Category Archives: Food

Kenyan Tea | Drink Review

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I am quite obsessed with tea. A day without tea is just a bad day. I usually drink English Breakfast tea but I decided to give Kenyan tea a shot. With interesting results: it’s even better than my normal tea.

I reviewed Marks and Spencer Pure Origin Mount Kenya Teabags and they are really flavoursome, fresh and bright. They just make such a good cup of tea. In fact it is hard to make a bad cup of tea with these teabags. This is definitely the tea I will be buying from now on. I can’t say enough just how amazing the tea tastes. They are also Fairtrade which just makes the tea taste even better.

Just as amazing is Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Kenyan Fairtrade Fine Tea. Try Kenyan tea. You won’t look back. (no, I am not being paid to write this. They just rock)

Kenya is a country famed for its long distance runners…just look at this year’s London Marathon winners. But that’s not the only impressive export from this beautiful East African country. Did you know that thanks to Kenya’s perfect climate along the Rift Valley, the country provides nearly 53% of the tea leaves we Brits drink in our daily cuppa?

Kenyan Tea is at the heart of many of Britain’s favourite teas blends making up the 165 million cups of tea we drink each and every day in the UK. As we approach a Summer of British celebration, we’ve no doubt there’ll be more tea (and cake!) consumed than ever before, so here’s a few reasons it should be Kenyan tea you’re drinking:

* Her Majesty the Queen was visiting Kenya on the day she ascended to the throne – 6th February 1952.
* It’s remained a popular spot with the Royals, as it was also where Prince William and Kate Middleton got engaged in 2010.
* Of the 78 Olympic medals Kenya has won since 1964, 69 were for athletics running events.
* With the exception of 2010, a Kenyan runner has won the men’s London Marathon every year since 2004. This year Wilson Kipsang was only four seconds behind the course record.
* Kenyan tea is grown within the regions that nurture the top athletes.
* Kenyan tea is uniquely refreshing and 100% disease and pest free.

We British are famed for our love of a good brew, so we’ve asked around to find out what makes your perfect cuppa. While milky tea is still our favourite it seems we’re getting more adventurous as more are trying lemon or honey in a cuppa, while over a third of you are experimenting with the purer tastes of loose leaf, single estate and rare teas from around the world.

To introduce you to the distinctive taste of Kenyan Teas we’ve sent you two delicious teas so you can experience the high quality and distinctive flavour, and discover what’s truly at the heart of a good cuppa.

About Kenyan Tea

· Tea has been grown in Kenya since 1903 and quickly thrived thanks to the growing conditions, climate and altitude. Tea is grown in both large plantations and smallholdings across 180,000 hectares with production reaching up to 390 million kilos per year. Today Kenya is the largest producer of tea in Africa and one of the world’s largest black tea producers.

· Kenya tea has been proved to have higher levels of antioxidants compared to teas produced in other parts of the world.

Stockists

· Marks and Spencer Pure Origin Mount Kenya Teabags – £1.79 for 50 teabags. This is the first Kenyan tea to be grown and packed at source, the result of a 2 year project with M&S training farmers to pack tea for export and local sale.

· Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Kenyan Fairtrade Fine Tea – £2.39 for 80 teabags. This tea is grown in fair-trade tea gardens in the Kenyan highlands where the climate and altitude produce this fine tea with a full flavour.

Fuel | Food Review

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I am one of those people who faint if they don’t have breakfast, so I take it quite seriously. Some ‘energy cereal’ landed on Frost’s doorstep and we put it to the test.

Most important thing first: taste. It tastes great. Really good. Like muesli, but better. Fuel is made for sport and fitness enthusiasts. It based on the 10k hours principle (see below) and has been developed for those interested in marathons and triathlons to sustain them through training and the race. This isn’t me, but my life is busy and I exercise most days.

It comes in two flavours: Real Fruit and Chocolate Chunks. Both flavours taste great. Does it give me more energy? Yes. It is a good healthy breakfast that gets you through the day. I would buy Fuel. There is £1 off the normal RSP of £3.29 at Sainsbury from now until August 14th.

