Britain's Best Pud

Got a failsafe family pud or dinner party dessert recipe? Enter the competition and it could be judged Britain's Best Pud.

Good Food Channel has teamed up with Good Food magazine to launch a nationwide competition to find Britain's Best Pud recipe. Three winners can expect a fabulous trophy, along with Magimix kitchen gadgets, plus a chance to see their finished pudding on Good Food's Market Kitchen. They will also be invited to the BBC Good Food Show in November for a memorable prize presentation.

From party pavlovas to sweetly spiced pies, cheesecakes to syrupy sponges, we're looking for original and creative recipes that celebrate our country's love for rounding off marvellous meals with a flourish.

Categories

There are three age categories: under 12 years, 12-17 years and adults. Entries will be whittled down by an expert selection and judging panel, including TV chefs Rachel Allen and Bill Granger, with one overall winner in each age group. Those entering in the under 12 years and 12-17 years categories will need parental or guardian consent to participate in the competition and agree to the terms and conditions. All entrants should be a UK resident. As this is a nationwide competition, we're keen to have recipes from all 10 regions in the UK: East Anglia, London, Midlands, North East, North West, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South East, South West and Wales. A shortlist of 30 finalist recipes will be selected after the closing date: one recipe per age category from each of the 10 regions.

Criteria

We're looking for recipes that closely meet our set criteria. Please remember to read the full criteria on goodfoodchannel.co.uk before your entry is submitted:
A recipe that is your own creation
A recipe that exhibits creativity and innovation
An easy-to-follow method and accurate measurements
Recipes from amateur cooks and not professional chefs
For this competition, our definition of pudding is a broad one and does include desserts: a sweet dish that rounds off your meal. You can enter the competition by uploading your recipe to goodfoodchannel.co.uk. You'll need to give your recipe a title, short description, ingredients list and step-by-step method. Photographs help bring a recipe to life so if you can, upload a photo. Please note, your photograph will not affect the judging process. Closing date for entries is 12 midnight, 14 June 2010.
Upload your recipe now at goodfoodchannel.co.uk.

Petersham Nurseries Launch Murano Glass Collection at Dover Street Market

Fancy a pre-match curry? Do It Yourself and get involved in a slice of the action

With the World Cup kicking off next month in South Africa, it's time to deal with the fundamentals of championship preparation- what to eat and drink before, during and after each match. And with 48 games to watch before Stage 2 even begins, stamina is essential- there’s a whole load of refreshments to plan and takeaways just aren’t going to cut it- ordering-in for a month is going to exhaust waistlines and purse strings.

Whether you’re a football phobic or a fanatic, The World Cup is a great excuse to bring together friends, serve up a feast of exotic flavours and crack open a refreshing bottle of beer.

For those who want to enjoy the luxury of an authentic, guilt-free curry at home, Hare's Moor have come up with a new, convenient concept in creating authentic curries from scratch.

Apart from producing delicious results, they're a perfect progression for someone who wants to flex their DIY curry muscles after work, but doesn't have the time to source the right spices before the big game. With no added salt and the amount of oil used firmly in the DIY curry maker's hands, they're the perfect answer for the curry-loving health conscious, with a long month of nights-in ahead of them.

Kits range from a rich Rogan Josh with fresh garlic, chilli, ginger and hand-blended spices to a creamy Korma Masala, a traditional South Indian Madras and a popular Timatar Masala from the Uttar Pradesh region of India.

And what better way to cool the tongue and magnify the intricate flavours of the fresh spices than the classic and much loved combination of a beer with flavour to match a curry with flavour? Meantime Brewing Company’s India Pale Ale is a light, copper coloured beer that throws out ginger notes and flavours of Seville orange marmalade and is the original, authentic and ideal partner to any spiced creation.

Editor’s Notes

For more information on Hare’s Moor;
www.haresmoor.com

Price
Rogan Josh Kit £3.50
Korma Masala Kit £3.50
Madras Kit £3.50
Timatar Masala Kit £3.50
Fish/Prawn Curry Kit £3.50
Free P & P on all UK online orders

Available
Online from www.haresmoor.co.uk
From good independent stores nationwide.
Available from Harrods at the end of May 2010 www.harrods.com
Available from Ocado June 2010 www.ocado.com

For more information on Meantime Brewing Company;
www.meantimebrewing.com
Available from Sainsburys and Waitrose as well as good beer merchants and independent food stores nationwide.

