Food in the western world is now cheaper than at any time in human history. But this comes at a cost. A cost to our health and also to our planet. Over consumption also means that 30 per cent of food bought in western European countries is thrown away. If you have only time to read one link, make it this one. Why do we have to distigust between 'real bread' and processed bread? To make bread you just need four ingredients - water, flour, salt and yeast. But have you ever looked at the ingredients in 'supermarket' breads? This is a short but interesting read about the difference between the two. It seems like this is the week for raising awareness. In the Netherlands, they have announced that they will start banning food ads for children under 13. The advertising code's age limit has been increased from seven years old to 12 years old. Have you ever wondered why in flight food tastes awful? There are a number of reasons for this. Although the food might not necessarily be … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #16
This is our first weekly roundup for 2015 with some interesting articles from the food and wine world. From a 90-year-old who continues to make fresh pasta in an Italian trattoria, to the trends for 2015 and a controversy about whether prosecco served on a tap in a pub should be called prosecco or not, we hope you find something interesting to read. When I use fat in cooking, it is mainly butter or extra virgin olive oil. So I found this article about cooking real food with minimally processed unrefined fats and oils, one which reinforces my own thoughts. But it is worth reading It is essential for children to learn how to cook. Research continues to show that cooking is a path to good health. At a time when more and more people are not cooking at home, here are some tips about how to get children to start learning how to cook. It says that a child could be able to cook a meal within five weeks following these steps. Travel always brings out stereotypes and there might be … [Read more...]
2014 – A year of Food and Wine Gazette in review
Food and Wine Gazette was launched in September 2014. In four months, readers from over 110 countries have visited the website with most of the visitors coming from Belgium, followed by the United States and the Netherlands. Our top reads to date were the following: 1. Grant Achatz (Alinea): A genius of molecular cuisine 2. Carcasse: A restaurant by one of Belgium's best butchers, Dierendonck 3. A review of Massimo Bottura's great book Never Trust a Skinny Italian chef 4. Mauro Colagreco (Mirazur) showcases three great dishes using collagen 5. Interview with Sang Hoon Degeimbre: Creativity comes from constant questioning and keeping an open mind 6. Fulvio Pierangelini - an Italian chef in exile 7. De Superette (Gent): The bakery with a difference It has been a busy first few months with visits to Chefs Revolution in Zwolle and Chef Sache in Cologne as well as participation in a number of events in Brussels such as the Vini Birre Ribelli which focused mainly … [Read more...]
A postcard from Malta: Food and Wine Gazette is back
It is incredible that we are already in 2015. Food and Wine Gazette started off in September of 2014 and we are back after taking a two and a half week break from writing about the things we like most - food and wine. During our break, partially forced by the fact that we were staying in a house without internet access, we have been able to reflect a lot about the coming months of Food and Wine Gazette which we hope will be as exciting as the first few months have been for us. At first we were slightly worried because this was our first break from writing. We had been systematically posting content nearly on a daily basis since our launch. But as time went by, we started to relax more and more and are now back with lots of energy and ideas. Instead of writing, we have been extremely busy doing another thing we are passionate about, that is cooking and trying new wines. Inspired by some of the chefs we met on our journey so far, the books we have read about food and wine over the … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #15
We are fast approaching Christmas and for those regulars who like this weekly round-up of links to interesting articles I come across on food and wine, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a great week ahead whether you are on holiday or busy working. The Italian culinary world was shocked with a news which saw Massimo Bottura reveal that he may be moving his exceptional Osteria Francescana to London. The news was revealed by Bloomberg in an interview with the Modenese chef and took even the journalist by surprise. Gambero Rosso, the Italian food and wine publication called this a 'shock'. Bottura said that it is something he has been discussing with his wine for the past six months. "The most important ingredient I have is my brain and my brain is going to be very easy to take with me to London, or New York, or Tokyo, or Hong Kong, wherever," he says. On that count he is right. There is no question that French cuisine is feeling the pressure at least in the media. The … [Read more...]
