News
Starbucks is going to offer discounts to customers - on one condition
The coffee giant is trialing a new idea: if you take your own coffee cup, you will get 50p off your drink. 2.5 billion paper cups end up on landfill sites or are incinerated each year in the UK so here's hoping this is a big success and the other coffee shops quickly follow suit.
Tesco's fictional farms: a marketing strategy past its sell-by date?
This seems a bit silly to me: Tesco are making up farm names to help sell their products. Hmm...why not be more honest with customers and tell them the real name of the 'farm' where their food is produced? I wonder why they won't be doing that in a hurry.
Reviews
Sourdough taste test: can supermarkets do artisan bread?
Sourdough has become uber popular in recent years with its chewy texture and tangy taste, but can the supermarkets compete with the bakeries and come up with an equally enticing loaf?
From cake classes to sourdough school: Britain's best baking courses
This article is fantastic, so many great ideas. If you're a keen baker or you know someone who is, then look no further for the next birthday or celebration: one of these courses will be perfect with everything covered from cupcake decorating to sourdough bread, to gluten free cakes to pork pies. I'm going to be putting a few of these on my Christmas list...
Dram slam! £30 whisky from Lidl triumphs at World Whiskies Awards
Lidl has done it again with their bargain alcohol selection, this time winning the top prize at the World Whiskies Awards.
Local News
Brum Yum Yum to set up permanent street food venue in city
More street food in Birmingham? A permanent base for street food in Birmingham? This is some very good news. From May 27th the fun will begin every Friday and Saturday night with food and music, followed by the official opening in October, in the middle of the city, near Arcadian. Might just be worth a cheeky midweek train one autumn evening.
Recipes
Chorizo and lentil stew with spinach
As with the majority of the recipes I put out there, this one is simple but really delicious. Chorizo is the king of flavour; everything it touches is turned into a smoky, spicy bowl of pure golden tastiness. It jazzes up this lentil and spinach stew to make a (reasonably) healthy dish (it has quite a bit of veg and a whole bag of spinach) in under an hour. Try this before the weather heats up, definitely a winter warmer.
Food for Thought
Food photography tips from Instagram pro Clerkenwell Boy
If, like me, you're a big food geek and love photographing your food and sharing it with others, take a look at these tips by top Instagrammer, Clerkenwell Boy.
Hope you all had a great Easter with plenty of chocolate, hot cross buns, roast meats and fun times. I'm currently munching my way through a Green & Blacks sea salt bar, a classic Cadbury's egg and Ferrero Rocher mini eggs. Love love love.