Chef Wise

Now you seem to be seeing a lot of tart like this in the shops, or are they slices, any way they sell for about two to three pounds and they are not worth it. I mean they taste nice and you can have them looking great but are the really worth the money, I am not sue. So you do not need a lot of skill just arrange thing in a nice patterned and you have what I call a very nice slice or tart, you decide what you want to call it. For this one you will need the following ingredients 110g/4oz puff pastry 1 beef tomato, cut into slices A good handful of fresh basil leave 5 or 6 tined anchovies 2 or 3 cloves of garlic 10 to 15 black olives A little olive oil 55-85g/2-3oz gruyere cheese Freshly ground black pepper 1 egg yolk Now you need to make your base first so start by chopping up the anchovy’s together then with the flat edge of a knife make them in to a paste. Take most of the basil and chop that as fine as you can. Then do the same with the black ...

30 April 2012 Top restaurants Toby Carvery, La Tasca and Pizza Express on a budget this April and May 30 April 2012 – Saving money on dining out is always popular with UK consumers - and voucher codes website DiscountVouchers.co.uk has introduced new deals to help UK consumers do just that this spring. Among the deals redeemable at more than 800 stores are deals for money off at La Tasca, Pizza Express and Toby Carvery. Great Italian meals can be enjoyed on a budget thanks to the new round of deals available on the DiscountVouchers.co.uk website. Pizza Express has branches throughout the country and can be enjoyed for less via DiscountVouchers.co.uk right now - the site is carrying Pizza Express voucher choices offering 3 courses for £12.95 and 25% Off Your Food Bill. Great Spanish food is available on a budget this spring too through the DiscountVouchers.co.uk website - with a choice of deals available for use at La Tasca. Consumers can log on right now and use new La Tasca vou...

30 April 2012 We may be in the middle of a recession, but a new survey* has revealed that us Brits are as self-serving as ever, with one in ten admitting to becoming more selfish since the downturn first bit five years ago. The study found that almost one in five Brits are more concerned with looking after number one when it comes to their eating habits in particular. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed confessed to never sharing food with friends or family members, with more than a third blaming this on ever-soaring food prices. Those aged 18-24 were found to be the worst culprits when it comes to putting themselves first – one in ten admitted to always nabbing the larger piece when sharing food, with a small percentage even going to extreme lengths such as eating in private to avoid sharing in the first place.   Nevertheless, Fudges, who commissioned the research exposing the selfish traits of modern Britain, is backing the camp of Brits who remain steadfast in their gene...

25 April 2012 Chak 89, London’s award winning Indian Restaurant in Surrey had a super surprise when former model and Bollywood actress Mahima Chaudhary arrived with some friends to dine. Mahima and her friends unexpectedly turned up at Chak 89 and caused a commotion amongst the diners, who surprised by the arrival of the famous Indian actress, got their mobile phones out and started taking pictures. Mahima was heard saying to her friend “hope the food is as beautiful as the decor and ambience in here”. Well, she was not disappointed has she tucked into a mouth-watering array of traditional Indian food. Totally relaxed, after her meal she posed for some pictures and had some banter with some of the Chak 89 staff and diners. Mahima, who has starred in many Bollywood films alongside Bollywood heroes such as Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, was in London to give out an award at an event in the city, but wanted to visit Chak 89 because she had heard that Chak 89 is the place to visit for its...

Now either for the wrong or the right reason Bulgarian wine has a special place in my memory. When I was a young man and was being invited to some party that you had to bring a bottle of wine to.   I discover discovered in the local wine shop two wines of the time that was very good value and really good on flavour. And both of them were Bulgarian.   So it is as a poor low paid, just promoted kitchen porter, hall porter, soon to become waiter, that I discover Bulgarian wine. This was back in 1984 when the iron curtain was still across Europe and the threat of global destruction hung in the air. So hanging round with a few arty left wing types as I did back then it had a certain cache. That and the fact that the price fitted my pocket as well I was on a winner. But in more affluent time I have betrayed my Bulgarian wine along with my pretentious left wing leaning and have   to more classic old world wines of France,   Spain and Italy or the new world of Cal...

This is a good Saturday night sit in front of the television after you have been shopping all day type recipe. The sort of thing that you can cook in s few minutes is easy to cook almost everything is fresh and you only have to use one pan, so not much washing up. The truth is that most stir-fry’s are easy to make but you just have to take the time getting the right ingredients. The right ingredients are the sauces and spice that give you the flavours such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, rice wine or sesame oil. Fill your store cupboard with things like this and you are able to make a tasty meal in no time at all. For this dish you will need the following 2tbsp groundnut oil 1 inch of fresh root ginger 1or 2 red chilli 1 or 2 garlic cloves                                       ...

