Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2017 i Good Food

Does your oven have quirks you’ve grown used to over the years? A recipe calls for 20 minutes on high, say, but you know you’ll get a better result if you shave off three minutes. It’s often the same in a professional kitchen – and the potential to get it wrong is multiplied when you have a fledgling team learning the ropes. So why go to a new restaurant before it has time to learn from its mistakes and become a well-oiled, warmly welcoming machine? Good Food’s new columnist, Tony Naylor (p154), eschews ‘hot’ new places, suggesting you give them at least six months to bed-in before you put them on your restaurant hit list. Top tip or total tosh? Let us know your view on Twitter @bbcgoodfood #bbcgfopinion. See…

Poptails Forget luke-warm Pimms, frozen cocktails and boozy ice cream are taking this summer by storm. Compostable coffee pods Until recently, discarded coffee machine pods have ended up in landfill. Finally, a solution – both Volcano Coffee (volcanocoffeeworks.com) and Halo (halo.coffee) have created biodegradable coffee pods. Skinny sausages Supermarket aisles are filling up with healthier versions of the great British banger, including vegetable packed varieties from Mor and Crafty Carnivores (see opposite). Cloud eggs As if eggs weren’t instagrammed enough, there’s a new variation taking over social media. Egg whites are whipped and baked until they resemble clouds. Avocado chocolate It was only a matter of time before someone put avocado in a chocolate bar. You can buy Compartes avocado chocolate online (ships from the US, compartes.com) and in the…

BACK TO WORK: THE CONFECTIONERS If you enjoyed last year’s Victorian Bakers series on BBC Two, this is one for you – four modern-day confectioners recreate incredible recipes from Elizabethan, Georgian and Victorian times over three programmes, and they explore the dark history that drove the rise of the sugar industry. Starts on BBC Two in July. THE KITCHEN CABINET Jay Rayner and his panel wrestle with foodie conundrums posed by audiences in Newtownards, Yeovil, Leicester and Hull this month. If you would like to be in the audience for the next series starting in September, visit bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/takepart. Saturdays at 10.30am. EAT WELL FOR LESS With food prices set to rise, Gregg Wallace and Chris Bavin (right) offer some timely advice to families across Britain who are feeling the pinch,…

Comedy cooks Peter Hudson and David Halls were among the TV favourites du jour in 1989. Their format paved the way for shows like Saturday Kitchen. Ahead of the food trends, we focused on the new arrival to kitchens – microwave ovens – showing how to make six suppers in minutes. The rise of the celebrity chef has been a feature of the culinary scene for the past three decades, and that’s mostly thanks to Delia. On November 1989, BBC Good Food started to change the way we enjoyed food. Up until then, our inspiration for what to cook was handed down through our families, or presented to us in visually-limited cookbooks. Cookery shows on TV brought the pleasure of food preparation to life, but compared to the wall-to-wall on-screen…

The right oil for the job There are plenty of advocates for including more olive oil in your diet, but it’s important to know how to use it properly. It’s best not to heat the higher grades, like extra virgin, as they can be damaged at high temperatures. Instead, save the good stuff for finishing your pasta and salads, and opt for regular olive oil in your cooking. Forgotten fishes Fish features heavily in the Mediterranean diet, and it’s not only large catches that make the table. Shellfish is popular, as are bony fish eaten whole, such as sardines, anchovies and whitebait. A simple pasta dish of sardines, chopped tomatoes, chilli, garlic, olive and capers is bursting with flavour and can be ready in minutes. Keep it real Mediterranean eating…

Four essential pieces of kit Proper charcoal Sustainably produced charcoal – look for charcoal made from coppiced wood (ncfed.org.uk) or Forestry Commission-approved wood – lights easily, burns better and won’t taint flavour, unlike charcoals containing accelerants. Chimney starter Using one means you can light charcoal easily with a few sheets of newspaper. Thermometer Testing the temperature of your food helps to prevent disasters. We like Thermapens (thermapen.co.uk), which have a temperature probe that folds away for safe storage in your cutlery drawer. For more recommendations, see page 127. Long-handled tongs Barbecues are hot and you need to keep your distance – ordinary tongs are not long enough. Direct and indirect heat How you arrange your coals will give you different heat zones and more control over your BBQ Direct heat…

