The International Wine Challenge pick of bottles from Tesco – and other winners

Tesco Finest Puemo Carmenère, Cachapoal, Chile 2020 (£8, Tesco ) Tesco isn’t one of those companies that people tend to love. For most of us, most of the time, it’s simply there, a place we use almost without thinking. But when it does arouse strong feelings, they tend to be negative: as the UK’s largest supermarket chain it is inevitably the focus for critiques of the efficiency, equitability, and environmental sustainability of the UK’s food system. But it’s also had a justified reputation for ruthlessness. When the company was caught up in an accounting scandal in the mid-2010s, the reaction from most quarters was rather like those that accompany the latest transgression from a Tory Minister: a shrugging “well, what did you expect from people like that?” Over the years, the company’s wine range has tended to fit right in with this tale of meh and occasional woe. More recently, however, it’s emerged as one of the more interesting and reliable of the big retailers, with wines such as this excellent, smoothly textured, subtly herbal Chilean red.

Tesco Finest Western Australian Sauvignon Semillon, Western Australia, Australia 2022 (£8, Tesco ) I’m not alone in having noticed the improvement in the Tesco wine aisle in the past five years. Earlier this month, the company earned a rare double at one of the big British wine competitions, the International Wine Challenge, where it was awarded both Supermarket of the Year and Own-Label Range of the Year. Does that mean that I (or the IWC judges) would prefer to do our wine shopping in Tesco rather than places with bigger vinous reputations, such as Waitrose and Marks & Spencer? Not necessarily. I find the peaks at both rivals a little more exciting. But the double-prize does reflect the number of worthwhile and good value wines, notably those developed by its wine buying team for the Finest brand, on offer at Tesco these days. Among my favourites: a pair of racy whites from Western Australian producer Howard Park: the Sauvignon Semillon and Tingleup Riesling 2022 (£10); and two textbook Riojas from Baron de Ley: the richly fruited Tesco Finest Rioja Blanco 2022 and the mellow Tesco Finest Rioja Reserva (both £9)

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The Kirkella used to bring in 10% of the cod and haddock sold in chip shops. But the post-EU settlement means its quotas have been slashed. Can it survive?

Docked in the port of Hull, the fishing vessel Kirkella dominates the quayside, towering over a nearby warehouse. Usually found trawling Arctic waters off the coast of Svalbard, catching cod and haddock to supply British fish and chip shops, it is in port for a short time before departing on another lengthy voyage to those distant seas.

It’s not just enormous: the five-year-old freezer trawler is also state-of-the-art. Fish snared in its giant nets are filleted and frozen within 40 minutes inside the onboard “factory” that spans a deck of the ship.

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Presenter told those with affected bottles to open them underwater, pour the cider away and apply for a refund

Jeremy Clarkson has warned that bottles of his cider could explode due to a “massive cock up”.

The 63-year-old presenter started selling beer and cider in 2021 under the brand name Hawkstone.

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A big, flat, summery cake spread with strawberries and custard? It might well be the best cake ever …

Considering the love we English have for strawberries, I am stumped trying to think of more than three puddings that contain them. This is my attempt to bolster the coffers: a strawberry “sheet cake” borrowed from one of my favourite food writers, Deb Perelman , and her blog, Smitten Kitchen . I made this vegan version for my daughter Yogi’s birthday, adding a little fennel sugar to the top, and she declared it the best cake ever (although she is three and admittedly has previously declared five other cakes also to be the best cake ever).

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Fruit and nut explorers traverse the US on an ecological mission to preserve the last cultivars of old and important plants

Eliza Greenman plucks a wrinkly, canoe-shaped leaf from a tree and cradles it in her hands before sliding it into a plastic freezer bag. She’s standing beneath a mulberry tree in a field on the banks of the Mattaponi River, a tributary that cuts through eastern Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay. Greenman had to sleuth to find this historical mulberry, which is meandering, ancient, studded with unripe, spiky white fruits, gnarled with English ivy and a distinctive wave pattern on its bark.

“It’s so cool to imagine that this field was potentially all just mulberries,” Greenman says, staring out at the shimmery rye across the road.

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A sweet-and-sour Sri Lankan curry, aubergine slices stuffed with spicy prawn paste, and a vegan casserole of battered veg in a spicy tomato sauce

Aubergines are, for me, the gift that keeps on giving. For all the aubergines that I’ve grilled, roasted, charred, steamed, peeled, fried, blitzed and sliced in my life, there always seems to be some new way to cook them or a new combination of flavours to pair them with. Here I look to Sri Lanka and China for inspiration, before fusing two much-loved Middle Eastern favourites.

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The pulp collected from juicing fruit lends flavour, texture and colour to falafel

Ben Hodges , ex of the River Cafe, was the first head chef I worked under. He cooked mainly Moorish food, because he spent a lot of time in southern Spain, and Middle Eastern cuisine still inspires a lot of my own creations to this day (although, wherever possible, my cooking also always include local, seasonal, whole foods and byproducts to reduce waste). Today’s recipe is adapted from one I wrote for Cook for Syria , an incredible cookbook and campaign in aid of Unicef’s work in Syria. Falafel are a great carrier for juice pulp, which binds well with chickpeas to create gorgeous, colourful, waste-reducing fritters.

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Michelin-starred restaurant owner and TV judge tells TikTok influencer about his high-street chain habit

He may serve roasted quail with Waterloo custard and onion chutney at his own Michelin-starred restaurant but chef Marcus Wareing’s own tastes appear to be a little more down to earth.

The MasterChef: The Professionals judge has revealed his favourite pizza is the American Hot at the high-street chain Pizza Express.

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A smart summery pick-me-up of sweet rhubarb with a sharp barb of lemon combined with sparkling rosé

The sweet flavour profile of rhubarb liqueur marries especially well with the refreshing zing of the citrus in this uplifting summer refresher. The rosemary garnish, though optional, adds a subtle, herbal element.

Devon Snoddy, head bartender, The Landmark London , NW1

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