Everyone deserves a well-earned break now and then and if you’re the type of person who would like to combine a trip abroad with a delicious cooking experience, this is the prize for you!

Alan Coxon's new Historic Vinaigre range scoops the highest accolade in the catering industry!

Alan Coxon's Historic Vinaigre range has just won two top prizes at the prestigious Excellence in Food and Drink awards hosted by Caterer and Hotelkeeper. The judges were so impressed with the three vinegars that they went straight to the top of the scoreboard and scooped the Innovation award as well as the coveted Gold award, chosen from all of the category winners.

Alan, TV Chef and Food archaeologist said of the win "I am over the moon to have won the two awards for my Historic Vinaigre range. The range has been nearly 10 years in development requiring vast amounts of time and commitment to create something truly unique for kitchens and tables around the globe. The daily challenges to get to market have been vast and often intense, so this recognition by such a panel of respected judges and peers within the food industry is fantastic, the wins also confirm and support my personal belief and quest for quality."

Interetsed in the product then . . . read more

Michele (Front of House) and Russell (Chef) The Winners Did you enjoy Raymond Blanc's The Restaurant? Well it's all over for another year and I got it wrong. I was convinced that the two boys would pull it off but in the end it was Michele and Russell who did it and get to open their own restaurant in partnership with Raymond Blanc. When something like this ends I always feel a bit left up in the air! There are so many questions I want to ask, especially Raymond Blanc. Well this time I got the chance to find out a little more from his new web site and his Video Diary. Watch Raymond reflect on the series of The Restaurant, discuss the contestants and talk about his plans for the winners - www.raymondblanc.com

In February 2008, Tate & Lyle's Granulated White Cane Sugar gained Fairtrade accreditation and now, in time for Christmas, the first three baking products to be certified Fairtrade will be Tate & Lyle Caster Sugar, Icing Sugar and Royal Icing Sugar.

Whether looking to bake a time honoured family favourite like a classic Christmas sponge or something a little more adventurous like perfecting the skill of a crisp and crunchy meringue, Tate & Lyle Caster Sugar is sure to get foodies cracking every festive recipe.

Another baking essential for Christmas is Tate & Lyle's Royal Icing Sugar - perfect for making a creamy glace or tempting butter icing - the kind of royal finishing touch that all cakes deserve at this time of the year.

Looking for inspiration?

• Christmas Ice cream Bombe
• Florentines
• Snowy Clementine Cakes
• Spiced Chocolate Dipped Shortbrea
  

Christmas entertaining can often be more of a chore than a pleasure. So this year, sort all your festive needs with Young's Seafood. From the main event to Boxing Day brunch, Young's 'Three Wise Dishes', including Young's Best Ever Prawns, Scampi Kievs and Fraserburgh Smokehouse Smoked Salmon, are guaranteed to be the talk of the town.

If you're unsure about how to prepare festive fishy dishes, take inspiration from these new recipes created especially for Young's by fishmonger and restaurateur, Mitch Tonks.

• Mitch Tonks' Ultimate Prawn Cocktail
• Mitch Tonks' Crispy Scampi with Whisky Mayonnaise
• Mitch Tonks' Smoked Salmon and Spinach Gratin

This year sees the 10th birthday of Loch Fyne Restaurants (www.lochfyne.com), the UK’s most popular seafood restaurant group.

To celebrate its 10th year, Loch Fyne Restaurants has compiled a list of ‘top ten’ sustainable fish dishes, with contributions from staff, guests and partner companies.

Mark Derry, Managing Director and company founder said: “We asked some of our favourite people to give us their most loved recipes using fish and shellfish from sustainable sources. We discovered that many of the people we work with day to day - the oyster farmer from the loch, the salmon farmers, even our waiting staff - have a real talent in the kitchen so we are excited to share their recipes as we celebrate our birthday.”

• Hand-Dived King Scallops Grilled with Garlic
• Oysters in Oatmeal
• King Prawns Provencale
• Marinated Fresh Salmon with a Beetroot and Fennel Salad
• Mussels Mexican Style
• Fish Stew with Chorizo and Olives
• Salmon Parcel
• Brandan Rost in Whisky Sauce
• Pancetta Wrapped Salmon with Mushroom and Barley Risotto
• Red Gurnard with Tomatoes and Olives

Perhaps Anthony Worrall Thompson can inspire you with one of his video guides to launch his new book The Sweet Life: 101 Indulgent Recipes with Less Sugar which contains 101 dessert recipes for the health conscious:

. . . how to make Chocolate Mousse Cake

. . . how to make Cherry, Apricot and Chocolate Chip Flapjacks

. . . how to make Greek Lemon Puddings

. . . how to make Panettone and Clementine Bread and Butter Pudding

The Master Chef Goes Large Experience - Anybody with any interest in the subject of food will know all about a show on BBC2 called MasterChef Goes Large. David Hall who reached the last four of last year's competition bares his soul and tells what it was like . . . and what the future post MasterChef holds for him . . . read more

Mmmm . . . mussels!
For me the one dish that epitomises eating in France is Moules Marinières. For so many people it is a dish they only eat in restaurants because they are scared of preparing the mussel. Chef Jim Fisher has taken the mystique out of it with his article Buying and Preparing Mussels

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways . . . Chardonnay in one hand . . . chocolate in the other . . . body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, "WOO HOO, what a ride!"

