This is the title of an imaginative new book from Ceri Jones, Food Educator at the Garden Museum in London and US trained Natural Chef. The subtitle is 100 Seasonal Suppers and Sides but it is the main title which sets the scene. Ceri takes a collection of 40 different seasonal vegetables and makes them…
Off The Shelf
This is a feature which I have decided to revive in this very difficult time for buying half-way decent olive oil without breaking the bank. I am starting with my local supermarket which happens to be Waitrose. I cannot taste all the oils on the shelf so am using my previous experience of the oils…
Amuse Bouche from Profile Books
If you are planning a trip to France then Carolyn Boyd’s new book Amuse Bouche is the just the thing for you and if you had not thought of going there you may well after reading it. To my great disappointment I have just had to cancel a six day break in Normandy, but actually…
Radio Times recommends some drastic changes for our everyday food
I am concerned that the Radio Times recommendations for diet changes in the Earth Day Special 20th to 26th April edition, have not been thought through and could be misleading The article talks about the eco costs of farming cows for milk and says we can reduce the amount of land use going into our…
Giant honey comb attracts attention
Calling all bee keepers and indeed hoteliers looking for innovative ideas. So often food products are best sold after a tasting and there is no better way to promote a new product than when people are on holiday. Malcolm and Diane Tait discovered a wonderful local honey when it was served to them on the…
Tuscany on a plate in Brighton
In the midst of strong December winds and rain I found the sunshine of Tuscany. A great morning hosted in Hampton Place with Tuscan chef Alessandro Piccinini. Alessandro has a cookery school in the small medieval village of Montisi not far from Montalcino in southern Tuscany. Along with his work at the school he holds…
New Mini Classes
New Olive Oil This New Year I am offering a new series of mini-classes on Tasting and Appreciating Olive Oil. The classes will be held at my office in the centre of Brighton and will last for one and half hours, either in the morning or the afternoon. The first two classes were well attended…
Curious and Curiouser
Can wine be blue or maybe even green? I was asked recently. “Of course not!” I announced firmly. But think again. When I researched the subject I found that there are quite a few references to “blue wine” in various European wine producing countries. The Linos winery in Cyprus, for example, going so far as…
Fruity, a little Bitter and Spicy
Sub-titled A Producer’s Taste of the Global Olive Oil Industry , this new book by Simon Field, entrepreneur, founder of the Savantes programme and olive grower is a “must read” not only for anyone thinking of moving into the industry but also for everyone with any connection to it. The book is crammed with pertinent…
Know Your Olives
I have chosen Frantoio for the second in my series of posts on the olive varieties most frequently pressed for olive oil. This Tuscan varietal, which shares its name with the Italian word for olive mill, has found its way to many parts of the olive oil world. Its popularity is probably linked to the…