A few weekends ago, I was in the Boiler House Food Hall on Brick lane and had my first taste of Venezuela…and it was good! I probed the stall owner for the recipe for his outstanding slow cooked orange pork, but a reticence to divulge a family secret meant I walked away empty handed. So, I had to invent this recipe from the flavours I could discern from the original. The addition of Plantain Yo-Yos is a fun South American classic I had always wanted to try, and herby flatbread is an old favourite of mine. Give this recipe a try, or alternatively get down Brick Lane. If you manage to wrestle the recipe from the stoic stall owner, tweet Foodepedia. Please!
Chocolate making with Lindt’s Master Chocolatier
It’s graphic art. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Metallic gold leaf, once adorning my chocolate martini, is now sticking firmly to my red lipstick. It’s anything but subtle, as several of my compatriots have pointed out. Cocoa loco, indeed.
Avocado recipes
The sun is coming out at last! And to celebrate, here’s a hamper full of sandwich recipes, all featuring Hass avocados. Easy to prepare Hass avocados are a great ingredient for healthy and tasty sandwiches. They’re packed with nutrients and monounsaturated fats (or “good†fats). The Hass variety has a creamy flesh and a nice nutty flavour. They are available in the UK until September.
Thorntons GB chocolate competition
Keith Hurdman holds the accolade of 2011’s Joint Chocolatier of the Year. He also hold the title of Thorntons’ master chocolatier- surely one of the most desirable jobs on the market. He might have trained all over Europe, winning medals left, right, and centre, but Keith’s current obsession is with all things British. And one of my current obsessions is his Bakewell Tart bar- a remarkable Willy Wonka treat distilling every last drop of the scrumptious pudding into a block of creamy milk chocolate.
Harrod launches new candy store
If you’re nose doesn’t lead you there, just follow the yellow-bulbs literally lighting the way. Stands and centrepieces packed with colourful displays beckon and row and after row of brightly boxed sweeties make the new store hard to resist.
Rachael Lane’s South American Grill Cook Book
From the opening double spread featuring a rack of raw lamb, to the various gratuitous meat shots through out, South American Grill is a meat-lover’s paradise.
A Grelha at The Gun
Every summer, the guys who own a pub called The Gun turn their large outdoor, riverside terrace into a Portuguese grill, serving fish (from up the road at Billingsgate Market) as well as burgers, ribs of beef and lamb kebabs. So I went along with visions of glasses of chilled vihno verde, plates of bacalhau and nice piece of charcoal grilled fish- after all, what could be nicer?
Rico Picante chilli sauces
Chilli sauces are hot property of late. Quite literally- nipping at the the heels of Wahaca’s latest, and rather tasty, offerings is Rico Picante, claiming to deliver a big whack of flavour along with a fruity burst of fire. They also tick the trend box for provenance- hailing from that oh-so-now, country-of-the-moment- Peru.
Indian summer garden at Carom
The summer’s turning out to be a damp squib. We, however, are tucking into perfectly dry, crisp fried squid, luxuriating in the warmth of a garden filled with palm trees. Yes, this is London, and no, we’ve not imbibed one too many Maharajah Fizzes- although the 200-strong cocktail menu is undoubtedly one of Carom’s biggest lures.
Levi Roots Sweet
Since strumming his way into the Dragon’s Den, Levi Roots has been a household name and overnight success story. As one of the UK’s best loved foodie personalities his Midas touch was always likely to extend to the bookshelves. The latest cookbook to bear his mantel is a bounteous anthology of Caribbean inspired desserts, cocktails and sweet snacks representing the gastropreneur’s first concerted foray beyond his signature realm of savoury spice.