Food & Drink / Features
Hot cross buns: History, and why we eat them at Easter
Easter wouldn’t be the same without hot cross buns. Their history can be traced back to the Hertfordshire countryside, where an old mill still bakes buns to an ancient recipe. Our guide looks at the history of the hot cross bun and why they are eaten at Easter. Hot...
Giving up something for Lent? Experts explain why the sacrifice is so tough
Starting on February 22nd and concluding on April 6th, this year Lent stretches over 43 days. So, if you’ve decided to go cold turkey on your favourite food or drink, you may be in for a rough ride. Six weeks (and one day) is a long time to give up anything, but have...
Cuisine trends: 2023’s top industry culinary predictions
If the last couple of years have been remembered as ‘the year of the pivot’ or ‘the year of challenge’ for the foodservice and hospitality sector, which factors will define 2023? KTCHNrebel makes its predictions for the major industry and cuisine trends set to shape...
Spud you like: A beginner’s guide to growing potatoes
Potatoes are among the easiest veg to grow for newcomers - and the start of the year is the time to start thinking. Even if you only have a small area, you can grow potatoes in a large container or even a dustbin, to give you delicious early croppers which taste far...
World Cup Winners! Max Halley’s potato snack recipes for watching the World Cup
Baked new potatoes with soured cream and rose harissa, curried egg mayo that’s brilliant crisp dunking fodder, and rösti with lime pickle yoghurt, peas and mint. Beer food, they said, for when you’ve got people over to watch the World Cup and stuff… But what is beer...
Who ate all the pies? Snack bars galore and the wonder of football food
From hatches to huts, sheds to retooled vehicles, let’s hear it for our terrace tuckshops and their indomitable staff. A Thursday morning in July and tourists gather outside the birthplace of the Patron Saint of Football Snack Bars. There are seven such visitors in...
A fistful of flavour: ‘Herbs give a dish that extra zing!’
The parsley and coriander grown by Joe Cottingham bring a hit of freshness to some of Charlie Bigham’s most popular ready-to-cook dishes. Sophie Goddard hears about the blood, sweat and tears that go into growing herbs. Joe Cottingham’s day begins hours before most of...
Sustainable gardening: Ways to be less wasteful in the garden
We’re all looking towards sustainability and not chucking garden stuff away, whether it be old tools, gluts of veg or clippings. As you start your great garden clear-up at the end of summer, spare a thought for what you may be throwing away. Old squeaky tools, blunt...
Drink in the views: The UK’s 20 best waterside pubs
Stunning views over lakes and rivers make these the prettiest places to enjoy a pint, and maybe stay a night. The Cross Guns, Wiltshire A honey-stone exterior gives way to beautiful gardens with panoramic views of the River Avon, fringed with weeping willows. There is...
Frugal food: 9 tips to make food last longer as prices soar
Keeping produce fresher for longer will hopefully help you cut down on trips to the supermarket. The cost of living crisis means many of us are feeling the pinch. We’re looking to make savings wherever we can - particularly as data from Kantar suggest Britons are set...
Future food security: The surprising green innovations that could revolutionise food production…and help with rising costs
You might not give much thought to the way your potatoes have been grown when you're doing the weekly shop. But with costs rising for farmers and shoppers alike, what goes on behind the scenes across farms and production lines can have a big impact not only on the...
The Great British ‘chippy’: Seaside fish and chip shops are a national treasure. Here are 20 of the best.
It’s one of the UK’s favourite dishes and it always tastes better with a big portion of sea air. It would be grossly unfair to the many fabulous chippies located inland in this country to say that all the best places for fish and chips in the UK are down by the sea....