Table of contents for September 2019 in Delicious UK

PHOTOGRAPHS: TOBY SCOTT, SUE LACEY PHOTOGRAPHY The food world is full of people who dedicate their lives to generating enthusiasm for food, whether through recipes, restaurant dishes or tempting treats discussed and cooked on our TV screens. And then there are people who see food as a means of helping others, fighting poverty, teaching skills, building communities, offering companionship and giving people a second chance in life. These endeavours are the heart and soul of food, and it’s what we try to capture in delicious. Here are just two examples from this month’s issue: on p10 you can get a snapshot of the work of Alex Head, founder of Social Pantry, who trains former prisoners, giving them a sense of purpose and hope. I’m involved with a similar initiative called…

PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES, FLO SMITH, ALEX HENDERSON, JOANN PAI THE MISSION After being expelled from school, Alex sold sandwiches from a bike before developing her catering company. Inspired by the second chances she’d been given, she rebranded as Social Pantry in 2011 to reflect her commitment to mentoring and employing ex-offenders. Social Pantry has seven sites in London and has catered events for Harvey Nichols and Facebook. WHAT DOES SOCIAL PANTRY DO? Alex works with offender rehabilitation charities Key 4 Life (key4life.org.uk) and Switchback (switchback.org.uk) as well as education and training social enterprise Novus (novus.ac.uk) to offer work placements and employment. She also works with the Ministry of Justice, interviewing potential recruits while they’re behind bars. The people she takes on make up 10 per cent of Social Pantry’s 70-strong…

Aiming to create a cured meat culture to rival the Continent’s, the British Charcuterie Live awards champion the craft. “Our charcuterie has a lot to offer,” says founder Henrietta Green. “Twenty-five years ago, people laughed at the idea of a British cheese industry… Look at it now. Britain’s cured meat has the same potential.” Final judging for this year’s awards took place last month during BBC Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace. Judges included chef Ben Tish, Brindisa founder Monika Linton and expert butcher David Lidgate. AND THE WINNERS ARE… David Lishman of Lishman’s of Ilkley was named Champion of Champions Producer for his smoked streaky bacon; beef and red wine pepperoni; and York air-dried ham. Dhruv Baker (pictured with Henrietta, below) and Tom Whitaker from Tempus Foods won Champion of…

PHOTOGRAPH: GARETH MORGANS. STYLING: OLIVIA WARDLE “I bought this wooden garganelli board and rolling pin in Florence a few years back while I was on holiday with my girlfriend. Italy is our favourite country – we love the scenery, the food, the wine and the people. We loved it so much that we decided to get married in Puglia in southern Italy. At my restaurant, we use this board all the time to make various types of pasta – gnocchi and (of course) garganelli, as well as malloreddus, which is a classic Sardinian pasta shape. I wouldn’t be without it.”…

Ember-baked beetroot with horseradish mash and toasted oats V “Beetroot is one of my favourite vegetables of all time. This colourful root is available all year because it keeps well, but I find long-stored beetroot can be a little disappointing. It can take ages to cook, then still be frustratingly hard and difficult to peel. Not so with tender, late-summer beetroot – and if you can find them locally grown, still with their green leafy tops in place, you’re on to an absolute winner. You can cook the leaves like a kind of chard.Beetroot is a versatile vegetable. I’ve often thought it deserves its own cookbook, extolling its virtues in all its guises: raw, roasted, pickled, fermented, dried, fried, boiled and barbecued. It lends itself to a panoply of deeply…

Scampi taco wedges with jalapeño tartare sauce & avocado SERVES 3-4. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN, OVEN TIME 12-14 MIN MAKE AHEAD Make the jalapeño tartare sauce up to a day ahead. Cover and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. FOOD TEAM’S TIP Next time, try this recipe with cod, salmon or chicken goujons instead of scampi. • 400g jumbo wholetail breaded scampi (we used Whitby Seafoods) • 3 tortilla wraps • ½ round lettuce, torn • 1 avocado, finely sliced • 150g radishes, cut into wedges • 1 lemon, cut into wedges for squeezing FOR THE JALAPEÑO TARTARE SAUCE • 2 tbsp mayonnaise • 4 tbsp soured cream • Splash white wine vinegar • 1 tbsp each chopped fresh tarragon and chopped fresh flatleaf parsley • 40g cornichons,…

Dishoom was launched in London’s Covent Garden in 2010. Cousins Shamil and Kavi Thakrar (above, left and right) were two of the four founders. Chef Naved Nasir (centre), who’s worked in some of India’s top hotels, has been part of the vision from the start. The restaurant/ café takes its culinary cues from old-style ‘Irani’ cafés of Bombay/Mumbai run by the Parsi community that had their heyday in the 1960s. There are now five Dishoom branches in London, as well as in Edinburgh and Manchester.…

MAKES 70G This is a super-fresh, slightly spicy chutney that goes well with fried dishes and snacks such as okra fries, samosas and prawn koliwada. Put a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add ½ tsp cumin seeds, toast for 2-3 minutes, then tip onto a plate to cool. Whizz 20g fresh coriander, 20g fresh mint leaves, 5g granulated sugar, 5g roughly chopped green chilli, 25ml lime juice and the toasted cumin seeds with 25ml water to make a thick sauce. Serve or transfer to a jar and keep covered in the fridge for a day or two. PER SERVING (15g) 8kcals, 0.2g fat (trace saturated), 0.4g protein, 1.3g carbs (0.1g sugars), 0.1g salt, 0.2g fibre…

