I had never heard of a tonka bean until Peter Templehoff (The Greenhouse)gave us few at the Taste of Cape Town.Â*Â*Â*It’s a seed from the large tropical tonka tree and it’s quite difficult to describe the taste and smell. Â*It’s pretty unique, reminiscent of vanilla but with a herby smokiness to it. Apparently it contains [...]

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The speakers have been confirmed for the seminars on the Chile Pavilion at London International Wine Fair. There will be daily talks by some of Chile's leading figures which will be preceded & followed by wine tastings to illustrate the theme.

The seminars on the Chile Pavilion (P65) will commence at 11.30am for approximately 45 minutes:

‘Tales of the Unexpected’ - Tuesday 18th May, 11.30am
Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle & Sebastian De Martino
Chile has an extraordinarily dynamic wine culture and the diversity of wines on offer today is greater than ever before. This seminar will focus on innovation and regional characteristics as well as some of the less well-known varieties and styles on offer that challenge preconceptions.

‘Carmenère Karma’ - Wednesday 19th May, 11.30am
Irene Paiva one of Chile’s top consultant winemakers and Arnaud Frennet from Viña Casa Silva
These days Chile’s ‘signature’ grape is more comfortable in its own skin than ever before. The seminar will illustrate how Carmenère, Chile’s ‘prodigal son’, is developing into the pick of the bunch.

‘Organic Growth’ - Thursday 20th May, 11.30am
Adolfo Hurtado from Cono Sur and Cristian Rodriguez from Emiliana Organicos
Superb natural grape growing conditions mean Chile continues quietly and consistently to grow its organic and biodynamic offering. Discover more about how unique geography and a culture of environmental care are sustaining organic growth.

The Food and Drink Summit are pleased to announce Jean Christophe Novelli and Loyd Grossman to the ever increasing line up of speakers. Tickets for the summit are on sale now via the website. Make sure you take advantage of the earlier bird offer available for a limited time only.

The debut Food and Drink Summit is set to offer a rare opportunity for everyone from restaurant owners and producers, to academics and food enthusiasts, to debate and discuss all elements of the industry. The aim is to establish a serious, northwest-based food inudstry 'talking shop' aspiring to become an annual, national event.
Manchester’s Ramada Piccadilly will host the one-day event on May 24, which is set to feature a series of high profile keynote speakers such as Jean Christophe Novelli, Loyd Grossman, Matthew Fort, Fergus Henderson, Paul Heathcote and Henrietta Green.

Who should attend the summit? Serious food enthusiasts, restaurant & bar owners, retailers, food & drink producers, online foodies, students and academics, hospitality sector, tourism officers and media.
Edge Street Director Phil Jones says: "The objective is to provide a comprehensive forum where crucial and sometimes controversial issues surrounding the industry can be debated, where new ideas and theories can be shared, and where lasting cross sector networks can be established or renewed. This is a unique networking event that aims to become an established annual feature on the national food and drink calendar."

A wide variety of of topics will be discussed such as "After the Gold Rush: Food Tourism - A 21st Century Boom?" "In the Middle of a Chain Reaction - what's the future of an independent restaurant?" and " Twelve Bar Blues: the Last Waltz of the Great British Boozer?"
As well as hear from some of the most thought inspiring people in the industry, you can pose your own questions and take part in 'break out sessions'.
Come and enjoy a specially devised networking lunch, the 'Emerging Talent' Producers Market, pudding networking and The Social.

It takes place on the first Saturday of every month and has been around for 11 years.Â* Its a lovley little market with food and craft stalls. We loved the olives, the tsatsiki feta, the homemade rusks and rosenkuchen.

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It’s a funky little restaurant nestled smack in the middle of downtown Riebeek-Kasteel, and we went there on Saturday for lunch during the Olive Festival.Â*It was a very busy day and a band was playing in the courtyard.Â*WeÂ*were charged aÂ*R25 cover, even though we were eating ANDÂ*drinking in the restaurant next door.The restaurant is eclectic [...]

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If you love chocolate then The Real Food Festival 2010 at Earl’s Court is the place to be this weekend where Chocolate Unwrapped will have a dedicated area filled with the very best chocolate companies.

Chocolate Unwrapped is a dedicated chocolate show, organised as part of Chocolate Week, which takes place every October. At the Real Food Festival the Chocolate Week team have invited the best UK chocolatiers along with new international chocolate companies to take part.

