Cranstons Cumbrian Food Hall in Penrith was awarded the highly coveted Food Northwest Business Excellence Award at a Gala Dinner held in Manchester on Thursday 24th June. The Excellence award recognises the outstanding contribution Cranstons Cumbrian Food Hall has made to the North West Food and Drink Industry.

The judges praised Cranstons for working closely with local farmers and producers, championing local produce and promoting the the quality and breadth of food and drink the North West has to offer. The award is also recognition of the £1 million Cumbrian Food Hall expansion project Cranstons succesfully completed in November last year- creating 20 new jobs.

The North West Fine Foods awards were established five years ago to celebrate the energy, enthusiasm, diversity and sheer hard work of companies operating within the region. They recognize companies from all areas of the industry from farm to fork. Pat Foreman, chief executive of Food NorthWest, said ‘ We are very proud of all our winners and are delighted to be able to recongise their achievements in this way. The quality of the entries in this year’s awards has been outstanding and we have seen some real ‘star’ businesses come to the fore’

Philip Cranston, Managing Director commented ‘We are absolutely delighted to have won this award. At the Food Hall and throughout our business we have developed strong and long-standing relationships with farmers and local producers. We strive to show case the regions fantastic produce offering a whole host of delicious and wholesome produce. I would like to thank my team of dedicated staff who all worked incredibly hard to successfully open the expanded Food Hall and new Café Oswald’s restaurant last year- this award and all the positive feedback we receive from our loyal customers is recognition of all their hard work.’’

In addition to the business excellence award Cranstons also triumphed in the Food Northwest Fine Food Awards. Cranstons Lentil and Ham soup won best soup and went on to be judged Prepared Food overall category winner.

A few weeks ago I went to dinner at aÂ* friends house.Â* She is also a foodie, and had wanted to make this particular recipe for dinner.Â* There was a lot going on, so I landed up making the meatballs.Â* That night we doubledÂ*theÂ*quantities, andÂ*substituted some ofÂ*the spices, added others and generallyÂ*had a lot of [...]

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'Seek the Sensational' Wednesday 7th July 2010, Lord's Cricket Ground, London

Industry professionals from the on-trade, off-trade and hospitality sectors will descend on Lord's Cricket Ground next month for a unique tasting event showcasing some of the finest wines the Basque Country has to offer.

Being held on Wednesday 7th July between 9.30am-6pm, the 'Seek the Sensational' event will feature a wide array of wines from the little known Rioja Alavesa and Txakoli regions; giving attendees the unrivalled opportunity to meet in person the dedicated individuals behind more than 35 of the region's cellars.

The Basque Country has two distinct wine producing regions: Rioja Alavesa located in the South and Txakoli on the northern sea-facing hillsides of Getaria and Bakio.

The Rioja Alavesa region, with its Atlantic-Mediterranean microclimate, guarantees plentiful sunshine, sufficient rainfall and protection from harsh weather conditions. This winning combination enables the region's 200+ vineyards to make some of the finest quality Old World wines, possessing unique characteristics that set them apart from the wider known Riojas produced in the neighbouring but very differing areas of Rioja Alta and Rioja Baja.

Txakoli wines are unique to the mountainous north of the Basque Country, with the vines cultivated on land that is sheltered from strong coastal winds and exposed to high levels of sunlight. Txakoli wine has seen a magnificent revival in recent years, and producers have sought to protect the regions heritage and winemaking methods whilst promoting its superior quality wines to both the Spanish and overseas' markets.

Ultimately though, it is the fascinating people and their stories behind the Basque Country cellars that really make Rioja Alavesa and Txakoli wines so special. Visitors to 'Seek the Sensational' will be able to meet some of the individuals who passionately combine the traditions of their ancestors with modern techniques to create wines that truly inspire and excite the palate.

A taster to whet the appetite...

Altos de Rioja Viticultores y Bodegueros is an exciting boutique winery established in 2006 by a group of experienced professionals. Vintners Roberto San Ildefonso, Bienvenido Munoz and Jean-Marc Sauboua each have impeccable wine producing credentials which they are collectively using to create a range of Rioja Alavesa wines with contemporary consumer tastes in mind.

With 150 years combined experience in grape growing and winemaking, the three Errasti brothers decided to establish their own winery, Bodegas Gailur, in 1985. Vicente, Jose Mari and Jose, have extended their facilities and incorporated the latest technologies into their traditional Txakoli winemaking processes in order to consistently guarantee the high quality their customers have come to expect and cherish.

Fourteen families in the Laguardia area came together to establish Araco Winery, combining their vine growing and wine production expertise to make the traditional Rioja Alavesa-style young wines. The families produce all of the grapes used in Araco wines, so can proudly guarantee the specific origin of their ingredients and improve the quality of their output year on year.

