Food

Award-winning online vegan and gluten-free cake brand Positive Bakes, which was started during lockdown by a husband and wife whose son had a dairy allergy, has launched its biggest ever range of bakes, delivered in 100% plastic-free and compostable cardboard packaging.

The Christmas range of delicacies is their biggest new product development range to date, with 13 new products on offer, including 'buttery' Shortbread (original and chocolate), Mint Choc Brownies, Mince Pie Slices and Chocolate Orange Mini Loaf Cakes.

A UK-based whisky brokerage has successfully shipped the largest single consignment of rare whisky casks from Sweden to Britain. New world whisky specialists Cask World recently announced the arrival of the 34 casks, holding thousands of litres of premium single malt from the renowned BOX Distillery, with the spirit - valued at approximately £1.2m - now continuing to mature in its new English home.

Whilst this shipment is significant in showing that trade with the EU can still be buoyant in the post-Brexit pandemic era, it also exemplifies growing global interest in non-Scotch whisky, with the spirit now increasingly in-bound to UK shores.

Paladar has revealed its Festive Menus, which will bring a distinctive Latin American flavour to any Christmas celebration. The popular Elephant & Castle restaurant will be offering the menus until 30th December, and has additionally created a special tasting menu for New Year's Eve.

The Festive Sharing Feast, available at lunch and dinner at £45 per person, is a banquet of Latin American party dishes created by chef Jose Rubio Guevara. Served for the whole table for groups of four or more, among the four starters are Shredded turkey criollo-corn empanadas with cranberry & chipotle jam and Seared coconut-chilli prawns on blue corn tortilla.

Iceland promises a turkey in time for Christmas Day to every Brit, by launching its Turkey Insurance. To guarantee their festive feast with a turkey this Christmas, shoppers simply needed to choose their preferred turkey via the reservation form and select their online delivery slot.

Iceland is reassuring its customers with a guarantee, preventing any unnecessary uncertainty about whether they will be able to get their hands on a turkey this year.

McDonald’s launched the DC Comics Happy Meal, across the UK, from yesterday (November 17). The limited-edition promotion celebrates some of the most iconic superheroes from the past 84 years such as Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman. Each Happy Meal comes in a DC comics themed box, with 10 powerful plush toys and two brilliant books available.

From fruit and spice infused liqueurs and cordials through to mustards, chutneys and of course Christmas mincemeat, learn how to make your own festive preserves to serve at Christmas, or gift to friends and family, with leading expert, Rosie Jameson. Rosie is the founder of Rosie's Preserving School, the UK's first and only online cookery school dedicated to preserving. 

Finding the right Christmas gift can always be challenging, but for those seeking an ideal spicy present for gourmet foodies need look no further. Chilli No. 5 has launched its spicy Christmas Box Gift Set, guaranteed to delight the most discerning gourmands this festive season.

The Christmas Box Gift Set is filled with a selection of Chilli No. 5's most iconic products offering a fantastic flight of hot sauces to spice up a variety of cuisines.

Dog owners who love to bond with their dogs and make them tasty homemade treats are invited to take part in the Great Doggy Bake Off competition. Inspired by Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off dog owners are being urged to create delicious doggy treats for their four legged friends.

Organised by doggy travel platform Dog Furiendly, the virtual competition inspires hundreds of dog owners across the UK to bake homemade treats for their furry best friends. 

New street food inspired brand Carnival Kitchen brought the carnival to central Birmingham, giving consumers the chance to try its new range first-hand.

Brindley Place, Birmingham was the third stop on the brand’s carnival on tour road trip, with Carnival Kitchen also making an appearance in London and Manchester this month. Its team arrive in style in a branded Tuk Tuk and was accompanied by a steel band and carnival dancers, to celebrate the recent launch into UK Waitrose and Asda stores.

The Queen is likely to be a surprise beneficiary of proposed tax cuts for sparkling wine, an expert has said.

Frank Mannion, the director of critically acclaimed documentary Sparkling: the Story of Champagne, starring polymath Stephen Fry and a who’s who from the world of the glamorous sparkling wine, also suggests that the Chancellor's proposed overhaul of alcohol duty is likely to support a burgeoning UK industry, allowing English sparkling wine to better compete against its French competitors.

Parmigiano Reggiano has joined the list of sponsors at the World Cheese Awards, taking place as part of the International Cheese Festival in Oviedo, Spain from 3 – 6 November 2021.

During the event, an online charity auction of a 21-year-old wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano – one of the oldest edible cheeses in the world – will be held.

Despite over half of Brits (55%) believing they are environmentally conscious, only a quarter of the UK consider the environment when it comes to their drinking habits, according to a new study. The survey commissioned by wine preservation experts Bermar, found that over five in ten (56%) have never thought about drinks waste and two thirds (67%) know nothing about it.

An independent restaurant group, based in Cheltenham, is starting off their green initiative by making sure none of their waste is sent to landfill. 

The Gloucestershire group, JM Socials, has made the switch to zero landfill - as part of a sustainability plan.

BBC Good Food Nation, the annual national survey carried out by BBC Good Food, has revealed spending so much time at home during the pandemic has led to an influx of kitchen gadgets, with over half (52%) of people surveyed having bought new cooking or kitchen equipment in the last year.

Coffee machines were the most popular gadgets, bought by 13% of people surveyed, and they were the most used purchase, with barista-style coffees being made an average of 5 times a week.

Birmingham’s Pushkar Cocktail Bar & Dining scooped the 'Best of Birmingham' and ‘England’s Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year’ awards at the 10th English Curry Awards 2021. The 10th English Curry Awards took place at the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport-NEC, in a celebration of the English curry industry. Guests from across the country celebrated the best in the curry industry and awards saw curry houses across England recognised for their graft, dedication and hospitality.

Cardiff is the most affordable city in the UK to eat out at a restaurant, new data can reveal, while London takes the top spot for being the most expensive city.  

The research by professional kitchen experts Maxima Kitchen Equipment analysed the cities in the UK with a population higher than 100,000 and used cost of living data from Expatistan and Numbeo to find where Brits can dine out at the lowest cost.