Each Thursday throughout October, The Botanist Brewery and Kitchen's master brewer Mark Wainwright will be hosting tasting sessions in their micro-brewery and talking about how he produces a unique range of craft beers and ales in-house.
Tastings will be on offer between 5.00pm and 8.00pm on October 6th October 13th October 20th and October 27th providing the opportunity to discover some original styles and twists on traditional seasonal, bespoke brews.
The sessions are free of charge however numbers are limited. Please call 020 8948 4838, email enquiries@botanistbreweryandkitchen.com or speak to a member of staff to book your place.
The London Restaurant Festival is a citywide celebration of eating out, designed to raise the profile of restaurants involved and increase covers. The Festival, created by restaurant critic Fay Maschler and her business partner Simon Davis, was launched in 2009. With the help of key partners, in its first year the Festival saw some 400 restaurants from across the capital running special, fixed-price Festival Menus, with about 10,000 meals being enjoyed by Londoners and visitors. Building on the awareness generated by a very successful inaugural Festival, 2010 saw nearly 600 restaurants serve up 30,000 covers as well as the likes of Alain Roux and Raymond Blanc joining culinary forces with Claude Bosi and Bruno Loubet respectively in unique, specially created events. During this time, the city’s restaurateurs work together to offer food lovers the chance to explore some of the capital’s finest cooking – from its high-profile Michelin-starred restaurants to coveted neighbourhood bistros.
The London Restaurant Festival comprises two main elements: Festival Menus and Festival Events. Attractively priced Festival Menus, designed to showcase a restaurant’s individuality and cooking style, are the bedrock of the annual celebration and the means to increase revenue for the participating establishments.
Unlike other Festivals, the London Restaurant Festival is not a singular, one-location event for which a single ticket can be purchased. It is an umbrella festival under which a host of activity and individual events take place.
In a seasonal food special, Jamie Oliver will tackle the nation’s most common yuletide blunders to guarantee a stress-free Christmas.
Christmas dinner can often be a recipe for disaster. Botched Brussels, dropped desserts, scorched birds, food poisoned in-laws... most of us have had our share of kitchen calamities at Christmas!
Whatever the mishap, from the funny to the tragic, and the stressful to the very familiar – we want to hear your stories. And Jamie will help guide us through the worst of it, plying us with tips and tricks and lots of laughs along the way.
Tell us all about your funny festive flops for the chance to star in the show…
Email your story and contact details to: christmas2011@freshone.tv
London’s The Real Food Festival, held each May in Earls Court, introduces The Real Food Harvest Festival, an all-new FREE event celebrating British autumnal produce.
The Southbank Centre will play host to the first Real Food Harvest Festival from 23rd – 25th September 2011. Bringing around 120 producers, a top line-up of chefs, livestock and entertainment to an expected 50,000 people. The Real Food Harvest Festival offers a great opportunity to taste and buy the best the UK has to offer, at this exceptional time of the year.
Founder of Real Food Festivals Philip Lowery commented, “Autumn is an exciting time to be staging a food festival and to be able to bring the best of what we do in Earls Court to such a wonderful outdoor setting is a real bonus. Harvest Festivals are celebrated throughout the British countryside and we really want to bring that energy and celebration to the capital and continue our goal of reconnecting people back to where their food comes from. We are also delighted that we can create a free Festival for Londoners”
Since Pagan times in Britain harvest festivals have taken place at the end of September when the full moon nearest to the autumn equinox falls – the harvest moon. It is a festival of feasting, merriment and romance. With this in mind The Real Food Harvest Festival will be much more than just a food market. There will be livestock, taste workshops and loads of interactive activities for kids (and their parents too…) including butter-making, bread kneading and even butchery classes.
With plenty to eat and drink while you are there and all sorts of music and street theatre, the Real Food Harvest Festival offers a great day out for all the family.
The innovative and unusual flavours of Sweden arrive in London on 3 October 2011
This winter, Harrods is launching an exclusive range of Swedish products, many of which will be completely new to the UK. The array of Swedish treats will be available from 3 October 2011 up until Christmas, with limited edition Swedish dishes also on the menu at the Sea Grill restaurant.
One of Europe’s up and coming food destinations, Sweden is known for its unique and diverse set of pure natural ingredients, including berries, seafood and game. The delicious range available in the Food Halls includes Almnäs Tegel, a delicious mature cheese, Kalix Löjrom, caviar from the tiny whitefish living in the Gulf of Bothnia and an organic lingonberry jam.
