Chef Wise

Calling all foodies. Discover a feast of delicious artisan food and drink products at a unique festive pop up shop now open in London's West End. It has taken almost a year to source the gourmet goodies, which you won't find on the shelves of a supermarket. From bacon making kits and marshmallows, to speciality teas and super food chocolate, find them all at Kitchen Table Projects' new Christmas Pop Up Shop, which is open until December 27th. Whether you are looking for gifts for family and friends or Christmas treats for yourself, this is a great opportunity to discover new products and join the artisan food celebration. Founded by entrepreneur Tara Sundramoorthi, Kitchen Table Projects is a foodie business dedicated to supporting and encouraging fledgling fine food and drink producers, helping them showcase their brand and products to the right people. The Christmas Pop Up shop is situated a short walk from Oxford Circus and follows hot on the heels of Kit...

Owton's Butchers in Southampton is the 2015 Butchers Q Guild Smithfield Awards supreme champion. It is the highest honour a Q Butcher can achieve in the annual product evaluation event, open to the Guild's 110 members nationwide. Owton's, based at Chalcroft Farm, West End, and run by husband and wife Rob and Gill Owton, clinched the supreme accolade with its Dry Cured Green Streaky Bacon, which had earlier picked up a coveted diamond award as the best product in the bacon and cured products category. Marked a perfect 100 out of 100, it was also chosen as Best English Bacon product. Gill Owton said: “It's incredible to win. My dad was a butcher and at about six or seven years old I used to watch him curing bacon and it was just fascinating. About five or six years ago I said: 'Let's do that here'. “We work hard to give the customers what they want. They know they can trust us.” Best in class diamond award winners were also crowned ...

In October, The Food Porn Awards™ launched its search to find the best looking food from restaurants, pubs, bars and eateries across the region. With only two weeks left before the closing date, chefs across the North West are being urged to enter images of their most mouth-watering dishes via the website www.foodpornawards.co.uk . The Food Porn Awards has already received entries from chefs across the region including renowned TV chef Simon Rimmer and head chef of Manchester House, Aiden Byrne. The competition is still wide open for all restaurants, pubs and eateries in the North West to be in with a chance of securing a coveted award for themselves and their establishment. Online entry closes on Monday 7th December at 4pm. Eateries big and small are being encouraged to submit their entries as soon as possible to showcase their most impressive dishes and position themselves at the heart of the North West's food scene. Twelve finalists, three from each category,...

Brown Cow Organics have introduced a 155g Christmas Pudding flavour live organic yoghurt into their multi award winning range of organic yoghurt flavours (there are 10 additional flavours). This limited edition flavour is available from 20th November; a seasonal artisan dairy twist to the most traditional of Christmas desserts - their Christmas Pudding yoghurt is going out to their stockists now and will be available until Christmas, you can call or email Brown Cow Organics for your nearest independent retail stockist or you can purchase online from Abel and Cole. Artisan made on their organic farm, Brown Cow Organics yoghurts are produced using only their own organic A2 beta casein protein rich whole milk from their born, bred and grazed Guernsey herd. Ingredients are totally natural, non-homogenised, and are rich in Omega 3s and other trace elements. A small team of dedicated local people hand make the yoghurt which is then hand poured into recyclable, re-usable pots. The...

It's the Cornish Oyster season from October until March, and The Wright Brothers who own the Duchy Oyster Farm in Cornwall, on the stunning Helford River (Falmouth) have been aiming to change our attitude to oysters in this country for some time now. They started a little under 15 years ago at a time when oysters were not widely consumed in the UK and there was a huge cultural division between the English and French. In France, oysters were widely grown and consumed on a regular basis, whereas in the UK they were eaten by a selective few and treated as a delicacy, so the Wright Brothers decided to change that! Education was their strategy, removing any remaining oyster snobbery or ignorance and exclusivity, getting more and more chefs, and their customers, to try different varieties, distinguish the flavours that come from cultivating them in habitats with different levels of minerality, and generally feel the love of this amazing superfood. Then ten years ago, the brot...

