What’s cooking This month’s news, reviews, best buys and trends
GOOD FOOD FAVOURITE Hand-painted four-tier Madhubani tiffn, £35.99, indian-tiffn.com We were hunting for props for a photo shoot when we came across these tins – and fell in love! As well as a handy way to carry hot food, they’ll make eye-catching serving dishes on the table.
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BOOKS FOR COOKS Leiths: How to Cook Bread by Leiths School of Food and Wine (£15, Good Food offer price £13.50, Quadrille)
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REAL BREAD WINNERS
If you’ve been tempted by the trend for baking your own bread, this new book will help you to develop your skills. Learn how to add different flours and flavours to a loaf, the technique for croissants, even how to make the perfect Chelsea buns. The most useful aspect is the step photos – not on every recipe, but for when you may need extra help.
Spring by Skye Gyngell (£25, Good Food offer price £22.50, Quadrille) Written to mark the opening of her new restaurant, Spring, in London’s Somerset House. Skye, who was awarded a Michelin star while at Petersham Nurseries, charts the fascinating story of the design and creation of the restaurant. The book also features 80 recipes from her menu, including Butterflied lamb with roasted beetroots & carrots and Bitter chocolate & espresso cake.
Hog by Richard H Turner (£25, Good Food offer price £21, Mitchell Beazley) Richard H Turner, a meat-loving chef, is also one half of a London-based independent butcher’s shop. His recipes, celebrating the pig, are easy to follow: from brining pork chops in cider or honey and milk to an impressive Wild boar Wellington and a pulled pork sandwich to beat all others. There is plenty of information on breeds, however it is the recipes that will keep you coming back.
TAKE A COOKERY CLASS Eyes on Pies, Christine McFadden Cookery School, Dorset (01308 482784, thedorsetfoodie.co.uk) Nestled in beautiful Dorset countryside, Christine McFadden – aka The Dorset Foodie – takes classic techniques and great local ingredients back to basics on this pastry and pie course. In the homely kitchen of her 17th-century thatched cottage, Christine welcomes the group of seven with coffee. We each have our
■ BBC Good Food readers can buy any of this month’s books at a discount, plus you’ll also receive a free bookmark. Simply call 01326 569444, p&p is free. Or buy online at sparkledirect.com/goodfood.
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own set of equipment and food arranged around the kitchen. After a brief introduction to the science and artistry behind good pastry-making, we got stuck in, making a hand-raised game pie. Then we tackled Cheese & chilli pasties, and a Beef, celery & walnut pie – which demonstrate good shortcrust and rough-puff pastry. We fnished by making citrus puddings using suet pastry, before sitting down to eat our creations. Verdict A very productive day in a relaxed and intimate environment. I left loaded down with various pies, and much more confdence about making different pastries. Cost £135 including lunch with wine, and a folder with our recipes and cooking tips.
It’s Real Bread Week this month – 9-15 May – and the charity behind the campaign, Sustain, has created a much-needed directory of all the places nationwide that sell ‘good’ bread. To meet the campaign’s criteria, the bread must be made using some stoneground four, plus the dough must be fermented for a minimum of four hours. The baking process should be continuous – so the dough should not have been part-baked or frozen. In addition, the four must be organic and produced within a 30-mile radius of the bakery. Enter your postcode into The Real Bread Finder at sustainweb.org/realbread to discover producers selling top loaves near you. l
Helen Upshall
bbcgoodfood.com
May 2015
