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Butter chicken is often considered to be one of those dishes that takes ages to prepare and to cook, but this version will give you flavourful results in almost half the time with half the effort,” says Sanjay Aggarwal, author of Spice Kitchen. “Just allow your chicken to marinate overnight so that the meat is more succulent and the flavours can develop.” Ultimate (and speedy) butter chicken Serves: 4 Ingredients: 500g boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks 2 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil 2 tbsp ghee 1 tbsp Tarka (see below) 1 onion, sliced 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste (see below) 1 tbsp garam masala (see below) 400g can plum tomatoes ½ tsp harissa (see below) 1 tsp salt 50ml double cream 1 tsp sugar For the marinade: 100g Greek-style yoghurt 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp garam masala ½ tsp harissa 1 tsp salt To serve: Naan 300g rice 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, optional For the tarka: 50g black mustard seeds 50g cumin seeds For the garam masala: 35g cumin 28g coriander 11g black peppercorns 6g ginger powder 3g cloves 8g cinnamon 4g star anise 2g nutmeg, grated 2g cardamom For the harissa: 21g paprika 3g coriander 3g caraway 3g cumin 27g chilli powder 27g chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) 5g garlic granules 10g salt For the time-saving ginger-garlic paste: 125g fresh ginger 125g garlic cloves ½ tsp salt 1 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil Method: 1. For the tarka: This blend uses whole spices; simply mix the seeds together and store in a jar for when you need them. 2. For the garam masala: Put any whole spices into a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar. Grind. Then add in any powdered ingredients and mix by hand to combine. Label and store in a clean jar in a cool, dark place for up to six months. 3. For the harissa: Put any whole spices into your coffee grinder or pestle and mortar. Grind to your desired consistency. Then add in any powdered ingredients and your chilli flakes, garlic granules and salt. Mix by hand to combine. Label and store in a clean jar in a cool, dark place for up to six months. 4. For the time-saving ginger-garlic: Peel and roughly chop your ginger and garlic and add to your blender with the salt and oil. Blend until you have a smooth paste. Either scoop into a clean jar or bottle and store in the fridge or freeze in ice-cube trays and pop out a cube when you need to cook. 5. For the butter chicken: First make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a large, non-metallic bowl. Add the chicken and give everything a good stir to combine. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight if you can, or for at least two hours to permeate the meat. 6. When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chicken pieces with the marinade, and fry until browned, turning just once and resisting the urge to move them around the pan. They will need about three minutes on each side (you will finish cooking the chicken later in the sauce). Set aside. 7. Give the pan a quick wipe and put it back over the heat. Add the ghee and, when hot, add the tarka and allow the seeds to sizzle and pop for around 30 seconds, being careful not to burn. Next, add in your onion slices and stir to coat them in the spice-infused ghee. Cook gently for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Once the onions have started to sweat and become translucent, add in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for about a minute. When the raw smell has disappeared, add in the garam masala. Cook for a further 10 seconds, stirring to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan and burns. 8. Next, add the tomatoes, harissa and salt. Cook over a low-medium heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool a little, then, using a stick blender directly into the pan, carefully blend your sauce until it is completely smooth. If you’re finding the sauce is splattering around too much, transfer it into a deeper pan for this step. You can also stir in a little water if the mixture is too thick. 9. Add the cream, sugar and chicken to the pan and give everything a good stir. Simmer for a further 10 minutes to ensure the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve with fresh naan bread, rice and chopped coriander scattered over the top. Recipe from ‘Spice Kitchen’ by Sanjay Aggarwal (Quadrille, £22).

A sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry makes this a really simple lunch, and although cooking the onions needs your attention, everything else is incredibly low effort,” says Sanjay Aggarwal, author of Spice Kitchen. “Make sure you cook the pastry until it’s a deep, burnished golden-brown; too pallid and it will still be soft and floppy underneath.” Quick tomato, onion and herb tart Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil 3 red onions, sliced into half moons 1 tsp caster sugar Pinch of salt 1 tbsp Italian seasoning 2 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry 500g cherry tomatoes 150g pitted black olives 1 egg (skip the egg wash if you’re vegan, or use a splash of oat milk instead) Handful of chopped fresh parsley Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon Method: 1. Warm the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onions over a moderate heat, stirring frequently so that they soften but don’t stick. After five minutes, add the sugar and salt. 2. After another five minutes, add the Italian seasoning and the vinegar and cook for a final five minutes. Set aside to cool. 3. Preheat the oven to 190C fan/210C/410F/gas mark 6½. 4. Unroll the puff pastry sheet onto a lined baking tray and create a border by using a knife to score a line a little way in from the edge (don’t slice all the way through the pastry). 5. Spread the onions over the pastry inside the border, then top with the tomatoes and olives. Beat the egg and paint it over the border. Transfer the tart to the oven and bake for 20 minutes until risen and a rich golden-brown around the edges. 6. Top with the parsley and lemon zest and serve while warm. Recipe from ‘Spice Kitchen’ by Sanjay Aggarwal (Quadrille, £22).

