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Scotch egg! Scotch egg! How I love thee! For the uninitiated, Oliver Thring gives good background on what a Scotch egg is and where it came from. This is not a Scotch egg . The formula for what makes a good Scotch egg is very simple: Soft-Boiled Egg + Seasoned Meat + Breadcrumb + Deep-Frying --> Heaven in a Sphere A far cry from those supermarket horrors comprising hard, greying eggs rattling around in a case of pappy sausagemeat and moist crumb, never mind what Wikipedia says, a Scotch egg should be warm and cossetting, with meat that yields and a yolk that dribbles. So I am delighted to announce that I'll be one of a distinguished panel of judges at the Scotch Egg Challenge on Tuesday 9th August Tuesday 20th September (postponed due to the troubles in London ) at that marvellous pub called The Ship in Wandsworth to decide who makes the best Scotch Egg. Open to professionals, pubs and restaurants alike, if you'd like to enter or want more details,...

Petits fours by Edd Kimber (the Boy Who Bakes) and Chef Luke Mackay Kai We Care. #KaiWeCare . Kai We Care was the mother of all fundraising dinners held on Monday 4th April 2011 at One Moorgate Place in London. The brainchild of Mat Follas, chef patron of the Wild Garlic, and Dave Ahern aka Cork Gourmet Guy, writer turned chef. Canapes and Pre-starter Its aim was to help the New Zealand Red Cross in their efforts to provide relief in the aftermath of February's earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Chef Alyn Williams A stunning nine-course dinner, cooked by a brigade of award-winning and Michelin-starred chefs, followed by an auction of wonderful prizes. Edd Kimber and Luke Mackay It might have seemed like a case of too many cooks, but in the end, the chefs, the front of house, and everyone else pulled the night off with panache. Over £60,000 was raised - a phenomenal amount - thanks to the amazing efforts of the Kai We Care team led by Mat Follas , Dave Ahern , Grant Hawthorn...

It's the morning after the night before and my husband, his brother, his brother's girlfriend and I ooze slowly down from the comfort of the lovely apartment and crumple into a little heap at the bottom of the stairs. "Morning," chirps a jaunty-hatted Mat Follas , in a pinchably cheerful manner, "Don't tell me you've just got up?". "Grhmmmhrth", I say as we sit down at the long wooden table for some reviving coffee and cake. It's not that early to be fair - 9.30am. The restaurant is full of other sprightly looking people - we've all gathered for a foraging course at the Wild Garlic led by expert Theo Langton and Mat himself. "You're wearing city shoes" says Mat about my tough, plain black Clark's boots, "You're going to get mucky". I make another noise of disdain and nurse my cup of coffee. The brother-in-law and girlfriend are a good bit younger than the husband and me and, thoroughly perked up, t...

I first heard of Rene Redzepi and his restaurant Noma early last year, as the gentleman who had won MasterChef in 2009 had undertaken one of his final challenges at Noma in Denmark. At the time, I thought Redzepi seemed a breath of fresh air, simply because he seemed kind and understated, yet at the same time joyful about food (and his looked incredible). What was even more incredible was that Noma uses only food from Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland, and employs a network of foragers to achieve as comprehensive a culinary canvas as possible. Right then, I decided that at the earliest opportunity I would save some pennies and visit Denmark to see for myself. And then Redzepi's Noma was awarded first place in the World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards this year, toppling Ferran Adria's El Bulli, and I wistfully thought, "Oh, I'm never going to get to eat there now - it'll be booked up for ever". But both Noma and Rene Redzepi became a little bit ...