Food

Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed.

It is not clear when the ban will come into effect, but it follows similar moves already made by Scotland and Wales. Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said the move would help protect the environment for future generations.

If the New Year has you thinking about reducing your intake of alcohol, or you feel that booze doesn't fit your current lifestyle, then Mavrik has the answer with its exciting new range of non-alcoholic cocktails.

For the sober curious, Mavrik offers four non-alcoholic cocktails that look good and taste great, perfect for free-spirited adults who are happy to avoid alcohol for personal and wellness reasons.

January marks the end of the holidays and the start of New Year’s resolutions, with Veganuary gaining in popularity across the country. But new research has revealed that not all US states are likely to try the challenge. 

Food sensitivity specialist YorkTest, analyzed Google search data in each state across the country to learn which one is the most vegan-ready this year. 

This Valentine's Day, you can celebrate the love in your life with Devon Cove's Passion Liqueur. Unique and delicate, Passion Liqueur is made by combining fresh passion fruits with Cove's luxuriously smooth Devon potato vodka and the result is enchanting, exotic and absolutely delicious.

Try Cove Passion Liqueur over ice with a twist of grapefruit, with cloudy lemonade or in the crowd-pleasing Pornstar Martini cocktail.

McDonald’s UK&I is set to launch an exciting new wrap, the Spicy Sriracha Chicken One on 4th January.  Filled with spice, the new Big Flavour Wrap is perfect for those looking for something new and HOT.

Made with either crispy chicken breast or grilled chicken, spicy sriracha sauce, cucumber, slivered onions, and lettuce, in a soft, toasted wrap, the tasty wrap will offer something fresh to chicken and wrap lovers for a limited time only - available until 14th February.

Specialist online retailer Wise Bartender has produced two alcohol-free drinks packs specifically designed to inspire and support the thousands of people who are expected to sign up to Dry January with Alcohol Change UK. 

Dry January is the UK's one-month alcohol-free pledge brought by Alcohol Change UK which saw over 130,000 people sign up in 2022.

The freeze to UK alcohol duty rates has been extended six months to 1 August 2023, the government announced.

In a statement to the House of Commons, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Cartlidge laid out a plan designed to provide certainty and reassure pubs, distilleries, and breweries as they face a challenging period ahead.

Award-winning, climate and plastic-neutral global wellness brand Vahdam India has announced an exciting new collaboration with the hit series Emily in Paris, produced by MTV Entertainment Studios, which has returned for its third season. 

This exclusive upscale, trendy and fanciful gift set is the show's first collaboration with tea and brings to life the allure of Paris and Emily Cooper's exuberant style.

An award-winning Midlands-based manufacturer, which exports its products throughout the world, sponsored this year’s Birmingham Press Club Christmas Lunch, when journalist and rom-com author Suzan Holder will be guest speaker. Let’s Sanify, which manufactures organic sanitising liquids, won the Start-Up Business of the Year category at this year’s Black Country Chamber Business Awards.

An innovative initiative has been launched that will leverage partnerships with members of the diplomatic community to enhance gastronomy tourism locally and increase visitor arrivals.

Devon House was named Jamaica’s first Gastronomy Centre by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett in 2017. Minister Bartlett has highlighted that the Jamaica Tourism Ministry and The Devon House Development Company Limited, which manages the centuries-old heritage site, “have worked steadfastly in establishing the gastronomy center to bring visitors from overseas and persons from across the island to the historic property to enjoy the culinary delights of Jamaica.”   

Nutritionist Jane McClenaghan offers her 5 easy tips on how to reduce Christmas bloating and how to keep your gut healthy over the holiday period.

Mince pies, Christmas turkey, Brussel sprouts and cream on everything. There are some foods that make it feel like Christmas.

Award-winning, climate and plastic-neutral global wellness brand, Vahdam India has announced the exciting launch of a limited-edition Self Care gift in partnership with international superstar and tea lover, Nicole Scherzinger.

While living life on the move, Nicole, a singer, songwriter, actress and TV personality, knows the importance of taking time to care for herself.

UK MasterChef 2022 champion, Eddie Scott, will create special dishes on two evenings at Outrigger Maldives Maafushivaru Resort in in the second half of April 2023.
 
The UK MasterChef winner will also hold a special cooking demonstration at the resort for guests who want to learn culinary skills. Specific dates will be confirmed shortly.

The much-loved Colmore Food Festival is making a return to Birmingham for its 10th anniversary in July 2023. The much-loved Colmore Food Festival is making a return to Birmingham for its 10^th anniversary in July 2023.

Next year, the free, must-visit festival will return in a new location in the Grounds of St Philips Cathedral and will provide guests with a tasty and affordable spread of mouth-watering mini dishes from the traders’ latest menus.

According to new research by Schweppes, a third (34 percent) of Brits will be having an alcohol-free Christmas this year, with almost four in ten people (38 percent) aiming to welcome in the New Year with alcohol free cocktails.

So, it’s no surprise that one in four (23 percent) British adults under the age of 40 now consider themselves as tee-total, according to a nationwide study. One in three (32 percent) under 40s now describe themselves as either ‘sober curious’, or as a moderate drinker, choosing to enjoy a mix of alcoholic, lower percent and non-alcoholic drinks.

As Raja Monkey prepares to celebrate its Sweet 16th year, we look back – and forward - at one of Birmingham’s best-loved curry houses and how it’s gone from street food pioneer to become the go-to for Michelin chefs in the city.

Raja Monkey began as an authentic roadside café experience that pioneered the street food scene - that was to become so popular in later years – growing into into one of Birmingham’s best-loved Indian restaurants and benefitting from a new-look and major refurbishment recently.