National Chip Week
February 9th-15th 2009 is National Chip Week, promoted by the Potato Council.
The UK's official ambassador for National Chip Week is Keith Chegwin.
Get your chip pans out and start frying, but do not set fire to your house in the process.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Saint Restaurant Brighton
The Saint Restaurant Brighton
There appears to be some confusion over the fate of The Saint Restaurant on St James Street in Brighton. It is currently closed, and their website says that it is undergoing refurbishment with a view to reopening at the end of this month.
However, there is a sign in the window advertising the premises for lease, and there is absolutely no sign of any refurbishment taking place.
A pity, it was a pleasant place and the food was enjoyable.
There appears to be some confusion over the fate of The Saint Restaurant on St James Street in Brighton. It is currently closed, and their website says that it is undergoing refurbishment with a view to reopening at the end of this month.
However, there is a sign in the window advertising the premises for lease, and there is absolutely no sign of any refurbishment taking place.
A pity, it was a pleasant place and the food was enjoyable.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Pomegranate
Restaurant
Pomegranate
10 Manchester Street
Brighton
BN2 1TF
Phone 01273 628 386
Website www.eatpomegranates.com
Overview
Eva and I visited Pomegranate in the Kemp Town area of Brighton the other week.
Pomegranate is a contemporary Kurdish restaurant, that serves a range of middle eastern dishes.
Ambience
The restaurant is on two floors and is very cheerful, modern yet cosy and charming (it has exposed brick fireplaces and wooden floors). The walls are decorated with a number of pictures painted by Hassan Tunc, who is also the owner and head chef.
His wife, Zelal, is in front of house and provided us with a very warm and charming welcome.
The Tuncs have run Ararat restaurants in Dallas and Austin in Texas; Hassan is also well known in the art world with a gallery in Seattle, Washington, also training as a chef in France.
Menu
The menu offers a variety of middle eastern dishes including; Tabulli, stuffed peppers, shish kebabs, lamb and beef with pomegranate.
Service
The service by Zelal was charming, friendly, efficient, and extremely attentive. Nothing was too much trouble.
Food
I opted for chicken kebabs as a starter. These were delightful, lightly spiced and seasoned served atop a small salad. A first class starter.
My main course was lamb shank with a light apricot sauce, accompanied by rice. The shank had been braised gently for a number of hours. The meat was succulent, tender and flavoursome and fell of the bone.
Eva started with prawns with garlic and hot pepper, these were piquant but not overpowered by the garlic or pepper.
She then had the chicken breast topped with walnuts. The breasts were grilled and served with walnuts, butter and rice. A very pleasant dish, the walnut perfectly complementing the chicken.
We also shared a side dish of garlic mashed potatoes, which tasted fantastic.
Dessert, a rarity for us, consisted of a bowl of stuffed figs with walnuts, honey topped with pomegranate paste. They were absolutely delightful.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and a large number of Irish coffees came to £105 including service.
Overall Opinion
A splendid restaurant, which is well worth visiting.
Pomegranate
10 Manchester Street
Brighton
BN2 1TF
Phone 01273 628 386
Website www.eatpomegranates.com
Overview
Eva and I visited Pomegranate in the Kemp Town area of Brighton the other week.
Pomegranate is a contemporary Kurdish restaurant, that serves a range of middle eastern dishes.
Ambience
The restaurant is on two floors and is very cheerful, modern yet cosy and charming (it has exposed brick fireplaces and wooden floors). The walls are decorated with a number of pictures painted by Hassan Tunc, who is also the owner and head chef.
His wife, Zelal, is in front of house and provided us with a very warm and charming welcome.
The Tuncs have run Ararat restaurants in Dallas and Austin in Texas; Hassan is also well known in the art world with a gallery in Seattle, Washington, also training as a chef in France.
Menu
The menu offers a variety of middle eastern dishes including; Tabulli, stuffed peppers, shish kebabs, lamb and beef with pomegranate.
Service
The service by Zelal was charming, friendly, efficient, and extremely attentive. Nothing was too much trouble.
Food
I opted for chicken kebabs as a starter. These were delightful, lightly spiced and seasoned served atop a small salad. A first class starter.
My main course was lamb shank with a light apricot sauce, accompanied by rice. The shank had been braised gently for a number of hours. The meat was succulent, tender and flavoursome and fell of the bone.
Eva started with prawns with garlic and hot pepper, these were piquant but not overpowered by the garlic or pepper.
She then had the chicken breast topped with walnuts. The breasts were grilled and served with walnuts, butter and rice. A very pleasant dish, the walnut perfectly complementing the chicken.
