Chef Wise

Well last year I tried to predict what I thought would be big trends in food and drinks and I am going to do it again. Well why not it is nearly new year so let’s just think . One, everything is coming up a little chicken. Scanning the net and looking around it seems that there might be a new set of chicken restaurants popping up, or should I say hatching . Following the Nando’s wake are coming a new set of small, home grown locally sourced simple restaurants that will just do chicken or chicken and steak. Keeping it simple, fresh and very tasty. The Tramshed by Mark Hix in Shoreditch is a steak and chicken or cock and bull, Soho House have Chicken Shop in Kentiish Town and  Tooting,   Los Pollos, Wishbone in Brixton market, and my favourite so far the   Mother Clucker . All being talked about on the web all in London but  Jamies and Grillshack also have great chicken on their reduced menus so it looks like chicken is the new black. Two, more burger...

Last year the professional International jury of chefs and sommeliers gave recognition to new flavors from 6 continents! The iTQi jury is selected from within 15 of the most prestigious associations from around Europe, and as such, the Chefs and Sommeliers are leaders in their field and know which qualities make great food and drinks. The iTQi Judges are chosen for their extended practice in tasting, their exceptional expertise, their capacity to describe gustatory features of food & drink products and their ability to suggest potential improvements within the framework of sensory analysis, which is the essence of their profession. This International Taste and Quality Institute ensure that products are judged without subjectivity in order to receive the true benefits of the award. These benefits include: · Detailed reports of the tastings with comments and suggestions made by the judges. These reports of the tastings are written with the Quality Dep...

Westcountry Fruit Sales, the South West's leading distributor of fresh produce to the catering and retail trade, is delighted to announce the acquisition of speciality food distributors Plough to Plate. Nigel and Sherry Boocock, who started Plough to Plate in 2001 to help the many artisan food producers in Cornwall find sustainable markets, have been working closely with the Westcountry team and sister company cornishfoodmarket.co.uk to ensure a smooth transition. Westcountry Managing Director, Sean Williams, says Plough to Plate is a great fit with the existing Westcountry businesses: "This is a hugely exciting deal for us and for the speciality food trade in the far south west. Nigel and Sherry have done a fantastic job building a niche business whereby they have provided a unique marketing and distribution network for a great number of high quality, artisan producers of fabulous food and drink products. The timing is absolutely perfect; Nigel and Sherry ...

The Loch Fyne Kinglas Fillet wins taste test in al dente—the magazine for connoisseurs. Simon Briggs, Sales Director said: "We are delighted that the Loch Fyne Kinglas Fillet, came out top in a blind taste test by six top industry professionals from Switzerland. It is particularly pleasing to win this accolade in Switzerland where quality is so important." The Kinglas fillet is the finest cut taken from the crown of a side of smoked salmon, gently smoked over oak shavings from aged malt whisky casks to give the most exquisitely delicate texture and flavour. Martyn Paterson, Operations Director said: "It is great news for our skilled colleagues in our Smokery. It starts with our fish and we work with our sister company, The Scottish Salmon Company, to select the best fish with a high marine content in their feed which delivers outstanding taste and the artisan skills of the Smokehouse team turn that into the winning Kinglas Fillet." The Lo...

Eat Think Study - Gastronomic Tourism Scholarship winners for 2014 announced by Le Cordon Bleu World famous culinary arts and hospitality school, Le Cordon Bleu, in collaboration with Southern Cross University have announced the recipients of the 2014 Education & Industry Professional Scholarships for the Le Cordon Bleu Master of Gastronomic Tourism. Tuition scholarships of $5000 were awarded to Meera Raj, F & B Manager of the JW Marriott Hotel in Surabaya, Indonesia and Tina Sketchley, a Home Economics and Nutrition teacher from Darwin High School, to undertake units from the Le Cordon Bleu Master of Gastronomic Tourism program in 2014. Partial scholarships (valued at $2500) were also awarded to Barbara Sweeney, food writer and curator of the annual food writers' festival, Food & Words, and senior journalist and national food writer for NewsCorp, Grant Jones, in recognition of their scholarship submissions and contribution to industry. Le Cordon B...