Romanengo Workshop Update

I've just opened an email from Italy with more details about next Saturday's artisan confectionery workshop with Romanengo at Petersham Nurseries ... it will surely be a workshop to suck and savour:

The Performing Artisan

The "performing artisan" coming to Petersham will be Enzo Fortunato. Romanengo's long standing master sweet maker. He will show us how to make caramellati sweets, chocolate truffles and iced candied fruits which will then be passed around the group for tasting.

i dolci de Romanengo

Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano has never produced the sweets traditionally associated with pastry-makers. What it does make are a wide range of special goods delivered daily to Romanengo stores which have become known as "i dolci di Romanengo". Their dainty sweets and desserts are made with the finest chocolate, almond paste, nougat, candied fruit and marrons glacés.

The tasting will also include other products form Romanengo including mixed confetti (dragées), rosolio drops, rose petals preserve, rose syrup, fondants and chocolates. Delfina Romanengo and Andrea Rocco will "guide" the guests through the tasting explaining the history of the products and revealing the secrets to how they are made.

For more details see earlier post ...

http://spoonhq.blogspot.com/2010/05/demonstration-of-tasting-of-art-of.html

Petersham Nurseries Unveils its Murano Glass Collection

On Monday 24 May 2010 at Dover Street Market in London’s Mayfair and at its home just outside Richmond, Petersham Nurseries will unveil its Murano Glass collection, a selection of important vintage and newly created pieces.

The launch will be marked by an extraordinary window at Dover Street Market designed by Lara Boglione. This display will capture the essence of a Petersham Nurseries’ summer using Murano Glass and living plinths whilst at the same time creating an installation which can be walked in to and around.

An avid collector of this artisan craft for his own home, Petersham Nurseries’ owner Francesco Boglione has, together with his eldest daughter Lara, journeyed repeatedly to Murano with this extraordinary project in mind. The source of glass artistry since 1291, the first impression of Murano these days can be of an overwhelming menagerie of animals and a circus of glass clowns. Undeterred by such hurdles however the Bogliones explored Murano’s back waters and rediscovered its covetable craftsmanship. The fruits of their travels allows a discerning public to acquire both vintage and newly created pieces which illustrate the heritage of Murano’s thousand year old craft.

Petersham Nurseries’ Murano Glass Collection comprises of several distinct stories. With an artist and an individual story behind each piece each extraordinary gem in the collection is as singular as the breath that shaped it.

‘Scavo’: Vases designed in the 1950s and 60s by Antonio da Ros, one of the most famous and significant designers from Murano’s rich tradition. These pieces were blown in the foundry of Gino Cenedese, one of the islands most respected glassblowers. The Italian for ‘dig’, Scavo resemble ancient pieces of glass excavated from Roman ruins. When the glass is still hot, it is covered by a powder which gives the glass a translucent, cloudy and iridescent quality.

‘Opalino’: These vases are also from the foundry of Gino Cenedese produced in the 1960s, using a specific type of glass- a beautiful and intense opaline, rarely used today. Since it is unusual to source Opalino vases of such quality today, these pieces are of particular interest to collectors.

‘Sergio Rossi Vases’: Maestro Rossi creates sculptural vases that express his ever-changing relationship with the art of glassblowing and his search into the ‘origins’ of glass, an elusive medium that continually torments him. The pieces in this collection were created during the 1990s using opaque powders which were then coated in clear glass, reminiscent of Barovier e Toso, one of the oldest glass foundries on Murano.

‘Vintage Collection’: A stunning and eclectic collection of glassware from different periods of Murano’s history, including pieces by Pauly & C (one of the most respected foundries, set up in 1903). These inimitable pieces are highly collectible.

‘Goti’: Designed for this collection to recreate the drinking vessels of the maestri. It is said that the Goti are an array of colours, shapes and sizes because they were hastily fashioned into drinking glasses from scraps found on the foundry floor as their creators worked next to the furnaces in the crippling heat. The new collection borrows from this anecdote to inspire vases bespeckled with vivid colour and undulating globules of glass.