“It makes a lot of sense to match the bold flavours of a barbecue with an equally bold red” There are essentially two ways of cooking with fire – ‘the barbecue’ and everything else. The barbecue is more than just a piece of cooking equipment. It makes no difference whether it’s little more than a load of charcoal tipped into a wheelbarrow along with a whole packet of firelighters from the garage, or a gigantic, gleaming stainless steel and cast-iron contraption that cost the same as a small car: barbecuing is an institution. The important thing about a barbecue is that it involves a lot of meat, definitely some sausages and several marinades and sauces over which there will be much one-upmanship (particularly about their chilli content). Everything will be…

“‘Say hello to your starter – it’s Mr Brain’s Pork Faggots…’ I could tell I had lost them” My amazing, active, tap-dancing mother recently turned 90. We celebrated with her favourite childhood meal – ham and potatoes – and began talking about the foods of our youth. I have a hazy glow about the meals she made us in the 70s and 80s and decided to revisit them to see if the emotional culinary memory was all that remained, or if they could pass the timeless Good Food test with my own children. BREAKFAST Spam and cheese toasties. I pan-fried the spam until its edges were crispy, layered it into sandwiches with grated cheddar and relish, toastied them and offered them to my teenage sons. Had I called them cheese…

Chilli chicken with peanut noodles SERVES 2 PREP 15 mins COOK 10 mins EASY for the stir-fry 2 tsp rapeseed oil 2 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, about 225g in total, all fat removed, chopped 3 large garlic cloves, finely grated 1 tbsp ginger, cut into matchsticks 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 175g Tenderstem broccoli, stems sliced on the angle, florets left whole 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped 1/2 tsp tamari for the noodles 2 nests wholewheat noodles 1 tbsp sugar-free peanut butter 1/2 lime, zested and juiced 1 tsp ground cumin 1 Heat the oil in a wok and add all the stir-fry ingredients except for the tamari. Toss over a high heat for a min, then cover, reduce the heat and cook for 5 mins more…

Ginger chicken biryani Did someone say curry night? I hope so. If you want to impress, try making your own rather than ordering – this biryani tastes authentic and is leaner than any takeaway. SERVES 6 PREP 15 mins COOK 50 mins EASY 2 tbsp coconut oil 6 cloves 5 cardamom pods, lightly crushed 2 onions, roughly chopped 7cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tbsp garam masala 2 tsp ground coriander 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground turmeric 1½ tsp chilli powder 10 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, roughly cut into 4cm chunks 3 large tomatoes, roughly chopped 2 bunches of fresh coriander, roughly chopped 3 x 250g packets of pre-cooked rice pomegranate seeds, to serve 1 Melt 1› tbsp of the coconut…

Every month, chef and Good Food contributing editor John Torode reinvents a popular recipe from our website. He’ll be back with a new series of Celebrity MasterChef on BBC One this summer. His new series, John Torode’s Korean Food Tour, starts Monday 17 July on the Good Food Channel. @JohnTorode1 It’s easy to see why sea bass is so popular – it’s such a versatile fish. I think it’s at its best steamed with a little ginger and some spring onions. Here, I’ve kept the flavours of a classic Good Food recipe, but drawn inspiration from another version where the fish is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on the barbecue. I’ve omitted the banana leaves and parcel-cooked the fish in the oven, making it a fuss-free dinner for friends.…

The happiness cats bring to your life can be hard to explain to people who don’t own a pet. For many of us, our furry friends are more like a member of the family than anything else – always ready to play, snuggle and even provide comfort in times of need. If you’re a cat owner, you want to give them the best possible life – and that includes a full and balanced diet to help them live a long and healthy life. Of course, every cat is different, and accordingly, each has different nutritional requirements. That’s why the experts at Royal Canin have devoted years to creating delicious cat food that’s precisely tailored to a variety of nutritional needs, so you can give your cat exactly what they require.…

