Food and Drink
Major prize for New Forest restaurant with rooms
The Nurse’s Cottage Restaurant with Rooms, in the New Forest, is the South-East England regional winner of the Edge Awards 2007, with a prize of £5,000 for further investment into training and development of young people. The restaurant battled it out to win the small business category and will now go through to the national finals to be held in November.
Pete Doherty beats Posh to organic nosh
Pete Doherty has come out on top for once, but as the celebrity most in need of an organic breakfast, according to a new poll commissioned by the Soil Association. The poll of 1,000 UK mums on mumsnet.com asked which celebrity most needed to wake up to a hearty organic breakfast and poor old Pete came top of the list with 37% of the vote.
Fairtrade Grapefruit becomes available nationwide
The world’s first Fairtrade grapefruit are now available in more than 500 Co-op stores across the country, replacing all the non Fairtrade red grapefruit in these stores. The fruit has been imported by Fairtrade fruit pioneers and specialists AgroFair UK.
A new addition to the fruit bowl for October
October sees the start of the Spanish Persimmon season, the shiny, firm, tomato-shaped fruit with a sweet apricot taste. Morrisons stocks Persimmon fruit when in season, from October until early December. Delicious in oriental cooking using pork and lamb, it is also perfect for salads, cakes, desserts, and can even be made into jam.
Welsh pâté producer honoured by UK food industry
From kitchen table dream to global success, Margaret Carter’s work as founder of one of Wales’ top food companies has been honoured with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Great Taste Awards.
Gastro chic in South East London
Successful restaurant and bar operators Robbie O’Neill and Shaun Wilson are bringing a chic gastro experience to deepest South East London. Opened in August 2007, The Perry Hill is the newest venture for the duo. Straddling the borders of Forest Hill, Sydenham and Catford, The Perry Hill is a foray into uncharted culinary waters.
Good, clean fair at London’s Real Food Festival
Spring 2008 will see the launch of a brand new and unique four day food festival, the first of its kind in the UK: Real Food Festival. Real Food’s ground breaking format reflects the focus given to food standards and particularly provenance and sustainability in the UK and around the world.
A hunger for English apples
September 18 marked the official start of the English Apple season with the arrival of the major English varieties in retailers, more than 7 days earlier than last year. The taste of the apples this year is excellent and demand is greater than ever. However, whilst demand soars, many consumers are confused about which apples are actually English.
Run of success for Welsh chef’s marmalade
A chef from Hay on Wye has received one of the food industry’s highest honours - the award for Best Welsh Speciality, sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government, at the 2007 Great Taste Awards. Mike Carnell’s Grapefruit and Ginger Marmalade proved a massive hit with the judges, who also awarded it the much sought after three star Gold award.
Good judgement for your Christmas party
Already the tough decision of where to host your Christmas party has to be made, and Browns Bar & Brasserie Covent Garden, has the perfect venues for festive fun - their Courtrooms! Browns Bar & Brasserie, St Martins Lane (formerly Westminster Crown Court) boasts four original courtrooms that date back to 1908 featuring chandeliered ceilings and judges’ benches.
Support your local deli and taste British gold
The Taste British Gold campaign runs for three weeks from 28th September 2007 in local delicatessens, farm shops and small independent food retailers. It will give consumers the opportunity to sample the most exquisite artisan foods recently awarded gold in the prestigious Great Taste Awards.
Discover wine, art and yourself in Argentina
Bodegas Salentein is much more than a leading producer of Argentinean wine, with its stunning lodge and an amazing visitor centre, Bodegas Salentein is the ultimate wine tourist destination.
Winchester Cathedral hosts Hampshire Harvest Weekend
The diversity of food and farming in Hampshire will be celebrated with a weekend of free activities and displays hosted by Winchester Cathedral on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th October in conjunction with the Year of Food and Farming.
Eight green steps to an organic Christmas
This year's organic Christmas is set to be bigger than ever as organic food and drink sales in the UK nudge the £2 billion mark for the first time. Sales of organic products through box schemes, mail order and other direct routes increased by a staggering 53 per cent last year.
London's first Scandinavian Deli opens in West End
Scandinavian Kitchen, London's first Scandinavian deli and grocery store, has opened its doors on Great Titchfield Street, just north of Oxford Circus. Promising to bring good food with love from Scandinavia, it combines a stylish and relaxing environment with a unique lunch offering and great coffee.