Food and Drink

A new sprout and kale hybrid has been harvested in time for Christmas as a more appealing alternative to the loathed Brussel Sprout. The creation, called Kalettes, are nutty and sweet tasting and are a cross between kale and the traditional sprout. It's hoped the new green will be more popular than the classic Christmas vegetable which often proves unpopular among children and adults alike. Staples Vegetables near Boston, Lincs., is behind the idea and hope they will prove popular over...

With the new series of MasterChef: The Professionals having began last night, next Monday (14th November) will see a unique, one-off event in which 11 of the programme’s previous finalists will take over the kitchen of The Frog E1. The evening will include a five-course tasting menu with all of the proceeds donated to Dementia UK, organised by 2015 finalist Andi Walker, as a tribute to his Grandmother – Nanny Pickles - who suffers from dementia, and to who Andi...

Until recently, I was under the impression that the link between ‘gluten-free’ and flavour was strictly forbidden. Over the Summer I took part in a six-week low FODMAP research diet, completely eliminating gluten (amongst other things) from my day-to-day life. Unsurprisingly, this turned out to be very difficult when visiting restaurants and after four weeks the overbearing cravings for food with even the slightest hint of excitement became impossible to resist and the diet was left incomplete. The problem was...

Well it appears I'm your secret chef. To protect the innocent, the guilty and myself, not quite everything I tell you will be entirely true. Being a secret chef is something I know very little about. However I have spent two decades being a private chef for High Net Worth (HNW) and Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) clients all over Europe and on super yachts. What I have become experienced at is keeping secrets. Being a private chef basically involves...

Smoked cocktails have become increasingly popular over the past year, and with Bonfire Night just around the corner – there’s no excuse to avoid getting involved with the trend at home. This twist on the classic Manhattan, from Dalston's Behind This Wall, combines rye whisky, sweet vermouth, pisco and herbal liqueur with cold apple cedar smoke. It’s by no means the simplest drink to recreate at home, though the extra effort is guaranteed to impress guests this weekend. Alternatively, the...

Sour Brexit negotiations could lead to UK pubs boycotting European produce according to Wetherspoon’s founder Tim Martin, but what would a purely British-stocked pub look like? Brexit negotiations are well up in the air following a High Court ruling that the government must consult MPs before triggering Article 50, and there’s still a lot of uncertainty over what sort of Brexit we will have, which will have big implications on how businesses operate across the channel. But staunch Brexitier Martin’s...

Three minute pizza toasties are set to hit supermarket shelves in what could well be the greatest food innovation since sliced bread. The square Pop Tart-shaped snack comprises of a thin base topped with cheese and tomato and pops straight into your toaster with no fuss - taking no more than five minutes from package to plate. Forget spending twenty minutes sat drooling in front of the oven, forget feeling guilty for munching down an entire pizza on your own for lunch,...

Strength: 6.7% Brewed: Akureyi, Iceland Named after the Icelandic word for “unique” – Einstök Brewery is located within the fishing port of Akureyi, 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Boasting some of the Earth’s purest water, which flows from rain and prehistoric glaciers through the Hlíðarfjall Mountain and ancient lava fields, thus allowing the brewery to craft some truly brilliant beers. Three beers currently make up their core range, including a truly remarkable white ale (perfect with a slice of orange), an...

Anyone who has been on any tour tour of any brewery or distillery will know that the “water source” is what separates that brand from any other. It’s the same old codswallop every time. They regale notions of terroir, locality and the illusion that their patch of land on God’s green earth was their divine calling to create a spirit so worthy that even the angles take a share. It usually goes something like this: “Only the purest spring water...