It has become a bit of a tradition over the past few years that I have to make a lemon tart on Christmas day as not one, apart from me likes Christmas pudding. The thing is I always associate lemon tart with the summer and weddings, that and profiteroles. Not because I have been to a lot of weddings but I always seem to remember making lemon tarts and profiteroles but the hundreds every Friday for the weddings on Saturday   at every hotel I have every worked at . Any way this is a good recipe that you do not have to worry about separating eggs for the fill and the pastry is made in a food processor so even that is easy to make. you will need, 225g/8oz plain flour 150g/5oz butter 25g/1oz icing sugar 1 egg 2 tbsp water 9 eggs 300ml/½ pint double cream 350g/12oz caster sugar The zest and juice of 6 large lemons   So start by making your pastry in the food processor, add the flour, butter and icing sugar into a food processor. Then plus it so i...

27 April 2012 The Olympic Games is fast approaching, and to celebrate being an integral part of LOCOG’s Food Vision for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Red Tractor is launching Team Red Tractor (‘Team RT’). Team RT covers Red Tractor farmers, processors and packers, wholesalers and contract caterers that will feed the Olympic athletes, coaches, officials and millions of visitors to the event. Next week, commencing 30th April, Red Tractor is introducing Team RT’s 7 champion farmers in a 5-day UK tour aimed at school children. The tour will educate local school children on how food is produced and how it makes its way to the 31 Olympic venues providing 14 million meals at the event under the Red Tractor scheme.   The farmers cover different sectors including; Dairy, Beef and Lamb, Poultry, Fresh Produce, Crops and Pigs.  [1]Throughout the 31 competition venues, Red Tractor food will be served to around 23,900 athletes and team officials, 20,600 broadcasters and p...

April 2012 Hampshire based New Forest Ice Cream has launched another interesting flavour to add to their rapidly expanding range. The real Liquorice infused ice cream base has been further enhanced with a thick liquorice ripple to give that added hit. Part of the companies Continental range, the ice cream is made without the need for eggs, and is both suitable for vegetarians, and is completely gluten free. Christina Veal, Director at New Forest Ice Cream believes that liquorice could possibly be the next big flavour in the kitchen: “From a chef’s point of view, liquorice is a flavour that accompanies a variety of foods.   From chocolate torte to citrus cheesecake, vanilla panna cotta to tiramisu, liquorice can either be used as a complementing or a contrasting taste.   Furthermore it is delicious on its own either as part of a cone or coupe.” Liquorice is just one of 18 varieties in the New Forest real Continental range, with a further 20 flavours ...

There is something about walking along the sea front eating ice cream shell fish and rock that is so British. The light and noise of it all as you see the world go by as you sit and just watch whatever is going on around you, a perfect waste of an afternoon if you ever need to waste an afternoon. And in all of that noise , the people and the clattering of fruit machines you have one smell, and when I smell that smell I have to have them, fresh doughnuts. So what could be better than to make your own. You will need 450ml/16fl oz water 300g/10½oz butter 2 pinches salt 45g/1¾oz sugar 450g/1lb plain flour 9 eggs Vegetable oil 50g/2oz ground cinnamon 150g/5½oz caster sugar Start by adding the water , butter, salt and sugar in saucepan and simmer until   everything is melted together. As this is coking sift the flour into a bowl. Using a whisk slowly add the flour a bit at a time to the water mix. Beat it with the whisk over the heat and keep on w...

26 April 2012 Families heading to Orlando this summer who want to experience excellent evening entertainment and delicious food can view Attraction Tickets Direct comprehensive guide to dinner shows and see the best value dining extravaganzas. When booking Disney World tickets families can also book their favourite dining show and become either pirates, detectives or knights for the evening. Attraction Tickets Direct recommend The Arabian Nights Dinner Show as their ‘Top Selling Show’; it is a fantastic display where you can see more than 60 of the world’s most beautiful horses combined with special effects and stunts in the world’s largest equestrian arena for a permanent show. It is very good value as it lasts for three and a half hours and is just £21 for an adult and £18 for a child. It is suitable for the whole family and just a short distance from Disney World. For those wishing to get into character Attraction Tickets Direct recommends the Pirates Dining Adventure where gu...

