Foodari: Blogs

02 November 2009

THE WINE GANG TO HOLD ITS FIRST CONSUMER WINE FAIR

The Wine Gang (www.thewinegang.com), the unique collaboration between five of the UK's most influential wine critics – Tim Atkin MW (Observer), Tom Cannavan (wine-pages.com, STV), Anthony Rose (The Independent), Joanna Simon (House & Garden), Olly Smith (Saturday Kitchen) – is to hold its first consumer wine fair in the run-up to the festive season. The Wine Gang Christmas Fair, showcasing some of the best wines the Gang has reviewed, takes place in a lively and fun atmosphere on 7th November at Vinopolis on London’s Southbank.

The Wine Gang was formed to empower wine drinkers to buy smarter and drink better, so each month’s online report gives independent assessments of at least 200 wines. At the Christmas Wine Fair, there will over 500 wines to taste, from more than 70 different retailers, many of whom will be making special offers to visitors on the day. Other highlights will include a series of free 'Wine Walks' conducted by the Gang, where visitors will be guided around some of their personal favourites and perfect wines for Christmas entertaining. The Fair will also see the announcement of the inaugural Wine Gongs – the Gang’s awards for the best wines of the year.

There are two sessions on the 7th November, one running from 11:00am - 2:00pm, with tickets priced at £20, and one running from 3:00pm - 6:00pm, with tickets priced at £22.50. Members of the Wine Gang can book these tickets with a substantial £7.50 discount, bringing the prices down to just £12.50 and £15.00 respectively.

Tickets for the fair can be booked via the Vinopolis web site (http://www.vinopolis.co.uk/specialevents/christmas_wine_fair.php) or by telephoning Vinopolis on 0207 940 3000. Those who wish to join The Wine Gang first and enjoy the £7.50 per ticket discount can do so at www.thewinegang.com <http://www.thewinegang.com/> .

Posted By Foodari At 20:48 • Comments (17)

THE WINE GANG TO HOLD ITS FIRST CONSUMER WINE FAIR

The Wine Gang (www.thewinegang.com), the unique collaboration between five of the UK's most influential wine critics – Tim Atkin MW (Observer), Tom Cannavan (wine-pages.com, STV), Anthony Rose (The Independent), Joanna Simon (House & Garden), Olly Smith (Saturday Kitchen) – is to hold its first consumer wine fair in the run-up to the festive season. The Wine Gang Christmas Fair, showcasing some of the best wines the Gang has reviewed, takes place in a lively and fun atmosphere on 7th November at Vinopolis on London’s Southbank.

The Wine Gang was formed to empower wine drinkers to buy smarter and drink better, so each month’s online report gives independent assessments of at least 200 wines. At the Christmas Wine Fair, there will over 500 wines to taste, from more than 70 different retailers, many of whom will be making special offers to visitors on the day. Other highlights will include a series of free 'Wine Walks' conducted by the Gang, where visitors will be guided around some of their personal favourites and perfect wines for Christmas entertaining. The Fair will also see the announcement of the inaugural Wine Gongs – the Gang’s awards for the best wines of the year.

There are two sessions on the 7th November, one running from 11:00am - 2:00pm, with tickets priced at £20, and one running from 3:00pm - 6:00pm, with tickets priced at £22.50. Members of the Wine Gang can book these tickets with a substantial £7.50 discount, bringing the prices down to just £12.50 and £15.00 respectively.

Tickets for the fair can be booked via the Vinopolis web site (http://www.vinopolis.co.uk/specialevents/christmas_wine_fair.php) or by telephoning Vinopolis on 0207 940 3000. Those who wish to join The Wine Gang first and enjoy the £7.50 per ticket discount can do so at www.thewinegang.com <http://www.thewinegang.com/> .

Posted By Foodari At 20:48 • Comments (16)

23 September 2009

British Food Fortnight

The next two weeks see the biggest ever promotion of British food on our shores - British Food Fortnight. Now in its eighth year British Food Fortnight has rapidly increased in scale to involve a diverse number of activities including , TV shows, competitions, special menus, tasting, events, and lots more covering the length and bredth of the UK.

Commenting on the huge amount of activity this year, organiser Alexia Robinson says: “Ironically, despite the tricky economic climate, this year's British Food Fortnight is the biggest yet. People are thinking more carefully about the sustainability of the food chain and retailers and caterers know they need to respond to this. Consumers want value for money, but value in the case of food has never been just about price - it is about taste, freshness and quality. The best guarantee of these values is British food, produced to the highest standards in the world - British food really is flavour of the moment!”

Posted By Foodari At 17:10 • Comments (70)

26 June 2009

Learn about glorious local tomatoes

With the arrival of summer sunshine, I am eating more salads and am thrilled that the British tomato season is upon us. Although tomatoes are available throughout the year, it is only in recent weeks that local varieties have ripened and there really is no comparison between the flavourless tomatoes available during winter and the sweet, tangy and delicious British varieties.

