoop of ice cream. WINNER: The Co-operative Truly Irresistible Venezuelan Chocolate Ice Cream (£3.49/500ml). A creamy ice cream that tastes like real chocolate. Perfect for kids and grown-ups. You may also like... Best ever BBQ recipes Best ever vegetarian BBQ recipes taste test: which supermarket makes the best BBQ ribs? Best BBQ gadgets
We spoke to Jordan Sclare, executive chef at Black Roe Poké bar about the raw fish dish poké (pronounced “POE-KAY”), and how to make the best poké
What is poké? Originally from Hawaii, poké means 'to slice or cut'. Traditionally it's chopped raw fish, usually with an asian influence, marinated in lime juice and soy sauce. Sesame seeds, wakame (seaweed), chilli, onion and fish eggs are a few of the usual accompaniments. The fish is marinated, similar to a ceviche, because the acidity in the dressing lightly cooks the fish. It's also usually served with sticky rice. How do you make poké? Here are Jordan Sclare's top five tips on how to make the best possible poké: 1. Freshness Fresh fish is key – only use the best, sashimi quality fish. At Black Roe we sell fish which you can take home to make your own poké. 2. Dicing Don’t dice the fish too small or it will cure too fast, and not too large as you want the pieces to be delicate! Ideally dice the raw fish to cubes of 1.5cm by 1.5cm. 3. Marinade Don’t overdo the marinade. For a raw fish poké I would recommend marinating for two hours, and for a cooked poke just one hour. 4. Toppings Toppings are important to add taste and texture to your poké. At Black Roe we use nashi pear, edible flowers, fried wonton skins or fruit. 5. Temperature The temperature at which you serve the poké is really important. It mustn’t be too cold or the taste is lost and your rice will be hard. But also the rice needs to be at room temperature and mustn’t be served hot. Where can you eat poké? Black Roe Poké Bar in Mayfair, London opened in March 2016 and specialises in Pacific Rim cuisine. So that's fresh raw fish; grilled meats (cooked on a Kiawe wood grill); and of course, poké. *Look out for the olive version of poké in our August 2016 issue!* You may also like Our bumper guide to Japanese cooking What to drink with sashimi Summer sashimi salad Japanese beef salad
Read our review of Corkage, the wine bar, small plates venue and bottle shop in Bath. Big flavours, jewel-like salads and outstanding wines by the glass are putting this new opening on the local culinary map
Like vegan dining - or the pizza slice emoji - Corkage started out in a niche fashion, appreciated only by a few foodie insiders, but has suddenly rocketed into the mainstream. Six months on from its opening (originally just as a pop-up) this wine bar, bottle shop and small plates venue in Bath is being talked about at every dinner party, drinks bash or school gate across town. Unsurprisingly it has also just gone permanent, its owners Marty Grant (of Bath’s Gascoyne Place) and Richard Knighting (previously of the city’s Marlborough Tavern) having signed a 10-year lease. With a blink-and-you-would-walk-right-past-it setting, in what was previously an (unrelated) wine shop on the city’s Walcot Street, Corkage is appealingly fuss-free. Scaffolding poles help prop up wrap-around timber boards and a row of simple wooden tables sits beneath sail-like linen sheets billowing across the ceiling. The overall effect is part ski bar, part Parisian bar à vins. Small and intimate, with 50 covers at an absolute push, it doesn’t take much to get a buzz going here. And while our recent Saturday night visit was perfectly civilised, despite bottoms being packed into every inch of space going (if you’re planning a romantic night out, try to book the one table set on its own by a window at the back of the bar), we didn’t have quite as good a time as on our previous three visits here, each of which had been on quieter, Wednesday, evenings. Food-wise there’s a small but imaginative menu of around 15 small-plate dishes, each costing between £3.50 and £8. Some dishes stay on for a few weeks (by popular demand the crab toast has remained on since the start), others change within the space of a single service and there are usually four of five tweaks each week. While the food is good (often great, in fact), it’s designed to accompany the wines rather than as the starting point of the venue. There are no printed menus or wine lists, just one small blackboard that’s shipped, personally, around each table and gives only hints at what each dish might involve (‘spuds’, ‘cavolo nero’, ‘tomato’, ‘caponata’). With wine, you’re in Marty’s hands (or those of Jonathan Kemp, another local wine nut who runs a wine-tasting business at weekends but moonlights at Corkage during the week). That is, unless your eyesight is particularly good, or you’re brazen enough to peer at the labels dangling from each bottle behind the counter, reading the prices scribbled onto them. An element of trust is involved here that some diners won’t like. On that busy Saturday night the formula only felt moderately successful. We had a long wait for the blackboard to reach us that wouldn’t have happened if we’d been given a printed menu. And with Marty busy at other tables and Jonathan not working that evening we were left in less expert hands, where we might rather have made a choice ourselves from a list. On a quieter night, however, the charm of the set-up really shines. Having someone describe each dish to you feels helpful rather than intrusive – and there aren’t so many dishes, or so many cheffy tricks, that you can’t remember what is in each one. Served on an Instagram-friendly collection of mismatched china, the six dishes we ordered ranged from so-so (the ‘tomato’, lightly curried and baked, and served with toasted bruschetta, had been outstanding the last time we’d ordered it but on this visit it lacked the depth of flavour we’d remembered, and while a jewel-like salad of ‘lentils’ served with new-season asparagus, a raspberry vinaigrette, grilled halloumi and toasted seeds looked pretty it was too chilled and uptight to let its components sing) to great (an order of ‘chicken ‘ras’ was our dish of the night – a pillow of warm, richly seasoned white beans beneath a chicken thigh marinated in ras el hanout and cooked until it was perfectly peach-like inside but crisp as Tom Hiddleston’s consonants on top). Big flavours were also in evidence with a dish of roast, cumin-dusted cauliflower, its crisp, burnished edges a lovely contrast to the sweetness of the vegetable (though the tahini yoghurt dressing it came with was, again, slightly too cold, leaving it as a delicious but solid topping rather than an unctuous drizzle). Octopus marinated in pinot noir and served on a lemon-infused hummus was another hit, the smokiness of the hummus the perfect foil for the octopus’ tender tentacles. And worth the trip alone was a gorgeous salad of cavolo nero flecked with creamy feta, crunchy toasted almonds and beautifully fresh, sweet pear. At this point we ran out of space, our stomachs finally as full as our eyes, but on other visits we’ve enjoyed expertly cookedpork belly with beetroot-dyed giant couscous, and next time we’re definitely trying the brisket with red cabbage slaw and the bream with broad beans and pickled lemon dressing. Food here is only part of the story, however. There may also be a carefully chosen selection of craft beers and artisan tipples (any evening that doesn’t now end with a Somerset Pomona or an organic rhubarb vodka is a wasted one in our book) but the real impetus behind Corkage’s launch was a desire to show punters that there was more to be tasted than the usual sauvignon blancs and riojas – and many small, independent wine growers to discover. Without being stuck to a list Corkage changes its stock regularly, and offers a wide range of bottles at reasonable prices. Of the 70 bottles on the shelves at any one time around 45 are directly imported from small European estates and, with 48 of the 70 wines available by the glass, there are also six different ways to drink most of them – a 50ml glass, a 125ml glass, a 175ml glass, a 250ml glass, a 500ml carafe or a bottle. With the smallest glasses starting at just £1 to £2.50 it’s a great way to spend an evening trying really nice wines for a few pounds. Tasting flights of six wines are also on offer and, if you eat in, you get an extra discount on bottles to go from the on-site shop. In fact, ordering a bottle to go with your meal is almost a waste here. What’s great about the wine is that you can taste everything before you order it, even if you’re only ordering a glass. We loved our Wednesday night visits, when Jonathan was on hand to talk us through our likes and dislikes and made some standout suggestions (a coffee-ish Montepulciano was such a hit that we returned a few days after our first visit to buy a bottle). Try a few different wines in small glasses and you leave feeling informed rather than simply inebriated. The element of trust is crucial to Corkage’s success. We’ve never specifically stated our budget on any of our visits but they’ve never suggested a really expensive wine without telling us and the bill has never been an unpleasant surprise. Which is probably because, while Corkage isn’t perfect on busy weekends, it’s a heart-and-soul, human kind of place in a city that has more than its fair share of chain restaurants. It’s not pretending to be something it’s not. It’s not trying to show off. It’s simply two men with a passion for wine and food putting their energy into creating a place where other people can share and enjoy those things as much as they do. Written by Rhiannon Batten, June 2016 Photos by Victoria Yates and Corkage Main image courtesy Mike McNally mikebmcnally@hotmail.com You might also like Where to eat and drink in Bath Les Sources de Caudalie: hotel review and vineyard tour Top five European hotels for wine lovers Best English vineyard breaks Best-ever French recipes
