Food

Sourdough is now so popular with British shoppers that it has become the UK's fastest growing bread variety – with demand for the hard-crusted, rustic styled bread soaring by nearly 40 per cent in the last year at Tesco.

Tesco now sells around 100,000 sourdough loaves a week and has just launched its first ever sourdough baguette in order to offer customers more choice at lunchtime.

In the last five years, Tesco has almost quadrupled its sourdough range to bring customers new varieties and meet demand.

Among the reasons for the strong growth are the rising popularity of speciality loaves and trendy brunch treats like avocado on sourdough.

Tesco bakery buyer Alice McConnell explains:

“Interest in this wonderfully tangy and chewy bread has grown spectacularly in the last few years and for those that still have not tried it there is nothing quite like hot, toasted sourdough and butter.

“As customer demand has grown, we now have 10 sourdough bread products on offer, including a baguette, roll, pitta bread and gluten free varieties.

“Instead of seeing bread as just something to toast or make a sandwich with, more people are beginning to appreciate it as a food to savour, and one that can have many different flavours and complex tastes.”

Thousands of tons of perfectly good food goes straight into the bin every year in what's being described as the on going scandal of Britain's biggest source of food waste.

The UKs waste management company BusinessWaste.co.uk has found through its own research that over 99% of bagged salads given away by takeaway food establishments are never eaten, with many thrown into waste bins unopened.

BusinessWaste.co.uk says that public waste bins nears some curry houses and takeaway kebab shops are often filled to overflowing with bagged salads as customers dump them at the first opportunity.

"We tried to find out who eats these salads, and we found literally nobody prepared to confess that they did," says BusinessWaste.co.uk spokesman Mark Hall, "In our opinion, they're nothing but a huge waste of food. Thousands of tons going to waste."

BusinessWaste.co.uk asked hundreds (3500 people were involved in the 2018 survey) of takeaway food customers at several locations in the UK what they did with free salads given away as an accompaniment to curries or kebabs.

• 94% Throw it in the bin without opening
• 1% Put it in the fridge, and throw it away later
• 6% Leave it in the shop or give it back to the delivery person
• 0% Eat it

BusinessWaste.co.uk puts the reluctance of many people to eat salads from takeaways down to the mistaken perception that there's probably something wrong with it, or that it has been prepared in an unhygienic kitchen.

"A plastic bag's probably not the best way to present a salad, to be honest," says Mark Hall, "Customers have a mental image of the food being stuffed in there by bare hand, which it most certainly isn't. But it's a hard image for most people to shake."

However, that reason is the one most heard by BusinessWaste.co.uk when it asked customers why they avoided takeaway salads:

• "I don't know where it's been."
• "I've been told that it's dirty." / "... it's out of date." / "...they don't wash it."
• "I might get food poisoning off it." / "I heard somebody good food poisoning off it."
• "I hate salad."

• "I'll tell you - Who wants a salad at pub closing time? Nobody, that's who."

"It's a very simple solution," says Hall, "And one that will save food establishments money and puts and end to the thousands of tons of food wasted every year."

And that's before we even think about hundreds of thousands unwanted plastic bags, says BusinessWaste.co.uk. "It's straight to landfill for most of them," Hall says, "And that's something we just can't keep doing these days."

While it may seem a minor issue at first glance, it's an important one as food security and conservation of resources becomes more important to the national economy, Business Waste concludes.

Mr Hall was impressed with the uptake in recycling “Although this is waste at its most stupid it costs businesses ten of £1000s and the environmental harm, I’m pleased to say this year the majority 78% have told us they put the food in the general waste bin and the plastic into the recycling bin, which is up from 5% in 2017 so that’s something to takeaway I guess, ”

"We're all for getting your five-a-day," says BusinessWaste.co.uk ‘s Mark Hall. "But in this case, our message is loud and clear – Say 'NO' to salad!"

It's one of the UK's fastest growing food trends and from next week customers looking for vegan options will have even more choice when Nordic plant-based food sensation Oumph! is launched across the UK.

The range, which will go on sale at Tesco stores across the UK, is already a firm favourite with shoppers in Sweden and Norway, thanks to its authentic taste, quality and convenience.

By adding Oumph! to its range, Tesco is continuing to respond to strong customer demand for plant-based foods.

In the last year it has seen demand for frozen meat-free foods rocket by more than 70 per cent, while sales of chilled vegetarian ready meals and meat substitutes have soared by 30 per cent.