Giggling Squid, the popular UK Thai restaurant group is to accelerate its expansion plans following a £6.4m investment from BGF (Business Growth Fund), the UK's leading provider of growth capital to small and mid-sized businesses. Giggling Squid, which has a portfolio of 13 sites across the South of England and the Midlands, will use the BGF capital to open more branches of its family of successful restaurants. Giggling Squid intends to break new ground and enter the London suburbs inside the M25, building on its new site in Esher set to open on Thursday next week. BGF has taken a significant minority equity stake in the business and has introduced Simon Kossoff, Chairman and former CEO of Carluccio's, to the company. Simon has joined the board as non-executive Chairman and Jon Simon, Investor at BGF, also joins the board. Giggling Squid serves fresh, rustic Thai cuisine at lunch and dinner and also offers takeaway services. Headquartered in Guildford, t...

Leading Asian restaurateurs, VIPs and embassy dignitaries gathered for a glittering gala dinner at the London Hilton to honour the winners of Asian Curry Awards 2015 on Sunday 15th November.  The awards are a joint venture organised by the Federation of Bangladeshi Caterers and the Asian Catering Federation. Designed to recognise excellence in the Asian catering industry, the awards encourage positive competition towards ever higher standards in the industry, The event was hosted by TV presenter and Strictly Come Dancing winner, Natasha Kaplinsky. The evening's entertainment included the spectacular Shaimak dance troupe and the renowned musician Shahid Abbas Khan. Guests were treated to an exquisite menu from the award-winning caterers, Madhu's. In his keynote speech, Asian Curry Awards' Chairman Yawar Khan described the event as a “truly is a momentous occasion” and reported that this year's awards had attracted record numbers of public nominati...

Give the cold season a warm welcome with a dining experience like no other at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage HQ, a beautiful 65 acre farm nestled in the Devon countryside. Whilst most folk dread the transition in to winter, River Cottage looks forward to the possibilities that the new season's ingredients can offer. It might be cold and dark outside but the log fires will be burning in the yurt and farmhouse, where a friendly member of staff will melt away the chill with a complimentary winter warming drink and pre-dinner canapes. The kitchen buzzes with creative energy as the diners gather in the beautiful barn where tables are set in banquet style, twinkling candles give an intimate atmosphere to the gathering. The River Cottage chefs will guide you through the seasonal courses divulging the provenance, techniques and ethos behind each dish. After coffee and petit fours the tractor and trailer will deliver you back to the main entrance car par...

Christmas is something that Bake with Maria get really excited about. This year our gift voucher is still available so the foodie in your life can choose the class that most appeals to them. We have also launched a Christmas Baking and Confection Class for the foodie who wants to bake their own gifts and of course we have the ultimate gift: a spot on our Tuscan Culinary Holiday. Bake with Maria have one press space available in their Christmas Baking and Confection Class on Sunday November 29th from 10am to 3.30 at The Baking Lab. For details of upcoming classes and to make a booking see www.bakewithmaria.com

The great British after-dinner cheeseboard is in danger of becoming a thing of the past, according to a new study from British savoury snack-maker Jacob's, which reveals that a massive two thirds of the UK (65%) prepare one just once a year or less, and one in ten (9%) rarely keep more than one type of cheese in the fridge at a time. In response to the findings, Jacob's is celebrating the 130th anniversary of its iconic, Jacob's Cream Cracker by creating an epic 40m cheeseboard – the longest ever cheeseboard –  set to inspire a new generation with the simple joys of perfectly paired cheese and crackers. Jacob's research also lifts the lid on the nation's cheese knowledge – or lack of. The report found that the average Brit could name just four of the 700-plus varieties of British cheese on the market, and also revealing that one in six UK consumers haven't heard of  Stilton  and a quarter are not familiar with  Wensleydale , despite its...

Ever innovative, pushing the boundaries in craft bakery, Warrens Bakery has created the first ever 'Mince Pie and Custard Pasty'.  This new sweet pasty will be in-stores from Sunday 15th November, just in time for the festive season. Jason Jobling, masterbaker at Warrens Bakery, has been busy over the last few months developing something outstanding which would stand out as a clear culinary winner this Christmas.  On this creation, Jason comments: “We wanted to give a new Cornish twist to a traditional mince pie.”  He continues: “We've made the pasty using rough puff pastry, filled it with specially selected mincemeat and a vanilla custard and have crimped it in the same way we would a savoury pasty.  It's glazed and topped with a cinnamon and sugar blend for extra crunch.”  As with all Warrens Bakery's pasties these are hand filled, hand crimped and handmade with a lot of passion.  Recent recognition for Warrens Bakery's hand crafted, sweet...