Kitchen Nightmares . . . real horror stories from the kitchen - No nothing to do with a visit from Gordon Ramsay! Have you ever had things go hopelessly wrong in the kitchen? Do you often feel there is a family of gremlins living somewhere in your kitchen? These are some of the stories that have been contributed by both professional chefs, keen amateur cooks and others in the food industry. Don't cry, just have a good laugh . . . read and relax

Book Review of Gordon Ramsay's Humble Pie - We love the star in the ascendancy in the UK but once it arrives we all want to put it down and bring it down. Is it jealousy of another's success? Certainly there is plenty of sniping and attacking Gordon Ramsay by the different media and it would be hard to find someone who has not heard of him and doesn't have an opinion to express . . . read more

Aromatic guide to the Spanish Kitchen - From the bay leaf to the tiniest strands of saffron, discover what makes Spanish cuisine so special. The Spanish use a mix of various imported spices and homegrown herbs. Discover the most commonly used herbs and spices in Spanish cooking and which the Spanish kitchen should never be without . . . read more

Georges, the goat cheese genius - One taste and I was hooked. I had never tasted a goat cheese so fresh and pure, with not the slightest hint of goatiness. It didn't stick to the palate but caressed the tongue. It made me think of spring flowers and cool mountain air. I knew that somehow, whatever it took, I had to secure a regular supply . . . read more

Food and Wine of Southern France . . . the Languedoc region - Languedoc is the world's largest wine region and one of the most exciting wine producing areas of France. The region stretches from Nimes in the east to the Spanish border in the west, a plain sandwiched between the mountains and the Mediterranean. Gastronomically it is as rich as any other French region owing to the generosity of the sun, land and the sea. The markets are an important source for this incredible choice of fresh food . . . read more

INSTANTLY WIN . . . . . A £3,000 COOKING HOLIDAY Everyone deserves a well-earned break now and then and if you’re the type of person who would like to combine a trip abroad with a delicious cooking experience, this is the prize for you! We’ve joined with InstantWin4now to bring you the chance to win a cooking holiday of your choice up to the value of £3,000! TO ENTER CLICK HERE

Smoothies, smoothies and more smoothies - the whole world seems to hav fallen in love with smoothies. Personally I am not agreta fan but I love tomato juice and I suppose, in the days before the word 'smoothie' became the in word, it was one of the firts smoothies. Want to make your own smoothies? For a great selection of smoothie recipes . . . read more

Iain Macdonald and Gayle Hartley, who along with their two year old son, moved to rural Andalucia four years ago to renovate a cave and realise their dream have launched their own specialist business Orce Serrano Hams. Spain is famous for its cured ham and indeed no bar, restaurant or family kitchen would be without one and now you too can buy it for yourself . . . read more

French Snail Farm . . . how snails are bred in France - love them or hate them this article by Gemma Driver of www.gastropod.co.uk teaches you all about the life and loves of a snail on a farm in France . . . read more

Cooking with Kimchi - if the cooking of the Far East fascinates you then this article by Yukari Pratt about this spicy Korean vegetable dish will fascinate you . . . read more

Cooking Holidays, cooking vacations, culinary holidays, culinary vacations, cooking tours or culinary tours . . . whatever you are looking for to do with holidays and cooking Hub-UK can point you in the right direction

It has taken time to create pages to show you what such a holiday is like as it is no good just writing about it - words just cannot convey what you see and do. The pages created illustrate what you can expect from this sort of holiday. Many similar holidays to this can found in the Cooking Holidays section of the site.

If you do not have a high speed Internet connection the pages may be slow to load because of the number of photographs . . . it will be worth the wait.

Tuscany . . . more info	Provence . . . more info

If you need help or advice or just need a question answering then email cooking.holidays@hub-uk.com

Apparently a lot of people search for RECIPIES (note the spelling). Have they just mis-spelt the word recipes or by searching for recipies were they actually looking for a recipie for a pie?

Here are some of the Recipies you will find on Hub-UK:

• Pork Pie Recipie

• Minced Beef Pie Recipie

• Apple and Blackberry Pie Recipie

. . . if you would like to find more pie recipes use the search box on the left of each page.

Designasausage’ Kits Make Child’s Play of Sausage Making . . . ever thought of making your own sausages? Worried that your kids are eating too much fat? Alarmed at the quality of some processed meat products? Then making sausages at home might just be the thing for you . . . . read more

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Tips on Knife Maintenance - a few knife sharpening hints. All straight edge knives need to be sharpened regularly. It is easy, just learn the procedure of washing the knife, drying it, and then steeling it before putting the knife away in a protected sleeve or knife holder . . . read more

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Everyone deserves a well-earned break now and then and if you’re the type of person who would like to combine a trip abroad with a delicious cooking experience, this is the prize for you!