CITY PANTRY - London’s first street food delivery service delivering everything from Fried Chicken to Vietnamese baguettes directly to your desk

Two St. Andrews graduates have launched London’s first street food delivery service, bringing the best of both Whitecross market and Old Truman Brewery to the desks of office workers all over London. A fleet of motorcyclists wearing distinctive tomato helmets and carrying oven-hot bags deliver everything from gourmet venison burgers to crispy chicken wings direct to your building’s front door from Monday, December 2nd.

Stuart Sunderland, 32, gave up his career as a trader in Singapore to develop his street food idea, said:

‘Lunchtime has so much potential yet, more often than not, we settle for a boring sandwich or dreary canteen food. How about a hog roast in a bun sourced from Smithfield’s market early morning or pulled pork that’s been cooking for 16hrs? We drop it off at your office and promise your colleagues will drool with food envy as they sit staring at their miserable pasta salad. It makes for a refreshing change and the portions are huge!’

The ordering system is simple – you choose what you fancy from the 20 different vendors ranging in price from £5–£10 by 11am, indicate when you want your lunch to arrive, sit back and let City Pantry do the work. There’s a minimum order of £15 so get your colleagues together and if it’s over £40 they’ll knock off the £2 delivery charge for you. They will even send you some daily suggestions of what to order and if you want to impress your clients with something unique, they can provide a spread from a variety of vendors.

The service safeguards the employment of the market stall vendors who provide the food through the slow winter months. Ross Curnow of Mother Clucker, one of London’s most popular street food vendors with his range of free range fried chicken said:

‘It’s great, we get to keep doing what we love through what is usually a tough winter and workers all over London get to enjoy our food which they might otherwise not normally get a chance to try... it also beats a pre-packed tuna and sweetcorn sandwich any day!’

To see what’s on the menu visit citypantry.com

web: citypantry.com email: info@citypantry.com Tel: 0203 397 8376

British Chocolatiers Come Out on Top in International Chocolate Awards‏

British chocolatiers led the way in the filled chocolate categories of the World Finals of the International Chocolate Awards earlier this month, with the likes of Paul a Young and Damian Allsop beating off stiff competition from top chocolatiers from around the world.

The International Chocolate Awards World Final featured the best of the best from the fine chocolate industry. Over 600 products were entered into the country rounds held in Italy, the UK, the USA and Vancouver throughout the year. 102 products made it through to the world final to be re-judged by the grand jury, who travel from around the world to each round, and a panel of experts. These prestigious awards give out just one Gold in each category and a number of Silvers to only the world’s finest chocolate.

Paul a Young triumphed in the Plain dark truffle category, winning Gold for his 85% RAW Ecuadorian dark chocolate truffle, with Damian Allsop’s Madagascan water ganache and Rococo Chocolates’ Madagascan house truffle both picking up Silvers. Paul a Young also won best Dark caramel for his Sea salted caramel.

Damian Allsop’s Salty Liquorice water ganache was named best Flavoured dark filled chocolate, with Boutique Aromatique’s Mint & sweet basil and Rococo’s Rose & cocoa nib ganache awarded Silvers in the same category.

This is the first year of The International Chocolate Awards, set up to recognise the best fine quality chocolate from around the world. The Americas triumphed in the bean to bar categories of the awards indicative of the current shift in the chocolate industry. The UK is currently one of the most vibrant and creative countries in the world for filled chocolates. With more chocolate shops opening than in any other country and leading the way in terms of innovation of ingredients. The USA and Americas have seen a plethora of micro batch bean to bar manufacturers launching and creating complex and stunning bars of chocolate. 

The International Chocolate Awards are designed to reflect international tastes and offer a level playing field for international entries. They return next year, with dates already announced for the Italian national competition (4-7 February 2013) and British national competition/European Semi Final (3-8 March 2013). Next year will also the scheme expand to more countries, with an Israeli competition already planned (10-12 February) and more national competitions to be announced in due course.