Washington State's oldest winery, Chateau Ste. Michelle, will be at The Queens Arms in Corton Denham, Somerset on Friday 20 November, pairing its multi-award winning wines with the season's finest local game. Each course of head chef, Ben Abercrombie's Game Supper menu will be accompanied by one of Chateau Ste. Michelle's finest vintages, including wines from Stag's Leap Wine Cellar, its highly celebrated Napa Valley estate in California. Diners will also be treated to a talk from the world renowned estate covering topics such as history, heritage, tasting notes and terroir, learning how the winery has successfully combined an ongoing dedication to research and innovation with a commitment to classic winemaking traditions. The four course game menu will include a confit rabbit scotched quails' egg, a compression of foie gras and a tasting of pheasant, finished with a dessert of espresso cake, amaretto parfait, chocolate crémeux and hazelnut prali...

A home-grown Bloody Mary, a breath-taking countryside walk and homemade bar bites by the crackling open fire; award-winning pub, The Queens Arms, has just the tonic this New Year's Day. Tucked away on the Somerset and Dorset borders in Corton Denham, near Sherborne, and welcoming sticky fingers, muddy boots and paws, this beautiful Georgian pub is the perfect place to reset for the year ahead and embrace the morning after the night before. With The Queens Arms' brand new walking guide, guests and visitors can now choose from four rural routes mapped out by owners Gordon and Jeanette Reid, which range from 5.5 miles to 16 miles and offer a variety of terrains. Starting and finishing at the pub, bleary-eyed 'ramblers' can kick things off with The Queens Arms' Bloody Mary Recovery Board, before donning the wellies and putting their best foot forward. This deconstructed Bloody Mary, which is also served every Sunday throughout the year, is complete with all ...

The Welcome to Yorkshire White Rose Awards, the largest celebration of tourism excellence in the UK, announced the winners last night at a glittering ceremony at Leeds First Direct Arena. Tipple Tails was among the Yorkshire businesses recognised and rewarded, scooping a Highly Commended award for the Taste of Yorkshire Category. Tipple Tails were shortlisted after a rigorous independent judging process, chaired by Colin Mellors, Pro-Vice Chancellor of York University and including Elaine Lemm, Food Writer, Nicola Furbisher, Yorkshire Post Managing Editor and customer experience expert Mark Bradley. Six weeks of mystery shopping followed, with the awards finally being decided after the judging panel spent a further challenging day deciding on the winners. Tipple Tails was given a Highly Commended award for their continual efforts to support Yorkshire businesses by sourcing as many of their ingredients as possible from Yorkshire, and for the care and attention they give ...

Host, Liverpool's original Pan Asian restaurant and bar concept in Hope Street, held a night with The Liverpool Craft Beer Company dedicated to demonstrating craft beer as the perfect accompaniment to Pan-Asian food. Following discussions with the Love Lane Liverpool City Centre-based business, Host will now be collaborating on a series of similar events beginning in the new year. The Liverpool Craft Beer Company's Jess Doyle said: "For a long time now, people have thought that the only drink to have with your meal is wine, but now, with craft beer becoming more and more popular and breweries, such as our own, producing high quality craft beer, people are starting to realise there's more to beer than bland fizzy lager. Beer styles have a wide spectrum of flavours, aromas, colours and textures which means that there really is a beer for every meal. Five of our beers have been expertly paired with the incredible food at HOST with the chefs tasting the bee...

Graffiti Spirits Group, the innovative bar & restaurant company widely regarded in Liverpool as prime innovators behind Liverpool's progressive new cocktail, bar and dining scene has submitted plans to Liverpool council to bring one of Castle Street's most iconic buildings back into use. Director Matthew Farrell, one of the partners behind the fiercely independent group which already operates city centre bars Santa Chupitos, El Bandito, Salt Dog Slims, 81 Ltd and their 'smokehouse and cocktails' venue Slim's Pork Chop Express, revealed that they are planning a sixth outlet called Santa Maluco. He said: “Thankfully, we've been able to reach agreement on this landmark Grade II listed building which will add a layer of fresh, unconventional independence in the form of Santa Maluco, a rodizio pizzeria. “We know from feedback amongst our target audience too that the business district is crying out for what we've been offering guests on the...