The Top 8 Things Our Food Writer Has Ate, Drank and Loved This Month

We all know how difficult and uninspiring the last 18 months has been - thanks pandemic, bro. But during our hiatus I had the pleasure of trying out A LOT… and I do mean a lot, of different products - many of which really did inspire me in a variety of ways. Be it new cookbooks with pages of delicious recipes I have spent days fawning over, unique sauces that I poured over everything I could think of, and random spicy things I’ve grown to love, to long-established brands with new products. The pandemic may not be showing any signs of stopping soon, but I’d like to think these items would inspire you, too and make things just a little bit better and tastier for us all.

Big Zuu’s Big Eats

Big Zuu’s Big Eats

It’s been a while since a cookbook came along that was different. Yes, most books these days seem to be centered around one cuisine, one journey or are basically an autobiography with a few recipes thrown in for good measure. But Big Zuu’s debut book is the epitome of unique.

Zuu made his name in the grime music world and recently came to mainstream prominence with a cooking show on Dave. I caught a few episodes of it when it was on last year and I remember thinking “this is different…”, and thankfully that theme has followed within his book, too.

The book celebrates flavour, family and food with a West African twist. Recipes come from all forms of inspiration for Big Zuu, and include some cracking dishes, such as Bossman Chicken Shawarma, Saag Paneer Bhaji Bun and the super simple but incredibly tasty Akara (African doughnuts). And what’s also great about his cookbook is that, as well as having sections for meat, fish, starters and mains, it also has a HUGE vegan section, which is always a winner in my eyes.

The book is available now on Amazon, (£13) and is well worth adding to your collection.

Beryl Shereshewsky (YouTube)

If you haven’t checked out Beryl on YouTube, please do! She is a producer, writer and videographer in New York City who makes some of the best food videos around.

But what makes her different to the hundreds and thousands of foodie YouTubers out there? Simple. She treats her channel like a community. It’s not all about her favourite foods, where she eats and what she makes. It’s about what her fans eat, create and how they spend their time in their own kitchens. It’s such a refreshing change to see a foodie YouTuber take a step back and allow others to shine.

Her videos are also educational - such as her latest one about Filipino Kwek Kwek - and highlight some of the most unique foods and customs from around the globe. I have been known to spend several hours just binge-watching Beryl’s videos over the last year or so, with a Walkers Shortbread in hand and a cup of tea in the other.

So, if you’re currently bored of the YouTube food scene and are looking for some new inspiration, check Beryl out. I guarantee you’ll be hooked.

Walkers Shortbread

Walkers Shortbread

“But Walkers Shortbreads aren’t new…?” I hear you say. Correct. But they are still utterly amazing. And have just launched a new range in Sainsbury’s (various prices), so now you can buy all the shortbready goodness even easier than before.

I had the privilege of trying rather a lot of the selection a few months ago, and there wasn’t one item I didn’t like. The new range includes: Milk Chocolate Coated Shortbread Fingers and Raspberry Shortbread Swirls, both of which are SO GOOD.

There’s also the standard classic collection (pictured) which is just so perfect in its simplicity. I really don’t think there’s a better shortbread brand out there. And, as it’s coming up to Christmas, it’s worth thinking about these as gifts that the whole family can enjoy.

Products range from £1.30- £2.50, available to purchase in Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.

Honey Tradition

Honey Tradition’s Linden Honey

Who says tasty and healthy can’t coexist? Honey Tradition’s award-winning Linden Honey, produced from the nectar and pollen of the Linden flower, is pretty bloomin’ special.

I’ve never quite got the hype around flavoured honey, but this one definitely changed my mind. The medium, sweet blossom honey has fresh notes of mint and cedar and can be used in recipes or added to pastries, cereal, toast, or just a spoon, straight from the jar! I liked this so much, I ended up buying several jars of it.

And to make it even more special, the honey is harvested ethically from a happy colony of bees at a family-run apiary in the unspoiled countryside of Slovakia.

The brand also has a lot of other amazing honey products, such as a new raw honey and pollen infused chocolate which is TO DIE FOR. Probably the most unique chocolate I’ve come across in a long time.