RECIPE FROM MY KIND OF FOOD BY VALLI LITTLE (ABC BOOKS). PHOTOGRAPH: ALAN BENSON. FOOD STYLING AND STYLING: DAVID MORGANS Lemon and raspberry bread & butter pudding SERVES 4-6. HANDS-ON TIME 40 MIN, OVEN TIME 25 MIN, PLUS SOAKING AND COOLING MAKE AHEAD Any leftover pudding will keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a low oven until piping hot to serve. FOOD TEAM’S TIPS This recipe makes more lemon curd than you need for the pud (joy!). Keep leftover curd chilled in sterilised jars for 3-4 weeks. Search deliciousmagazine.co.uk for ‘how to sterilise jars’. To save time, use a good-quality shop-bought lemon curd. • 450g brioche loaf, cut into 2cm slices • 60g unsalted butter, softened • 125g lemon curd (see below, or tips)…

I’m all for keeping things simple, and a subscription to delicious. is a great way to do just that – you’ll receive every issue delivered directly to your door before it hits the shops and save money on the newsstand price. As our thank-you for subscribing this month, you’ll also receive Diana Henry’s latest offering (a triumph of a cookbook), which is all about putting together easy combinations of ingredients and letting the oven do the work. There’s never been a better time to simplify your life.…

Season’s eatings What’s at its best right now – and why it’s good for you APPLES Although available all year round, this versatile fruit is at its best now, from rosy coxes with their honeyed aroma, to sweet, nutty russets. A great source of fibre as well as vitamins A and C, apples are packed with antioxidants – compounds that help protect cells from damage. Studies also suggest the pectin in apples could help maintain healthy gut bacteria. HOW TO PREPARE All apples need coring before cooking, but eating apples don’t need peeling – the skin softens when cooked. Do peel cooking apples such as bramley, as the skin is tough. HOW TO COOK Stew with honey and spice, fry in butter with cinnamon or stuff with dried fruit and…

RECIPE: JEN BEDLOE. PHOTOGRAPH: STUART WEST. FOOD STYLING: KATY MCCLELLAND. STYLING: SARAH BIRKS Beans and greens on toast with chorizo and egg SERVES 1. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus a splash extra • 50g cooking chorizo, skinned and chopped • 1 banana shallot, finely chopped • 3 runner (or helda) beans, sliced • 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped • 75g tinned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained • 1 medium free-range egg • Handful spinach or prepared kale • 2 small sourdough slices, toasted • Large pinch pul biber (mild chilli flakes) or sumac to serve – optional 1 Heat a splash of oil in a small pan and fry the chorizo for 3-4 minutes over a medium-high heat. Once the chorizo starts to release its oil,…

RECIPE, STYLING AND FOOD STYLING: KERRIE RAY. PHOTOGRAPH: GUY BAILEY Vegan pasta with avocado sauce Vg SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN FOOD TEAM’S TIP Tamari-roasted almonds add a salty, gluten-free crunch. To make them, toast whole almonds in a dry pan with a splash of tamari. • 300g casarecce or penne pasta (check it’s egg-free) • 190g frozen peas • 200g frozen podded edamame beans • 1 ripe medium avocado, chopped • 4 tbsp olive oil • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped • Large handful fresh basil, plus extra leaves to garnish • 2 spring onions, chopped • Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon • 30g pack roasted almonds with tamari, roughly chopped (we used Clearspring from hollandandbarrett.com; see tip) • 2 tbsp shelled pumpkin seeds 1 Cook…

ILLUSTRATIONS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES Many popular eating regimes – including paleo, low-carb, carnivore and ‘pegan’ diets (a hybrid of vegan and paleo) – take a dim view of fruit, suggesting only the least sugary kinds should be consumed, in limited amounts. Why? The theory is that fruit is too high in carbohydrates (in the form of sugar) and calories, especially for those trying to lose weight. Tim Ferriss, US lifehacker, self-help guru and author of best-selling rapid weight-loss book The 4-Hour Body (Vermilion £16.99), simply advises: “Don’t eat fruit.” Anti-sugar campaigner Sarah Wilson, author of several bestselling cookbooks (and who, like Ferriss, is not medically qualified), claims: “Our bodies are designed to metabolise the amount of fructose contained in 1-2 small pieces of fruit a day (ie about the recommended amount…

GROUSE The first feathered game to come into season (the season started on 12 August). HOW TO COOK The dark meat should be served pink or it may be too dry. Lightly season the bird and rub the breasts with softened butter. Put in a roasting tin and cook in the oven at 220°C/200°C fan/ gas 7 for 12-15 minutes. If you push a sharp knife or carving fork between the legs and breast, a little blood should run out. Rest breast-down for 5 minutes. SERVE WITH… Bread sauce and a gravy made from red wine and the roasting juices. Autumn berries, such as raspberries, blackberries and elderberries, are also a good foil. PARTRIDGE Young birds have a mildly gamey flavour and are best simply roasted. HOW TO COOK Season…

SUSTAINABILITYThey’re fished using various sustainable methods and graded by size. Both the method of capture and size will be reflected in the price. The most expensive are large (6-9 per kg), sold live and caught by creel, a traditional method in which the creel or basket is baited and lowered onto the seabed to entice the prawns inside. There are more affordable options sold frozen or cooked. WHAT TO LOOK FOR Although called prawns, the shellfish look like a mini lobster with tiny claws that yield a little meat, a main body or thorax and the tail made up of six segments. The peeled tail is known by the Italian name – scampi. When buying frozen prawns, choose those labelled ‘frozen at sea’ for best quality. To defrost, put in…

