Carnaby launches Carnabingo - meet, eat and tweet in Carnaby to win prizes

Eat around the world with the wide choice of international cuisines in Carnaby. There’s everything from fine English fare, fragrant and spicy Thai, Chinese and Malaysian, Spanish, French, Italian and excellent burger joints too. These are alongside plenty of traditional pubs, wine and cocktail bars to let your hair down in, with a choice to suit every budget. To celebrate the diverse food and drink offer, Carnaby launches the Carnabingo game.

How to play… People can pick up the promotional Carnabingo card in one of the 16 participating Carnaby bars, restaurants and cafés, or download a copy at carnaby.co.uk and get snap happy with their smartphone.

•         Order one of the recommendations on the Carnabingo card such as pie and mash at Mother Mash or a glass of wine at Antidote.

•         Take a snap of the dish or drink on their smart phone

•         Tweet it to @CarnabyLondon using the hashtag #carnabingo

•         Once they have tweeted four venues in a row (downwards, upwards or diagonal on the card), tweet @CarnabyLondon #carnabingo #4inarow to win a prize.  Prizes include a Carnaby £50 goodie bag, lunch for 2, or a coffee school lesson at Speakeasy.

Complete the WHOLE card, and tweet @CarnabyLondon #carnabingo #fullhouse to be entered into a prize draw to win a luxury prize including a night in the Soho Sanctum Hotel and dinner for two.

Participating venues:
Carnaby Burger Co – Posh fries - @CarnabyBurgerCo
The Diner – Diablo burger - @DinerSoho
Sacred – A flat white
Antidote – A glass of wine
Speakeasy – A milk coffee - @SpeakeasyW1
Aint Nothing But – A pint of beer - @AintNothinBut1
Zebrano – A mojito - @ZebranoBars
Kua Aina – ½ pound bacon avocado burger - @KuaAinaUK
Fornata – Pasta Casereccia - @Fornata
The White Horse – Fish and chips - @Whitehorsesoho
Cinnamon Soho – Bangla scotch egg - @cinnamonsoho
Tapas Brindisa Soho – Tortilla - @Brindisa
Flat Planet – El Diablo flatbread - @flatplanetHQ
Mother Mash – Pie and mash - @MotherMash
Cha Cha Moon – Singapore noodles - @thechachamoon
Soho Sanctum Hotel – Dorset Scallops - @SanctumSoho

Players can share their recommendations and memories on @CarnabyLondon.
The promotion runs from 1st – 30th June 2012. All tweets must be received by 30th June.
For full terms and conditions go to www.carnaby.co.uk  and keep updated by following @carnabylondon on twitter.

Searching for Competitive Cooking Couples for Prime Time Food Series for Sky 1

Are you a passionate amateur cook?

Do you want to make money from your culinary skills?
Would you like the opportunity to put your food product or recipe on the market?

Splash Media is currently looking for competitive cooking couples (friends/partners/colleagues/relatives) to take part in a primetime food series with Gizzi Erskine for Sky 1.

If you love to cook and fancy making some money out of your skill then now is the time. Whether you make the best cupcakes or your family can’t get enough of your homemade stew, this really could be the opportunity of a lifetime to turn your homemade cooking into a profitable business. 

We’re looking for people with a flair for cooking who’ve also got a business brain. To find out more or apply please call             0207 255 5401       or e-mail on poonamodedra@splashmediatv.co.uk 


 (Applicants must be over 18 and available for 2-3 days filming between April and July)

GEFILTEFEST JEWISH FOOD FESTIVAL - Sunday May 20th at London's Ivy House

The third annual Gefiltefest Jewish Food Festival will be held on Sunday May 20th 2012 at London's Ivy House (appropriately the former home of the dancer Anna Pavlova).

The festival is a full day of more than fifty food demonstrations, lectures and workshops.  

Claudia Roden will be interviewed at the festival and there will be plenty of food to taste. More information at www.gefiltefest.org. All profits from the event are donated to food-related charities.

CELEBRITY CHEF LEVI ROOTS COOKS UP A RECIPE FOR CHANGE TO LAUNCH WORLD FOOD NIGHT

Celebrity chef Levi Roots is urging people everywhere to cook up a recipe for change and take part in the first ever World Food Night.

The food-lovers’ celebration will take place on February 24th and will see people across the UK cooking up delicious food from around the world in support of refugees.

A pack full of recipe ideas from countries like Eritrea and Bolivia, tips and giveaways will be sent to participants as part of the initiative, which is in support of the charity Refugee Action.

There will be top prizes for people who raise the most money, including the chance to enjoy a meal from Levi’s London eatery Papine.

Levi, who has voiced a film in support of World Food Night, said: “World Food Night is a great opportunity to share a meal with friends while raising awareness and funds for a great cause. Food can cross boundaries of culture and nationality, but it can also help people retain their culture. Many refugees have fled war and persecution but give a lot back to the UK. I would encourage anyone to hold a dinner party, learn more about refugee issues and cook up a recipe for change!”

Levi wanted to get behind the World Food Night initiative after he came to the UK as a young man from Jamaica and experienced how difficult it can be to adapt to a new culture.

He said: “For me, food has always been a key part of maintaining my own culture and it is a great way to break down barriers while having some fun!”

The fundraiser comes hot on the heels of the British Future State of the Nation Report 2012 entitled ‘Hopes and Fears’ which revealed that 68 per cent of people think immigration has been good for British food, with people from the West Midlands the most enthusiastic about the diverse food which is now available.  