We also shared a side dish of garlic mashed potatoes, which tasted fantastic.
Dessert, a rarity for us, consisted of a bowl of stuffed figs with walnuts, honey topped with pomegranate paste. They were absolutely delightful.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and a large number of Irish coffees came to £105 including service.
Overall Opinion
A splendid restaurant, which is well worth visiting.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Squirrel Direct
Squirrel Direct
Those of you with a yearning for squirrel, but with trouble finding a supplier, are in luck.
Otterton Mill in Devon is soon to launch an online squirrel ordering service for caterers and individuals, called Squirrel Direct.
Otterton Mill cooked squirrel kebabs recently for a game fair, and received such positive feedback that it decided to launch its squirrel based venture online. They estimate that they may well be able to sell between 20,000-25,000 per annum.
Given the current economic downturn, they may well be right.
Those of you with a yearning for squirrel, but with trouble finding a supplier, are in luck.
Otterton Mill in Devon is soon to launch an online squirrel ordering service for caterers and individuals, called Squirrel Direct.
Otterton Mill cooked squirrel kebabs recently for a game fair, and received such positive feedback that it decided to launch its squirrel based venture online. They estimate that they may well be able to sell between 20,000-25,000 per annum.
Given the current economic downturn, they may well be right.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Chiller
Chiller
The Telegraph reports that:
"Corner shops will be given public money to buy chiller cabinets so they can sell fruit and vegetables.."
Many of the corner shops that do have chiller cabinets tend to stock them with cans of lager. I do not see that this is the best/most effective use of public money.
The Telegraph reports that:
"Corner shops will be given public money to buy chiller cabinets so they can sell fruit and vegetables.."
Many of the corner shops that do have chiller cabinets tend to stock them with cans of lager. I do not see that this is the best/most effective use of public money.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Audience Eats Sandwich
Audience Eats Sandwich
Commiserations to the organisers of a Tehran food festival, who spent two days building what they hoped would be the world's longest sandwich (made of ostrich meat).
Unfortunately, the crowd of spectators rushed to eat it before anyone had a chance to measure it.
Over 1,000 volunteers worked on the 1,500 metre sandwich, which contained a tonne of ostrich meat and hundreds of loaves.
The organisers will send video footage and photographs of the sandwich to Guinness officials, to try to convince them to include it in the record books.
Commiserations to the organisers of a Tehran food festival, who spent two days building what they hoped would be the world's longest sandwich (made of ostrich meat).
Unfortunately, the crowd of spectators rushed to eat it before anyone had a chance to measure it.
Over 1,000 volunteers worked on the 1,500 metre sandwich, which contained a tonne of ostrich meat and hundreds of loaves.
The organisers will send video footage and photographs of the sandwich to Guinness officials, to try to convince them to include it in the record books.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Croydon Food Festival
Croydon Food Festival
Croydon is holding a food festival this October, full details can be seen on the Food Festival website.
The festival promises "a wide range of exciting events and promotions", including a Continental Chocolate Village Market, a Black History Food Fayre and a Team Fantastique Continental Food Market.
Croydon is holding a food festival this October, full details can be seen on the Food Festival website.
The festival promises "a wide range of exciting events and promotions", including a Continental Chocolate Village Market, a Black History Food Fayre and a Team Fantastique Continental Food Market.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Cashing in on Rising Prices
Cashing in on Rising Prices
Despite the pretence of offering "discounts", supermarkets have been exposed as nothing more than spivs as they take advantage of rising food prices by adding a little extra increase for themselves.
The Producer Price Indices show that the larger chains have seen a 11.4% increase in the cost of food from the manufacturers in a year. However, families have seen their grocery bills increase by 12.3% (as per the Consumer Price Index); ie the supermarkets have added another 0.9% for themselves.
Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, has warned that he is concerned about companies that use the jump in inflation to "camouflage" an increase in prices.
Canny shoppers should beat the supermarkets at their own game, and only buy those products that offer real value for money.
Despite the pretence of offering "discounts", supermarkets have been exposed as nothing more than spivs as they take advantage of rising food prices by adding a little extra increase for themselves.
The Producer Price Indices show that the larger chains have seen a 11.4% increase in the cost of food from the manufacturers in a year. However, families have seen their grocery bills increase by 12.3% (as per the Consumer Price Index); ie the supermarkets have added another 0.9% for themselves.
Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, has warned that he is concerned about companies that use the jump in inflation to "camouflage" an increase in prices.