DRIZZLE tahini thinned with a little lemon juice (and oil or water, if necessary) into pittas or wraps, or over salads or roasted meat to add flavour. WHIZZ a spoonful into recipes for bakes, such as an almond frangipane. Sprinkle with black or white sesame seeds to serve. STIR into yogurt with fresh fruit compote and toasted hazelnuts. WHISK with soy sauce, honey and olive oil; toss with broccoli, aubergine or cauliflower, then roast the veg in a hot oven until tender and caramelised. SPREAD on toasted sourdough, then add a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of cinnamon and sea salt flakes – or try it with mashed banana.…

Make the recipe that appeals to you most in this month’s issue, enter our competition and you and a guest could be heading to the Scottish Highlands for a fabulous two-night break. The prize is a stay at Ness Walk, the newest five-star hotel in Inverness and an idyllic getaway in the heart of the city. You’ll be greeted with chilled champagne and canapés on arrival and enjoy dinner at the hotel’s Torrish restaurant on one night of your stay. Executive chef Craig Douglas has created an adventurous fine dining menu with dishes using the best local ingredients, and you and your guest will also enjoy a complimentary breakfast on both mornings. nesswalk.com FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN … Make any recipe from this issue, take a picture of your…

A younger me dismissed the idea of going to Menorca. ‘Quiet’, ‘rustic’, ‘great for families’ said the brochure. I was unmoved. “Nothing going on here,” I thought. I wanted two-for-one happy hours, disco boats and hangover fry-ups. Ibiza or Mallorca maybe. Menorca? No. Nowadays I have a family of my own. On holidays I go to absurd lengths to eat like a proper local and my idea of hell is other people’s disco boats. I was ready for the quieter side of the Balearic Islands. COWS, GIN AND ‘GREVI’ Driving around Menorca, it soon becomes clear you’re in a tack-free zone. Rather than signs advertising nightclubs and mega-resorts, you’re more likely to see ones inviting you to buy artisan cheese (see Meet the Cheesemaker, p121). It was the British, in…

One to savour You can rely on Jay Rayner for an engrossing read. His new book, My Last Supper (Faber £16.99; out 5 September), is a happy amalgam of memoir, good eating and adventures, peppered with a few near-death experiences. The book is shaped around the question he is asked most often: what would you choose as your final meal? Expect fine morsels, coupled with typically plain Rayner-speak on topics such as gluten intolerance, butter and snoring. Morbid it isn’t; entertaining it certainly is. THE SUPER-EASY RECIPE Baked figs with blue cheese and balsamic SERVES 2-3. HANDS-ON TIME 5 MIN, OVEN TIME 20-25 MIN Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Cut 6 figs into quarters, slicing most of the way through but keeping the base intact. Squeeze the base…

1519 Magellan set sail from Spain on 20 September in search of a western route to the Spice Islands. He was killed on an island in the Philippines, but one of his ships made it and returned almost three years later, loaded with spices whose value was greater than the cost of the entire original fleet. 1949 Lesley Hornby was born in Middlesex on 19 September. The model’s slim build earned her the nickname Twiggy, but it’s likely she’ll be cracking open a bottle to celebrate her 70th: “The odd tipple? I don’t think that’s a bad habit,” she once said. 1979 The Food Programme first aired on BBC Radio 4 on 30 September. Now in its 40th year, it continues to cover everything from robot chefs to the future…

Restaurateur James Ramsden finds a host of venues that are truly hitting the sweet spot I’m not the first to point out the simultaneous rise of so-called clean eating and a renewed enthusiasm for cakes and cream. For every action there is a reaction, and I’m all for this particular one. (Everything in moderation – including, occasionally, moderation.) These restaurants are all about the pastry, aiming to make the outlandishly indulgent creations an attraction in their own right. There’s ‘world’s best pastry chef’ Albert Adrià’s Cakes & Bubbles (cakesand bubbles. co.uk) in Soho, where the dishes include a stroopwafel (a Dutch waffly biscuit) ice cream sandwich and a cheesecake containing actual brie. Irresistibly over-the-top Italian group Big Mamma (bigmammagroup.com) has had a good stab at resurrecting lemon meringue pie at…

PHOTOGRAPHS: AYA BRACKETT, ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES TASTES LIKE HOME My parents moved from Iran to California in the 1970s. For my mom, an important way to immerse me and my brothers in our culture was through food. She would drive all over southern California for just the right ingredients to make the most delicious Persian dishes. When I was in kindergarten, kids made fun of me because my food looked different. I pondered being upset but then thought, “No, this tastes too good!” EUREKA MOMENT At university, I had no interest in anything culinary. In my second year, my boyfriend and I saved up to eat at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. It is a temple to the senses. I was so inspired I wrote to owner Alice Waters, asking for a…

Scottish Heather Honey by Heather Hills Farm “The scent of wild, flowering heather on the breeze is one of the loveliest things about being in Scotland in the summer, and this dense honey envelops you in that evocative perfume as soon as you open the jar. It’s perfect on warm buttered toast or for topping porridge – and I confess to eating it off the spoon every now and then. I also love the pretty beehive-shape jar – worth keeping and re-using once the honey is all gone.” From £3.20 for 113g, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose in Scotland and independent stores, or heatherhills.co.uk…

