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Food and drink news
Gorgeous desserts from Marco Pierre White, salads with plenty of character and elderflowers in a bottle are just a few of the things featured in our latest food and drink news roundup. By Jo Hill
No ordinary salad…
Many supermarket salads suffer grated carrot and sweetcorn overload, but not the latest no-bread salads from M&S. My favourites are Chicken & Lentils with Pomegranate Salad (£3.75, 325g, left) and Amazing Avocado & Feta Salad (£3.75) - quinoa, green lentils, bulgur wheat and edamame beans with a mint & crème fraiche dressing. Just the thing for lunch in a hurry.
Elder statesman
St Germain has bottled the essence of elderflowers picked in the French Alps and captured it in a stunning art nouveau bottle to create a liqueur with honeyed sweetness and citrus tones. It makes a great cocktail mixer or, for a truly summery drink, combine 2 shots white wine and soda with 1.5 shots St Germain. From £13.99 for 70cl; available from Sainsbury's, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.
Sweet stuff from Marco
MPW's Glorious! desserts have a quality and lusciousness you don’t often find in the supermarket: Amaretti and Blueberry Trifle, Triple Truffle Chocolate Mousse, Strawberry Mousse and Vanilla & Cream and my own favourite, White Chocolate & Passion Fruit: light white chocolate creme layered with fresh passion fruit and topped with a tangy passion fruit glaze. Amazingly good-value £1.49 for 100g; Sainsbury's and Selfridges.
White flavour
No, not Marco again, but vanilla products from Taylor & Colledge: vanilla-infused dusting sugar (£2.99), vanilla bean extract (£2.49) and vanilla bean paste (£3.99) - 1 tsp replaces one vanilla pod. Made from top-quality Madagascan beans, they offer endless possibilities in the kitchen: the sugar is gorgeous mixed with mascarpone and served with grilled stone fruits… Available from Waitrose.
Cakes with style!
Squires Kitchen is a cornucopia of brilliant cake-decorating ideas but they’ve surpassed themselves with these delicate yet edible real roses, jasmine and violets, all crystallised in sugar to preserve the original shape and perfumed taste of the natural flower (£9.99 for six roses). Add some sugar diamonds (£9.99 for a box of 56) and you’ll be every girl’s best friend! Visit our food shop page to browse their site and order.
Cider with roti
Over a sublime lunch at Atul Kolchhar’s restaurant Benares, Merrydown demonstrated that their vintage cider is the perfect partner for puris, pilao and parathas. Merrydown Vintage Cider is softly sparkling so you don’t get that gas hit you would with beer, and its fresh fruitiness - Merrydown is made from crisp eating apples, not the usual bitter cider apples - stands up brilliantly to spicy food. £2.49 for 1 litre, from leading supermarkets.
Red alert
The British tomato season runs from March to October - and, to celebrate it, the British Tomato Growers’ Association and English Village Salads have pledged to donate £1 to Macmillan Cancer Support for every healthy tomato recipe sent in. Email your recipe to britishtomatoes@haygarth.co.uk by 1 Sept and do your bit to support Britain’s tomato growers and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Liquid gold
Unfiltered extra virgin olive oil has to be your choice for salad dressings, dipping and drizzling, as the stronger flavour really comes through and enhances the other ingredients – and this one from Berio is a fine example. A gorgeous golden-green colour and slightly cloudy, it has a fabulous depth of flavour. £6.99 from Sainsburys.
Single servings
Donald Russell has gladdened the heart of those who just want small portions with its 'Singlies' baskets. Choose from the Steak Basket (£27), the Roast & Braise Basket (£38) and the Continental Brunch Basket (with a quiche, turkey croissants and sausages). Each basket comes with a loaf of speciality bread. My favourite is the Weekly Basket (£31) which includes mini steaks, beef shin, mini pork roast, confit duck leg and salmon fillet. Visit our food shop page to browse their site and order.
Shell out…
…on this unusual seasonal egg selection from speciality egg producer Clarence Court, the choice of many top restaurants. The selection comprises one Cornish goose egg, two Braddock White duck eggs, two pheasant eggs and three ‘Free To Fly’ quail eggs. A great gift for an egg lover, it costs £4.99 from selected Waitrose, Selfridges, Harrods and Budgens until summer.
A healthy option
If you'd rather get your antioxidant punch from a drink than bowls of blueberries and other fruit, we'd recommend POM Wonderful. Made from 100% pomegranate juice, it has a dry tartness (similar to cranberry juice) that takes a bit of getting used to, but is very refreshing. Said to help with prostate and cardiovascular health, it's definitely worth including in your diet. (Oh, and my kids loved the bottle!). £2.99 for 473ml, from Waitrose and Tesco.