Southeast Sicily: best places to eat & drink | Marina O'Loughlin
Read our food and drink guide to southeast Sicily, home to caciocavallo cheese, fat pistachios, grape mustard jelly, sensational chewy pasta and Montalbano scenery
Here’s a first: I don’t really want to write this column. I want to keep this extraordinary part of the world, nominally in Italy (although locals still refer to Italy as ‘the mainland’) to myself. So far, it’s not even that firmly on the tourist map, which, when you feast your eyes on the place, is little short of astonishing. I’m not here to wax starry-eyed about the area’s breathtaking Baroque architecture or rich, multicultural heritage (and believe me, I could).Town after town, Ragusa Ibla, Siracusa, Noto, Modica, offers World Heritage-protected loveliness, so much so that you fear an imminent bout of Paradise Syndrome. Outside the cities, the island rolls out like something from a Spaghetti Western, dotted with little agriturismi: farms producing their own ricotta, or the region’s favourite caciocavallo cheese, or who host delicious dinners in their dusty courtyards. We drive past locals picking snails and foraging for bitter greens along the roadsides. And Sicilian cooking is as unique as our surroundings, especially in this corner: sweet, rich tomatoes from Pachino; milky almonds from Noto; long, fat pistachios that make my new favourite pasta sauce, salsa di pistacchi; vibrant clashes of sweet and sour; incredibly sweet pastries including the famous cannoli; lemons like no lemon you’ve ever tasted before; oddnesses like the grape mustard jelly mostarda or quince paste cotognata or salty lemonade. I feel like my tastebuds have been newly-minted. We kick off in the main city, Siracusa, where our ‘b&b’ room in La Via Della Giudecca (laviadellagiudecca.it) is more like an apartment in the most beautiful boutique hotel, right in the heart of the atmospheric old Jewish district. In Ortigia – Siracusa’s old town – winding Medieval streets lead to treats like Castello Fiorentino (6,V. Croci sso, 00 39 0931 21097), the world’s loudest, maddest and most excellent pizzeria, or tiny, bare- bricked Apollonion (apollonion.it). Here, there’s no menu and an entire staff of three manages to produce a succession of extraordinary dishes – swordfish involtini stuffed with mollica (Sicilians’ favourite breadcrumbs), raisins, pine nuts and teeny explosions of fragrant lemon peel; crisp fritters of neonati (splinter-sized baby fish); sensational chewy pasta with clams and the local teeny red prawns.The kitchen loves sensationally fresh carpaccios and marinated raw fish. It’s also my first tentative steps towards what becomes a full-blown love affair with the wines of Etna. Siracusa’s sprawling, open-air market is mind-blowing: banks of silvery fish, locally grown vegetables and fruit, curios like tenerumi – stems and leaves of an indigenous gourd, like Jack’s beanstalk; and prickly pears, choc full of seeds and endearingly known as ‘bastardi’. In its midst, Fratelli Burgio (saporiburgio.com) is the kind of shop that makes our grocery stores look positively tragic. Nearby is L’Ancora (ristoranteancora.com), where fictitious local hero, detective Montalbano, loves their wonderful fish dishes – we love the Arab-influenced fish couscous – in an environment that defies the ministrations of the interior designer. The heavens open and rain falls like Niagara. The concerned owners offer to drive us back to our b&b. Bite that, UK restaurateurs. But then there are the streets of Ragusa Ibla, a mad wedding cake of impenetrable, ancient alleyways. Piazza Duomo (the cathedral square) is home to Gelati diVini (gelatidivini.it), a combined enoteca and ice-cream parlour that dishes up pistachio ice cream of staggering lushness; you know the good stuff because it’s greyish, not bright green.The Sicilian specialty, ice cream served in a briosca (brioche sandwich) is terrifyingly delicious. Behind the cathedral is chef Ciccio Sultano’s Michelin-starred Duomo (ristoranteduomo.it) restaurant. I’m not even going to try to do justice to the extraordinary food that emanates from his tiny kitchen in this jewel box of a restaurant, but he plays on the local tradition like a maverick jazzman. Ingredients and influences are deeply, traditionally Sicilian, techniques and realisation wickedly contemporary. From the sublime to the unassuming at little trattoria La Bettola (trattorialabettola.it).The letto di puledro is a new one on me, but its rich, ferrous, dark red meat is tantalisingly familiar. Oh, crikey – it’s horse. Why couldn’t they call it cavallo and then I’d know where I was? But it’s also my introduction to the pasta al pistacchio: a thing of wondrousness. (Click here for olive magazine's pistachio pasta recipe) We decamp to the country, to lovely villa La Paolina (thesicilianvillacompany.com) near the remote Castello di Donnafugata. It’s the perfect base for trips out to Noto, its honey-coloured Baroque streets fragrant with the smell of sugar and almonds, home to the justifiably famous Caffè Sicilia (125 Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 00 39 0931 83501) with its bewildering array of romantically titled cakes scented with basil or bergamot, saffron or jasmine; and exquisite ices, made from black olives, perhaps, or almond milk granita. Then Modica, where we wander about open-mouthed at the beauty and our new chum, cookery school doyenne Katia Amore (lovesicily.com), tells us about the ancient tradition of the town’s unique, dark, granular chocolate. She introduces us to Bonajuto (bonajuto.it); the almost hidden store offers the nest Modican chocolate: curiously granular, fat-free, made to the original Aztec recipe and avoured with vanilla, cinnamon or chilli – astonishingly pure and powerful. We try the town’s unique ‘mpanatigghi’, little pastries containing a mix of chocolate, nuts, spices, sugar and nest contro letto. Which is, of course, sirloin steak. Bonajuto may be deservedly famous, but even unassuming joints like the Caffè dell’Arte (caffedellarte.it) offer treasures. So taken with our enthusiasm are the owners, mother, father and son, that chocolate work of art after chocolate work of art is paraded in front of us: my favourite are the nuts and screws that actually work. Cakes, too, are unmissable: cannoli lled with sweet ricotta ‘al espresso’ i.e. at the last moment so the super-friable pastry tubes don’t have time to get soggy; or ‘pesche’ – two doughnuts sandwiched together to become the eponymous peach.To childish me, they look more like bums. Then we’re offered a chocolate salami... Stop me if I’m gabbling: there’s just so much of it and it’s all heaven. I could go on and on. It’s a long time since anywhere so comparatively accessible has impressed me quite so much – I’m like a Bieber-struck teenager. And I haven’t told you about the island’s famous pasta alla Norma: smoky grilled aubergine and concentrated, fruity tomato. Nor the trip to Michelin-starred La Madia (ristorantelamedia.it) through the weird, industrial ugliness of Gela. Or other local specialties like marzipan frutta martorana, or ossi dei morti (bones of the dead) or giuggiolena, a kind of sesame torrone. Or, Majore, the pig restaurant in Chiaramonte Gulfi that could have come straight from the pages of The Godfather. But at least I’ve managed to tell you about the place itself. Which was a struggle, believe me. You might also like Where to eat and drink in Parma, Italy 2016 Where to eat and drink in Puglia, Italy Basilicata, Italy: the best places to eat, drink and stay Cagliari, Italy: the best places to eat, drink and stay Chianti, Italy: best places to eat, drink and stay Venice, Italy: Five of the best places to eat and drink the team reminisce about their favourite foodie adventures in Italy; plus, editor Laura talks about the recent renaissance of authentic, regional Italian restaurants in the UK olive magazine podcast ep62 - Gibraltar gastronomy and Italian food adventures View oEmbed on the source website
Rapeseed oil guide: all you need to know
