http://www.northstardeli.com All the latest news, offers and updates from the North Star Deli Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:54:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en How cool is this? (via Boing Boing) Not sure it'll catch on... but it might catch fire though! http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/11/17/cooking-the-books/ Well, it's been about a hundred years since I last posted, or at least it feels that way! The truth is that we've been suffering from the curse of small businesses worldwide... we've just been too darn busy to get anything done! The shop has been busy, busy, busy, the ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/11/16/hampered-and-hampers/ ‘Do not remove a fly from your friend's head with a hatchet’ -- Chinese proverb The Quingzang railway was completed July, 2006. It connects Xining, Qinghai province to Lhasa,Tibet Autonomous Region nearly 2000 kilometres away. The line passes through the Fenghuoshan Tunnel, at 4905 meters, the world’s highest, before spanning the Tanggula ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/10/28/adams-china-trip-report-4/ I was asked to go on BBC Radio Manchester again recently (no clip this time - sorry!) Tuesday afternoons seem to be North Star Delicatessen's regular moment of media glory- do you think Nigella should be watching her back? This time, they asked me to come up with the subject ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/10/17/deanna-on-the-radio-4/ The third time's a charm so they say! Here she is again, our Deanna, having been asked back to appear for a third time on Becky Want's Retail Therapy on good old BBC Radio Manchester. With a little forethought for this appearance, it seemed to make a lot of sense to ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/09/28/deanna-on-the-radio-3/ I’m on the radio again this week and will be talking about budget food shopping and cooking tips. It seems to me that this is the perfect subject for this time of year given that students are now starting or returning to university, and some folks will away from home ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/09/24/deannas-recipes-of-the-week-9-one-chicken-three-meals/ The North Star road show pitched up a stall at the Heaton Mersey Farmer's Market last Sunday and had a great day. Deanna and Adam set up a colourful two-table stall, featuring some of the wonderful produce we sell in the shop. Specials on offer were the fantastic range of Peanut ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/09/21/heaton-mersey-market/ Having clearly not disgraced herself with her previous appearance (see here), the folks at BBC Radio Manchester asked Deanna to come into the studio last Tuesday to take part in the Becky Want Show and to talk a little on the subject of women chefs. I'm sure you'll agree our ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/09/20/shes-at-it-again-deanna-on-the-radio-2/ Our main wine supplier, Boutinot, had a nice feature this week on the web site of the Manchester Evening News and I make no apologies for shamelessly nicking their strap-line, which frankly I couldn't improve upon! In return, here's a link to their article which is a testament to this ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/09/09/a-corking-success/ We're delighted to both support and be a part of this year's Chorlton Fringe Food and Drink Festival, and we've lined up some fabulous foodie events and special offers for the duration of the event, which takes place from Friday October 5th through to Monday October 15th. For further information ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/09/06/chorlton-food-festival-2007/ Deanna appeared on the radio last Saturday as a guest on BBC Radio Manchester's Becky Want's Retail Therapy show, live from The Trafford Centre. Amid the hustle and bustle of the Saturday morning shoppers, Deanna valiantly plugged the deli and spoke knowledgeably about cheeses and meats and whatnot, and generally ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/09/04/deanna-on-the-radio/ Day 2: “A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” Laozi The hog's face is the one on the left. As we attempt to check in for the two hour flight to Lanzhou, Jenny’s fractious conversation with the desk attendant signals a problem. By now, I’ve ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/09/02/adam%e2%80%99s-china-trip-report-3/ This via Boing Boing... Sometimes there can be confusion at the counter as to what each coffee on our menu actually is. Not everyone has the same definition of what a cappuccino or a latte should be and if you're not a coffee aficionado (and certainly it is not a requirement) ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/08/30/coffee-definitions/ This via Boing Boing...Only yesterday I selflessly offered to make tea for the staff - admittedly a rare, if unprecedented occasion - but all the same, I was a little irritated when the complaints at my handiwork flooded back. "It's too milky." "It's too strong." "It's not strong enough." Wish I'd had one of ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/08/26/the-perfect-cuppa/ It's not been a great year weather-wise for us to start growing our own vegetables at home, but our scarlet runner beans seem to be thriving. I've still not run out of things to do with them but this has been my favourite recipe so far and is based on ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/08/18/deannas-recipe-of-the-week-8-green-beans-with-coconut/ Oh you lucky people! Deanna's clearly gone bonkers, and is allowing