Pennette con lenticchie e funghi (penne with lentils and mushrooms) V RECIPES GENNARO CONTALDO PHOTOGRAPHS DAVID LOFTUS FOOD STYLING ADRIANA CONTALDO “In Italy, pasta is more than just a food – it’s a tradition and a way of life. No meal is complete without a plate of pasta, whether dried, fresh, filled, baked or served in a soup. It’s made from the basic ingredients of flour and water, and Italy’s climate is ideal for cultivating durum wheat, which is used to make the all-important pasta flour. During my childhood, my home village of Minori, on the Amalfi coast, had a flour mill and a small pasta factory, and I have vague recollections of the pasta being dried on racks outdoors. Then it would be packaged up in locally manufactured bright…

RECIPE AND WORDS: FRED HOGGE. PHOTOGRAPH: STUART WEST. FOOD STYLING: KATY MCCLELLAND. STYLING: SARAH BIRKS THE PLOT DIGESTED You need a plot summary? Really? Okay then: a very big shark starts eating people on the beaches of Amity Island, which is very bad for business… WHY THIS FILM It’s easy to forget that, in 1975, Spielberg was just another filmmaker. The Sugarland Express didn’t exactly set the world alight. So in Jaws, what you’re watching is the work of a man in desperate circumstances (the shoot ran 104 days over schedule), trying to save his career. And he does! THE RECIPE TO EAT AS YOU WATCH Arguably, we should be giving you a recipe for roast leg of swimming instructor, but our focus is not the shark’s choice of dining…

EDD KIMBER RECIPE FROM PATISSERIE MADE SIMPLE BY EDD KIMBER (KYLE BOOKS £19.99). PHOTOGRAPHS: LAURA EDWARDS “It’s been a rollercoaster for me ever since” Also known as The Boy Who Bakes, Edd won the first series back in 2010. As well as regular TV appearances and a critically acclaimed blog, he has three baking books under his apron BEST BIT OF BAKE OFF ADVICE? I was a very shy, nervous person before the show. I remember talking to Sue Perkins about how I wasn’t that outgoing and she said: “You have no choice. You have to kick that out now.” I took that to heart. WHAT DID THE YOUNG BOY WHO BAKES DREAM OF DOING? Before the show, all I wanted to do was to go and work in a…

MAKES 35G This magic spice mix will keep for a while but is best freshly ground – use it to finish kebabs, vegetables and meat. Heat the oven to 100°C/80°Cfan/lowest gas setting. Sprinkle 10g kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves; from souschef.co.uk) onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Whizz in a spice grinder with 22g chaat masala (from Waitrose, Ocado, Tesco or souschef.co.uk), 2g deggi mirch (see Know-how, p61) 1g garam masala and 1g fine sea salt, then decant into an airtight container or jar. Store in a cool, dark cupboard and use within 2 weeks.…

“Pie never tasted so good. The curry filling is full of complex spicing but not too hot – and then there’s the crisp, secret-recipe pastry with knockout lime-pickle glaze. One taste of this beauty and everyone will be clamouring for seconds”JEN BEDLOE, FOOD EDITOR Chicken jalfrezi pie with lime pickle pastry SERVES 6. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN, SIMMERING TIME 30 MIN, OVEN TIME 60 MIN, PLUS CHILLING MAKE AHEAD Make the filling to the end of step 3 and the pastry to the end of step 5 up to 2 days ahead, then cover and chill separately. Continue the recipe from step 6. • 3 tbsp sunflower or olive oil • 4 garlic cloves, crushed • 2-3 (depending on taste) whole dried red chillies, chopped • 1 tbsp ground cumin…

THE BARGAIN RED Tesco Bulgarian Merlot 2018, Thracian Lowlands (£4.50) A ripe, rounded red with loads of black cherry and plum fruit and a soft chocolatey note. Fab with pepperoni pizza or premium sausages – and a steal at the price. THE BARGAIN ROSÉ Caravelle Rosé 2018, Vin de France (£5.50, Sainsbury’s) This fairly rich rosé is appealing on warm late-summer nights and goes well with charcuterie such as salami and chorizo, and paellas made with prawns or chicken. At 13 per cent abv, it’s pretty powerful, too. THE MIDWEEK TREAT Les Jamelles Syrah 2017, Pays d’Oc, France (£7.25, Co-op) Gorgeous southern French red with a smooth, rounded texture and oodles of blackberry fruit. This wine can straddle the seasons, working as well with the last summer barbie as it…

Ever noticed how discussions about diet – online or in real life – quickly escalate into bitter wars about who’s ‘right’ or eats in the ‘best’ way? It’s not unusual for debates about personal dietary decisions to turn into primitive name-calling. But why should the way we eat provoke such strong emotional reactions? Because food has meaning. Food says something about our background and upbringing, our ‘worldliness’ and wealth. Eating is simultaneously a public and deeply personal activity. Research shows that our eating behaviour is strongly influenced by the people around us, so food, like clothing or accents, is a marker of belonging and identity. Eating chips with ketchup or gravy signifies geographical boundaries. That food is used to express identity is clear in the number of people who list…

RECIPE: OLIVIA SPURRELL. PHOTOGRAPH: STUART WEST. FOOD STYLING: KATY MCCLELLAND. STYLING: SARAH BIRKS Chickpea, orzo and tomato stew with feta and fresh dill V SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 15 MIN, SIMMERING TIME 20 MIN • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1 onion, chopped • 2 garlic cloves, chopped • ½ tsp chilli flakes • 1½ tsp mustard seeds • 200g orzo • 400g tin chopped tomatoes • 700ml vegetable stock • 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed • Handful fresh dill, chopped • 100g vegetarian feta, crumbled 1 Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Fry gently for 6-8 minutes until softened but not coloured. Turn up the heat slightly, add most of the chilli flakes and all the mustard seeds, then…