Somerset rapeseed oil producer, Andy Fussell, shares his expertise on the wonders of rapeseed oil and how to make the most of this versatile home-grown oil in your cooking
Ten years ago, I decided to make cold-pressed rapeseed oil in small batches on my farm. By cold-pressing the seed, I was able to preserve the natural goodness and flavour of the oil inside. The result was a very different oil, of extra virgin quality, that stands comparison to imported olive oil (and in many instances is considered superior) – plus you can see it growing in our countryside. Technique Like wine grapes, the character and quality of cold-pressed rapeseed oil can vary according to the season, sunlight, soil and more! Cold pressing is a simple but effective way of producing oil without heating it and without adding to or taking away from the natural product – allowing the individuality of the oil to shine. Once the pressed oil has settled, it’s filtered and then bottled. There’s nothing more to it than that. Feeling inspired? Try one of olive's recipes that makes the most of rapeseed oil here Qualities There are two big benefits to cold-pressed rapeseed oil. Firstly, it’s one of the healthiest oils around, with half the saturated fat of olive oil – 7% compared to 14% – and high monounsaturated fat levels. It’s also a rich, natural source of Vitamin E, an important antioxidant well known for its role in protecting the body’s immune system. Another real nutritional bonus is its blend of omegas – it contains omegas 3, 6 and 9 that work together to reduce cholesterol and maintain healthy joint, brain and heart functions. In fact, on average it has ten times the omega 3 level of olive oil! Secondly, cold-pressed rapeseed oil has a high flash point and maintains its integrity much better than the vast majority of other cooking oils. It’s therefore one of the most versatile cooking oils around and certainly a kitchen staple in my household. Cooking with Rapeseed Because cold-pressed rapeseed oil is still relatively new and is often sold as a ‘speciality’ oil, it’s too often treated as something precious; untouchable. Actually, we should be grabbing and glugging it into a whole host of dishes! There’s no reason why we shouldn’t all be baking, roasting, stir-frying and deep-frying with it – not to mention drizzling over salads and as a base for a dressing or dip. Top Tips *Try chilli rapeseed oil drizzled onto warm cauliflower rice *Roast your Sunday tatties in garlic rapeseed oil tossed with a few sprigs of rosemary *Rapeseed oil makes for a beautiful fish marinade *Rapeseed oil is a great healthy alternative to butter in sweet baking. My favourite is a chocolate beetroot cake *Try swapping in smoked rapeseed oil in place of butter in mashed potato You can learn more about Andy's rapeseed oil at fusselsfinefoods.co.uk Try one of our recipes that uses rapeseed oil Roast fennel-stuffed bream Jam jar salads Blueberry breakfast muffins Cheese and garlic pull-apart bread
The ultimate guide to meat, including what cuts to buy, how to cook it and myths to ignore
Meat is one of the most expensive ingredients in any shopping bag so you might as well make the most of it. Here are Lulu’s top tips for how to cook meat better. How to make meat taste meatier Fresh raw meat isn’t particularly rich in the flavour we know as umami, but you can strengthen the flavour in several different ways by encouraging the meat to give out the amino acids that provide umami flavour. Meat that is hung will undergo this process, as will meat that is cooked or cured. Browning meat before you cook it adds flavour as the denatured protein on the surface recombines with any sugar given off during what is known as the Maillard reaction. This adds colour and flavour and if you are making a stew or casserole make sure you do this properly by cooking the meat in small batches so it browns quickly on the outside rather than stewing in its own juices. Bland meat can be helped to taste richer, more savoury and meaty by adding ingredients that naturally contain chemical compounds called ribonucleotides and glutamates, both of which provide umami flavour. If you’re making a stew you can add dried mushrooms for example, or a couple of anchovies, some tomato purée, a splash of soy sauce or a tablespoon of Taste No 5 umami paste (available from supermarkets and online). Adding a slice of cheese to a burger also bumps up the flavour and there is no better use for a piece of old parmesan rind than adding it to a meat stock. In processed foods either MSG (monosodium glutamate) or disodium inosinate (or both) can be used to achieve the same effect. How to get over the fear of cooking steaks If you buy an expensive piece of meat like a steak, you want to be sure you’ll be able to cook it to its best advantage. It’s quite simple really, so just follow these steps: Step 1 Take steak out of its packaging, salt it (this won’t hurt it at all, ignore all instructions that say it will) and let it dry in the fridge. You either have to put it on a wire rack or turn it over onto a clean, dry plate every so often. Step 2 Use a decent pan, cast iron or a griddle will retain heat well. Step 3 Cook no more than two steaks at a time or you’ll cause the temperature to drop when you first put them in the pan. Step 4 Cook the steak for the length of time you like; if you’ve got a thin steak, give the heat a bit of welly and cook it quickly, if the steak is very thick then start the temperature high and then turn it down to give the meat a chance to cook though. Don’t forget the fat, turn the steak on its side and hold it against the hot pan surface. Step 5 Rest it. Step 6 If you’re worried about cooking two steaks well, cook one big one and carve it. Click here for more steak recipes. Tender to tough cuts Highly active muscles are tougher and need to be cooked for longer, at a lower temperature. They also contain more collagen to hold them together and to attach them to bone. Those that work less hard are much more tender (shown in grey, above), can be cooked quickly and at a higher temperature. Collagen cooks to gelatine if it’s given enough time, and this gives an unctuous quality to the gravy it produces. This is true for all animals with four legs: the front and back and underside muscles work hard, and those in the back work less hard. Braising vs stewing Braising means you are cooking the meat slowly in a ‘wet’ environment, the meat doesn’t have to be completely covered, if it is covered then you are stewing, but you need a lid to keep the moisture in. A pot roast is a braise. For optimum results you should braise in the oven to keep a constant temperature and so the meat at the top of the pot cooks at the same rate as that at the bottom. How brining and marinating work The acid ingredients in marinades (vinegar, lemon juice etc) add flavour by opening up the meat protein a little and penetrating the surface, If you don’t have any acid then this won’t happen at all, the flavour will only sit on the surface, however too much acid will ‘cook’ the surface of the meat and toughen it up. Marinades work less efficiently on dense meat than that with looser meat fibres such as chicken. They work even better on fish. Brining helps drier meat such as chicken and turkey or some pork cuts lose less water when they cook. In wet and dry brining the salt draws water out of the meat, dissolves in it and then is drawn back in. Once inside the meat it dissolves some of the meat proteins so there are fewer of them to tighten the meat fibres up as it cooks and less water is squeezed out. In wet brining, water is also absorbed which may weaken the flavour of the meat so for a more flavourful piece of meat use dry brine (essentially you are salting the meat). Adding flavour to wet or dry brine will have no effect whatsoever, so don’t bother. 3 meat myths to ignore 1. Salt meat after cooking. No, salt it first, that way you’ll add flavour. A few hours or even a day ahead will add even more flavour. 2. Don’t stick a fork in meat when you turn it over or the juices will run out. The moisture loss when you do this is negligible – go ahead. 3. Don’t flip steaks and burgers more than once. It doesn’t make much difference to the way they cook, but do leave them long enough to get a good crust. Can you serve pork cooked pink? You’re more likely to find pork that’s slightly pink in restaurants, as recipes still recommend cooking pork thoroughly – as does the NHS. However, the parasite this advice is designed to kill, trichinella, is believed to have been eliminated in pigs farmed in the UK (there have been no cases of trichinosis linked to UK produced pork for 30 years*). In Europe, most recent cases are linked to wild boar or pigs that forage. *pork.ahdb.org.uk Why you should rest meat The resulting flavour and texture will be much better. As just-cooked meat cools it sucks the moisture it squeezed out of its fibres as it got hot back in. Rest a single small steak for 10 minutes and a joint of meat for an hour. If you don’t rest meat for long enough it will give off lots of juices as you cut it, but these will be running onto your plate rather than making the meat juicier. You might also like How to sear a steak Best ever steak recipes Quick tips: how to brown meat in a pan How to cure meat properly
