Since I have been making popcorn like this, I don’t want it any other way, which is a bit of a pity as its not that healthy.Â*I try and rationalise that its still better thanÂ*fried chips, andÂ*that its loaded withÂ*antioxidants and fibre.Â*It’s also opened up the inspiration flood gates to try various other flavours.This is [...]

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Fairmont St Andrews’ fine-dining Esperante restaurant will become a Mecca for wine lovers as it hosts an evening celebrating New Zealand wines, on May 27, in association with Nobilo Wines.

The venue’s sophisticated but relaxed atmosphere provides the perfect backdrop for New Zealand wine expert Tom Maling to guide guests through a selection of the Drylands Vineyard’s finest produce. The event will culminate in a four-course meal with some of Esperante’s finest dishes presented alongside wines specially selected to complement them.

Nobilo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc became the largest selling wine of its kind in the USA last year and this echoes a rise in New Zealand’s wine industry as a whole, with the value of its exports increasing by more than 615 per cent in the last decade as 115 million litres were dispatched.

Esperante fine-dining restaurant at Fairmont St Andrews combines interesting and unique ingredients from the Mediterranean basin while using the highest-quality seasonal Scottish ingredients.

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The Hastings Seafood and Wine festival is set for a fifth successful year this September. Winner of ‘Flavour of the South East’ category in the Tourism South East ExSellence awards 2008, this year’s event is set to attract an estimated 50,000 visitors over the weekend.

Hastings* is home to the largest beach launched fishing fleet in Europe and its sustainable fishing methods have been recognised by the Marine Stewardship Council. Tents and marquees will host many local seafood and wine related businesses from the town and surrounding area.

Visitors can join in the festivities taking place in the atmospheric Old Town in Rockanore Road, just along from the picturesque fishing area known as The Stade. Wander from stall to stall to try locally landed fish of varying types, and learn how to match fish with local wine. The weekend is full of surprises and events happening in many places: jazz breakfasts, street entertainment, live music tent, themed talks, cookery demonstrations by local chefs and restaurateurs.

Hastings fisher folk will be present throughout the weekend to demonstrate various skills and to share their knowledge about fishing from years gone by to the present day methods.

With a wealth of great quality accommodation on offer throughout Hastings & St Leonards, treat yourself to an end of summer weekend away….. after all, if this year was anything to go by, you’ll be a long time in winter clothes. Make sure to book your accommodation early and make a date in your diary for this year’s Hastings Seafood and Wine Festival – 18th – 19th September 2010.

Thought I’d do a little update on my previous rocky roadÂ*post thatÂ*I did around Christmas.Â* This time, I made it with shortbread biscuits (eet sum more) vs. tea biscuits (aka marie) and it works out so much better.I make thisÂ*for gifts to take to dinner parties and use whatever I have available in my kitchen:Melt [...]

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I wanted to make a heartwarming and comforting pudding for the motherless mothers day lunch.Â* I felt like having the red juicy cherries bubbling through the crumb (I just love it when it they do that),Â*but I alsoÂ*wantedÂ*my all time favourite dessert: apple crumble.What a winning combination and yet so simple.I’m a huge fan of [...]

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I had heard a lot of good things aboutÂ*the Sidewalk Cafe so booked to go a few weeks back for supper.Â* It was a Friday night.Â* They were very busy and I could only get a table at 8.30.Â* No problem, Carlyles which is a semi localÂ*of mine, is just down the road so perfect [...]

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It's been a big year for Bryan Webb, chef/patron at Tyddyn Llan in Denbighshire, as in January he achieved his dream of a Michelin star.

"Every chef dreams of having their own restaurant, writing a cookbook and being awarded a Michelin star," he says. "I'd achieved the first two, but thought the star was out of reach."

Not so, as the quality of Bryan's cooking ensured that his trio of dreams came to fruition.

On June 1, Bryan will be presenting his signature dishes to an eager audience at the Hay Festival.

"All chefs have signature dishes, ones that they are proud of and can cook blindfold. The chef's signature dish is the one you look forward to eating to as you drive to the restaurant, and are disappointed if it isn't on."

Bryan's signature dishes include grilled red mullet with chilli and garlic oil and an aubergine puree; Welsh Black beef 'au poivre'; griddled scallops with vegetable relish and rocket; leek risotto; and roast wild bass with a laverbread butter sauce.

"You will usually find one of these dishes on the menu at Tyddyn Llan, depending on the season. I enjoy cooking them immensely, and I also love eating them. Whenever friends come to my home for a meal you can bet I will proudly serve up one of my favourite dishes."

Bryan Webb will be appearing at the Hay Festival on Tuesday, June 1, 6.45pm

view Bryan's The Welsh Black beef 'au poivre' recipe

A friend was clearing out his old wine collectionÂ*which had been storedÂ*underÂ*the stairs at his parents house in Rondebosch.Â*Â*Some ofÂ*the wine had been there for a very long time.Â*About a week before we had opened at least 5 reds, all of which were so past consumption and had to be poured down the drain (let [...]

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Acclaimed chef Tetsuya Wakuda is poised to open his much-anticipated new restaurant at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore at the end of this month.

Waku Ghin will not be another Tetsuya’s; it will not be a duplicate of his world famous Sydney restaurant but rather an evolution of his cooking philosophy, a new energy in response to a new environment. Waku Ghin will encompass all Wakuda’s favourite elements of the dining experience; even the name is representative of the chef’s personal taste.

‘Ghin’ which means silver is not just a favourite element for Wakuda but is also representative of the elements of his world - his big passions; his knives, his kitchen, his favourite colour and metal. Silver even brings a connection with his favourite location - Ginza in Tokyo. ‘Waku’ or ‘coming from the earth’ is representative of another of Wakuda’s passions: the use of the very best ingredients nature has to offer, in both his environment and also in the dishes he creates.

“Waku Ghin’s menu is an evolution of my style. With this new restaurant comes a new intimacy in my dishes with chefs preparing dinner in front of the guests in the private dining rooms,” says Wakuda.

Echoing Tetsuya’s Sydney restaurant, Waku Ghin takes on a multi-faceted use of space. With four private dining rooms and a main dining room, the whole restaurant is exclusivity itself at just 45 covers. “It has been both exciting and inspirational developing this new menu,” he says, “I have been able to source at ease from further afield than I would from Tetsuya’s Sydney. Furthermore to be able to bring the energy and creativity of the kitchen direct to the diner at the table has always been an ambition.”

Waku Ghin’s interior was created by JZA+D and echoes Wakuda’s creative approach towards his dishes, a layering of delicate tastes, textures and aromas that build upon one another. Fabric swathed ceilings inspired by American designer Mary McFadden, cool metallic and contrasting Mother of Pearl wall surfaces surround, the main dining room hosts an extensive wine bottle display defining the circular space. Illuminated fabric hangs from the ceiling, invoking elements from the other areas of the restaurant. Despite the multifaceted nature of the restaurant, a feeling of absolute unity is apparent.

In addition to this, Wakuda has created a space devoted to his favourite ingredient - caviar. There is also a bar area for pre-dinner drinks and a drawing room for guests to relax over desserts, coffee and digestifs whilst enjoying a floor to ceiling vista of Singapore’s skyline.