The quest for the ultimate raspberry panna cotta may be over, with the dairy, fruit, and flavourings tested to the nth by our resident perfectionist

This column covered panna cotta, the classic Piedmontese dessert, back in 2011 , when your humble columnist was still as fresh and lovely as a buttermilk jelly, if somewhat less wobbly. While I stand by that recipe – it’s a banger, as we definitely wouldn’t have said a decade ago – there’s room for at least one more in my life, particularly if it involves one of my favourite summer fruits.

I concede that raspberries are so perfect straight from the plant (or punnet) that there often seems little point in meddling further, but if you, like me, enjoy their perfumed sweetness gilded with thick cream, then a panna cotta is the logical next step, once you’ve eaten your fill. Their acid edge stops the combination from cloying, as can happen with more straightforwardly sugary fruits, and lifts the dish from the merely rich to the realms of rich and interesting, a bit like an Italian philanthropist who also happens to know quite a lot about wine.

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Locked down in London, I was lonely and underfed. I longed for the communal meals at my Mum and Dad’s home in Delhi, so I embarked on some disastrous and delicious dinners of my own

When the UK’s last lockdown lifted in 2021, and a return to normal life beckoned, I was distraught. For the past few years, I had at least been saved from the pressure of having plans and being with someone for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Even though I had moved to London two years ago, the pandemic hadn’t made it easy to find friends in a new city. To escape my loneliness over the holidays, I decided to fly back to see my parents in Delhi. Unlike me, they had plans to ring in the new year – they were hosting a little dinner party for their friends.

In the isolation of the pandemic, far away from my family, I had forgotten how warm and inviting my parents’ home was. The kitchen was the heart of our family – cups of chai constantly marched out alongside trays of biscuits and conversation, yet another samosa being offered even though our plates and stomachs were full, a fridge that always had something nice to eat and a table that had a place for everyone.

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Campaigners call for ban of nitrates and nitrites in food production with 61 trusts across country affected

Scores of hospitals are giving patients meat cured with chemicals that scientists and food safety experts increasingly fear may cause cancer.

Sixty-one NHS trusts in England are serving meat in their hospitals that may contain nitrates or nitrites despite growing evidence internationally implicating them in the development of cancer.

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Squishy is dishy in compotes, bakes, frozen desserts and even booze, says our panel of cooks

• Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com

What can I do with overripe berries?
Emma, Bradford
Sweet, juicy berries are one of the best things about summer, but they can quickly turn squishy . Providing there’s no mould, Emma’s first option is to bake them. “You absolutely want to be throwing them into the likes of financiers, friands, a bakewell tart or even a berry tart topped with crème patissière,” says Philip Khoury , author of A New Way to Bake, published next month. The reason being, as berries age, “the fibre that gives them their tight and regular structure starts to give, but their flavour becomes sweeter, because the carbohydrates break down into sugar”. So, while the fruit’s texture might be compromised, “it is sweeter and, once baked, will turn nice and jammy”.

By the same logic, you can’t go far wrong with a crumble , either. “Get some apples in with the berries, then toss in sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon,” says Crystelle Pereira, author of Flavour Kitchen . How you then make your topping is entirely up for grabs: “Have it oat-based and add coconut oil for more of a breakfast crumble, or use sesame seeds, desiccated coconut or cornflakes for texture.” Nuts, too, are very much encouraged: “Flaked almonds go well with berries, as do cashews or pistachios with strawberries.” (The latter, Pereira adds, “looks really, really good”.)

Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com

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Soft, sweet tomatoes under a golden, fragrant herb crust

Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Twist 750g of large tomatoes from their stems and slice each in half. Place the tomatoes, cut side up, in a roasting tin or baking dish. Remove the leaves from several sprigs of thyme , enough to fill 2 tbsp. Chop them finely and add to 3 tbsp of olive oil . Season with a generous grinding of salt and pepper . Trickle the seasoned oil over the tomatoes.

Bake for about 45 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and their skins are a little dark and even caramelised where they touch the tin. While they bake, finely grate the zest from 1 lemon , roughly chop 15 basil leaves , 12 chives and a good handful of parsley leaves .

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RSPCA accuses government of ‘race to the bottom for animal welfare standards’ with post-Brexit trade deal

Battery eggs should not be sold in the UK as part of post-Brexit trade deals, animal welfare groups have said, as the government prepares to allow them to be imported.

As part of the new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), ministers are expected to give the green light to battery eggs to be imported from countries including Mexico.

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It’s not all mug cakes and rubbery scrambled eggs. If you don’t own one, you’re missing out on ‘kokumi’ and low-GI lasagne

“Oh, I don’t have a microwave,” that person who doesn’t have a microwave will tell you, judgment dusting their words like icing sugar atop a microwave mug cake. Inevitably, this will be followed by a light humblebrag like: “Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve just never seen the need.” They bake their cakes in the oven, reheat their leftovers on the hob, and they never have ready meals, which is all they really believe a microwave is good for. No matter that last week’s cooking trends report from Waitrose (no less) has revealed that microwave sales are up 13% at John Lewis compared to last year, and that it is this year’s most popular kitchen gadget among those surveyed; for that person, not owning a microwave is as fundamental to their personal brand as drinking natural wine and riding a fixie .

As hot takes on household appliances go, this one intrigues me most. After all, no one gets het up over kettles. I don’t own a toaster for the same reason one might not own a microwave – my kitchen’s too small – but I don’t make a point of it, I just burn my bread under the grill. Sure, spiralisers and juicers were a bit divisive back in their day, but those furores were like the fads themselves, lighthearted and fleeting – as, I bet, will be the current must-have gadget, the air fryer . Nearly six decades since microwaves appeared on the market, however, conversations about them still assume a moral dimension – particularly among foodies who find beeps, buttons and a setting called “ chaos defrost ” anathema to what “good” food should be.

Clare Finney is the author of Hungry Heart : A Story of Food and Love

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Shoppers snap up barbecue food, swimwear, beach towels, outdoor games and garden furniture in June

Britain’s retailers recorded a sharp rise in spending in June as hot weather prompted consumers to buy summer clothing and outdoor goods, despite growing pressure on budgets from the cost of living crisis .

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said sales increased by 4.9% in June, above the annual average growth rate, as shoppers hit the high street to buy swimwear, beach towels, outdoor games, garden furniture and barbecue food.

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An unruly passenger was allegedly upset about the menu and raised a stink after plane took off from Houston

A United Airlines flight heading from Houston to Amsterdam was diverted to Chicago after an unruly business class passenger interrupted the flight, reportedly because his first meal choice was unavailable.

The flight took off at 4.20pm local time in Houston on Sunday, and was in Chicago airspace two hours into the flight. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed that the plane circled Chicago’s O’Hare airport as it had to use up fuel, known as dumping fuel , or it would have been too heavy to land.

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