Scandinavian recipes perfect with German wines

Wines of Germany is off on tour this Summer visiting a selection of festivals across the UK. For information on locations click here

The aim? To raise awareness of delicious German wines and highlight their versatility with food. Prolific food blogger and author of ‘Scandilicious’, Signe Johansen has developed four bespoke Scandinavian recipes which pair perfectly with German wines and the official Phipps chef, Joe Wadsack, has been cooking up a storm in the kitchen with Nicky Forrest putting her photography skills to the test.

The result? See for yourself…!

Scandinavian almond torte with strawberries and vanilla acacia honey

Smoked venison salad with pearled spelt, beetroot, mushrooms and pomegranate

Wild Dill Pollen & Citrus Cured Salmon

North Sea sweet prawns with Riesling pickled cucumber, avocado and salmon roe

German wine. Give it a whirl.

This summer, Wines of Germany is touring England spreading the word about the delicious wines produced in Germany.

The trade needs no convincing that German Riesling and Spätburgunder are awesome so now it’s time to get consumers sipping. The Wines of Germany team will be visiting a selection of popular consumer festivals, offering quality German wines from a pub garden themed stand. Stop by ‘The Bunch of Grapes’ at one of the following festivals this summer:

Clapham Foodies Festival 7th – 9th June 2013 

Taste of London 20th – 23rd June 2013 

Bristol Foodies Festival 12th – 14th July 2013

Posted by Jen Gevaux

ALL HAIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE JERSEY ROYAL

Back in the ‘good old days’ day – when you could rely on summer being hot and winter being cold – Jersey Royals signalled the arrival of spring.  This year however, March and April brought gale force winds, never ending rainfall and inch-upon-inch of snow. The weather really has been relentless and we’ve been having a good ‘weather moan’ on a daily basis, but the impact it’s had on fresh produce has been devastating. Jersey Royal farmers and producers have worked around the clock covering and warming up their crop to try and ensure the spuds make it onto menus this spring. Until the warmer weather came it was a waiting game for dozens of farmers and their families who faced the possibility of having some, or even all, of their crop wiped out this year.

Earlier this week I visited the tiny 9x5 mile Island, where farmers were breathing a huge sigh of relief. The wait was finally over. The sun was shining down and workers were tirelessly harvesting the côtils (steeping slopes) and fields by hand to start shipping potatoes to the mainland. The potatoes looked full and healthy – and tasted absolutely wonderful with a bit of salt and butter!

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll begin seeing more and more potatoes in the supermarkets, which go from field to fork in around 24 hours for the freshest taste. Plus they’ll even still be available into July, which is quite unusual, as a late start means a late finish to the season.

Demand for the potatoes is great this year and supermarkets are likely to sell out fast in the first few days as the public snap them up, but over the next couple of weeks harvesting will hit full flow and there’ll be Jersey Royals around every supermarket aisle!

Posted by Caroline Addy 

The Pork Pie of Life - 26th April

The Pork Pie of Life is a newsletter brought to you Amy. It's a meaty chunk of the UK's culture!

Week's Best Tweeter

@Sweden — every week is a different Swede tweeting on behalf of the country. It’s such a great idea and often really interesting!

Blog

OMG this is so cool, I need to take a photo— Hipsters photographing food. We’ve all done it right? Click here

App 

XE — the daddy of currency converter apps, XE lets you check out how much money will convert to in every currency in the world—and it’s free

Video 

In case you are heartbroken and the thought of never seeing J.B., Marvin, Aston and Ortisé sing live again, this is the original audition of JLS for X-Factor. Click here.

No.1 iTunes Chart UK

‘Get Lucky’ [Feat. Pharrell Williams] Daft Punk

Radio

‘Constant cravings: does food addiction exist?’ - an investigation into whether obesity could be partly the result of an addition to eating, and asks just how radical our solutions should be. BBCR4, 8pm, Tues 30th April

Book

This week books were celebrated via ‘World Book Night’. Emerald Street recommend these reads so get your bookmarks at the ready! Click here.