1 STRONG FLOUR You’ll need a strong flour that’s high in gluten. We get ours from Marriage’s, but any high-gluten or ‘00’ flour would work well. The strength of the gluten is required to form the lovely big air bubbles in the bread – it’s essential for the dough to develop properly. flour.co.uk 2 GOOD SCALES Accurate digital scales are tremendously important for home baking. You have to look at it as a scientific experiment: the basic recipe must be right and the ratios must be correct – you can’t leave anything to the imagination. Find our favourite scales at bbcgoodfood. com/content/top-five-digital-kitchen-scales 3 YEAST Dried yeast does the trick, but fresh is more reactive, so try to track it down if you can. The bakery counter in your supermarket might…

Wine expert Henry Jeffreys, along with the BBC Good Food team, tasted his way through over 100 wines to choose our Wine Club selection. Henry writes about wine for The Guardian and The Spectator, and on his blog, worldofbooze.wordpress.com. He is also a judge in the Best Drinks Producer category for the BBC Food and Farming Awards. His first book, Empire of Booze, is out now. Find Henry’s tasting notes, including food pairings, for all the selected wines at bbcgoodfood.com/wine-club. Yarrunga Field Special Reserve 2016 Nowadays we class wines by grape variety, but in the past most wines would have been made from an array of grapes. Containing myriad varieties, this white from New South Wales pays tribute to the old ways. There’s a tiny bit of oak, but it’s…

YOU NEED TO LIKE FISH There’s a lot of lamb in Iceland, but fish dominates, and it’s some of the sweetest and freshest you’ll ever eat. Cod, crab, langoustine, blue mussels and lobster; they’re all superb. You can even get fish & chips accompanied by skyr (see overleaf), in Reykjavík restaurants. TAKE A PICNIC Iceland’s mercurial weather might not seem like ideal picnic conditions, but the scenery is stunning. Pack a pillow (and a brolly), buy some rye bread, and collect some cheeses from Búrið, the best deli in Iceland (see overleaf), and smoked lamb. VISIT SMALLHOLDERS AND FARMS Farmers’ markets are rare, partly because they are so hard to organise due to the cold, dark winter days, but a couple are held every year at Harpa, the beautiful concert…

gf star letter Your May issue on how to be more green inspired me to take my leftovers to the next level. Instead of having my Sunday chicken with more veg and potatoes again on Monday, I made coronation chicken with pineapple juice, raisins, and spring onions. I filled jacket potatoes for dinner and made sandwiches for lunch. I then used the carcass to make a stock for a casserole. Thanks Good Food ! Abi Holmes, Surrey Rach has swapped risotto rice for barley in a twist on our May cover recipe – pea, broad bean & rocket risotto with chicken. @rachheron1 I made the courgette, lemon, & thyme cake (Sept 16) for a friend’s birthday. Even the courgette sceptics loved it! I didn’t think I’d be…

Maybe I’m a big disappointment at parties. Not because I tend to hog the stereo and will happily double-dip in the houmous (get over it, clean-freaks!), but because I’m that guy, the one who writes about food for the Guardian , Restaurant magazine and – hello! – BBC Good Food and whom, consequently, everyone wants to talk to about restaurants. I have no problem with that – restaurants are among my favourite topics. Come at me with questions about my best-ever meal (Noma) or why my hometown, Manchester, hasn’t got a Michelin star (if you do, you’d better grab a seat, because it might take a while), but please don’t ask about that ‘hot’ new place in town because I won’t have been. Sorry. No. I’ve not made it down…

Perfect spritz This lightly floral twist on a Perfect (sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, gin) can be chilled until your guests arrive. Any red/rosso vermouth and any dry/white vermouth is fine for this, or try Antica Formula Carpano (£14, Waitrose) and Dolin Vermouth de Chambery Dry, (£14.99, amazon.co.uk ). SERVES 10-12 PREP 5 mins EASY 200ml red vermouth 200ml white vermouth 200ml gin 1 tsp dried lavender to serve soda or tonic water (optional) ice lemon wedges fresh lavender sprigs 1 Pour both types of vermouth and the gin into a clean glass bottle or jug and add the dried lavender. Stir and leave to infuse overnight (in the fridge or in a cupboard). 2 Allow 50ml per person and strain into glasses over ice. Serve neat with lots of ice…