RECIPE: OLIVIA SPURRELL. PHOTOGRAPH: STUART WEST. FOOD STYLING: KATY MCCLELLAND. STYLING: SARAH BIRKS Pork meatball pho SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN, SIMMERING TIME 7 MIN FOR THE SOUP BASE • 1 litre good-quality beef stock • 5cm piece fresh ginger, sliced • 2 garlic cloves, bashed • 1 star anise • 2 tbsp fish sauce • 400g flat dried rice noodles FOR THE MEATBALLS • 6 cream crackers • 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, chopped • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • Handful fresh coriander • 250g free-range pork mince • 1 medium free-range egg, beaten • 2 tsp fish sauce TO SERVE • Large handful fresh herbs, such as coriander, mint and Thai basil • 1 red chilli, finely sliced • 1 lime, cut into wedges • Soy…

RECIPE: JEN BEDLOE. PHOTOGRAPH: STUART WEST. FOOD STYLING: KATY MCCLELLAND. STYLING: SARAH BIRKS Baked fish parcels with soy and mirin dressing SERVES 2. HANDS-ON TIME 5 MIN, OVEN TIME 16-18 MIN • 250g sustainable frozen fish pie mix • 2 spring onions, chopped • 1 large carrot (100g), cut lengthways into fine strands • ½ leek (100g), finely sliced • 2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce • 1 tbsp mirin • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar • Finely grated zest and juice 1 lime • 2 pak choi (235g pack), halved YOU’LL ALSO NEED… • 2 x 30cm square pieces each of foil and non-stick baking paper 1 Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/ gas 7. Put each foil sheet on the work surface, shiny side down, and lay a…

MEET OUR EXPERTS JEN BEDLOE Food editor SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH Deputy food editor OLIVIA SPURRELL Cookery assistant LUCAS HOLLWEG Chef and food writer THANE PRINCE Food writer, cook and queen of preserving PROPER CHUTNEY An expert step-by-step from Elspeth Biltoft of Rosebud Preserves delicious. KITCHEN How to create perfect ravioli WEEKEND PROJECT Discover the joy of baking your own bread with our no-knead recipe…

Eating less meat, as we’re being encouraged to do, ought to mean eating better quality meat: free-range, responsibly managed and locally sourced. British game meets all those criteria and tastes great too. The Eat Game Awards champion game as a quality source of sustainable meat. Do you know someone who deserves to be better known for the game they sell, cook or serve? If so, nominate them! Anyone can put forward their favourite game heroes and help raise awareness about this wonderful wild food, right on our doorstep. Nominations are open until 31 October. Visit eatgameawards.co.uk for details.…

There are countless types of stuffed pasta and ways to make them, such as these basic ravioli squares. See Gennaro Contaldo’s recipe for Ligurian pansotti (p34) for a great-tasting variation 1 Roll out the pasta dough as thinly as possible, either by hand on a lightly floured work surface or through a pasta roller, working it through the settings until you reach the second thinnest. 2 Score a line down the centre of the sheet, then spoon the filling in small portions – about a teaspoonful – over one half of the pasta, leaving a few centimetres’ gap between each spoonful [A]. 3 Lightly brush a little water between the mounds of fillings using a wet pastry brush [B] – the water helps the pasta dough seal together securely. 4…

When I was a girl growing up in North Yorkshire, my father had an allotment and we’d make use of what he’d grown. In the autumn, that meant finding a use for the tomatoes that hadn’t ripened. This recipe is adapted from one my mother used, and it brings back fond memories. It’s a classic combination – green tomatoes, apples, onions, vine fruit and spices. It makes for a very English chutney and it’s one of my favourites. MEET ELSPETH She’s been making and selling jam, jellies, marmalade, chutney, pickles and relishes at Rosebud Farm in Masham, North Yorkshire, since 1989. Inspired by her mother’s much-loved recipes and her father’s passion for nature, Elspeth recognises the value of local seasonal produce and creative but timeless flavour combinations. This year Rosebud…

20 PRODUCTS TESTED HOW WE TEST Our panel are taste experts. We conduct our tests without packaging, so our tasters don’t know who produced each product or its price. And to prevent one tester influencing another, the panel can’t confer during the tests, so the results you read here are unbiased. WHAT WE LOOKED FOR A good mango chutney should be fruity with fragrant spices. Sweetness and acidity need to be balanced and any chilli heat should be pleasantly warming. SUPERMARKET WINNER Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Mango Chutney, £1.50 for 340g Large pieces of fruit and whole spices, including peppercorns and cumin seeds, create a rich, complex flavour. Well balanced. RUNNER-UP  M&S Spicy Mango Chutney, £1.50 for 300g Fresh-tasting, with visible spices, prominent garlic and a spicy kick. Long-lasting flavour,…

“Our cows graze outside as much as possible, and we use raw milk – it makes the cheese taste better,” says David Pons, who makes Mahón cheese on his family farm near Ciutadella. Like other traditionally made cheeses, David’s carry ‘Artesano’ on their labels and bear the mark of the muslin bag they’ve been wrapped in. As the cheeses mature, they’re sponged with an oil and paprika mixture, which gives them their bronzed hue. The cheeses also bear the farm’s unique number and the week of the year they were made. “Some say the September-made cheeses are the best,” says David (number 37-ish). To buy this excellent product direct from farms for €9-16 per kilo, look for ‘artisan cheese here’ signs – it’s informal, so be prepared to knock! Torre…

