EatingBritain.com » Featured

New rules for gluten free foods

Sarah Cabral — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:30:24 +0000

Under the new EU regulations, only foods that contain less than 20 parts of gluten in a million will be allowed to use the term ‘gluten-free’ on their packaging. Recent evidence has shown that this extremely low level offers better protection for those with an intolerance to gluten. Previously, a food labelled ‘gluten-free’ could have contained up to ten times more than this.

In addition, some foods made using cereals that have been specially processed to remove most of the gluten, but which contain less than 100 parts in a million, will be able to make the claim ‘very low gluten’. These include substitutes of certain staple foods such as bread.

The introduction of just two types of labelling will reduce consumer confusion in this area and help coeliacs to make safe and informed choices about the types of food they eat.

Sue Hattersley, head of food allergy policy at the Food Standards Agency, said:

“Around one per cent of people in the UK are intolerant to gluten, and packaging claims about gluten in foods are very important to these people.
The number of products marketed to them is increasing rapidly. Without rules controlling the levels of gluten in them, the amounts of gluten could vary greatly, which could cause serious health problems.

“The new lower limit of 20 parts in a million means greater peace of mind for people with a gluten intolerance , as they can be sure that foods sold as ‘gluten free’ do not contain levels that could be harmful to them.”

Manufacturers can use the new labelling system immediately, but in order to give them time to adapt to the new rules by reformulating products or changing existing packaging, products do not have to comply with the new rules until 1 January 2012.

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Tell them what you really think!

Alison Clarkson — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:30:16 +0000

I’m so happy to introduce our latest guest writer for Eating Britain, Alison Clarkson, a food stylist, home economist and food writer. Alison grew up in a small village in South Wales surrounded by generations of great home cooking and from an early age it was clear that she had a passion and flair for excellent food. A Marketing degree enabled her to become a food and drinks Marketeer spending the early part of her career working on new product development and food and flavour trends. Find out more about Alison and see her portfolio in Alison’s Kitchen.

As a fully fledged foodie I spend a lot of time eating out, but whether it’s at a Deli, the local greasy spoon or a smart restaurant I suffer from a very British affliction. You’ll recognise the scenario, the meal isn’t up to scratch and you spend 5 minutes complaining to your dinner companion and the waiter comes over to enquire ‘Is everything OK?’ and your response is ‘Fine thanks, lovely’ and then you kick yourself and spend the rest of the meal moaning but will probably leave a tip – it’s impolite not to!

How often do we put up with poorly cooked meals and substandard ingredients but are far too polite to complain? In other countries it doesn’t happen, the French would be up in arms, Americans would rather complain than not, Italians just wouldn’t put up with it. But us Brits don’t like to make a fuss, claiming we’ll vote with our feet instead but essentially we cop out. This is the case for a lot of transactions but especially when we’re eating out, we put up, make do and bow out.

On Saturday my husband and I were served an overpriced, poorly prepared lunch at a nearby Hotel, we did complain and, in fairness, they were very apologetic and did all they could to remedy our complaints. The situation did, however, spark off the conversation that maybe our reluctance to complain means Chefs will just carry on regardless, without our feedback they may think that everything is fine. And, if we don’t make our feelings known we aren’t giving them the opportunity to make amends. Given our foodie status we’re actually very well placed to give constructive feedback but whilst we eat out a couple of times a week rarely do we give an honest and specific response. If the foods good we’ll often throw in a cursory ‘lovely’ or ‘very nice’ but not much more.

So we’ve made a pact, for the next 3 months, when asked, we’ll give detailed and candid feedback both positive and negative, and I throw down the gauntlet to you too. There are two critical elements to remember though. Firstly to be really specific and constructive stating what you liked and why you liked it and the same for what you didn’t like. Secondly, if you’ve had more than 3 glasses of wine, let it lie! So join us in taking the waiter by the horns and seeing if we can make a difference. If we don’t change the face of British eateries, we’ll at least make ourselves feel a bit better!

Are you honest when it comes to telling the waiter what you really think? Do you keep schtum and just think, well, I won’t be coming here again? We’d love to hear about your experiences and any feedback you’ve received.

