Posts in: 'News'
And now for something completely different..
Posted: 16 March '10 by Niall
Autism Initiatives Northern Ireland
Are you ready for a change of career?
Autism Initiatives Northern Ireland are advertising a Project Manager/Food Technologist post in the Castlereagh area of Belfast.
After training as a Chocolatier you’ll develop and manage the business while offering training and employment opportunities to people with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and associated disabilities.
The essential criteria includes:
- You must be creative and passionate about food/chocolate and creating new products
- Have the vision to create and market a profitable chocolate product
- Have a desire to train/mentor people with disabilities
You can read more about the job at Autism Initiatives NI.
Categories: News
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Carluccio’s now delivering to Northern Ireland!
Posted: 22 February '10 by Niall
Carluccio's delivering to Northern Ireland
When Kelly and I visit London our itinerary always includes at least one meal (and a bottle of wine or two) at a Carluccio’s restaurant. Aside from the delicious, authentic Italian food, the friendly staff, and the pocket-saving prices, the in-store deli is a treasure-trove of mouth-watering treats: from truffle butter to dried porcini, imported Italian liqueurs and wines to specialty chocolates.
Carluccio’s was founded in 1991 by chef Antonio Carluccio and has flourished ever since, with 43 locations across mainland UK. When we noticed that they had opened a branch in Dublin (March 2008) Kelly and I were over-the-moon, hoping that a Belfast location was on the cards.
While we’re waiting, however, we can now get our Carluccio’s “fix” online. Until recently they couldn’t deliver to Northern Ireland – but that has all changed! So, as a special treat for Kelly, I ordered a box of Italian delicacies..
You can see more photos hereImage 1Image 2
The delivery from Carluccio’s
- Limoncello Di Sorrento 70cl – £19.50
- Vin Santo D.o.c. 37.5 Cl – £16.50
- Cantucci Al Cioccolato (Chocolate Cantucci Tuscan Biscuits) 300g – £4.95
- Burro Al Tartufo (Truffle Butter) 80g – £4.95
- Sugo Al Nero Di Seppia (Cuttlefish Ink Sauce) 140g – £2.95
- Limoncello Di Sorrento
- Limoncello is a lemon liqueur from Southern Italy, and Sorrento in particular. Served after a meal, it’s an intensely lemon-flavoured digestif that was particularly to Kelly’s liking.
- Vin Santo and Cantucci Al Cioccolato
- A Tuscan dessert wine, and similar in some ways to sherry. We followed the directions from Carluccio’s an dunked our Cantucci biscuits into the sweet, fiery drink which really enhanced the almond flavour of the biscuits. Delicious, and a nice way to finish a meal when you have guests for dinner.
- Burro Al Tartufo
- The truffle butter is the one product that we longed for when Carluccio’s didn’t deliver to Northern Ireland – we’d lament the delivery policy as we salivated over the thought of the white, creamy butter infused with the dark, earthy flavours and aromas of the truffle. We enjoyed ours on toasted crusty bread, which was delicious – but I have a feeling that the scrambled eggs with a dollop of truffle-butter melting over the top that we have planned will be amazing.
- Sugo Al Nero Di Seppia
- We haven’t tried this yet – but I have a great recipe for Spaghetti in Squid Ink Sauce. Make sure you check the blog in the near future for the recipe and photos of how I got on.
What we thought
Finding ingredients and specialist goods in Northern Ireland can be frustrating – impossible, at times – but with the change in the delivery policy at Carluccio’s a world of authentic Italian tastes are a mouse-click away.
We both loved the various products – each and every one was delicious and had us looking up the site to see what else we could order.
The delivery charge was £5.60 – it sounds a lot but, considering the weight of our parcel, I thought that it was fair enough.
You might have already picked up on the fact that we love Carluccio’s.
Other information
You can visit Carluccio’s online at: www.carluccios.com/.
After some wrangling over their rental agreement for the Dawson Street premises in Dublin, and after the reported closure of the Dublin branch, I’m pleased to report that all is well. A week after closing it’s doors an agreement was reached between the restaurant chain and the landlord, saving around 60 jobs and ensuring the future of one of our favourite restaurants in Dublin.
You can find Carluccio’s in Dublin at:
Carluccio’s
53 Dawson Street
Dublin 2
T: (01) 6333957
W: www.carluccios.com
You can also find Carluccio’s – Dublin on Google Maps.
Categories: England > Local Food Heroes > News > Product Reviews > United Kingdom
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Make a date with St. George’s Market this Valentine’s Day
Posted: 11 February '10 by Niall
Congratulations and be prosperous
Congratulations and be prosperous in the Year of the Tiger!
Goodwill might be thin on the ground in St. George’s Market this weekend, however, with chefs from Chinese restaurants across Belfast competing in a special masterchef event organised by Belfast City Council. The challenge will take place this Sunday (February 14th 2010) as part of the annual Chinese New Year celebrations.
