Whilst my own experience of the Notting Hill carnival is limited to the recent years, the carnival actually started back in 1964.  From humble beginnings it’s become the largest street festival in Europe, transforming Notting Hill from a trendy, urban suburb to an exotic and exciting cultural extravaganza every August Bank Holiday weekend.

Not only are the streets full of the vibrant sights and sounds of the Caribbean, Notting Hill also becomes home to a culinary feast with hundreds of mouth watering food stalls selling all kinds of Caribbean treats, from curries and fried plantain to Dahl Puri Roti… made all the more tasty when you’ve danced up an appetite.

If the exotic vibe is getting you in the mood for your own Caribbean feast, then check out the recipe below for sumptuous Caribbean Quorn Fillets with Oven Baked Potatoes Wedges, grab your cooking partner and limbo your way to the kitchen!

Caribbean Quorn Fillets with Oven Baked Potatoes Wedges
Serves 4

Preparation time - 5 minutes
Cooking time – 45 minutes

Ingredients

4 Quorn fillets (defrosted)
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
4 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
2tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 onions, peeled and finely sliced
Large pinch of ground cinnamon
½ tsp mild chilli powder
16oz can of pineapple chunks in juice
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Recipe

• Preheat the oven to 200˚C

• Place wedged potatoes on a baking tray, drizzle over 2 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Bake for 45 minutes until cooked through

• Place Quorn fillets in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with thyme and 1 tbsp of olive oil and leave for 10 minutes

• Heat remaining tbsp of oil in a frying pan and add onions, cook for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the cinnamon and chilli powder and cook for a further 5 minutes

• Drain the pineapple, keeping the juice to one side, and add to the pan

• Spoon the onion mixture around the Quorn fillets and cook at the same time as the potatoes) for 10 – 15 minutes until the fillets are heated through

• Add pineapple juice, lime juice and zest to the Quorn dish and return to the oven for a further 8 minutes

• Serve the fillets with the potatoes and sprinkle with mint

Let us know what you think of the recipe and the Carnival – I also recommend trying the rum punch while you’re there, it would be rude not to!

• Strawberries provoke British landscape battle – Conservationists have been pitched against farmers, nature against agriculture, and man against seasons in the biggest action blockbuster of the summer

• Paddington Bear comes to Robertson’s Rescue – Paddington, the world’s most famous marmalade lover, finishes his high-profile liaison with Marmite

• “Would you like statins with that?” - Doctors urge fast food chains to hand out statin drugs like ketchup

Strawberries spark an English Landscape Battle

If unpredictable and unreliable weather wasn’t enough, the great British summertime is being threatened at its very essence by a new battle over strawberry cultivation. After local planning permission was granted for polytunnels covering 54 hecatres in the Wye Valley, a local conservation group is challenging the decision.  The Wye Valley Action Association (WVAA) claims the polytunnel structures used to insulate the berries, adjacent to an area of outstanding natural beauty are an eyesore and will result in a decline in British countryside tourism.  On the other side of Britain’s biggest battle, farmers have rallied to defend polytunnels which they claim are largery responsible for the success of the British berry industry – now worth £400 million a year.  Without polytunnels, the length of the farming year (currently from early spirng to late autumn), is at stake, and with it, our almost year-round access to beautiful British berries.

Paddington Bear, the world’s most famous marmalade lover, comes to Robertson’s Rescue.

Completing a move from Marmite to Robertson’s, Paddington Bear aims to revitalise the image of the traditional toast-and-marmalade tea-time.  Britain is the only country that consumes significant quantities of the orange preserve, but overall sales have been tumbling for years.  Paddington Bear, who famously thrived on a diet compounded exclusively of marmalade sandwiches and cocoa, seems the perfect (and perfectly innocent) new partner for Robertson’s who have just shorn their association with the racially controversial Golliwog.  Although the bear was created in 1958, Robertson’s is hoping that he will resonate more strongly with the younger generation of tea-time fans than did previous icons.  While being a marmite lover, three cheers for Paddington’s return to his culinary roots.  

“Would you like statins with that?”

According to new research, doctors argue that providing the cholesterol lowering drug, dubbed McStatin, with every burger would help combat its artery clogging tendency.  Performing a function equivalent to a filter on a cigarette or a seat-belt in a car, the provision of combatant medicine would help people to continue pursuing unhealthy habits, but with a slightly reduced risk.  Darrel Francis from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College, London suggests that “it makes sense to make risk-reducing supplements available just as easily as the unhealthy condiments that are provided free of charge. It would cost less than 5p per customer – not much different to a sachet of ketchup.

Could you casually pick up a sachet of medicine reminding you of the grievous health-sin just committed, or would the pre-guilt force you to reconsider your food choice?

I’d like to slim down before my holiday so I’m trying really hard to watch what I eat but I get really hungry. Any suggestions?