26 April 2012 Following its quarterly meeting in April 2012, the KPMG/Ipsos Retail Think Tank (RTT) – a panel of retail industry commentators that provides authoritative and independent views on issues affecting the sector – is reporting an even bleaker outlook for UK retailers, with the health of the industry expected to worsen to record levels before any signs of recovery. The RTT Retail Health Index is expected to fall to an all time low of 77 by the end of quarter two of 2012.  This compares with 79 at the end of the first quarter and is five points lower than the level recorded during the depths of the original banking crisis and recession, in quarters two and three of 2009.  The deterioration in health in quarter one of 2012 was not as significant as the RTT had originally forecast, partly due to higher than anticipated demand and margins pressures easing.  Costs again took their toll as retailers contended with an unexpected fuel crisis and higher energy prices...

26 April 2012 Michael McIntyre tops the poll as the UK’s most popular lunch guest As news headlines continue to be dominated by doom and gloom recession related stories, it’s no surprise that the people of Britain are looking for some light entertainment. A recent survey** carried out by Kingsmill reveals that UK residents are itching to host a Big Lunch with top comedian Michael McIntyre providing the entertainment. Over a third of UK Mums and Dads prove that comedy prevails as 35% would choose a comedian to sit at their lunch table. Funnyman Michael McIntyre (15%) topped the list as the most popular lunch guest as Stephen Fry’s (12%) quick wit and dry sense of humour saw him steal second place in the poll. Continuing the comedy theme, Mums prove that they would choose a great sense of humour over dashing good looks as comic duo Ant ‘n’ Dec (8%) featured higher on the list than reality TV personality, Mark Wright (6%) who came fourth. It’s no surprise that comedy is king during on...

Not and sour soup over noodles and chicken is the sort of thing that you know is so good that you should have it more often than you do. Well I do not know why I do not have it more often as it done take but a second to make, it is very good for you and well if they are not good enough reason then I do not know what other reason you would need. Now the beauty of this recipe is that you can use any vegetable that you like, peppers, carrot, cabbage, pack choy whatever you like just remember that you need to cook it quickly in the stock so bare that in mind when you are cutting it up. You do now want big chunks of raw vegetable in the soup. The ingredients you will need are 1tbsp groundnut oil 2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger 1 garlic clove 2 handfuls fresh shiitake mushrooms, 1 red chilli 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine 700ml/1 pint 5fl oz vegetable or chicken stock 1tbsp light soy sauce 1tbsp dark soy sauce 1 tbsp Chinese black rice vinegar o Pinch grou...

BBQ Meat-Stuffed Piñatas, Cupcakes and Wine, $6 Menu for Frasca’s 6th B-Day, Free Mimosas for Mom and More… Chicago, IL (April 24, 2012) -- 4-Star Restaurant Group, the company that’s brought Chicagoland some of its most popular neighborhood restaurants, including The Smoke Daddy, Frasca Pizzeria & Wine Bar, Dunlays, D.O.C. Wine Bars and the soon-to-be, Crosby's Kitchen (June 2012 open), has some exciting events coming up over the next month, including: CINCO DE MAYO To celebrate the day the U.S. commemorates Mexican culture, the following specials will be featured on May 5: Smoke Daddy Event: “BBQ Piñata Punishment” – Get your protective ponchos out and make sure your Smartphone is set to video – as this is going to be one crazy sight! At 5 pm on day 5 of month 5, Smoke Daddy will select one brave soul to go to bat on a huge BBQ meat-stuffed piñata! Will it be pulled pork? BBQ Brisket? It’s anyone’s guess! One thing’s for sure…it’s going to...

24 April 2012 Sports endurance brand announces pivotal partnership in cycling Maxifuel, the UK’s preferred endurance brand from sport nutrition experts Maxinutrition, has announced a new deal to become the official sports nutrition partner to the UK’s biggest cycling event: The Tour of Britain, which also includes The Halfords Tour Series and The Tour Rides. The Hemel Hempstead-based company will provide amateur riders with individually-tailored nutritional support to complement their lifestyle, training and racing schedules as well as support professional participants and race enthusiasts through sampling opportunities at the various events. The Tour of Britain, taking place from 9-16 September, is the country’s largest free-to-spectate live sporting event attracting over a million spectators to the roadside annually, while over 10,000 amateur cyclists take part in the mass participation Tour Rides based on Tour of Britain stage routes.  The Halfords Tour Series is a city cent...