Food/Drink

Gino d’Acampo’s new cookbook comes with 3 CDS to sing along to. It even features Britney Spears ‘Toxic’ - really Gino?!

Local to Phipps HQ, Christopher’s reopens at the beginning of May

Cleo Rocos has brought out a new book called ‘The Power of positive drinking’. It includes advice on how to throw the perfect cocktail party and how to prevent wine stains in carpets—just lovely Cleo

Brangelina wine fans don’t panic—Brad and Ange have announced that another vintage will go on sale next year. This year’s wines sold out in 9 hours!

Casserole Club is an idea to help people share extra portions of home cooked food with others in their area who might not always be able to cook for themselves. Click here for more info.

Events

Whiskey Theatre— a two hour experience that takes you on a journey through the history of whiskey via your senses. For more info click here.

Night Museums—back on Thurs May 16th—May 18, giving you an opportunity to see some of the capital’s biggest museums after-hours and in some cases, by candle light. Keep an eye out for more info soon.

Stick the kettle on...

Blimey, coffee is everywhere isn’t it? This week has been National Coffee Week and this weekend is the last two days of the London Coffee Festival. Yes, a festival dedicated to coffee.

In the UK  tea has long been the front runner in the hot drink arena, but this is arguably no longer the case. A recent survey by Ocado found that the average Brit spends more than £3,000 annually on coffee. A sizeable sum considering the current economic climate.

Whether you go for an instant, a coffee machine sachet or a double-shot, caramel syrup  latte, there is no doubt that coffee is at the forefront of our culture. There is even, a website called 'coffitivity' that offers the noise, hustle and bustle of a coffee shop whilst at the comfort of your own desk.  Coffee is everywhere. Even KFC is getting in on the action by offering a coffee promotion in their takeout restaurants.

In 1971, when Starbucks first opened its doors in Seattle’s Pike Place market and with it, unleashed coffee shop culture to the world, it was a turning point. Now 40 years later, coffee is no longer just a drink but a way to socialise, a wake me up, fuel, a drink over which to do business, romantic lingo, a thirst quencher, a friend maker and a sobering tool. It is firmly planted in our social consciousness as a staple of man’s needs.

For me, nothing can beat a hot, steaming cup of milky filter coffee on a winter morning or a bottomless cup in an American diner to wash down a stack of pancakes. I love a chin wag and the way that coffee is the perfect excuse. It also reminds me strongly of family and phrases such as – ‘while you’re up dear’ from my Grandpa, inputting his coffee order. Or, ‘flick the kettle on Ames’ as soon as I get to my mum’s house. Coffee is definitely an integral part of my family life.

What is coffee to you? If you’re a coffee lover perhaps take a visit to the London Coffee Festival and if you do happen to visit a coffee shop, why not make it one that is participating in 'suspended coffees' - a scheme which asks you to purchase a coffee for yourself and one to leave behind for someone else. Now that’s a great excuse to drink coffee if ever there was one. 

The Pork Pie of Life

The Pork Pie of Life is a newsletter brought to you by Amy. It's a meaty chunk of the UK's culture!

 Week's Best

Tweeter

For regular pictures of places, people, animals and nature just like the one here, follow @EarthPix

Website

 Oh the joy of 1st world problems...click here

Film

‘Evil Dead’ is a remake of an ‘80s cult classic. It’s gory, set in a cabin in woods and sure to make you jump. Also, if you make it to the end there is a post credits surprise! (now showing nationwide)

Video

The miracle of the lost sheep. Did you ever think you could feel emotional about sheep?! click here

No.1 iTunes Chart UK Single

Waiting all night (feat. Ella Eyre) - Rudimental

Sport

Snooker: World Championship—coverage on Sat and Sun, BBC1 and BBC2

London Marathon— coverage from 8.30am—2pm Sun with highlights 6-7pm BBC2

Radio

Feeling Good: The Nina Simone Story—Thurs 25th Apr, BBC R2, 10-11pm

BBC iPlayer

The Village is the story of 20th century England played out through a Derbyshire family. The first 3 episodes are on BBC iPlayer until the beginning of May, with the newest episode on Sunday’s BBC1 9pm

