News
McDonald's to stop using eggs from caged hens within the next 10 years
Within the next TEN years?! Really?! The birds that lay the two billion eggs a year that McDonalds use, in the US alone, are no doubt living in horrible conditions. And a lot of them will be for another ten years (if they lived that long ha). I'm no corporate logistics expert but would it, or more precisely SHOULD it, really take a company that had a net income of $4.7bn last year that long to sort this out? Pfffttt
Jamie Oliver is right: it’s madness not to clamp down on sugar
Slightly old news as I didn't watch it until the weekend but did anyone see Jamie's Sugar Rush? Regardless of your views on a sugar tax, I don't think anyone can doubt that the programme was educational - who knew there were 20 teaspoons of sugar in a small jar of stir fry sauce? Craziness. It's definitely worth a watch. This article previews the show and opens debate on the big sugar issue - is a tax of sugary drinks the right way to go?
Pizza Express reverses policy of taking 8% cut from staff tips
I featured a story about Pizza Express taking 8% of waiting staff's tips a few weeks back - good news, people power has succeeded. Giraffe has also stopped the practice with hopefully other chains following suit shortly
The rise and rise of sourdough
So I had take two of the sourdough challenge this week: remembering the salt created a much tastier loaf, surprisingly. I'm obviously not the only one who is loving the sour stuff, Sue Quinn charts its growing popularity.
Reviews
The best of Lidl's new cheap and chic French wine range
Continuing their meteoric rise in the UK, Lidl have just announced their new French wine collection. Here Victoria Moore gives you the lowdown on the selection and picks out some beauties at a budget price.
Local News
The Bournville Ale & Street Food Festival
On Sunday 27th September I will be following the scent of Cadbury's chocolate (is it actually still made in Bournville?!) and enjoying an afternoon of street food and cider (real ale also available). Be warned, there will be some very tough decisions to make with 20 traders to choose from including toasties, pulled pork brioche buns, waffles, cakes, Thai curries, poutine, burgers, Persian chicken wraps and loads more. Arrggh I find these events really really hard, my stomach is just not big enough to try them all which upsets me a lot. Tickets are £5 and it will so be worth it.
Recipes
Linguine with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme Mushromoms
This is one of my absolute favourite meals; it always amazes me how much flavour you get from a simple few ingredients and a super quick recipe. Nigella states that this is one of her proudest creations, try it and you'll see why - garlic and thyme marinated mushrooms with a lemon tang, salty Parmesan and masses of fresh parsley. No cooking involved apart from the pasta, making it perfect for a midweek meal. Don't skimp on the salt, follow what she says, she's Nigella. I do occasionally add a bit of extra Parmesan.
Spicy squash & apple chutney
If you are one of those super organised types then you might be interested in this. As we run into the autumn months you'll find apples and squashes aplenty which you can magically transform into a spicy, sweet chutney for Christmas gifts (or just for yourself!). It rivals mango chutney big time, making a fine accompaniment to curries, and also works brilliantly with cold meats and cheese. I just finished the final jar from last year's batch so I know what I'll be doing with that glut of apples this weekend. One tip - cut the squash into small chunks, too big doesn't work well in a turkey sandwich.
Food for Thought
Cook smart: Ten tips that will change your life in the kitchen
Some fantastic tips here - from seasoning to cooking onions to confidently hosting a dinner party.
*BAKE OFF SPOILER ALERT, SCROLL DOWN TO NEWS*
Sad times in the Bake Off tent this week - poor Alvin. He showed so much promise with his pro Instagram feed and unusual flavour combinations but his time keeping kept letting him down. Would anyone else like to see Paul and Mary do some of the challenges in the time limit? That would make great TV, I'm not sure they could do it!