Monthly Archives: May 2012

Events, Food, Food & Beverage, Marketing, National Cuisine

Malmaison Launches A New Menu At Its Brasseries

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Malmaison, a luxury boutique hotel brand in the UK, has announced the launch of a new menu at its brasseries, as well as updated bar and room service menus.

The menu includes an array of starters that feature seasonal offerings, such as the Scotch quail egg and bacon salad with a piccalilli vinaigrette and the ‘From the shore’ smoked salmon blini, creme fraiche and caviar.

In addition to the new starters, the Malmaison hotel restaurants offer an array of heartily portioned mains, including six different choices from the grill. In keeping with the overall quality of the menu, all of the beef on offer is naturally reared, grass-fed and dry-aged on the bone for a minimum of twenty eight days.

Vegetarians and seafood fans aren’t without options either. The new menu also includes a risotto primavera with young fresh vegetables and a hefty sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Seafood options include the yellow fin tuna steak and the salmon fish cake with spinach and parsley sauce.

Emma Benney, Group Marketing Director, said: “We are delighted with the new menu. It’s a return to the Malmaison classics, with a few new ones which are already becoming hot favourites. There’s a great selection, something for everyone. I personally recommend the Chicken Skewers and of course The Mal burger.”

The updated bar menu features a new wine list, headed-up by world renowned sommelier Johnny Walker. Every Malmaison bar also regularly hosts ‘Vino Voyages’ for wine enthusiasts and occasional wine drinkers alike. These events are presented by guest wine producers and include a large sit-down feast matched with various wines.

Another component of the new bar menu is the cocktail list, which features exotic mixed drinks like the Blackforest Martini as well as classics like the Tom Collins.

Also on offer for Spring 2012 is a new dessert menu, which includes a baked New York cheesecake with blueberries, an array of ice cream sundaes, a Valrhona chocolate tart and a classic vanilla crème brulee. The dessert menu also features an artisan cheese slate with crackers and chutney and an iced fresh fruit plate for those looking for something a bit lighter.

Guests at the brasseries can choose from a range of liqueurs and rich ports to enjoy with their desserts. Also paired well with dessert is the Irish coffee, the French coffee and the Espresso Martini.

The room service menu has also been upgraded to reflect the fresh ingredients of the season. It includes a range of starters, salads and mains, many of which are exclusive only to room service. The menu also offers a selection of sandwiches, the ideal option for guests wanting a light lunch. Catering to guests’ late-night cravings, the room service menu also features some ‘Midnight Munchies’, such as the British classic, beans on toast.

Via EPR Network
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Cooking, Food, Food & Beverage, Health Food, Online, Weightloss

Diet Chef Launches In-Home Fitness Plan To Help You Shape Up For Summer

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Blitz your way to a perfect beach body. The clocks have gone forward, spring has sprung and it feels as though summer is well and truly on its way. However, for women (and men) up and down the country those first rays of summer sunshine are joined by a familiar sense of trepidation; the dread of swimwear, specifically the bikini, and baring all (including those lumps and bumps) on the beach.

Home delivery diet brand, Diet Chef, is making it easier than ever to gain that summer body confidence with its Beach Body Blitz Summer Diet Hamper. Delivered directly to your home or office, the 28 day hamper priced at £240 includes chef-prepared main meals, snacks, lunches and breakfasts (subscriptions available from £195). To complement the calorie controlled eating plan, Diet Chef has come up with an easy 20 minute exercise plan created exclusively by top personal trainer, Kyle Andrews, which is availablewww.dietchef.co.uk/beach-body-blitz

Kyle says: “I’ve created a basic exercise regime that aims to strengthen, shape and tone the body in tandem with the Diet chef meal plan. The programme has been created with the beginner in mind and so all exercises can be carried out from the comfort of your own home – it really is that simple.”

Beach Body Blitz Workout Programme

Equipment: Exercise mat (optional), dumbbells (or substitute with a tin of beans or bottle of water from your kitchen cupboard)
Frequency: 3 x 20 minute workouts per week
Repetitions: 12-15 (of each exercise)
Circuits: 2-3 / no rest between exercises or circuits

