Chef Wise

Charity already provides over 12m meals a year from this 'hidden food' to tackle food hunger The UK could be losing out on 800m meals from 'hidden food' which could help 5.8m people living in 'deep poverty', according to food redistribution charity FareShare. The charity already provides over 12m meals from this 'hidden food' source to tackle food hunger. FareShare which celebrates its' 10th anniversary as an independent organisation this year, tackles food poverty through redistributing food surplus (within the food and drink industry) to charities.  It estimates that up to 400,000 tonnes of this food surplus is edible and in date and could provide 800m meals; equivalent to 13 meals per person in the UK. Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare said:  “FareShare has been working with leading supermarkets and suppliers for over 20 years to rescue good food from going to waste and redirect it to people in need across the UK.  Over the pas...

Lovers of craft ales and ciders are expected to flock to two festivals being held in the North East next month. Over two weekends in August, customers at The Runhead Bar and Grill, Holburn Lane, Ryton and the Sandpiper, Farringdon Road, Cullercoats, will be able to sample a wide range of real ales and ciders from the region's finest craft breweries. The Runhead Beer and Cider Festival will take place from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 August while the Sandpiper Festival will be held on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 and Newcastle-based Malhotra Group, which owns the venues, hopes they will become annual events. The Group has joined forces with Wylam and Cullercoats breweries; Firebrick Brewery, at Blaydon; Anarchy Brew Co, Morpeth and Matfen-based High House Farm Brewery, each of which will be showcasing three ales at each festival. There will also be the opportunity to try five ciders at the Runhead festival and three at the Sandpiper event with each festival also ...

Cake Cetera, an online cake delivery company based in Glasgow, was founded after owner Pauline Quigley's mum died of cancer. She was shocked to find that flowers were banned from the wards and found most people brought in cake instead and so Cake-Cetera was born. Pauline, a former clothing designer, has spent 3 years developing unique packaging which safely transports cake by courier throughout the UK. Cake Cetera's range includes a range of cupcake bouquets, french macarons, giant doughnuts and their latest product...the cake push pop! Pauline said "We are so excited to extend our deliveries throughout the UK. We have spent so long ensuring our packaging is perfect yet gorgeous on arrival. "Our new product...the cake push pops have been flying out the door. The cake push pops contain layers of cake and buttercream topped with sprinkles and have been so popular for weddings and kids parties". Hailed as the new cupcake but much more d...

A huge variety of over 70 events, including behind-the-scenes tours, farm and seaside walks, hands-on workshops, special dinners and much more, will be held throughout Suffolk. The Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival Fringe runs for two weeks, from 27 September to 12 October, following the main Festival weekend 27-28 September. A diverse range of local producers, food businesses, pubs and restaurants, have signed up in their numbers to be involved, many of them having enjoyed the experience in previous years. Peter Osborne, General Manager of the White Lion & Brudenell Hotels in Aldeburgh said: “Each year we embrace the Food & Drink Festival and its fringe events more and more. The value of getting involved is incomparable to any other festival given the industry we work in. I would recommend local suppliers and restaurants get involved and shout about the success of Suffolk's produce and its people.” High House Fruit Farm have supported the Fringe for a...

Tea and the chance to take time out in tranquil surroundings are on offer at one of the North East’s top spas. Serenity Spa at Seaham Hall Hotel is offering full use of its facilities – including a crystal light sanarium, a black granite steam room and a 20m massage pool - followed by afternoon tea in its Ozone restaurant. The Afternoon Tea and Spa package is available from 1pm to 5pm – with afternoon tea served between 3.30pm and 5pm - and costs £37.50 per person from Sunday to Thursday and £42.50 per person on Fridays and Saturdays. Terms and conditions apply.     For further information or to book, call the reservations team on 0191 516 1400 or email reservations@seaham-hall.com   For recipes follow this link Chef Wise Recipes Page .

EAT! OUT's sister-event, EAT! IN, takes place from Saturday 21 February - Monday 2 March 2015 and sees the events come indoors for more adventures in food and drink. Food fans rejoice, NewcastleGateshead’s acclaimed festival EAT! is back for its annual summer outing. Taking inspiration from the natural beauty of the North East, EAT! NewcastleGateshead is going alfresco from Friday 8 – Sunday 17 August with a ten-day programme of foodie events and experience that celebrate local talent and the nation’s love of outdoor dining.  The Port of Tyne / www.portoftyne.co.uk is proud sponsor of EAT! NewcastleGateshead in 2014. Titled EAT! OUT, the summer edition of EAT! festival includes a programme of Naked Feasts (Friday 8 – Saturday 16 August), adventurous dining experiences in stunning outdoor locations across NewcastleGateshead. Take your place at the communal table for one of eleven themed feasts inspired by family, community, history, art and summer - all prepare...

Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon and a founding director of the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Steve Flanagan, UK marketing and category director at Starbucks, and Sarah Doyle, brand director at EAT. are just three of the big name Keynote speakers already confirmed to appear at this year’s lunch! show, which returns to the Business Design Centre in London on 23-24 September.     Martin Hambleton, head of procurement & innovation at En Route International, will also be adding lunch! speaker duties to his impressive resume (he has held senior buying positions at Elior UK, EAT. and DO&CO).  As a buyer, Hambleton has been a keen supporter of lunch! for years, calling it “the best trade show a buyer can attend”. As a speaker, his ‘Buying Masterclass’ looks set to prove just as essential.     Running throughout the two day show, lunch!’s free business seminars are renowned for attracting a host of high-profile brands and industry leaders...

Dubbed the “revelation of the festival” in 2013 ‘Trevethick’s Pastys’ are sending 6,000 of their pasties with local catering company Downright Delicious to Festival Interceltique in Lorient, Brittany, as part of the food and drink element of the Cornwall exhibition.     The annual  festival ,which runs from 1st – 10th August, celebrates multi-cultural Celtic nations including Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man, Galicia, Asturias and the Acadie region of North East Canada. With 600,000 visitors over 10 days the festival is a fantastic opportunity for Trevethick’s Pastys to reach with a new audience. France is famous for its sweet delicacies, and Breton in particular is famous for its beurre salé which is rolled into pastry and is mostly sweet, so tasting a peppery Trevethick’s Pasty is a sensation that the French festival goers wouldn’t necessarily expect.     Ian Trevethick says, “It is a great honour to send our pasties over...

The initial focus at the Cotswolds Distillery is in the creation of their Cotswolds Dry Gin Inaugural Release (available from September, RRP £33/70cl bottle). The distilling team, headed up by Alex Davies, have created a 151 strong and growing single-botanical distillate library (the largest of its kind on this scale) in order to help them with the recipe development needed to deduce final gin recipes. Alex comments, “Using these rare Cotswolds botanicals will help us to see the effects of distillation upon never before used flora before incorporation into our Cotswolds Dry Gin recipe. Having Benedict’s vast knowledge of unusual and incredibly interesting plants and herbs is of huge importance to help us create a perfectly balanced and unique gin.” Benedict Pollard Working alongside the full-time distilling team will be experienced and discerning botanist, researcher, ecologist and horticulturist Benedict Pollard. With over 20 years research experience, both in the ...

A former marketing manager of a FTSE 100 company has set her sights on building her own successful business by opening one of UK’s first cake pop shops. The newly opened Dream Pop Bakery in Monkseaton, North Tyneside, is the brainchild of Michelle Gibson, former marketing manager at Sage UK, who spotted a gap in the market for a new trend in confectionary.  Cake pops – think lollipops made of cake – first gained popularity in America before making their way to the UK.   Michelle’s shop on St Ronan’s Road, Monkseaton is one of the first dedicated cake pop shops to open in the UK and it’s already proving to be a success just two weeks after opening its doors. Michelle Gibson, founder of Dream Pop Bakery, said: “I remember baking with my grandma when I was young, it’s been a passion of mine ever since. “I first tried my hand at Cake Pops for my son’s third birthday party and people loved them.  Friends and family started putting requests ...

Eat Beautiful, Eat Lighter, Eat itsu…. If you’re done with carb-heavy dining and fed up with fat-laden fillings, then it’s time to rejoice…. this September will see itsu, the innovative chain of healthy Asian-inspired, butterfly light fast food, launch a brand new shop in central Brighton. The new Brighton shop will be only the second itsu venture outside of London. With nearly 50 itsu shops across London and two flagship restaurants in Chelsea and Notting Hill, moving to Brighton represents an exciting step forward for the brand, which plans to open further regional sites next year. Only a handful of quality healthy eating options currently exist in the seaside city and itsu will be introducing a brand new style of light, quick and delicious cuisine to Brighton’s discerning dining crowd. With that in mind, itsu Brighton will launch a number of exclusive ‘firsts’ in-store, including an exciting Autumn menu, a full range of frozen yoghurt (fro-go), juice bar and live...

