‘As Intense as Perfume’: Which Eaux De Vie Are Worth Trying?
Barney Wilczak’s Capreolus Distillery in Gloucestershire produces ultra‑artisan eaux de vie by hand‑sorting millions of fruit and triple‑distilling each batch in a garage‑turned‑still. The resulting brandies, such as the 2024 raspberry expression, command premium prices but deliver a perfume‑like intensity that has attracted top chefs and upscale bars. Wilczak’s meticulous approach highlights the terroir of each fruit, positioning these spirits between fine wine and traditional liquor. The article also maps Europe’s broader eau‑de‑vie landscape, from German Kirsch to Hungarian pálinka.
Rachel Roddy’s Recipe for Almond and Lemon Spiced Treacle Tart | A Kitchen in Rome
Rachel Roddy highlights a medieval‑inspired almond and lemon spiced treacle tart now back on the menu at Rome’s La Torricella. The dessert blends golden syrup or honey with sultanas, pine nuts, and lemon zest, offering a sweet‑spicy profile while using a...
Curry Puff Pies and King Noodles: Ranie Saidi’s Everyday Malaysian Recipes
Chef and food writer Ranie Saidi has published a collection of everyday Malaysian recipes, featuring curried potato karipap pies and king noodles in a tangy sambal. She draws on lessons from her late grandmother, a wedding cook, who taught her...
Mexican Magic: Santiago Lastra’s Recipes for Cheesy Mushroom Costras and Beetroot Tostadas
Santiago Lastra’s new cookbook *Mexican Soul: A New Style of Cooking* (priced at $38) showcases inventive plant‑based twists on classic Mexican fare, including a mushroom‑based costra and beetroot tostadas served on poppadoms. The book provides detailed recipes for homemade sauces such...
Georgina Hayden’s Quick and Easy Recipe for Smoky Prawn, New Potato and Spinach Stew | Quick and Easy
Georgina Hayden’s Spanish‑inspired stew combines smoked paprika‑seasoned new potatoes, baby spinach, and grilled king prawns, finished with a lemon‑garlic aioli. The dish serves four and takes roughly 40 minutes from prep to plate, making it ideal for weeknight entertaining. Hayden...
Fish Suppers: Fritters, Fried and Poached – Nathan Outlaw’s Haddock Recipes
Chef Nathan Outlaw presents three upscale haddock preparations—smoked fritters with cheese sauce, grilled fillets with braised leeks and anchovy emulsion, and poached haddock topped with a cider‑cheddar rarebit on roasted portobellos. The recipes emphasize sustainable sourcing, noting that Nordic haddock...
Move over Matcha: How Ube Cocktails and Coffees Are Hitting the UK’s Sweet Spot
Ube, the purple yam popular in East Asia, is now a UK beverage sensation as Starbucks and Costa roll out ube‑flavoured coffees and cocktails. The trend, driven by TikTok’s visual appeal, mirrors the earlier matcha craze and has quickly become...
Rachel Roddy’s ‘High-Ranking’ Penne with Potatoes, Cabbage, Butter and Cheese – Recipe
Rachel Roddy highlights penne’s status as Italy’s second‑most popular pasta shape, accounting for 78% of the nation’s pasta sales in 2023 according to Unione Italiana Food’s analysis of NielsenIQ data. She adapts the traditional Valtellina dish pizzoccheri into a simple...
Roast Chicken, Cheesy Scones and a Genius Cocktail: Ravinder Bhogal’s Recipes for Cooking with Lime Pickle
Chef Ravinder Bhogal showcases the versatility of lime pickle in three distinct recipes: a tangy lime‑pickle roast chicken, cheddar‑infused scones with green chilies, and a spicy Achaari Mary cocktail. Each dish highlights the condiment’s sour, spicy, and umami notes, with...
Harissa Carrots and Preserved Lemon Potatoes: Helen Graham’s Recipes for Roasting Vegetables with Hawaij Spice Mix
Helen Graham’s latest recipes spotlight the Yemeni hawaij spice mix, pairing it with roasted carrots and potatoes for bold, earthy flavors. The harissa‑marinated carrots are finished with mango‑infused labneh and mint salsa, while the potatoes are crisped in hot oil...
Simpson’s-in-the-Strand, London WC2: ‘A Rollicking List of Cosy British Joys’ – Restaurant Review | Grace Dent on Restaurants
Grace Dent’s review spotlights Simpson’s‑in‑the‑Strand, a historic London restaurant dating back to 1828, now run by Jeremy King. The Grand Divan dining hall offers classic British comfort dishes—beef rib, bubble and squeak, spotted dick—served in a cavernous, sound‑proofed setting that feels...
Rachel Roddy’s Recipe for Hazelnut and Chocolate Cake | A Kitchen in Rome
Rachel Roddy published a hazelnut‑and‑chocolate cake recipe that swaps almonds for locally sourced hazelnuts or cobnuts, using 250 g of toasted nuts, dark chocolate, butter and eggs. The cake bakes at 350 °F (180 °C) for 40 minutes and is suited to the...
Baked Cheesy Smoked Haddock and Lemon Icebox Pudding: Henry Harris’ Alternative Easter Lunch
Chef Henry Harris presents an alternative Easter lunch featuring baked cheesy smoked haddock and a lemon icebox pudding. The haddock dish uses sustainably sourced, thick fillets, French crème fraîche, and a blend of Parmesan, Comté, with optional leeks or potatoes,...
Tanya Bush’s Recipes for Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Mousse, and Neapolitan Pavlova
Tanya Bush shares two upscale dessert recipes—a single‑layer carrot cake topped with a light cream‑cheese mousse and a Neapolitan‑inspired pavlova that layers strawberry meringue, chocolate fudge sauce, vanilla cream‑cheese whip, and strawberry compote. The carrot cake uses olive oil and...
Sami Tamimi’s Recipes for Slow-Cooked Lamb with Spicy Pickled Lemon and Jewelled Easter Rice
Chef Sami Tamimi shares a celebratory Easter menu featuring slow‑cooked lamb shoulder marinated overnight in a garlic‑olive oil spice paste, finished with a bright, spicy pickled lemon. The lamb cooks for over five hours, yielding fork‑tender meat that serves eight....