Crave by Martha Collison (£16.99, Harper Collins) An antidote to the trend for ‘clean eating’, this book by former Bake Off contestant Martha Collison is all about indulgence. Split into eight chapters – citrus, fruit, nut, spice, chocolate, caramel, cheese and alcohol – whatever your craving is, you’ll find a recipe to sate it. Unsurprisingly, there’s lots of sweet treats, from heavenly self-saucing chocolate pudding to malted millionaire’s slices, but there are savoury options too, including some incredible cheesy tartiflette potato skins. Say goodbye to your summer body now. Our must-try recipe Cherry & chocolate cheesecake brownies Trullo The Cookbook by Tim Siadatan (£17, Square Peg) A shining star on London’s restaurant scene, Brit Tim is chef-patron of two of the capital’s best modern Italian restaurants,…

1 Brown food photographs vs full colour, high definition, pin-sharp pictures. What do you mean #nofilter? 2 Salad bars (oh, the excitement of unlimited help-yourself) vs small plates. Perhaps it’s time to revert – we hate sharing. 3 Indian and Chinese takeaway vs food trucks and street food. A world of flavour on every corner, make ours a sushi burrito. 4 European wine (mostly) vs world wine. Even England wins prizes now, particularly for English sparkling wine. 5 McDonald’s & Wimpy vs Byron, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Patty & Bun and the rest. Thank God. 6 The weekly shop and a giant freezer vs daily shopping at high street supermarkets. Let’s not forget the arrival of game-changing Ocado deliveries. 7 Liver vs chorizo. Yes nose-to-tail eating is a thing, but mostly…

This rich fridge cake is the real deal – sophisticated and intensely chocolatey with a hit of juicy raisins and crunchy biscuit pieces. There are just a couple of things to remember; you need to make it at least four hours ahead so that it has time to set, and it’s all about the chocolate, so treat yourself to something luxurious. Also, this recipe doesn’t rely on accurate measuring, so you’ll save on time and washing up. Apart from being totally delectable and requiring no cooking, this recipe has the advantage of being adaptable to different occasions. It’s a lovely teatime treat with tea or coffee, or it makes a luscious dessert when it’s served with whipped cream or ice cream. I like it best after dinner, served in small…

Caesar salad burgers SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins COOK 10-15 mins EASY 2 skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthways 2 tsp olive oil 1 lemon, juiced 4 bread rolls, halved 3 tbsp crème fraîche 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced 1 Little Gem lettuce, chopped punnet of salad cress, snipped 25g parmesan, shaved 1 Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until very hot. Put the halved chicken breasts between two pieces of baking parchment and bash with a rolling pin to flatten. Remove from the paper and brush the chicken with the olive oil. 2 Cook the chicken on the griddle pan, turning once, for 10 mins or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate, pour over a little of the lemon juice and season. 3 Put the rolls on the…

Direct heat A single layer of coals at the same level provides a direct heat source – ideal for searing burgers, thin-cut steaks, or any foods that need a quick charring. Indirect heat Hot coals on just one side enable you to cook on one half and keep food warm on the other. If you have a kettle BBQ, this is the set-up for indirect low-and-slow cooking of large pieces of meat. A little of each By sloping the coals you get a gradient of heat from searing hot to sizzling gently. This is useful when barbecuing for a crowd – you can keep things ticking over at one end while cooking at full pelt at the other.…

In Britain, we’re blessed. From small market towns to major cities, the variety of international foods available on the UK high street is unparalleled in Europe. Whether you crave nasi lemak or Neapolitan pizza, ramen or jerk chicken, you can find tasty renditions from Land’s End to John O’Groats. If you know where to look, that is. These are often hidden gems. Welcome to the Good Food global foods road trip. Holidaying at home this summer? Explore a world of flavours via SatNav. Just back from sunnier climes? Here is a chance to relive those foodie holiday memories, on your doorstep. THAI Oli’s Thai, Oxford What student-y Cowley Road lacks in dreaming spires, it makes up for in epic Thai food. Hidden on a suburban street, Rufus and Laddawan Thurston’s…