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Bake up a feast of family fun

Sarah Cabral — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:30:34 +0000

There’s a real concern among today’s mums and dads that the essential life skills they were taught as children aren’t being passed on to their own kids. It’s especially justified when it comes to cooking. With home economics no longer a compulsory part of the school curriculum, it’s up to parents to teach their kids to cook and bake. With this in mind, kid’s food expert Annabel Karmel is hosting an exclusive webchat, packed with simple recipe ideas and tasty tips designed to encourage parents to get creative with their kids in the kitchen and have loads of fun while they’re at it.

Teaching children to cook both encourages them to eat well and equips them with one of the key skills they’ll need when they grow up. Seeing the fruits of their labours emerging from the oven gives kids a real sense of achievement, and it hardly needs saying that that the messier the ingredients that go into their culinary masterpieces are, the more they like it. Baking is especially good fun, and that’s why Annabel’s chosen to share scrumptious baking recipes with you that are a piece of cake for kids to make. She’ll also be telling you about The Kellogg’s Big Bake, a new campaign that aims to get children cooking up a storm all over the country with the ultimate prize of appearing in a Kellogg’s TV advert in May. Log on to the chat and get ready to join in the yumminess with your young ‘uns.

Annabel Karmel joins will be live online, on Wednesday 3rd December from 3pm to 3.30pm to discuss how to get your kids baking.

Click here to submit questions before the chat

For more information visit www.thebigbake.co.uk

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Dinner for one?

Sarah Cabral — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:45:41 +0000

Being a singleton gives you the freedom to do what you like, when you like. But it also has its challenges. As a couple or a family you get to share the shopping and choice of what the family eats. As a singleton the choice is yours alone. But what do you cook?

Having to cook for just yourself has a way of sapping the inspiration from mealtimes. For most singletons, no matter how well-intentioned at first, it usually winds down to a choice between beans on toast or a microwave dinner in front of the telly. But now food companies and supermarkets have responded by developing ranges of dinners for one. Major manufacturers are also introducing scaled-down versions of their products specifically with singletons in mind.

And just because no one is coming to dinner doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself. That’s the rationale behind a new cookbook devised by celebrity chef Alan Coxon – The Singles Cookbook, “With so many single households, I thought it was essential to have a cookbook that delivers dishes to please one person,” he says.

Alan’s also enthused about the appearance on the shelves of single-person sized versions of food products. He singles out new 50g sized ‘Mini Blocks’ of Lurpak Butter as an example of how such bijou products are helpful not just to one-person menus, but to the environment. “They ensure people cut down on food waste whilst retaining product freshness,” he says, “they also cater to singletons who love to cook and eat well but don’t need to cater to an entire household. It’s perfect.”

For more information visit www.lovelurpak.co.uk

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Sprinkle a little Divine inspiration into your Christmas festivities!

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:00:36 +0000

The Divine Christmas product range is continually expanding and this year sees even more exciting developments because Divine is celebrating its 10th anniversary!

All the tempting Divine products are made using only the finest cocoa beans from smallholder farmers in Ghana. 45,000 farmers supply all Divine’s high quality cocoa and because the entire Divine range is Fairtrade certified, they are guaranteed a fairer deal. As the farmers also own a 45% stake in the Divine business this means they contribute to the running of the company and share in the profits. Buying Divine for your loved ones will make everyone’s Christmas merrier!

So to enter the competition to win this gorgeous, guilt-free (well almost!) Advent calendar, just answer the question below and send your details to us via our Contact Page. The competition is open only to UK residents and closes on Friday 28th November 2008.

How old is Divine this year?

Good luck!

To buy Divine advent calendars click here.

To buy Divine gifts click here.

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Mango Jam with your Christmas turkey?

Sarah Cabral — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:30:54 +0000

Mira and I spent days playing phone message tennis but finally we got a chance to chat about this scrumptious mango jam and how a little side-line to her catering business has become an all consuming passion.

Mira has worked in the food industry for 8 years and through this, developed an extraordinary passion for food. Her background is a well rounded mix of manufacturing, process development, new product development and food consulting including a sizeable project with Jamie Oliver, which gave her a really good footing to start up her own food company.

