List of All Articles with Tag 'food and drink'

An unusual method for cooking hotdogs has gone viral on TikTok after food influencer Carolina Gelen shared a tutorial video for “spiral hotdogs”. Gelen, who shares recipes with more than 560k followers on TikTok, posted her latest tutorial last week and has garnered more than 1.8m views in under three days. Her method of cutting hot dogs into a spiral before cooking them gives the sausages more surface area for caramelisation and toppings, she said. The home cook demonstrates inserting a skewer lengthwise into a hotdog and using a knife to cut around it at a 45-degree angle. This creates a spiral hot dog that lengthens but does not break apart. Gelen then cooks them in a cast iron pan over a fire and explained that the new shape makes the meat “open up in the pan”. “They caramelise beautifully and they can hold so many more toppings due to their shape,” she told viewers. “All those flavours and sauces will fall between those nooks and crannies and stay in between the buns.” Gelen recommends making her roasted red pepper salsa and pickle mayonnaise for toppings, but people who try her method can use whatever hot dog toppings they enjoy. She finished the video by assembling her hot dog, which was loaded up with her salsa, mayonnaise and mustard. @carolinagelen spiral hot dogs #hotdog #cooking #grilling #food ♬ Sunday - HNNY Viewers have been enjoying trying Gelen’s method of cooking hot dogs, with one person writing: “You just changed my life.” Another said: “This is genius. I only like grilled hot dogs and this will definitely maximise caramelisation.” A third added: “My hot dog life will never be the same thank you.” The video was also shared on Twitter and has gained a similar reception, with many users declaring they will try it out. “One of those tips that immediately strike you as game-changing and legit,” one person wrote. “Maillard reaction = flavour. And those new nooks and crannies can hold on to toppings better. “I’ll be 100 per cent doing with my hot dogs and bratwursts from now on.” Another said: “I did the spiral hot dogs thing tonight and I can confirm it’s got me a Michelin star.” Some people pointed out that this method is common in some cuisines, such as Filipino food, and confirmed it is a delicious way to prepare hot dogs. The viral tip comes as the UK is experiencing the highest temperatures of 2023 so far, with the mercury hitting 30C in most of the country on Saturday (10 June). Many will undoubtedly be having barbecues as the temperatures soar again today (Sunday 11 June) and can try Gelen’s method of cooking hot dogs. However, the Met Office has issued yellow warnings for thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales and some areas could be hit by torrential rain this weekend. Read More More thunderstorms and 30C temperatures forecast after hottest day of the year 7 things fitness experts want you to know about exercise during a heatwave Weather – latest: Health warning escalated as ‘extreme’ heatwave set to make UK hotter than Spain Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat

Google is celebrating British scones today (Saturday 10 June) with an adorable Google Doodle that nods to the age-old debate around jam and cream. The illustration features two anthropomorphic scones eyeing each other suspiciously. On top of the scone on the left is a layer of cream, then jam; while the scone on the right has jam first, then cream. The Doodle is a playful reference to one of Britons’ favourite things to debate over – in which order should one put jam and cream on their scones? Cream tea has been a part of the UK’s culinary traditions since the 11th century, but there is a big difference in opinion between people living in Devon and those living in Cornwall. In Devon, clotted cream is typically spread first followed by jam whilst the Cornish tradition is to spread jam first, and then the cream. On Twitter, many keen-eyed Britons have noticed the Google Doodle reference, much to their delight. “They’ve been very diplomatic in depicting it the proper way and misguided way,” one person wrote, adding a winking emoji. Another said: “Looks like today’s Google Doodle is trying to stir up trouble big time.” A third added: “Today’s Google Doodle is not going to go down well in Devon and Cornwall.” Others highlighted yet another scone-related conundrum unique to the UK, which is how to pronounce the word “scone”. Some parts of the UK pronounce it rhyming with “gone”, while others say it should rhyme with “cone”. One person said it should be pronounced “sc-on” because “once you’ve had it… it’s gone”. Another said they use both pronunciations but added: “If I want to sound posh I go for ‘s-cone’.” In 2018, it emerged that the late Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed her cream tea by having jam spread on her scones first, followed by cream. Former royal chef Darren McGrady tweeted: “Jam first at Buckingham Palace garden parties! “The Queen always had homemade Balmoral jam first, with clotted cream on top at Buckingham Palace garden parties in the royal tea tent and all royal tea parties.” Read More Who is Willi Ninja? Google Doodle celebrates iconic Black LGBT+ dancer and choreographer Perfect picnic fare: Parmesan and pine nut scones Best luxury UK hotels 2023: Where to stay for great food, family adventures and spa retreats Google Doodle reignites age-old British debate about scones Sixth grader’s drawing dedicated to her sisters appears as today’s Google Doodle Forest Side, review: Cumbrian produce elevated to Michelin-starred proportions

When is a Waldorf salad not a Waldorf salad? When it’s almost a pudding – and there’s not a lettuce leaf in sight. This simple side salad of celery, walnuts and apples was invented in 1893 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. While it’s been subject to many reinterpretations over the years, the Forest Side’s head chef Paul Leonard garnered a Michelin star for his take on this classic dish. Arriving in a delicate and crisp stewed-apple tart case that takes no less than 72 hours to create, it’s filled with a creme fraiche cake, walnut brittle, dehydrated grapes and confit celery. Walnut, celery and apple gels are also added, along with a Granny Smith apple skin sorbet, all topped with a walnut tuile. The different flavours and texture compliment each other perfectly, creating an unforgettable sweet and sour flavour bomb that continues to linger long in the memory. This petite morsel of food forms part of Leonard’s eight-course Michelin-starred menu at the Cumbrian hotel and restaurant, which was named the Best Country House Hotel of the Year in the 2023 Good Hotel Awards. In addition to the star, it’s also been awarded four rosettes, ranked number nine on Square Meal’s annual list of the UK’s 100 best restaurants and reached the top 30 of Harden’s Top 100 of the Best UK Restaurants. Which is a long way of saying that there’s plenty of justifiable interest in this superb family-run operation and that it’s been a good 2023 for the team. And it’s far from Leonard’s first culinary rodeo. Having cooked under Marcus Wareing and Andrew Fairlie, the Hull-native retained a Michelin star at The Isle of Eriska on the west coast of Scotland, before heading up the luxury Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, where he won four rosettes for his cookery. In 2019, he joined the team at the Forest Side. Here, the emphasis is very much on making the most of this sensational landscape, in both aesthetics and taste, with Leonard aiming to source 90 per cent of produce from within a 10-mile radius of the establishment. Handily, an extensive and original red brick Victorian walled garden is home to many of the ingredients rustled up by the team, including saffron, courgettes, tomatoes and an “unofficial” apple orchard that boasts 300 different types of apple. And what a successful collaboration it is. Guests arrive in the light and airy dining room, which looks out to the red-squirrel-occupied garden and dramatic fells. Reclaimed timber and steel tables sit aside a central sommelier’s table crafted from a windblown tree in the grounds. But instead of the buttoned-up atmosphere that often permeates restaurants of this calibre, the familiar sound of classic anthems – think Fleetwood Mac, The Kinks and Pulp – floods through the space, extinguishing any sense of forced propriety. It’s an intentional move initiated by Leonard and a welcome one more restaurants could learn from: a relaxed room of toe-tapping patrons is significantly happier than one with a reverential silence. Snippy waiters with clipped accents have no place here. At the Forest Side, staff seem genuinely delighted to be there, arriving with smiles and warm inflections. Under Leonard’s leadership, junior chefs present each course and it’s a genuine pleasure to see their passion for and pride in the food they’ve created. Proceedings kick off with a trio of “snacks”: a rhubarb and whipped chicken liver tart, a Hafod cheddar gougère, and a croustade of brown buttered shrimp. The gougère is scrumptious – buttery and nutty and blanketed with a slice