Slug and Lettuce will be starting off 2014 in a saintly way.  Due to the increasing popularity of the 'Under 500' section on the Slug and Lettuce food menu, the 70-strong premium bar chain, which is owned and operated by the award-winning Stonegate Pub Company, is launching a limited edition menu in January with four new dishes under 500 calories. The Spicy Pork Pad Thai (439 calories) sees slices of pork with peppers and noodles marinated in oriental spices topped with edamame beans, spring onions and pomegranate; a warming Beef Stroganoff is served with basmati rice (442 calories), Jerk Chicken Skewer salad (410 calories) and Seared Salmon with three-grain risotto (439 calories). Nicola Stuart, Senior Brand Development Manager for Slug and Lettuce said: "It seemed fitting to introduce four new dishes to the existing 'Under 500' section in January, especially when people look to start the year with a fresh, healthier outlook.  That said, the 'U...

Upon receiving samples from producers, the "International Taste and Quality Institute "(iTQi) ensures that they are kept in the required conditions by the manufacturer, awaiting the evaluation at the Superior Taste Awards The products are tested on a blind bases where the expert jury of chefs and sommeliers have no exterior influences whatsoever during the assessment  with no packaging , or brand influence. The assessments is all about the products themselves, about their flavours and their tastes. It’s about the sensations experienced, the overall feeling of hedonic pleasure and other criteria like vision, smell, texture, flavour and mouth-feel. Please take a look at the evaluation session: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKt_stSakMY For each product, iTQi issues a unique confidential report with a sensory evaluation graph detailing the different organoleptic criteria.  Detailed comments, remarks or suggestions are written by these professi...

The head chef at the award-winning Mango Lounge Indian restaurant in Windsor has personally won several prestigious awards and taken the restaurant to a new level. Ashwani's talents and skills have given him national recognition which has now extended to international level.  His latest win was the coveted title of International Indian Chef of the Year 2013.  He fought off thousands of entries to join the 6 finalists and won the competition hands down. The founder of this long running competition, Tommy Miah, a celebrity chef in his own right and an avid charity worker, invites chefs from around the world each year to take part in this competition.  This year it was held in Central Street Cookery School in London on November 14.  Ashwani's clove smoked breast of chicken impressed all the judges equally and his presentation style was also much  appreciated.  He was presented with a cheque for £1,000 plus a certificate and a trophy at a gala d...

The city of Newcastle has been selected as one of just six cities in the UK that will receive funding to support efforts in improving food culture and becoming a Sustainable Food City. The Sustainable Food Cities Network aims to make healthy and sustainable food a defining characteristic of any city, and to use good food to address some of today’s most pressing social, economic and environmental problems including obesity, food poverty and climate change. Newcastle has been selected from a shortlist of 13 pioneering cities to receive a share in the £1million funding that will set it on its way to becoming a Sustainable Food City. The funding will allow a dedicated Sustainable Food City officer to work with the local authority and local partners such as schools, charities and restaurants to transform access to local, affordable and sustainable food for people across the city. Tom Andrews, national programme manager of Sustainable Food Cities said: "Our vision is ...

Traiteur de Paris is excited to announce the launch of its new Online Shop where a selection of their exquisite, quality French Petits Fours, Canapes, Macaroons, Baby Cupcakes and mini dessert Pots are available to purchase at WWW.TRAITEURDEPARISONLINE.CO.UK They are delivered frozen ready to be stored in a freezer to defrost for use whenever the customer chooses. Carefully packaged with dry ice in a polystyrene box and delivered next day delivery direct to your door. All made in France, many hand finished, this beautifully presented, delicious party finger food is the perfect solution for any reception or event. Amazing value with a tray of 28 Canapes costing £19.50, 36 Mini Macaroons £22, 24 Petits Fours £19.50 and 16 of the very fashionable mini dessert pots just £13.50. With free postage and packing they are very reasonably priced and represent amazing value. Traiteur de Paris has an established reputation in supplying the UK professiona...

Zero calorie natural sweetener Natvia has teamed up with The Manhattans Project to create delicious sugar-free cocktails for the festive season, allowing you to forgo the guilt and start the New Year just as you had planned - happy and healthy! For those looking for celebration drink ideas, served up in a martini glass the Natvia Blueberry Daiquiri is perfect for a stylish soiree, and as it contains more than one portion of your daily fruit and veg intake (and a super-food at that), it's actually good for you! If you're hosting a party and want something simple for your guests to help themselves, try the Natvia Gin Punch. Simple to make, it creates 7-10 portions making it perfect for parties. If you're more of a traditionalist and love an Old Fashioned or Collins - cocktails that use sugar syrups - don't despair. Natvia is perfect for creating syrup, allowing you to recreate sugar-free versions of the classics. Unlike other sweeteners on th...