The Dordogne: best places to eat and drink | Marina O'Loughlin
The best places to eat, drink and stay in The Dordogne as chosen by Marina O'Loughlin
There’s a reason why the Dordogne river has long been a magnet for those of us in search of classic beauty: it undulates through some of the loveliest parts of France, curling round towns and villages of gasp-inducing gorgeousness and, despite the odd sighting of jet-skis, gives the impression that nothing much ever changes. Chateau de la Treyne, clinging to the steep banks of the river, intensifies this impression, with its baronial, wood-panelled rooms, vast open fireplaces and sense of serenity. Our elegant room looks out onto the river, its misty morning majesty quite the way to start a day. As is a breakfast of tiny, freshly made omelettes, cured ham, just-baked baguette and pastries, homemade jams and butter so luscious you could eat it by the spoonful. It’s hard to tear ourselves away from this historic luxury, but we do manage a wander to nearby Souillac (not for food, but for the slightly creepy Automaton museum; unmissable if you love the bizarre). And Sarlat, whose Saturday market is almost impossibly over-subscribed at the height of the summer season. As with many tourist destinations, the restaurants haven’t the greatest reputation, so we content ourselves with buying fat, vac-packed sausages and figs from the covered market in the Église Sainte Marie. For a blissful bout of people-watching at the heart of the market square, we park ourselves at hilarious Jimmy’s Bar, a rockabilly French fantasy of a US diner, to eat oysters from one of the nearby market stalls and quantities of chilled Bergerac rosé. The house look is 50-something Suzi Quatro. Dinner back at the Chateau’s Michelin-starred restaurant is quite the event, course after course of inventive cuisine making full use of the area’s native bounty – Quércy lamb, Aubrac beef and truffles (of course), in a tapestried room breathing stories of the past. I make absolutely no apology for going two nights in a row, for chef Stéphane Andrieux’s hare á la royale, slow- cooked until treacly and spoonable, with foie gras, truffles, fondant parsnips and little pasta pouches topped with chervil – possibly the richest, most luxurious thing I’ve eaten. Superstar chef Michel Guérard is at the next table. If it’s enough for French restaurant royalty... And oh lord, the cheeseboard, from Toulouse’s legendary Xavier: this turophile’s idea of heaven. We take side trips to historic Rocamadour (more cheese – so much cheese) and lovely little Meyrac where we eat pumpkin soup, tête de veau with violet mustard and confit duck in eccentric L’Assiette Meyssacoise to the sound of a bespectacled chap multi-skilled in keyboard, saxophone, DJing and calling out the raffle. Or drive through lush countryside where farms offer walnuts, wild mushrooms, duck and its liver and farmhouse cheeses; you can watch goats being milked or ducks being fattened (the latter probably a niche pursuit). In tiny, honey-stoned Tremolat sits Le Vieux Logis hotel. What it lacks in Chateau de la Treyne’s regal handsomeness, it more than makes up for in charm. Its series of low, atmospheric buildings hunker around beautifully landscaped grounds; our little, antiques-furnished suite of rooms opens straight into the garden where carefully tonsured trees and shrubs create a romantic, Alice in Wonderland effect. It makes me wish I weren’t married so I could have another wedding here. We’re in the heart of Périgord Noir, but it’s not yet truffle season (that’s December to March), but the hotel’s charming GM, Estelle Lepers, introduces us to Edouard Aynaud (truffe-perigord.com). I’ve been on truffle hunts where the precious tubers magically turn up at the arrival of the eager tourist, but this is nothing like that: Edouard is visionary and inspirational, entertaining and erudite, worried that his beloved trade may die out – it requires immense patience and expertise – and evangelical about his product. His dog, Farah, is a treasured companion, heading straight to the truffles but – unlike the pigs – knowing when to leave them alone. I come away longing to store Périgord’s tuber melanosporum (the only true Périgord truffle – not flavourless, fragrance-free Chinese imposters, tuber indicum) in Tupperware with eggs, for an omelette of ambrosial qualities. Le Vieux Logis was the former family home of 91 year-old Bernard Giraudel, who has now passed it on to his senior staff so it will continue to be lovingly tended by those passionate about the place. The warmth of the welcome tells its own story. In the restaurant, a former tobacco drying house transformed into the height of rustic chic, all chalky colours and toile de jouy, chef Vincent Arnould is unusually shy and retiring for someone of his Michelin’ed standing. But his personality shines from every plate: from the amuses of duck croquette and minuscule sandwiches of the bird’s gesiers (gizzards), to the finale of weeny Paris-Brest pastries filled with silky ice-cream and crowned with praline. He even makes chicken breast enchanting: stuffing a grain-fed bird with local walnuts, surrounding it with the lightest mousse of artichoke and topping it with a ‘bonbon’ of homemade pasta filled with ripe cheese. Tremolat has been pretty much colonised by the hotel. The same owners run the village’s super-traditional Bistrot de la Place where we eat duck breast with green peppercorns, sublime frites and flawlessly structured tarte aux pommes from chef Pierre-Jean Duribreux, off jolly checked tablecloths. And their sandwich shop, Les Tartines Etc, is committed to celebrating local produce: Arnould spent hours perfecting the ‘burger Perigourdin’ made with duck, home-baked cornbread and trappe d’Échourgnac cheese. I want to come back for this alone, and to hit the truffle markets that proliferate and pong from when the frost just hits the area in December. At the end of our visit, I feel sleek with animal fats, cosseted into a Zen-like state of calm and drunk on beauty (not to mention rather a lot of fine Cahors). Here’s to the joys of sinking into the intense pleasures of the classics. Marina O’Loughlin is The Guardian’s restaurant critic, and both the Fortnum & Mason and Guild of Food Writers restaurant reviewer of the year. Double rooms at Chateau de la Treyne, near Brive-Souillac airport, cost from €400, room-only and at Le Vieux Logis, near Bergerac airport, from €200, room-only. More info: dordogne-perigord-tourisme.fr You might also like Marina O'Loughlin's guide to Toulouse Marina O'Loughlin's guide to Limousin Best budget food & drink guide to Bordeaux The best places to eat & drink in Lyon
Pho & Bun, Shaftesbury Avenue: restaurant review
We review Pho & Bun, new Vietnamese street food restaurant on Shaftesbury Avenue. Andy Le of Viet Eat's menu includes spring rolls, pho and the new bao burger hybrid
Hidden bang in Central London between the lanterns of China Town and Shaftesbury Avenue’s chain restaurants teaming with pre-theatre goers, Pho & Bun is taking the bao bun to the next level with Vietnamese bao burgers (we're betting that this is the next big food trend). Already a staple amongst Berlin’s hipsters, these revolutionary burgers are new to London, and an exciting addition to owner Andy Le’s new outpost of popular street food joint Viet Eat, Holborn. The restaurant does as it says on the tin, and the menu is short and simple, split into starters, vermicelli, pho and buns. Start with rolls – minced crab and pork spring rolls are wrapped in a crispy crackly golden net, and fresh summer rolls encase meaty tiger prawns, Vietnamese leaves and herbs in rice paper. Impeccably sourced meat from butcher HG Walter is used in the pho and buns – 28-day, dry aged Aberdeen Angus beef is served rare in a big bowl of fragrant pho broth cooked for 18 hours with freshly chopped thick noodles. Beansprouts, chilli, coriander and mint come on the side so you can drop them in as you please. The bao burger hybrid comes three ways – more of that awesome beef in a patty, with smoky mayo, salad and Vietnamese herbs, and a wedge of cheese for good measure; crisp tiger prawns or BBQ belly pork. The latter marinates free-range pork from Surrey farmers Plantation Pigs in garlic, shallots, lemongrass, fish sauce and caramelised onions that turn sticky and golden on the grill. The perfectly round milky steamed buns squish when you pick them up to create a contrasting pillowy texture to the crisp pork filling. Sweet potato fries have that crisp deep-fried outer layer and fluffy centre, perfect dippers for the creamy chilli mayo. The short dessert menu is a Vietnamese/western fusion – greek yogurt, Vietnamese coffee and a few drops of sweet condensed milk is shaken with ice into a creamy liquid with a kick – think Vietnamese frappuccino. You can also have syrupy Vietnamese coffee in its original form, or pick Hanoi beer or a refreshing homemade lemonade or iced tea. Interiors may be cliché but they work – chilli sauce, bowls of pho and pointy-hatted men on bicycles painted directly on to the brick walls provide a clear reminder of where you are, and bamboo lanterns hang from the ceiling, giving the tiny restaurant a soft, warm glow reminiscent of the magical lantern-lit Vietnamese town of Hoi An. Low wooden tables and stools are filled with crockery imported directly from Vietnam – sardine run pottery is embedded deep into Vietnamese tradition and is still sold across markets across the country. Some of the friendliest staff around, who willingly recommend their favourites, provide the icing on the bao bun at this unpretentious street food restaurant. VietEat.co.uk Written by Alex Crossley Published November 2015 You may also like... Bao, London: restaurant review Vietnamese coffee: the best coffee shops in Hanoi, Saigon and London Best ever Vietnamese recipes Best ever burger recipes Hanoi, Vietnam: budget places to eat and drink