one of our best recipes to be published online! The North Star Smoked Salmon Fish Cakes have been on our menu since the day we opened and remain both a top seller and perennial favourite with customers who can ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/08/04/deannas-recipe-of-the-week-7-smoked-salmon-fishcakes/ A nice mention for North Star in the 19th of July issue of the South Manchester Reporter - with photo - in an article detailing our nomination for two awards in the forthcoming Manchester Food & Drink Festival. The article features an interview with Deanna who comments on Chorlton ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/07/29/north-star-named-checked-2/ Day 1(Still): "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." On the highway back to Beijing we passed what looked like a huge concrete bird’s nest. "That’s known locally as the huge concrete bird’s nest," explained Jenny. Beijing is beset with construction projects for the 2008 Olympics, ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/07/28/adams-china-trip-report-2/ Okay - it's not the Oscars, perhaps, but North Star has been nominated in two categories in this year's Manchester Food and Drink Awards! Far better for us than an Oscar would be! We're up for Best Coffee Bar and Casual Dining Venue and Best Food and Drink Outlet and we're ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/07/26/and-the-winner-is/ Ahh! Deanna's daughter, our very own Katie Bo, had her first birthday on Saturday, and mummy laid on a fantastic party. Here is the centre-piece of the spread - a cake every bit as delicious and pretty as the birthday girl herself! North Star Delicatessen really excels at producing bespoke, ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/07/22/north-star-birthday-cakes/ I've recently returned from a trip to China. Over the next few weeks you can read about some of the amazing culinary experiences I enjoyed during my travels. Day 1: Brunch in Beijing After a comfortable flight, we arrived at Beijing. Our time in the city would be brief, so a ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/07/18/adams-china-trip-report-1/ Rustic Fish Soup People are always curious about what I cook at home for dinner. This is really popular in my house because it's tasty and low fat. I always make it when we go away on holiday too(self catering of course!) with what we've found at the local fish market. ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/07/08/deannas-recipe-of-the-week-6/ Adam is enjoying a well-earned holiday at the moment, visiting China and Tibet. He has promised to hunt down some interesting foods and will hopefully report his expereinces here on this blog in due course. Meantime, on the subject of indigenous foodstuffs, I've uncovered this article of, shall we say... questionable ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/28/beijings-penis-emporium/ This from Curbly via Lifehacker... I don't have a clue how much North Star produces in coffee grounds over the course of a year - but thinking about it, we go through a good few kilos of coffee per week and all those grounds just get tipped into the bin. I've ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/26/top-10-uses-for-used-coffee-grounds/ Ginger Cake Sticking to the theme of Nanas recipes (see my second Recipe of the Week), I thought I'd share another one with you. It's her absolutely fantastic ginger cake, a family tradition and one that deserves a wider audience. I had to do a bit of conversion as I found ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/25/deannas-recipe-of-the-week-5/ We had nice mention in The South Manchester Reporter on Thursday June 7th. In the Who's Who section Beth Buxton, 26, a local resident involved with the Chorlton Arts Festival was asked in an interview .... Where is your favourite place in south Manchester? "I absolutely love food [replied Beth], so I ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/16/north-star-name-checked-kind-of/ We've recently stocked in some wonderful new products from Atkins & Potts - a manufacturer and supplier of premium food lines that you won't find in the multiples and a company I discovered at last year's Speciality Fine Food Fair in London. These delicious products are all perfect for your ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/09/new-products-9607/ Once again via Boing, Boing (that superb repository for endlessly fascinating things) this wonderful link to a series of photographs at Time.com depicting the weekly grocery shop for various families all over the world. These photographs are from a book called Hungry Planet: What The World Eats, by photographer Peter ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/08/what-the-world-eats/ Via Boing, Boing this innovative gadget which, I think, lies somewhere between inspirational and insane. Perhaps a credit card coffee cup will follow? Available via the online shop at New York's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/04/credit-card-cutlery/ Quick & Easy Pasta Sauce Here’s a simple and delicious pasta sauce using some wonderful products available at North Star Delicatessen. This recipe has been written by Adam, who I must admit, makes a mean pasta sauce - and curries too, but we'll save that for a later recipe blog. I'm ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/04/deannas-recipe-of-the-week-4-quick-easy-pasta-sauce/ It's no secret that North Star serves the best cooked Sunday breakfast to be found anywhere in the Chorlton area, but for those seeking to recover from a busy weekend’s revelry with something a little