Food/Drink

• 'Tongue Spankingly Good' Research has revealed widespread bewilderment at the terms used by producers, retailers and critics to convey the qualities of wines. The terms include ‘haunting’, ‘old bones’ and ‘leathery’.
• Gregg Wallace revealed that when he cooks he plays 'music by dead people'. Elvis, Sinatra, Whitney - you name it, Gregg cooks to it.
• One glass of merlin please - a YouGov survey of 2,184 adults for online retailer WineTrust100 produced the results that one in seven Brits bluff when it comes to their wine knowledge!
• In season - Crab, Jersey Royals, Rocket!
• St George's Day - is this Tues 23rd Apr so why not rustle up a delicious sausage and mash dinner to be in keeping with the celebrations. Click here

Events

Pick Me Up is an annual graphic arts festival currently on at Somerset House. Go check out some of the creativity! Click here for more info

London Marathon—It's happening on Sunday so don't miss it - more than 35,000 runners are due to take part!

London Coffee Festival—head to Brick Lane on 25th—28th Apr for everything coffee inspired. Click here for more info on tickets and what’s on

Time for a mid-week Champagne tasting

  

Yesterday afternoon, Lowri and I headed over to Moët Hennessy HQ to meet Veuve Clicquot winemaker Cyril Brun and taste a selection of the range.

Despite having tasted the range on multiple occasions, it’s always an amazing opportunity to be taken through the wines by the winemaker himself. In true Moët Hennessy style, the tasting was beautifully laid out complete with Veuve Clicquot glasses, not your average champagne flute and beautiful enough to put your average tasting glass to shame. They are much larger than standard tasting glasses, and not tall and thin like usual flutes, allowing us to really swirl the wine around the glass and savour the aromas.

 

Cyril talked us through the Brut Yellow Label, Rosé non-vintage, Vintage 2004, Vintage Rosé 2004 and rounded off with the fabulous La Grande Dame 2004. It was fascinating to get an insight into life in Champagne. One nugget of the afternoon was the information that in 2002 the fruit was too ripe to release Clicquot’s prestige cuvee La Grande Dame. So instead the winemakers decided to make a small batch just for the house to enjoy…well there’s no point in wasting the grapes!

 

And my pick of the range? Both Lowri and I were blown away by the Vintage Rosé 2004 which was jam packed with red fruit flavours and left us dreaming of Summer.

 

Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday afternoon.

Time for a cuppa?

 Last night the second episode of Victoria Wood’s Nice Cup of Tea aired on BBC1, looking into the little plant that changed the world, or in her words, ‘the story of two leaves and a bud.’ This two parter took a closer look into our national obsession with tea and how it came to be the most popular drink in the world after water, with Brits putting away over 60 billion cups a year.

The most interesting part of the programme was the closer look into the history of this much sought after plant, and how it changed Britain. The focus was on the two oldest and most traditional tea nations, India and China, the latter being the origination of tea around 5,000 years ago, derived from just three original tea bushes ‘the mother trees.’ 

Moving on from the history, there’s some rather less interesting interviews with celebrities about what tea means to them, and a look into the role of tea in the wartime effort, before bringing it back to the modern day and the possible need for a ‘rebrand.’ Apparently there’s a real need to make tea appeal to young people today as it’s joys have been diminished by designer coffees, energy drinks and lack of time to sit down and enjoy a brew. 

While this programme was a really interesting insight into the history of tea and the challenges facing tea drinking today, it does skim over some important factors such as the introduction and popularity of herbal, fruit and iced tea varieties, as well as the fact that tea drinking still retains a great sense of national identity and community, whether that’s within an office environment or with friends.

The programme also overlooked some of the most significant tea producing countries in the world, notably Kenya and other African nations. Kenya is the third largest producer of tea in the world and exports the bulk of its tea, with the UK as one of the major recipients. In fact, Kenyan tea makes up more than 50% of our most popular blended teas like PG Tips or Typhoo, making its exclusion from this closer look at tea in Britain a disappointing omission.   