Even if the weather lets you down, the flavours of this spiced-up summer treat never will. We bring to you a warming twist on a British classic,” says Sanjay Aggarwal, author of Spice Kitchen. Eton mess with strawberries and black pepper Serves: 6 Ingredients: 500g strawberries, hulled 6 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns Freshly ground black pepper 300ml double cream 6 shop-bought meringue nests Method: 1. Put half the strawberries in a saucepan with four tablespoons of the sugar. Squash them a little and place over a low heat. 2. Add the whole peppercorns and simmer until the strawberries have collapsed (keep an eye on them, as you don’t want the sugar to turn into caramel). Squash completely, pour through a sieve and set aside to cool. 3. Meanwhile, slice the remaining strawberries into quarters and put in a bowl. Cover with the rest of the sugar and a good grinding of black pepper. Toss and set aside. Whip the cream to soft peaks and crumble the meringues. 4. Gently ribbon the strawberry sauce through the cream, then fold through the sliced strawberries and meringue pieces. 5. Serve immediately. Recipe from ‘Spice Kitchen’ by Sanjay Aggarwal (Quadrille, £22).

A celebrity chef has “banned” vegans from his restaurant after reportedly receiving a negative review from a customer who criticised the lack of plant-based options. On Tuesday, Chef John Mountain revealed on the Facebook page for his restaurant Fyre that the eatery would no longer be catering to vegan diners. According to Mountain, the decision to ban vegans from the Perth, Australia, restaurant was due to “mental health reasons”. “Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons),” the post on the restaurant’s Facebook reads. “We thank you for your understanding. Xx.” The post also included the caption: “Yep. I’m done.” and the hashtags #vegan, #not, #pleasegoelsewhere, #veganfreezone, and #nomorevegans. The decision allegedly stemmed from a bad review posted by a vegan customer, with Chef Mountain telling PerthNow that a customer had reached out to him to ask if there were any vegan options at the restaurant, and that he’d promised he would accommodate her. “A young girl reached out to me and said she was coming to the restaurant… and asked if there were vegan options,” he said. “It was my only shortfall… I said I would accommodate her, I said we had gnocchi, vegetables… and that was that.” However, according to Mountain, who previously starred on the BBC show Great British Menu, he’d forgotten about the woman’s request when she came to dine on Saturday, as he’d been busy catering a private party. “Saturday came around and sadly I’d forgotten… I had a private party I had to cater for,” he told the outlet, adding that his sous chef had reportedly reprimanded him for “not telling them about the vegan customer”. According to the UK-born chef, the woman wrote a complaint to the restaurant on Facebook the following day, in which she’d criticised the $32 vegetable dish that had been her “only option”. The woman’s message also reportedly read: “I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef. “I hope to see some improvements in your menu as I have lived in Connolly for quite some time and have seen many restaurants come and go from that building and none of them last. If you don’t get with the times, I don’t hold out faith that your restaurant will be the one that does.” The restaurant reportedly addressed the woman’s complaint in a response of its own, in which it noted that it tried to “accommodate everyone” before encouraging the customer to “feel free to share your sh**ty experience”. “Thanks for your negative review… please feel free to share your sh***y experience and I look forward to not seeing you again. How very childish. You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue, you are now banned,” the restaurant’s response read, according to PerthNow. Although Chef Mountain admitted he’d said he would accommodate the woman and then “didn’t,” she’d made the complaint “personal”. The chef also claimed that, as a result of the woman’s complaint, his restaurant was flooded with negative one-star reviews on Google, which he said “really hurts the business”. “F*** vegans seriously… I’m done. At the end of the day, it’s not what I want to do, they can f*** off,” he added. Mountain reiterated the sentiment while speaking to 7News, with the chef telling the outlet: “F*** vegans, I’m done with them.” Mountain also claimed that customers should “know what they’re getting from me,” as he has previously written a cookbook titled Pig. “I once wrote and sold a book called Pig which had pork recipes. People know what they’re getting from me,” he said. “I understand where vegans are coming from but my job is to make food taste as good as I can and I can’t always cater to everybody’s dietary requirements.” On social media, the