It was a combination of her background, her pronounced passion for food and her creativity in the kitchen that made her decide to run her own food business. Luckily, she already had a name for it “The Mango Jam Company” which she came across 5 years earlier during her travels and bought the web domain!

She gave up a consulting career with a prestigious city firm to pursue her passion, and started the Mango Jam Company late 2007 as a catering firm, cooking up quirky homemade meals and canapés for private parties. She was quickly inundated with questions about the “mango jam”, as clients would naturally expect a company called the Mango Jam Company to make and sell Mango Jam! So after a quick dabble in the kitchen, she developed the recipe and Mango Jam was born!

Making the jam in your mum’s kitchen must be a messy affair – how much do you make in one go?

Being from the food industry, and armed with a MSc in Food Science and lots of experience in ‘scaling up’, it was a relatively easy feat to scale up from a tiny pan to 30kg pots….the key is to be organised with everything batched up beforehand….the rest is a doddle!

What’s the twist?

There’s a cheeky ginger kick which complements the mangoes wonderfully and adds a warmth and depth to all the fruitiness.

Your mango jam is really packed full of flavour, what’s your secret?

The jam has 135g of fresh mangoes per 100g of jam, which equates to 75% cooked fruit once we’ve peeled and stoned the mangoes… this is almost twice as much as leading high street jams (40%). Our jam also has half the total sugar as standard jams at 32g / 100g vs. 65g / 100g… so not only does it taste fantastic, it’s also a healthier alternative to other sugar-packed, fruit-deprived jams.

Where can we get some?

There are about 15 stockists around the country at the moment…and growing…you can find your local stockist details on www.mango-jam.com where you can also buy it on line for just £5.00 including postage and packaging…a bargain!

Here are Mira’s tried and tested uses for this wonderful Mango Jam…

Toast / Cheese on toast / Panini / crostini with some soft blue cheese
Porridge
Yogurt with granola
Cheese board
With foie gras
Desserts – either a cheesecake topping (use coconut biscuits as the base – yum!), or at the bottom of a creme brulee
As a marinade for chicken or salmon – mix with a tiny bit of oil and soy sauce
As a dressing – mix with a tiny bit of sesame oil & lemon / lime juice or olive oil & balsamic vinegar
A jam tart topping (I’m not convinced, but my friend tried it for her kid’s party and loved it!)
Mango champagne Bellini

“I think it’s definitely worth trying with turkey as the new Cranberry for 2008!”

I’ve recently become addicted to eating crackers with Philadelphia, topped with Mira’s Mango Jam – it’s delicious and I can’t wait to try the Bellini, what a fabulous idea! Let me know if you think of any other ways of using Mango jam.

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Market forces

Sarah Cabral — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:00:46 +0000

Ever felt lost in the supermarket? Does the prospect of a hot and bothered check-out girl leave you cold?

Increasingly people are turning away from faceless corporate chains and returning to their local markets – where good value and a human touch can be found in the heart of the community.

Vibrant and colourful, a local market cuts out the middleman, resulting in variety, choice and good value that can be passed on to the consumer.

A recent basket comparison survey showed that markets proved to be cheaper [£28.67] than like-for-like supermarket products [£30.36]. Fruit and vegetables have been shown as the commodity where you can capture the biggest bargain. In the price comparison a shopping basket including apples, potatoes, carrots, plums and cauliflower bought at your local market trader on average totaled £4.69 where as the same products purchased in a supermarket would cost you on average £6.79!

Locally-sourced produce means your food can make it from field to the plate in a matter of hours – resulting not only in guaranteed freshness but fewer food miles and less pollution.

Joe Harrison, CEO of the National Market Traders Federation will be available online to take your questions on the virtue of market forces on November 12th at 14.45 pm.

Click here to submit questions before the chat.

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Henry Harris’ top tips for Christmas

Sarah Cabral — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:30:40 +0000

1. Chop cooked Brussel sprouts and cook with cream, bacon and cheese to convert the even the most hardened Brussel Sprout haters.