‘Fermacarte’: The paperweights in this collection are by Maestro Silvano Signoretto, one of the most talented maestri still blowing his craft in Murano today. Each of the ‘millefiori’ are unique. The result is an intricate and labyrinthine design, resembling a kaleidoscope of floating flowers. In addition, Petersham Nurseries have designed a limited edition of nine paperweights inspired by Gustav Klimt’s work.

The Moretti Collection: Moretti’s glass factory was founded in 1958, quickly becoming one of the most significant in the area and abroad. Petersham Nurseries has forged a relationship with Giovanni Moretti and will bring selected pieces from his collection to sell exclusively in the UK.

In 2010, Petersham Nurseries brings the unequalled craftsmanship of the Murano isle, off the Venetian coast, to our own.

EDITORS NOTES

AVAILABLE FROM
PETERSHAM NURSERIES Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey, TW10 7AG
Telephone: 020 8940 5230
www.petershamnurseries.com

and

DOVER STREET MARKET, 17- 18 Dover Street, London, WIS 4LT
Telephone: 020 7518 0680
www.doverstreetmarket.com

PRICES
OPALINO: from £300 to £800
SCAVO: from £285 to £1250
VINTAGE: from £900 to £5000
FERMACATA: from £70 to £350
KLIMT FERMACATA: £1125
GOTI: from £175 to £350
MORETTI: from £81 to £1584
SERGIO ROSSI: from £1200

Background
Petersham Nurseries
Petersham Nurseries, owned by Gael & Francesco Boglione, is set at the foot of their home, Petersham House, at the base of Richmond Hill. To save this local nursery from the clutches of the circling developers and multinational garden centres, the garden-loving Bogliones bought the run-down business and in doing so reunited the original Petersham House estate, separated for over 30 years. After extensive restoration work was undertaken, it re-opened in 2004 utterly transformed; a magically, whimsical place in the most idyllic of surroundings.


Specialising in the English gardening tradition Petersham Nurseries is a tranquil oasis and seedbed of inspiration. The unique styling of the plants is complimented throughout the one acre site by garden antiques and original artefacts, carefully sourced from Britain, Europe, India and the Far East by the Bogliones and their buying team. The Petersham Nurseries Murano Glass collection launches this summer

PRESS CONTACTS

PETERSHAM NURSERIES & THE MURANO GLASS COLLECTION
Sarah Canet
Telephone: 020 7610 9821
Email: sarah@spoon-pr.com

DOVER STREET MARKET
Emelie Akerbrant
Email: Emelie@purplepr.com
Telephone: 020 7434 7048
or
Amee Patel
Email: Amee@purplepr.com
Telephone: 020 7434 704

Become a New Urban Farmer with Celia Brooks Brown

From plot to plate: A year on the allotment

Pop along to Petersham Nurseries between 10 and 11am on Saturday 15th May and put your ‘growing your own’ questions to a passionate Urban Farmer, expert author & food journalist, Celia Brooks Brown.

“Seasoned gardeners will no doubt have already been pottering around getting the growing year off to an early start. However, if you are a novice or gardening lightweight, there is still plenty of time to get cracking on your 2010 harvest. Whether you’ve got an allotment, home garden space, a few patio pots, or merely a windowsill, it’s time to get ready, get set…” Celia Brooks Brown

Following the recent publication of her latest book NEW URBAN FARMER (Quadrille) we are delighted to be joined by Celia Brooks Brown as she enthusiastically shares her gardening expertise, knowledge and skills picked up since taking on her allotment plot in November 2005 and learnt through a combination of hard graft, trial and error, and shared tips from the other allotmenteers.

Celia writes regularly for The Times online and has a column titled "Grow to Eat" for BBC Good Food Magazine. New Urban Farmer has already been hailed as an “indispensable guide for wannabe kitchen gardeners" in all of us.

Share her knowledge of investing in the right soil, companion planting and gain top tips to start your anti-slug campaign. We hope you will leave with the inspiration to get growing, whether it be carrots, onions, courgettes or cauliflowers.

