The SLMan Food & Drink List
THE BEER: Harvey Nichols IPA
Harvey Nichols and Oxo Tower have launched two IPAs in collaboration with Thornbridge Brewery. The gluten-free Session IPA has been made at a modest alcohol level of 4.5% – expect notes of passionfruit, pineapple, papaya, tangerine, mango, kiwi and grapefruit. The Tower Pale Ale has been brewed at 3.8% using Crystal, Mosaic, Chinook and Citra hops, producing a balanced and crisp beer with a long, hoppy finish. Easy to drink, it offers a savoury depth, making it a good choice to drink with food.
Visit HarveyNichols.com
THE FREEZER FIND: Simple Foods
This healthy and sustainable frozen food brand delivers tasty, easy-to-cook food to your door. Customers can mix and match ready-to-heat portions, choosing from a selection of proteins, super grains and veggies to mix up flavour combinations at mealtimes – we like the sound of the spicy harissa shakshuka; shredded peri-peri free-range chicken; and salmon and quinoa fishcakes. Each dish is cooked by hand and individually flash-frozen in vacuum-sealed portions to lock in nutrients and reduce unnecessary food waste, and each portion contains no additives, preservatives, refined carbs or refined sugars. Simply cook in the microwave, water bath or in a pan. Each box contains nine, 15 or 24 servings with breakfasts, soups and puddings all available.
Visit EatSimpleFoods.co.uk
THE PUB: The Pig’s Head, Clapham
A farm-to-fork gastropub has opened in Clapham Old Town. The Pig’s Head comes with a bar for those after a beer or casual dishes from the daily-changing menu (think sweet potato chip butty with smoked turnip dip and bacon jam), but there’s also a bright dining room with an open-plan farmhouse-style kitchen for long lunches and dinners. All meat is butchered on site and around half the menu is dedicated to plant-based dishes using native produce from family-run farms. Dishes we love the sound of include fried Cooley Gold oysters with smoked seaweed mayo; smoked bone marrow and turnip dip with sour crackers; and 42-day aged sirloin with Marmite onions and dripping and chicken salt chips.
Visit ThePigsHead.com
THE SOFT DRINK: Rapscallion Soda
Independent Scottish soft drink brand Rapscallion Soda is designed for adults. Presented in cool-looking cans and in a range of unusual flavour combinations, the drinks use fresh, natural ingredients to create a collection of low-calorie non-alcoholic drinks made by hand in small batches. Fresh for 2022, the team has launched a pick-and-mix box so customers can try every flavour: Ginga Ninja, Burnt Lemon, Dry Lime, Scottish Cranachan and Scottish Strawberry. Ideal for those wanting to cut back on the booze, but still enjoy something interesting at home.
Visit RapscallionSoda.com
THE LOW-ALCOHOL OPTION: Portobello Road Distillery Temperance
Portobello Road Distillery has created a low-alcohol spirit. Named Temperance, it’s designed for those who want to drink less alcohol, while still enjoying the true flavour of gin: a serve made with 50ml of Temperance mixed with 200ml of tonic water holds just 0.8% ABV. The spirit has been distilled using the same nine botanicals that go into the distillery’s signature London dry gin (berries and orris from Tuscany, Spanish lemon peels, bitter orange peels from Haiti and Morocco, nutmeg from Indonesia and cassia bark from South-East Asia), which combine to offer a taste-focused drinking experience.
Visit Ocado.com
THE COOKBOOK: 10-Minute Chinese Takeaway by Kwoklyn Wan
In his newest cookbook, cooking show host Kwoklyn Wan – brother of Gok – provides over 80 inventive ways to get food on the table in 10 minutes. Aiming to convince readers they can prep and eat Chinese staples quicker than Deliveroo could deliver them, 10-Minute Chinese Takeaway contains recipes for classic dishes such as sweet and sour pork, roast duck in hoi sin sauce, king prawn noodles, rice noodle soup and crispy chilli tofu. Ideal for anyone whose 2022 resolution is to cut down on food deliveries.
Visit Waterstones.com
THE LUXE INGREDIENT: Trubel
Trubel founder Hassibo is a truffle hunter who used to supply his wares to mega chefs such as Wolfgang Puck. Now he works hand in hand with small producers to source exceptional fresh truffles and turn them into truffle-laced products. Trubel’s recipes are made in small batches by a specialist producer in Marche, Italy, and include the likes of white truffle maple syrup. Not sure where to start? The Signature Gift Bundle includes four hero products: the maple syrup, black truffle paste, white truffle
Visit Trubel.co.uk
THE SUPERMARKET LAUNCH: Pico Sauces
Condiments brand Pico Sauces was created to bring the authentic flavours of modern India to everyday British cooking. The vegan-friendly range gives customers the chance to enjoy a taste of India beyond conventional curries – adding hits of spice to everything from sandwiches to fish and chips and BBQs. Now, its sauces are available to buy on Ocado. We love the Punjabi sauce, a thick ketchup with the taste of a north Indian butter chicken curry. Other flavours in the range include Konkan mango chilli sauce, Naga ghost pepper sauce and Varanasi tamarind chutney.
Visit PicoSauces.com
THE ONLINE SHOP: Gourmica
Gourmica is a new online destination for Italian food. The shop was launched by Londoners Ernesto Coppola and Maria Suleymanova of Coppola Foods, a fourth-generation family food business which dates back more than a century to the food markets of Salerno in southern Italy. Ernesto and Maria are on a mission to make Italian food taste even better through carefully chosen products that are more sustainable than their traditional counterparts. In the online store, you’ll find everything you need for creating top-notch Italian food at home, from tinned tomatoes (including the ‘champagne of tomatoes’, San Marzano) to pasta, rice, grains, oils, vinegars, soup, sauces, spices and antipasti – alongside a collection of easy-to-recreate recipes.
Visit Gourmica.co.uk
THE DELIVERY SERVICE: The Flying Frenchman
North London brasserie The Flying Frenchman is livening up 2022 with its first delivery menu. Chef-owner Guillaume Desmurs uses ingredients from locally sourced producers and the best British farms to create sausages, pâtés and terrines from scratch on site. Alongside these, the new menu includes the likes of cassoulet and aligot saucisson, plus a selection of cheese and organic wines. Dishes can be delivered warm and ready to serve, or chilled with a two-day shelf life, depending on your plans.
Visit FlyingFrenchman.com
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