chef’s ban on vegans has sparked an intense debate among customers, with some praising Mountain and Fyre, while others have condemned the decision. “Bravo! Good on you mate, great stance. It’s nowhere near where I live but I will definitely come to your restaurant now,” one comment under the Facebook post reads, while another person wrote: “Can’t wait to try this place, just booked a table! Looking forward to a nice piece of rare steak.” The restaurant has also received a flood of positive reviews on its Facebook, where many have praised both the food and the staff, while others have applauded the restaurant’s “principles” and “ethics”. “Outstanding chef. Great rules and ethics,” one review reads, while another recent review states: “Great staff, great food and a chef with principles.” However, the restaurant has also continued to face criticism over Mountain’s “ban” on vegans, with one recent review reading: “You can’t call yourself a chef if you can’t even cook veggies. Owner is very arrogant and can’t take criticism.” “Discriminating and refusing vegans into his venue, all for a complaint for not following an agreed vegan option. How disgusting,” someone else wrote. The restaurant’s alleged ban on vegans comes after a vegan landlord in New York City recently went viral after requesting that only tenants who follow a plant-based diet live in the building. The Independent has contacted Chef Mountain for comment. Read More Vegan landlord seeks tenants for $5,750 New York apartment with period features. Meat eaters need not apply Vegan family asks neighbours to close their windows when cooking meat Former vegan says meat ‘saved her life’ after diet ‘made hair fall out’ Italian waiter refuses to serve woman her cappuccino until she finishes pasta The top 10 most satisfying food sounds have been revealed Chef says ‘don’t get hung up on authenticity – it’s unachievable’

An Italian waiter has gone viral after a video of him refusing to serve a customer her cappuccino until after she finished eating her pasta was posted on social media. The clip was posted by Nadia Caterina Munno, a cook, author and influencer known as The Pasta Queen on Instagram earlier this week. It shows her and her friend Cat Sullivan dining at a restaurant in Milan, when Sullivan asked the waiter for a cappuccino while still eating her pasta. The man serving the pair appeared shocked at her request. In Italy, it is common to only drink cappuccinos before 11am, and espressos after dinner. It is also frowned upon to pair cappuccinos with pasta dishes. The waiter asked Sullivan: “With pasta? After pasta. Are you sure?” When she answered in the affirmative, he walked away and remarked: “This hurts so bad.” The clip then shows Sullivan sipping on her wine with her empty plate in front of her. The waiter then arrived to clear her plate and place her cappuccino in front of her. Sullivan thanked him, but added: “But I just finished my pasta?” “I am sorry we are slow… we made sure to delay as much as possible so you wouldn’t eat your pasta with cappuccino,” the waiter confessed with a smile, with both Sullivan and Munno bursting into laughter. Later, Munno revealed that the request was a prank on the waiter, adding: “I can’t believe that I am even involved in this prank.” She captioned the humorous video: “In Milan with my friend Cat and a traumatised waiter.” Some found the waiter’s strict adherence to Italy’s unspoken food rules hilarious, but others were less than pleased with his customer service. “I feel so uncultured right now, because I would actually be annoyed. If I’m a paying guest, give me what I want, within reason of course,” one person wrote. Another said: “The customer is always right. Mr waiter [sic] has no business telling her what not to drink with her pasta.” However, several people defended the waiter, with one person explaining: “Losing a customer is not the end of the world in Italy. The waiter’s job is to give the customer the best experience of how the chef wants his food to be experienced. “So if you don’t like it, you can leave and the world does not revolve around you.” Others chimed in with their own experiences of ordering food in Italy that is deemed outside of the norm. “My boyfriend wanted to order pasta Bolognese in Venice and the waiter denied the order,” one commenter wrote. A second shared: “I once had a very nice gelateria employee in Rome refuse to give me the first flavours I ordered because they wouldn’t go well together.” Read More I couldn’t climax, so I let ‘big testosterone’ take me for a ride John Goodman reveals he’s lost 200 pounds as he makes red carpet appearance Kelly Osbourne criticises Prince Harry for ‘whinging’ about the royal family The top 10 most satisfying food sounds have been revealed Chef says ‘don’t get hung up on authenticity – it’s unachievable’ Celebrity chef bans vegans from his restaurant