of bresaola – while the whipped chicken liver is smooth and rich. Kohlrabi with cured and lightly smoked trout is served with a salsa verde made from garden herbs and cured trout roe, while a unctuous broth is made from pork fat, seaweed and mushrooms. “Beetroots cooked in their own juice all day” might not seem like the kind of dish to set hearts aflutter, but this isn’t any old root veg. The humble vegetable is cooked all day in its own juice before being dehydrated to create a fudgy texture, and served with a chamomile-infused yoghurt. It’s delicious. We gobble down a supple scallop, followed shortly by the most tender and rich hogget, splashed with a sauce made from confit lamb tongue, pickled mustard seeds and wild garlic buds. And the bread! Baked before each service, this milk loaf is glazed in Marmite and simply served with a butter made at the nearby Winter Tarn Dairy. This early course is luxury comfort food at its best and we’re forced to restrain ourselves for fear of spoiling our appetite. We finish off with “first rhubarb of the year”, ginger and custard, which is as delicious as it sounds: a perfect balance of sweet vanilla, sorbet and herbs. Satiated, we make the easy trip upstairs to our room, one of 20 at the hotel, all of which have garden views and make the perfect end to our decadent dining experience. Is there still a place for fine dining restaurants during a cost-of-living crisis? As employers and buyers, producers and supporters of local food, they’re invaluable to the economy, while for gastronomes who wish to splash some cash treating themselves or someone else, they’re a luxury much like a pair of tickets to see Beyoncé or a championship football match. Overheard snippets of conversation among fellow guests reveal birthday treats or anniversaries, of a weekend away from the grind to relax in this glorious gothic mansion house amidst the fells. Whatever the reason, a trip to the Forest Side is quite simply sublime. A four-course dinner menu costs £85pp, while an eight-course dinner menu costs £130pp. A four-course lunch menu costs £55pp, while an eight-course lunch menu costs £85. Wine pairings come in flights of four, six or eight and start from £75 per person. B&B and dining packages are also available - visit theforestside.com for more information. Read More Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it Chef Ravinder Bhogal: Vegetables are the secret to saving money How to make tomato confit with whipped feta Kataifi: A comforting Greek pie full of veggie goodness

With food prices hiking, many of us are looking to cut the price of our weekly shops – while still eating delicious food. And the answer, Ravinder Bhogal believes, lies in vegetables. “Vegetables are the ultimate economical thing to cook,” says the chef and restaurateur, who was discovered by Gordon Ramsay after she applied for his competition to find “Britain’s new Fanny Cradock” on The F Word. “Meat has become so expensive. If you lavish the same kind of care and attention on [vegetables] as you do a steak or joint of meat, they are going to sing with flavour.” She continues: “Why can’t you take the time to marinate vegetables, inject them with flavour, baste them, add texture to them or play with their textures?” Bhogal, who was born in Kenya to Indian parents and moved to England at the age of seven, says root vegetables are our real saviour when it comes to budget cooking in Britain. “Anything that’s grown in this country, swedes, celeriac… And if you buy in season it’s naturally going to be a bit cheaper.” The 44-year-old, who owns London restaurant Jikoni (the Swahili word for “kitchen”) is vegetarian “80 per cent of the time – then I might have a Sunday roast or something” has released her third cookbook, Comfort & Joy: Irresistible Pleasures From A Vegetarian Kitchen. “There are so many things that you can do with vegetables where you’re just not going to miss the meat. What isn’t there to love about the lightness and brightness of vegetables?” And there’s a real misconception that vegetables can’t be comforting, she says: “For me comfort is about food that nourishes you, that makes you feel well, that makes you feel alive, that makes you feel revived.” It was Bhogal’s early years in a multigenerational household in Nairobi (“My grandparents, my uncle and aunt, their children, my mother’s brood of five, whoever happened to be visiting, there was a parrot, a dog, kittens, chickens, goats – it was a really chaotic household!”) that would pave the way for how she approached food later as a chef. Her grandfather