Highlights of Chocolate Unwrapped include:

• Talks from William Curley, Gerard Coleman from Artisan du Chocolat, Paul a Young, Sara Jayne Stanes and Keith Hurdman, head chocolatier at Thorntons.
• Artisan British chocolate producer Duffy Sheardown launches his chocolate at the show. Duffy joins Willie Harcourt-Cooze as one of only two chocolate producers in the UK - try his wonderful chocolate for the very first time.
• Paul Wayne Gregory launches his sea salted caramel lollipops at the show. They’ve already won acclaim from The Observer’s Jay Rayner, come and try them for yourself.
• Available only at The Real Food Festival - Original Beans and Sun Trigg of Lauden Chocolates, the UK’s leading female chocolatier, have collaborated to develop the first series of truffles using Original Bean’s Piura 75% couverture made from an exceptional white criollo bean discovered in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes. Since 2008, Original Beans has brought this cocoa variety back from the brink of extinction.

The Real Food Festival is much, much more than a just a food event, or farmer’s market - it’s packed with activities for the whole family and provides a unique platform for hundreds of smaller producers. The chocolate companies exhibiting are Artisan du Chocolat, William Curley, Paul Wayne Gregory, Thorntons, Ooh La La, Co Couture, Lauden, Original Beans, Auberge du Chocolat, Askinosie, The Chocolate Boutique Hotel, Duffy Sheardown and Chocoholly.

Other highlights of the festival include the world-renowned chef Raymond Blanc at the chef theatre, cookery workshops and some very friendly livestock – including Petal, the water buffalo from Laverstoke Park. With over 400 fantastic producers to choose from, come along and sample everything from handmade farmstead cheeses to slow reared British meats, beautiful breads, sustainable locally sourced seafood, the freshest fruit and vegetables and much, more

It’s the month of mayhem in Argentina as the country turns out in force to celebrate its independence from Spanish rule, marking the bicentenary of the 1810 May Revolution.

It’s street parties galore, brimming with tango-dancing, music and traditional food, so why not raise a toast from the comfort of your own home by re-creating some of the country’s most mouth watering dishes – brought to you by the UK’s number one Argentinian wine brand, Finca Las Moras.

With Finca Las Moras wines matched perfectly to every dish, feast your eyes on this selection of traditional recipes – each with its own easy to follow step-by-step guide – so that you too can get into the carnival spirit and revolutionise your own kitchen to mark el Dia de la Revolución de Mayo.

Choose from South American pasties, known as empanadas, or the ever-popular traditional Argentinian dish – rib eye steak with Chimichurri sauce. Crack open a bottle of the Finca Las Moras range to complement the dishes, from a cherry and vanilla Bonarda, a peachy Pinot Grigio and what has been voted Argentina’s best shiraz at this year’s Argentinian Wine Awards – Las Moras Gran Shiraz.

And no meal is complete without something sweet, so top the celebration off with a glug of Finca Las Moras Late Harvest Viognier along with Argentinian Alfajores – deliciously light biscuits filled with Dulce de Leche.

Cutting up a whole lot of onions in not that much fun, especially as I used smaller ones, but this is a great soup and perfectly suited for winter and our recessionary times. you will need: about 5 brown onions, peeled, sliced in half and cut into thin rings 1 tbsp olive oil 1 clove of garlic crushed a few [...]

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Patara fine Thai cuisine will be one of a number of Thai restaurants featuring in a celebration of all things Thai in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 5 June between 12 and 8pm.

A host of delicious delicacies will be served alongside two bars serving Singha Beer, Monsoon Thai wines and Thai soft drinks, while keen shoppers will be able to purchase a variety of Thai products from fresh fruits and seasonal ingredients, to store cupboard essentials and traditional crafts.

Organised by the Royal Thai Embassy in collaboration with the Office of Commercial Affairs, Thai Tourism and other Thai offices in the UK, the event aims to strengthen the presence of the Thai community in the UK, to promote Thai Culture, food, trade and tourism and most importantly, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand's State Visit to London in 1960.

Thailand@Trafalgar Square is an unmissable opportunity for London's residents and visitors to come together and enjoy a vast array of Thai cultural performances and more. Visitors to the festival will enjoy traditional Thai dances from the four regions of Thailand, performed by the Thai Dance Academy, authentic Thai puppet shows and demonstrations of Thai boxing (Muay Thai) by fighters from the Master Sken Academy.