That strong demand was boosted by the launch in January of the supermarket's Wicked Kitchen range, created by its own new director of plant-based food innovation Derek Sarno.

Derek's mission is to make sure shoppers across the UK have more plant-based food choices and highly recommended that Tesco stock Oumph!

Chef Derek Sarno said:

“We're seeing massive demand for plant-based food and are thrilled to be unleashing the mighty flavour of plants, making eating meat-free easy and accessible like never before.

“When I first tried Oumph! I immediately knew it would complement our range and offer those wanting to eat more veg an epic tasting experience.  Oumph! is a great addition to our already stellar line up and the start of many more things to come.”

Oumph! contains soya beans and organic herb and spice mixes. It's free from gluten, dairy and nuts and is versatile and easy to cook.

It's suitable to grill, boil, sauté, deep-fry or heat over an open fire. In addition, it's high in protein and fibre and a source of iron and folic acid.

Included in the Tesco range are the following:

• Oumph! The Chunk – This is unseasoned for those who like to add their own herbs, spices and creativity to a dish. The Chunk contains only soya beans, water and a little salt.
• Pulled Oumph! The top seller – Oumph! chunks in a flavoursome BBQ sauce.
• Oumph! Kebab Spiced – Oumph! strips seasoned with a classic kebab spice mix.

Kookoo Seafood & Grill in Surbiton has scooped the accolade for Best Middle Eastern Restaurant at the inaugural Asian Restaurant Awards.

At a glittering award ceremony held at the Manchester Hilton on Monday 5th March, Kookoo, renowned for its exquisite Persian cuisine, collected the prestigious trophy.

Other winners among the country's top ethnic restaurants included; the Michelin-starred Hakkasan (Best Chinese), Rasa Sayan, London (Best Malaysian) and Palm Pan Asia (Best Pan Asian Restaurant), whilst Asma Khan of Darjeeling Express collected an award for Asian Entrepreneur of the Year.

An independent, family-run restaurant, led by restaurateur Kamran Abtahi, Kookoo has established a reputation for its healthy dishes, produced from scratch, using fresh quality ingredients and skilled marinating.

The menu is based on traditional Nejad family recipes, handed down through the generations. It features appetising salads, grills and traditional Middle Eastern stews, that are gluten-free.

The emphasis is on sharing plates with premium quality chicken, fresh fish and prime lamb cuts.

Organised by the Asian Catering Federation (ACF), which represents the country's 30,000 ethnic restaurants, the awards were open to Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese restaurants and takeaways.

Kookoo made the Awards' shortlist thanks to the large number of votes from enthusiastic customers from Surbiton, Tolworth, Kingston and further afield. As a reward for their loyalty, Kamran is hosting a gourmet Persian feast on Monday 2nd April, to celebrate the Asian Restaurant Awards win. The special dinner will cost only £15 and includes a glass of prosecco, a bottle of premium K1 sugar-free beer or soft drink. Early booking is advised for what is expected to be a sell-out event.

“It's a great honour to win such a prestigious national accolade which vindicates our decision to develop a health-conscious dining concept and is just reward our dedicated team who work hard to creating authentic flavours,” said Abtahi.

Karman Abtahi has previously spent a total of 9 years working as head chef at renowned Persian restaurants, The Piano in Chiswick and Doost, Persian Grill in Kennington.

The Asian Restaurant Awards judges were impressed, with their notes revealing: “Classic Persian dishes given a modern gourmet twist.  Kookoo builds on a rich culinary tradition that absorbed influences from its neighbours, then exported them to northern Indian as the Mughal Empire expanded eastwards.  Subtle touches, using light marinades and delicate spices, don't overpower the food, allowing the natural flavours to shine through.  Chicken, lamb and fish dishes were all moist and a succulent. Healthy eating at its best.”

The restaurant's 'BYOB' policy, with zero corkage on Wednesdays and the offer of 50% off all drinks on Thursdays, are particularly popular.

Organised by the Asian Catering Federation (ACF), which represents the country's 30,000 ethnic restaurants, the awards were open to Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese restaurants and takeaways.

Waitrose says konnichiwa to a new tipple as it becomes the first UK supermarket to introduce a gin made in Japan. Roku, a craft gin from Japanese distillery The House of Suntory, launches into shops this week as the thirst for the popular spirit shows no signs of slowing. With sales of gin at Waitrose up 30%, the retailer is constantly searching for new styles to meet demand. They looked to the team of expert drink makers in Osaka as they are also the distillers of award winning Japanese whiskies* popular with their shoppers.

