Category Archives: Launches: Restaurant, product & brand

Jun5

Cooks & co launches new mediterranean artichokes

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Cooks & co launches new mediterranean artichokes

I have just come across Cooks & Co‘s new jar of grilled artichokes, and they’re absolutely yummy and not expensive either!

The company gets its artichokes from the coastal mountains of Puglia in the south of Italy, an area famed for its countryside’s flourishing cultivation, which dates back to Roman times.  They are then picked and prepared to a traditional Italian recipe, using garlic and Mediterranean herbs. Unlike many jars, these artichokes are not at all watery, and are really tender and tasty, even if eaten straight from the jar.

I had mine on home made pizzas, but they’re also pretty good in salads, with mediterranean chicken, or simply as bruschetta.

I’ve also been munching all day on the Cooks & Co red chillies, and as they only have a little kick, they’re perfect to eat whole – although I do have an extraordinarily high tolerance for chili, so it’s probably best to test them for yourself.

Visit www.cooksandco.co.uk for more information.

Jun1

Free burritos!

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Free burritos!

Yummy yummy yummy!!!! Tortilla on King Street in Hammersmith is giving away 1000 free burritos tomorrow (June 2nd) in honour of its official launch – the company’s 6th site.

Founded and run by Managing Director Brandon Stephens, Tortilla started with the launch of its first restaurant in Islington in October 2007 followed a year later by the Southwark site. The chain now operates at six locations and claims its Canary Wharf store as the busiest burrito joint in the UK.  According to the 2011 results of the Peach Business Leaders Survey, Tortilla was named “one to watch” along with four other catering businesses.

Still, as long as the burritos are tasty, that’s all that matters to me!

www.tortilla.co.uk

6A King Street Hammersmith London W6 0QA

May16

Selfridges launches Project Ocean

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Selfridges launches Project Ocean

Driven by the unthinkable prospect of the world’s major fisheries collapsing by 2050, Selfridges has announced an interesting new partnership initiative with The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), to raise awareness of the increasing damage we are causing to the ocean as a result of our ever growing consumption of fish.

Dubbed Project Ocean, the aim is to highlight that unless we change the way we fish and the seafood we choose to eat, global stocks will disappear before our eyes.  It will challenge us all to imagine a world with “no more fish in the sea” and in turn hopes to increase awareness, inspire change in consumer habits and raise funds.

The project will be running from 11 May – 12 June, and will involve international marine protection campaigners, 22 environmental NGOs, as well high profile activists from the worlds of art, fashion, culinary arts, and entertainment.

For five weeks, the Selfridges’ Ultralounge will be the epicentre for Project Ocean activity, including talks on the most pressing issues related to our oceans, film screenings, Guerrilla Science for families and cookery demonstrations by celebrity and aspiring chefs on how to cook sustainable fish.  On Friday evenings, the Ultralounge will emerge as the Dive Bar, hosting musical acts and performances as a means to raising awareness and showcasing up and coming talent. (See the calendar of events).

There is an informative Selfridges Fish Guide on the website providing useful information and recipes, and they have even launched a natty little (free) iphone app that you can turn to to find out which fish to eat and which to avoid.

Part of Selfridges Fish Guide, indicating endangered species and alternatives

Jonathan Baillie, co-creator of Project Ocean and Director of ZSL said, “Project Ocean signals the biggest-ever retail activism campaign designed to ‘sell’ and engage public mind-sets on overfishing, an issue that needs mass support.  We hope that this innovative partnership with Selfridges makes the public understand the issues around overfishing, and measurably leads to more fish in the sea”.

It’s a worthy cause, so if you are interested in donating, please follow the instructions below.

How to Donate: You can donate to Project Ocean to help the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) create new, and maintain existing, marine reserves around the world.  These safe havens for fish to breed, grow and migrate will help the future survival of our ocean environments and all that lives within them.

What your donation could buy:

£10 – underwater paper to record fish species and numbers; £30 – marker buoy to show boundary of reserve; £30 – mask and snorkel for diver to check fish & corals; £40 – air tank for diver; £60 – underwater torch; £100 – dive computer to record fish numbers; £150 – wetsuit for diver; £300 – dive training for local conservationist; £1,000 – annual salary of a fish warden; £3,000 – guardhouse to protect the reserve; £3,000 – patrol boat to protect the reserve; £4,500-7,000 – annual salary for developing country community worker … *estimated costs for a marine reserve in the Philippines

All donations to Project Ocean will go to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) to help set up and maintain existing marine reserves around the world ZSL is a registered charity in England & Wales, no: 208728

May6

Benares pops-up in Soho’s Meza

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Benares pops-up in Soho’s Meza

Fine dining Indian restaurant Benares has just launched an exciting new pop-up in Meza, which will be open for four weeks, until 28th May.

Michelin starred chef Atul Kochhar has transformed the modern grill menu of Meza into the Benares pop-up, bringing some mouth-watering examples of modern British Indian cuisine and Indian street food to the heart of Soho.  The menu includes some of the Benares signature dishes and some funky new additions.