It is hard to just eat less, it’s better to change what you are eating. If you find you are getting hungry between meals then try plan your day so that you have a good breakfast e.g. wholemeal toast or cereal, a filling lunch such as a sandwich with wholemeal bread, a salad including protein such as chicken or Quorn product and carbohydrate such as wholemeal pasta, beans or lentils. This combination provides the optimal amount of protein and fibre to help keep you felling full. For dinner you could try grilled fish, lean meat or Quorn fillet and vegetables. You should plan for two snacks in the day such as low fat yogurt or a handful of dried fruit and nuts. As a guide the protein and carbohydrate should both be about the size of your fist. Combine this with 30-40 minutes exercise daily and you’ll be ready to hit the beach in no time!

I’ve heard that some proteins are better than others. Is this true and if so which are better/worse?

Proteins are made up of individual building blocks called amino acids. There are 20 amino acids and different proteins contain different mixes. Some of these amino acids are ‘essential’ to humans as we cannot make them in the body so we have to eat them.

Animal proteins contain a wider mix of proteins and so are more likely to provide all the essential amino acids in one hit. Plant proteins are less complex than animal proteins which means they generally contain fewer amino acids and are therefore less likely to provide all the essential ones in one plant. The good news is that you can combine different plant proteins to get all the ones you need. For example, baked beans on toast, bean and nut salad, butternut squash with spiced lentils.

Quorn products contain all of the essential amino acids for adults and all but one for children so they are an excellent source of protein. So there aren’t really ‘better’ or ‘worse’ proteins, you just have to make sure you have a mix in order to get what you need.

Is the quality of protein in Quorn foods the same as meat?

I won’t bore you with the scientific details but proteins can be measured to see how many of the essential amino acids they contain and how well the body can digest them and therefore how well the protein can supply the body with the nutrients it needs. Quorn is made of two proteins, Mycoprotein and egg albumen so it had a score of 1, which is really good, other proteins such as egg white and chicken also have a score of 1. Proteins such as cod have a score of 0.96, soyabean, 0.94 and beef 0.92.

Is there a limit to how much of Quorn products you can eat?

I would always recommend eating a balanced diet containing a range of foods. You should base your meals on starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes and eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Alongside this, because Quorn ingredients are low in fat and saturated fat you could eat them once or twice a day with no problems, but in addition to this, do also try and eat at least two portions of fish a week. One of these should be an oily fish such as Salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, fresh tuna, sardines or pilchards. If you are trying to reduce the amount of meat you are eating, simply swap beef or chicken for Quorn mince or pieces and use them in the same way as meat. If you are vegetarian then remember to use a mix of proteins including pulses (such as lentils and beans) , nuts and seeds, eggs, soya and soya products such as tofu, wheat proteins, such as cereals, bread, rice and maize  and milk and dairy products.

Is it OK to mix Quorn foods with other proteins such as beef mince?

It is fine to mix Quorn foods with other proteins, just be careful to make sure you follow the cooking instructions for the other foods as most will need more cooking than Quorn products do.

Are there any nutritional benefits of meat over Quorn foods?

In general, meat does provide slightly more protein than Quorn foods, however in the UK we get plenty of protein on average. Beef and lamb also provides more iron. Iron intakes among teenage girls and women are still low in the UK, which can lead to iron deficiency and anaemia. Chicken provides more vitamin A, however on average we eat enough vitamin A so this is not an issue.

Hope these answers are helpful.  Any other questions or thoughts, be sure to post your comments here and we’ll get back to you.

Now I’m not knocking traditional barbecue fare, but there’s so much more to an alfresco grill than a bog-standard beef burger. Gone are the days when the veggie barbecue alternative included a defrosted slice of Quiche or soggy salad roll. Instead, we’ve put together a couple of barbecue recipes to spice up the summer and as always, we’d love to find out about your favourite veggie barbecue recipes in return. Email us at blog@marlowfoods.co.uk. 

Quorn Mediterranean Kebabs

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tbsp red pesto
3 tbsp tomato purée
3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
2 level tsp sugar
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 pack Swedish Style Quorn Balls
1 green or yellow pepper
1 red onion
6 cherry tomatoes
6 button mushrooms

For the dip:

142 ml carton of Greek – style yogurt
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley or coriander

Method:

1. In a bowl mix together the pesto, tomato puree, and 2 crushed cloves of garlic, sugar and seasoning. Add the Quorn Balls and mix thoroughly to coat the balls evenly.

2. Meanwhile make the dip by mixing together the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, parsley, the remaining crushed garlic clove and seasoning. Cover and chill until required.

3. Cut the peppers into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces and the onion into similar sized chunks. If using wooden kebab sticks soak in water for about 15 minutes before using.

