Laurence was doing some research on a slow roasted pork belly and stumbled across this recipe by Jamie Oliver. As big fans of pork, thisÂ*sounded so delicious as well as very easy, so heÂ*made this for our lunch. The 3 main reasons why I love slow roasted pork belly are as follows: Crispy crackling -Â*I’m [...]

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Blog Email number 8. From land. 29th August 2010 ‘6 weeks, six stars. Six love’ My dearest friends, family and fellow ‘cooked’ people in hospitality I hope life finds you well and celebrations abound for this Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK. Yup, you read that correct, indeed I am back here after my... Read More

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Email 7 from sea. 25th August 2010. ‘Taking the slow boat to China’ To my dear friends, family and fellow mad people in hospitality Well, we’re not really going to China, even though the title of this one may be a little misleading. In Afrikaans we say ‘Min dae’ (or for those of you who... Read More

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Blog Email number 6 from the sea. 21st August 2010 ‘Copenhagen mermaids’ My dear mad, bad and utterly brilliant friends and family Well, it is almost the end of the Baltic cattle run – kinda like a Ro-Ro boat, though with passengers instead of cars. (Yes, my hillbilly friends down south or wherever. Ro-Ro means... Read More

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Blog Email 3 from the Baltic. 14th August 2010 ‘Balky in the Baltic’ As the email header suggests, it has a lot to do with the old TV sitcom, Balky. Well the start to this email should be a lot more positive. I have a departure date for coming home to the English countryside, as... Read More

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Blog Email number 2 from sea. 9th August 2010. ‘From Russia, with love..’ To my darling family, friends and the rest of you who choose to be part of my life Well, this is email number 2. And it comes from Russia, with love… Cheesy, but it is something I’ve always wanted to say. Sans... Read More

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The BBC Good Food Show Winter will be opening it's doors at the NEC Birmingham on the 26th November for 5 full days to over 90,000 people.

The Show will provide the perfect place for visitors to prepare for Christmas with hints, tips, demonstrations and hundreds of exhibitors.

Prepare the perfect Christmas meal
The Supertheatre sponsored by Sainsburys is the perfect place to pick up brand new recipes from a whole host of celebrity chefs, our favourite TV chefs will be demonstrating dishes that are bound to impress! James Martin will be leading the way with desserts showing you how to create a fabulous Christmas cake and Yule Log while Gordon Ramsay will be dedicating his sessions to the festive season in 'Gordon does Christmas'.

Stock up your drinks cupboard
With a wide range of drinks exhibitors the Show is the ideal place to stock up your drinks cabinets for Christmas - Spirits of the Place will be showcasing bottles of port - always a fabulous Christmas tipple, or if you fancy something a bit more original why not head to Rubis and have a taste of their Chocolate Wine Liqueur, or perhaps champagne is more up your street to celebrate with and Lovely Bubbly will be selling the very best they have to offer. If you fancy making your own drinks to really impress then why not head to the Supertheatre to see the Hairy Bikers in action showing you how to make Christmas Pudding Vodka! Plus with Chase vodka exhibiting at the Show you really can give your guests the official 'Worlds Best Vodka' - as voted at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2010.

Christmas Shopping
There are hundreds of exhibitors packing out the NEC showcasing a range of gift products, many of which you will not find on the high street. Pick up everything from Christmas cake moulds to table decorations and make your Christmas flow smoother than ever before. Plus this year's MasterChef winner Dhruv Baker will be showing you how to make Orange and Cinnamon Palmiers - the perfect homemade gift.

World Cheese Awards
If you're planning on providing the most brilliant cheese board for your guests then where better to get inspiration from than the World Cheese Awards. Over 3000 different cheeses, that's 150 tonnes, will be judged at the awards by those who really know what they are talking about! So pick up some cheeses from the Show to ensure your larder stays stocked!

Christmas Tasting Theatre
This new theatre will be packed full of fantastic ideas and bookable tastings to inspire you for the festive season. With a whole variety of exhibitors from Goodmans Geese to Island Sea Fare you really can get a flavour of the festivities ahead.

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<img src="/images/marinades.300.jpg" alt="Dev Biswal Marinades" hspace="10" vspace="10" align="right">Dev Biswal, the chef-patron of The Ambrette Michelin-listed fine Indian dining venue, has launched his own brand 'Biswal's Premier' marinades.

There are three products in the range, for chicken, lamb and fish.

The marinades, as used in the award-winning Margate restaurant, have been introduced as a response to customers asking the secret to The Ambrette's distinctive style and flavours, so they can try them at home. Formerly known as 'The Indian Princess' and rebranded to distance itself from traditional high street curry houses, The Ambrette does not serve curry. Many of the dishes are only lightly spiced to enhance the natural flavours of the food.

Biswal is critical of "the fast-food mentality" of some Indian establishments "stuck in a 1940s time bubble", who pre cook meat, then fry in a sauce to order, without giving the ingredients time to absorb flavours from the herbs and spices.

"My vision is to bring cultures together by introducing new food habits," commented Biswal who has an ambition to transform how Britons perceived Indian food, "I believe food like art and music is a major catalyst in improving relationships amongst people across borders.

"Artists and musicians are worshipped as cultural brand ambassadors, whereas chefs are not," he said.

Marinating fish and meat is a typically eastern concept in home cooking. Conversely, Biswal employs western cooking styles and poaching in some dishes.

Whilst, according to Biswal, lamb should be marinated for at least 4 hours, whereas fish should be marinade for the maximum of an hour. The 250ml jars contain instructions to apply at room temperature and leave to stand in the fridge.

Biswal's Premier Marinade for Lamb contains a unique blend of mustard oil, ginger, garlic, pickle, salt, garam masala, red chilli, turmeric, fenugreek, pineapple and coriander

The Premier Marinade for Chicken is a blend of fresh coriander, fresh mint, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, mustard oil, green chilli, roasted gram flour, salt, garam masala, turmeric, black salt and soft cheese. It is also ideal for use with left over Christmas turkey.

The Premier Marinade for Fish, which can be used for white varieties or oily species such as mackerel or salmon, is comprised of a secret recipe of mustard oil, turmeric, coriander seeds, onion seeds, fennel seeds, carom seeds, fenugreek, lemon juice, salt, sugar, black pepper, asafoetida and curry leaves.

Dev recently returned from a gruelling 21-tour of India to Mumbai, Gujarat and the Mecca of Indian food lovers, Hyderabad where he researched the local food scene ranging from street food to the many fine dining restaurants catering for the burgeoning middles classes and super rich. He also collected ingredients unknown to the UK market such as dried lichens and exotic wild plants.

The marinades were trialled at the recent Broadstairs Food Festival, where Dev gave masterclass cookery demonstrations, and they sold out.

The 250ml jars cost £3.99 and are sufficient for 4 servings and keep for 2-4 weeks once opened. Biswal's Premier Marinades are available direct from The Ambrette for delivery nationwide plus local farm shops and specialist outlets like Eddie Gilbert's wet fish shop in Ramsgate.

Last week I was invited to the Roundhouse Rumbullion week end wind down, which sees this well established restaurant launching a new pizza menu and Friday evening entertainment on the magnificent lawns overlooking Camps Bay. Talk about a restaurant in a beautiful location. Every Friday through summer they will be serving drinks and pizzas betweenÂ*4 [...]

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The rescipe for these very easy raisin scones can be found here.

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