After finishing my exquisite mango and chilli kaipiroska, we tucked into an assortment of vibrant dishes, each of which left me salivating for more.

What a far cry from your average curry house meal! Wok tossed prawns with spring onion, pineapple and soy; kadhai cottage cheese with coloured peppers and little gem; crisp soft shell crab with lemon grass mayonnaise; chicken tikka with red onion salad and mint chutney; and ‘Achaari’ duck supreme with vanilla beetroot.

The prawns were utterly fantastic; delightfully succulent and coated in sweet, spicy, juicy, chilli, ginger and pineapple yummyness.  The chicken tikka was tender and bursting with flavour, and the crab was simply to die for – deliciously soft and melting in the mouth. The duck was good, but my least favourite, mainly because the flavour of duck just didn’t shine through, (and I prefer my duck to be pink,) but having said that the bed of beetroot and vanilla that accompanied it was sublime.  Having never been a fan of paneer, the kadhai cottage cheese on little gem was a real surprise, an exciting and inventive combination of textures and flavours.

Not that I had any space after that, but next came the curries…chicken tikka masala and kashmiri style lamb roganjosh, accompanied by black lentil daal, pulao rice and bread.

As expected they did not disappoint, the chicken was cooked to perfection, juicy portions drenched in a sweet, tomatoey sauce; deliciously meaty lamb that fell apart in the mouth and coupling this with the aromatic rice, the robust lentils and naan just made the meal complete.

While my stomach was bursting out of my jeans, I just couldn’t resist sampling one of Atul’s puddings – pannacotta with cardamom…divine, need I say more!

To top it all off, once the waiter had cleared the table, he bought what looked like two white fluffy marshmallows on a plate, and proceeded to pour boiling water on top, transforming them into little hand towels – genius!

As well as superb food, the service we received was spot on, polite, helpful, friendly, attentive…what more could you want!

The pop-up will be open for dinner only, Monday – Saturday and Benares restaurant will be operating as normal.

For reservations please call 020 7314 4002  www.atulkochhar.com / www.benaresrestaurant.co.uk  www.meza-bar.co.uk

Apr16

Celebrate Malbec World Day tomorrow…by drinking loads of the stuff!

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Celebrate Malbec World Day tomorrow…by drinking loads of the stuff!

Having been to Argentina and drunk loads of Malbec, I know I never need an excuse to drink more, but I’ve got one tomorrow.  The 17th of April, tomorrow, marks the first Malbec World Day, that will see Wines of Argentina partner with wineries around the world to create a series of unique ‘vintage 2011’ Malbec wines – yummy!

In the UK, Chapel Down, one of the UK’s premier producers, is collaborating with Wines of Argentina to create an authentic Argentine Malbec with an English twist.  Chapel Down will crush, press and bottle the Malbec grapes which have been picked from Gaucho Restaurant’s vineyards in the heart of Argentina’s wine region in Mendoza. The wine will then be aged by Chapel Down, ready to be released on Malbec World Day 2012, when it will be sold in Gaucho Restaurants, at Chapel Down and at selected retailers around the UK as a limited edition.

To celebrate the partnership and creation of the wine, Chapel Down is inviting visitors on an exclusive tour of its vineyard and winery tomorrow, Malbec World Day, to explain how the wine will be made.  Guests will be offered tastings of Argentine Malbec and Chapel Down’s own wines.

Events, tastings and offers will also be taking place across the UK throughout April to celebrate Malbec World Day, including a large-scale Malbec promotion at Majestic’s 200 stores; a Malbec experience with authentic food; music and tango at the Sunday Times Wine Club Vintage Festival and a Malbec Tasting day at Harrods on Malbec World Day.

Gaucho Restaurants will be offering complimentary mini Malbec Masterclasses for all guests dining at a Gaucho restaurant up until 22nd April; and will also be hosting a series of events throughout the month at Gaucho Broadgate, including a ‘Meet the Wine Director’ dinner with Phil Crozier, a leading authority on Argentine wines and the inaugural Gaucho Broadgate Kilo Club dinner, with Malbec wines to match each course.

Happy drinking peeps!

Apr5

New Hummingbird bakery to open in London

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New Hummingbird bakery to open in London

Another Hummingbird bakery, which will be the forth in London, is scheduled to open by June on Frying Pan Alley, Spitalfields – ideally situated for customers in the City’s square mile and Shoreditch – Yip Yip!

Image by Benjamin C. M. Backhouse

As well as a wide range of products including the yummy trademark cupcakes, pies and brownies, there will also be indoor and outdoor spaces for customers to savour their scrumptious purchases, and a dedicated consultation area for The Hummingbird Bakery’s bespoke ‘Cakes by Consultation’ service.

Selling a whopping 1 million cupcakes last year (I wonder how many of those I ate?), The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook shifting in excess of 450,000 copies, and the recently launched ‘The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days’ ranking 18th place in Amazon’s bestseller list, the company is clearly going from strength to strength.  Further announcements on new bakery launches can be expected by 2012, as well as a load of new introductions such as the tiramisu, lemon meringue and apple crumple cupcakes currently on sale. Whoopieeeee!