To find out more about Celia click here to view her website and blog.

Details
Date: Saturday 15th May 2010
Time: 10am – 11am
Tickets £5 (incl. tea & coffee on arrival)

For more information on this event and to book, please contact:
Petersham Nurseries on 0208 940 5230 or contact us by email: info@petershamnurseries.com.
Places will be reserved upon receipt of credit/debit card details. Cheques should be made payable to ‘Petersham Nurseries’

Thinking of you Lannice

I didn't know what I was going to discover when I opened Nathan Garnett's email entitled "sad news" yesterday. I certainly wasn't expecting the miserable message briefly reporting Lannice Snyman's untimely death following a private battle with stomach cancer. I knew she'd been in hospital and was unable to attend the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants awards last month but being unaware of the seriousness of her condition I naively expected her to bounce back. She seemed too full of life to have slipped away. She will be greatly missed inside and outside of her native land.

Of course I wish now that I made that journey down to South African and through its kitchens and dining rooms with her as my guide. I will still go but not until I have devoured every word of Tortoises & Tumbleweeds, the award winning book in which she takes the reader on a journey to the gastronomic heart of her homeland.

Lannice - I'll hear your voice as I cook, as I nurture and nourish, as I enjoy your taste of Africa. Thank you.

www.lannicesnyman.com

A tribute to Lannice: http://www.food24.com/News-and-Guides/Features/A-tribute-to-Lannice-Snyman-20100510

Love Curry....Do It Yourself

Hare’s Moor DIY Curry Kits: a new, convenient concept in creating authentic curries from scratch

Additive free, fresh, healthy and fun, these perfectly considered kits contain everything needed to make a curry from scratch aside from the main source of protein, be it chicken, lamb, fish or tofu, and three store cupboard basics - an onion, a splash of oil and a couple of fresh tomatoes.

Hare’s Moor uses entirely fresh produce such as unpeeled cloves of garlic, pieces of ginger, Cayenne chillies and curry leaves to ensure that the range of robust and authentic flavours and the aromas of the hand-picked ingredients are captured in their entirety. Because the kits are so fresh, they need to be kept refrigerated to preserve the high quality of the contents.

Unlike most supermarket-bought spices which have lost their potency from sitting on shelves months after being processed, Hare’s Moor spices are roasted and ground freshly each week so that the flavours and aromas are captured and preserved at their peak, adding intense depth, strength and a complex layer of flavours to the dishes.

Kits range from a rich Rogan Josh with fresh garlic, chilli, ginger and hand-blended spices to a creamy Korma Masala, a traditional South Indian Madras and a popular Timatar Masala from the Uttar Pradesh region of India.

Sally Hares, created the kits after returning to full time work following maternity leave. “I've always cooked from scratch – I find it very relaxing after a hard day at work, but found it a chore having to shop around for the hard-to-find fresh ingredients at the end of the day. I wanted to be able to buy something that put all of those bits and pieces together in a high quality kit, which would make after work shopping as easy as picking up a jar of sauce with some chicken.” When Sally couldn't find anything like it in the supermarket, she decided to create one herself.

The BBC recently chose Hare’s Moor as one of 15, top up-and-coming Food and Drink brands in Britain today. The DIY Kits will be showcased on prime BBC1 TV, in a new series called High Street Dreams in mid May with Jo Malone.

www.haresmoor.com

A Demonstration & Tasting of the Art of Confectionery With 225 year old Genoese confectioners Pietro Romanego fu Stefano

Petersham Nurseries is delighted to announce a demonstration and tasting of the fragrant sugared creations of the more than two century old artisan confectioner Romanengo. Attendees of this rare workshop will sample exquisite sweets, syrups and candied fruits and a Romanengo-inspired menu of both savoury and sweet dishes from head chef Skye Gyngell.

Conserving fruits and flowers since the 1780’s, Romanengo unites the history of Genoa’s colonial port, the centre of sugar and spice trade, with the commitment of a family’s incredible inherited skill and artifice. Only the finest and most alluring ingredients are utilised to create their jewel-like precious confectionary – both a treasure to the eye and a delight to the palate. Their use of only ripe and seasonal fruits displays the shared ethos of Petersham Nurseries and sugary allure of Romanengo.