Canny shoppers should beat the supermarkets at their own game, and only buy those products that offer real value for money.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Albert's Table
Restaurant
Albert's Table
49B South End
Croydon
CR0 1BF
Phone 0208 680 2010
Website www.albertstable.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I visited the newly opened (so new the smell of paint was still in the air) Albert's Table a fortnight ago, and gave it a "test drive".
Albert's Table opened on the site of a Chinese restaurant on Tuesday 29th July, and serves, to quote their website:
"..dishes created from quality British ingredients chosen when they are in season and at their best. There are so many farmers in the UK producing world class meat, dairy and vegetables and these are the ingredients that we will be using at Albert's table.
The style of food is very much British, but with a slight modern take to include some of the best influences from Europe.
Our fish is all British and delivered daily. We work with the fishmongers very closely to ensure that we get the freshest fish every day and when we use farmed fish it is always organic."
Joby Wells, the head chef, has worked at some top restaurant in London including; The Square and The Orrery.
Ambience
The restaurant is bright, white, spacious and modern. Decoration is minimalist, and the room is well lit. When we went there is was reasonably busy, which gave the place atmosphere.
As with some other restaurants Albert's table suffers from excessively cold air conditioning, I am of the view that less is more.
Menu
The menu offers meals of two and three courses for £25 and £27.50. The dishes offered include; traditional raised Middlewhite pork pie, warm duck salad, short crust tart of Dorset crab, chicken breast with lasagne and pork belly dry marinated in lemon.
Service
The service was very efficient, and extremely attentive. The bizarre issue over the mashed potato (see below) was resolved by our waitress, who persuaded the chef that the customer has a say in what goes on the plate.
That being said, there seemed to be a rather lengthy delay between the first and second course; newly opened teething problems in the kitchen I assume.
Food
I began with the traditional raised Middlewhite pork pie, served with cider jelly & gooseberry compote. The pie was first class, a quality pork lightly seasoned with herbs surrounded by a light pastry. However, the compote that accompanied it was far too strong, and totally overpowered the dish. I believe that good quality dishes such as this do not need their taste destroyed, they are good enough to stand alone on the plate.
My advice would be to either tone down the compote, or present the pie with a small salad, or quail's eggs.
My main course was saddle of lamb which, according to the menu I could not have this with mash (even though mash was available with the beef) which I wanted. I was told that the chef only allocated a certain number of pritons of vegetables per day, and does not like to swap the vegetables between dishes.
Quite ridiculous!
It was highly unlikely that there would be sudden rush of new customers at that time of the evening. Additionally, I am of the view that the chef is there to serve the customer not the other way round.
Our waitress managed to persuade chef to allow me to eat mash with the lamb.
That issue having been resolved, I settled down to enjoy my main course when it arrived. I am pleased to say that the lamb was first class, succulent and tender with just the right amount of fat to add flavour; as was the mash.
Eva began with baby artichokes poached in white wine and olive oil, with shallots, Parmesan and a poached egg. Absolutely delicious!
She chose the organic roast salmon with potato gnocchi, leek hearts & grilot onions with béarnaise sauce for her main course. This was excellent, the salmon was cooked and flaked to perfection and was well complemented by the gnocchi and leeks.
We, rather rarely for us, then chose a dessert (the posset). The posset (a mixture of cream, egg yolks and booze) was a delight, and was accompanied by fresh raspberries.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and some coffees/liqueurs, came to £104 including service.
Overall Opinion
In our view the food is first class, once initial teething troubles (eg air conditioning and mash servings) are addressed, this restaurant is worth visiting.
Albert's Table
49B South End
Croydon
CR0 1BF
Phone 0208 680 2010
Website www.albertstable.co.uk
Overview
Eva and I visited the newly opened (so new the smell of paint was still in the air) Albert's Table a fortnight ago, and gave it a "test drive".
Albert's Table opened on the site of a Chinese restaurant on Tuesday 29th July, and serves, to quote their website:
"..dishes created from quality British ingredients chosen when they are in season and at their best. There are so many farmers in the UK producing world class meat, dairy and vegetables and these are the ingredients that we will be using at Albert's table.
The style of food is very much British, but with a slight modern take to include some of the best influences from Europe.
Our fish is all British and delivered daily. We work with the fishmongers very closely to ensure that we get the freshest fish every day and when we use farmed fish it is always organic."
Joby Wells, the head chef, has worked at some top restaurant in London including; The Square and The Orrery.
Ambience
The restaurant is bright, white, spacious and modern. Decoration is minimalist, and the room is well lit. When we went there is was reasonably busy, which gave the place atmosphere.
