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Food and drink news
Our food news page is the place to find out about the latest products, as Delia Online editor Jo Hill trawls through the best of the best...
Learn to cook Thai
Fans of fragrant Thai food should hot-foot it to Michelin-starred Nahm on a Saturday, where head chef Matthew Albert (left) teaches masterclasses in curries, stirfries and, on the day I attended, salads and street food. Eight of us learnt to make authentic but easy-to-recreate dishes, including scrummy Salad of Seafood with Pomelo and Fried Rice with Crab, with tips on sourcing and preparing ingredients. Champagne and a wine-tasting lunch rounded the day off perfectly.
Rice that’s nice
To go with your Thai food, why not make some rice? If your rice tends to turn into a soggy mess, you’ll love new Veetee Dine In restaurant-quality rice – which uses natural white rice rather than easy-cook, resulting in good flavour and fluffy texture. Just microwave or stir-fry for two or three minutes and – voila! – perfect basmati (right), pilau, long grain or Thai jasmine rice. £1.49 from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
No catch
With fish stocks dwindling we should aim to buy fish from sustainable sources, such as award-winning No Catch, which offers the world’s first sustainable, organic cod, farmed in Shetland’s unpolluted waters. Not only is the cod – and sea trout - farmed according to environmentally friendly methods, but it tastes good too: firm, white flakes of fish with a lovely, sweet flavour. £5-£6 per pack.
Buy the Good Food Guide 2008 at an exclusive price!
Exclusively for Delia Online members, we've persuaded Which?, the publishers of this year's Good Food Guide, to offer it to you for the exclusive price of £14.49 including p&p (a saving of £2.50 on the usual price of £16.99). The definitive answer on the best restaurants, gastropubs and cafes around the country, this independent annual guide - this year in its 56th edition - is a must-have book for all those who love eating out. To order your copy at this exclusive price, please call 01903 828557 and quote code GFGD07; the book will be available from late August.
Courgettes to relish
Tracklements’ new seasonal, gluten-free Courgette Relish is as good as home-made: packed with courgettes that still retain some crunch, married with vinegar, sugar, peppers, mustard seed and spices for tangy depth. It would be great with sausages, cheese, pates, cold meats and salads and, like all Tracklements’ products, is made to a very high standard in small quantities: a true artisan product. £2.10 for 220g.
Beer with everything
Apparently, Le Gavroche and Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons are both featuring beers with food, so who are we to argue? Greene King's new speciality beer Hop, made from Tettnang hops, has a pale, golden colour and crisp dry finish. The result is a smooth citrus taste and subtle, soft fruit aromas - making it the ideal partner to many foods (I ceratinly enjoyed it with a spicy prawn stir-fry.) Hop is available in Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's at £1.99 for 750ml.
New lentils on the block!
Pardina Lentils from Merchant Gourmet are popular in Spain but may not be familiar to you in this country. They’re well worth trying though as they hold their shape during cooking and offer a soft, creamy texture and nutty flavour to your recipes. With their pinkish colour, they also add something different: try them in salads, or with chicken, fish and herbs. £2.09 for 500g.
Explosively good!
Gü’s range of puds has been joined by the Gü-ily gorgeous Chocolate Bombe: a very rich explosion of 70% dark chocolate mousse and soft chocolate sponge, dusted with cocoa powder. The first of Gü’s frozen products, it allows you to serve a decadent dessert when unexpected guests arrive. We thought it went well with summer berries to offset the richness. Gü Bombe Au Chocolat (450g) is available exclusively at Waitrose until September, £5.99.