Various prices from Honey Tradition

Pasquale’s Peppers

Pasquale’s Peppers - Rosso Maturo

I am not the biggest fan of hot and spicy things, so trying out some hot and spicy things was not exactly…ideal for me. However, Pasquale’s Peppers Rosso Maturo chillies (£11) have completely changed my mind.

These red chillies in extra virgin olive oil are beautiful. I’ve added them to many dishes, used them as toppings and even poured the oil onto some crunchy sourdough bread - and it tasted utterly wonderful. If it’s possible to fall in love with a hot and spicy product, Pasquale’s has done just that.

The heat isn’t overpowering and the flavour has a subtle sweetness to it that elevates pretty much everything you eat it with. They also have this wonderful chilli pepper jam as part of their range, which is a fab little treat and addition to any meal. The PP range is one of the few spicy product ranges I’ve willingly gone back to on a regular basis since first trying the red chillies and a range I HIGHLY recommend.

Nordic Family Kitchen

Nordic Family Kitchen: Seasonal Home Cooking

Nordic cuisine is something I’ve always wanted to explore, but never had the tools or knowledge to do so - until now. Nordic Family Kitchen: Seasonal Home Cooking (Amazon, £20.58) is the ultimate guide to the cuisine of that region; it’s packed with absolutely stunning photography of its simple yet tasty recipes. This is a must have for all cookbook fanatics (hoarders?), like me, out there who are looking for something new to add to their collection.

Danish chef Mikkel Karstad has been teaching his own four kids the joys of simple, eco-conscious cooking at the famed NOMA restaurant; he single-handily put Northern European gastronomy on the map. NOMA has been recognised as one of, if not the best restaurant in the world over the years, and the fact that Karstad has put his knowledge, time and effort into this book should say everything about why you should be buying it.

My personal favourite in the book is his take on the traditional Asian dish ramen. If this book doesn’t make you passionate about Nordic cuisine, then nothing will.

British Honey Company

The British Honey Company’s English Heritage Organic Dry Gin

I have never been the biggest drinker around, never mind gin drinker. So it would take a lot for me to give something alcoholic a mention. However, The British Honey Company’s brand new offering of its English Heritage Organic Dry Gin (£39) has that special something which make me take a step back and think “wow, this is actually bloody good.”

 Inspired by the verdant gardens of English Heritage houses and landscapes, the new gin is the first organic offering to the collection. It’s made using copper pots, distilled in small batches, using only organic botanicals giving it this unique, piney juniper and soft flora flavour, balanced with hints fresh rosemary and angelica seeds - then, just as you think it’s finished, you’re left with this wonderful aftertaste of cardamom and citrus.

An absolute winner in the Cailler household.

And the lovely folks at BHC have given Consommé three little recipes for you to try out too.

Gimlet Cocktail

50ml English Heritage Organic Botanical Dry Gin
20ml Lime Cordial
2.5ml Lime Juice
Lime peel Garnish

Aviation

50ml English Heritage Organic Botanical Dry Gin
25ml Lemon Juice
10ml Sugar Syrup
5ml Maraschino
Marasca Cherry garnish

Raspberry Collins

50ml English Heritage Organic Botanical Dry Gin20ml Raspberry Syrup
10ml Lemon Juice
10ml Sugar Syrup
Top Soda Water
Raspberry for garnish

Empirical

Empirical Hot Sauce 02

Rarely, if ever, does something come along that makes me go “what, on earth, have I just eaten…?” followed by “I want more, like…now”.

But Hot Sauce 02 from Empirical did just that.

Made from Mixe Pasilla Chillies from the Mixe farming community in Oaxaca, the chilli flesh used in this hot sauce is a natural by-product of Empirical’s distilling process for their Ayuuk spirit. Combined with beetroot and galangal to make a sweet but smoky hot sauce.

The advice from Empirical is actually to just “put it on stuff”, and I can see why. It just works so well with literally every single thing you try it with. It adds the biggest flavour boost to meat, retains the subtle flavours of fish, and elevates vegetables to a new level of greatness.

If you’re in the market for a really special hot sauce, try this. It will not let you down.