Barney Mauleverer, 37, is one of the creators of FUEL and a devotee of extreme sporting challenges having completed the gruelling Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert, the Himalayan Marathon and, most recently, the Jungle Marathon in the Amazon.

Barney said: “We have created FUEL because we were bored with what was on offer in the cereals category and specifically to meet the needs of today’s active people taking part in marathons, triathlons, mountain climbing as well as more traditional pastimes such as rugby, tennis and squash.

“An energy-packed cereal like FUEL will help give them the edge in their training regimes and in competition.”

Containing only natural ingredients, FUEL is rich in Vitamin B and E, high in fibre and contains guarana extract. It is a blend of both slow release and fast release energy providing an ideal start to the day.

FUEL is available in 400g packs and has a retail price of £3.29.

The 10,000 hours rule was developed by psychologist Anders Ericsson of Florida State University and made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers. Basically, Ericsson’s theory suggests that sufficient practice in a particular skill can take anyone to the level of proficiency equivalent to that heard on the playing of a top concert pianist. Gladwell took this theory further and said it could apply to the best sports people, business leaders and performers. He cited the 10,00 hours spent programming by Bill Gates at the age of 13 – long before the majority of his peers knew what a computer was. 10,000 hour works out at 90 minutes of practice ever day for 20 years.

The Endurance Launches Food Spectrum, An Innovative New Foodie Concept

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Food Spectrum is an initiative which sees renowned Soho pub, The Endurance, opening its doors to young, creative, passionate and under-the-radar chefs. Acting as a platform from which they can showcase their talent and achieve the credibility they deserve, Food Spectrum not only gives young chefs a head start in the fiercely competitive restaurant industry, but it satisfies an ever growing culture of food enthusiasts.

The main catalyst behind the concept is the lack of space for young restaurateurs who have the skills, dedication and passion but not necessarily the contacts, business skills or investor backing to embark upon the costly – not to mention risky – process of setting up a new restaurant. With Food Spectrum each chef will move into The Endurance kitchen for a month and will be given the opportunity to see their vision fully realised with free reign over the menu’s offerings. Every extreme of their creativity will be explored through a number of different sittings throughout the week which will add a different dimension to the food on show.

Primarily, there will be a lunch service from Monday to Friday where the chefs will choose a number of dishes specially selected to highlight the pinnacles of their expertise. Every Saturday they will run a full day service allowing the possibility for something more along the lines of a taster menu, acting as an extension of the skills exhibited during the week. One Sunday a month the chefs will be given the freedom to choose which kind of service they will run, allowing them to fully unleash their creativity and ideas to bring an experience to the diner which epitomises their approach to food. A drinks menu specially selected by a sommelier to match the food offerings will complement the whole experience.

The plan allows the chefs to test their food-making skills in a normal restaurant environment and customer interaction will be at the forefront of the experience. The project will serve as a great opportunity to learn and for this reason feedback will be encouraged. A regular blog and a meticulously monitored Twitter feed will prove key in the interaction between customers and the restaurant; an essential priority to any modern day start-up which should not be overlooked. The diner will participate in a restaurant experience which will not only let them sample food from the culinary names of tomorrow, but they will also play an integral part in establishing the foundation from which these young chefs can move forward. The use of good, honest, locally sourced produce means that Food Spectrum is tapping into the current trend for mid market, non-mobile, street food by bringing an option to diners that is simultaneously experimental, high quality and affordable.

Logistically, the plan has all the ingredients of a good one; simple, innovative and effective. With a fully equipped kitchen, a front-of house area with 54 covers, waiting staff, a management team, cleaning staff, a website portal and a PR team, Food Spectrum banishes the usual logistical challenges and costly obstacles of setting up a restaurant, offering a package that rationalises the prospects of making the dream possible once again. Whilst a proven history or established reputation are not at all required, owner of The Endurance, Billy Drew explains that, “The three characteristics for a good chef are determination, passion and talent – and they have to be deeply ingrained in that individual. The rest can be learnt.”