If you’re a gardener your tomato plants should be doing well and you’ll soon see the first signs of flowers or fruit. If Brian Watts

not, you need to track down some local Kentish tomatoes all available at www.food4.biz. Those provided by Food For Kent are grown by Brian (pictured left) and Lorraine Watts, who run the Leonard Ironside nursery at Farthing Common, Lyminge, which I visited last month.

Brian has been growing tomatoes since 1974, and it was fascinating to find out what is involved. His nursery comprises four, one-acre glasshouses, containing around 35,000 tomato plants. Brian currently grows 10 different varieties, ranging from traditional vine and plum to cherry and beef tomatoes. The tomato seedlings are planted in November in what looks like giant grow bags filled with coir, which is shredded coconut husk – a much more environmentally sound choice than traditional peat.

Brian explained how the environment in the glasshouses is carefully monitored to create optimum growing conditions. The temperature is varied depending on how bright a day it Leonard Ironsides Tomatoes

is - on sunny days the plants grow fast and need extra warmth, whereas on an overcast day less heat is required as they are growing more slowly. Just as important is keeping the glasshouses well ventilated so that disease, which flourishes in warm damp environments, is kept at bay and condensation doesn’t form which might cause blemishes on the tomatoes. Carbon dioxide, a by-product of the heating system, is pumped into the glasshouses to encourage better growth.

One of the most interesting things about visiting the nursery was learning about the bugs and bees which Brian deploys to help him grow the tomatoes. Each glasshouse contains a number of bee hives housing bumble bees that pollinate the tomatoes. This is a far cry from the techniques used in yesteryear which saw farmers use a vibrating metal rod to “tickle” each flower so that the pollen was dislodged. The bees are introduced when the first flowers appear - usually just after Christmas - and continue their work until the end of the growing season in the autumn.

Brian also uses predator insects. The plants are regularly inspected by white-coated scientists and any sign of pests is noted. Predator insects Leonard Ironsides Tomatoes

are then introduced which target and eliminate these pests. It’s a wonderful example of working with Mother Nature and as a result of this approach Brian’s tomatoes are grown without the use of pesticides, fungicides or insecticides.

Each glasshouse contains 500 rows of tomatoes and from March, when the plants start producing fruit - it takes eight weeks from pollination to a tomato being ready to pick - each row is picked every other day, six days a week. The tomatoes are put straight into the boxes in which they are sold so that they are handled as little as possible. Unusually, they are not put into cold storage but go straight to the people who are buying them so that the time between picking and selling is kept short. The result is flavoursome Kentish tomatoes which are well worth tracking down.

Brian’s top tomato tips

•   Store your tomatoes at room temperature so they can continue to ripen. This is particularly important if you buy vine tomatoes as there will always be one or two which ripen at a slower rate than the others.
•   Eat your tomatoes at room temperatures and when they are as brightly coloured as possible – the brighter the colour, the better the flavour.
•   Use tinned tomatoes in winter.

Abby's Tomato Recipe - Double Tomato and Courgette Pasta (serves 2)

Ingredients

Pasta for two – penne works well
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large clove garlic, crushed
2 courgettes, cut into discs
1 tablespoon of sun-dried tomatoes, softened in boiling water and cut into thin strips
Juice of half a lemon
15-20 cherry tomatoes, halved
A handful of basil leaves, shredded
1 tablespoon of toasted pine nuts
Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

Put the pasta on to cook.
Fry the garlic in olive oil and when you start to smell it, add the courgette.
Turn the heat up and cook, stirring regularly, until the courgette begins to soften.
Keep the heat high and add the sun-dried tomatoes and lemon juice and cook for a more few minutes.
When the courgette is sufficiently cooked add the cherry tomatoes, basil and pine nuts.
Remove from the heat, mix with the pasta and serve with parmesan shavings.

For more examples of seasonal recipes visit Abby’s healthy eating food blog www.eattherightstuff.com.

Posted By Foodari At 10:03 • Comments (1869)

17 April 2009

Recipes for the Weekend

One of the most enjoyable aspects of running a food and cookery business is seeing and tasting 1st hand the vibrant new produce as it comes into season.

We visit our producers and see the 1st asparagus popping through the ground, we taste the baby salad leaves as they are picked, plus of course the fruit. After the dark days of winter we're starting to see the first homegrown fruit ready to eat, splash out on the first English strawberries, they are worth the treat!

More tales from the producers to come during this exciting season so you can see it grown before you cook. So for the recipes from our members and plenty to try with the kids:

Starter and Lite Bites

Fruity Muesli - get kids cooking
Rhubarb Cocktails

Falafel
Mango and Mint Yoghurt

Main Courses

Drunken Fish with Little Trees - get kids cooking
Flawless Sesame Chicken
Pork and Peanut Noodles - get kids cooking
Jool's Favourite Beef Stew
Spiced Slow Cooked Lamb shanks

Pudding and Desserts

Cranberry & Raspberry Jelly - get kids cooking
Prune and Walnut Muffins

Apple Pancakes

Happy Cooking!

The Foodari Team

Posted By Foodari At 10:43 • Comments (1004)