Wednesday 20 September 2017

Rice or roast

This next week marks the start of two foodie ‘awareness weeks’ (not that we think either of these things need awareness – they’re pretty well known!)

Launching on 18th September, National Rice Week aims to highlight the nutritional benefits of rice, and ways to cook it. We have to say, rice can be an understated staple – you can get stuck doing the same old boiled rice as an accompaniment to bulk out a meal, rather than enjoying it in its own right. So maybe it’s a good thing to have a week celebrating rice and all the things you can do with it! Hot or cold, sweet or savoury – they’re all good…

How about using it to make some sushi? We have everything you need in store to create your own nigiri or maki rolls. Or why not try some sticky jasmine rice with a fresh thai green curry? Maybe it’s a good incentive to make your own instead of opting for a take away this weekend.

Risotto is always a winner – and we have the easiest, tastiest ready-to-go risottos going! Simply add water to the packs and simmer for 10-15 minutes for a quick, satisfying supper in no time! Choose from Mediterranean  vegetable and mushroom varieties.

As rice week comes to a close, British Roast Dinner Week kicks in on 24th (of course it would have to start on a Sunday!). Who doesn’t love a roast dinner, but it has to be said they’re a lot of hard work. If you’re going to go to all that effort, you want to make sure it’s the best of the best. You can’t have roast beef without horseradish or mustard – we think XXX is perfect for the job. Roast lamb? Got to have some mint sauce. Tracklements do a lovely fresh mint jelly, or Cartwright and Butler do a perfectly balanced traditional mint sauce. Just the thought makes your mouth water! Roast pork – bring on the apple sauce. We love Stokes brand brambly apple. And then we come to chicken or turkey. Of course, cranberry sauce is a well-established favourite, and we do a great variety. But we also do a
delicious, Hunters’ brand peach chutney which tastes amazing with poultry. Maybe not so much with gravy, but perfect for using up those leftovers with some delicious fresh bread and butter or a salad.

If whipping up a roast dinner is going to take more time than you have, why not pop in for one of our famous deep-filled roast beef sandwiches? We perfectly roast the beef on site, so it’s still slightly pink – the smell is enough to get your stomach rumbling! Served with your choice of accompaniments, choosing one of our best-sellers will definitely never leave you feeling hungry. In fact, you wouldn’t be alone if you could only manage half and had to share the rest with a lucky friend (or save it for later if you’re not feeling that generous).

So, whatever this week inspires you to eat, pop in to Hunters and let us help you make an ordinary meal extraordinary!

These are a few of our (least) favourite things…

The world would be a boring place if we all liked the same things…. But, it has to be said, that when it comes to foods, many people seem to dislike the same things!
When we looked at some research done by BBC Good Food, the list of the top 10 most hated foods has several items which won’t be a surprise to anyone – including brussels sprouts, liver, marmite, tripe, celery and mushrooms. (Although, I personally love several of those, and those I don’t, other people in the Hunters team do – so they’re of course, by no means universally loathed!)
But there are some quite surprising entries on to the ‘food hell’ list. We’re looking at you curry, pasta and fish. And we’re not the only ones with eyebrows raised given they all also made it on to the top 10 food heaven list as well! But, of course, that just goes to show – what is one man’s cup of tea is another man’s venti, no foam, mocha, caramel macchiato (so to speak. Unless you love both of those, in which case that analogy doesn’t work very well).
If you look further back in time, other surveys point to the now hugely popular avocado as being high on the dislike list (you’d struggle to find many cafes and restaurants which don’t include it on their menu somewhere nowadays), along with olives and black pudding – all of which are foods of the gods, surely?
Sometimes I wonder if it’s a case of not having tried the food (let’s be honest, it’s easy to see why you might not want to tuck into a snail or a cockle at first glance) – or having bad childhood memories which have put you off for life. Maybe it’s worth a second try? We have some fantastic olives in store which are truly delicious – why not try our green olives stuffed with sun dried tomato, always a favourite on the deli.
It seems odd that pasta and curry would be on the food hell list – after all, there’s so many varieties of each. If you don’t like the spice of a Vindaloo, there’s so many milder versions available. And with curries from India, Malaysia, Thailand, Africa and Indonesia – to name but a few – to choose from, surely one would tickle your taste buds?
And it’s the same with pasta – on its own it can be a bit bland admittedly – although we do stock some wonderfully authentic Italian brands which are great just with a splash of oil and a generous grating of parmesan. But we also have dozens of delicious sauces to choose from – how about rich roast vegetable or red pepper, garlic and green birds eye chilli – a quick, easy and tasty supper. Fantastic flavours and none of the hassle!
So, if you have an item you’ve always just assumed you disliked (I was in my 30s before I could appreciate a good olive – now I can’t get enough of them!), maybe it’s worth another try? Come and have a chat and we’ll find you a version of your nemesis you might just be able to get on with!