For those who want to try some of the ingredients in action, the Sea Grill will also be serving two dishes created by Alexander Meier, the head chef at Swedish Lapland’s renowned ICEHOTEL between 3 and 19 October 2011. An innovative take on traditional Swedish food, the dishes will be Arctic char with dill butter, asparagus and morel cassolette, fried cherry tomatoes and assorted crayfish and King crab mousseline with candied tomatoes, clams, lingonberry vinaigrette and autumn salad.
To taste these gorgeous ingredients and recipes in their native environment, fly direct to the ICEHOTEL in Swedish Lapland this winter with the experts Discover the World (www.discover-the-world.co.uk/icehotel), three night trips from £1,093 per person.
Fine-dining Thai restaurant Patara has collaborated with Maldon Oysters to celebrate the Oyster Festival with two new oyster dishes on its menu, which will be available at all four Patara restaurants in London throughout October and November 2011.
Patara’s chefs have created two new oyster dishes, combining traditional Thai cuisine with excellent seasonal produce from Maldon Oysters. The Rock Oysters (Three: £5.50; Six: £9.50) will be presented in two ways – raw and cooked, in the following styles:
Maldon Rock Oysters with mint, coriander, lemongrass, Thai vinaigrette, lemon and crisp shallots.
Maldon Rock Oysters deep-fried in soda batter served in its shell with bean-sprout and chilli sauce.
Champagnes by the bottle available to enjoy with the oysters include Moutard Brut Reserve (£35.80); Laurent Perrier Brut (£56.20); Veuve Cliquot Rosé (£66.40); Moet et Chandon (£148.10).
About Maldon Oysters
The Maldon Oyster and Seafood Company, established in 1960, is now one of the largest producers of Pacific oysters in the UK, with 3,500 acres of the River Blackwater under its management. All Maldon oysters are cleansed in water that passes through an ultraviolet filter system to kill any bacteria that may have been present at time of harvest. This process is monitored by the local health authority and DEFRA. www.maldonoyster.com
About Patara
The Patara restaurant group has been creating contemporary fine Thai cuisine for over twenty years and has four branches in London and a further five worldwide in Singapore, Vienna, Geneva, Beijing and Bangkok. Patara’s London venues are run by Saipin Lee, recently named alongside Nigella Lawson, Ruth Rogers and Angela Hartnett in the ‘Women 1st Top 100 Most Influential Women’ listing for 2011.
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?
NEW TV FOOD SHOW NEEDS YOU!
Splash Media is currently looking for competitive cooking couples (friends/partners/colleagues/relatives) to take part in a primetime food show.
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.
Splash Media has experience of working with major British Broadcasters (BBC, ITV, CH4) and have developed and broadcast successful shows in the past such as ITV1’s Piers Morgan On… series, cookery shows with celebrity chef James Martin and BBC’s A Farmer’s Life for Me.
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 5432
or e-mail us on poonamodedra@splashmediatv.co.uk.
Application deadline 30th September
(Applicants must be over 18 and available for 2 days filming in mid October)
Japan Matsuri returns on Sunday 18th September and this year it’s at County Hall in the heart of the capital next to the London Eye.
This annual event brings the Japanese community and Londoners together to enjoy Japanese food, lively music, dance and more.The new Matsuri venue of County Hall will have more space, offering a fantastic chance to experience the vibrancy of Japan in the heart of London.
Japanese Ambassador Keiichi Hayashi will formally open the day at 11am.
The Botanist gastropub will be opening an oyster and crustacea pop-up bar on Sloane Square from today (11am to 7:30pm), Saturday (noon to 7:30pm) and Sunday (noon to 5pm) with plenty of half shell natives, Scottish langoustines and Dorset crabs on offer as well as Kentish Chapel Down sparkling wine too.
Reservations lines for new Hawksmoor Guildhall restaurant will open at the end of the month.
There will be a 'soft launch' period with 50% off food in return for feedback. Details of the soft launch will be released on Monday 26th September via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and email. Reservations for the official opening date of October 31st and beyond will open on Monday 3rd of October.
For more information visit the Hawksmoor Restaurant website here.
Each month Le Pont de La Tour welcomes a distinguished wine producer into the Cellar to talk guests through a selection of their vintages. Tastings are from 6:30pm-8pm and cost £10 per person, which is redeemable against purchases made in the shop or a dinner reservation in the restaurant on the night.
