Food

Independent coffee house Damascena has relocated its head offices to Birmingham after agreeing an additional 1,200 sq ft lease at SevenCapital’s Lyndon House development in Edgbaston. The popular Middle Eastern coffee house, delicatessen and bakery, which has four existing venues located in key areas across Birmingham, previously agreed to take a total of 2,570 square feet (sq ft) of space on a 10-year lease to launch its fifth branch.

The Mindful Baker, a Suffolk-based company teaching mindfulness through the art of baking, is to launch a new one-day course in the wake of the pandemic. 

The course, designed with busy professionals in mind, teaches meditation techniques as well as how to bake artisan sourdough bread and pizza.

Pancake Day is fast approaching (March 1st)! And as so many of us have tried our hands at home baking (be it successfully or not) over the past two years, it should come as no surprise that according to Google Trends data, interest in Pancake Day reached its highest ever peak in 2021!

With Pancake Day (March 1st) now close on the horizon, online cake shop Jack & Beyond wanted to dig deeper, and find out what the UK loves to put on their pancakes more than anything else.

Eat Sleep Live Herefordshire, the leading destination marketing organisation for the rural county of Herefordshire, alerts us to the best new pubs and recently refurbished restaurants to enjoy a delicious, local Sunday roast.

Set over-looking the glorious Herefordshire Golf Course and with a glamorous new refurbishment following its recent purchase by a consortium of local business people, The Causeway is a gorgeous spot for a Sunday lunch.

Experts at BBC Good Food, the UK’s number one food media brand, are predicting the pancake grazing platter as the biggest trend for Pancake Day next week (Tuesday 1 March), saying the chance to get together and share a celebratory meal after last year’s lockdowns and disrupted Christmas and New Year plans is too good to miss. 

News that flagship BBC television series Masterchef is relocating to Birmingham has been warmly welcomed as a ringing endorsement of the city’s creative talent and culinary pedigree. Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said the diverse range of dining options in the city, along with its burgeoning creative sector meant Birmingham was natural new home for the long-running popular series.

Mainbrace, a Cornish brand known for its award-winning golden rum, launches Mainbrace Cornish Dry Gin to celebrate The Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

It has announced an extension to its spirits range in the form of a craft gin. Born from the naval term 'splice the mainbrace' that celebrates courage, teamwork, and friendship, Mainbrace's history is rooted in naval traditions.

The Head Chef at Birmingham's fine dining Indian Restaurant, Pushkar Cocktail Bar & Dining has been announced as a finalist at the Asian & Oriental Chef Awards.

Pushkar’s Head Chef, Vinod Singh has been announced as a finalist and will be invited to a live final cook-off event, to be held at Pillars Kitchen, at the University of West London, in late February.

Next Home has created a TikTok recipe index containing the most popular recipes on TikTok alongside their nutritional values, the ingredients and a step-by-step guide to recreate at home. 

Recipe trends such as Feta Pasta and Dalgona Coffee have taken the internet by storm, with some TikTok recipe videos seeing as many as 3.2 billion views (and counting). But what are the world’s favourite TikTok recipes and how can they be recreated in your home kitchen? 

The Four Oaks pub in Sutton Coldfield, in the West Midlands, is set to undergo a major renovation, with stunning new interiors, an enhanced outdoor space and an outstanding new food offering, celebrating the very best of British produce. 

The multi-million pound renovation and redesign of The Four Oaks is set to begin in February and will see both the interior and exterior spaces thoughtfully reimagined, ahead of officially reopening in May. 

Galentine's Day – 13 February – is now a firm fixture on the calendar when singles (or those with a partner saving a romantic date for the 14th) can get together with their pals to celebrate all their female friendships. 

To mark the date, celebrity baker and former Great British Bake Off (GBBO) contestant, Lizzie Acker, is partnering with Nielsen-Massey Vanillas to create a delicious vanilla-based Blondie recipe that can easily be shared with friends.

Charity Vegetarian for Life has announced the finalists for its 2021 Awards for Excellence in Vegetarian and Vegan Care Catering. Now in their sixth year, the awards are a celebration of those going the extra mile for their vegan and vegetarian residents. 

All winners will be announced in a virtual awards ceremony commencing at 2pm on Wednesday 26 January 2022.

A Coventry University student has designed an app that aims to make it easier for people with specific dietary requirements to know what food they can eat.

Third-year student Jake Sarkar used the skills he learned on his computer science course to design an app called Avoid with his friend Khaled Saker. The app allows people to check if food they want to buy from a shop fits their dietary needs but it is not designed as a primary safety measure for people with serious allergies.

The Midlands’ favourite family get-together, the ‘Sausage and Cider Festival’ is returning to Catton Park, Derbyshire in summer 2022. From Thursday 23rd to Sunday 26th June, festival-goers can get ready for four days of top notch food and music from many of the globe’s best tribute acts, including The Bootleg Beatles, Whitney Houston Tribute, Belinda Davids, Take That Rule the World and Kings of Lyon.

Following on from the hugely successful tenth anniversary awards' celebration last autumn, entries are now open for the prestigious 2022 Food Drink Devon Awards, supported by 2022 platinum sponsor Partners&.

The gold standard industry accolades, which celebrate Devon's finest food and drink, recognise the county's most talented producers and establishments and this year will also include the new 'Chef of the Year' category.

A top Chinese consumer group has called for a boycott of a KFC meal promotion, saying it encourages food waste. The China Consumers Association (CCA) says the promotion sent some customers into a buying frenzy.

KFC launched the promotion last week with Pop Mart, a Chinese toy maker known for its mystery boxes.