lighter than our usual breakfast option, we’ve introduced the North Star Muesli Breakfast. Consisting of ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/02/whats-for-breakfast/ This from Coffee Geek, a site for aficionados of ... well, coffee, obviously. I can't help but admire those who enter the barista championships and work hard to develop their signature drinks. On the other hand, it must be nice to have the time to be that self-indulgent! I can't ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/02/the-liquid-donut/ This from Flickr via Boing, Boing... essentially a lobster vending machine crossed with one of those "win a crappy prize" crane things you find at holiday resort amusement arcades. Given that lobsters are kept in tanks like this at hundreds of restaurants all over the country, I can't work out if ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/06/01/live-lobster-catcher/ Now this site - What's Cooking Grandma? - is a stroke of genius. Following on from Deanna's recipe of the week number #2 "Nana's Lentil & Lovage Soup", What's Cooking Grandma? is a wonderful resource of traditional home cooking where family recipes are shared online. I think this is absoutely ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/05/27/whats-cooking-grandma/ I came across this interesting entry on Wired.com, especially in light of National Vegetarian Week as detailed in my previous entry. I have eaten Quorn once or twice... or was it Tofu? And certainly it was by accident after someone had told me it was chicken... probably. The point is (as ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/05/26/a-quorney-issue/ Until the end of June at North Star we have two fantastic Australian wines available to take away, or to enjoy in the deli by the bottle or the glass. Marktree Soldier’s Block Chardonnay (2005) £7.25 ‘Fresh and ripe with citrus and peach fruit flavours combining with crisp finish yet some roundness ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/05/24/house-wines-of-the-month/ Every year, my husband Patrick (not pictured here on the left!) likes to watch The Eurovision Song Contest and eat Lasagne (which we also only do once a year.) This year, I thought I'd base our lasagne on the one we make for the deli, but with a little (non-vegetarian) ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/05/22/deannas-recipe-of-the-week-3-eurovision-lasagne/ Not necessarily something I'll be participating in, nor something that North Star - with it's selection of particularly fine charcuterie - will be promoting, but National Vegetarian Week is something that any self-respecting food blog should mention. So.... consider it plugged! More details here at The Vegetarian Society web site. http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/05/22/national-vegetarian-week-21st-to-27th-may-2007/ Our herb garden has started to come to life again and one of the most enthusiastic perrenials is our lovage. Lentil & Lovage Soup This recipe is one from our nana's repertoire. I asked her once why her lentil soup tasted so much better than other peoples. She said it was because ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/05/18/deannas-recipe-of-the-week-2/ This is gacked from Lifehacker (a hugely useful site!), who in turn gacked it from WikiHow (also very useful!). Ever wondered how we make those pretty patterns on top of your coffees? Well follow the links for some insights. These articles presuppose that you have access to a professional coffee ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/05/05/how-to-make-latte-art/ Here's a little feature that we're hoping will become a regular posting here on the North Star site. Keep checking back (or simply subscribe to our blog feed) to keep up to date with all my recipes. With the unseasonably warm weather, I'm sure some of you will have started ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/04/30/deannas-recipe-of-the-week/ As we know, greed (aka Covetousness - an unreasonable desire for what we do not posses) is a grievous sin.... a deadly sin in fact. But here's some great news! It doesn't apply to Peanut Butter!! I've wanted to taste this peanut butter ever since I stumbled across it online - ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/04/25/is-it-a-sin/ At the IFE, it's easy to identify trends in the retail food industry. Many producers and distributors use the show as platform from which they can launch new products. One such product that kept appearing was rapeseed oil and I was particularly interested in this, following enquiries from customers. As ever at ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/04/19/new-product-rapeseed-oil/ Last month's IFE is a HUGE trade show that takes place every two years at Excel down in London. I guess the acronym stands for "International Food Exhibition" but it might just as well stand for "I'm F***ing Exhausted"!! It really is huge... hugely huge. Two huge aircraft hanger type exhibition ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/04/16/jb-ife/ At North Star we offer maybe a dozen types of sandwich on our menu, ranging from the humble but ever-popular bacon butty, to the stuff-yourself-until-you-burst North Star Club, but I was wondering what you folks thought about our sandwich offerings. Is there enough choice? Or too much? Would you prefer ... http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/04/13/the-best-sandwich-in-the-whole-wide-world/ Each mint provides you with a burst of "crispy bacon" flavor! I am already looking for a supplier! http://www.northstardeli.com/2007/04/12/can-chortlon-do-without-them/