As with some other restaurants Albert's table suffers from excessively cold air conditioning, I am of the view that less is more.
Menu
The menu offers meals of two and three courses for £25 and £27.50. The dishes offered include; traditional raised Middlewhite pork pie, warm duck salad, short crust tart of Dorset crab, chicken breast with lasagne and pork belly dry marinated in lemon.
Service
The service was very efficient, and extremely attentive. The bizarre issue over the mashed potato (see below) was resolved by our waitress, who persuaded the chef that the customer has a say in what goes on the plate.
That being said, there seemed to be a rather lengthy delay between the first and second course; newly opened teething problems in the kitchen I assume.
Food
I began with the traditional raised Middlewhite pork pie, served with cider jelly & gooseberry compote. The pie was first class, a quality pork lightly seasoned with herbs surrounded by a light pastry. However, the compote that accompanied it was far too strong, and totally overpowered the dish. I believe that good quality dishes such as this do not need their taste destroyed, they are good enough to stand alone on the plate.
My advice would be to either tone down the compote, or present the pie with a small salad, or quail's eggs.
My main course was saddle of lamb which, according to the menu I could not have this with mash (even though mash was available with the beef) which I wanted. I was told that the chef only allocated a certain number of pritons of vegetables per day, and does not like to swap the vegetables between dishes.
Quite ridiculous!
It was highly unlikely that there would be sudden rush of new customers at that time of the evening. Additionally, I am of the view that the chef is there to serve the customer not the other way round.
Our waitress managed to persuade chef to allow me to eat mash with the lamb.
That issue having been resolved, I settled down to enjoy my main course when it arrived. I am pleased to say that the lamb was first class, succulent and tender with just the right amount of fat to add flavour; as was the mash.
Eva began with baby artichokes poached in white wine and olive oil, with shallots, Parmesan and a poached egg. Absolutely delicious!
She chose the organic roast salmon with potato gnocchi, leek hearts & grilot onions with béarnaise sauce for her main course. This was excellent, the salmon was cooked and flaked to perfection and was well complemented by the gnocchi and leeks.
We, rather rarely for us, then chose a dessert (the posset). The posset (a mixture of cream, egg yolks and booze) was a delight, and was accompanied by fresh raspberries.
The meal, which included a bottle of Chablis and some coffees/liqueurs, came to £104 including service.
Overall Opinion
In our view the food is first class, once initial teething troubles (eg air conditioning and mash servings) are addressed, this restaurant is worth visiting.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Idiots
Idiots
Congratulations to the De Vere Oulton Hall hotel in Yorkshire for coming up with the most insulting and hair brained scheme I have ever seen a restaurant attempt.
They had plans to charge children's Sunday lunches according to the weight of youngsters. The intention was to weigh under-fifteens, and charge £1 per stone for their meal.
Completely daft, and completely insulting.
Needless to say having suffered a barrage of criticism Nigel Massey, a spokesman for De Vere, said that the plan would be reconsidered.
Idiots!
Congratulations to the De Vere Oulton Hall hotel in Yorkshire for coming up with the most insulting and hair brained scheme I have ever seen a restaurant attempt.
They had plans to charge children's Sunday lunches according to the weight of youngsters. The intention was to weigh under-fifteens, and charge £1 per stone for their meal.
Completely daft, and completely insulting.
Needless to say having suffered a barrage of criticism Nigel Massey, a spokesman for De Vere, said that the plan would be reconsidered.
Idiots!
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
4,000 Mc Jobs
4,000 Mc Jobs
As Britain lurches into recession, the good news is that McDonald's is launching a recruitment drive to fill 4,000 new "McJobs" following strong UK growth.
Seemingly, despite government warnings about obesity and diet, McDonald's is serving an extra two million customers a month compared with last year.
I assume that people are eating more burgers etc, as a form of comfort food as the economic news worsens.
As Britain lurches into recession, the good news is that McDonald's is launching a recruitment drive to fill 4,000 new "McJobs" following strong UK growth.
Seemingly, despite government warnings about obesity and diet, McDonald's is serving an extra two million customers a month compared with last year.
I assume that people are eating more burgers etc, as a form of comfort food as the economic news worsens.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The Dangers of Sandwiches
The Dangers of Sandwiches
Last night's Dispatches programme on Channel 4 delivered a stinging critique of the British sandwich industry (worth £5BN).
Dispatches showed that sandwiches from some of the top retailers contain huge amounts of salt and fat; many are also bulked up with chemicals, water and starch.