Posted by Gemma Hood 

Cognac VSOP – Very Surprising Orangina Pairing

A recent visit to the Cognac region in France highlighted the importance of open mindedness and innovation when you’re competing in a global market place and selling to an ever more demanding and educated consumer.

What most astounded me about this relatively humble region of France that is somewhat overshadowed by its close proximity to arguably the wine capital of the world (Bordeaux), is that it isn’t held back by some small town insecurity or fervent traditionalism, but instead firmly embraces modernisation without compromising its remarkable heritage. 

Perhaps it’s not surprising, given that the Cognac trade was originally founded by Dutch seafarers, that the region has always been happy to look beyond its borders and why these days a staggering 98% of production is exported. However, it’s not just this willingness to sate foreigners’ thirst that has kept the region alive, but also its readiness to adopt modern approaches to the way it’s consumed.

Despite its strong association with old men in leather bound wing-back armchairs, Cognac is transforming itself into the spirit-du-jour and seems just as comfortable being swigged from a Grammy award by a top rapper (honestly – just Google Jay-Z!), as it is making a delicious pairing with champagne in cocktails (wine geek fact: the best Cognac land is known as Grande Champagne which reflects the soil structure it shares with its bubbly cousin). 

Cognac comes in a multitude of different styles, most easily identified by age – from a young VS, to a teenage VSOP, through to a stately XO. While drinking a 20 year old XO with anything other than reverence and respect would be criminal, the younger styles are much more open to collaboration and are even enhanced in cocktails with ingredients as diverse as jasmine tea and ginger beer.

Before this visit to Cognac, I had a vague understanding and admittedly a fairly limited appreciation for the world’s most famous brandy, but now I completely get it; I underestimated the dexterity of the product and the inventiveness of its proponents – although for me, Cognac and Orangina was a pairing too far…!

Posted by Lowri Robjohn

Horse meat – what’s all the fuss about?

Unless you’ve been living on a remote island for the past few weeks, the horse meat scandal has been impossible to miss. But is the problem as big as the media reports?

The first issue is food labelling. While we choose food based on its advertised contents, how much attention do we really pay to the details on every food label? And what if there is no label? Last week’s findings of pork in halal sausages in some London schools just goes to show that clear and accurate labelling is only part of the solution.

While some do closely check food labels for e-numbers, additives and nutritional information, every day we buy meat products which might only contain 40% meat, as well as other ingredients we’re simply not expecting. None of us who’ve tucked into a fast food burger, a kebab or a street food delight can claim we always know what’s gone into our food. That’s not to say food labelling and traceability couldn’t serve to benefit from the scandal or that it shouldn’t be reviewed, but the truth is that most of us simply don’t know what we're eating every day. The horse meat scandal has only served to bring this to light.

The other debate is whether eating horse is actually a problem? It’s enjoyed in France, Japan and Italy but here in the UK horses are seen as the riding school pony or Black Beauty, not dinner. Eating horse won’t hurt you.  In fact horsemeat is healthy, as its lower in fat than beef, as well as being lower cost, with a sweet, gamey flavour like venison. Over the past weeks well regarded chefs have spoken out about serving horse meat, including Michel Roux who’d happily serve it if he had a high quality supply. Perhaps this whole debacle will lead to the introduction of horsemeat in restaurants and on supermarket shelves - or at least in high-end eateries for adventurous diners who are interested in trying something different.

Whether or not horse will feature on your dinner table, there have been some positive things to come out of the scandal, not least EU initiatives to introduce country-of-origin labelling for meat products and increased focus on traceability. In the past few weeks there’s been a tangible increase in customers going back to their local butchers, with The Guild of Butchers reporting a 20% sales increase since the scandal began (not bad for an industry that s declined by nearly 70% in recent years). The aftermath is also a great opportunity for British producers to capitalise on renewed interest in provenance by focusing on the quality of their products, and making the most of membership to schemes like Red Tractor or Freedom Food, which are sure to become even more of a bench mark of quality.