Ben Fisher has been appointed as Head Chef as The Gallivant, Camber in Rye. Having worked in some of the world’s leading restaurants, including The French Laundry (3 Michelin stars) in California and as Sous Chef at Tom Aiken’s Restaurant (1 Michelin Star), Ben recently relocated to Rye with his young family. He has been working alongside Trevor Hambley for the previous 6 months and was instrumental in helping The Gallivant achieve its 2nd rosette this November. Using genuinely local produce has been one of Ben's passions since his time at The French Laundry where 70% of the vegetables were grown on site under the careful and watchful eye of Thomas Keller.  Ben now has his eyes fixed on the lawn to the rear of the hotel where he would love to site a greenhouse and vegetable patch. The Gallivant’s ethos has always been to use the freshest possible produce from as close as possible, working in close partnership with local farmers, fisherman and artisan suppliers i...

Passionate food lovers and enthusiasts, David and Holly Jones, are embarking on a four week adventure across the South Asian country of India to explore native Indian cooking first hand.  They plan to share this new found knowledge in their latest Indian themed cooking classes at Manna from Devon Cooking School on their return in the New Year. Departing on the 17th December, David and Holly will be travelling across the world’s seventh largest country in a bid to discover traditional Indian cooking techniques and indigenous produce as well as build a greater awareness of the impact of India’s differing climate on food production. Commenting on their forthcoming journey, David says: “Holly and I have always had a fascination with Asian cuisine and culture and are excited to broaden our understanding and knowledge of Indian food from across the different Indian states.”  David continues: “One of the highlights of our upcoming trip for me is to have the opportunit...

Celebrity favourite dim sum restaurant Ping Pong are opening a new restaurant. Recent guests have included Cara Delevigne, Gok Wan, Michael Buble and Pharell. The group is planning to expand in the UK over the coming year, and to kick things off is opening a new restaurant in the London Designer Outlet next week. The new restaurant will have a brand new design and logo, with for the first time a dedicated cocktail bar area and a special cocktail menu created by Group Head Barman Daniele Ziaco (formerly of Mirabelle and Hakkasan). Ping Pong Launches Fashionable New Look Restaurant At London’s First Designer Outlet 'Village' Hungry shoppers flocking to the newly opened London Designer Outlet will be able to satisfy their appetite at Ping Pong’s newest restaurant in the capital, opening in December. The new look reminiscent of the urban side of 1930s Shanghai chic has splashes of paprika red, jade green and charcoal grey and is guaranteed to whisk memorie...

Visitor registration for Natural & Organic Products Europe is now officially open for its 2014 event, which will take place at London's Olympia on 13-14 April.  Today's announcement kicks off the countdown to what is widely regarded as the flagship trade event for the European natural and organic products industries. Innovative, inspiring, buzzing, brilliant, and essential - these are just some of the words attendees used to describe the 2013 show, which enjoyed record attendance of 8,810 (up 20% from 2012) just over eight months ago.  Feedback from the show floor saw many delighted exhibitors commenting that it was their best event in years.  Similarly, 92% of surveyed visitors rated their show experience as excellent/good. Richard Anderton, product manager at The Health Store was just one of thousands of visitors who left Natural & Organic Products Europe with a host of new business contacts: "There is a really positive vibe this year, some gre...

BITE is back! Over 20 venues across the Cotswolds... with something for everyone who loves to cook, and even more for those who just love to eat. Laugh with Arabella Weir or with the tribute to Fanny and Johnnie Cradock; find out about working with Elizabeth David from Jill Norman; learn to cook with the masters at Daylesford or at the pop up masterclass theatre; have afternoon tea with Claire Clark, Annie Rigg, Eric Lanlard or at the Mad Hatter's Party with John Whaite; meet Cyrus Todiwala, Matthew Fort, winners from Masterchef and The Great British Bake-Off ; shop at the Artisan Food Fair; enjoy a myWaitrose supper; dine with Antony Worrall Thompson or with the best Chefs from the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force, and much more, all in just one week! Click here for the full programme: www.thebite.co/HTML-assets  www.thebite.co www.facebook.com/BITE2014  @BITE2014 Watch the festival im action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3IBbtYyXUY  Fo...