Tom Kerridge might be famous for his Michelin stars and TV appearances but he’s most comfortable at home in the pub, as team olive discovered. Here he talks about his new book, Harrods pop-up and his hatred for beer pairing
The formal restaurant scene has changed. Those hushed dining rooms where you could hear the clink and clunk of cutlery and glasses, where everybody whispers, have gone. They are a lot more accessible, a lot more entertaining, a lot more vocal, and they’re very proud to sing about their produce. It’s not all about buying hugely expensive bottles of Claret, it’s now about ‘well this is a really interesting cider’ or ‘this is a really interesting Greek wine’. It’s not about expense, it’s about experience, and that’s great. I’ve always felt most comfortable in a pub environment and the perfect pub comes down to the atmosphere. It will take itself incredibly seriously in terms of what it’s offering and it’s professionalism but it will be completely relaxed, informal and accessible for everybody. Pub is short for public house – members of the public – so it shouldn’t matter who you are or what the environment. A pub should welcome everyone. Pubs have evolved hugely. They started off centuries ago as coaching inns, where people would stop as a place to eat and rest, then they grew to be viewed as a male drinking environment, now they are completely family orientated, user-friendly social spaces. The lines between ‘a pub is a place for drinking’, ‘a restaurant is a place for eating’, and ‘a coffee shop is a place for coffee’ are blurring. Pubs are more accessible across the board. Fine dining restaurants, where the chef has put on pieces of cress on the plate with tweezers are like London Fashion Week: you see amazing designs but you wouldn’t necessarily wear those outfits everyday of the week. Those sorts of restaurants are hugely driven in terms of fashion, trends, science, new ideas and forward thinking, but remove all of that and it always comes down to the basic produce. Those places are important to the international food scene – those chefs are dynamic, diverse and leading the way. But in my pubs we look at top-end produce and make it accessible for everyone. Sunday lunch for me has got to be a full rib of beef with Yorkshire puddings, and creamed horseradish – amazing. Who would be there? Liam Gallagher. He’s been for lunch at the Hand and Flowers and he was incredibly good company. Chris Evans – he’s a good friend and a brilliant entertainer around the table. Eric Cantona would be pretty interesting. It would be amazing to have Paul Bocuse, who must be 90 years old by now (for over 50 of those he’s had three Michelin stars) – I bet he could tell a right old story! And, if you could bring him back from the dead, Oliver Reed would be a good lunch guest wouldn’t he? He’d have some great stories about movies and behind-the-scenes kind of stuff. That would be a good table. Opening a restaurant is about following your heart and soul, not a fashion or fad. At the same time, an understanding of people’s allergies or what they can or can’t eat is very important: it is about understanding people’s right to be able to eat stuff. I have a shellfish allergy, so understanding allergies is something that we are big on at the Hand and Flowers. You don’t want people to turn up at a place and not feel comfortable. We actually don’t have a vegetarian option on the menu because if we put a vegetarian option on, it’s not an option then, it’s a dictatorship, it’s one dish! If somebody comes in and has issues with things, we have conversations with them through the front of house team and there are loads of options that are available. I hate the term beer pairing, it is absolutely ridiculous. Any brewer or pub that thinks that pairing beer with food is the way forward is wrong. The flavour of beer is different to wine, which has so many flavour profiles and different complex areas of taste that go, or don’t go, with different dishes. Beer on the other hand is about the flavour of the beer, and the flavour of food should be about the flavour of food. It takes you down a road, which is just not sustainable because people are not interested. People go to the pub to get away from the pretentiousness of having to order red wine with meat and white wine with fish, with expensive bottles and navigating different grape varieties. You go to the pub because you want to have a pint of beer and you want to have something to eat: it doesn’t matter if they pair or match. Don’t over complicate it. Keep it simple. Tom’s Table is my third book: these are the dishes that we think, from the first two books, that people will cook, that they want to eat and be a part of. They’re dishes that you will probably already know, like chilli and roast chicken. There are quite a few more desserts in there, too. It’s food that you know, so you’re not going to be scared off by it, but there are slightly different cooking methods, slightly different twists – brining, curing, drying, marinating, and rubbing, to enhance something that you already do. It could also be seen as a skills book. The processes aren’t as heavy as Best Ever Dishes where there was a lot of chef-driven ideas that take three days. The more complicated recipes might take just two days! I consider myself a fairly accessible bloke. If I weren’t a chef I’d probably be driving a white van! I’m very aware and conscious of my roots, where I’m from and the sort of person that I am, and I think a lot of people buy into that and the food that I want to eat. I’m very fortunate in that the books that I write have always been the food that I’ll cook at home. I’m not writing to a fad or a style, it’s just food that I want to eat and every single recipe is handwritten by me. I sit there and I write until five in the morning, it’s actually my best writing time, between 11pm and 5am in the office, because it’s clear – the phone’s not ringing, there’s nothing on and it allows you to focus and write. Every recipe is photographed in a three-week period where we lock ourselves away in the studio. I’m there for 95% of the whole shoot. We know the recipe works, and how we want it to look. I’m hugely proud of that. There are a lot of people who are involved in the making of the book, but I like to lead it from the front, it’s very personal to me. The Tom’s Table pop-up at Harrods (until 8 November) is in conjunction with the book and a food range that I’ve launched there. We wanted to make a ready meal for what is arguably the most well-known British shop in the world. The Harrods team makes our recipes, which you can then buy to reheat at home (until 5 January). Every day we have photographs sent to us, with people testing and tasting, just to make sure it’s the same as we designed and made fresh. The pop-up is taking place in the food hall. It’s an amazing space: you can’t help but walk around it with your jaw open – I still do that now as a 40-year-old bloke – it’s absolutely stunning. There are recipes from the book, the Hand and Flowers, and The Coach. Members of my team from both pubs are cooking, so the food is of a high standard and a reflection of what we are as a group. We’re filming two things between now and Christmas but they haven’t been signed off as titles yet so I can’t really tell you what they are: I wish I could! We’re also doing a gig in New York with British Airways, which will be amazing. It’s showcasing brilliant British produce and everything that’s great about Great Britain, for two days in New York. Tom Kerridge hosted the first ever Hoppodrome event with Greene King IPA at The Crabtree in London. Guests were treated to servings of recipes from his new book, Tom’s Table, including mushroom risotto and mackerel burgers alongside pints of Greene King IPA as part of the brewery’s To the Pub campaign.