Sanjay Aggarwal’s now-booming business was based around a family heirloom: a 100-year-old spice mill. He started selling spice blends with his mother in 2012 almost by accident. “It wasn’t meant to be a business,” the 40-year-old admits. “It was only started as a retirement hobby for my mum. What started off as a silly little idea, so to speak, just grew. We started online and moved after a few years to selling in shops.” Spice Kitchen has been wildly successful, and now Aggarwal is adding another string his company’s bow by writing a cookbook. Above all the success, he’s really just appreciated spending time with his 72-year-old mother, Shashi. “She’s incredible – she’s a whirlwind. She was born in Kenya and raised in India, so she’s got a really eclectic mix of culture. And she’s a real spice expert – we’ve got a 100-year-old spice mill in our family that’s travelled the world and I’ve got it here now; we started the business using that.” Aggarwal says it felt “natural” to work with his mother, after helping his parents run their Birmingham shop when growing up. But he’s “learned loads” from her during their new venture. “It’s certainly made me realise how entrepreneurial my mum is, how creative she is… I’ve been really impressed by how similarly we think.” He says: “We’re certainly closer for it. It’s got the ups and downs and challenges that everything has, but we’re still talking!” While there are plenty of flavour-packed Indian dishes in the new cookbook – including coriander and tandoori fishcakes, chickpea curry and tarka dal – the recipes have a decidedly global outlook. Think fish tacos, jerk-inspired pork, crispy duck with pancakes – and Aggarwal credits this to growing up in the diverse city of Birmingham. “I was born and brought up there, so for me, that was all I knew. But for my mum, it was very much a big influence on her,” he explains. When she came to the UK as a young married woman, “her cuisine and culture was all very Indian” – something that soon changed. “My mum has really seen that development of food and culture, and that cosmopolitan nature of Birmingham. It’s had tidal waves of immigration – my mum being one of them from India – and from West Africa and Asia and all different places. She’s witnessed that, when she came to the UK.” Aggarwal recounts how in the early days of living in Birmingham, Shashi would grind her own spices – you couldn’t buy blends at the time – which “reminded her of home and made her less homesick”, but then her palate expanded. “She’s vegetarian, but got to try all these amazing different sorts of vegetarian food from all around the world, be it Middle Eastern, Chinese or Japanese or whatever. Some of those things weren’t accessible when she first came, but were as time went on – and my mum’s very experimental. “She’s a real foodie. She loves trying new things and experimenting – probably more than anyone else I know. I think she’s quite unique, because I think a lot of people from cultures where they’ve got a really strong food culture – certainly like Indian culture – a lot of my aunts and uncles, they don’t really eat or experiment outside of Indian food. They find it quite scary, not very flavoursome, or quite bland. But my mum really gets it – she’s got a really deep palate, and she can really appreciate different cultures.” This love of different cuisines means both mother and son are quite free with the way they cook– and they want other people to be the same. For example, if you’re making a frittata and you don’t have any Italian seasoning, Aggarwal says: “Try it with Mexican [spice blends], try it with jerk and you could still create something amazing. Don’t be afraid to experiment.” One of the more unusual combinations he’s tried? Mexican spices in a shepherd’s pie: “It actually tastes amazing in there. We’re just trying to get people to be a bit more free thinking and adventurous. What’s the worst that can happen?” Aggarwal says he’s often asked how to make an “authentic” dish – a question he struggles to answer. “It’s very difficult to understand what they mean by that – what is the meaning of authenticity? I’m a second-generation British-born person… Food has evolved over time. We wanted to make sure the dishes [in the cookbook] were authentic in terms of linking back to the original recipes and what they’re all about, and especially the blends being as authentic as possible – trying to respect the tradition. “But we’re also trying to say, we can only take our take on things. I can take my take on things and my mum can take her take on things – and things have changed over time.” That’s why Aggarwal advises against getting “too hung up on authenticity, because there is no way of achieving it”. Instead, he recommends taking a dish you like and “play with the flavours a little bit” to “make it your own”. ‘Spice Kitchen’ by Sanjay Aggarwal (Quadrille, £22).