"Proper thick ham", as described on the front of one packet of sandwiches, was in reality (as per the small print on the back) formed from pork products. This being rendered meat; whereby the carcass is subjected to a powerjet that removes all fat, gristle and meat which is then reformed into textured slices.
Nice!
The programme also secretly filmed the shockingly unhygienic practices at one factory that supplies small shops and garages.
Take a careful look at the ingredients next time you buy a sandwich. It is far better to make your own.
Last night's Dispatches programme on Channel 4 delivered a stinging critique of the British sandwich industry (worth £5BN).
Dispatches showed that sandwiches from some of the top retailers contain huge amounts of salt and fat; many are also bulked up with chemicals, water and starch.
"Proper thick ham", as described on the front of one packet of sandwiches, was in reality (as per the small print on the back) formed from pork products. This being rendered meat; whereby the carcass is subjected to a powerjet that removes all fat, gristle and meat which is then reformed into textured slices.
Nice!
The programme also secretly filmed the shockingly unhygienic practices at one factory that supplies small shops and garages.
Take a careful look at the ingredients next time you buy a sandwich. It is far better to make your own.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Fast Food Ban
Fast Food Ban
Planners in Los Angeles have imposed a moratorium on the opening of new fast food outlets of chains such as Burger King and KFC in South Los Angeles, in an attempt to encourage better eating habits among the area's mainly black and Hispanic population.
The full Los Angeles council is expected on Tuesday to approve the restrictions across the 32 square-mile area of the city, where fast food outlets make up 45% of restaurants.
The trouble is that fast food is only one part of the problem. Consumers need to take responsibility for how much they eat and what exercise they take. Additionally, the fast food outlets provide much needed employment in areas of poverty and deprivation.
This is not a cure all solution for the alleged obesity epidemic.
Planners in Los Angeles have imposed a moratorium on the opening of new fast food outlets of chains such as Burger King and KFC in South Los Angeles, in an attempt to encourage better eating habits among the area's mainly black and Hispanic population.
The full Los Angeles council is expected on Tuesday to approve the restrictions across the 32 square-mile area of the city, where fast food outlets make up 45% of restaurants.
The trouble is that fast food is only one part of the problem. Consumers need to take responsibility for how much they eat and what exercise they take. Additionally, the fast food outlets provide much needed employment in areas of poverty and deprivation.
This is not a cure all solution for the alleged obesity epidemic.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Trans Fats
Trans Fats
The San Fransisco Chronicle reports that:
"California is poised to become the first state in the nation to ban restaurants and other food facilities from using trans fats, which are known to increase the risk of heart disease, under a bill approved by the state Legislature Monday and sent to the governor.
The measure, passed with a bare majority, comes two weeks after a similar ban in New York City became fully effective. California doctor and consumer groups support the law, while restaurant groups have offered a lukewarm response. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position, a spokesman said."
All very well, but since when does the state have the right to dictate what people may or may not eat?
The San Fransisco Chronicle reports that:
"California is poised to become the first state in the nation to ban restaurants and other food facilities from using trans fats, which are known to increase the risk of heart disease, under a bill approved by the state Legislature Monday and sent to the governor.
The measure, passed with a bare majority, comes two weeks after a similar ban in New York City became fully effective. California doctor and consumer groups support the law, while restaurant groups have offered a lukewarm response. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position, a spokesman said."
All very well, but since when does the state have the right to dictate what people may or may not eat?
Monday, July 07, 2008
Stop Waste
Stop Waste
It is rare indeed that I find myself agreeing, in part at least, with Gordon Brown. However, for once I do agree with him when he says that people should stop wasting food.
Britain is facing the highest level of food price rises in Europe, the negative effects of which are being felt the most by those on low incomes.
It is therefore quite right that people should stop wasting food and learn to use leftovers, as I was brought up to do.
However, whether the Prime Minister should try to micromanage people's shopping habits quite so much, by suggesting that people should plan meals in advance and that supermarkets should end three-for-two deals, is open to question.
I suspect we will soon see a "Dig for Victory" campaign.
It is rare indeed that I find myself agreeing, in part at least, with Gordon Brown. However, for once I do agree with him when he says that people should stop wasting food.
Britain is facing the highest level of food price rises in Europe, the negative effects of which are being felt the most by those on low incomes.
It is therefore quite right that people should stop wasting food and learn to use leftovers, as I was brought up to do.
However, whether the Prime Minister should try to micromanage people's shopping habits quite so much, by suggesting that people should plan meals in advance and that supermarkets should end three-for-two deals, is open to question.
I suspect we will soon see a "Dig for Victory" campaign.
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