Blog

National Vegetarian Week is 20-26 May, a week devoted to all things veggie. Monica shows how you don’t need to be a vegetarian to appreciate that vegetables are a good thing. Here’s her top suggestions for getting started with eating more veg, including easy vegetables to start with, and a rock solid vegetarian recipe that will please all palettes.

Who’s been watching The Chef’s Protege? It’s a brand new TV series on BBC2 where three of the UK’s most renowned chefs return to college to discover a young catering student they can mentor and inspire, eventually becoming their protege. It’s a fascinating look at how the cookery masters of today are able to nurture future stars.

Those lucky enough to have fresh rhubarb in their gardens may have noticed it seems particularly abundant this year. Alexandra was pleased that her giant rhubarb plant survived her attempts to remove it and tried her hand at making a delicious dessert with her three year old daughter.

It’s World Baking Day on 19th May 2013. It’s the day to get out of your comfort zone and bake a cake to push your skills to the limit. As preparation, professional cake maker, Victoria, has a 10 point guide to the most common baking problems. Mastering these will help you on your way to a perfect bake.

This week marked the end of Tom Kitchin’s search for two potential proteges, who will then battle it out in the fourth and final week joining students mentored by Theo Randall and Michel Roux Jr. Sara gives a round up of the first week of The Chef’s Protege.

Rhubarb - fruit or vegetable? Although it’s often used in sweet dishes it’s actually a vegetable and a very versatile one too. Danny aka Food Urchin had a glut of rhubarb growing in his allotment. As there’s only so much crumble you can eat, decided to try using it for an inventive curry.

Eat Drink Bristol Fashion - the popular “pop-up” event that celebrates Bristol’s thriving food and drink industry has returned to the city for two weeks (13th - 27th May 2013). We were delighted to get some time with Josh Eggleton from the award winning Pony & Trap who is also the event’s co-director, to find out what’s in store this year.

Sous vide cookery is a staple technique in many professional kitchens. This water bath or vacuum method is becoming popular with home cooks too. Victoria tries her hand at sous vide cooking & shows how easy & delicious the results can be. Especially if you want to turn a cheap or tough cut of meat into something sensational.