4. Thread the peppers onto the skewers or kebab sticks alternating with the Quorn Balls, onion, mushroom and tomatoes with 2 or 3 balls to each kebab.

5. Line a grill pan with oiled foil, place the kebabs onto the barbecue grill and cook for 15-20 minutes adjusting rack height if necessary to avoid burning the marinade.

Quorn Char-grilled Indian Tikka Salad

Serves 4-6
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pack Quorn Fillets, defrosted
3 tbsp Tikka Masala paste
150g set natural yoghurt
2 limes cut into 8 wedges

For the salad:
1 red pepper, deseeded, griddled until charred and sliced into strips
2 celery sticks, chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 bag mixed salad leaves

Method:

1. Mix together the Tikka Masala paste and yoghurt. 

2. Cut the Quorn fillets into 4 or 5 slices and thread them onto four metal skewers (or well soaked wooden skewers), ending with the lime wedges.  Brush well with the Tikka Masala paste mixture.  

3. Wait until the coals have turned white and barbecue for 10 minutes turning frequently or grill under a medium hot grill for 10 minutes.

4. Toss the salad ingredients together in a large bowl and serve with the cooked Quorn fillets and a squeeze of lime juice.

But I have been looking lately at the Quorn range, particularly as ingredients rather than ready meals and I’ve had a pleasant surprise.

Weightwatchers™ have an excellent success rate with an eating plan based on a points system. Every food has a Points Value® calculated using the calories and saturated fat in a given amount. No food is forbidden as long as you stay within your allocated points.

Now I’ve always loved my food. The thought of eating meagre portions or vast platefuls of unappetizing gloop fills me with dread. I couldn’t imagine me or my family being satisfied with a milkshake or a mug of instant soup and I suspect that is probably true of most of us.

So if we want to have a full and satisfying range of foods on the plate look no further than Quorn. Build it into your menu plans whether you are a vegetarian or not.

For instance, 100g of minced beef would roughly equal 14 points. The Quorn alternative? A mere 7 points.  Sausages your thing? A Quorn sausage would be 1 point. An Irish recipe pork sausage of equal weight is 4 points. The same would be true applied to burgers. Crispy dippers Quorn style are roughly half the points value of their chicken equivalent.

When it comes to ready meals the best of us are sometimes drawn to the quick and easy way out. Would it surprise you to learn that a typical beef lasagne would be almost double its Quorn based brother?

Can you see where I’m heading?

Quorn is not just the ethical choice.  It’s the choice of a streamlined, healthy body.

Editor’s note:  Most Quorn products are low in saturated fat and high in protein, making them a great choice for slimmers.  It’s no surprise then that Quorn products such as mince or pieces often feature in meal plans for:

 - Rosemary Conley Diet and Fitness Clubs
 - WeightWatchers
 - Slimming World

They say you should do something every day that scares you. And with my first sea swim in Dover Harbour, I think I just about ticked off the next 352 all in one go.

My first mistake was thinking that because spring was in full swing, the sea would not be that cold. But sea temperature in May is roughly equivalent to December, and I’ve never been remotely tempted to dip my toe in the water during the festive season.

My second was thinking that all my training in the pool would prepare me for swimming outside. The word inadequate seems inadequate here. The sea was so chilly, I could barely breathe at all, let alone worry whether my bilateral breathing was in rhythm.

I spent 15 minutes in the water before all my limbs went numb, and the next two hours violently shivering back to some semblance of warmth.

I’d like to say it’s got easier over the last month. I’m able to spend longer in the water, two hours at the last count. But over the next couple of weeks I have to build up to my qualification swim – a full six hours.

I still have a proverbial mountain to climb. But they don’t call it the Everest of open water swimming for nothing.

Read more about my challenge

Support my challenge

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Watching various highlights (Stevie Wonder, you redefine legendary!) from the clean comfort of my living room I was so happy for everyone there – good music and glorious sunshine is a combination made in heaven. 

And this is just the start of the wondrous festival season – we’ve still got the biggies like Reading and V Festival to look forward to, whilst boutique festivals like Bestival and the Big Chill have their own assortment of special musical gems coming out of the woodwork.

Whether you’ve got a day pass or you’re in for the full weekend haul, any seasoned festival goer will tell you, clever snack packing will not only save you money, but can also boost your energy so you can make the most of the music.

Not sure what kind of cooler bag to pack?  Take our quiz below to find out what kind of festival goer you are and your optimum snack pack.

NICE is specifically interested in reducing the nation’s consumption of salt and saturated fats.  And here, it calls on the food industry to reduce salt levels in the food it manufactures and to highlight salt and sat fat content to enable consumers to make better choices.

NICE also calls on local planning authorities to limit the number of fast food outlets allowed to open in specific areas (such as within walking distance of schools) and indeed, to review the concentration of outlets in a given area.