Several years ago Skye was instantly converted to Romanengo’s delectable ‘Sciroppo di Rose’ by the ‘intense burst of flavour- the cleanest, truest taste of a bouquet of roses imaginable’ and as a result it has long become a welcome part of Petersham’s summer menu in the guise of their signature aperitif the rose Bellini.

The event will commence with an introduction to the ancestry of Romanengo and the historical tradition of sweet making in Genoa. The workshop will focus upon the bewitching craftsmanship of Romanengo with a demonstration of icing candied fruits and the alchemy of sweets. This will be followed by a light two course lunch prepared by head chef Skye Gyngell and incorporating a selection of her favourites amongst these ambrosial products. The pleasure of the candid fruits and sweets, indulgent Marron creams, Mostarda di frutta with Fromaggio Capretta are just some of the delicious products destined to enthral the taste buds.

Details:
Date: Saturday 22nd May 2010
Time: 10.30am – 1pm
Tickets: £55.00 per person.
Reservations number 020 8605 3627.
Address: Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Petersham, Surrey, TW10 7AG.
Email: info@petershamnurseries.com
Website: http://www.petershamnurseries.com/

About Pietro Romanengo
Pietro Romanengo fu Stefano has been crafting candied fruits, chocolate, torrone and fruit jams for over two hundred years. They are made according to antique recipes using natural, rare and exotic ingredients. For centuries the sweets of choice to royalty, scientists and musicians all over Europe, the Romanengo products are still handmade with the same craftsmanship and care and are hand packaged in their traditional refined boxes. The best way to enter the special “Romanengo atmosphere” is to visit the historic shop of Via Soziglia, a small, well- kept secret jewel in the middle of Genoa’s Historic District. Everything is exactly as it was on their opening day in 1814. Among marble and valuable wood, you can taste and buy specialities like the orange flower- flavoured marron glaces, the pine-nut pralines, the mint and coffee rosolio drops, the candid violet petals, the Queen’s torrone, the rose petal syrup and hundreds of other confectionary treasures. In the store you can also ask to see a unique collection of antiques used during the centuries to create the “Romanengo Gifts”.
http://www.romanengo.com/

Background
Petersham Nurseries, owned by Gael & Francesco Boglione, is set at the foot of their home, Petersham House, at the base of Richmond Hill. To save this local nursery from the clutches of the circling developers and multinational garden centres, the garden-loving Bogliones bought the run-down business and in doing so reunited the original Petersham House estate, separated for over 30 years. After extensive restoration work was undertaken, it re-opened in 2004 utterly transformed; a magically, whimsical place in the most idyllic of surroundings.

Petersham Nurseries
Specialising in the English gardening tradition Petersham Nurseries is a tranquil oasis and seedbed of inspiration. With an ever growing emphasis on sustainable gardening, 2008 saw the launch of the Cutting Garden project, the Home Grown range of vegetables, herbs and salads and a blueprint for the ‘greening’ of the nurseries. The unique styling of the plants is complimented throughout the one acre site by garden antiques and original artefacts, carefully sourced from Britain, Europe, India and the Far East by the Bogliones and their buying team.

Facts
Petersham Nurseries is open 7 days a week.
Lunch is served Wednesday - Sunday from 12.30 pm to 3 pm. Reservations are essential.
Tea & cakes & home-made soup are served every day in the Tea House, Tuesday – Sunday. http://www.petershamnurseries.com/

foodies rant, rage & roar

After the success of their foodie Speakers’ Corner at the Abergavenny Food Festival,
Rude Health are back to rant at Real Food. The Rude Health gang will be joined
by celebrated chefs, fearsome food writers and proudly opinionated producers as they too step onto the hay bale and up to the microphone to rant. Come to the Bandstand in the heart of the festival and listen or heckle from 2-3pm on Friday 7th, Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th May.

Rude Health’ relentless chief ranter Nick Barnard will kick off the rants, followed by the likes of chef and Italian food expert Valentina Harris, award-winning drinks writer Richard Ehrlich and founder of Food Lovers’ Britain, Henrietta Green. Full schedule follows.

