Yup, we know. When you think Aubergine (also known as Eggplant), you conjure up warmer, more exotic lands. But this purple-skinned beauty is widely cultivated in Britain too.
Greek’Reveni’ Cake
The cake itself is a simple and moist sponge but the syrup is what makes it really special and the perfect accompaniment to tea or coffee after a big meal. It’s absolutely delicious and perfect for those with a sweet tooth.
Where’s the beef? Leiths launch the Meat Bible
Though enough to make a vegetarian bawl like an overcome toddler, the Meat Bible is a lock, stock and barrel journey through carnivorous gastronomy and worthy of its heady title. And after all, a dnner party would never be complete without the recipe for a starter of python nuggets.
Nicely Nigerian -Akhaya Cookery School
On hearing about this beginners’ day-long course, I hotfooted it, via sweltering tube, to cool and leafy Hampstead. The African cookery school Akhaya is run by Jenny, a young woman of Nigerian descent just setting up business. We were welcomed with fresh mint and rooibos tea as well as charming applause the second we individually stepped through the doors.
Brasserie One
A very good lunch and perhaps the most resounding reason being that everything is just right. The cooking is good, the dishes are well thought out, the atmosphere is spot-on and in all the feeling is that, for a lunch, Brasserie One is just right and definitely more enchanting than squashing into the nearest franchise chain outlet.
Nozomi, Knightsbridge
Nozomi is battling to bring down costs by offering special Bento box deals at lunchtime as a way of luring in locals. Bento boxes are boxes of of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables, originally designed as take out meals or lunch packs prepared at home for people to carry to work or school. In the UK we call them Tupperware Boxes.
Alice’s Cook Book – Alice Hart
A tone of encouragement and enthusiasm permeates the whole collection; when Alice isn’t comparing root vegetables to characters from Doctor Who, she is sharing stories of her coriander-hater brother, Ian, or cheekily catching the reader out, when she acknowledges that they probably didn’t bother reading the recipe introduction.
Le Cafe du Marche
Inside Le Café du Marche you don’t feel lost, you feel right at home; this is a tranche of France that is as Gallic as surrendering without a shot. The walls are bare brick and you can scent the cooking on the air, something sadly lacking in restaurants where the trendy chef is cooking via Twitter.
Cooking up a storm in Shropshire
A unique blend of country chic and contemporary design, Brompton Cookery School is the first of its kind on a National Trust property and offers fledging cooks a genuine opportunity to reconnect the food they prepare to the land from whence it came. Caroline Sargent puts on her pinny and goes back to the classroom.