Food and Drink

  At a recent editorial meeting, it was our Lauren who came up with the idea of tasting various smoked salmon in the December issue and give our verdict to readers. As you can imagine, we all warmly embraced the idea. I researched the contact details for all the major …

Aromatic beef with orange and apricots Ingredients: 450g/1lb lean braising or topside steak, cubed, 5ml/1tsp fennel seeds, 5ml/1tsp ground coriander, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped, 2 small onions, peeled and sliced, 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped, 50g/2oz dried apricots, chopped, 50ml/2floz orange juice, …

  Apple Tarte Tatin Serves 2-3 Ingredients: 3 – 4 Pink Lady apples, 100g unsalted butter, 100g caster sugar, ¼ vanilla pod, a pinch of ground cinnamon, 2 sheets puff pastry, egg wash to brush. Method: 1. Place soft butter in smaller sauce pot and spread evenly on bottom. 2. …

Phil Kemp meets artisan cheesemakers Pam and Francis Gimblett Operating from a well-equipped micro-dairy in the Surrey Hills near Haslemere, Pam and Francis Gimblett produce a fragrant soft washed-rind cheese they endearingly call Floyd, to their own unique recipe developed through sheer hard work and undoubtedly mixed with an intuitive …

British Asparagus & Cheese Brunch Muffins Ingredients: 12 spears of British asparagus, 400g self raising flour, 200g Cheshire cheese, cut into small cubes, 125g butter, 1 small bunch chives, snipped into pieces, 150ml milk, 100ml plain yogurt, 1tsp English mustard, 2 eggs, salt & freshly ground black pepper. Makes 12 …

Phil Kemp visits the award-winning vineyard on the Hog’s Back The chalky south-facing slopes of the North Downs provides a perfect setting to reward a small group of pioneering vineyard owners for their forward-thinking adventure, this being to establish English wine as not only a popular choice for wine-lovers but …

Watercress Soup Ingredients: 1.5 onions; diced; 3 cloves garlic; peeled and crushed; 3 medium potatoes; peeled and sliced; 300g watercress; 1 vegetable stock cube; 125ml double cream; 75g unsalted butter; salt and pepper; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 litres boiling water. Serves 5. Method: 1. Heat the olive oil in …

Christmas for me is a time for family traditions, whether long-established ones or newly added. This recipe is my mum’s mince pie pastry recipe; although she sadly died almost 17 years ago a lot of my recipes that I use today constantly evoke her memory. I have a small A6 …

We have a couple of recipes from Jack Sturgess, who runs Bake with Jack. He hosts private courses and also runs classes in Surrey. You can book him to entertain friends with an evening’s bread making demonstration in your own home, or celebrate together with a bread making party with …

Paul Howard discusses sparkling alternatives to Champagne… Despite these economically challenged times there are always reasons to celebrate – a new job, a promotion, a birthday, a wedding, an anniversary, Christmas, New Year, even a humble bank holiday. And while Champagne is rightly the undisputed champion of all things fizzy, …

In advance of the three VantagePoint Wine Festivals next year, we are revisiting some of our past wine articles. Tickets to one or all of the Wine Festivals, taking place in Farnham in April, Guildford in May and Dorking in September. Tickets are on sale now at www.vantagepointevents.co.uk and make great Christmas …

Jeremy Blood discusses wine courses… Have you ever wanted to be more daring whilst choosing a bottle of wine in the supermarket or restaurant? Have you ever wanted to astound your guests with your wine choice at dinner? If you have, then read on. There are more and more choices …

So who does not love chocolate? It is one of those magical things – in small doses of course. My step-father used to swear by Cadbury’s, something my French mother never really understood. So convinced was she that French or Belgian chocolate was vastly superior, a few years ago she …

In advance of the three VantagePoint Wine Festivals next year, we are revisiting some of our past wine articles. Tickets to one or all of the Wine Festivals, taking place in Farnham in April, Guildford in May and Dorking in September. Tickets are on sale now at www.vantagepointevents.co.uk and make great Christmas …

With the better weather on its way, surely it is time to crack open a summer favourite. Paul Howard discusses Rosé… Though Rosé is a wine style that has been made for centuries, it was seen as irredeemably naff by past generations of wine drinkers. Only in this decade did …