News
Should I eat more eggs?
The answer, apparently, is yes. The guidelines that recommended limiting your weekly intake to three a week were revised some time ago and recent research indicates food high in cholesterol may not affect the cholesterol in our blood quite as much as once thought. So crack on (sorry) with your Easter egg filled weekends with no guilt (unless you fry them in loads of oil and butter and serve them with a greasy fry up, obvs).
Cadbury Easter Egg Trail
Even though I left my adolescent years some time ago, I still love a good Easter egg hunt. Cadbury have teamed up with the National Trust to put together egg trails at over 300 locations across the UK this weekend. Great for kids and adults alike, a little bit of countryside roaming topped off with chocolate sounds like a perfect way to spend an afternoon to me.
Chicken Town - a healthier fried chicken?
There are 8000 fried chicken shops in London. In Tottenham 40% of 11 year olds are classified as obese. Many kids go to these fast food outlets for a snack after school or have their evening meal there. Chicken Town have linked these figures together and come up with an idea. Rather than attempt to push these children towards a perceived healthier alternative (salad bar etc), they want to offer them a similar product to what they're used to (and love) but do it in a way that reduces the risk to their health whilst still maintaining a great taste. They've managed to reduce the fat and calorie count by 70% but still produce crispy, deep fried (and free range) chicken pieces. Their smart business model with different prices for day and evening trade means that the prices will be competitive for the kids and a more mature customer even though they are using high welfare chicken. Clever stuff.
Reviews
Rocky Road Caramel Extra Thick Easter Egg by Hotel Chocolat
I am a massive chocolate fiend so this weekend is up there on the highlights reel of the year. To cement this obsession and selflessly help the industry with my insightful comments (cough), I have been a member of Hotel Chocolat's tasting club for over ten years (oh yes, this exists, they send you boxes of amazing chocolates every month!). So I know their chocolate is pretty damn good. I was lucky enough to be bought this Easter egg a few years ago and it is insane - one huge thick chocolate shell with crispy bits, choc chunks and cookies, the other is caramel milk chocolate, along with 12 equally gorgeous chocolates inside. It carries a hefty price tag but if you're not bothered about having the egg on Sunday, take a look at their sale like I did last year - nabbed it for half price the week after Easter, boom.
Local News
Oscar's French Bistro Restaurant: Auberge Nights
A midweek meal out is a special treat especially when you're getting classic French food at reasonable prices. Every Tuesday Oscar's holds Auberge nights where you can eat three courses plus lots of French bread for £17.50 a head. To give you a taster, this week's menu was wild mushroom tart, chicken basque with pilaf rice and caramelised lemon tart - sounds pretty good! Oscar's is a lovely little restaurant in central Leamington, owned by the award winning and Royal Approval stamped Aubrey Allen butchers which gives you an indication of the quality and service you'll receive.
Recipes
Raw Brownies
As mentioned in previous issues I have a slight brownie obsession, so when I saw this recipe for a healthier version I had to add it to my to-bake list immediately. Deliciously Ella's lovely blog is dedicated to all things healthy and nutritious as she finds ways to make your standard cakes and meals a little bit better for you. These brownies contain no dairy, gluten or sugar yet they look mighty delicious and Ella claims '..they still taste identical to normal brownies with the same perfectly squishy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.' This remains to be seen, or tasted, but I'm definitely going to try them next week.
Beef Ragu Papardelle with Gremolata
Helen Graves is the face behind the brilliant blog, Food Stories, where she recounts humorous tales of her food experiences with lots of brilliant recipes thrown in. She deservedly won a Young British Foodies Award in 2013 for her very funny article on PKFC (Peckham Korean Fried Chicken). I've picked out this beef ragu because it's perfect for this coming bank holiday weekend - very easy and quick to prepare so you can get on with entertaining family and eating chocolate while it bubbles away for a few hours. The gremolata is essential, do not leave it out! The parsley, garlic and lemon zest mix gives this dish a massive spring lift, all zesty and punchy on the tongue.
Food for Thought
Reducing Reoffending, Aiding Rehabilitation - The Clink Charity
This is one of best stories I've heard in a while. The number one restaurant on Trip Advisor in Cardiff is The Clink; it serves beautiful plates of Michelin quality food made from locally sourced, fresh ingredients in a stylish, modern setting. Nothing new there you might say? The difference is the people - the chefs and the waiting staff are all prisoners (or ex-prisoners) at HMP Cardiff. Al Crisci is the man behind this endeavour which aims to create a purpose for these prisoners as well as giving them self respect and the experience of working in a team environment. None of the prisoners who have gone through the Clink restaurants (three so far and more on their way) have reoffended which is an outstanding stat. If you have time over the weekend, listen to this short Radio 4 programme where you can hear the full story and interviews with the prisoners and customers at The Clink. Al Crisci is doing a brilliant, brilliant thing.
Woop woop two bank holidays are upon us! And chocolate filled ones at that! I've gone with a slight Easter theme and thrown a few eggy stories in this week, hope you all have a good one! If last week's article 'Inside the Murky World of Convenience World' sparked an interest with you, have a listen to this radio show which looks at what goes into shop bought cherry bakewell tarts and delves further into those mysterious ingredients that end up in our processed food.