2. Make a custard with double cream and when cool stir in Brandy for the best brandy sauce.

3. Fry finely chopped onion in goose fat until soft and then add chopped fresh sage. Cool and mix into your stuffing for a really savoury flavour.

4. Cook your stuffing separately to the turkey to avoid overcooking the turkey.

5. Roast a goose and baste it with a bottle of Guinness to get a rich, dark gravy.

6. Roast your turkey upside down and covered with foil for three quarters of its cooking time to keep the breast moist and juicy. Uncover and brown to finish.

7. Roast your potatoes in goose fat with some fresh rosemary.

8. Add a 1/3 of a chicken stock cube to each pint of milk for bread sauce in place of salt. (Don’t forget the cloves and onion as usual)

9. Puree a 125g tin of tuna with a few spoonfuls of mayonnaise and season with lemon juice and a splash of Tabasco to make a lovely sauce for cold turkey.

10. Chop cold turkey, sprouts and potatoes and fry in goose fat till piping hot, stir in a teaspoonful of grain mustard, divide onto plates and top each one with a fried duck egg for a perfect Boxing Day brunch.

11. Fry slices of Christmas pudding in butter and flambé with Cointreau or Grand Marnier and serve with vanilla ice cream.

12. Stock up the freezer with a couple of bags of ice to keep the gin and tonics cold.

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Bonfire night bonanza

Sarah Cabral — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:30:45 +0000

Bonfire Night famously originated from Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605, but is now remembered by the huge bonfires that light up the country on November 5th.

To impress your guests, Canned Food UK has designed a series of healthy and affordable recipes that taste great. What’s more, the ingredients are already on your shelves at home – meaning that if more friends turn up last minute, you can easily whip up some more food in minutes!

Try some filled baked potatoes, which can be served with three alternative nutritious fillings. Otherwise take a look at some other winter warmers that are perfect for warming up cold fingers and filling empty tummies – sausage and mushroom cassoulet or spicy beanburgers are perfect for children and adults alike.

Filled Baked Potatoes
Serves 8-10

Ingredients
5 potatoes (medium size)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt

For fiery bean filling:
6 cocktail sausages
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
1 x 415g can baked beans
1 x 290g can chilli beans (either red kidney or baked)
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 tbsp sour cream

For the meatball filling:
1 x 410 can meatballs in tomato sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp plum sauce
1 tbsp chopped coriander

For the spaghetti filling:
1 red pepper, finely chopped
2 x 400g cans spaghetti in tomato sauce
4 spring onions, shredded
1 small leek, sliced
1 tsp oil

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, Gas Mark 6. Prick the potatoes and brush with oil. Sprinkle half with paprika and some with salt. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 1 hour or until tender. Split the potatoes diagonally and fill with the filling of your choice.

For fiery baked bean filling:

Cook the cocktail sausages under a preheated grill for 7-9 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and golden brown. Brush with a little of the sweet chilli sauce and place under the grill again just to get sticky.

Pour the beans into a pan and heat gently for 3-4 minutes or until simmering. Add the chilli and simmer for a minute until the chilli has softened.

Cut the sausages in half and add to the beans. When ready to serve, spoon into the potatoes and top with a dollop of sour cream.

For the meatball filling:

Empty the meatballs into a pan and add the soy sauce and plum sauce. Cook for 7-9 minutes or until the meatballs are heated through.

When ready to serve spoon into the potatoes and top with chopped coriander.

For the spaghetti filling:

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the red pepper and leek and cook until soft but not coloured. Add the spaghetti and cook for 4-5 minutes or until heated through.

When ready to serve, spoon into the jacket. Top with a pile of shredded spring onions.

Sausage and Mushroom Cassoulet

This tasty warming dish can also be cooked in the oven for 1 hour at the same temperature.

