Conor Mills | Freelance Journalist – Food, Travel, Film, Sport and Cars

The UK’s most ambitious and prestigious Indian chef, Vivek Singh, hosts a selection of cookery masterclasses throughout the year at his Cinnamon restaurants. I went along to the latest addition to the schedule, which focuses entirely on game to learn about how to make better use of this under-valued meat group.

Indian food may be as quintessentially British as fish and chips, but as I recently discovered there is far more to this vast and exciting cuisine than the uninspired tikka masalas, kormas and vindaloos most of us rarely stray too far from at our local curry houses. With its rich variety of differing regional styles, each corner of India has something unique and unusual to offer. Vivek Singh who runs the Cinnamon Club and Kitchen, understands this as well as anyone. With his team of chefs originating from all over India, each brings their own regional cooking styles and characteristics to the menu and the result is a unique amalgamation of Indian cuisine. Read the rest of this entry »

Georgia is the oldest wine-growing country on the planet, it is also producing some of the most exciting examples of natural wine anywhere in the world.

Surrounded by Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia, Georgia is a melting pot of cultures, cuisines and religions. It’s east meets west meets Middle East but somehow it feels unmistakably European. Far from the bleak, austere, high-rise landscape that I was naïvely anticipating from an ex-Soviet state, Georgia is a country with a temperate climate, a rich mix of architectural styles, beautiful and varied countryside, strong traditions and is full of easy-going, passionate people. Read the rest of this entry »

Adding some much needed heat and spice into our dreary, sunless summer, Levi Roots is back with his fourth cookbook in as many years.

The latest, Spice it up, is a collection of Caribbean-inspired, ‘fabulocious’ recipes aimed at spicing up our mellow taste buds. Like so many celebrity cookbooks, the main focus is on ease and simplicity and like each of his previous three titles; Levi is sticking to what he knows best, the funky, firey flavours of the Caribbean. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wondered how a chorizo gets its intense, smoky flavour, how a Frankfurter gets its distinctive colour or how a Milano salami gets its unique texture?

If the answer to these or any other sausage related questions is yes, then Leith’s School of Food and Wine has a new course devoted to sausage making that could be just what you’re looking for. Read the rest of this entry »

The UK’s largest indoor fish market also runs courses of all levels for people interested in learning more about fish and how to prepare them.

There’s something wonderfully exotic about fish that plain old meat just can’t quite muster up. I don’t know if it’s the wide range of different species to choose from, maybe it’s the dramatic fluctuations in size and appearance, or perhaps it’s because I eat it on a less regular basis than meat, whatever it is the mysterious sea-dwellers fascinate me. Read the rest of this entry »

22-year-old poker phenom bags event two.

Jake Cody is already an EPT and WPT champion, despite only being part of the live scene for a few years and now he’s a proud owner of a SCOOP title, too. Read the rest of this entry »

2011 has been tipped by many wine experts as the year that natural wine finally bursts into the mainstream UK market.

Steeped in tradition, this rustic style of winemaking is actually very similar to the wine that would have been made when it was first produced over 8,000 years ago, so why is it only now coming back into fashion after so many years? Read the rest of this entry »

Thai restaurant chain Busaba Eathai, introduces new introductory Thai cookery classes.

If you’re a fan of Busaba Eathai or want to learn more about Thai food, Alan Yau’s chain of casual, canteen-style Thai restaurants, has recently introduced low-cost cookery lessons, which are perfect for anyone interested in improving their green curry technique. Read the rest of this entry »

Aldo Zilli’s latest venture is a vegetarian restaurant with a twist .

If your new year’s resolution was something along the lines of making sure to eat your five a day, then this could be just what you’ve been looking for… if you work near Soho that is. Read the rest of this entry »

Tom Aikens joins forces with Long Clawson Dairy to produce new cheese cookbook.

Celebrating its 100th birthday in style, 2011, marks the centenary of Long Clawson Dairy, a Leicestershire based co-operative started by 12 farmers to produce Stilton Cheese. And to mark the occasion the dairy has teamed up with Michelin starred chef Tom Aikens to produce a cheese-orientated cookbook.

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