A video claiming to show food going to waste at Starbucks has gone viral, despite the company previously pledging to donate all unsold food. Aidan Stockin, who works at the coffee chain, alleged that throwing away “perfectly good food” has become common practice at Starbucks. In a clip that has been viewed 2.2m times and liked by more than 189,000 viewers, the 23-year-old showed food waste allegedly left over at the end of his shift. “It’s not just one restaurant, it’s all of them,” the biology student from Massachusetts told NeedToKnow.co.uk. “I’ve worked in several over the past seven years and every single one says that they have a food donation service, then turns around and throws out a substantial amount of food daily. “It made me feel sick to be forced into throwing out so much perfectly good food when the homeless shelter is 10 minutes down the road.” In the video, he began by showing a shopping cart being filled with different packaged food items. He then revealed another trolley filled to the brim with pastries, before showing a picture of all the alleged waste in total. Users have taken to the comments to share their reactions, with many left upset and confused. “Nooo why can’t they donate it,” one viewer asked, while another said: “I would legit cash app you right now for those chocolate croissants.” “Just call your local Salvation Army to pick it up,” someone else suggested, while another viewer claimed the food waste should be “illegal”. In 2016, Starbucks announced its “FoodShare” programme, where it said it would donate unsold food from 100 per cent of the US stores. In 2020, it was alleged that Starbucks locations were throwing away unsold food, as investigated by the New York Post. According to Aidan, food is allegedly still being thrown away in 2023. Referring to the incident in the TikTok, he said: “The exact same scenario happened with our savoury sandwiches two days prior, in which two full carts were thrown away. In total, five carts were thrown out in less than three days. “I felt trapped and conflicted because if it were up to me, I would have loaded the food into the back of my car and drove it straight down to the homeless shelter.” Jam Press contacted Starbucks for comment. A company spokesperson said: “At Starbucks, our goal is to donate 100 per cent of approved to donate food, including perishable items like salads and sandwiches, furthering Starbucks resource positive commitment to reduce waste by 50 per cent by 2030. “Since 2016, Starbucks has been committed to supporting hunger relief through its innovative Starbucks FoodShare food donation program in partnership with Feeding America, Second Harvest Canada and other hunger-relief organisations. “Expanding our efforts to rescue food and divert from landfills is key to helping us reach our aspirations. We have developed a process which enables us to donate our fresh, ready-to-eat food items in addition to the pastries that we have been donating for years. Our commitments and FoodShare programming are carried out in company-owned stores. We encourage our licensed store partnerships to include Starbucks donations in their existing food waste reduction and donation programs.” Read More How can you save money on your wedding food? Woman praised for telling guests not to eat the food at her sister’s wedding 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat

A celebrity chef has “banned” vegans from his restaurant after reportedly receiving a negative review from a customer who criticised the lack of plant-based options. On Tuesday, Chef John Mountain revealed on the Facebook page for his restaurant Fyre that the eatery would no longer be catering to vegan diners. According to Mountain, the decision to ban vegans from the Perth, Australia, restaurant was due to “mental health reasons”. “Sadly all vegans are now banned from Fyre (for mental health reasons),” the post on the restaurant’s Facebook reads. “We thank you for your understanding. Xx.” The post also included the caption: “Yep. I’m done.” and the hashtags #vegan, #not, #pleasegoelsewhere, #veganfreezone, and #nomorevegans. The decision allegedly stemmed from a bad review posted by a vegan customer, with Chef Mountain telling PerthNow that a customer had reached out to him to ask if there were any vegan options at the restaurant, and that he’d promised he would accommodate her. “A young girl reached out to me and said she was coming to the restaurant… and asked if there were vegan options,” he said. “It was my only shortfall… I said I would accommodate her, I said we had gnocchi, vegetables… and that was that.” However, according to Mountain, who previously starred on the BBC show Great British Menu, he’d forgotten about the woman’s request when she came to dine on Saturday, as he’d been busy catering a private party. “Saturday came around and sadly I’d forgotten… I had a private party I had to cater for,” he told the outlet, adding that his sous chef had reportedly reprimanded him for “not telling them about the vegan customer”. According to the UK-born chef, the woman wrote a complaint to the restaurant on Facebook the