“No wonder everyone wants to open a coffee shop – the profit margins are huge!” Fancy going for a coffee? You’ll have no problem finding one. UK streets are lined with coffee bars, around 23,000 of them, with three new ones opening daily. And we haven’t necessarily reached ‘peak coffee’ – it’s estimated that by 2030 there will be more coffee bars than pubs in Britain. As someone who doesn’t drink booze unless there’s something nice to eat with it, you’re more likely to find me in cafés than pubs, but I can’t help thinking this caffeine-fuelled surge has got out of hand. I’m dismayed by the steady encroachment of coffee chains branches, popping up seemingly overnight where the bank, butcher, greengrocer, or newsagent used to be. Thank heavens for…

“I like to woo with clams and spaghetti. One of the reasons is that I can recreate that scene from Lady and the Tramp” Ainsley Harriott became a household name as host of BBC daytime TV classic Ready, Steady, Cook . He went off the radar when the show ended in 2010 – only to gain a new cult following online. Dozens of memes and YouTube channels have been created in his honour – and there have even been petitions, signed by thousands, to have him instated as the face of the new £5 note and to present The Great British Bake Off . And when he turned 60 earlier this year, Twitter was astonished at how youthful the looked. He has…

Good Food contributing editor Tom Kerridge is a regular BBC presenter and chef-owner of The Hand & Flowers and The Coach – both in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. His latest book, Tom Kerridge’s Dopamine Diet (£20, Absolute Press), is out now. @ChefTomKerridge Weekend cooking for friends should be about two things: fun and flavour. I’ve always thought that the open air makes summer food taste better, and a meal in the garden often takes away the formality. Here, I’ve cranked up the flavour on four of my favourite pub dishes for you and your mates to enjoy in the sunshine. They’re all lovely for lunch, and all the better if it rolls on into supper while you sit around in your flip-flops, watching the sun go down, cold drink in hand. Salmon,…

Going for a Vietnamese in the UK usually means a relaxed café-style experience – perhaps a quick, nourishing bowl of pho, the staple noodle soup. Chef Jeff Tan has lifted the experience to something more akin to a special occasion at Go Viet in South Kensington. Soft leather booths, a neutral colour scheme and flattering lighting create a soothing effect. The menu is equally upmarket, with delicate, aromatic flavours in dishes such as carpaccio scallops and lobster moss, balanced with punchier offerings, like Jeff’s 16-hour slow-boiled beef bone marrow pho or the seemingly simple appetiser bí mat tomato, which requires peeling cherry tomatoes and marinating them in 10 different herbs over 10 hours. Good-quality ingredients, preparation time and exquisite presentation are key. We asked Jeff to adapt our favourite Go…

The ultimate chilli Even classic recipes are hotly debated and open to interpretation by every cook who makes them. In this new series, we’ll look at our top-rated comfort food classics, reassess and reinvigorate them and guide you to make what we think is the definitive version, certain to become your new favourite. This month, we tackle chilli con carne – turn over to find out how. Essential kit: Italian bread baking No Italian meal would be complete without bread. Find out what you need to get ahead. Take a course: Beef butchery More and more butchers are teaching courses. We visit one of the best in the UK. On test: Meat thermometers Want more precision in the kitchen? Get a digital thermometer.…

Want to raise the stakes at your next barbecue? Then this is the course for you – a beef-fest from one of the best butchers in the country. The evening starts with a cuts tutorial and tasting, then it’s time to don the butcher’s apron, roll up your sleeves and have a go at some knife skills, such as boning a rib of beef. After all the hard work, it’s back to the shop floor for a dinner of beef (obviously) with wine, before going home with your butchered cut. Verdict: This course will give you a new appreciation of beef butchery, and teach you what to ask and look for when you next buy beef. It was the ideal balance of informal and educational. Cost: HG Walter evening butchery…

SMOKED SALT Local salt is produced by evaporating seawater using geothermal power. As well as the plain stuff, you can buy salt mixed with black lava (much more delicious than it sounds), with Arctic thyme and smoked over birch, which is fantastic with eggs. LOBSTER SOUP It’s become a cliché, but it’s still worth having the lobster soup served at Sægreifinn (saegreifinn.is) down by the harbour in Reykjavík. It’s not fancy – the place isn’t much more than a shack – but the Icelandic lobster is good, and the soup is heavenly. The other place to try it is at the Hotel Búðir (hotelbudir.is) on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in the west of Iceland – but it will cost you a lot more there. BOILED COD HEAD WITH LOVAGE AND POTATO…