For Roberto Miguel Blanco of Artuke Winery, wine has always been central to his life after deciding at a young age to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors and devote all his time and energy into growing vines and producing wines. His winery has a remarkably traditional approach, with all grapes being grown on the the family Rioja Alavesa vines and his two young sons preparing to join the family company.

Heredad Ugarte is a family-run business with an impressive history dating back to 1870 when Modesto Ugarte started to grow his own vines. In 1989 his grandson, Vitorio Eguren Ugarte, built a new winery in Laguardia at the foot of his grandfather's vineyard. The company is now operated by the fourth generation of the Ugarte family and they continue to apply proven traditional methods to their winemaking process.

The family behind Okendo winery has a small 7-hectare estate vineyard near the Okendo hills close to the Atlantic Ocean that provides the perfect microclimate in which to grow unique grape varieties. They combine traditional Txakoli with local grapes to produce a wine with a very unique taste and personality.

For more information about 'Seek the Sensational' visit http://www.basquewines.co.uk and register for a complimentary place at this exclusive event. All delegates that pre-register will be entered into a prize draw to win a VIP trip to the Basque Country, including a tour of the Rioja Alavesa and Txakoli winemaking regions.

• Please note this event is for trade professionals only.

I am embarrassed to admit that up until now I had never eaten at Kyoto garden sushi before. And this is not through a lack of desire to, but for various reasons it just hadn’t happened.It’s regarded by many as amongst the top three places to eat sushi in the city, the other being Nobu [...]

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So there I wasÂ*jotting down aÂ*recipe from TV again.Â*ThisÂ*has become a bit of aÂ*habitÂ*of mineÂ*recentlyÂ*with PVR making it all possible.Â*I was watching aÂ*guest chef, I can’t remember his name, on James Martin ‘Sweet’.Â* He is aÂ*pastry chef and with very little effort threw these scones together.I was sold.The two things that struck me as interesting [...]

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This is just a very simple and delicious way to cook a fillet of fish. I took one fillet of angelfish, you could use any nice firm white fish, dusted with some flour seasoned with salt, pepper and lime zest. IÂ*heated about 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil inÂ*a pan and pan fried the fillet of fish, [...]

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Ten days of extraordinary gastronomic experiences await you when Copenhagen Cooking celebrates gastronomy with an extensive food festival. The Danish capital invites everyone to join a celebration of the Nordic kitchen when the annual food festival, Copenhagen Cooking, takes place from 20th to 29th August 2010.

A wealth of temptations and culinary enjoyment will be on offer in Copenhagen when Denmark’s best producers and specialists in food, wine and gourmet delicacies come together to celebrate good taste and uncompromising quality at Scandinavia’s biggest food festival.

The festival was launched in 2005 as a tribute to the Danish kitchen and Nordic food traditions and it has been a tremendous success ever since.
Focusing on the finest local products, the Nordic culinary tradition has been rediscovered and modernized in recent years and the new Nordic cuisine has received many accolades both at home and abroad. In fact, the Nordic kitchen is exploding in popularity these days and when Noma was recently awarded the title as best restaurant in the world, Denmark stated its position as the gourmet capital of Scandinavia.

However, Copenhagen Cooking does not only focus on the Nordic culinary tradition but also on international cooking. Quality produce is the common denominator for the gourmet delicacies presented by international chefs at the large street kitchen ‘Taste the World,’ on the street of Nørrebrogade.

The sixth celebration of Copenhagen Cooking will take place in the Nyhavn canal area, at the Carlsberg Breweries, on open squares, markets, various city streets and restaurants in central Copenhagen. There will be irresistible temptations on offer at the city’s best gourmet restaurants, high quality food at the various food markets all over town, family activities, cookery schools, cooking competitions, daily taste sensations, gastronomic specialities, open kitchens and wine tastings.

In addition, as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Øresund Bridge, the festival offers a new event called ‘Øresund Cooking’ where acclaimed Danish and Swedish chefs from restaurants in the Øresund region will cook and offer tasters. ‘Øresund Cooking’ takes place on 27th August in Malmø as part of the Malmø Festival and on 28th August in Copenhagen at Peblinge Dossering. It will also be possible to take a Crayfish Party boat trip from Nyhavn to Malmö - with a basket of crayfish included!

The full programme for Copenhagen Cooking will be available in July. For further information about the Nordic food festival and photos please go to:
copenhagencooking.com

This is a family favourite recipe and ranks as one of my all timeÂ*best salads.Â*I love it because ofÂ*the texture combinations, I’m a crunch junkie.Â* I love the seeds and the almonds which delivery both texture and flavour, and for some bizarre reason I have always lovedÂ*the taste of raw cabbage and the slight pepperyness [...]

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De-veine and de-shell some prawns leaving the heads and tails on, enough for two portions. You will need the following ingredients: Plus some teriyaki or soya sauce. Crush 2 cloves of garlic, finely grate ginger (about a tablespoon), chop up a good handful of coriander and de-seed and finely chop upÂ*2 red chillies. Heat about a tablespoon or 2 [...]

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