Roku means six in Japanese and the new craft gin boasts the same number of Japanese botanicals including two styles of green tea (Sencha and Gyokuru), Yuzu, Sanshō pepper along with Sakura (cherry blossom) flower and leaf, which is synonymous with Japan. Each botanical has been harvested in accordance with the concept of 'shun' - which means they are only harvested when they reach their peak flavour.

The signature way to serve Roku is with ice, tonic and then six slithers of fresh ginger instead of the usual lemon.

John Vine, Waitrose Spirits Buyer, comments, “We are proud of our range of British gin but there is still room to experiment with drinks from further afield. Japanese whisky once raised eyebrows but now wins awards and sits happily alongside established Scottish brands in the UK. We are confident that Roku will be popular with gin fans and it's just the tonic for showing off to guests.

"The House of Suntory has pushed the botanical boundaries. The six more unusual Japanese ingredients sit alongside those we are more familiar with including juniper berries, cinnamon and cardamom."

The drink is presented in a stylish hexagonal bottle which fits the trend for designer gin collections to be displayed with pride at home - not hidden away at the back of the cupboard. The embossed bottle is complemented by a label printed on traditional 'washi' paper.

The launch follows the announcement last week that Waitrose has been named 'Supermarket of the Year' at the Icons of Gin Awards.

Simple Simon goes into National Pie Week with all Gunns blazing this year. The Biggar pie makers based in The Scottish Borders, Simple Simon's Perfect Pies, have teamed up with nearby Campbell's Brewery in Peebles to create a brand new, limited edition Steak and Ale Pie using one of Gunner's exceptional craft ales.

The award winning pie makers use only the best, locally sourced produce for their pies, so it's no surprise they chose to collaborate with the brewery to celebrate National Pie Week which runs from March 5th - 11th this year.

Fiona Anderson, owner of Simple Simon's Perfect Pies is thrilled about the collaboration, 'We had such a great time working to perfect our Simple Simon Steak and Gunner Ale Pie. We went to Campbell's Brewery in Peebles to sample the beers to find the one that would meld well and then had to get the bus home!'

The delicious new pie consists of slow cooked Scotch Assured Beef soaked in Gunner Ale overnight, until the meat is supremely tender and brimming with flavour. The recipe went through several changed until both parties agreed on the final product.

Simple Simon's Perfect Pies are passionate about collaboration, naming it an excellent way to combine resources, come up with innovative ideas and reinforce important messages about provenance and local sourcing.

East of Scotland is set to become the most talked about UK destination of 2018, when the first V&A museum anywhere in the world outside London opens in Dundee. Stretching along the gentle banks of the Tay to the foothills of the Highlands, taking in the neighbouring regions of Dundee, Angus, Fife, Perth & Kinross – this is an area collectively rich in identity and culture, history and heritage and outstanding scenery.

In less than 5 hours by train, 2 hours by plane from London, visitors can look forward to experiencing a stimulating clash of culture meets countryside, from buzzing cultural cities to revitalising beautiful beaches and serene silent glens.

Get a taste for the region's food and drink …

Dining differently in Dundee: You won't find an identikit high street in Dundee. The thriving, contemporary food and drink scene is largely made up of independent home-grown businesses, from cultured cafes that double up as art and design boutiques to Michelin recommended fine dining and pop-up street food markets. A new beer brewery and award winning gin distillery are the latest additions to the city's food and drink offer.

The Unique Arbroath Smokie : The Arbroath Smokie is one of Scotland's best loved traditional fish delicacies. Taking its name from a fishing town in Angus it has been on the menu for a thousand years. Arbroath Smokies are hot-smoked, making them ready to eat straight from the smoker. A culinary delight exclusive to Arbroath, the Smokie is protected under European Law as a 'Protected Geographical Location' with the same regard as that maintained for Parma Ham and Champagne.

Fife – a food lover's paradise: Blessed with a fabulous natural larder, Fife offers an entire menu from coastline to countryside and boasts two Michelin star restaurants: The Cellar and The Peat Inn. Visit and you'll enjoy a feast of award-winning food and drink including Anster cheese and of course freshly caught seafood from the East Neuk. Lindores Abbey Distillery & Visitor Centre have opened on the site of the first record of whisky distillation - 1494.

A leading Wolverhampton restaurant has served up a trio of awards to round off its 35^th birthday celebrations.

Bilash, which offers a combination of traditional and contemporary Bangladeshi cuisine, has been listed in the Michelin and AA Food Guides for the 15^th consecutive year, whilst it has also been named by Harden’s as one of the UK’s Top Restaurants.

