Food

What better way to spend a weekend afternoon than gathered with friends around the fire and two very British institutions - afternoon tea and beer. Smell the woodsmoke, taste the delicious home-made fayre and wash down with some of the very best flavours beer has to offer. 

Chefs from Sidmouth in Devon and Skegness in Lincolnshire have been named finalists in the Seaside Chef of the Year competition, organised by FOOD Award 2014 'Best Bistro in England' winner, Aspect Bar and Bistro in Morecambe.

New research carried out for National Curry Week reveals that Chicken Tikka Masala is still the nation's favourite - but only just - as curry fans become more and more aware of regional dishes. Of the specified dishes, Jalfrezi has now moved into second place, indicating the desire for slightly hotter dishes but Vindaloo does not even make the top ten.

Pizza Hut Restaurants are honouring National Curry Week (12-18th October) with a food fusion made in casual dining heaven: the naan pizza. Two versions of the special edition dish will be available to enjoy at Birmingham’s Star City Hut – Chicken Masala and vegetarian Chana Masala – as a week of 'currying favour' gets underway.

Ever wondered how a blind person bakes a cake? Gemma Stafford, host of one of YouTube’s most popular baking shows ‘Bigger Bolder Baking’ has teamed up with blind beauty blogger Lucy Edwards and sight loss charity RNIB to show how being blind doesn’t need to get in the way of cooking up a treat in the kitchen.

Leading Asian chefs will compete in a dramatic cook off to determine the winner of this year's  'Asian & Oriental Chef of the Year' in the Asian Curry Awards 2015. The country's ten top chefs, voted for by members of curry loving public, will go head-to-head in the competition being held at Pillars Restaurant at the University of West London in Ealing on Monday 5th October.

Poppadoms play an important part in National Curry Week (12-18th October) and are used in three of the major events: The World Poppadom Tower Challenge, The Speed Eating Challenge and The Poppadomathon©. The record for the National Curry Week's World Poppadom Tower Challenge is held by Tipu Rahman, from Tamarind in Northampton, who managed to stack an amazing 1,280 poppadoms, measuring 5' 8" (172.72cm).

The Ice Tank in central London was recently transformed into a tropical culinary haven as Barbados’ tourism officials launched the sixth annual Barbados Food & Wine and Rum Festival. Scheduled for19-22 November 2015, this event in Barbados is the perfect reason to escape to the Caribbean’s culinary capital where delectable food prepared by leading local and international chefs with some of Barbados’ is paired with some of the most exciting holiday experiences. 

Las Vegas-based mixologist Mariena Mercer, Property Mixologist at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, claimed the crown of The Opihr World Adventure Cocktail Competition 2015, which took place in Marrakech, Morocco, with her “Classy Lassi” recipe.

Ip Chi Cheung chef of critically acclaimed Summer Palace at Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong, brings with him four signature dishes to showcase at Western Europe's highest hotel within the iconic Shard building. Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London, is delighted to welcome Two Michelin-star Chef Ip Chi Cheung as first guest chef at TING Restaurant,  on the 35th floor of the Renzo Piano designed building. Chef Cheung will showcase his dishes from the Summer Palace restaurant at Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong.

The pre-National Curry Week party got off to a great start when Thornbury Air Cadets smashed their own Poppadomathon© world record. Overseen by Flight Sergeant Daniel Rouse, the squadron managed to beat last year's record of 30.26 miles in 30 minutes, by collectively running 33.5 miles in 30 minutes. The challenge is just one of the fun ways the event invites the curry loving public to celebrate the cuisine and culture in order to raise funds for the alleviation of poverty and suffering worldwide.

You’ve heard of the Chelsea Bun, Bath Bun and Belgian Bun… now here’s the Great Birmingham Bun. Created specially for the Morrisons Great Birmingham Run by award-winning chef David Colcombe, the Great Birmingham Bun is inspired by the city’s history and ethnic diversity, as well as the chef’s own childhood memories. Ingredients include a custard filling inspired by Birmingham’s own Bird’s custard; spices and fruit representing the many Asian runners who take part every year; coconut flour to represent the Afro-Caribbean community which is always involved in the city’s half marathon.

After months of blind tasting, deliberation and judging, the shortlist of finalists for the 2015 Food & Drink Devon Awards have been announced, with the winners revealed at a ceremony in Exeter on Monday 5th October. Entries from across the county included 144 products, 38 producers, 41 hospitality and 6 retail establishments judged by experts from the industry.

What should be included on a Full English breakfast plate? It’s a question that’s been the subject of furious and controversial debate across the UK for decades. Everyone has an opinion. Research has revealed that over a third of people from Birmingham say hash browns should be on the perfect Full English plate, a much higher proportion than the rest of Britain.

British Pub Week (31 October to 8 November) celebrates all that we love about the traditional Great British Pub. “Pubs are an important part of our heritage and with a good drink, people expect premium quality bar snacks,” says Jonty White, managing director of Portlebay Popcorn. More landlords are now getting serious about provenance of the food and drink they serve and that's where Portlebay comes in."

Chinese buffet restaurant, Big Wok, got a brand new look over the summer and is now under new management. The Birmingham restaurant invested £200,000 into a complete makeover of the entire venue which now has a new reception area, new wooden flooring, interactive signage, new seating and a suspended ceiling.