• Sant Roc A boutique hotel in the heart of Mahón’s Old Town. Doubles from around £195 B&B. boutiquehotelsantroc.com • Alcaufar Vell Formerly the summer residence of a wealthy family, set in a peaceful rural spot. Doubles from around £205 room only. alcaufarvell.com • Cugó Gran (above) The island’s most luxurious new hotel, near Sant Climent. Doubles from £270 B&B. scottwilliams.co.uk • Ses Sucreres Townhouse B&B in Ferreries, in the centre of the island, making it a good base for exploring. Doubles from £85 B&B. i-escape.com FOR MORE INFO… Menorca Tourism Board (menorca.es); Balearic Islands Tourism Board (illesbalears.travel)…

As the new school year begins, parents go back to having to remember which days PE kit is needed, nagging the children about homework – and discovering at 8am that they need a long list of ingredients for that day’s cookery lesson. One ingredient I can guarantee will be needed is cheese – for cheese and potato bake, cheese and onion pasties, cheesy tuna pasta bake… In my daughter’s first year at secondary school, during the seven weeks of her ‘food technology’ class, she took in more than half a kilo of cheese. If it’s not the over-reliance on one ingredient, it’s the use of inappropriate ones. A friend’s son was asked to take in margarine, rather than butter, to make a cake. One child was told to bring tinned…

STAR EMAIL SUBJECT: Reader Julia Barrow’s email praising a proposal to ban terms such as ‘burgers’ and ‘steak’ from being used to describe vegetarian products [Aug, p10] prompted a flood of responses FROM: I rene Evans Language (just like food tastes) has to develop or die. What, for example, does ‘steak’ REALLY mean? If it can only be a prime cut of beef, then what of lamb steaks? Cod steaks? Or – heavens above! – cauliflower steaks? Can a burger only be made from minced beef? If so, let’s all wave a sad goodbye to turkey burgers, lamb burgers and the ‘so wrong it’s right’ confit duck burger. Legislation should be created to protect. Just what is being protected here? Surely we can work out the difference between a beef…

THE LITTLE GLOSTER Gurnard, Isle of Wight  thelittlegloster.com Islander Ben Cooke is in the kitchen and wife Holly (pictured, right) takes charge front of house at this family-run restaurant with rooms, close to the ferry port at West Cowes. THE SETTING The Little Gloster is slap-bang on the shoreline with only a couple of metres between the restaurant and the sea. Take in sweeping views of the Solent from the Scandi-style dining room or nab a table on the terrace in fine weather. THE DISHES Ben’s menu takes full advantage of the maritime location, so you can expect glorious dishes such as dayboat hake fillets with oyster velouté or Isle of Wight crab salad with celeriac rémoulade. There’s always fresh ‘uffa pasta’ – named after the couple’s son and the…

This one goes to 11... 1 In classic French cooking, a civet is: a) A coffee-flavoured cake b) A type of kitchen utensil c) A game stew 2 A velociraptor (dinosaur) was roughly the size of which bird? a) Turkey b)Emu c) Ostrich 3 Which botanical family includes strawberries, apples, plums and almonds? 4 The Forme of Cury, a 14th-century English cookbook, includes a recipe for: a) Whale goulash b) Porpoise haggis c) Walrus soup 5 Za’atar is a key component of Middle Eastern cooking. What does the word mean in Arabic? a) Wild thyme b)Food c) Spices 6 Which of these is not a type of olive a) Nocellara b) Barbera c) Kalamata 7 The dish known as ‘love in disguise’ is… a) Raspberry and white chocolate soufflé b)…

It’s Bake Off time, which means the nation’s enthusiasm for cake has gone up tenfold. And serving it on quality china brings ceremony to the occasion. Designs such as this Delamere Rural from heritage potters Spode are covetably pretty. From £9.76 for a 6in plate, spode.co.uk THIS MONTH I’M DRINKING… …Kavka Vodka, from a small producer in Poland. It’s whistle-clean with a hint of fruitiness, yet smooth and creamy (no back-shiver moment) – plus the bottle design is a beauty. Show it off to best advantage in a classic martini, shaken or stirred. £30.75 for 70cl, thewhiskyexchange.com Gadget of the month Blunt knives are dangerous to use as you have to push on them harder, which means they slip more easily than a razor-sharp blade that glides through what you’re…

THE PORKY ONE Porchetta, that fennel-y, slow-cooked joint invented by the Italians, has a downside: it’s big. Cleverly, Waitrose has launched a cook-from-frozen sliced version, and it’s seriously good. Italian Style Slow-Cooked Pork Belly, £7.50 for 430g THE SAUCY ONE Intense sweet and savoury aroma, garlic notes and heat from the ginger and chilli give this teriyaki sauce a new twist on the trad Japanese taste. Tester Hugh spread some onto chicken thighs before roasting. The result was sticky and delicious. Would be good on barbecued veg and salmon, too. The Grill Teriyaki, £1.50 for 250ml, M&S THE NEW (OLD) ONE …of Marmite? Introducing Marmite XO (extra old), matured for 28 days – four times longer than usual. And yes, it’s limited edition. But once it’s spread on buttered toast,…