Former Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain returns to our screens in a new series exploring Britain’s food traditions. Her travels take her from the Scottish Highlands to the Devon coast where she meets producers, farmers and fishermen, discovers their food stories and uses local ingredients to create new recipes. These burgers are one of the recipes from her new book inspired by her travels. Her new eight-part series, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure, begins on BBC Two this month. Tandoori cod burger Everyone loves a bright piece of nuclear tandoori chicken, right? I have been known to dabble in synthetic flavours and colourings, but even I can’t get my head around food colouring for chicken! Luckily, there are alternative ways of colouring food naturally, using simple ground spices that not only…

SKINTED Landmann Piccolino portable charcoal barbecue, £38.99, theinternetgardener.co.uk This little barbecue is super stylish. It’s as light as a feather so easily portable, but feels durable too. It’s easy to set up, clean and pack away – the coal sits in a small bowl, so all you have to do is remove this, throw away the remains and give it a wipe. Big enough for 3-4 people. MINTED Weber Go Anywhere Charcoal BBQ, £79.99, John Lewis Light and compact, this barbecue packs up like a toolbox so it’s great for taking to the beach or camping. It’s easy to assemble, taking around 10 minutes with two people, and requires no extra tools. The lid, with vents, makes it possible to control the heat and smoke meat. OUT…

Good Food contributing editor Rosie Birkett is a food writer and stylist. Her cookbook, A Lot on Her Plate, is out now (£25, Hardie Grant). @rosiefoodie Jersey Royals, courgette & goat’s cheese tart SERVES 4-6 PREP 45 mins plus chilling COOK 1 hr 30 mins A CHALLENGE V 1 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp fennel seeds 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 2 courgettes, halved lengthways then sliced on the diagonal 3 spring onions, chopped into matchsticks ¼ fennel bulb, thinly sliced, fronds reserved 1 lemon, zested and juiced handful watercress 1 tbsp each chopped basil, parsley, tarragon and mint, plus extra to serve 150g ricotta 4 medium eggs 125g soft goat’s cheese 250g cooked Jersey Royal potatoes, sliced into discs 100g log of goat’s cheese, sliced for the pastry 200g…

As with any cuisine that needs specialist ingredients, what you have access to will affect what you can make. We’ve stuck to easy-to-find ingredients in these recipes while giving you options to up your game if you can get hold of a bigger range. See p37 for information on chillies, some next-level ingredients and our pick of best buys. Fish tacos with Baja sauce These amazing fish tacos don’t need deep-frying. Use a fajita mix to give you all the right flavours without having to buy jars of all the individual spices. SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins COOK 5 mins EASY For the Baja sauce 50g yogurt 50g mayonnaise 1 jalapeño chilli (see p37) 1 garlic clove 1 lime, juiced small pack coriander 1 tsp fajita seasoning for the fish…

These titanium-coated Titan knives are made from stainless steel and come in copper (order code GO431) and gold (order code GO432). The set includes a carving knife, chef’s knife, bread knife, utility knife, paring knife and a magnetic storage block. All blades are taper-ground and dishwasher safe, and come with a 10-year warranty. Good Food exclusive: £46.99 (was £49.99) plus £4.95 p&p. Call 0844 493 5654 and quote 73974, visit clifford-james. co.uk/73974 or send your details, the code and quantity of the item you wish to order, and a cheque payable to BVG Group to Good Food Offer 71379, PO Box 87, Brecon LD3 3BE.…

Meatball kebabs This mixture can be used for all sizes of kebab or to make burgers. If you don’t have ras el hanout, use 1 tsp ground cumin and a pinch of cinnamon. SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins COOK about 10 mins EASY DIRECT HEAT 1/4 red onion 400g lamb mince 1 tsp ras el hanout 1 tsp harissa (optional) 2 mint sprigs, finely chopped, plus some whole leaves to serve 4 coriander sprigs, finely chopped, plus some whole leaves to serve 1 pack padron peppers or mild green chillies 1 tbsp olive oil 1 lemon, quartered flatbreads (or gluten-free alternative), to serve cucumber and carrot matchsticks and red onion slices, all soaked in lemon juice, to serve chilli flakes, to serve (optional) For the tahini sauce 3 tbsp natural…

