Features

Mark Hix's fresh raw dishes

Saturday, 17 April 2010

Use this season's freshest ingredients just as they are, says Mark Hix

Anthony Rose: 'The silver lining of Bordeaux 2009 is the plethora of wines soon to be offered in the £10-£25 range'

Saturday, 17 April 2010

Hyperbole is such a natural accomplice to each new Bordeaux vintage that the "vintage of the century" cliché is now routinely trotted out at the slightest sign that the new claret might at least be drinkable. The problem with crying wolf is that when a once-in-a-lifetime vintage does come along, how do you sort the hype from the reality and recognise its quality?

Wine: Something for the weekend?

Saturday, 17 April 2010

Let there be light: Skye Gyngell's soft, subtle spring desserts

Thursday, 15 April 2010

As the weather gets warmer, the desire for heavy, warm desserts diminishes – all that is needed now is a little sweetness to complete a meal. Forced rhubarb is still just about around and the beautiful alphonso mangoes from India carry us over until more fruit is available here. Soft spring goat's cheese is in its prime and, served with a spoonful or so of honey, crosses the bridge perfectly between cheese and dessert. All the recipes here are simple and quick to prepare.

Breakfast goes global: How to start the day the international way

Thursday, 15 April 2010

At lunch and dinner, we've embraced world cuisine. So why are our mornings stuck in a toast-and-cereal rut?

Claret with horse power: How one top French vineyard went 'green'

Thursday, 15 April 2010

The vineyard favours animals in place of tractors, and nature instead of chemicals.

Worth shelling out for: Skye Gyngell cooks with the first, sweet peas of the season

Sunday, 11 April 2010

Skye Gyngell dreams of sitting in the garden popping peas straight from the pod – and the soups, salads (and even curries) to come...

Time to get cracking: Mark Hix makes eggs the star of the show

Saturday, 10 April 2010

Considering that eggs are such a household staple, it's a shame that they aren't made star of the show a little more often. Eggs are an integral part of desserts and normally remain hidden in among so many other ingredients, but you rarely see a stand-alone egg dish featuring on many restaurant or dinner-party menus. Perhaps it's time we had some fun with them, instead of just boiling or frying them for breakfast. There is a great selection of eggs on offer these days, from tiny quails' eggs to giant goose eggs.

Anthony Rose: 'Le Marche is basically all about verdicchio, the versatile, thirst-quenching variety of white grape'

Saturday, 10 April 2010

Its reputation may be founded on its classic reds, but Italy is fast gaining ground for appetising dry whites – and I'm not talking pinot grigio. Halfway between the devilishly good wines of Italy's north and those from the deep blue Mediterranean sea, Le Marche is at the forefront of turning rosso into bianco. The fact that it's in the shadow of neighbouring Tuscany and Umbria makes it all the more intriguing a destination. Le Marche recalls Tuscany with its colourful patchwork of grain, sunflower and olive groves, its wooded hills and valleys bisected by rivers that run from the Apennine backbone to the Adriatic. Yet despite its mile upon mile of beach, its pretty inland cities remain mercifully unspoilt. One such city, the impressive walled city of Jesi, is home to one of Italy's best white wines, verdicchio.

Wine: Something for the weekend?

Saturday, 10 April 2010