“Apples have good-for-you-credentials and are so versatile in the kitchen. Their flavour ranges from sweet to tart (think apple sauce to chutney), so they’re good for savoury dishes as well as classic crumbles and pies. Here are two recipes to make the most of your own windfall crop or of the many eating varieties in the shops now. The savoury tarte tatin recipe is a winning combination of salty, sharp and sweet, finished with the creamy tang of goat’s cheese. I’ve included my recipe for a rustic apple cake, too, full of warmth and spices. These are harvest recipes to relish – both the cooking and the eating.” JEN BEDLOE, FOOD EDITOR Apple, cinnamon and ginger drizzle cake SERVES 9. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN, OVEN TIME 1 HOUR, PLUS COOLING…

SERVES 4–6. HANDS-ON TIME 10 MIN, SIMMERING TIME 25 MIN MAKE AHEAD Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days, or pour into labelled food bags and freeze for up to 3 months. FOOD TEAM’S TIP Stir the sauce through pasta or, for meat eaters, bake a layer of sauce under fillets of fish or alongside roasted meats. • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • ½ onion, finely chopped • ½ celery stick, finely chopped • 1 small carrot, finely chopped • ½ courgette, finely chopped • 2 x 400g tins chopped plum tomatoes • 1 vegetable stock pot or cube (check it’s vegan, if necessary) 1 Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the finely chopped vegetables and cook gently for 3-4…

PHOTOGRAPH: TARA FISHER. FOOD STYLING: JEN BEDLOE. STYLING: WEI TANG “I love this combination: the meatiness of the monkfish, the saltiness of the pancetta and earthiness of the lentils. Then you get a fresh burst of herby, lemony, caper and anchovy dressing from the salsa verde. It’s a multilayered joy to eat – and easy to make.”CAMERON EMIRALI, CHEF OF 10 GREEK STREET, LONDON Pancetta-wrapped monkfish with lentils and salsa verde SERVES 6. HANDS-ON TIME 1 HOUR, SIMMERING TIME 30-35 MIN, OVEN TIME 8-10 MIN, PLUS CHILLING MAKE AHEAD Chill the pancetta-wrapped fillets, wrapped in cling film, up to a day ahead. • 36 rashers pancetta • 6 x 260g sustainable monkfish fillets (ask your fishmonger to prepare them for you) • 1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • Handful watercress…

THE BRILLIANT BIRYANI Chicken berry Britannia SERVES 4-6. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN, OVEN TIME 30-35 MIN, PLUS SOAKING AND STANDING “ This is our homage to the chicken berry pulao at Bombay’s famous Parsi restaurant, Britannia and Co. We’ve used cranberries rather than the more authentic but hard to find Persian barberries, and it’s prepared in the ‘kacchi’ style, in which raw, marinated meat is cooked with the rice in the same pot.” KNOWHOW Deggi mirch is a mild chilli powder that adds vibrant colour. Find it at theasiancookshop.co.uk and amazon.co.uk. Alternatively you could use paprika or kashmiri chilli powder (from souschef.co.uk). FOR THE RICE • 300g white basmati rice • 2 tsp fine sea salt • Juice ½ lime FOR THE BASE • 500g skinless, boneless free-range chicken thighs,…

SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 20 MIN There are many varieties of chai – ours is the spicy, sweet type found at Bombay’s innumerable tapris (street stalls). Put 2 tbsp Assam or Darjeeling tea, 12 slices fresh ginger, 1½ tsp black peppercorns, 12 cardamom pods, 2 cinnamon sticks and 5 cloves into a saucepan. Pour on 1 litre boiling water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer until fragrant – about 10 minutes. Add 50g sugar and 500ml whole milk, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring, then taste – boil a little more for a stronger flavour. Strain, discard the solids, then serve. PER SERVING 130kcals, 4.5g fat (2.9g saturated), 4.2g protein, 18.2g carbs (18g sugars), 0.1g salt, 0.1g fibre…

The best time to eat UK mussels starts this month (and goes on until April – hurrah!) so arm yourself with the best bottles to match them. Sometimes the classic pairing is the best, and so it is with simple moules marinière – mussels cooked in white wine, cream (usually), onions, garlic and parsley – and muscadet, from the western Loire. Muscadet’s lemony tang and yeasty soft edge are spot-on for this dish, but if you want an even crisper white, make it a fine sancerre or pouilly-fumé (both 100 per cent sauvignon blanc) from further east, or a picpoul de pinet from the south. France holds sway here but do try Spain’s verdejo or albariño or Italy’s gavi or pecorino for a change. All are light, dry, unoaked whites;…

A selection of canapés Moët & Chandon Brut NV Champagne, France Souffléed smoked haddock encased in smoked salmon with a foaming hollandaise sauce Wente Vineyards Morning Fog Chardonnay, Livermore Valley, California, USA Local free-range pork chop baked with wild mushrooms, cream, lemon & thyme Pink fir apple potatoes with parsley & chives Bouchard Côte de Beaune-Villages, Burgundy, France Warm apple & almond pudding with chilled vanilla bean custard Nectaria Riesling Torres, Curicó Valley, Chile Coffee served with mini stem ginger choc ices & pecan sablés Graham’s Six Grapes Reserve Port VEGETARIAN OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE…

MAKE-IT-EASY SHOPPING LIST VEGETABLES • 1.7kg floury potatoes, such as maris piper • 3 peppers (red, green, yellow) • 1 large bunch spring onions • Large bunch fresh coriander • Small bunch fresh basil • 3 limes & 1 lemon • 750g carrots • 550g mixed tomatoes • 1 large round/butterhead lettuce • Large bunch fresh mint • 200g fine green beans • 1 large cucumber • 4 large aubergines (about 1.4kg) MEAT, FISH & POULTRY • 4 large British free-range skin-on chicken thighs • 4 whole sustainable mackerel, butterflied (ask your fishmonger), or 8 mackerel fillets • 8 small British lamb cutlets DAIRY & EGGS • 500g natural yogurt • 250g reduced-fat halloumi cheese • 200g vegetarian feta cheese • 8 medium free-range eggs FROM THE FREEZER • 250g…