Wednesday 28th September- Marques de Riscal, Rioja, Spain
Wednesday 5th October - Crittenden Estate, Victoria, Australia
Wednesday 26th October -Julian Chivite, Navarra, Spain
To reserve your place please email (lepontres@danddlondon.com) or call the Wine Merchant on 020 7940 1840. For more information, click here.
FRENCH BISTRO MASTERCLASS
Saturday 24th September, £45 per person including lunch.
Learn how to cook the perfect French feast yourself with a cookery masterclass from Le Pont de la Tour's Executive Chef. This half day experience has been designed to share knowledge, passion and experience French cooking by using a range of accessible seasonal produce and ingredients.
The demonstrations will give you the confidence and skills needed to prepare exceptional soups, fish and meat dishes and mouth-watering desserts.
Classes start at 10am with a lunch at 12.30pm and take place the last Saturday of every month.
housebites.com is set to shake up the proverbial takeaway.
Imagine being able to order a takeaway from a local chef who has worked at The Ivy or Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, from a MasterChef finalist or even from an amazing cook in your neighbourhood, delivered straight to your door, for the same price as a well known pizza chain.housebites promises just that.
Launching in London on 12th September 2011 and rolling out across the UK, housebites is a marketplace where customers can find and order from local chefs preparing freshly cooked takeaway food, in their own homes, using high quality ingredients.The menu is ever-changing, based on which chefs are on duty and what meals they are cooking that day.
(2)Search chefs in your local area and contemplate their delicious menus
(3)Place your order and wait for it to be delivered to your front door (as the food is delivered on a hyper-local scale your food is always hot, fresh and never late!)
MasterChef finalist Andy Oliver is part of the housebites team and is helping handpick the best local culinary talent.Since appearing on MasterChef in 2009 Oliver has spent 2 years working at the prestigious Nahm restaurant and is just one of the chefs customers will be able to order from.
Feedback through social media is a key part of the housebites experience allowing you to rate your food, tweet your local chefs, add comments to the facebook page and interact in forums.
housebites is the brainchild of entrepreneur Simon Prockter together with Paul Birch who famously co-founded and sold Bebo to AOL for $850 million.Prockter is no new kid on the block, having successfully founded SpeedDater in 2002 which fast became Europe’s largest dating Events Company, operating in seven countries - it also became a highly successful online dating service.
Said Prockter about housebites: ‘I’ve been exploring ideas within the food sector for the last 18 months.So many traditional industries are being disrupted by the internet but I couldn’t see anything great happening in food.It’s all over TV; we all eat and read about it so I knew it was a huge space.Our idea is simple; we facilitate people to be able to order home-cooked food made using high quality ingredients from a local chef, delivered to their front door.’
housebites is helping to create jobs for chefs, allowing them to earn good money working from home.
LONDON, 10th September 2011 – Chipotle Mexican Grill has this week launched its second London restaurant located at 101-103 Baker Street. The company operates over 1,100 restaurants in the United States.
The new opening follows the successful debut of Chipotle in London last year at 114-116 Charing Cross Road.
Chipotle has been instrumental in establishing a new kind of thinking about fast food in the U.S., what it calls ‘Food with Integrity’, and it brings the same food philosophy to London, bundled together with freshly made, delicious and healthy foil-wrapped burritos stuffed to bursting point with quality flavoursome ingredients.
Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle comments, "We continue to think the prospects are very good for Chipotle in London. The food culture there is based on local, sustainable and artisanal foods, which are all core values of Chipotle, and we have been instrumental in bringing this kind of thinking to fast food in the United States – it is one of the ways we are changing the way people think about and eat fast food."
Chipotle uses premium quality ingredients from local sources, including chicken that is reared to a higher welfare specification, pork - that is butchered in-house - comes from free-range pigs reared on farms that offer large acre paddocks where the animals can roam freely and display natural behaviours, and beef from Farm Assured British Farms where cattle are reared in humane and compassionate conditions. Chipotle also uses premium quality vegetables and herbs from local farms when seasonally available.
Chipotle in London features a distinctly focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without a tortilla) and salads. The Chipotle service format allows customers to decide exactly what goes into their individual order; there are more than 60,000 possible combinations.
Customers choose their own vehicle (burrito, bowl, tacos or salad) and fill it with home-made ingredients, including coriander-lime rice, pinto beans or vegetarian black beans, grilled chicken or steak that is marinated in Chipotle’s signature adobo rub, or slowly braised pork carnitas or beef barbacoa. Then add a choice of four salsas, fresh guacamole that is made daily with Hass avocados sourced from Fresh Direct that are all hand-tested for ripeness and quality, cheese from a cooperative of Scottish farms, sour creams and romaine lettuce. The format allows Chipotle to meet virtually any set of dietary restrictions or preferences.
