It’s that time of year again when the lucky in love ponder how to spoil that special someone on February 14th. What better way to show someone you care than by whipping up a deliciously romantic home cooked meal? Light the candles, open a bottle of wine and follow these yummy healthy and balanced recipes from Clover (which has half the saturated fat of most butters*) to make a three course Valentines treat to remember.
Kenza, Devonshire Square, London
I can see why it appeals to the City crowd so much, with very few exciting restaurants in area, Kenza stands out and perhaps deservedly so. The interior design alone is well worth a visit. Well… it’s cheaper than a flight to Morocco, surely?
Block Party – Leerdammer gets bigger and tastier
Born in 1977 Leerdammer now outsells rival Emmenthal in France. Over here we have been slower to pick up on this popular cheese but with new easy to grate sizes and a Mature option, this versatile cheese should become much more of a family favourite. We take a taste and offer up some tasty recipes too.
Apple Crumb Cake
When the Vermont power goes out midway through her baking, Carol Egbert can’t even see to paint let alone save her crumb cake. Four hours later and with the cake suffering a less than perfect oven experience, she finds it still tastes great for breakfast or dessert.
Empress of Sichuan, Soho, London
There’s a trend to big up Sichuan food right now. It’s all about having the guts to eat tripe, as well as the testosterone taste buds to take on fearsome amounts of chilli and the mouth-numbing effects of the Sichuan pepper itself. What helps the trend is that some of the better Sichuan restaurants are cheap and cheerful places that appeal to the post-backpacking, job-in-New-Media, type of person. What’s missing though is somewhere a bit posher, and located a bit more centrally, somewhere that we older chaps can take the good lady wife. The Empress fits that bill nicely.
Lime Wood – an impressive country retreat
Lime Wood had the travel, food and business press all a little bit hot under the collar when it opened at the tail-end of last year – the main reason being that it was one of the most interesting projects to launch in a long time. The newly-restored Georgian hotel is set in the deepest depths of the New Forest and looks like it could become the definitive country pile for visiting tourists.
Persian Braised Celery, Herb and Beef Stew (Khoreshteh Karafs)
This week my stress levels have kicked in to an all time high and not only am I craving comfort food, but also need the kind of dish that can be made in a large batch and eaten for a few days. Who on earth has time to cook every night when your workload is beyond hectic?
It’s his little place – we talk to Santino Busciglio, chef patron at Mennula
The restaurant is little by some standards but he loves it.”I always wanted a place like this. I’ve been offered a few places in the past, some were interesting business propositions, but I always felt it was important to only go with the right person and in the right location and at the end of the day this is a chef’s dream, a 40-50 cover restaurant, W1 location in London? It doesn’t get much better,” says Santino Busciglio.
Tapas Master Classes at Brindisi
London Tapas restaurants Brindisa launch a programme of unique Spanish Supper Clubs and Master-classes for food lovers.Brindisa Supper Clubs offer customers a one-off dining experience and the opportunity to learn about great Spanish produce. A special menu will be prepared by Chef Partner Jose Pizarro and his team and served with wines to match.
Meals in Heels – Jennifer Joyce
Aiming itself quite deftly at the ‘ladies who lunch’ demographic – or, quite possibly, anyone who can’t be arsed with faffing about – the premise here is that all the dishes can be made ahead of time. Then, when the moment comes, it’s simply a case of pimp my [salted caramel sauce] profiteroles, slip on the heels, and away we go.