As well as providing some entertainment on Valentine’s Day, the event is another stage in a successful campaign by the council’s food safety team to encourage Chinese takeaways to include healthier options on their menus.
High Sherriff of Belfast Councillor Christopher Stalford, who will be on the judges’ tasting panel, said: “More than 50 chefs from Chinese restaurants across Belfast took part in our healthy cooking workshops last year, with celebrity chef Nancy Lam; and to build on that success, we thought this would be another way of getting the ‘healthy’ message out there.
“Research shows that Chinese food is the takeaway of choice across the UK but very often the nutritional value is reduced because the recipes have been adapted to suit our ‘westernised’ palette.
“The aim of this project is to encourage takeaways to include healthier options on their menus and for chefs to go back to their traditional, healthy roots.”
This Sunday’s competition will see chefs prepare one meal which will be judged on its taste, nutritional value, and how hygienically it has been prepared.
Joining the High Sherriff on the judging panel is Jeremy Chan, owner and chef of Sinley restaurant in Cookstown, and William Lam from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
The winning chef will be announced at the event and they’ll enjoy a two night stay at Galgorm Manor in Ballymena, sponsored by Firmus Energy. The winner will also be invited to the annual Chinese New Year gala dinner at Belfast’s Europa Hotel.
Details
- The masterchef event runs from 12pm to 2:30pm.
- There’ll be a spectacular Lion Dance from 1pm to 3pm.
- Entertainment includes acrobats, jugglers, martial arts demonstrations and Chinese arts and craft workshops.
- If you’re hungry there will also be lots of food stalls selling local and global cuisine.
More information
For more information visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/events.
Categories: News > Things to do
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Exciting times at Chilli & Chocolate – with Direct Wine Shipments
Posted: 09 February '10 by Niall
Direct Wine Shipments
These are exciting times here at Chilli and Chocolate!
We have a lot of things planned for 2010, but the newest development and one which we’re most excited about is working with Direct Wine Shipments.
The main reason for starting Chilli and Chocolate was to let you know about what was available out there – products, producers, and providers that Kelly and I love and which we went back to again and again. Another reason was to allow you to get to know some of the producers and store-owners, to allow you to talk to them and find out more about where your food and wine come from.
Direct Wine Shipments are wine merchants in Belfast and definitely fall into this group – and, after another really enjoyable wine-tasting at their premises on Corporation Square, we got talking..
What does this mean for Chilli and Chocolate?
You’ll notice that DWS are now sponsoring our Wine Reviews section. So rather than buying bottles of wine at random from wine-stores up and down the country we’ll be sampling selected wines from their store – which means that you’ll know where to find it and how much it costs.
We’ll also be writing a post in our “Local Food Heroes” section all about Direct Wine Shipments so you’ll get to know them – who they are, what they do, and what their plans for the future are.
What does this mean for you?
The most important development for our members is that there will be discounts, events, and competitions from DWS just for you.
It also means that we’ll be running a couple of private tastings for our members at Direct Wine Shipments, so they’ll get to know you too. Keep your eyes peeled for news about these tastings later in the month.
This is the first of several big announcements planned for the year ahead – hopefully you’re as excited as we are about what 2010 has to offer!
Categories: News > Site Messages
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Swearing, with some cooking thrown in
Posted: 19 January '10 by Niall
Gordon's Great Escape
I have to confess – Kelly and I like Gordon Ramsay. Behind all of the swagger and media-courting I think there’s a great chef with a lot of talent, drive, and ambition.
So we settled down to watch “Gordon’s Great Escape” with some expectation. The basis for the programme certainly sounded good – Gordon was off to India, avoiding the posh restaurants to find authentic regional cooking. Yes, the format has been done plenty of times before, but it does make for interesting television.
The first of three one-hour shows should have been very watchable. The cooking sequences were good – cooking for passengers on an accident-prone train, learning to make Biryani with an irascible royal chef, and making ant chutney in the jungle. There were plenty of thoughtful confessions too in which Gordon talked about the difficult year that he’s had, and his need to get back to cooking – although I was left wondering was this a frank admission or more spin.
However, the programme was completely ruined by the persistant, needless swearing of the host. It was like a buzzing at the edge of your hearing which, once heard, seems to drown out all other sounds. And worst of all, the local people and chefs that Gordon met along the way were faultlessly polite, which only emphasised his crass behaviour.
The “Great Escape” was made when I changed the channel.
I’ve no idea who the programme-makers thought were going to watch “Gordon’s Great Escape”. Foul-mouthed food-lovers? Or viewers who are also afflicted with Tourette’s, perhaps. For me “Gordon’s Great Escape” is a terrible waste and a bit of an embarassment.
Other information
This episode: Monday 18 Jan, 9PM on Channel 4
Next episode: Tuesday 19 Jan, 9PM on Channel 4
You can visit the Channel 4 website to see some clips.
Categories: News > On TV and Radio