It comes hot on the heels of a £100,000 investment in renovating the Cheapside venue and creating a whole host of new dishes for local diners and those that have travelled from as far afield as Bournemouth, London and York.

“There’s no better accolade than to be listed in one of these publications, let alone all three of them,” explained Mohammed Khan, who runs the business with his father Sitab.

“We never know when they come and there’s no advertising or free meals as part of the deal…it’s a completely unbiased review of the food, the service and the atmosphere. I’m delighted we scored so highly in every possible area.”

He continued: “They really help to attract new custom and we know people that have travelled all the way to Wolverhampton to try our cuisine for themselves.”

Bilash, which employs 16 people at its Cheapside restaurant, seats 50 diners downstairs and a further 30 upstairs, which can be used for private dining or corporate functions.

The latter is a growing market for the family-owned restaurant with local businesses keen to impress customers and suppliers with a visit, whilst the Grand Theatre regularly take group bookings for show performers.

“Turnover was up 10% in 2017 and we had to take on more staff to cope with demand from diners,” added Mohammed.

“This year is going to be equally exciting, with lots of events planned including a Mother’s Day weekend special menu and our biggest ever seafood week celebration.

“We are also putting on a week of complimentary dining as a thank you to all our loyal customers, who have supported the Bilash for the last 36 years. The menu will consist of a gourmet 3-course dinner and will be charged at a flat fee of £20 per head with all the proceeds going to an Orphan Village in Bangladesh to provide water and education.”

Yeast freak you out? Not sure how to knead? The idea of free form baking just too nerve wracking to be considered? And how do you know when the flaming thing is actually done? All your questions answered in four short and gorgeous videos.....

Jane Mason, author of three books about bread, set up Virtuous Bread nearly 10 years ago - in fact at the same time the Real Bread Campaign was established - to make it fun and easy for people to make, buy, and learn about good bread. Since then the bread landscape has changed immeasurably and those of us who have been at it for the past decade are delighted to have played a part in "moving the needle" on the sliced bread in a plastic bag market.

People are still a bit freaked out, though, by yeast and indeed by the whole baking process. To that end, Jane made a series of four lovely videos (short too!) on the bread baking process.

Restaurant The White Room by Jacob Jan Boerma was awarded its first Michelin star during the annual Michelin Gala in Amsterdam.  The signature restaurant of 3* Michelin chef Jacob Jan Boerma, which is led by Chef de Cuisine Arturo Dalhuisen, only opened its doors one and a half years ago in the NH Collection Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky.

Since then, the venue, food and team have received praise from critics and culinary aficionado's alike. After being named “best newcomer” by Lekker500 by securing the sixty-second place on this renowned list and receiving 16 points by Gault&Millau earlier this year, the work of Dalhuisen and his team is now officially recognized by Michelin, with a prominent place in the Michelin Guide 2018.

The 33-year old Arturo Dalhuisen, former right hand of Boerma, leads the kitchen of The White Room: “I'm so very grateful! Grateful because Jacob Jan Boerma trusted me to lead the kitchen of The White Room, and even more grateful that Michelin has rewarded the work of our team with this important gastronomical award. Of course, we have fantasized about this star, but it has never been our motivation. We want to create a unique experience for our guests. I'm convinced that only that way, one can achieve perfection.”

A Welsh fruit grower has broken the record for picking the earliest ever British strawberries and getting them on supermarket shelves.

Tesco's Bridgend Extra store will begin selling the first strawberries of the season, which were grown by Springfield Nursery, based near Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales.

Tesco strawberry buyer Jordan Blandford said:

“Hats off to Springfield who have achieved this fantastic coup with their expertise and innovation. There is always a lot of excitement about the first British strawberries being picked because their arrival means the start of spring is not too far away.

This is brilliant news for customers as British strawberries are considered to be among the best in the world, thanks to our great growing conditions.”

This year's production at Springfield will result in around 500 tonnes of strawberries, or the equivalent of about a million punnets, and the supply of Welsh strawberries will last until late autumn.

The strawberry variety being grown is called Favori and has been chosen for its superb eating quality and flavour. It has a vivid colour and produces large berries that are not too crunchy.

Tesco is also set to begin selling strawberries grown in Essex from this weekend.

Tesco's Jordan Blandford added:

“From the first week of March we will also have strawberries grown in Lancashire, with Berkshire and Kent following after that.”

