Good + Healthy
Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley of Hemsley + Hemsley deliver homemade, healthy food to a star-studded private client list in London, as well as running a catering company with high profile customers including Louis Vuitton. Their food is free from grains, gluten, refined sugar and high starch, and they claim it will leave you feeling better, with more energy and a stronger immune system – without deprivation. Rather quaintly, it's based around meat and two veg – of the best quality you can lay your hands on.
Their first book is a handsome and confident debut, with lots of reworked classics as well as cosmopolitan influences gleaned from their previous careers in marketing (Melissa) and modelling (Jasmine).
If you'd like to see the girls in action, they're doing a demo at Cooks Academy in Dublin 2 next Thursday (12.30pm-2.30pm, €40, cooksacademy.com). Hemsley+Hemsley is published by Ebury, £25
Flights of flavour
Pinot Noir has been chosen as the grape for the Whitefriar Grill's first foray into wine-flights – where a number of wines of the same varietal or from the same region are tasted together. The three wines chosen are from California, New Zealand and France, so the grape's versatility can be explored. They will be served with a canape composed of ingredients designed to complement the wine. It's a clever idea, and very affordable at €10 for three tasting-sized glasses with their canapes, which will be available to order every evening, from 5pm. Pinot Noir will be the offering for the month of July, and next month's "Three Kings of Spain" flight will be an Albariño, a Verdejo and a Txakoli. Whitefriar Grill, 16 Aungier Street, Dublin 2, whitefriargrill.ie
Mix it up
The new Bake Your Own range from Odlums includes two bread mixes containing things that make them particularly useful store cupboard items. The crusty white mix has dried bakers' yeast in it, so no fiddly measuring required, just add water and knead. The tomato and fennel comes loaded with all the required flavourings and only needs water and a spoon of oil. The range also includes two brown bread mixes and a fruit soda loaf, as well as a variety of scones. They cost €1.99. See odlums.ie
Tesco's charitable deed
If you work with a charity that could benefit from surplus food from Tesco Ireland's 146 stores, register at FoodCloud.ie, a social enterprise that connects businesses that have food to share with community groups and charities. A pilot programme in 18 Tesco stores which ran between last October and February saw 27 tonnes of food donated to 38 charities.
mcdigby@irishtimes.com