1) Warm Up – walk on the spot for 60 seconds while clapping your hands above your head and behind your back
2) Jog on the spot for 10 seconds then walk for 10 seconds, repeat 5-8 times
3) Standing Squats – feet hip width apart, sit down to 90 degrees, stand back up (do not lock your knees)
4) Russian Chair – lean with your back against the wall, sit down to 90 degrees and hold for 20-60 seconds
5) Dumbbell Bent Over Rows – bend over and place one hand on the arm of a chair, lower the weight down until your arm is straight then pullback up
6) Dumbbell Shoulder Press – standing or sitting, push the dumbbells above your head then lower to just below your armpits (do not lock your elbows and breathe out when you push)
7) Lunges – take a big step forward lower your body down until your trailing leg nearly touches the floor, push off the front foot back to where you started then alternate legs (do not let your knee pass your toes)
8) Dumbbell Bicep Curls – standing up straight with your arms down by your side keep your elbows still and lift the weight up to your bicep
9) Tricep Dips – place your hands behind you on a chair or step. Keep your bottom close to your hands, sit down to 90 degrees then back up (do not lock your elbows)
10) Dumbbell Side Bend – standing up straight, reach down one side of your body as far as you can and then the other (do not twist your core)
11) Basic Crunches – lying on the floor with your legs at 90 degrees and your hands on your temples sit up and stop just before the small of your back comes off the floor. Lower back down until your shoulder blades touch the ground
12) Reverse Crunches – lying on the floor with your legs at 90 degrees then slowly bring your knees into your chest and gently lower your back down and repeat
13) Back Extensions – lying face down with your hands on your temples, slowly lift your upper body off the floor and back down.

Make sure you’re not stiff the day after exercising by completing your programme with these simple stretches:

1) Quad Stretch – holding on to your foot, pull one leg into your backside
2) Hamstring Stretch – with your legs straight, reach for your toes
3) Calf Stretch – stand with the balls of your feet on a step, legs straight and allow your heels to drop down
4) Lats Stretch – reach above your head and lean over to one side then the other
5) Chest Stretch – with your hands on the small of your back (palms of your hands turned in) push your elbows together
6) Triceps Stretch – bend your arm above your head and use your other arm to pull the bent arm towards your head
7) Rear Deltoid Stretch – place one arm across the body and using your other arm, pull into your body
8) Neck Stretch – gently lean your head to one side and use your hand to gently pull in the same direction
9) Lower back – lie on your back and pull your knees into your chest and hug them

The Diet Chef Beach Body Blitz Summer Hamper is perfect for anyone with a busy lifestyle, the diet and exercise plan is very simple to follow and all of the meals are easy to prepare. For more details or to sign up to a trial, visit http://www.dietchef.co.uk/

Via EPR Network
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Rise And Shine With The Co-Operative Food And Win £100 To Spend On Your Breakfast Favourites

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When you want to put a spring in your step at the start of the day, the best way is to tuck into a hearty and nutritious breakfast that will set you up for the rigours of the day ahead.

And right now, you can take a giant step in the right direction, by entering The Co-operative Food’s weekly draw, for a chance to win £100 in vouchers to spend on your favourite treats for the most important meal of the day.

What’s more, because this is a weekly draw, you can enter each week and give yourself more than one chance of winning one of our mouthwatering top prizes.

The Co-operative Food is giving away seven £100 vouchers each week for the duration of the competition, and if you enter the competition on one week, you’ll even receive an email reminding you of the closing date for being included in the following week’s draw.

Alex Webb, Brand Manager Digital, from The Co-operative Food, said: “With families everywhere finding it tough just now to keep their fridges and kitchen cupboards stocked, we wanted to lighten the load on some of our loyal customers by giving them£100 to spend on ensuring that everyone can start the day on the right note, with a healthy and filling breakfast.

“If they wish, the lucky winners will be able to fill their fridge with a host of quality British products which are sourced especially for The Co-operative.

“So not only will they be helping themselves to a tasty prize, they’ll be able to mark the coming Diamond Jubilee in an appropriately British way – with a great traditional breakfast, all on us!”

Each entrant can also choose to receive a special breakfast bonus in the shape of vouchers entitling them to 50p off a one-litre carton of Tropicana orange juice, and a 200-gram jar of Nescafe Original instant coffee.

Entries for the last draw close on Tuesday May 22, and no purchase is necessary to take part. Entry is free and simple – just complete the online form at http://www.goodwithfood.co.uk/breakfastclub, where you will also find the full terms and conditions.

Via EPR Network
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Cooking, Food, Food & Beverage, Health Food, Online, Weightloss

Help Dad Shed The Pounds This Father’s Day With A Diet Chef Custom Male Hamper

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Has your dad got the XXL factor? Is he more likely to be found watching the footie rather than having a kick about?

If this sounds all too familiar, why not abandon the customary gift of calorie laden treats, like chocolate and alcohol and opt for a healthier Diet Chef hamper to help shed those extra pounds. With the hamper delivered directly to your dad’s door, it surely does beat wading through the gift boxes in your local department store.

We all know how hard dieting can be, but with Diet Chef counting the calories and a variety of your dad’s mealtime favourites, like Chicken Tikka Masala, Shepherd’s Pie and Beef in Ale it really is simple …So no excuses dad!

The 7 day male hamper is a snip at £65, providing a 1,500 calorie a day diet (including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks). Specially designed to be tailored to his individual calorie needs, Diet Chef will ensure he’ll be burning more than he eats to achieve a healthy sustainable weight loss. With all the work done for him he will be back to his former glory in no time.

