English wines toast record haul of prizes in world tasting contest
Published: 23 May 2007
English wines have collected a record number of medals at the world's biggest blind-tasting competition, enhancing the reputation of vineyards in the Home Counties for producing sparkling wine that can rival - and in some cases outclass - champagne.
Supermarkets' premium ranges 'no better than average'
Published: 08 May 2007
Discerning shoppers scouring supermarket shelves for classier cuisine are in for a shock. A leading fine food expert has accused British chains such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda of trying to pass off "average foods" as premium ranges and overcharging customers for mediocre meals.
Britain develops a taste for the local delicacy
Published: 28 April 2007
Move over Parma ham. Make way Kalamata olives. The list of officially-acclaimed European delicacies is set to be joined by a sudden influx of unsung British delights from smoked Grimsby cod to Jersey black butter.
British cuisine the third best in the world, say restaurant judges
Published: 23 April 2007
The status of British cuisine on the international stage is to be given a huge boost today when seven UK establishments are included on an influential list of the world's best restaurants.
Scientist's odourless durian fruit kicks up stink in Asia
Published: 10 April 2007
The durian fruit, widely considered to be the world's smelliest, may soon lose its distinctive odour.
Gordon Ramsay: I put rival chef in hot water
Published: 25 March 2007
There is no love lost between the fiery chefs Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay. Now a fresh revelation from Ramsay, that he was behind an infamous theft calculated to humiliate White, is likely to seal their enmity for life.
Win a year's supply of fine wine
Published: 23 March 2007
The Independent, in association with Berry Bros. & Rudd, the UK’s Wine Merchant of the Year, is offering you the chance to win one of ten annual subscriptions – each worth £720 – to our Wine Club.
Comfort food: Britons stick to just four recipes at home
Published: 19 March 2007
Britain's growing reputation as a nation of culinary connoisseurs has been set back by research which shows that most people have a cooking repertoire of just 4.1 dishes.
The mean streets of Henley: chef joins campaign to confront drunks
Published: 12 March 2007
Springtime in Henley-on-Thames. The quaint tearooms and fashionable coffee houses are buzzing. There are already a few tourists about, strolling along the high street, whose shop owners are doubtless looking forward to the prospect of a fine weekend and the new visitor season.
School meals tsar has 'just three years' to win minds
Published: 12 February 2007
The school meals tsar Prue Leith admits today that she has just three years to convince Britain's seven million schoolchildren to adopt healthy eating habits.
Mars will stop advertising to children
Published: 05 February 2007
One of the largest makers of chocolate bars whose brands include Mars and Snickers is to stop marketing to children younger than 12 by the end of the year.
Celebrity restaurant passed off cheap meat as organic
Published: 19 December 2006
With its Gothic romance, golden velvet sofas and steep prices, Julie's in London makes no secret of its reputation as a celebrity hangout. Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow, Colin Firth, Kylie Minogue, Jeremy Paxman and U2 are just a few of the glitzy guests the restaurant lists on its website.
Sales of 'sexy' berries romp to record levels
Published: 18 December 2006
Britain may be a nation of binge-drinkers and over-indulgers - especially at this time of year - but new figures show we are also a nation of berry lovers.
Diet products left on shelf as shoppers opt for healthy food
Published: 18 December 2006
Weight-watchers are shunning "tasteless" diet products in favour of more normal food, suggests a survey of our shopping habits. An annual check on the brands shoppers buy shows sales of low-fat yoghurts, breads and ready meals have plunged.
Ramsay expands culinary empire to Asia and Europe
Published: 14 December 2006
Gordon Ramsay's plans for culinary world domination are proceeding apace with expansion in Asia and the opening of his first restaurants in mainland Europe.
American Midwest farmers turn to the grape over the grain
Published: 12 December 2006
Generations of farmers in the flat expanses of the American Midwest have wrested a living by growing corn, collecting federal subsidies or by raising pigs. Now, increasing numbers are doing so by raising a glass.
Sweet memories: return of the Seventies dessert
Published: 04 December 2006
Food in the Seventies was often a dismal experience, over-reliant on "exotic" but dreary dishes such as watery spaghetti bolognese and overcooked beef stroganoff, but for people negotiating the stressful, diet-conscious Noughties there seems to be a strange appeal about scoffing a pudding that had its heyday in the days of glam rock.
Jacob's Creek pulls corks and goes for screw caps
Published: 04 December 2006
One of the biggest-selling wine brands in the UK is ditching traditional corks in favour of screw caps.
Canary Malmsey set for return after 300 years
Published: 18 November 2006
For decades, the words "Lanzarote" and "alcohol" have conjured up images little more glamorous than British tourists enjoying copious quantities of lager.
Ramsay turns nice guy in bid to win over New Yorkers
Published: 06 November 2006
Gordon Ramsay and humility may be strangers but the brusque cook has been acquainting himself with modesty as he takes on arguably his toughest challenge yet: cracking America.
Ramsay's restaurant among world's most expensive
Published: 17 October 2006
Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at Royal Hospital Road in west London has been rated the third most expensive in the world.
Sales of kale double as healthy eating soars
Published: 16 October 2006
Kale, a curly green-leafed relative of the cabbage, is being heralded as the latest superfood addition to the British diet, after a 122 per cent rise in sales over the past two years.
Food Of The Week: Splashing Out
Published: 03 September 2006
The ethics of eating: The appeal of veal
Published: 02 September 2006
'Celebrity' lobster ends up a dinner-for-four
Published: 02 September 2006
For half a century, Crusty the lobster scuttled about the rocks and reefs along the Moray Firth, minding his own business. A giant among marine life, the two-foot-long crustacean was something of a celebrity among divers exploring the coastline near Lossiemouth.
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