Tarek Malouf, the founder of The Hummingbird Bakery, commented: “It is thanks to our customers’ continued support and enthusiasm for what we do that we are opening a fourth bakery.  Seven years ago, when we first launched, I don’t think anyone, myself included, ever imagined American-style baking and especially cupcakes would become such a big hit in the UK. Nevertheless, with our existing three bakeries and delivery service running at capacity, it is now not only possible but necessary to expand again to meet with demand.”

Apr5

Jordans launches Creations Oat Granola

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Jordans launches Creations Oat Granola

One of the first to bring granola to the UK almost 40 years ago, Jordans has just launched another new tasty addition to its range, dubbed Creations Oat Granola.

There are two new combinations to choose from; ‘Juicy Cranberry & Golden Honey’ and ‘Baked Apple & a hint of Cinnamon’, which both sound yummy to me.  As well as being tasty, they are also really healthy, as they both contain absolutely nothing artificial – i.e. no colourings, flavourings or preservatives, and even better, the oaty base is only sweetened with honey.

The other thing that caught my eye is that the company gathers oats from its own British Conservation Grade™ farms, where the farmers manage 10% of their land so that bees, birds and butterflies thrive – we like!

Bill Jordan adds: “I first tried Granola when I was a drummer in a band touring California in the 60s. It was a real eureka moment for me because oats are so nutritious and are the main ingredient in Granola.  As a family of flour millers at Jordans we knew all about the benefitsof eating wholegrain cereals like oats so Granola seemed to be the perfect way of making wholegrains really delicious. Creations is the next generation of Jordans Granola and I amreally pleased we are giving people another choice at breakfast which not only tastes great but contains all the goodness of oats and absolutely nothing artificial.”

Jordans Creations Oat Granola range is now available from selected supermarkets at an RRP of £3.49 for a 500g pack.

Mar17

Eat Natural launches sharing pack with mini sized bars

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Eat Natural launches sharing pack with mini sized bars

As you may already know from my previous posts, I’m a huge fan of Eat Natural, so I thought I would share its new creation – a special sharing size pack of  20g ‘Little Bars’ made exclusively for Waitrose.

The pack includes a tasty selection of the following bars:

-       Almond, apricot and yoghurt

-       Peanuts, cranberries and milk chocolate

-       Cranberries, macadamias and dark chocolate

Harriet at Eat Natural, who created the pack, says; “At Eat Natural we work with our growers to make sure we get the very best, full-flavoured ingredients possible to go into these recipes.  When you open up one of our bars, you really get the sense that we’ve just baked them…which is pretty much how it is.  And ingredients such as dark chocolate mean that you can live a ‘little’, too.”

Little Bars are currently available in Waitrose with an RRP of £2.99.

Mar16

Out today! Newly revamped marmite breadsticks – even more marmitey!

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Out today! Newly revamped marmite breadsticks – even more marmitey!

This is a great day for all Marmite lovers for a new version of Marmite breadsticks have gone on sale today… and they’re way more marmitey than the previous ones!

The newly improved breadstick bites are smaller in size and have a new lighter and crunchier texture, but a much more powerful hit of Marmite – whoop whoop!

Roxana Parvizi, Marmite brand manager comments: “We’re really pleased with the new recipe. It has given the breadsticks a stronger Marmitey flavour as the spread is now baked into the dough and coated onto the outer layer. We had lots of feedback that they needed more of a kick, so we hope the new recipe packs the punch that lovers crave!”

Marmite Breadstick Bites are available from stores nationwide including The co-operative and Sainsbury’s at an RRP of 69p.

Feb20

Maze launches wine flight menu

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Maze launches wine flight menu

Maze has just introduced a new ‘Wine Flights’ menu, consisting of three delicious courses and wines to accompany them.  The aim is that guests will now be able to try a few exceptional wines at lunch without needing to order a whole bottle.

The sommelier pairs the flavours and textures in each tasting-sized dish with a specially chosen selection of wine for you to savour – Okay so ‘Wine Flight’ may sound like something you would be served on Easy Jet, but the menu is far from it, and looks incredible.

Dishes include rump of lamb with fennel, samphire and lemon and thyme jus; veal osso bucco, rocket pesto, white onion risotto; and rice pudding with Mirabelle plum jam, mascarpone ice cream and caramelised pecans.

Wines to match include Chateau Bauduc Blanc 2009, Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux, exclusive to Gordon Ramsay restaurants and Les Grimaudes 2007 by Mark Kredenweiss, a 100% biodynamic blend from the Rhône Valley.

3 courses £45.00 (£25.00 without wine flight)

4 courses £56.00 (£36.00 without wine flight)

The wine flight menu is available for lunch every day and for dinner: Sunday to Thursday 6pm – 7pm.

You can reserve through:

Maze’s online booking function or contact the reservations team on:

T: 020 7107 0000

F: 020 7592 1603

Email: maze@gordonramsay.com