You’ll be pleased to know that we’re working hard on achieving lower salt levels where necessary across all the products in the Quorn range. What’s more, Quorn mince and pieces are low in fat and saturated fat. 

Do you think food manufacturers should be given guidelines for the products they produce?  Let us know your thoughts.

The Quorn chefs have been hard at work to bring you this gorgeous Roasted Quorn Sausages and Pepper Pasta, which is great for serving as a main course, particularly with some leafy greens. 

We’ve also included one of our favourite recipes – Quorn Sausages with Lentils recipe, which is perfect as a quick and healthy meal.

Roasted Quorn Sausage & Pepper Pasta

• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking time: 20min
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into 2.5 cm (1in) cubes
• 1 red onion, cut into 2.5 cm (1in) cubes
• 1 pack Quorn Sausages, cut into bite size slices
• 4 tbsp red pesto
• 400g passata (sieved tomatoes)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 175g pasta shapes
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 75g olives
• 5 tbsp freshly torn basil leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan oven) mark 7. Heat the oil in a large roasting tin. Toss the peppers and red onion, the oil and roast for 10 minutes.
2. Take the tin out of the oven and add the Quorn Sausages, the red pesto mixed with the passata and mix well together. Season generously and continue to cook for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to on pack instructions, crumble the stock cube into the pasta water prior to cooking, drain and reserve.
3. Gently toss the pasta, vegetable and Quorn sausage mixture together, add the olives and freshly torn basil leaves.  Serve with crusty bread and a glass of red wine!

Quorn Sausages with Lentils

• Preparation Time: 10 Minutes
• Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes
• Difficulty: 1
• Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 6 Quorn sausages, 250g pack of your choice
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• 2 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 4 sticks of celery, sliced diagonally into 1cm pieces
• 1 tsp herbs de provence
• 400g tin brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 200ml vegetable Stock
• 1 level tsp Dijon mustard
• 75g sundried tomatoes, roughly sliced
• 4 tbsp half fat crème fraîche
• 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley to garnish

Method:

1. Slice each Quorn Sausage diagonally into 5 pieces. Heat the oil in a large non-stick saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, celery, sausages and herbs and cook stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes.
2. Add lentils, stock, mustard and sun dried tomatoes cook over a low to medium heat for a further 10 minutes.
3. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and then stir in the crème fraîche and cherry tomatoes. Warm through gently.
4. Serve immediately garnished with fresh parsley.

If you have other sausage recipes of your own then we’d love to give it a try, just email us at blog@marlowfoods.co.uk.

On those glorious days when the British summer weather decides to grace us with a few sunny rays, what better way to enjoy it than a bit of alfresco dining?  Picnics have always been a great British tradition. Sandwiches, strawberries, quiches, pastries, crisps, dips and cheeses – all perfect picnic additions.  And don’t forget, our brilliant Quorn Mini-Snack range can be found in the chilled section of major supermarkets. 

Picnic aficionados will be pleased to know that we’re already thinking about a picnic range for next year and we want to know what your favourite picnic food is.  Send your suggestions to blog@marlowfoods.co.uk with the subject Suggestions. 

In the meanwhile, we’re wondering how the great British public plans to make the most of the sizzling summer ahead and we’d love to see picnics with a real ‘wow’ factor.  We’re on the hunt for photos of your most extravagant and extraordinary, weird and wonderful picnic excursions.  If your photo gets featured on the blog, we’ll send you a £10 Quorn voucher.

Send one photo of your best picnicking moment with your name, address and a brief description as to what made it special to blog@marlowfoods.co.uk.  Please use the email subject Picnic Photo and to avoid email overload, we can’t accept any files above 2MB in size. 

To help get things started, here are few suggestions.

Time is not the enemy – Not all picnics require hours of planning, so if your alfresco dining style is more akin to a quicnic than a picnic, the Quorn range of Mini Snacks  is the perfect solution. Easy to eat, straight out of the pack, the Quorn Mini Savoury Eggs and Quorn Roast Style Fillets  are particular favourites of ours.

Think outside the basket – Traditional picnics are so last summer! This year, expand your culinary horizons and dabble with cuisines from around the globe. For an oriental picnic  pack up some iced tea, with some vegetarian sushi rolls. Or, throw on a sombrero and make some mini fajitas with Quorn Fajita Strips – these can also be eaten straight from the pack, if you can’t wait for the wrap!

Give it a theme – For those of you who are feeling a little more adventurous, why not try a fantasy picnic? Re-live your childhood with a teddy bear’s picnic, or join the Alice In Wonderland craze and host your own Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.

Try unusual locations - If you work in the city then that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate the great outdoors with an urban picnic, particularly if your office has a roof terrace. Or, why not rent a punt or a  paddleboat and enjoy a moving picnic?