Trujillo, Spain: Marina O'Loughlin's guide to food and drink
The medieval town of Trujillo's kitchens have long been rich thanks to Ibérico ham, smoky pimentón de la Vera and creamy sheep's milk cheeses, discovers Marina O'Loughlin
I ’d cross continents and climb mountains for pure acorn-fed Ibérico pata negra ham. Once tasted, it’s hard to go back to lesser animals fed on grains, or prosaic white-hoofed porkers: the fragrant meat and the fat vanishing on the tongue with a back note of clean, porcine sweetness. It’s healthy even– the monounsaturated fat bursting with oleic acid; only olives have more. Just a few Spanish regions boast the holm oak trees (encinas) and open pastures necessary for the feeding and rearing of this most coveted beast. Extremadura is one of these. From our temporary home, the gorgeous Villa Moritos at the very pinnacle of the equally beautiful medieval town of Trujillo, we can see miles of those plains to as far as Portugal. We’re going to eat ourselves some ham. All the ham. This plan is executed easily. Everywhere, from restaurants to tiny cafés, offer plates of the stuff, freshly carved to order. Our first stop, just off the main square, is Corral del Rey. After the inevitable jamón, I have Ibérico pork secreto (the shoulder cut that, with its liberal marbling of fat, has sometimes been called pork wagyu) thickly dusted with another of Extremadura’s hero products – sweet, smoky pimentón de la Vera, and grilled over encino, the very wood that fed it – a wonderfully symmetrical cooking method. Despite being one of the swishest restaurants in town, the three-course set meal costs, with drinks, a gentle €23. We soon discover the norm is €10-15; it’s easy to eat well on very little here. All the steep, narrow roads seem to lead to Plaza Mayor, the main square, with its ravishing conquistadors’ mansions. There’s Cerveceria for beers and the locals’ favourite dish, migas – paprika-laced breadcrumbs fried in pork fat, studded with chorizo and topped with a frilly fried egg; a reminder that, in a poor area, nothing must be wasted, even stale bread. When I ask for pan con tomate, I get toast and strawberry jam. With chips. (Worth it for the laughs.) More ham, served with shavings of foie gras, makes a surprisingly luxurious snack from rough-and-ready Nuria. We also have a sparky tuna, roasted pepper and avocado salad (our first vegetables and fish), and some crisp fried chipirones – meat is the hero round these landlocked parts. I wish we were staying long enough to try the weekly baby kid roasted in the wood oven. But it’s difficult to tear ourselves away from Villa Moritos: not only is the garden a fair approximation of paradise but, in the shade beneath a leafy trellis, the Trujillo Villas’ cook, Belen, dishes up feasts. She lays the table with tiny empanadillas, the crisp pastry filled with juicy spiked pork; stout, ham-flecked croquetas; a wobbly tortilla made with eggs from their own hens; lomo de bellota; and salads of beans, potatoes, ham and roasted peppers. It’s finished with a flourish: sweet local cherries and sheeps’ milk cheese, torta del casar. Blimey. This is so potent, so oozing, that it makes époisses look like Dairylea. To try to contain its pungency, it’s packed, like a replacement organ, in polystyrene – it almost jumps out to meet us. I hardly ever eat ‘at home’ during these trips, but after a visit to Montánchez, the area’s mecca of jamón production, there’s nothing I’d rather do than sit on our villa’s spectacular terrace and stuff my face with acorn-fed ham while fat bees buzz round riotous blooms. We’ve been to famed Casa Bautista to study the process, an alchemical combination of pedigree animals, atmospheric conditions, time and the most tender loving care. (Obviously, we buy a whole leg to send home.) With a trip to nearby vineyard Habla, we wind up with the ingredients for the emperor of all backyard picnics. Trujillo’s restaurants are happily rustic, dependent on a wood grill and fryer for many of their treats. For lovers of swank, nearby Cáceres is where it’s at. The beautiful, ancient walled city is Spain’s capital of gastronomy for 2015, so we’re pretty excited. We have reservations at a local hero, the two Michelin-starred Atrio, a serene beauty with a remarkable wine cellar. It’s a oenophile’s fantasy with 50 vintages of Mouton Rothschild, a dizzying 75 of Yquem stored in its own special room and every single Burgundy Grand Cru. The food is just as exquisite. Chef Toño Perez gives us a VIP option of dish after dish from the contemporary ‘tasting’ menu – fat red prawns interspersed with bonbons of Ibérico pork and a crunchy ‘dust’ of toasted cornbread, the heads served in a separate bowl for sucking; and ‘daring’ fried oysters in strawberry sauce with kimchi paper – and the ‘timeless’ menu – roasted suckling goat on creamy potatoes and a heady 24-hour reduction of meat juices. The ice cream is made from torta del casar, and the wine pairings are suitably ambrosial. Extremadura’s history of poverty is, paradoxically, one of the reasons its treasures are so perfectly preserved. I’m disappointed that its name doesn’t actually mean ‘extremely hard’, testament to the difficulty of living off these dusty plains (it’s something to do with being beyond the Duoro river, apparently). But it’s from poverty that the conquistadors escaped to conquer the New World, fortified, no doubt, by pig products. It was a Trujillan, Maria de Escobar, who first introduced wheat to the US: tiny Trujillo has a huge influence. Our last night is spent on the terrace of homely La Alberca Asador (Calle Cambrones 8; 00 34 927 322 209), overlooked by two ancient clock towers. Meat rules as ever at this wood grill, and the menu boasts a multitude of recherché porcine cuts – secreto, pluma, presa, solomillo – flamed over encina wood. You can have egg and chips as a starter, or torta del casar pooled over toasted bread and dusted with pimentón de la Vera (as, of course, I do). We finish off with a sultry-sweet liqueur made from those essential acorns. The area may have been poor, but it’s rich in many other meaningful ways. Three-night stays at Villa Montos cost from £1,500 for up to eight people (trujillovillasespana.com). Return flights from Stansted or Manchester to Madrid cost from £50 (ryanair.com). Car hire costs from £25 for three days (holidayautos.co.uk). More info: turismoextremadura.com Written October 2015 You might also like Best Spanish food trips Naples, Italy: Marina O'Loughlin's best food and drink guide Manhattan, New York: Marina O'Loughlin's best food and drink guide Toulouse, France: Marina O'Loughlin's best restaurants, food markets and hotels Marrakech, Morocco: Marina O'Loughlin's best restaurants and hotels Limousin, France: Marina O'Loughlin's best food, drink and hotel guide Dublin, Ireland: Marina O'Loughlin's best food and drink guide
Homemade is all the rage, and that includes everything from making your own sourdough, to pickles and curing meat. Follow our helpful tips below to learn how to do it properly.