The master recipe Coq au vin SERVES 8 (OR 4 IF YOU’RE SAVING HALF). HANDS-ON TIME 40 MIN, OVEN TIME 1½ HOURS • 200g smoked bacon lardons • 8 British free-range chicken legs • 8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped • 2 x 750ml bottles full-bodied red wine • 3 fresh bay leaves • Handful fresh thyme sprigs, plus a few extra to serve • 85g butter • Olive oil for frying • 400g round shallots, peeled, halved if large • 500g button mushrooms, halved if large YOU’LL ALSO NEED… • Large casserole with a lid 1 Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas 4. Heat a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat, add the lardons and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’ve turned golden and the…

RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING: OLIVIA SPURRELL. PHOTOGRAPHS: ALEX LUCK. STYLING: VICTORIA ELDRIDGE Risi e bisi with parma ham SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN Heat 25g butter in a deep frying pan over a medium heat, then fry 3 chopped shallots and 2 crushed garlic cloves until very soft. Stir in 200g arborio rice, then add a grana padano cheese rind (if you have one). Ladle in 1.2 litres hot chicken stock, a little at a time, only adding more when the stock has been absorbed. When the rice is almost cooked, add all the remaining stock and 400g frozen peas, then simmer for 2 minutes (the dish should be quite soupy). Remove the cheese rind (if using), stir in 50g grated grana padano, then season. Fry 4 parma ham…

Blackberry ketchup Wash 1kg blackberries under a cold running tap, then put them in a large heavy-based pan. Add 350g chopped red onion, 30g chopped garlic and 1-2 chopped red chillies. Put ½ tsp celery seeds and 1 tsp each juniper berries, black peppercorns and sea salt flakes in a spice mill, then grind to a powder. Add the ground spices and 500ml cider vinegar to the fruit, bring to a simmer and cook until everything is very soft (about 30 minutes). Take the pan off the heat to cool for 5 minutes. Whizz, in batches, in a food processor, then push through a wire sieve into a clean pan (discard any solids in the sieve). Put the pan on a low heat and add 400g soft brown sugar, stirring…

Meze (or mezze) is the Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern tradition of serving small sharing plates, either at the start of a meal as an appetiser or as a meal in itself. A meze usually consists of various dips, salads, pickles and hot meat and fish dishes. What’s on the table varies from country to country, but it’s customary to start with cold (largely vegetarian) dishes such as raw and pickled veg, olives, cooked vegetables in olive oil, stuffed vine leaves, yogurt (sometimes with herbs and garlic), marinated feta or seafood, dips such as houmous, tzatziki, taramasalata and melitzanasalata/moutabal (aubergine purée), tabbouleh and bread. Next are hot meze. If you’re by the Greek seaside, this could be grilled octopus, fried squid or small fish, or bean or veg fritters. In…

Don’t cut the ingredients too small or the chutney will end up as an unattractive mush. Larger chunks make a more attractive chutney. Parboil the onions until tender before use to prevent any raw or overly sharp flavour. Don’t rush dissolving the sugar: it’s vital to the consistency as it helps prevent crystallisation. Don’t overdo the vinegar and spices. The amount of vinegar you need will depend on the quality of the products you use and how they absorb it during the cooking process. I add vinegar and/or spices, taste, then add more if needed. Don’t overcook the chutney. It’s a fine balance, but an overcooked, dark chutney is not tasty. Use proper, sealable lids. The combination of sterilised, still-warm jars and hot chutney, when sealed, creates a vacuum that…

VEG: EASY & DELICIOUS MEALS FOR EVERYONE Curries and stews, soups and sarnies, rice and noodles, one-pan wonders… Jamie Oliver’s latest book sets out to please, and his meat-free recipes – be they hearty and warming or light and fresh – hit all the right notes. Another “must-have” for Jamie fans. Michael Joseph £26 ZAIKA: VEGAN RECIPES FROM INDIA Chef-restaurateur Romy Gill, who until last month ran Romy’s Kitchen near Bristol, is one of the UK’s most inspiring cooks. Her much-anticipated debut cookbook is packed with the family recipes she grew up eating in India, and they just happen to be vegan. Seven Dials £20; out 5 September THE OFFICIAL DOWNTON ABBEY COOKBOOK Published to coincide with this month’s release of the Downton Abbey movie and written by food historian…

1 LUNCH AT BINIFADET WINERY Book ahead to enjoy a tour followed by a plate of local clams or grilled octopus on the vine-draped terrace overlooking the vineyards in Sant Lluis. A glass of their simple, refreshing white will make it seem even more idyllic. binifadet.com 2 CALDARETA (LOBSTER STEW) AT ES CRANC Start with the shrimp fritters and some chargrilled squid, then get your bib on for lobster in a richly fishy broth. This institution in Fornells is the kind of brilliant family-run restaurant I thought had died out. escranc.com 3 HOME-BREW IN ES MOLÍ DE FOC Find mussels from Mahón harbour and magical puding de brossat (a sort of curd cheese) at this San Climent restaurant, but the USP is a microbrewery making Grahame Pearce beers – the…