Chef Wise

No need to avoid the delicious taste of fresh, homemade pasta with this recipe for gluten free sweet potato ravioli. Filled with sweet potato and goat’s cheese, these parcels make an authentic Italian dinner that everyone will enjoy.  What’s more, the goat’s cheese can also be left out for a dairy free dish. Sweet potatoes, which are full of vitamins, minerals and high in fibre, are just as delicious in the summer as they are available all year round. Unlike regular potatoes, they count as one of your five-a-day, and can be used to replace all sorts of ingredients in everyday cooking. The Love Sweet Potatoes campaign is designed to tell consumers about the benefits of sweet potatoes and of all the different ways they can be used. The North Carolina farming family at Scott Farms is behind the campaign and has been growing sweet potatoes for over four generations. They are now the largest importer of sweet potatoes into the UK. For more information please visit ww...

The trend for locally sourced ingredients in restaurants is one which is continuing to grow in popularity, with discerning diners keen to know the provenance of the ingredients on their plate. Increasingly consumers are embracing the benefits of local, fresh and good quality food with the emphasis on seasonality, sustainability and traceability – and the desire to know how far their food has travelled from field to fork! At The Gallivant, the coastal restaurant with rooms across the road from the dunes and the beautiful sandy beaches of Camber (named as one of the Top 50 Beaches in the World by the Sunday Times Travel Magazine April 2015) chef Danny Perjesi and owner Harry Cragoe have set themselves an exciting challenge - to source 95 - 100% of the fresh produce used in the kitchen from a tiny 10 mile radius. When Harry first took on The Gallivant, some 5 years ago now, the kitchen supplies arrived by lorry from across the country. Having explored the surrounding area ...

Gourmet Burger Kitchen will be launching an exclusive menu on 30th March which features a Banana Biscoff Milkshake. Partnering with Lotus Biscoff, the brand behind the iconic ‘little red biscuit’ and celebrated Kiwi chef, Peter Gordon, Gourmet Burger Kitchen has created a drink that utilises Biscoff crumb to ‘shake up’ the classic banana flavour. Having created the original Gourmet Burger Kitchen menu back in 2001, Peter has remained a key part of the GBK family. Fourteen years on and Peter is still doing what he does best – experimenting with the very latest ingredients, textures and flavours. It is no wonder then that Biscoff is now a chosen ingredient for his brand new menu. Created in his trademark fusion style, the new milkshake blends delicious banana ice cream with the sweet caramelised taste of the much loved flavour of Lotus Biscoff. The crumbly texture of the biscuits aligned with the smooth creamy banana is said to be the perfect marriage of flavours and is t...

Krispy Kreme is excited to announce the launch of Choco Mania, the ultimate chocolate indulgence for you to enjoy! Introducing a mouth-watering range of four new chocolate inspired doughnuts leaving chocolate lovers with a sweet sensation they'll never forget. To get your taste buds racing, the delicious Chocolate Hazelnut Kreme doughnut is filled with a smooth hazelnut Kreme topped with a crunchy caramelised nut sprinkle and elegantly glazed with chocolate hazelnut. Calling all chocoholics, the delectable Krispy Kreme Triple Chocolate Cake is the one for you! The doughnut is coated in rich white chocolate and hand decorated with a deliciously dark chocolate drizzle and chocolate sprinkles. A tasty treat for all chocolatiers, the Krispy Kreme Chocolate and Honeycomb doughnut is filled with a decadent chocolate truffle Kreme topped with white Belgian chocolate and golden honeycomb pieces. Last but by no means least, the moreish Chocolate Krispy is our signature g...

For a delicious - but non-chocolate - foodie gift this Easter, try Newby's Gourmet Collection caddies of some of the rarest, most in-demand fine teas.  Prime Darjeeling, Majestic Himalaya, Rare Assam, Special Formosa and Supreme Jasmine are beautifully packaged in luxuriously textured jewel-bright caddies, and make a sophisticated gift for the discerning tea lover. Available online and at Harvey Nichols from £15.50, together with an optional stylish wooden presentation box. www.newbyteas.com The hand-picked three black and two green teas are as memorable and distinguished as their diverse origins. Sourced at high altitude in the Himalayan mountains are Prime Darjeeling and Majestic Himalaya, both silken and symphonic black teas; whilst the lowlands of Northeast India and the second flush harvest give Rare Assam, a superbly smooth black tea unlike any other.      From further east, the Gourmet Collection offers two exceptional green teas ...

  England's Best Bistro – Aspect Bar & Bistro in Morecambe – is about to launch a new wow factor feature for diners and couples getting married at the award-winning venue. The family-owned eatery, which scooped the 'Best Bistro' title in the Food Awards England and Wales, is ready to launch Aspect 320 – a brand new outdoor terrace dining area, backed by an interior dining space boasting a champagne and gin bar. A six-figure investment underpins this development, at a venue that already generates fantastic and genuine TripAdvisor reviews, without eliciting these from customers. The new terrace, directly overlooking the promenade, will provide Morecambe with a truly spectacular outdoor area in which couples can take their vows.  It will enable brides and grooms and those forming Civil Partnerships, to be married against the stunning backdrop of Morecambe Bay, famed for its beauty and amazing sunsets, while also treating their guests to award-winning f...