Temperature control is key to BBQing and comes with practice: with time, you’ll figure out hot and cool spots, how long coals take to get hot enough, and how long a load of charcoal lasts. When you put meat on the grill, leave for a few minutes before turning, then turn every few minutes to avoid burning. Move the meat if you see yellow flames – this means that fat has caught fire, which makes meat taste too smoky. Leave plenty of space between each piece of meat. I can’t give exact cooking times, as they depend on the type, cut and thickness of the meat and the grill’s temperature. Take meat off the BBQ just before you think it’s ready and let it rest before serving. By controlling the…

1 Ant egg mushroom curry, Lao Café, London laocafe.co.uk 2 Triple roast (pork, duck, char siu), Look In, Birmingham; 6 Ladywell Walk 3 Grilled chorizo choripan, Cuban Sandwich Factory, Belfast; @cubanobelfast 4 South Tyrolean knödel bread dumplings, Alplings, Edinburgh; alplings.co.uk 5 Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, Honest Crust, Altrincham; honestcrust  woodfiredpizza.com 6 Portuguese alheira sausage croquettes, Bar Douro, London; bardouro.co.uk 7 Georgian butter, egg and cheese-topped khachapuri bread, Little Georgia, London; 14 Barnsbury Road, N1 8 Hawaiian fish, poké, Oké Poké, Manchester; okepoke.co.uk 9 Tibetan steamed momos (dumplings), Taste Tibet, Oxford; tastetibet.com 10 Savoury Indian rice and semolina cake, dhokla, Babu, Glasgow; babu-kitchen.com…

Cheltenham Indie cafés are up in arms as Costa opens its 11th outlet. The high street already has eight chain coffee bars. Edinburgh In 2012, a traders’ association failed to block a 58th coffee shop opening within a one-mile area. London Residents of Stoke Newington are fighting proposals to turn a former bank into a Costa. Bristol and Totnes locals have prevented new outlets of coffee chains from opening in their towns. next month Joanna tackles the tricky issue of picky eaters.…

How to burn 8,000 calories If good weather isn’t enough of a reason to get on your bike, how about taking inspiration from the Tour de France? Competitors apparently consume up to 8,000 calories a day to fuel themselves on the gruelling challenge, according to Team Sky’s head of nutrition, Dr James Morton. You don’t need to cycle 2000+ miles to feel the benefits of biking. Research published this year suggests cycling to work can halve the risk of heart disease and cancer. How’s that for pedal power! Check out bbcgoodfood. com/tour-de-france Hot hack Foods high in fibre, protein or sugar, produce more body heat, says Good Food’s nutritionist Kerry Torrens. Avoid overheating with citrus marinades, which help to break down meat protein. For more hot…

Led by chef-director Luke Tipping, Simpsons has earned a reputation for offering one of the best dining experiences in Birmingham. Driven by seasonality and provenance, Luke and head chef Nathan are renowned for producing outstanding flavours. The restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2000, and has undergone a transformation resulting in a modern dining space. Lunch will begin with champagne and canapés served in the beautiful garden (weather permitting), where you can watch the chefs cooking using Big Green Egg barbecues. You will then enjoy a delicious five-course meal in the restaurant. Dishes will be introduced by Luke and his talented team. Luke will also give you a preview of Simpsons’ recently launched Eureka Kitchen – a fantastic new cookery school, chef’s table, development kitchen and wine-tasting facility. DATE…

Good Food contributing editor Diana Henry is an award-winning food writer. Every month she creates exclusive recipes using seasonal ingredients. Her tenth book, Simple (£25, Mitchell Beazley), is out now. @DianaHenryFood My mother kept some foods that were specific to her and mysterious to everyone else. It was what set her apart as ‘the cook’, the keeper of wisdom, the person who could transform ingredients into dishes. One was Fern’s Curry Paste, a jar that contained a dark purée so foreign my siblings and I would sometimes just open the lid, sniff and jump up and down with excitement. Living in Northern Ireland, where there were no curry houses, this was the nearest we were going to get to India. Another was beer. My dad didn’t drink it – he’s…