Dave Garratt, Chief Executive of Refugee Action, said: “We are delighted to have the support of Levi Roots and already have lots of people signing up to support refugees through World Food Night. We work with people who have fled war and persecution and need protection. But refugees also have an enormous amount to give back to the UK, including through food and culture. Most of us love to try new foods and World Food Night is a chance to do just that, while raising awareness and cooking up a recipe for change!”

To get your fundraising pack and watch Levi’s film you can visit www.refugee-action.org.uk/wfn. To find out what other people are planning you can follow Refugee Action on Twitter at http://twitter.com/refugeeaction and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/RefugeeAction.

Share a Whole Lamb at A La Cruz Winter Supper Club on 1 February 2012

A whole lamb – cordero entero – is the celebration feast of feasts in Argentina. For the first time, A La Cruz in Farringdon, London EC1, will host its lamb supper club on Wednesday 1 February 7.30pm – and you are welcome to come by yourself or with a couple of guests. Slow cooked on the asador, the lamb is supported on metal crosses, a la cruz. Some four hours later, the lamb is crisp and meltingly succulent, and is ceremoniously carved by the host to share with the party. Until now, only guests of the owners and bigger groups have enjoyed the privilege of this spectacular dinner.

Tickets at £40 are available from A La Cruz, 42 Northampton Road, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 0HU. Tube: Farringdon, Angel, 10 minutes walk.
Telephone 020 7837 1999
eat@alacruz.com

Cordero Entero Menu

1 February 2012

Plate of 3 starters

Empanada: Argentine style filled pastries beef, spinach & ricotta

Provoleta: Grilled provolone cheese and crusty toasted bread

Mollejas: Grilled beef sweetbreads with lemon juice

Taster of beef fillet from the charcoal grill

Cordero Entero a la cruz: Whole lamb on the asador

Sauces: Chimichurri, and yoghurt & mint

Espinacas a la crema: Creamy spinach

Asadas a la sal: Rock salt baked baby potatoes

Salads with palm hearts, beetroot, beans, tomatoes, free-range egg

Panqueques: Traditional Argentine pancakes filled with dulce de leche

Septima wines will be specially selected to match and available to buy by the glass or bottle.


Along with other landmark restaurants in the vicinity - Smith’s of Smithfield and St John – A La Cruz is an essential destination in the meat trail which has established itself near Smithfield Market. Meat at A La Cruz is sourced from some of the premium farms in Argentina, and meat fans will take great delight in enjoying tender, flavoursome Ribeye, Sirloin and Rump steak, perfectly pink lamb, chorizo and chistorra sausages, morcilla grilled pork black pudding and mollejas beef sweetbreads. Starters include many dishes which will please vegetarians.

Whilst it is hard to take your eyes off the spectacular open Grill area, you will not miss the bold artwork of Turner shortlisted artist David Tremlett. His wall drawings adorn the large, bright dining room. Regular fans of A La Cruz feasting include The Meat Club and the Saracens Rugby team.

Tastecard - Is it all it's cracked up to be???

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Cafédirect is giving away a £500 gourmet experience - Ethical hot drinks brand is searching for the perfect pairing of coffee and dessert

For everyone addicted to the Great British Bake Off or who fancies their chances on Come Dine with Me, Cafédirect could have the perfect foodie competition.

The ethical hot drinks brand is challenging Britain to create the perfect dessert recipe to pair with a cup of coffee for the chance to win £500 worth of vouchers for gourmet London cooking school L’atelier des Chefs.  The winning recipe will also star in Cafédirect’s limited edition Coffee and Dessert Matching Cookbook.

Just as different wines have distinctive regional characteristics depending on elements such as the soil, climate and altitude, so the same is true for coffee grown in different locations across the world.  Wine is often matched with food by sommeliers to enhance the flavours of both – and Cafédirect is encouraging the public to explore coffee in the same way.

It is pioneering a unique coffee matching experiment, asking coffee lovers everywhere to pair their award-winning single origin coffees with desserts to create a whole new after-dinner experience.

All people need to do to win is to submit an original dessert recipe to match with one of Cafédirect’s single origin coffees*.

Theirry Akroman, Cafédirect’s own coffee connoisseur, notes: “Choose from the citrusy notes of Kilimanjaro or the vanilla hints of Mayan Palenque, the rich chocolate undertones of Machu Picchu or the sweet spiciness of Cloud Forest – or enter one for each! Whether it’s a simple lemon tart or a sumptuous chocolate roulade we’re looking for the best flavour match with their chosen Cafédirect coffee.”

The winner will receive £500 to spend at the famous London cookery school L’atelier des Chefs, which has a host of courses to inspire any foodie, from the novice who’s never picked up a rolling pin to the seasoned pastry chef. The winner’s recipe will also become part of a limited edition Coffee and Dessert Matching Cookbook, which will also feature the top 16 desserts and coffee combinations as picked by the discerning panel of judges.

Plus the winner will also get travel and a night’s accommodation in London for two.

Visit www.facebook.com/cafedirect <http://www.facebook.com/cafedirect> for tasting notes and tips from Thierry on what flavours match each coffee and to enter your recipe.

Closing date is midnight, 25th November 2011.  All entrants must be 18 or over.  For more details, to submit your recipe and for terms and conditions please visit: www.facebook.com/cafedirect