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the renowned Leiths School of Food and Wine presents four new books. Written by experts at the school, they are the most up-to-date, comprehensive and authoritative illustrated cookery books on the market. HOW TO COOK PASTRY BREAD DESSERTS CAKES Published by Quadrille, 7 May 2015, £15 each Each of the easy-to-use recipe books covers a skill at the heart of the Leiths cookery repertoire, taking the reader through every aspect of preparation and cooking. Every title includes over 70 recipes, carefully chosen by the authors to highlight contemporary dishes from cuisines worldwide, as well as great classics with a modern twist. If you've ever wondered how to knead the softest dough, shape perfect rolls and achieve a flawless rise How to Cook Bread will make you feel confident to make your own loafs, rolls and sweet and savoury flavoured bread with step by step photographic guides covering all of the essential skills....

Composite Loyalty Index Market Force Intelligence Report Reveals Strong Competition for Consumer Loyalty amongst Nandos, Frankie and Benny’s, Bella Italia and Pizza Express.   London, U.K., March 18th, 2015 – A national survey by Market Force Information, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions, has found that on average consumers frequent a fast-service restaurant at least twice a month. But with an average of one in five customers dissatisfied with their recent restaurant visit, the top brand food chains are in a tug of war when it comes to winning customer loyalty and satisfaction. For the rankings, Market Force polled more than 4,500 consumers in January 2015 who were asked to rate their satisfaction with their last experience at a given restaurant and their likelihood to recommend it to others. The data was averaged to rate each restaurant brand on a Composite Loyalty Index. Market Force also looked at the attributes that drive these preferences, anal...

Composite Loyalty Index consumers’ rate Greggs and Prêt à Manger as providing the best coffee experiences Costa Coffee, Starbucks and Café Nero Close Competitors in Winning Customer Loyalty   London, U.K., March 18th, 2015 – A national survey by Market Force Information, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions, reveals that consumers’ rate Greggs and Prêt à Manger as providing the best coffee experiences, followed by competitors Café Nero, Costa Coffee and Starbucks. Although 43 per cent of consumers were highly satisfied with their coffee experience, one in ten consumers were dissatisfied. For the rankings, Market Force polled more than 4,500 consumers in January 2015 who were asked to rate their satisfaction with their last experience at a given coffee shop and their likelihood to recommend it to others. The data was averaged to rate each restaurant brand on a Composite Loyalty Index. Wake up and Smell the Coffee! In addition to the Composite Loy...

It’s National Butchers’ Week (23 – 29 March 2015) and food-finding network Local Food Britain has revealed the findings of its recent customer survey, which suggest overwhelming support for independent butchers. 93% of respondents perceive their butcher as most trustworthy, while nine out of 10 say quality is more important than price. Celebrity chef Tony Tobin of The Dining Room in Reigate, Surrey, agrees. He sources meat from Robert and Edwards butchers just a few doors down from his restaurant, and says he appreciates talking to a butcher about the origins of the meat. “Quality is important to a real butcher – it’s his livelihood,” Tobin explains. “When people ask me for dinner party advice, I always say, ‘If you do nothing else, spend on your meat.’ Your butcher is someone you can talk to about what you need.” Robert Hewitt, the manager at Robert and Edwards butchers, agrees. “Shoppers are always enlightened when they buy from us,” he says. “They find they get more fl...

Lower floor of restaurant and bar fine Alexandrian cuisine, conveying the marriage of flavours by the most cosmopolitan city from antiquity to recent times. Unique in London, Aladino’s stylish restaurant in Kensington offers its brand of fine Alexandrian cuisine, conveying the marriage of flavours by the most cosmopolitan city from antiquity to recent times. After a long wait by its followers, Aladino’s Alexandrian restaurant has now opened at 38c Kensington Church street, W8 4BX. Aladin Barakat, acclaimed chef and restaurateur by Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and others for 18 years in Egypt, brings his own special flavours from his former Alexandrian restaurant where he received the who’s who of the Middle East. The starters range from the traditional lentil soup (with Aladin’s twist) to his more modern famous prawns in delicately-flavoured crispy coating. The main dishes include supersize-zero okra cooked in garlic and coriander, beef cheeks accompanied by a rich peppercorn ...

Get cracking this Easter with artisan British chocolate brand Choc on Choc ( www.choconchoc.co.uk ) and their unique collection of deliciously decadent hand-crafted confectionary. From grown-up indulgences to exciting treats for children, this beautifully designed range provides a delicious feast for the eyes as well as the palate. From intricately designed edible Egg Nests, to the brand's chocolate take on that traditional breakfast dish, Egg On Toast, Choc on Choc's Easter creations are so striking, it's almost a shame to crack them open. Made using the finest Belgian chocolate, this irresistible collection is guaranteed to inject egg-citement into this seasonal celebration. Choc on Choc takes its name from the patented production method invented by its founders, which decadently layers chocolate on top of chocolate, producing exceptionally designed confectionery and the perfect gifts for Easter. Chocolate Egg Nest: £7.99 For a chocolate treat with ser...

The 13th Curry Capital of Britain and 18th National Curry Week (12th - 18th October) was launched at Indian Summer restaurant in Brighton & Hove today (11th March), runners up in last year's exciting event won by Bradford. There is a natural thread running through this as the first winner was London West, the location where Dean Mohamed opened the first UK Indian restaurant in 1809 and where we are today, the city where he was appointed as George IV's shampooing surgeon and later died at a ripe old age with the affectionate nickname 'Dr Brighton'. Curry has come a long way since those days with nearly half the population enjoying curry on a regular basis each year in Britain. According to marketing researchers Mintel £27.7 million is spent annually on poppadoms alone and Indian food is the market leader in UK. Curry Capital of Britain is not about curry restaurants alone. If so, London would win each year based on sheer numbers with Manchester, Bi...