Anjum Anand’s griddled chopped chicken salad ‘Chaat’ literally means to lick, as in finger-licking good! This chicken chaat is based on the one we ate growing up but we normally had it as a chopped salad, so everything mixes well with the tangy dressing. SERVES 1 as a light meal, 2 as a starter PREP 15 mins plus marinating COOK 15 mins EASY 1 large skinless chicken breast 11/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 large garlic clove, finely grated 1 tsp roasted and ground cumin seeds small bunch coriander, finely chopped 11/2 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste 1/2 medium tomato 1/2 ripe avocado 1/4 red onion, finely chopped or sliced handful of chopped lettuce, such as Little Gem 11/2 tsp chaat masala (available from large supermarkets) 1/4 small…

STAR BUY Superfast Thermapen 4 £60 thermapen.co.uk Quick, slick and durable, these were originally designed for use in professional kitchens. There are no bells and whistles, just a super-fast (three second) temperature reading. The thin probe makes only a small hole when you insert it, and the wide temperature range means that it can be used to test jams, confectionary and oil as well as chilled dishes. The probe folds down like a penknife for easy storage (which also turns it off ), and the antibacterial casing comes in a variety of colours. BEST ALL-ROUNDER Salter 5-in-1 digital cooking thermometer by Heston Blumenthal precision £49.99 salterhousewares.co.uk Beyond the barbecue, the wide range of temperatures this thermometer measure means it’s also ideal for confectionary, deep-frying, measuring your…

1 If you find yourself spending a day in Brooklyn’s gorgeous Prospect Park, enjoy lunch and a glass of wine at Franny’s (frannysbrooklyn.com), a local favorite thanks to mouthwatering pizza and pastas made with locally sourced ingredients. 2 While New Yorkers eager await Anthony Bourdain’s food hall, we sate ourselves at Eataly (eataly.com) and Le District (ledistrict.com). The former is a great place to stop for a meal or snack while exploring the Flatiron District; the latter is the perfect spot to recharge with French fare after visiting downtown Manhattan and One World Trade Center. 3 The Brooklyn waterfront is home to leafy parks, brand new walk-ways, bike paths and playgrounds, and even a ferry to the car-less Governors Island. But the best part is that it’s close to Thai…

Iceland is on fire right now – and we’re talking food rather than erupting volcanoes. This Nordic island used to be something of a culinary joke with every guidebook urging you to eat fermented shark (a delicacy that nobody, except tourists, gets excited about) and to drink Brennivín, an unsweetened schnapps (also known as ‘the Black Death’, which tells you everything you need to know). But the financial crash in 2008 changed everything. Icelanders could no longer afford to eat the expensive imported goods they’d come to love, so they started looking at the food on their doorstep. Locals began making cheeses, jams, syrups from birch and meadowsweet cured meats; and embracing Icelandic cuisine, influenced in part by the New Nordic movement. Reykjavík’s first food hall has just launched in…

Hector Andrews started the dairy farm at Cliffe House Farm near Sheffield in 1947. Today the farm has 80 cows and is run by Hector’s son, daughter-in-law and grandsons, Ed and Dan. A decade ago, milk prices fell and many dairy farms sold up. The Andrews started to make ice cream under the name Our Cow Molly, which they sell at their on-site ice cream parlour and in shops and cafés around Sheffield. They also process, bottle and deliver their own milk. ‘Unlike most milk sold in shops, ours is less than a day old, so keeps its flavour ,’ says Ed. ‘Customers like knowing where it’s from, and many visit the farm.’ Winning the Future Food category in the BBC Food and Farming Awards has given them a massive…

Cottage cheese fritters SERVES 2 PREP 10 mins COOK 10 mins EASY V 300g fat-free cottage cheese 100g cherry tomatoes, chopped 1/2 lemon, zested 50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated, plus extra for serving 25g fresh mixed herbs (basil, parsley and thyme work best), chopped, plus extra for serving 50g spinach, finely chopped 75g plain flour 1 tbsp olive oil 1 In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the flour and oil. Mix well, then stir in the flour. 2 Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Working in batches of two or three (the mixture should make six fritters), spoon large blobs into the pan and flatten with the back of the spoon to make thick discs. Turn when crisp and golden on the…