Through a combination of talent, flair and commitment from the chefs, along with customer interaction and support from the Food Spectrum team, The Endurance is set to be the stage from which aspiring chefs can build upon their own experience towards an established reputation and successful career within the Restaurant industry.

OCADO MEALTIME MASTERCLASSES: A UK FIRST COOKALONG

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Ollie Lloyd and Catherine Balavage

As Ocado continues to campaign for the nation to remix the recipes they regularly concoct, they offered lucky participants the chance to cook along live with the Great British Chefs Galton Blackiston, Simon Hulstone and Josh Eggleton via exclusive Google+ Hangouts. These consumers were able to interact directly with the chefs receiving cookery tips and five-star advice whilst ultimately experiencing the heat of a professional kitchen in the comfort of their own home. I was lucky enough to take part and had a lot of fun.

Those who chose to simply sit back and watch the chefs, could see the whole thing live on Ocado’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/ocado. Fun fact – streaming to YouTube from Google+ is a UK cookery first!

Now the live cook-a-longs with Britain’s greatest chefs (all of whom have been awarded Michelin Stars) are easily accessible to everyone via the Google Ad Network and YouTube.

The videos feature:

· Simon Hulstone’s curried chicken Kiev with squash sag aloo, filmed at The Elephant restaurant in Torquay

· Josh Eggleton’s Pimms Jelly, filmed at the The Pony & Trap near Bristol

· Galton Blackiston’s Scotch eggs with bois boudran dipping sauce, filmed at Morston Hall in Norfolk

Cha Cha Moon | Restaurant Review

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15-21 Ganton Street, W1F 9BN. Nearest tube: Oxford Circus.

Meals served 11.30am-11pm Mon-Thur; 11.30am-11.30pm Fri, Sat; noon-10.30pm Sun

Main courses £7-£8

Telephone: 020 7297 9800

On Thursday night we headed to Cha Cha Moon. A Chinese restaurant right in the heart of trendy Soho. The first thing that strikes me about Cha Cha Moon is the decor: it is incredibly stylish with an open kitchen and a bar at the back. The tables are long benches and there is also a good garden space. Of course the decor is not the main thing you want in a restaurant, that’s the food and the service. Both of which are first-class here. The atmosphere was buzzing and very much in keeping with the Soho surroundings.

I have to admit that I love chinese food. We started with the chicken dumplings and Cha cha mooli. The dumplings were excellent. They were crispy and tasted divine when dipped in the perfectly seasoned garlic chilli sauce. The Cha cha mooli was something I’d never had before, but it looked very interesting on the menu. It was Turnip cake, dried shrimp, Chinese chive, Chinese salami beansprout, spring onion, egg. It didn’t disappoint, everything somehow came together in a dish that was delightfully different.

We also had the Seafood ho fun which is Scallop, prawn, squid, red and green pepper, onion, black bean, ho fun. It tasted superb and the portion was very generous. Everything, particularly the seafood, was perfectly cooked. We also had Crispy duck lao mian: Crispy duck, cucumber, cū mian, we really enjoyed this classic chinese dish with the noodles Cha Cha Moon specialises in.

For dessert we had Banana and melon fritters. I had never had melon fritters before and they tasted just as good as the banana fritters. The fritters came in a deliciously warm sugary syrup. The cool vanilla cream on the side was the perfect contrast and when it was all combined with the crispy fritters it was a simply fantastic dessert.

Cha Cha Moon also does very good drinks. An expert cocktail maker is constantly at work behind the bar and there is a good selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. We had the Golden Sunrise (Peach, mango, mint, goji berry), Chan Chan Tei (Beetroot, spinach, pear, apple), Pina Colada (White rum, pineapple, coconut, cream) and Mango Juice.

I loved my Pina Colada. It was superbly made. The Chan Chan Tei was a great savoury drink and very healthy.