dutifully tended to his shamba – or allotment – and had a deep respect and connection to the verdant soil where many vegetables grew. “When he came from India to Kenya, he completely fell in love with this beautiful red, volcanic soil that just seemed to give and give and give,” says Bhogal. “And he never stop being grateful for that. He’d come from a place where there was so little, and then suddenly, there was this soil that just blessed him and his family with all these beautiful things to eat.” Everything the household ate was either grown by him or came from the “mama mbogas” – local women with smallholdings who peddled their “the freshest hand grown vegetables” from door to door, she says. The chef in the house was her mother though, who was an “exceptionally talented” cook. “There were so many mouths to feed, so you can imagine the level of organisation that it took. She was the commander in chief and we were all her assistants, whether you liked it or not.” As a result, Bhogal learned to cook from her mother’s direction, although she wasn’t always happy about it. “Initially, I really resented it because growing up in quite a patriarchal household, the boys would be outside playing, and the girls would be in the kitchen. And that really sucked to me. “Anything I tried to attempt to cook, [my grandfather] would always tell me how delicious it was and praise me, and I think I made that connection between food and love and winning people over with food.” And the influence of her time in Kenya can be seen in the latest book; think pili pili cassava (one of the go-to carbs in many African nations) or Kenyan maru potato bhajias with tamarind and tomato chutney (potato coated in spiced chickpea flour and fried). Swapping Kenya for England as a child left a mark on Bhogal. “Kenya is like a state of mind, it’s such a bewitching country, it never really leaves you, it clings to you,” she says. “When you grow up with such colour and such a colossal sky… I was outdoors a lot, playing with all the animals [with] this really beautiful, very lush sunny backdrop. When you are plucked from that age seven and turn up in a very grey dark England, you try and hold onto that and keep connected to that.” South East London was “very different and sort of haggard in comparison to Kenya”, she says. “Everything was very small suddenly. I grew up in a flat above a shop and going from huge trees and sky that was ever blue to turning up to this very dark, dank [place]… The adjustment was very, very difficult.” But it’s all culminated in her cookery style now. “I consider myself a hybrid, I’m Indian, there’s Persian ancestry too, I’m British, I grew up in London, I’m also the product of all kinds of the diverse immigrant communities that helped bring me up.” So you’ll find Persian-inspired fermented rice, lentil, beetroot and coconut handvo (a savoury cake) in her new book, alongside Mumbai street food like peanut and golden raisin poha, and English grilled peaches with silken tofu and Thai basil and lime leaf gremolata. The recipe for pea kofta scotch eggs with saffron yoghurt is vibrant amalgamation; honouring memories of her father bringing home a sack of locally grown peas from Nairobi’s bustling city market and shelling them in the kitchen with her mother – it is a hybrid of her mother’s Indian recipe and her British identity. Plus, some that have been tried and tested by her discerning restaurant diners, like mango and golden coin [curry with dumplings] – where the mangos are served whole, stone and all. “I remember telling my husband I was going to put this mango curry on the menu and he was like, ‘You’re insane, how are people going to eat a whole mango?’ And it’s gone on to be one of the most popular things. “I think the whole joy of a mango is the generosity of serving it whole, there’s something about a whole mango that’s so rapturous,” Boghal says. “When it comes to the table people often go, ‘Is it chicken breasts?’ Nothing gives me more joy than to see people using pooris to scrape off the flesh from the mango and pick up the stone and gnaw on it. “I think if you don’t have a problem picking up a lamb bone and gnawing it, why not a mango stone?” ‘Comfort & Joy: Irresistible Pleasures From A Vegetarian Kitchen’ by Ravinder Bhogal (Bloomsbury, £26). Read More Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it These recipes will keep you hydrated on hot days Three tomato salad recipes that aren’t boring Try one of these pasta recipes this British Tomato Fortnight

