#guest chef

[knycookbook]

🍤 Guest Chef Spotlight! 🍤

We're thrilled to have Via Fernandez as one of our guest chefs! Via bakes amazing macarons (and sourdough bread!) inspired by different fandoms!  Check out Via's IG to see more of the beautiful macarons she's made!

🍤 Instagram: @swimmalita & @everyflavormacarons

[knycookbook]

🍤 Guest Chef Spotlight! 🍤 

Please welcome one of our incredible guest chefs, Diana Ault! Diana has created several delicious fandom recipes, which you can find on her blog and in her recently released cookbook, COOK ANIME! Check out Diana's pages to see all the tasty food she's made!

🍤 Twitter/Instagram: @FictionFood 

🍤 Blog: http://fiction-food.com

[dareboldly]

Mt. Engadine Lodge Revisited

Mt. Engadine Lodge Revisited

The snow started falling Thursday evening and kept falling and falling all through the night, the next day and Saturday.

When we drove away after the ploughs had cleared the road to Mt. Engadine Lodge, it was still snowing.

Saturday Morning

The world around us looked like a picture-perfect Christmas card. Fir trees laden with snow. Misty, mysterious clouds clinging to the mountain tops. White…

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[eatingexeter]

Topsham Hotel Announces Acclaimed Guest Chef Event

Devon based boutique hotel and restaurant, The Salutation Inn, has announced that it will be hosting award-winning Chef Jamie Raftery for a special two-night food and wine experience on Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th April. One of the few chefs to be awarded Gordon Ramsay’s prestigious scholarship, West Ireland born Jamie Raftery has since spent his illustrious career working alongside some of…

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[ms-uk]

Spotlight on guest chef, Shivi Ramoutar

Marley Spoon staff writer, Isabelle Mason, sat down with Shivi Ramoutar - Caribbean cooking queen, former Masterchef contestant, and author of Caribbean Modern: Recipes from the Rum Islands - to find out more about the places, flavours and stories that influence her colourful, tropical and delightful recipes. 

From cooking with fruit to cooking for kids, Shivi shares her top tips for easy and delicious weeknight dinners. Cook with Shivi Ramoutar here.

Tell us Shivi, how would you best describe your personal style of cooking? I am all about simple recipes that deliver maximum flavour.  I love food with colour and boldness.

What/who was your earliest cooking influence? Watching my Pa in the kitchen. I remember he always had this passion for cooking and for experimenting with flavours.

And now, where does your inspiration come from? My Caribbean heritage inspires a lot of the colour and flavours I use in my food. I was born in Trinidad, before moving to New York, the English countryside and London. It has meant that my first love, Caribbean food, has also been taken on a journey, which continues to this day.

Who do you cook for? Everyone! If I am not hosting a supper club, I guarantee I will have family or friends over to try out some new dishes on them. I usually cook every night of the week.

What's your philosophy when it comes to weeknight cooking? Weeknight cooking for me is all about throwing together a delicious, flavoursome meal with the least amount of effort. I love adding different spices and herbs to everyday ‘basics’ - whether it's a generous pinch of cayenne pepper to an omelette, or cumin to sweet potatoes - simple touches that can make a fun twist to your meals.

What are some of your kitchen staples? I'm obsessed with my lime squeezer. I use a lot of lime in my kitchen and always seeing that bright pop of green from the squeezer gives me a bit of pep in my step too! I also love herbs and spices: cumin, cayenne pepper and fresh thyme are always close by.

You use a lot of beautiful, fresh, tropical fruits in your recipes; are there any important things we should know when using fruit in more substantial dishes? I treat fruit as I would any other ingredient in my food, to enhance flavour, texture and colour with wonderful results. It's a great thing to experiment with, but just remember that if you are adding any juicy fruits to dishes, add them last minute otherwise it could mean your final dish is a bit soggy.

Favourite comfort food? I love making spaghetti Bolognese – but with a twist – goat mince and some subtle Caribbean spicing.

Do you listen to music when you cook? Yes! I used to be a songwriter in a previous life so it's still in me. I am all about the eclectic mix – a bit of old-school calypso, some Chopin, Muse, Rihanna.  Anything and everything.  And I will mostly be singing along to it too.

You've got a fairly recent addition to the family - a little baby boy. Do you have a philosophy about feeding kids, cooking for little ones, getting kids involved in cooking? I am learning as I go, but I’d love to raise my son to eat what my husband and I are eating, rather than making a separate ’special' meal for him. Enjoy the process of cooking (as well as the eating of it), understanding the importance of good quality ingredients and eating colourful produce, are all ideals that I’d like him to learn. That’s the goal in any case.

Besides being a successful chef, an author, a wife and a mum, what's your hidden superpower? Doggie Doo-Dar (as in a dog poop radar)! (laughs) I have an innate honing mechanism, an ability to avoid any and all doggie doo that is naughtily left on the streets!

Finally, what's your ultimate hangover cure? Eggs braised, "sunny-side up", in scotch bonnet tomato and coriander sauce, with the works – peppers, onion, and served with avocado.  And BACON. There must always be BACON.  

Well, we can't argue with that! Drooool.  

Want to try Shivi’s recipes for yourself?

Until the 7th October, you can select dishes created exclusively for Marley Spoon by Shivi Ramoutar as part of your recipe box. Simply click here to view our menu, sign up and order. If it’s your first time cooking with Marley Spoon use the promo code CookCaribbean to receive £20 off the cost of your box!

Baked Sea Bream with Black Bean & Mango Salsa. Recipe by Shivi Ramoutar for Marley Spoon. Order here by the 26th September and we’ll deliver the tasty recipe and fresh ingredients to your doorstep.