Chipotle in the U.S.
In the U.S. Chipotle is the only national restaurant chain that is committed to serving food made with ingredients from sustainable sources, including naturally raised meat (from animals that are humanely raised, never given antibiotics or added hormones, and fed a pure vegetarian diet), local and organic produce, and milk from cows that are not treated with synthetic hormones.
McDonald’s are among the 37 fast-food firms who have signed up to a voluntary agreement, which came into force on 7th September 2011, to display the calorific content of their meals.
Nutritionists and health professionals have grudgingly accepted the Governments ‘Responsibility Deal’ on public health issues.
The Government is hoping that the ‘Responsibility Deal’ will help to counter health problems like Britain’s obesity epidemic. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said that it would help consumers ‘spot those hidden calories in their favourite foods and keep an eye on their waistlines’.
37 fast-food companies, including McDonalds, Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut, have signed up to the voluntary agreement.
Alison Wetton, founder of Britain’s fastest growing weight loss organisation, All About Weight and the lady who branded Ronald McDonald as an ‘evil influence’ accepts the agreement as a step in the right direction.
“The more information that is available to the consumer the better as far as we are concerned,” said Mrs Wetton, who attacked McDonald’s earlier this year for using their fast-food mascot to tempt youngsters away from a healthy diet.
“Improvements in food labeling can lead to better food choices being made by consumers but it should be stressed that this is a voluntary scheme and fast-food chains such as Subway, Domino’s Pizza, Nando’s and Pizza Express have refused to take part.”
All About Weight nutritionist Holly Finnegan said, “When McDonald’s introduced their ‘chicken Caesar salad’ they rightly received a lot of criticism because the salad contained more calories and fat than a hamburger with chips.
“Salad is something which people associate as a healthy choice and the public needed the nutritional information to be able to make an informed dietary decision.”
Dr Paul Gately, a professor of exercise and obesity at Leeds Metropolitan University and adviser to McDonald's, said: "These sorts of nudge methods won't tackle real obesity."
All About Weight is committed to instilling a culture of ‘ lifestyle nutrition’ into Britain. Alison Wetton said that it targeted McDonalds because of its popularity with children and food education must begin with children.
“The ‘Responsibility Deal’ is no more than a step in the right direction,” she said. “Overweight parents can start on the right path by switching to a healthy diet themselves – improving their health, losing weight, gaining fitness and, most importantly, setting a good example for their children.”
The 10 Cases is a new restaurant by Ian Campbell and Will Palmer who are keen to bring a neighbourhood feel to the centre of Covent Garden.
Ex Cop d’Argent chef Juette Shallow will deliver a menu consisting of 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 tarts for dessert that change every day, along with a salad and a “signature dish” that don’t.
The food will be complemented by Ian and Will’s central concept – that the predominantly old-world wine list will have 10 whites, 10 reds and 10 cases of each. When the “10 Cases” run out, the wine will be changed so as to ensure that there will always be something new to try. Wines are served by the bottle, carafe and glass.
The 10 Cases also has: NO service charge, ONLY a small mark-up on wines and NO minimum spend and NO deposit for the private dining room.
Menu for Tuesday 6th September 2011
Starters
Prawns & Aioli £6
Foie Gras Terrine £9
Cold Beef Salad £5
Mains
Whole Seabass £16
Pork Belly £14
Grilled Poussin £14
Sides (Included)
New Potatoes
Sugar Snaps
Green Salad
Desserts
Chocolate Tart £4
Apple & Pear Tart £4
Monday to Saturday: 12.00 - 15.00 and 18.00 - 23.30
To make the summer last a little longer the Sud de France Festival, running from 9 to 26 September, will offer a chance to experience the tastes and aromas of the sunny Languedoc-Roussillon region through various events and venues.
Events around London
Now in its 3rd year the UK event promises to be bolder and bigger. The event side of the festival, centred on London, will kick off on a high note with a consumer tasting and party held on Dutch Barge PRINS in West India Dock (CanaryWharf) on Friday 9 September. A night full of contrast, vibes and passion as Electro-Rock music, performed by the Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Festival team, will echo Natural Wines championed by wine expert Isabelle Legeron MW.