The George pub in Frant, East Sussex near Tunbridge Wells is to host the Sloe Gin World Championships on Wednesday 11th December from 1.00pm. Artisan sloe gin makers from across the world will gather at the popular Sussex village pub, to vie for the covet Sloe Ginster World Champion title for 2013. Dating back to around 1750, the traditional country pub, with two bars and restaurant, traditional English food with continental influences, hand drawn beers, oak beams,  a large enclosed garden and dogs lying by log fires in winter - The George Inn makes an ideal setting to judge the most traditional of Christmas liqueurs. Sloe gin is a red liqueur flavoured with sloe (blackthorn) drupes, a smaller relative of the plum, normally made with an alcohol content between 15 and 30 percent by volume. It is traditionally made by infusing gin with the bitter-tasting drupes using sugar is to extract the sloe juices are extracted from the fruit. "Hand crafted sloe gins...

Who says cider is just for the summer? This season, rip up the rule book and spice up your night with a Rekorderlig Winter Cider. Made with apples and infused with cinnamon and vanilla this limited edition drink can be enjoyed hot with a slice of orange or simply poured over ice for a cold crisp taste. This winter warmer is the perfect kick start to the brisk wintery months. So long mulled wine - there’s a new hot toddy in town. Rekorderlig Winter Cider is available at Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and leading bars nationwide as single bottles and multipacks. Gift packs are also available at Sainsbury’s, items in the gift pack include a bespoke Rekorderlig half pint glass and one 500ml bottle. A cider for all seasons, Rekorderlig is loved by festival goers, surfers, sun worshippers and snowboarders alike. Following popular demand, it’s just been announced that Rekorderlig Passionfruit is here to stay, joining year round bestselling exciting flavours including Strawberry ...

You may wonder how the super-slim stay that way and resist the temptation for a sugar-fix. One of the most challenging elements to being lean and healthy is snacking; mostly when, how much and what to snack on. Saviour Snacks – a stylish online snacking service – offers the perfect solution to smart snacking via a regular Monday morning delivery of the Super Skinny Box. Inside the chic packaging is an ever-changing selection of 14 nutritious, super-clean, portion controlled snacks that are 120 calories or less. When the reality of our busy lives means snacking constitutes more and more of our daily calorie intake, the Saviour Snacks Super Skinny Box subscription allows you to maintain control, avoiding indulging in a calorie-laden pick me up. The Super Skinny Box remains true to the Saviour Snacks ethos – offering healthy, nutritious ‘real’ food options. Low-calorie snacks are notoriously marketed as being ‘healthy’ but often include harmful ingredients such as tra...

Why not add the personal touch to gifts this year and make your Christmas Divine with these brand new recipes for chocolate gifts from Divine Chocolate, the farmer-owned chocolate company. The three new recipes include classic festive favourites of Florentines, chocolate truffles and shortbread biscuits all with a Divine twist. Food blogger Pauline Milligan has created recipes for chocolate dipped ginger Florentines and chocolate truffles. The Florentines which are made of almonds, pistachios, ginger and cherries can be cut into shapes and then dipped in Divine’s 70% Dark Chocolate to make an elegant gift option. A favourite at Christmas, her selection box of chocolate truffles can be easily customised to suit all tastes with a variety of different ingredients for decorating each truffle. The final recipe comes from Divine’s Chocolateer Gloria Lilley who has shared her recipe for orange chocolate dipped shortbread. Gloria’s have been decorated with the west African Adin...

The Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel & Spa are launching a 'Vintage Escape Package' in January 2014, inviting guests to receive a complimentary stay and breakfast for two when they purchase a luxury bottle of Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle for £199. Guests can enjoy their bottle of Laurent Perrier in the comfort of their room, besides one of the roaring log fires in the cosy lounges, or in the beautiful setting of the hotel's courtyard with stunning views over Bolton Abbey. Nestled in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, The Devonshire Arms Country House Hotel is a stunning country-chic hotel owned by The Duke & Duchess of Devonshire on their 33,000 acre Bolton Abbey Estate. Guests can indulge in a break full of gastronomy and fine wines with a dining experience in the 4 AA Rosette Award Winning Restaurant, The Burlington. The restaurant is home to former Ritz Premier-Sous Chef, Adam Smith, who was awarded Observer Young Chef of The Year 2012. ...