Author Archives: Sarah

Myth of the five-second rule: Eating dropped food can cause food poisoning even if it’s picked up immediately

Found by on Tuesday, 1st February 2011
Daily Mail
» Daily Mail
I’ve had food poisoning. It was worth it…
“You’ve just made a cup of tea when you drop the last chocolate digestive from the packet. You quickly scoop it up and pop it in your mouth, secure in the knowledge it only briefly touched the floor. But now scientists have warned the unwritten ‘five second rule’ could end up causing food poisoning or worse.”
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How to make marmalade

Found by on Tuesday, 1st February 2011
BBC Food blog
» BBC Food blog
“Making marmalade at home is a cool thing to do, up there with baking as a skill that gives you a certain pride in conversations. Unlike our grannies, we don’t have to aim to supply the neighbourhood with dozens of jars or pad out the oranges with pectin-rich carrot or turnip as they did in the war years. We can use good ingredients, make just enough for ourselves and friends, and feel rightly pleased that this little act of self-sufficiency showcases our kitchen abilities rather well.”
Filed under Recipes | Tagged |

Food Trends 2011: Dining Trends

Found by on Tuesday, 1st February 2011
Big Hospitality
» Big Hospitality
Producing a coupon is the quickest way to fill your restaurant: so how can restaurants prove they’re worth the price in 2011?
“Vouchers and discounts have meant big business for restaurants over the last year, but with consumers increasingly looking for value in more than just their wallets, and with warnings that vouchers could permanently damage brands, restaurants will need to pay attention to other dining trends in order to fulfil their customers desires.”
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Baobab’s Vegan Muffins

Found by on Tuesday, 1st February 2011
The KitchenMaid
» The KitchenMaid
“You don’t have to be a vegan to enjoy (or make) these hearty muffins. In fact, you might be just someone who wants to make some muffins for Saturday morning breakfast and realises they don’t have any eggs. Rachel, the chef at Baobab, makes these in six muffin tins but I find them too hard to get out of the tin that way and divide the mixture into eight. I also use spelt flour and add some orange zest. They’re pretty irresistable straight out of the oven (“Mummy, muffins!”) but they also freeze well for weekday lunches.”
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Host cuisine: cooking for a house guest

Found by on Monday, 31st January 2011
Guardian's Word Of Mouth Blog
» Guardian's Word Of Mouth Blog
Are you a massive foodie show off when your friends come around or do you act like a normal person? Read on to find out…
“I love to host, be it a dinner, lunch or a party. Because I’m prone to some mild showing off, glasses are always full, the food is always some kind of fancy dinner party-esque showy feast. But come the end of the night, when my guests are looking inebriated and comfortable, I’ll phone them a taxi rather than offer a bed for the night. Hosting is fun, but it is bloody exhausting, and a few hours is enough for me. So it was with some trepidation recently that I offered a newly single friend the spare room for a few weeks.”
Filed under Features | Tagged |

Mexican Pork Shoulder

Found by on Monday, 31st January 2011
Dinnerdiary.org
» Dinnerdiary.org
“Having been to Borough Market on Friday and replenished our supply of dried chillies, it seemed only right to cook something Mexican this weekend. While I was there, I visited the Ginger Pig and picked up a pork shoulder. Initially, we planned to roast it simply and eat it with some roast potatoes and vegetables but, craving something spicy, we decided to roast it Mexican-style instead. On looking up the recipe, we noticed the red onion accompaniment and since we have a surfeit of those, they made their way onto the table too. We followed this recipe but I think ours look prettier.”
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Brasserie Toulouse-Lautrec 140 Newington Butts, Kennington, London SE11

Found by on Monday, 31st January 2011
The Independent
» The Independent
“It’s hard to know what Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec would have made of Elephant & Castle. Even those of us who hail from south of the river don’t challenge the view that the two roundabouts at its core are the armpit of London. So you’d think an artist as flamboyant as that master of fin de siecle Paris would struggle to find inspiration amid these dreary tower blocks. Perhaps it was their very greyness that prompted Herve Regent to install a brasserie named after the painter here ? next to The Lobster Pot, a 20-year-old fish restaurant he owns next door ? and make it a family business by employing his eldest son front of house, and two others in the kitchen.”
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You can’t save the world with potato waffles for breakfast!

Found by on Monday, 31st January 2011
Daily Mail, Janet Street-Porter
» Daily Mail, Janet Street-Porter
You really don’t need to read this feature to know it’s going to be an entirely non-hysterical opinion piece
“Food prices have gone up almost 20 per cent in the past year, according to the UN, so perhaps this isn’t the best time for the World Wildlife Fund to promote a diet to save the planet”
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El Bulli chef’s magic food academy

Found by on Sunday, 30th January 2011
The Telegraph
» The Telegraph
“It could be a gastronomic laboratory designed by Willy Wonka – a culinary think tank set within giant glass jars and caverns resembling coral beside a pool of edible algae. Ferran Adrià, one of the world’s most celebrated chefs, has unveiled plans to transform his restaurant, El Bulli, into an environmentally friendly academic research foundation dedicated to pioneering molecular gastronomy to even greater heights. The Catalan chef announced a year ago that the three Michelin-starred establishment, crowned best in the world five times, would be closed throughout 2012 and 2013.”
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toptable Spotlight: the Groupon for FOOD!

Found by on Sunday, 30th January 2011
catty
» catty
At last, some brighter news about food prices!
“… if you’re sick of seeing Groupon’s offers for laser hair removal and what not and Just Want To Eat, check out toptable?s new little project Spotlight. Basically every Wednesday, one (or more) new deal(s) pop up on Spotlight, and you can choose to purchase the deal. If enough people purchase, the deal is on and you get sent your voucher. So simple and oh so awesome. Take for example the recent deal for Le Café Anglais, a restaurant which I loved last time, though I thought it was a little pricey. At £20 for a £40 voucher (yes I did the math, it totally works out in my favour), I jumped at the chance to go back. Even if it was just for the glorified fish and chips.”
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