Seven London Cookery Schools Up for Top Industry Award

Seven cookery schools in London have been shortlisted as finalists in the inaugural British Cookery School Awards, which is headline sponsored by Kenwood. The British Cookery School Awards were launched in June of this year to celebrate and honour cookery schools’ hard work and dedication to driving Britain’s passion for cooking good, homemade food.

The winners of the British Cookery School Awards’ 14 categories will be announced at the awards event, hosted by Nigel Barden, at the Vintners’ Company, EC4, on Tuesday 13th November.  The winners of each category will receive a top-of-the-range Kenwood kitchen appliance, as well as a trophy and the accolade of being a British Cookery School Awards 2012 champion.

The Awards honour the achievements of cookery schools from across the UK, celebrating all sizes and specialities. The categories celebrate both individuals and whole cookery schools, as well as placing special emphasis on their impact within the community and on using good, locally sourced ingredients. Blackheath Cooks, Divertimenti, L’Atelier des Chefs, Leith’s School of Food and Wine, Food at 52, Rachel’s Kitchen and School of Wok are all finalists.

London cookery schools are in the running for the following categories:

Best English Cookery School (sponsored by Dr Oetker UK Ltd)
Blackheath Cooks Ltd
Leith’s

Best Small Cookery School (sponsored by Kenwood)
Food at 52

Best Large Cookery School (sponsored by Pyrex)
L’atelier des Chefs
Leith’s

Best Specialist Cookery School (sponsored by the Bart Ingredients Co)
School of Wok

Unsung Hero: Backroom Staff Member
Divertimenti
Food at 52
L’Atelier des Chefs

Best Young Rising Star (sponsored by Dr Oetker UK Ltd)
Divertimenti  
L’Atelier des Chefs
Rachel’s Kitchen
School of Wok

All seven schools are also in the running for the People’s Choice: Britain’s Favourite Cookery School Award, voted for by the public.

Head judge of the British Cookery School Awards, Nigel Barden, said: “It was amazing to get such a good response to the Awards. It was gratifying that such store is set by using local, ethically sourced ingredients and that many establishments are integrated so well into their communities. This is reflected in their on-going relationships with youth clubs, community centres and schools, which provide the opportunity to cook, often for the first time. The range of these awards helps celebrate some remarkable individuals and cookery schools.”

www.britishcookeryschoolawards.co.uk

Respect Jamaica 50 - JAMAICA TAKES OVER THE O2 TO CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

This summer, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Jamaican Independence, The O2 and its multiple venues including indigO2, will be transformed into a Caribbean oasis as over 50 artists take to the stage as part of Respect Jamaica 50.


The two week extravaganza, from July 25 to August 6, will include a multitude of legendary Jamaican singers, DJs, writers, comedians, actors and poets from Damian Marley and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry to Shaggy and Jimmy Cliff showcasing the cultural depth and diversity of this esteemed nation. Supported by the Jamaican Government, Respect Jamaica 50 will add a sprinkling of Caribbean flavour to what’s set to be a great summer for Jamaica!


Tickets are available through www.aeglive.co.uk

Jamie Oliver presents The Big Feastival with Alex James on 1-2 September 2012

Jamie Oliver presents The Big Feastival with Alex James taking place on September 1st and 2nd at Alex’s farm in Kingham, Oxfordshire.

Music by Paloma Faith, Texas, Noisettes, Razorlight, Gaz Coombes, Guillemots, Sister Sledge, Producers and The Cuban Brothers will be paired with cooking demos from Jamie Oliver, Theo Randall, Simon Rogan, Bruno Loubet and Alex James.

Celebrating three of the things closest to both Jamie and Alex’s hearts – food, music and family – in order to raise funds and awareness for The Jamie Oliver Foundation, The Big Feastival promises to be a boutique festival experience in a picturesque English countryside location just 90 mins from London.

Two days of tasty grub, awesome music performances, a chilled out vibe and general all-round, family-friendly, fantastic entertainment.

Tickets are available now from: www.thebigfeastival.com

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)