Chef Wise

Stuck for a thoughtful gift for the foodie in your life? Are you looking for a great present for a plant based Vegan? Then look no further as Demuths Cookery School in Bath offers the perfect solution. Demuths Cookery School gift vouchers can be redeemed against a wonderfully diverse range of classes for a fantastic inspirational gift. Demuths welcomes all food lovers and all of their courses are vegetarian, and many are plant based, raw and gluten-free.  The cookery school offers courses for all abilities from the beginner to the accomplished cook. Demuths specialise in masterclasses, full-day courses, half-day and evening classes to full diploma classes and cookery holidays. Demuths has seen a high demand for plant based Vegan courses and has therefore expanded their courses in this area. From 'Vegan Fast and Delicious' to a 'Gourmet Vegan Weekend', there are courses to suit every palate. Led by Rachel Demuth, all their teachers are experienced chefs w...

Experts in everything wood fired, David and Holly Jones of Manna from Devon Cooking School have released their second wood fired oven cookbook just in time for Christmas entitled “Wood Fired Flatbreads and Pancakes”. The book is available from the 8th of December and responds to the increased interest in the wood fired oven trend which is set to be even bigger in 2017. Holly comments on the launch of the second book: “With more restaurants, food vans and hotels choosing to cook with fire, it is no wonder people have acquired a taste for the smokey delicacies wood fired ovens produce and are opting to install wood fired ovens at home. The new cook book teaches readers how to prepare, manage and use the fire to cook a whole range of flatbreads and pancakes, from luscious creamy naan breads to Yorkshire puddings, sweet and salty pissaladiere and breakfast pancakes. There's so much more to flatbreads than pizzas!!” David says: “The release of our second wood fired book ...

Tesco has struck gold this Christmas at the UK's biggest wine competition, scooping an impressive 64 awards for its own-label range at the International Wine Challenge. Topping the leaderboard of winning wines are some of the nation's favourite festive tipples including 2009 finest* Vintage Champagne Grand Cru, finest* 10 year Old Tawny Port, finest* Vintage Port, finest* Chablis Premier Cru and finest* Dessert Semillon. Altogether Tesco took away gongs for 64 of its wines (including 3 Gold, 11 Silver and 17 Bronze medals) in this round of the wine competition, which releases results twice yearly.  This takes the supermarket's total IWC award tally to 107 in 2016 Jason Tarry, Chief Product Officer at Tesco, said:   “We're delighted to have such a strong showing for our wines at the International Wine Challenge Awards. They demonstrate once again that our wines are great quality as well as a great price, offering outstanding value for money “So If ...

Sloe Gin World Championships deadline extended The deadline for entries to this year's Sloe Gin World Championships has been extended until 10:00am on Wednesday 14th December – the day of the event – for postal entries which have preregistered.  Online registration closes at 6:00om on 13th December. Artisan and commercial sloe gin makers from across the world will gather at the village pub on the Kent/Sussex border near Tunbridge Wells each year, to vie for the coveted 'Sloe Ginster World Champion' title for 2016 on Wednesday 14th December. This year there are new competition categories to include entries for other liqueurs such as damson gin and sloe vodka. Postal entries have already arrived at the pub from as far afield as Scotland, Devon and Germany. This Christmas marks the 8th year of the annual event that began when pub locals began arguing over the perfect sloe gin recipe. Dating back to around 1750, The George Inn, a traditional country pub...

So you want to enjoy your Christmas feast this Christmas but are worried about over-eating or eating too many “guilty” foods? Well the solution is at hand – the deluxe 5 course Christmas set menu at Nama – Artisan Raw Foods, London's top raw food restaurant. Come and discover how delicious guilt-free food can be. NAMA is introducing a mouth-watering Christmas set menu for you to enjoy raw food at its best throughout the whole of December. A special luxury 5 -course set menu at Nama is the raw (read: healthy) version of your delicious traditional Christmas menu and is a real feast for all your senses, guaranteed to help you indulge a little this Christmas without feeling the guilt. The Christmas menu is 100% raw, vegan, nutritionally packed and includes the likes of: “melt in your mouth” arancini, celeriac remoulade, truffle mayonnaise “soft as silk” vegetable ballotine, cauliflower mash, mushroom gravy “tastes like heaven” red wine poached pear, endive, ...

Looking for a delicious, healthy, flavoursome Christmas hamper? Choose between Standard and Deluxe Hampers by the NAMA – Artisan Raw Foods, the top raw foods restaurant in London. Treat someone special or enjoy a healthy indulgence this Christmas. Standard - £75 Prosecco; 2 mince pies; Christmas cake; Nut cheese; Raw sprouted crackers; Raw chocolate bar; Le Benefice Sultan Herbal Speciality Tea; Raw fruit chutney. Deluxe  - £140 Organic Champagne; Chocolate coconut manna; Raw chocolate making kit; 4 Mince pies; Christmas cake; 2 Nut cheeses; NAMA's signature salad dressing; Raw sprouted crackers; Raw fruit chutney; 2 Raw chocolate bars; NAMA's grawnola; Le Benefice Sultan Herbal Speciality Tea. 85% of the products are made by NAMA team. All ingredients are from a high quality source and organic wherever possible, ensuring a higher mineral content in the ingredients. Because items have not been heated above 45 degrees, there is a much higher nut...

Coffee Island's concept stems from a single promise: you get the best from what you want. Those wishing to just grab a quick cuppa and go, can do so knowing they will taste delicious, high-quality brews with a palate precision. This is because all beverages served are the cumulative result of specialty coffee knowledge and the usage of items that allow meticulous brewing methods, such as Chemex, AeroPress, syphon and cold drip, among others. It's perfectly engineered coffee that mixes scientific geekiness and a fondness of direct trade with farmers. And if that comes with a yummy pastry on the side, well, that's just divine. For the hungrier there are also fresh, handmade sweet and savoury breakfast options and for lunchtime, a great variety of fresh sandwiches, salads and delicate smoked, cured meat and fish dishes. It all becomes more exciting when you ask the barista for a tour of how to expertly prepare your own brew at the Home Barista Station. You can be t...