The festival will unwind in a stream of activities spanning two weeks; consumer events will include an exclusive tasting of high end wines from Languedoc-Roussillon, a series of tutored tasting seminars presented by leading experts, a food and wine Sud de France dedicated zone at the first Three Wine Men consumer fair, a giant “Gardianne” dish in Borough market, a pop-up Languedoc-Roussillon space for the duration of the festival at Vinopolis, Sud de France cheese and wine matching with La Cave à Fromage, daily cooking courses as well as numerous sampling opportunities. For full details of the Sud de France Festival, please refer to the complete programme below.
Nationwide Events
The festival encompasses a full programme of nationwide promotional activities both in the on and off-trade, with in-store features, consumer competitions and sampling in participating delis and wine retailers. Côte restaurants, Hibiscus, Antidote, Kensington and Fulham Wine Rooms, The Wright Brothers, Cork & Bottle, L’Atelier des chefs, La Cave à Fromage, Waitrose, Laithwaites, Majestic, Roberson, Marché du Quartier and Partridges will all be taking part and are gearing up for a series of bespoke Sud de France activities and events.
Sud de France Wine and Food Specialities
Languedoc-Roussillon stretches from the Spanish border to the RhôneValley and takes in around half of France’s Mediterranean coastline. Wine is an integral part of the lifestyle, and Languedoc-Roussillon is the world’s largest wine producing region. Languedoc-Roussillon can proudly offer incredible diversity: it is home to a vast array of still wines, produces some of France’s greatest Vins Doux Naturels, while Limoux can claim to be the oldest sparkling wine area of the world.
Languedoc-Roussillon food specialities include, not surprisingly, seafaring products such as the renowned Collioure anchovies, Bouzigues oysters or the delicious Brandade de morue from Nîmes (a traditional salt cod and olive oil puree), as well as a breadth of olive derivate products from extra virgin oil, tapenade or speciality olives such as Lucques or Picholines. Inland you will find all the cured meat associated with France, the local Pelardons (goat cheeses), the famous cassoulet dish from Castelnaudary, and a delicious array of biscuits, honey and chestnuts. The range is extensive and we could not do it justice by trying to be exhaustive.
The festival is a worldwide event with Festivals in New York, Shanghai, Brazil, Mexico and Germany, where over the course of two weeks, the towns will sway to the rhythm of Sud de France.
• New York: 6 - 30 June
• London : 9 - 26 September (food and wine)
• Germany (Düsseldorf and Cologne): 12 September -12 October (food & wine)
• China (Shanghai and Hangzhou): 19 September - 31 October
• Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo): 15 October – 15 November
Turning Passion Into Action: Action Against Hunger Launches ‘Love Food Give Food’ Appeal
1st September 2011 | London - Love Food Give Food, Action Against Hunger’s appeal to end malnutrition launches today supported by the nation’s top chefs, restaurant groups and foodies. The appeal invites restaurant lovers to help save lives by simply doing what they love best – eating out.
Hundreds of restaurants have signed up to lend their support – support which could not be more timely given the ongoing food crisis in East Africa.
Supported by a multitude of culinary luminaries including Raymond Blanc, Giorgio Locatelli, Valentine Warner and Marcus Wareing, Love Food Give Food unites food lovers who are turning their passion for food into action to help malnourished children and their families worldwide.
As Fergus Henderson, the founder of St John restaurant, said: "Eat out and help malnourished children…sounds crazy but it works!"
Emma Cullingford, Campaign Manager at Action Against Hunger, said: “In 2010, food lovers, chefs, restaurants and cafes helped raise over £170,000 in aid of our life-saving programmes worldwide. With the devastating humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, we’re encouraging all food lovers across the nation to help make this year’s Love Food Give Food appeal the biggest ever and raise crucial funds for our worldwide programmes.”
With a roster of participating restaurants from high street chains to glamorous Michelin-starred restaurants, it isn’t hard to get involved. Customers can simply choose to add a small donation to their bill or they can order a special Love Food Give Food dish (a percentage of the cost of which goes to the charity). In addition, those collecting four stickers on their Love Food Give Food Loyalty Cards (available from participating restaurants and with September’s issue of Delicious Magazine) stand a unique chance of winning one of 26 meals for two in top restaurants across the country.
Food lovers and restaurants across the UK can also help raise funds by taking part in toptable and OpenTable’s bespoke Love Food Give Food festival, including special offers and an exciting celebrity chef auction.
For a list of participating restaurants and to find out more, please visit www.lovefoodgivefood.org
Ex-Banker, turned Le Cordon Bleu trained Chef, Great Taste Awards Judge, Author of Nikkei Cuisine & The Japanese Larder, Travel Writer, Supperclub, LGBT, London