Bjorn Frantzen: An impressive feat preparing 19 dishes in 44 minutes
There is no question that one of the most impressive cooking performances I have ever seen was Bjorn Frantzen's show at Chef's Revolution in Zwolle organised by Jonnie and Therese Boer of De Librije earlier this year. Together with his team, they prepared 19 dishes which are normally take three and a half hours to prepare in just 44 minutes. He assured the audience that 'we have not trained for this before,' which made it all the more impressive. The Swedish chef who has two Michelin stars for his restaurant Frantzen in Sweden and is listed 23rd in the World's Best 50 restaurants said that he ends up traveling too many times to tell the restaurant story and what he really wanted to do was cook so he was trying a new experiment which is to showcase the dinner they prepared in the restaurant the previous Saturday. Frantzen serves one tasting menu of 19 dishes and it is changed every day according to what is fresh, local and seasonal. Anyone who follows this Swedish chef on Twitter … [Read more...]
Are there times when it is not right to take a child to a restaurant?
The issue of children in a restaurant is always a very touchy subject. It is a sore point both for parents, restaurant owners and patrons alike. Earlier this year, there was a great controversy on the subject when renowned American chef of Alinea Grant Achatz tweeted that guests at his three-star restaurant had taken an eight-month old baby along to dinner. At one point the baby proceeded to cry and the chef said he could hear him from the kitchen. He did not kick them out but he did say that he was considering changing his policy vis-a-vis children in his restaurants. So when is it legitimate for a restaurant to say it does not accept children under a certain age? What is the definition of a child-friendly restaurant? When is it acceptable to take children to a restaurant and when should it be prohibited? What is the rule for high-end restaurants? Is there a particular age when a child should not be accepted in a restaurant? Where should you draw the line? Should parents with … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #14
We are just back from the amazing German town of Monschau and its splendid Christmas market. It was snowing throughout the day which adds to the charm and we made our way back home well stocked with mustard. But its now time for our weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine. As Christmas day is approaching fast, there seems to be a lot of writing about Christmas lunches or dinners. Both the BBC and the Guardian feature the two-Michelin starred chef Tom Kerridge. This chef is a television personality in the UK and his recipes are always exceptional so you might be tempted to try some of the these. These are his tips for a traditional Christmas from turkey to brussels sprouts. On the Guardian, there are 10 Christmas dishes prepared by Tom Kerridge. Since we are on the subject of recipes, here are 10 of the best recipes with wine. We have written about a Sicilian winery Azienda Agricola COS earlier this week. If you have missed it, take a look at this post because it … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #13
Japan seems to be attracting great chefs at the moment. Three Michelin star chef Heinz Beck has opened a restaurant in Tokyo just in time for the festive season. Beck is German-born and has been based in Rome for 20 years. He is the only chef to have three Michelin stars at La Pergola, in the Italian capital city. On the other hand, preparations are in full swing for the opening of Noma in Tokyo next month. Rene Redzedpi, the world famous chef was in Japan to source produce for the restaurant. He has been interviewed about the experience of opening a pop-up restaurant in Japan. He speaks about the overwhelming response they have received to date and also about the interesting produce he has found in Japan. It is very interesting and worth a read. Jose Andres has written a fantastic article on National Geographic about Changing the Way We Eat Meat. He says that while a piece of meat like a steak is a beautiful thing to eat, he believes that we should be thinking about eating … [Read more...]
Top 10 books on food and wine for Christmas
As the Christmas season approaches it's always great to receive tips on what to buy, particularly if you are at a loss. For a food and wine lover there is nothing like receiving a good book for Christmas. Here is a list of some of our favourite books on food and wine. We are sure you will not be disappointed. We have reviewed some of the books in more detail so if you are interested you can take a look in the Book Review section on Food and Wine Gazette. Here are our top 10 books on food and wine: 1. Massimo Bottura: Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef: The top book of the year must be Massimo Bottura's Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef. This is a fantastic book about food, cooking and creativity. It is not your run of the mill recipe book and unless you are a really dedicated cook, you are unlikely to replicate most of these creations. But what the book does is bring you the stories behind the dishes of one of the world's most famous restaurants. It's also a wake up call to follow … [Read more...]