The service was excellent. The food came extremely quickly and everyone was very warm and friendly. Highly recommended.

Curried Chicken Kiev With Squash Sag Aloo Recipe

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I was invited to take part in a Ocado Masterclass with a Michelin star chef; Simon Hulstone from The Elephant, Torquay. I have been getting better at cooking, but was thinking, upon seeing the recipe, that there was not a hope in hell of me managing to make the Curried chicken Kiev with squash sag aloo. Thankfully, with the help of Great British Chefs Elliot Collins and Ollie Lloyd I managed to make the dish. It looked amazing and it tasted sublime. Simon has made a killer recipe. Do try this at home.

Some tips that I picked up are: when cooking something try to cut the food in the same shape and size, if not, they will not all cook at the same time. Obvious but brilliant. If you want to become a good cook: practice, and when bashing the chicken (read below) but cling film over it. It will stop you having to wash more things because it is contaminated with raw meat.

Ocado have lots of brilliant recipes and are also doing live streaming masterclasses. These live stream masterclasses are the first of their kind. What makes them unique is that you can interact with the chef. Be sure to check them out. I am going to try their Pimm’s Jelly next.


Curried chicken kiev with squash sag aloo

by Simon Hulstone

chicken kiev
• 4 chicken breasts, skinless
• 400g of panko breadcrumbs
• 4 eggs
• 100ml of milk
• 200g of flour
• salt

curry sauce
• 25g of butter
• 1 shallot, sliced thinly
• 1 garlic clove, sliced thinly
• 20g of flour
• 100ml of chicken stock
• 75ml of coconut milk
• 1.5 tbsp of curry powder
• salt
• 100g of butter, softened

squash sag aloo
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 0.25 tsp of coriander seeds
• 0.25 tsp of cumin seeds
• 0.25 tsp of chilli powder
• 0.25 tsp of ground coriander
• 1 tsp of fenugreek seeds
• 350g of baby spinach, washed
• 300g of potato,
peeled and diced into 5mm cubes
• 300g of butternut squash,
peeled and diced into 5mm cubes
• salt

to plate
1 handful of coriander

method (serves 4)

1. Start by removing the butter from fridge to soften. Next, thinly slice the shallots and garlic and
prepare your 100ml of chicken stock
2. In a saucepan over a medium heat, melt the 25g butter and add the shallots and garlic. Cook
until soft and slightly golden. Add the 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder & cook for 30 seconds, then
add the 20g flour and cook for 30 seconds more. At this stage, add the chicken stock, making sure
to stir constantly. Cook while stirring for 1 minute and this will thicken very quickly
3. Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Once the mixture thickens again, remove from the
heat and transfer to a blender. Slowly take the blender up to full speed and blend until smooth.
Add salt to taste
4. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and set aside to cool
5. Now prepare your mixture for the sag aloo – slice the onions and garlic. Peel your potatoes and
butternut squash and dice them into 5mm cubes – place them in separate bowls, covering the
potatoes in water. Set aside while you prepare the chicken Kiev
6. By now your curry mixture will have cooled sufficiently – combine with the softened 100g of
butter and whisk until fully mixed – it should turn slightly more pale in colour
7. On a large piece of cling film, put the butter mixture down the middle creating a thin sausage
with gaps at both ends of the cling film. Fold the cling film over the mix and roll to form a neat 2cm
diameter cylinder of butter. Tie off the ends of the cling film and set in the freezer until required
8. Now return to your sag aloo. Boil a kettle and place 2 small pans of boiling water over a high
heat. As soon as the water is boiling, add a large pinch of salt to each. Strain the water off the po-
tatoes and add to one pot, add the butternut squash to the other. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until
the squash and potatoes are just tender. Strain and place on a tray to cool
9. Meanwhile, as the squash and potatoes are cooking, place a large frying pan over a medium
heat. Once hot, add the oil, onions and garlic (you sliced earlier). Cook until tender or slightly
coloured