Sometimes it’s useful to know WHY you are doing something so you aren’t tempted to cut corners. Instructions don’t always give you this. Cookery writer Anna has done a curing course, so while testing a kit filled in the reasons for each step. Research is always helpful. £5.96. lakeland.co.uk Remove the skin, but not all of the fat Why? By removing the skin the preserving salt penetrates the meat and draws out water, but a layer of fat gives it flavour and ensures the meat doesn’t dry out fully. Rub the salt mix into every crevice Why? If some of the folds aren’t covered, it won’t cure evenly. Turn the meat over every day Why? Due to the liquid that’s drawn out, you need to turn the meat to make sure it’s not sitting half in water and half out. Remove from the marinade and leave uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours Why? This will dry out the meat, you’ll get a firmer texture and it will be easier to cut the bacon when it’s done.
Bordeaux, France: best food and drink guide
France's wine capital is a must-visit for food, too. We've put together the best places to eat and drink with a little help from Bénédicte Baggio, a journalist and food blogger based in Bordeaux.
Now find out the best hotels in Paris. 1 Neo-bistro A small, casual restaurant run by Israeli, Vietnamese, Japanese and New Caledonian chefs, Miles turns out wonderfully creative food. Think pork loin with celeriac and vanilla purée, roasted root vegetables, baby beetroot leaves and preserved lemons. 2 Third wave coffee Set in DARWIN, an eco-business hub in a former barracks on the city’s right bank, Arthur Audibert – alias L’Alchimiste Torréfacteur – roasts coffee with passion and precision. Enjoy a Chire moka from Ethiopia or a Manzano arabica from Salvador. 3 Local street food Margot and Tristan drive around Bordeaux in their Seasons Food Truck (a 1974 Citroën HY) serving fresh, seasonal street food. The menu changes weekly and features everything from veggie wraps to the famous Hangover: roast potatoes with bacon, eggs, salad and lemon dressing. 4 Wine, cheese & music At the Chartrons docks, Le Bistrot du Fromager pairs regional cheeses with the area’s best red and white wines in a smart, contemporary setting. 5 Bite into a bitoche If you’re a meat lover, head to humble La Tanière on the docks and order a bitoche – minced beef cooked like a large burger, served with a creamy mushroom and piment d’Espelette sauce and frites. It’s cheap, and very good. 41 Quai Richelieu, no phone 6 Crazy for cake Bordelaises are crazy about puits d’amour, tiny choux pastry cakes filled with caramelised Chiboust cream. Originating in Captieux, an hour’s drive south of the city, a company specialising in the pastries set up a branch in Bordeaux last year. lepuitsdamourdecaptieux.com 7 Local tapas At Belle Campagne, a locavore restaurant, tapas are made with simple, fresh ingredients. Share a plate of Girondin beef with juniper essence cream, or dip bread in a Rocamadour cheese roasted with hazelnuts. 8 Wines by the glass A liquid primer on regional (and other) vineyards, at Aux 4 coins du Vin you can choose from 32 wines by the glass – from a 2004 Château Pontet-Canet to a Bandol Domaine Tempier – instead of having to order a whole bottle. 9 Home-style brunch At Plume Bakery and Coffee, fill up for the day on homemade granola with fresh fruit, scrambled eggs and ham or Brebis cheese with a fresh brioche and maple syrup. 10 Handmade chocolates A local but dynamic institution, at Maison Darricau craftsman Michel Garrigue creates chocolates laced with spice (cinnamon, curry or nutmeg) and aromatic herbs (thyme, tarragon or basil). Don’t miss the red wine ganache truffle. It’s a local specialty. 11 Cruising the Garonne For a romantic dinner on an elegant boat, with the city’s 18th-century UNESCO-rated facades as a backdrop, book dinner aboard the Sicambre. It’s packed with local produce, from Arcachon oysters to mullet tartare, red wine jelly with duck liver, asparagus and Bayonne ham. 12 Classy cocktails It’s not obligatory to drink wine all the time in Bordeaux. If you’re looking for a superior cocktail, try the lovely Maria Randall, with its vintage floral wallpaper, and sip a Diamond Sour, made with violet cream, amaretto and mashed raspberry. (6 Rue Louis Combes, 00 33 557 30 9147) 13 Standout burgers Order a Reuben (made with Black Angus beef, gorgonzola and pastrami, and served with mature cheddar chips) at Kokomo Delicatessen, on the charming Place Fernand Laffargue. You won’t be disappointed. (12 Place Fernand Lafargue, 00 33 557 770 724) 14 A secret terrace In old Bordeaux, close to the Grosse Cloche, there’s a magical hidden terrace at Potato Head restaurant. Get a table here to try young couple, Mary and Max’s, inventive cooking in dishes such as veal tartare with horseradish ice cream. 15 Amazing ice creams Don’t leave Bordeaux without trying an ice cream from M&O. A small boutique with a Scandinavian feel, all the ice cream (and accompanying waffles) are handmade. Succumb to the raspberry-cranberry-hibiscus, apricot-rosemary or mango-jasmine sorbets, or to the honey-pine nut and pistachio ice creams. Trust olive: Bénédicte Baggio is a journalist and food blogger based in Bordeaux (mylittlespoon.fr). You might also like The Napa Valley guide 2015: the best places to eat, drink and stay Naples, Italy: Marina O'Loughlin's best food and drink guide Manhattan, New York: Marina O'Loughlin's best food and drink guide A weekend guide to Athens Guide to Parma, Italy: where to eat on a budget
Although this small Welsh market town at the foot of the Black Mountains has plenty to warrant a visit all year round, September is the time to go. The town takes on a merry and collaborative atmosphere when Abergavenny’s annual food festival arrives, bringing with it like-minded (or should that be like-stomach’d?) home cooks and star chefs.