This is new to me and it is I think really tasty so the only thing to do is post it today on the blog. Now for those of us who can get fresh peas from the garden then this is a must as it really taste so good, it is light and refreshing and not too heavy. I am not sure how it is pronounced "nu-dee" so the internet tells me , but I like the idea of it meaning “nude ravioli” to me it’s more like gnocchi but never mind about that. So if you like a ravioli fill that is a bit like gnocchi then you will like gnudi I am sure. You will need 225g/8oz peas 500g/1lb 2oz ricotta Fresh mint 100g/3½oz parmesan 500g/1lb 2oz fine semolina Extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Take your peas and just blanch them for the briefest of second in some boiling water then out and in to a colander straight away. Use some paper towel to get any water off the peas then set them to one side. Now drain of the ricotta cheese and add that to t...

White fish on Iceberg Potato Purée     With summer just around the corner, the supermarkets are full of tasty vegetables from Europe perfect for creating delicious summery salads. But here is a very different way to use that popular salad staple, the Iceberg lettuce, that is healthy, nutritious and perfect when a salad just wont do! Try this fantastic white fish on Iceberg lettuce potato puree recipe as an easy tea-time treat for the whole family and it counts as one of ‘five a day’ also. It can be made with any sustainable white fish, such as cod, bream, pollack or sea bass. Serves 4 Ingredients: 4 white fish fillets, approx 200 g each 1 kg potatoes, peeled 1/3 iceberg lettuce 50 ml olive oil 50 g butter Salt Pepper Pinch of Nutmeg Pinch of Curry powder ½ onion 280 ml cream A little flour Lemon juice A dash of white wine if liked Preparation: Preheat oven to 120° C Salt the...

A funny thing happened to day I was reading an article that was expressing all the virtues of English food on St Georges day. And the more you looked at the list you realised that is mas a mix up of several different food cultures. The question that it was leading with was curry now a true English dish as so many of us eats it. Then it began to list dishes that it said was English. Now you have the full English breakfast, by its name this must be English, I think that is on safe ground but then it mentioned fish and chips. Fish and chips as far as I know originates from Portugal and was brought in to this county by portages sailors. So can we call it English? It also mention Welsh rarebit, by its name I would not say that that is English, Cock-a-leekie soup, that is from Scotland, and roast beef. Roast beef I hear you cry that must be British but the version that we have now came over with the Normans so it is French. So what is true British food , well the truth is that if ...

23 April 2012 Award-winning ethical food firm The Redwood Wholefood Company is sponsoring VegfestUK Bristol, Europe’s biggest veggie event.  This outdoor eco-friendly festival with admission FREE to the public takes place from 25th-27th May and is expected to attract crowds of up to 15,000 people.  Redwood, the main sponsor of the festival, will be giving away thousands of free tasters of its veggie and vegan foods throughout the event, as well as selling its range at discounted prices. There will also be a Redwood pop-up takeaway, with delicious gourmet meat-free hotdogs, burgers, Cornish-style pasties, sausage rolls and much more on sale. New lines making an appearance in the South-West for the first time include Redwood’s fabulous new gourmet fish-free ‘fish’ cakes and ‘fish’ steaks, delicious new vegan pizzas, tasty parmesan-style dairy-free ‘cheese’, delectable strawberry ‘Wot No Dairy’ desserts and mini ‘pork’ style sausages. As well as cookery demos and ‘Rea...

23 April 2012 Manuka honey is renowned for its natural antibacterial, antioxidant, healing and immune-boosting properties. To enjoy these health benefits to the full, it’s best to seek out a genuine, certified organic, raw, unpasteurised manuka honey taken directly from the beekeeper’s own hives that have proven bioactive properties. Pure Source Wild Honey Organic from New Zealand is certified organic, raw, unpasteurised and proven to have bioactive properties.  Its hives are located in the stunning and remote Coromandel Peninsular: this single region, single source is about as pure a manuka source as you can get.  The hives are never put into pollination or moved from their region.  Beelines have largely been left undisturbed since the honey bee was introduced to the Coromandel Peninsular in the mid to late 1800s.    Pure Honey Wild Honey Organic is extracted warm from the hive, in its naturally raw, unpasteurised state, within hours of its collection....

This is the sort of thing that people are always asking me and I always say the same thing it all depends on what kind of wine you like. If all you have ever had is light sweet wine and I recommend a dry wine as you are having fish is that what you want. Probably not, so why recommend a dry white wine, because that is what is commonly suggested to go with fish. But that does not mean that it is for you. Now for me to do what I am about to do I am only going to use examples of old world wines. His is for two reason one, one I know them and two new world wines do not follow the same rules that old world wines have to follow. This means that you can have a wine that you expect to be one thing , is completely different. That is not to say that there is anything wrong with this , it just make a exorcize that is trying to simplify wine a lot more complicated. Already   think I have started to make this more complicated that it needs to be so let’s just start by splitting the wine i...