Ollie Lloyd and Catherine Balavage

10. Grind the fenugreek in a mortar and pestle and mix with the other spices. Add the spices (co-
riander – seeds and ground, fenugreek, chilli powder, cumin seeds) to the pan and cook for at least
a minute. Remove from the heat and set aside
11. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. Blanch the washed spinach in the boiling water for
no more than 10 seconds, strain and then plunge into your ice water. Discard the boiling water.
Once the spinach has chilled, drain the spinach and squeeze any excess water out with a cloth
12. Place the pan containing the onions and spices back onto the stove over a medium heat. Once
the onions begin to fry again, add the potato, squash and spinach
13. Mix all the ingredients; you want the edges of the potato and squash to break up a little bit, but
not so they are mashed. Add salt to taste and place on the side until required
14. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4, and set your deep fryer or get your pan with oil to
180°C (using a sugar thermometer to check the temperature)
15. Lay a chicken breast down on a chopping board. Use the palm of your hand to hold the breast
in place and slide a knife through the side of the breast; so it opens like a book but doesn’t create
2 separate pieces. Place each chicken breast in between two sheets of cling film and tenderize
gently with a rolling pin
16. Remove the curry butter from the freezer and peel away from cling film. Slice the curry butter
cylinder into 2cm thick discs. Remove the top layer of cling film from the chicken breast placing a
each disk of sauce in the middle of each chicken breast. Then, fold the outer edges of the chicken
breast over, so that the curry sauce is enclosed. Repeat this process for each breast
17. Set up your dipping station with three bowls big enough to coat your Kievs in. In one bowl, add
a pinch of salt to the flour. In another, beat the eggs with the milk and a pinch of salt. Place the
breadcrumbs in the third bowl
18. Roll each chicken breast, one by one, in the flour, trying to maintain the ball-like shape. Roll into
the egg mix, making sure they’re covered. Shake any excess egg off and then roll in the bread-
crumbs. Dip again in the egg mix and then back into the breadcrumbs for a second coat
19. Shape the Kievs in your hands so that they are still round. Gently place into the deep fat fryer
until golden all over
20. Once golden, remove from the fryer and place on a greaseproof paper lined baking tray and
put in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Using a temperature probe, heat to 63°C, then turn
off the oven leaving the Kievs in to keep warm
21. Reheat your sag loo on the stove. Once hot, arrange the sag aloo in the middle of each plate
22. Sit the cooked Kiev on top and arrange the coriander neatly around the plate. Serve immediately

Chocolate Winner Announced.

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I don’t want to delve into cliche, but I am quite partial to chocolate. I could never choose a winner from all of the chocolate I have tasted so thankfully there are experts to do that.

The organisers of the International Chocolate Awards have managed and have announced the winners of the European Semi Final round, which received over 260 entries. These prestigious awards give out just one Gold in each category and a number of silvers to the winning products, which have been through three rigorous rounds of judging, first in Sussex and then at The Marriott Hotel, County Hall in London.

The Gold in the Dark Bar category went to Michel Cluizel, Los Ancones. Made in France using beans from the Dominican Republic, a 67% cocoa solids bar and one of their origins range and impressed the judges as a bar that was complex and sophisticated whilst also being a chocolate that has mass appeal. In the Milk category Michel Cluizel also triumphed with Gold for their Maralumi milk. France continued to pick up awards with Pralus the only Gold winner in the Milk filled chocolates category for their Bar Infernale Lait and Bonnat picking up a Silver in the dark bar category.

Micro batch producers did well at the awards with Akesson, Original Beans and Friis Holm all winning silvers for their bars.

The British entrants excelled in the filled chocolates categories with Golds to Paul a Young and Damian Allsop and silvers awarded to Boutique Aromatique, Matcha and Rococo. Hotel Chocolat also did well in the awards with a silver for their St Lucian 70% milk, salted caramel éclat in the flavoured milk bar category, a category where Damian Allsop picked up another Gold.