1. Abergavenny food festival Taking over the town in the middle of the month, this is an annual gathering of all things food-related and the grande dame of Welsh food festivals, having grown from small but firmly-planted roots in 1999. There’ll be 200 food producers, chef demos (Tom Kerridge and Hemsley + Hemsley among them) and workshops. A celebration of meat, a craft brew festival and an evening street food market are part of this year’s event, as is a special Feast With A Chef event cooked by Matt Gillan of The Pass. 2. The Hardwick Consistently voted one of the country’s best restaurants, the Hardwick may be a pub, but chef Stephen Terry and wife Joanna have made it into something special. Try shoulder of local Brecon lamb with chargrilled purple sprouting broccoli, roasted red onion, deep-fried polenta, salsa verde and black olive. There are eight stylish bedrooms on-site, but if you’re staying at a local cottage, you can book one of the restaurant’s chefs to come and cook for you. 3. Cooks Galley In business for even longer than the town’s food festival (it opened in 1988), this kitchenware shop is a place of pilgrimage for visiting cooks. From basic kitchen gadgets to toys for the professionals, it stocks most of the well-known brands and also hires out baking equipment. In association with Penny Lewis of local cookery school The Culinary Cottage, the shop also runs occasional evening demonstrations and classes, from ‘cakes and bakes’ to bread-making. You might also like Naples, Italy: Marina O'Loughlin's best food and drink guide Manhattan, New York: Marina O'Loughlin's best food and drink guide A weekend guide to Athens Best European foodie holidays for 2015 Guide to Parma, Italy: where to eat on a budget
olive recommends: The Manor House Hotel and Golf Club, Wiltshire
Book yourself an easy trip away to The Manor House Hotel and Golf Club in Castle Come, Wiltshire to enjoy indulgent afternoon tea and Michelin-star food in a beautiful 14th Century manor.
Regularly touted as one of Britain’s prettiest villages, Castle Combe is packed in summer. Its 14th century Manor House, however, now a hotel and golf resort, remains a serene escape from the hubbub. As summer gasps its last, afternoon tea (from £26pp) on its manicured lawns is, perhaps, the ultimate in indulgent me-time. Pastry chef Marc Collyer creates exquisite towers of pleasure that can be enjoyed with Nyetimber sparkling wine from Sussex, or teapots full of English-rose-infused G&T (the Manor has a staggering collection of 170 gins). Meanwhile, in the Michelin-starred Bybrook restaurant, chef Richard Davies delivers impeccable contemporary dishes heavily influenced by the seasonal ingredients which are grown in kitchen plots within the Manor’s Italian gardens. His lunch menu is driven by what the head gardener, John Rowlands, sends up that day, but with such special ingredients at his disposal (the Manor also has its own orchard, poultry and Gloucester Old Spot pigs), Richard’s style of cooking on his showcase dinner menu has also evolved. ‘We’re still technical. We use modern techniques,’ he says of dishes such as his 57C sous-vide salmon with artichoke, apple and smoked oil, or 36-hour-cooked shoulder of mutton with garden greens and smoked celeriac purée. ‘But I tend to put fewer elements on the plate these days, maybe three flavours, because I like to let the produce we’re using shine through. It needs less messing around,’ he adds. This is very much a fine dining experience in an imposing, historic space of leaded windows, heraldic symbols and exposed stone. But it’s brightened by colourful furnishings and the ‘relaxed approach’ to service. ‘People want great food,’ says Richard, ‘but also a personable relationship with the staff.’ Dinner from £66; manorhouse.co.uk You might also like Best European foodie holidays for 2015 The five hottest Mediterranean food trips for 2015 Naples, Italy: Marina O'Loughlin's best food and drink guide Manhattan, New York: Marina O'Loughlin's best food and drink guide A weekend guide to Athens
Read our Q&A with southern Italy food expert and blogger, Gina Tringali.
As regular readers of olive will know, we value local knowledge highly when it comes to our travel features, using the best food writers in the best food destinations to put together our guides. Many of these writers have great stories to share so, in this new series of posts, we thought we’d do exactly that. First up is southern Italy expert, Gina Tringali. Gina is the founder of GT Food & Travel and Casa Mia–Italy Food & Wine Tours. Born into an Italian-American family, Gina spent countless hours in the kitchens of her mother and Neapolitan and Sicilian grandmothers, watching, cooking and tasting. Having been part of the team that spearheaded Tom Colicchio’s ‘wichcraft restaurant expansion, she moved to Rome in 2007. Earning a master’s degree in Italian Gastronomic Culture, and sommelier certification with Associazione Italiana Sommelier, she then worked as a culinary guide and tourism consultant. Gina founded GT Food & Travel (running food and wine tours of Rome) and Casa Mia – Italy Food & Wine Tours (running bespoke food and wine experiences throughout Italy) and writes about the region’s food for publications such as Condé Nast Traveler. She also runs her own southern Italian food blog GT Food & Travel. Describe your blog… It’s a mix of recipes, food and family memories, and dining and drinking tips. I was inspired to set it up to keep a diary of my new life in Rome, and to connect my discoveries and adventures with my Italian-American roots; having Sicilian and Neapolitan grandparents meant I was naturally drawn to these two places. My three favourite restaurants in Rome are… At trattoria Cesare al Casaletto order a mix of fried starters including anchovies, totani (squid), meatballs topped with pesto, and eggplant croquettes topped with spicy tomato sauce. For a first course, try the gnocchi with tomato and basil sauce or pasta with baccala, pecorino cheese and mint. For main courses, order lamb chops or trippa alla romana. And leave room for panna cotta for dessert. In Testaccio, Agustarello is a friendly, family-run trattoria. For pasta order cavatelli with cicoria or Roman classics like cacio e pepe or amatriciana. For second courses the coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew in the 'butcher's style') and involtini stuffed with misticanza are good. Ask for co-owner Antonella's homemade crostata with black cherry jam for dessert. I love Osteria dell’Arco for many reasons, mostly because after living in Rome for eight years I crave other regional food. The menu changes regularly and I always order something different, but some of my favorite dishes are vermicelli pasta with butter, anchovies and bottarga (cured fish roe), roasted guinea hen stuffed with chestnuts in a sauce made with whole grapes, and castagnaccio, a traditional Tuscan chestnut-flour cake. I love eating out at… Cave Ox in Sicily because Sandro and Lucia make authentic Sicilian food with seasonal ingredients. Couple that with a homely vibe and an outstanding wine list. My favorite dishes are whatever the pasta is that Lucia created that day, like tagliatelle with zucchine and lemon zest. When I’m not blogging I’m…. Running, baking, cooking, discovering new vineyards or organising wine tastings in NYC and Boston. In my fridge there are always… Capers from Pantelleria, canned vinegar peppers that I make yearly, ragusano cheese, a bowl of whatever fruit is in season, lemons, sun-dried tomatoes, amaro sibilia (a bitter after-dinner drink made from herbs and honey) and fresh chili peppers. My guilty pleasure food is… Natural peanut butter. My most-used cookbook is… Think Like a Chef by Tom Colicchio because although Tom provides recipes, he focuses on the techniques of roasting, braising, blanching and stock and sauce making. Essentially it helped me to 'think like a chef' and gives me the freedom to visit a food market, choose from seasonal fresh ingredients and decide on the spot how I'll cook them rather than check off ingredients on a recipe list. It makes cooking fun and creative rather than regimented. Food trends I see sticking around in Rome are… The growth of gourmet and traditional street food, craft beer producers and natural wines makers and travel experiences with a 'local' including in-home dining experiences, custom food tours and itineraries. A place I love that not many people know about is… Les Vignerons. I'm a natural wine lover and Antonio and Marisa have the best selection of natural wine and beer in Rome. Tweet tweet: @GTFoodTravel Main image: photographer Andrea Di Lorenzo You might also like... Where to eat the best street food in Rome The best places to eat & drink in Florence Marina O'Loughlin visits Naples The best places to eat & drink in Venice Which wines to drink with radicchio