Via EPR Network
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Food, Food & Beverage, Fruits & Veggies, Health Food, Online, Weightloss

A New Quiz to Check Your Low-Carb IQ

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The rising popularity of Atkins-approved menus and other low-carbohydrate products shows that ‘low-carb’ has become the new ‘health’ and ‘fat-free’ label. Millions of carb-aware dieters are cutting back on carbohydrates as a way of eating a more balanced diet. A new low-carb quiz complements this theme, helping oldies and newbies to learn more about their low-carb habits. The quiz helps dieters find out if they are making the best choices with vegetables, fish, eggs, and poultry, focusing on the role of protein, fat, and carbohydrates in our diet.

Carbohydrates are important for the proper working of the immune, digestive, and nervous systems, the heart, and the brain. A form of carbohydrate, fiber keeps the intestines clean and disease-free and is essential for the elimination of toxins and other waste materials from the body. Soluble forms of fiber help the body maintain steady glucose levels in the blood and slow digestion. Moreover, the carbohydrates fructose and glucose are responsible for breaking down certain proteins like those that protect the eyes against cataract formation.

If carbohydrates are so important for good health, why exclude them from your menu while on a diet? The new quiz brings to a focus diets such as the Zone diet and Atkins diet and addresses important questions about low-carb dieting and its effects on health. Low-carb diets have been promoted as a healthy and effective approach to weight reduction. A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, for example, showed that obese and overweight people who took a protein supplement and reduced the amount of sugar in their diet experienced a significant drop in their blood pressure. Other benefits associated with low-carb diets include improved insulin sensitivity and lower insulin levels, improved triglycerides, reduced blood glucose, and others.

There have been concerns that diets like the Atkins and Zone diet are bad for the heart. Dieters who cut down on carbohydrates – starches and sugars – eat more foods that are rich in fat. This has been said to have a harmful effect on cardiovascular health. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that low-carb diets have the opposite effect and help improve blood vessel health.

Many low-carb dieters are also concerned about the effects of ketosis, which increases the level of ketone bodies in the human body. An important question the quiz asks deals with ketosis and the indicators of ketosis having occurred. Are the symptoms of ketosis something to worry about? In fact, scientific studies have shown that ketosis produces some health benefits. It has mood-stabilizing properties and neuroprotective properties and helps improve glucose control in diabetics. Diabetics who follow a ketogenic diet show a considerable improvement in glycemic control, resulting in medication elimination or reduction. Scientists also believe that ketone bodies are an efficient fuel for the brain, offering protection against brain damage. Moreover, studies show that ketogenic diets lower food intake and reduce hunger more than non-ketogenic diets. While prolonged and extreme ketosis is dangerous, moderate or mild ketosis has been shown to produce health benefits.

The new quiz http://www.lowcarbfoods.org/low-carb-foods-quiz.php itself is a helpful tool for dieters who want to assess their eating style, learn more about foods allowed on a diet, and try different dietary plans such as the Zone diet and Atkins diet. The quiz engages in the debate on low-carb dieting and its effects on diabetics and looks at metabolism and ways to boost metabolism. By testing dieters’ knowledge of low-carb diets and lifestyle, the quiz helps them to find a plan that is the best fit for them.

Via EPR Network
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Baked Goods, Baking, Cakes, Cheese, Chocolates, Confectionery Products, Cooking, Fish, Food, Food & Beverage, Gourmet, Meat, National Cuisine, Pie

London Mayor Visits Forman & Field

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One of the UK’s oldest and best respected fine food vendors, Forman & Field has always enjoyed providing for discerning palates. With this background, the company was thrilled to receive a visit from the London Mayor, Boris Johnson.

Attracted by the unmistakable quality of Forman & Field’s organic foods, catered meals, hampers and gift baskets, Johnson was pleased to wander round the Fish Island premises.

With the London Olympics coming up, Boris Johnson is keen to do everything he can to ensure a great experience for both visitors and residents of London. As well as providing a great selection of produce for those looking for something special for the events, Forman & Field is providing all the smoked salmon for the meals the Olympic competitors will enjoy in-flight on British Airways’ business class menus.

From classic British dishes such as three-bird roasts – that’s a pheasant in a chicken in a goose – to an all-in-one hamper Christmas wouldn’t be complete without, Forman & Field brings a taste of luxury to many Londoners’ lives. Proud of their reputation for sourcing and selling the very best in traditional British cuisine, they also provide delicacies from across Europe and around the world.

During his visit, Boris Johnson was happy to look around the premises, which includes a smokehouse for salmon, packing and processing facilities, and business offices.

Forman & Field for Everybody
Anyone who wants to investigate the Forman & Field premises is welcome to drop by to Fish Island, which is close to the buzzing commercial and transport hub of London’s east end. A more simple and convenient way to explore their offerings is via their website, which includes a gift basket range, luxury products, and good quality basics for any table.

Via EPR Network
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