From the  26th to the  27th July 2014 Jimmy’s Farm will explode onto the festival scene on 26th and 27th July with an energetic weekend of great food, popular bands and family friendly activities. BBC chef Valentine Warner will be cooking up a storm on the demonstration stage with co- founder of the restaurant chain LEON and television chef Allegra McEvedy. Over 100 different types of beer and ale will be served in the farm restaurant which will be transformed into a Tyrolean beer keller with long tables, oompah music and a menu offering a range of Jimmy’s Farm meaty sausages. The ‘truck stage’ will be headed up by X factor winner and chart topper Matt Cardle and popular rock band Dodgy. The action packed Chipolatas Kids Zone is full of surprises with street dancing, circus skills, puppet shows, music jams and high wire challenges. http://jimmysfarm.com/event/sausage-beer-festival/ For recipes follow this link Chef Wise Recipes Page ....

From the  26th to the  27th July 2014 This summer, food lovers from across the Midlands will get the chance to sample some of the region’s best cooked dishes and tastiest treats, as Cosford holds its annual food festival. Following on from the success of last year’s event, local businesses, including many delicious award winning brands, will be exhibiting some of the region’s finest food and beverages. With everything from organic produce to handmade indulgences and thirst quenching beverages, there is sure to be something to suit everyone’s taste buds. Taking place on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th July, this food festival with a twist will take place outdoors with the Hercules acting as a backdrop for the food market. Suppliers from across Shropshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands will be exhibiting a wide range of exquisite local, fresh and handmade produce not available from your average supermarket store. With cooking demonstrations, live music,...

The ambitious vision by founder Daniel Szor for the first ever world-class distillery in the region is long-term and sustainable. It will create quality whisky, gin and liqueurs with artisan qualities and provenance, and pioneer the production of quality spirits from the Cotswolds.  Whilst integrating into the local business community and countryside, and remaining true to craft brewing principles, it will fulfil commercial and international objectives that will place the region on the world map of fine spirits.  This is an ambitious move particularly for English whisky, as there are currently only five English distilleries producing whisky. Enterprising new distilling team with an experimental vision Working with Daniel Szor, is a team of three distillers; each brings his own expertise in whisky and gin, as well as liqueurs and specialities.  Head Distiller is Alex Davies, who is respected as a dynamic young distiller with superb credentials and qualificati...

When summer finally comes, burgers are always a popular option, whether on the barbecue or when served with a glass of chilled champagne while escaping Edinburgh's festival fever. This makes a large amount, so would be suitable for a barbecue with friends, or you can reduce the quantities for a more refined supper for two. Ingredients 1 kg Beetroot 1 kg Carrots 1 Celeriac 100g dill 15g caraway seeds Juice and zest of 3 lemons 300 ml extra virgin rapeseed oil Method Peel and julienne the vegetables, making sure you cut them really fine. Mix the lemon juice and zest with the rapeseed oil. Mix together the vegetables, dill and caraway seeds and leave everything to rest for an hour to let the vegetables really absorb the flavour. Serve piled beside high quality burgers and a chilled glass of Pommery Champagne. Heritage Portfolio creative force, Master Chef, Robbie Gleave, created the coleslaw to complement the flavour of the Aberdeen Angus beef f...

With exhibition space filling up fast for the biggest ever edition of lunch! – the UK’s premier trade event for the food-to-go sector, organiser Diversified Communications UK has released its first preview of some of the new products set to make their debut this year.   Returning to the Business Design Centre in London on 23-24 September, the multi-award winning show[1] will feature 300 exhibiting companies showcasing a wealth of new food and drink products, packaging, equipment and technologies. Ten weeks out from the show, over 98% of available exhibition space is already sold out. Whilst visitor pre-registration is at record levels, with over 6,000 attendees expected. New exhibitors for 2014 include Orchard House Foods, Coburg Coffee Company, Mexicana Cheese, Geeta's Foods, eco-friendly tableware supplier Little Cherry, Bib and Spoon (offering freshly made baby food to go), EPOSability, KMERA (creators of OOb – the first brand to provide pearl tea in a ready...