Ingredients
350g/12oz sausages
110g/4oz chorizo
30g/1oz dried mushrooms
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh thyme
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
450g/1lb mixed mushrooms, sliced
400g/14oz tin white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
400g/14oz tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
400g/14oz tin flageolet beans, drained and rinsed
400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 bay leaves
55g/2oz fresh white breadcrumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Place the sausages into a roasting tin and cook for 30 minutes or until the sausage is cooked and brown. Turn the sausages occasionally. When the sausages are cool enough to handle cut on the angle into 2.5cm/1in pieces. Save any fat in the pan. Cut the chorizo to similar pieces and fry gently.

Place the dried mushrooms into a food processor with the rosemary and thyme. Process as finely as you can. Using a large pan mix this powder with 570ml/1 pint of boiling water. Stir and set aside.

Meanwhile, add the oil to the pan with a lid and gently fry the onion and garlic for about 15 minutes until the onion has softened, but not coloured. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook over a high heat for about 3-4 minutes until they have started to colour.

Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato purée to the mushroom stock, mix and then add the beans and the mushrooms and onions.

Mix well and bring to the boil. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the sausages and any saved fat from the roasting pan. Add the bay leaves and simmer gently on the top of the stove for 30 minutes, stirring to prevent it catching.

Cook until the liquid is reduced and clinging to the beans.

Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and place under the grill or in the oven until golden. It can also be cooked in the oven for 1 hour at the same temp.

Spicy Bean Burgers
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 small Red onion (finely chopped)
1 garlic clove (crushed)
1 red chilli (deseeded)
400g can chopped spinach (drained)
420g can low salt baked beans
410g can borlotti beans (drained)
198g can sweetcorn (drained)
50g breadcrumbs
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
6 slices French bread

Method

Cook the onions, garlic and chilli in a frying pan for 3 minutes until softened but not coloured.

Meanwhile, squeeze all of the moisture out of the spinach and combine in a large bowl with the baked beans, sweetcorn, borlotti beans, breadcrumbs, cumin and coriander.

Mash together and add the onion, garlic and chilli mixture. Season and shape the mixture into patties, then lightly grill for 3 minutes for each side.

Serve on a French bread slice with salad and relish.

For further information about Canned Food UK, please visit www.cannedfood.co.uk.

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Harvest your own superfoods

Liz Tucker — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:30:54 +0000

Eating sensibly, in moderation and balanced all sounds a bit dull and involves for many, rethinking not just their whole diet but lifestyle as well. Eating a range of pure basic foods is not newsworthy or exciting but call something Super and everyone will want one, no matter the cost.

Hence the advent of the Superfood. Superfoods have been hailed as the nutritional must have, they will boost our immunity, banish fatigue and get the ironing sorted. The race is on to find the ultimate Superfood and to attain the label means a promise of both health and wealth. Superfoods started as a particular group of plant-based foods with a high phytonutrient content but extended to include any food with lots of nutritients or one specific nutrient, particularly the antioxidant range.

I am all for everyone eating more plant-based foods with a high nutritional density, that’s great nutrition but diets do need to be varied because the body needs a whole range of nutrients. Also anything to an extreme or imbalanced is not that good for health, and eating one super healthy thing is not going to be much compensation for a generally unhealthy diet and lifestyle.

Another more amazing Superfood seems to be discovered every week, they are the nutritional equivalent of the gold rush. Those most heavily promoted seem to come from the other side of the world and often come from delicate ecosystems such as the rainforest so sustainability and green credentials are issues.
My question is, how have we all survived this long without them as compared to the rest of the world we are some of the healthiest. For example the average lifespan in this country is over 77, in South America where many Superfoods originate it’s a good 10 years younger. Also no point in living longer if we are killing off our environment in the process.

In my opinion all food is great, its how you balance it that important and highly nutritional foods are key but you don’t need to go to the ends of the earth to find them. We are awash with Superfoods, just look around now and you will find them – blackberries, rose hips, apples, pears, elderberries. All year round there is a local supply of many native Superfoods but many are unaware of what they are never mind about the health benefits. A study done by the Backcurrant Foundation found that 30% couldn’t identify a blackcurrant and 50% had never tried one. I have to admit Blackcurrants were recently named the No 1 Superfruit but this certainly doesn’t mean if you ate nothing but them you would have super health, it just means if you can have “super” nutrition without doing in the planet.

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