Happy cooking! Marley Spoon UK

[ms-uk]

Fiercest Women in Food: Welcoming Guest chef, Shivi Ramoutar

Come together to cook Caribbean with Marley Spoon & Shivi Ramoutar!

Let's Cook Caribbean!

After a delicious month of food from the Caucasus and beyond with Olia Hercules, we're delighted to announce the next guest chef in our ‘Fiercest Women in Food’ series: Shivi Ramoutar. We're passionate about working with the most exciting up and coming female chefs in the UK, bringing their cuisines and flavours to your kitchen. 

Shivi, who has been dubbed a “Caribbean food supremo” has created a series of limited edition recipes exclusively for Marley Spoon that will be available to order from 12th September – 7th October. 

Inspired by her Caribbean roots, Shivi's recipes will bring a punch of spice, colour and fun to Marley Spoon boxes as Autumn approaches, featuring seasonal ingredients such as butternut squash, corn on the cob and sea bream.

“Marley Spoon’s philosophy of not just eating together, but cooking together too, is very much at the heart of the Caribbean kitchen.  Their ethos on simple but exciting mid-week meals using quality ingredients is an idea that I strongly support." - Shivi Ramoutar

ORDER HERE

Shivi's Recipes for Marley Spoon 

Adobo Chicken with Corn & Charred Pineapple Rice  Available for delivery week of 19th September. 

Baked Sea Bream with Black Bean Mango Salsa  Available for delivery week of 26th September. 

Curried Cauliflower Soup with Lime Croutons  Available for delivery week of 3rd October. 

Spiced Pork Chops with Roasted Veg & Gremolata  Available for delivery week of 10th October. 

About Shivi Ramoutar

Shivi burst on to the scene in 2013 competing on Masterchef UK. Since then, she has spread her tropical delights across the UK, from numerous restaurant takeovers to her well-loved Lime supper club and the launch of her bestselling cookbook Caribbean Modern: Recipes from the Rum Islands.

Born in Trinidad, before moving to New York, the English countryside and London, Shivi's journey continues to inspire her cooking. Shivi twists classic Caribbean dishes and ingredients from her childhood into her own vibrant, fresh and easy-to-make delights. Her recipes are a wonderful melting pot of flavours: fresh and zingy, exciting and exotic, and satisfyingly homely and hearty. 

Get Cooking with £20 off* 

Shivi Ramoutar's recipes will be delivered with high quality, seasonal ingredients in exact quantities – meaning weeknight dinner just got easier!

Marley Spoon’s ‘Fiercest Women in Food’ series kicked off in May with guest chef, Olia Hercules. More exciting chef collaborations will be announced over the coming year.

*First time customers only. 

[ms-uk]

CHEF CHAT: SPOTLIGHT ON GUEST CHEF, OLIA HERCULES

Marley Spoon staff writer, Isabelle Mason, sat down with acclaimed chef, food stylist and author of cookbook, Mamushka, Olia Hercules, to find out more about the places, flavours and stories that influence her fragrant, moreish and delightful recipes.

"You can't get a better meal than one cooked at home." - Olia Hercules

Olia Hercules (left) cooking in the Marley Spoon Test Kitchen with our UK Culinary Manager, Xenia von Oswald (right). 

What places and cuisines inspire your cooking?

I take inspiration from all over Eastern Europe really. I'm Ukrainian originally but I've got an aunt who is Armenian so I grew up with food from the Caucasus - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia. I just recently went to Georgia and the food there really left a lasting impression on me.

What's the style of food in Georgia? It's really special. They have very unique spices that they grow there. Like blue fenugreek which is like the most subtle, amazing garam masala-type spice. It's just one spice but the flavour is very multi-dimensional. Also Georgian produce is so incredible. There are little cows jumping around on mountains and all of the dairy is just amazing. They forage so there's not a lot of processed food. The flavours are so unique and endemic to the country.

Georgian Pork Lavash with Pickled Spiced Carrots. Recipe by Olia Hercules for Marley Spoon. Order here by the 18th June and we'll deliver the tasty recipe and fresh ingredients to your doorstep.

So, apparently the average British person only knows how to cook 9 recipes. Oh no!

Ha ha. Hearing that, what inspires you to try new recipes? People that I meet really. I gain inspiration from travel. Going somewhere. When I travel I try and go to people's houses and not just restaurants. You can't get a better meal than one cooked at home.

I can see on your Instagram that you love fermenting things? I am a fermentation freak. I love anything fermented. I grew up with that and now it's coming back in a big way. But, I didn't realise  growing up that not everyone did this and that people didn't know how to do it and how healthy it was. I think it seems unhealthy because of the salt but once it ferments it becomes so good for you.

Do you get much time to ferment? I've been fermenting a lot recently. Anything from apples to foraged foods. It's tasty, good for you and the best hangover cure ever.

Really? Yeah the salt is amazing. We even drink the broth. Then follow it with a shot of vodka.

What's your ultimate comfort food? Bread. A beautiful sourdough loaf. And then something to mop up using the bread. There's a Ukrainian salad we make, which is super amazing, with cucumbers, dill, and fresh tomatoes. Then we dress it with a bit of sour cream and salt. It's a really rosy dressing and perfect to mop up with bread.

Want to try Olia's recipes for yourself? Until the 18th June, you can select dishes created exclusively for Marley Spoon by Olia Hercules as part of your recipe box. Simply click here to view our menu, sign up and order. If it's your first time cooking with Marley Spoon use the promo code HERCULES to receive £20 off the cost of your box!

Tamarind & Ginger Trout with Bok Choy & Crispy Garlic. Recipe by Olia Hercules for Marley Spoon. Order here by the 11th June and we'll deliver the tasty recipe and fresh ingredients to your doorstep.

Happy cooking!

xx Marley Spoon UK