following day, in which she’d criticised the $32 vegetable dish that had been her “only option”. The woman’s message also reportedly read: “I think it’s incredibly important nowadays that restaurants can accommodate everyone and to not be able to have actual plant-based meals shows your shortcomings as a chef. “I hope to see some improvements in your menu as I have lived in Connolly for quite some time and have seen many restaurants come and go from that building and none of them last. If you don’t get with the times, I don’t hold out faith that your restaurant will be the one that does.” The restaurant reportedly addressed the woman’s complaint in a response of its own, in which it noted that it tried to “accommodate everyone” before encouraging the customer to “feel free to share your sh**ty experience”. “Thanks for your negative review… please feel free to share your sh***y experience and I look forward to not seeing you again. How very childish. You and all your vegan mates can all go and enjoy your dishes in another venue, you are now banned,” the restaurant’s response read, according to PerthNow. Although Chef Mountain admitted he’d said he would accommodate the woman and then “didn’t,” she’d made the complaint “personal”. The chef also claimed that, as a result of the woman’s complaint, his restaurant was flooded with negative one-star reviews on Google, which he said “really hurts the business”. “F*** vegans seriously… I’m done. At the end of the day, it’s not what I want to do, they can f*** off,” he added. Mountain reiterated the sentiment while speaking to 7News, with the chef telling the outlet: “F*** vegans, I’m done with them.” Mountain also claimed that customers should “know what they’re getting from me,” as he has previously written a cookbook titled Pig. “I once wrote and sold a book called Pig which had pork recipes. People know what they’re getting from me,” he said. “I understand where vegans are coming from but my job is to make food taste as good as I can and I can’t always cater to everybody’s dietary requirements.” On social media, the chef’s ban on vegans has sparked an intense debate among customers, with some praising Mountain and Fyre, while others have condemned the decision. “Bravo! Good on you mate, great stance. It’s nowhere near where I live but I will definitely come to your restaurant now,” one comment under the Facebook post reads, while another person wrote: “Can’t wait to try this place, just booked a table! Looking forward to a nice piece of rare steak.” The restaurant has also received a flood of positive reviews on its Facebook, where many have praised both the food and the staff, while others have applauded the restaurant’s “principles” and “ethics”. “Outstanding chef. Great rules and ethics,” one review reads, while another recent review states: “Great staff, great food and a chef with principles.” However, the restaurant has also continued to face criticism over Mountain’s “ban” on vegans, with one recent review reading: “You can’t call yourself a chef if you can’t even cook veggies. Owner is very arrogant and can’t take criticism.” “Discriminating and refusing vegans into his venue, all for a complaint for not following an agreed vegan option. How disgusting,” someone else wrote. The restaurant’s alleged ban on vegans comes after a vegan landlord in New York City recently went viral after requesting that only tenants who follow a plant-based diet live in the building. The Independent has contacted Chef Mountain for comment. Read More Vegan landlord seeks tenants for $5,750 New York apartment with period features. Meat eaters need not apply Vegan family asks neighbours to close their windows when cooking meat Former vegan says meat ‘saved her life’ after diet ‘made hair fall out’ Missing Glastonbury? Here’s how to have a festival feast at home Four berry sweet recipes that go beyond strawberries and cream Can you whip up the perfect burger in just five minutes?

The infamous College World Series Jello shot contest record should be questioned.

With Glastonbury kicking off today, it’s safe to say that festival season is officially in full swing. Didn’t manage to get tickets this year? Not to worry! From food to tunes, here’s everything you need to recreate the ultimate Glasto experience at home… Dress to impress It’s time to whip out the flower crowns and get decked out in your best festival gear – just because you’re at home, doesn’t mean you can’t dress to impress. Think fancy dress, glitter, fringing… anything goes! If you’re looking for inspo, try searching “Glastonbury festival fashion” on Pinterest and scroll until your heart’s content. Crank the tunes up What’s a festival without music? If you have a projector, you could get out in the garden and stream the official Glasto set, or simply pop the Spotify Glastonbury 2023 playlist on and have a boogie. Even better, if you have musically gifted friends in your group, get them to get their instruments out and put on a headline show of their own. Enjoy a festival feast Of course, music is important, but food is also an essential part of the festival vibe. Get inspired by Glastonbury’s food stalls with these recipes… Halloumi, chip and tzatziki pitta with salad Serves: 2 Ingredients: 1 garlic clove 1 tsp dried oregano 2 wholemeal pittas 1 midi cucumber 50g baby leaf salad 200g halloumi 2 white potatoes 80g natural yoghurt 15ml white wine vinegar 5g mint 1 red onion Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C (fan)/gas 7. Boil half a kettle. Peel and finely slice the red onion. Add the sliced red onion to a bowl, cover with boiled water and set aside for later. 