The Bird in Hand, Long Ashton

Long Ashton is the first village in the green belt north of Bristol, three miles from the harbourside. A reasonable walk, were it not for the manic road system in between. But to one side lies glorious Ashton Court, 850 acres of park and woodland belonging to the citizens of Bristol. So a long walk in Ashton Court, followed by another long walk to the Bird in Hand (yes, Long Ashton is long) would be the perfect prelude to a slap-up lunch.

The knife is right., ProCook knives

ProCook® ® make an impressive range of knives, not only in variety but in prices too so that any home cook can build up a decent collection without breaking the bank. They sent over a selection for us to try and we put them up against the Japanese masters Global on the one hand and Sabatier , the historic champions on the other.

Chapter One Gourmet night

Locksbottom may sound like a particularly unsavoury medical condition, but is actually a well to do area of Bromley, south London and home to Chapter One restaurant. With a Michelin star, 4 AA rosettes and glowing reviews (most recently in the dead tree press from The Independent’s John Walsh and online at Andy Hayler’s blog )it would be unfair to say that Chapter One is overlooked or undervalued. But given the quality of chef Andy McLeish’s food, I’m not sure why it isn’t raved about even more.

Masterchef Everyday

It’s all here- recipes from the sublime to the quite frankly ridiculous. Although many of the titles might serve to send even the keenest of cooks straight to the cooking sherry, the methods themselves break the complex dishes down into achievable component parts. Cheffy, sure, but at least not impossibly so. Few guests could fail to be impressed that you’re feeding them Ballotine of rabbit stuffed with Alba truffles and porcini with fontina fondue and canderli- not least by the fact you can say it all in one breath.

Schwartz flavour forecast for 2012 recipes

Don’t be put off by the long titles, or the even longer lists of ingredients. These recipes are super-easy – and hugely impressive. Served together, they make a show-stopping four course dinner party; pick-and-mix your way through them for lesser occasions (the ham with lentils would be fantastic for picnics). All brought to you by herb and spice specialist Schwartz.

Schwartz flavour forecast for 2012

Forecasts about food trends are almost always about generating sales for whichever products its sponsor makes. Spice and herb specialist Schwartz has identified six approaches which will influence the way we cook, using recipes created by its own chef, Steve Love, and rising star chef Maria Elia who has transformed the menu at Joe’s in South Kensington. Put your cynicism about corporate sponsorship aside; these well-crafted recipes are show-stoppers.