Find out what Coffee Fairy Martina Gruppo thinks of Fairtrade whilst baker extraordinaire Richard Bertinet kneads out some of his bugbears. Rare Tea lady Henrietta Lovell, straighttalking Alison Lea-Wilson from Halen Môn, blogger Ms Marmite and Easy Bean founder Christina Baskerville will show that the girls have plenty to rant about too.

After a terrific (if controversial) tirade against Elizabeth David at Real Food in 2009, seasoned ranter and editor of food magazine Fire and Knives, Tim Hayward will be back freshly riled and ready to let off steam. Also chalked up to appear are spicy ranters Priya Lakhani from Masala Masala and Patchwork Pate’s Rufus Carter who will be revealing what really gets them hot under the collar. We can see the sparks flying already.

It’s sure to be a spectacle - as long as Nick relinquishes the hay bale; we’ve got a cattle prong just in case!*

Hecklers welcome. The more vocal the better.

And if you’re not able make it to the Real Food Festival the rants will be recorded and uploaded to the Rude Health website - www.rudehealth.com - where you can currently find all of the Rude Health rants, including those by Mexican-food marvel Thomasina Miers, Reggae-Reggae Sauce man Levi Roots and Cyrus Todiwala OBE.

* Cattle prong or similar poking device will not be used on anyone apart from Nick- he’s used to it.

Friday 7th May
-Useless kitchen gadgets by Danny Kingston, Food Urchin food blogger
-Oats for victory! by Porridge Lady, Anna Louise Batchelor
-Real bread with a crust by Richard Bertinet, chef and baker extraordinaire
-The importance of food culture by Priya Lakhani, from Masala Masala
-The meaning of local food by Henrietta Green, founder of Food Lovers’ Britain
-Snow Leopard Trust conservation by Stephen Sparrow, Snow Leopard Vodka
-It’s not all herrings & meatballs by Signe Johansen, food anthropologist and food blogger
-Creativity - a mug’s game? by Richard Ehrlich, award-winning drinks writer
-Real Juice by Patrick O’Flaherty, from RDA Organic
-Provenance by Neil Gover, from Lahloo Tea
-Sneaky soya in processed food by Jayne Mugridge, from Yarty Valley Provisions (Cordial)
-Food education by Stephanie Wood, from School Food Matters

Saturday 8th May

-Spelt, real bread and using British flour by Andrew Wilkinson, from Gilchesters Organics
-Selling alcohol as a loss leader is immoral by Michael Kain, from Bramley & Gage
-Sea salt is key to a healthy diet by Alison Lea-Wilson, from Anglesey Sea Salt
-Raw milk by Steve Widler, from Hook & Son
-Is fair trade always a good thing? by Martina Gruppo, from The Coffee Fairy
-Sophie Dahl and cookery programmes by Valentina Harris, chef and Italian food expert
-Quality and sustainability go hand in hand by James MacNay, from Rare & Organic
-Perfection by Tim Hayward, editor of Fire & Knives
-Tea dust by Nick Kilby, from Teapigs

Sunday 9th May
-Proper tea by Henrietta Lovell, from Rare Tea Co.
-You don’t have to be vegetarian to love beans by Christina Baskerville, from Easy Bean
-Ranting without stabilisers by Rufus Carter, from Patchwork Pate
-Happy cows by Miranda Ballard, from Muddy Boots Foods
-Waste (and waist) problems by Oliver Dowding, from Shepton Farms
-The UK has no idea what constitutes good value food by James Swift, from Trealy Farm Charcuterie
-Why it’s cruel not to eat veal by Jon Brown, from Bocaddon Farm Veal
-Drink raw milk by Philip Lowery, Director of Real Food Festival & top man
-Real lemonade - drink the cloudy stuff by Claire Martinsen, from Breckland Orchard Drinks
-Allergies by Ms Marmite, underground restaurateur and blogger

Real Food Festival - 7th - 10th May 2010
http://www.realfoodfestival.co.uk/

Rude Health’s Speakers’ Corner can be found in the Bandstand

http://www.rudehealth.com/