BBQ season is almost upon us, which means it’s time to fire up the grill, whip up your marinades and get skewering. With these showstopper main dishes from Maldon Salt, you’ll never put on a boring BBQ again. For the chicken lovers, pack it full of flavour over a griddle, and serve with charred veggies, rosemary and lemon. Tender lamb chops are a great addition to a dinner party, paired with the flavours of parsley and garlic to give an underlying depth of spice to the dish. Lastly, the charred BBQ sweetcorn with smoked salt, harissa and coriander butter is perfect for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. Smoky chargrilled chicken with veg and rosemary This chargrilled chicken recipe which is cooked over a griddle or BBQ is packed full of flavour. The marinating process helps pack in flavour and moisture to the meat. Smoked Maldon Salt is the perfect seasoning for this delicious dish. Ingredients: 2 chicken legs, skin on 4 chicken thighs, skin and bone on 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for grilling 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp sumac 1 lemon, zested and then cut into halves 2 baby courgettes, cut into strips lengthways 200g baby peppers 2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges Rosemary, a few sprigs A pinch of Smoked Maldon Salt To serve: Toasted pitta breads Method: 1. In a bowl mix together the olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, sumac and lemon zest. Season well with Maldon Salt and cracked black pepper. Add the chicken legs and thighs to the bowl and mix well, massaging the marinade into the meat to ensure it is evenly coated. Leave to marinade for 2 hours or can be done ahead of this (the day before for example). 2. When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat the BBQ or a griddle pan. When hot, add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes on each side – you want to achieve nice, charred caramelisation to the meat. Once the meat is cooked, remove from the heat and leave covered to rest. Toss the vegetables in a little more oil and then add to the pan. The courgette only needs a couple of minutes each side, but the onions and peppers need a little more – 3 minutes each side, until soft, tender and deliciously golden. Remove and set aside. 3. Finally add the lemon halves to the griddle pan and allow them to char slightly on the hot pan. Garnish the chicken and vegetables with rosemary, squeeze over the warm charred lemon and season with a final pinch of Maldon Salt and some cracked black pepper. Serve alongside warm, toasted pitta bread. Lamb chops with parsley aioli The tender lamb chop is a great addition to a dinner party, paired with the flavours of parsley and garlic to give an underlying depth of spice to the dish. Sprinkle with Maldon Salt to really enhance the succulent taste of the lamb. Ingredients: 24 small ribs of lamb 3 tbsp Maldon Salt 3 tbsp parsley, chopped 2 garlic cloves 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Method: 1. Remove the lamb chops from the fridge, cover them lightly with oil and leave them to rest at room temperature. 2. Wash, dry and peel the parsley, chop it a finely before placing it on the mortar. Crush it together with Maldon Salt and garlic until it forms a paste. Cover and set aside. 3. Heat the grill, greasing the griddle with olive oil. Lightly grease the chops with extra virgin olive oil once the barbecue is hot. Cook them for 4 minutes on each side at 180C. Season them with Maldon Salt when they have just cooked and serve them hot with the parsley aioli you made. Charred BBQ sweetcorn with smoked salt, harissa and coriander butter Ingredients: 200g unsalted butter, softened 2 tbsp harissa Small handful of coriander finely chopped Pinch Maldon smoked salt 5 corn on the cob Method: 1. In a small bowl prepare the flavoured butter by mixing together the softened butter, harissa, chopped coriander and smoked Maldon salt. 2. Heat up the BBQ or alternatively you can use a griddle pan. Use a pastry brush to cover the corn with the butter and then place them onto the BBQ and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until the corn is bright yellow and cooked, with charred areas. 3. Once the corn is cooked, brush with a little extra of the butter and a final sprinkling of Maldon smoked salt – serve straight away. Recipes from maldonsalt.com Read More 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it These recipes will keep you hydrated on hot days Three tomato salad recipes that aren’t boring Try one of these pasta recipes this British Tomato Fortnight Uncorked: How do I keep my wine cool at a picnic?