The organic Gold awards were won by Michel Cluizel, once again for their Los Ancones bar, by Akesson for their Madagascan 75% & Voatsiperifery Pepper a flavoured dark bar and by Francois Pralus for their milk Melissa bar.

To celebrate the International nature of the awards, Country Golds were also given for those categories where more than 10 products from one country were entered and went to Domori (Italy) for their Guasare bar and to relative newcomer Idilio (Switzerland) for their no 2 seleccion Amiari Meridenha.

This is the first year of the International Chocolate Awards, set up to recognise the best fine quality chocolate from around the world. The awards are designed to reflect international tastes and offer a level playing field for international entries. An Italian round was held earlier this year with a US round planned for September in New York and the World Finals back in London in October. The European Semi Final received over 260 entries from more than 50 different brands. Entries came from all over Europe – from countries more traditionally associated with chocolate such as France and Switzerland, to up and coming countries including Israel and the Czech Republic.

The judging panel is made up of experts, food journalists and pastry chefs from the host country, overseen by a Grand Jury who travel to each competition. The Grand Jury members who attended the European awards are: Martin Christy (Seventy% founder, UK), Maricel Presilla (Cuban American chef and author of The New Taste of Chocolate), Monica Meschini (Italian expert and taster), George Bernadini (German author and ex-chocolate maker), Nancy Gilchrist (Master of Wine, UK) and Alex Rast (Seventy% contributor and reviewer, UK).

The categories, which range from flavoured bars to filled chocolates to spreads, are designed to reflect the current chocolate industry. Prizes are separated according to category, with Gold and Silver awards available. Winners go through to the International Grand Final, in October 2012 in London. World finalists have also been indicated – these are products which have achieved a highly commended and will be invited to enter the judging of the World Finalists.

For the full list of winners visit http://www.internationalchocolateawards.com/2012/06/european-semi-final-2012-winners/

BBC Dragons’ Den star Kirsty Henshaw takes on the UKs top selling ready meals

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BBC Dragons’ Den star Kirsty Henshaw takes on the UKs top selling ready meals with a new range launching in Sainsbury’s, July 2012

Working mum Kirsty Henshaw, 26, shot to fame when her allergen-free dessert range – inspired by her food intolerant son, Jake – won over Dragons’ Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne in 2010.

Today, Kirsty is taking on the UKs top selling ready meals, introducing her range of healthier, irresistibly delicious and naturally nutritious chilled everyday meals.

The new range is super-charged with goodness; each meal is lovingly made up of nutrient-rich ingredients such as quinoa, aduki beans, brown rice and lentils to help you live life to the full.

Kirsty has created natural food swaps to provide healthier alternatives, and uses brown rice instead of white and sweet potato instead of white potato mash. Sugar has been replaced with natural Agave syrup for fewer calories. The meals are also free from wheat, dairy, lactose and nuts so they are suitable for everyone.

Kirsty adds: “A lot of ready meals on the market appear healthy however they are often packed with high levels of saturated fat, sugar or artificial flavours.”

“This new range is about providing people with something that is genuinely healthy as an alternative, and most importantly the meals taste fabulous!”

The meals have a low ‘green light’ for saturated fat and sugar content and have been designed to give a happy balance between salt levels and taste, they use natural sea salt and will at most register an ‘amber light’. At least one portion of your five day is provided for and the meals are low in calories (ranging from 276 to 420 for a Chicken Tikka Masala).

Kirsty’s chilled everyday meals will be available to purchase at Sainsbury’s nationwide from July 2012; the range includes:

ü Moroccan Vegetables with Brown Rice and Quinoa

ü Sausage with Onion Gravy and Carrot, Sweet Potato & Potato Mash

ü Chicken Tikka Masala with Brown Rice

ü Cottage Pie with British Beef mince and topped with Sweet Potato, Carrot & Potato Mash

The kirstys.co.uk website, which Kirsty has designed with her father, Darren a nutritionist and homeopath who runs health shop Aphrodite in Penwortham Lancs.