At the World Cheese Awards in Portugal, British entries were conspicuous by their absence after failing to clear import controls

On Friday, 240 experts from 40 countries descended on Viseu in northern Portugal for the World Cheese Awards. The judges sampled throughout the day, with a washed-rind raw sheep’s milk cheese from the host country, queijo de ovelha amanteigado, named the best.

But throughout the afternoon, the British contingent noticed something strange: gaps on several of the tables. Britain’s cheeses, it transpired, hadn’t passed customs, and were robbed of the chance to compete with the world’s best.

A smooth and comforting bowl for a chilly day, or to batch-cook and freeze for another time

I find potatoes in all forms, from fluffy mash to dripping-soaked chips, supremely comforting, but there’s little that hits the spot more effectively on a dreary day than velvety potato soup shot through with the sweet heat of leeks. This version freezes well, ready for emergencies; I bake extra potatoes while making it and have them for lunch. As I said, I just love spuds.

Prep 15 min
Cook 90 min
Serves 4

Whether for kneading dough or whipping up a heavy cake mix, these kitchen workhorses chosen by our expert will have you multitasking and saving muscle power with ease

• From kitchen scales to cake tins: 14 pieces of baking kit the pros can’t live without

Restaurant owner and caterer Margot Henderson once described being on a big job, and the power – or maybe the mixer – failing, I can’t remember which. What I’ve never forgotten is that meringues were on the menu, so her team resorted to whipping them up with forks.

That is a story about how you can bake almost anything you set your mind to without a stand mixer. But like any good power tool, having one definitely makes life easier.

Best stand mixer overall
KitchenAid Artisan tilt-head mixer 4.7l
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Best value stand mixer
Lakeland digital stand mixer 6.5l
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Best compact stand mixer
Kenwood Go stand mixer
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The environmental footprint of this holiday is frightening – here are ways to celebrate responsibly and still have fun

Halloween is just around the corner, with millions of children gearing up to put on their favorite costumes and flock to the streets for trick-or-treating. Spooky skeletons and glowing jack-o’-lanterns are adorning homes that have gone all out to celebrate a night of fright. But the truly scariest part of the holiday might just be the plastic waste left behind after the festivities end.

The environmental footprint of Halloween is staggering.

The liqueur has gone from being an occasional digestif, served in shot form, to a ubiquitous spritz popular in bars and restaurants from Adelaide to Athens. What’s behind the overnight rise of a decades-old drink?

When I was in northern Italy this month, I spotted the same sunshine-yellow drink wherever I went. Limoncello spritz – sweet-sharp lemon-flavoured liqueur, mixed with prosecco and soda water and served over ice – was on every menu. The leaves were starting to turn and there was a chill in the air, but after a couple of these summery spritzes, I could imagine myself on the Amalfi coast in August.

Until this year, I had seen limoncello served only as a complimentary shot after dinner, usually at an Italian restaurant in the UK. I always necked it – who turns down free booze? – but it never seemed exactly aspirational.

A quick but hearty pork dish with all the comfort of a long-cooked stew and a Chinese variation on aglio e olio

It’s good to keep things simple, and I am on a mission to demonstrate just how simple Chinese cooking can be, particularly the kind of food that Chinese families eat at home. We don’t, typically, gather around the kitchen table to pleat dumplings together – Crazy Rich Asians is no more a representation of how we cook than Notting Hill is of Notting Hill! The secret to much of our cooking is in the prep. Thereafter, most dishes come together very quickly and are surprisingly easy – at least the ones I cook are – so I invite you to surprise yourselves with these warming, comforting dishes.

Almost half of global land area saw extreme drought for at least one month, according to Lancet Countdown

Heat-related deaths, food insecurity and the spread of infectious diseases caused by the climate crisis have reached record levels, according to a landmark report .

The Lancet Countdown’s ninth report on health and the climate breakdown reveals that people across the world face unprecedented threats to their health from the rapidly changing climate.

Chapel and Swan Smokehouse in Cambridge was target of similar theft to Neal’s Yard Dairy cheesemakers

The owner of a smoked salmon firm who lost tens of thousands of pounds to a similar scam to the one that defrauded Neal’s Yard Dair y has said authorities need to act against “high-end food fraud”.

Chris Swales immediately recognised the similarities when he heard how the London cheese specialist was scammed out of more than 22 tonnes of cheddar this month.

You need a really hot pan, no moisture and plenty of space to get the best out of your meat

Colour equals flavour, thanks to a process known as the Maillard reaction , which occurs when proteins and sugars are transformed by the application of heat. For this reason, “you always want to sear meat before putting it in a pan or into the oven”, says Charlie Crote, head chef of the Midland Grand Dining Room in London. “This builds a crust on the outside, and firms up the meat [in a good way].” It’s worth noting, though, that this simple technique is all about flavour; it’s sometimes said that browning meat also seals in the juices, but that’s simply not true.

First up, you need a really hot pan. “Leave it on a high flame for a couple of minutes,” says Skye Gyngell, chef-patron of Spring in London, and culinary director of Heckfield Place in Hampshire, “until you see a gentle smoke rise from the centre of the pan.” Then add oil – extra-virgin olive oil in Gyngell’s case, vegetable or sunflower for Crote – and swirl it around so the pan is evenly coated. Next, generously season the meat, which should be at room temperature and as dry as possible (moisture is your enemy here), with sea salt and black pepper: “If you do this any earlier,” Crote says, “it will draw out the moisture, which means, when you put the meat in the pan, it will just have a layer of moisture on the outside and will boil rather than sear.” It’s only once any excess moisture has evaporated that the meat can start to brown.

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