Eating Out: Cavita
We have been raving about Cavita since it opened earlier this year. Situated on London's Wigmore Street, chef proprietor Adriana Solís Cavita says: ‘As a Mexican chef, I feel a responsibility to preserve traditions, as well as help in the education and enhancement of Mexican cuisine. Most importantly, I want to transmit the love I feel for my Mexico through the dishes I present to you. This is where I find my greatest joy.’ Everyone is raving about it and Instagram is buzzing. Find out more here.
Cooking with: Seggiano Herbs
These semi-fresh herbs are quite the find and will liven up lots of dishes. Once opened, you'll need to keep the herbs in the fridge where they'll last for months. They are so much more tasty than dried herbs and will take your cooking to a new level. The herbs are partially cured in Italian rock salt using an innovative process that captures all of the delicious aromatic flavours of fresh herbs, with all the convenience of long shelf-life dried herbs. Buy the herbs here.
Cooking with Tomatoes from The Tomato Stall
Grown in the sunniest part of the UK, these Isle of Wight tomatoes are what childhood memories are made of. These sweet tomatoes, from heritage to piccolo cherry, are the best you can buy and can be delivered to you anywhere in the UK. Check out the range of sauces too. See what's on offer here.
Cooking from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things
September always sees a rush of new cookbooks and there are many good ones to choose from. We're looking forward to the next edition of Test Kitchen from the Ottolenghi team. The first edition was probably my most thumbed cookbook of the last twelve months so Ottolenghi fans the world over probably have high expectations of cooking recipes on repeat with Extra Good Things from the great man himself and Noor Murad. Published on 29th September, pre-order a signed copy here.
Cooking from Taste Kitchen: Asia
New to the cookbook scene is Philli Armitage-Mattin, a Masterchef finalist, who has just published her first book, Taste Kitchen: Asia, the ultimate guide to mastering Asian flavours. Philli shows you how to understand your palate, which in turn enables you to cook the food your taste buds will go crazy for. Buy the book here.
Philli is hosting a pop up restaurant at Number One Park Lane Terrace at the InterContinental Park Lane Hotel until 25th September, where you can try her creations. Diners are presented with a flowchart on arrival to work out their individual palates and then the dishes follow. Has to be worth a try, doesn't it? Book a table at Taste Kitchen at Number One Park Lane terrace here.
Cooking Pan: Mini Always Pan
If you're putting off going back into kitchen slaving over a hot stove with multiple saucepans on the go, the Always Pan is a good pan to segue you into autumn, not least the Mini Always Pan. This is a mini version of its bigger sister/brother which as the jargon says, takes the place of seven saucepans in your kitchen. The Mini is perfect for frying an egg, crisping up some onions or heating through tomato sauce. In its range of subtle pastel shades, every kitchen should have one of these. Buy it here.
Supermarket Ingredient: Cooks' Ingredients Mango Amba Sauce
What's not to love about Waitrose's spicy mango sauce, which is so good with poached chicken (Coronation Chicken if you're still in the mood), a bulgur wheat salad or with lamb kebabs. It's good with oven roasted vegetables too. Once tried, you'll be smitten. However, it is not available online, but you can buy it in store at Waitrose. Find out more here/
Recipe: Elderflower and Lime Cheesecake
This recipe first appeared in House & Garden in 2012 but it remains a favourite. Although I'm not a big fan of cooked cheesecakes, this is incredibly light and has all the flavours of summer, making it perfect to keep that seasonal vibe going for a few more weeks. Find the recipe here.
Recipe: Blackberry Ripple Ice Cream
Hedgerow blackberries can be a bit hit and miss on taste but they're very much worth picking and freezing. Think ahead to blackberry and apple crumble or blackberry fool but for now, this ice cream recipe hits the spot. This year there appears to be a glut of blackberries in our hedgerows, so it's such a waste not to give Waitrose's easy recipe a try. I cooked the blackberries with a squeeze of lemon juice and spoonful of sugar, rather than following the instructions. The condensed milk makes it very sweet so you need the sharpness of the blackberries to bring the sugar hit down and with the addition of lemon juice in the blackberry goo, it seems to bring out the flavour too. If you're freezing blackberries whole, put them on a flat tray to freeze and then once frozen, bag them up. Find the recipe here.
Wine: 2021 Selladore En Provence Rosé
Always in search of a good Provencale rosé, this one from Selladore hits the spot. From the folks at William Chase, this wine has notes of stone fruit and a silky texture, making it perfect for drinking as an aperitif or with summery chicken, seafood or cheese. Buy it here.
By Arabella Dymoke
September 2022