The Rajdani near Sevenoaks, which was named the Best Indian Restaurant in the South East at the Asian Curry Awards last year, has been shortlisted for the Asian Restaurant Awards, which are being held next month.

The popular West Kingsdown venue is joined on the shortlist by three other Kent Curry houses: Taj Cuisine in Chatham, Everest Inn in Ashford and Sundar Rachana in Rainham. The winners will be revealed at a special ceremony at the Manchester Hilton on Monday 5th March.

Organised by the Asian Catering Federation (ACF), which represents the country's 30,000 ethnic restaurants, the awards are open to Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese restaurants and takeaways.

The full nationwide shortlisted, can be seen at www.asianrestaurantawards.org/asian-restaurant-awards-2018-shortlist

As fun as it can be to fill your boots with chocolate each Easter, why not burn off a few of those cocoa-induced calories this 2018 and book a trip to The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience?

With two attractions, one in London* and one in Manchester**, it doesn’t matter which half of the UK you hail from, and as they’re both indoors, the inevitable April showers won’t wreak havoc on your bank holiday weekend plans either.

If you were a die-hard fan of the iconic 90s show, are loving the latest instalments from Richard Ayoade or if you just enjoy a challenge, then this is the perfect activity for you. Teams of eight will be lead around the maze’s four themed zones: Aztec, Medieval, Industrial and Futuristic, by a charismatic Maze Master (Tip: Befriending them early on is a wise move if you want them to impart their insider knowledge with you).

Inside each zone are different challenges; skill, physical, mental and mystery and it’s up to your team captain to decide who takes on which challenge with the ultimate goal of winning a crystal. Each crystal won means more time in the iconic dome, where the aim is to catch enough golden tickets to bag yourself a spot on the coveted leader board!

The whole experience is deliciously daft, frantic and fun. Expect to be crawling, running and even sliding your way around the maze. It’s the ultimate team experience so gather your friends or family and book your place now.

Wolves at Work has helped a major new Wolverhampton retailer successfully recruit city residents for 50 permanent jobs.

Food Warehouse (Iceland) will be officially opening its new flagship store at the Peel Centre, Stafford Street, on Tuesday, March 13.

The Wolves at Work employment programme - which is run in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, Job Change and City of Wolverhampton College – helped generate 3,500 applications, and interview 300 candidates over five days.

Forty-five of the 50 (90 per cent) retail assistant and night replenishment assistant roles have been filled by City of Wolverhampton residents – and of those 45, 27 were previously unemployed.

Food Warehouse (Iceland) Store Manager, Adam Allmark, said: “We have had great support from the Wolves at Work team.

“They were very positive in preparing the candidates for the process ahead – and it is the best recruitment service we’ve received.”

City of Wolverhampton Council, Cabinet Member for City Economy, Councillor John Reynolds, said: “The Wolves at Work team has done a great job helping Food Warehouse in its recruitment process.

“The programme is all about delivering jobs for local people and this is another major success story.

“It also highlights how £3.7 billion of investment on site or in the pipeline in the city is creating jobs.”

Anyone interested in local jobs or employers needing recruitment support in Wolverhampton can register at www.wolvesworkbox.com.

Up to two extra days of shelf life will be added to avocados, helping to cut down on food waste, thanks to new packaging now available at Tesco.

The new design, which will significantly improve quality for customers, has been developed after several years of trials.

It works by using a unique combination of UV light treatment and improved packaging film to extend freshness for customers – without any compromise on quality or flavour.

There has been no change to the volume of packaging used with the product.

In recent years avocados have grown in popularity, with demand at Tesco up by more than 10 per cent in the last year as it's become a breakfast staple and healthy eating sensation.

Tesco avocado expert Mike Corbett said:

“Avocados have recently soared in popularity as a healthy snacking food but frustratingly, once ripe, they can deteriorate fairly quickly.

“This fantastic new packaging will help cut down on food waste by offering customers up to an extra two days of storage time.”

The avocados will go on sale in 1300 Tesco stores and will be sold in a 'ripe and ready to eat' twin pack format, priced at £1.89.

The new packaging has been developed by Tesco supplier and fruit and vegetable importers Greencell who specialise in supplying avocados.

Other recent avocado innovations by Tesco include:

• The 'Avozilla', which is roughly five times larger than regular varieties.
• Snack-sized mini 'Zilla Eggs', helping to reduce food waste on the farm and at home, benefitting both suppliers and customers.
• Convenient frozen avocado slices, to help customers reduce food waste.