Out & About July 2017

33 / 60

ESSENTIAL STORECUPBOARD
INGREDIENTS AND KITCHEN KIT
Here at Out&About we’d say: salt, flour, oils,
vinegar, sugar, rice, tinned tomatoes, pasta,
tinned pulses, tomato puree, herbs and spices.
But we talked to the experts about what
kitchen equipment and gadgets a good cook
should own.
Deputy manager at Sonning’s Coppa Club,
Matt Siadatan, gave us his essentials.
“Oregano for Mediterranean vibes. Great for
sprinkling on to and into anything, from ragu
sauces, to roast potatoes, to feta salads.
“Tinned tomatoes, essential for sauces, soups,
stews, casseroles – a true all-rounder!
“Sea salt flakes will last you longer than table
salt, and encourage you to use less salt in
your cooking.”
Principal at the Edinburgh New Town Cookery
School, Fiona Burrell (right) is an expert in life
skills cookery, and has written extensively on
“how to stock a kitchen”.
She says: “My essential store cupboard
ingredients are tinned chick peas as they can
be added to stews, salads or made into a
quick hummus.
“A packet of dried mushrooms to give
mushroom risotto a depth of flavour or to add
pep to a mushroom ragout served with pasta.
“Capers – to add to salads and sauces to give
a bit of pep and zing. Sun dried tomato puree
will add some punchy flavour to many dishes.
And extra virgin olive oil – always spend as
much as you can afford on this – it makes such
a difference to dressings and can be drizzled
onto soups and pasta dishes before serving.”
Matt’s essential equipment includes:
“An extra-large, non-stick frying pan; so
universal! Then a speed (vegetable) peeler –
it changes your world! And, of course, a
decent chopping board.”
Fiona swears by a microplane grater – for
zesting citrus peel, grating parmesan and
grating ginger and garlic for stir fries.
33
Windsor has a new
restaurant cruiser
Bateaux Windsor is a floating restaurant taking
you along the Thames and past Windsor’s and
Maidenhead’s many beautiful sights.
Become immersed in British history with a
sightseeing audio commentary on the lunch
cruise or relax to easy listening classics on the
Sunday Lunch cruise.
Treat yourself to some high tea on the Afternoon Tea cruise and
for an unforgettable experience try the Dinner Cruise.
Bateaux Windsor, Thames Side, Windsor, SL4 1QN is just a short
walk from Windsor and Eton Riverside station.
MOR Food...
MOR sausages are low in fat
but high in taste.
Each of the four unique MOR recipes blend high-quality British
meat with nutritious vegetables, fragrant herbs and delicate
spices, creating lower-fat sausages that taste absolutely fantastic.
With flavours such as Mediterranean Chicken and Moroccan
Spiced Pork, MOR can be served with everything from mashed
potato to herby pesto.
Non-dairy milks like almond and soy, gin, chocolate biscuits and
sparkling flavoured water have all entered the Office for National
Statistics ‘Basket of Goods’ for the first time. And Waitrose has
revealed how they sell in their stores.
Gin sales are up by 16 per cent, non-dairy milks by a whopping
170 per cent, chocolate biscuits by 28 per cent and flavoured
waters by 32 per cent.
Director of Ambient Buying for Waitrose Michael Andrews says:
“With the UK experiencing a ‘ginnaissance’, it’s no wonder gin has
entered back into the basket this year.
“It has consistently been our fastest-growing spirit and with so
many new boutique brands entering the market this shows no
sign of slowing.
“The gin trend has been driven by an increase in smaller
distilleries, which use new combinations of botanicals to create
unique flavours.”