2. Cut the potatoes (skins on) into thin chips, then add them to a baking tray with the dried oregano, a drizzle of vegetable oil and a pinch of salt. Give everything a good mix up and put the tray in the oven for 25-30 min or until crisp. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop (or grate) the garlic. 3. Strip the mint leaves from their stems and chop them roughly, discard the stems. Grate half the cucumber and slice the rest into batons. Add the chopped garlic, chopped mint and grated cucumber to a bowl with the natural yoghurt and mix it all together – this is your tzatziki. 4. Drain the sliced red onion in a sieve and rinse under cold water. Return to the bowl and add the white wine vinegar with a generous pinch of sugar. Stir to combine and set aside to pickle – these are your quick-pickled onions. 5. Slice the halloumi widthways into 4 equal-sized strips. Then slice each strip in half so you are left with 8 halloumi sticks. Heat a large, wide-based pan (preferably non-stick) with a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the halloumi sticks and cook for 2-3 min on each side or until golden. 6. Once the chips are almost done, add the pittas to the tray. Return the tray to the oven and cook for 2-3 min or until warmed through. 7. Wash the baby leaf salad, then pat it dry with kitchen paper. Fill the warmed pittas with the chips, golden halloumi sticks, cucumber batons and a handful of baby leaf salad. Top with the tzatziki and quick-pickled onions then wrap in the tin foil to hold it all together – these are your halloumi, chip and tzatziki pittas. Serve the halloumi, chip & tzatziki pittas with any remaining tzatziki and baby leaf salad to the side. Fluffy bao buns Makes: 12 Ingredients: 7g fast-action yeast 2 tbsp caster sugar 340g plain flour ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda Bamboo steamer or bain-marie Method: 1. Combine the yeast and sugar in a bowl with 150ml of warm water. Mix and set aside for 10-15 mins. Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarb and a pinch of salt, then combine to form a dough ball. 2. Knead onto a floured surface for 5 minutes, until the dough is perfectly smooth. Place it in a greased bowl, cover with a towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. 3. Place twelve 1-cm squares of baking paper on a large baking tray. Roll your dough until it’s ½cm thick and cut out twelve circles with a 7cm round cookie cutter. 4. Place each circle on a square of paper and brush with veg oil (so they don’t stick when folded). Fold each one in half, cover the tray with cling film and leave in a warm place for another hour to puff up. 5. Once risen, steam in batches for 9-11 minutes until cooked through. Add your chosen filling and serve warm. DIY double cheeseburger Serves: 2 Ingredients: 2 sesame seed buns 400g minced beef 1 tsp vegetable oil 4 slices of cheese ¼ iceberg lettuce (finely shredded) 2 gherkins (sliced) ½ white onion (finely diced) For the burger sauce: 2 tbsp mayonnaise 2 tbsp ketchup 2 tsp yellow Mustard 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp pickle juice ½ tsp cayenne pepper Method: 1. Generously season your beef mince with salt and pepper in a bowl and mix until sticky to the touch. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions, shape them into patties, and pop them into the fridge on a parchment-lined tray. 2. Whip up your burger sauce by combining all your ingredients in a bowl and giving it a good mix. 3. Slice the burger buns into 3 and toast them in a dry frying pan until golden brown. 4. Heat a frying pan on medium heat with a splash of vegetable oil and fry your patties for 5-7 minutes. Top tip: use a spatula or burger weight to keep your patties flat while cooking. 5. Add a slice of cheese to each patty and turn off the heat when the cheese starts to melt. 6. Build your Gousto Burgers with shredded lettuce, a cheesy patty and a layer of sliced gherkin, diced onions and burger sauce. Pop in the middle of your burger bun and repeat. Don’t forget the bar Enjoy some delicious summery cocktails with these recipes. Mojito Ingredients: Juice of 1 lime 1 tsp sugar Small handful of mint leaves, plus more to serve 60ml white rum Soda water, to taste Method: 1. Slap your mint leaves between your palms once, then add them to a small jug. 2. Gently muddle the lime juice, sugar and mint leaves in a small jug, crushing the mint as you go. The end of a rolling pin works well for this. 3. Pour into a tall glass and add a handful of ice. 4. Pour in your rum and give it another stir with a spoon. 5. Top up with soda water, garnish with mint and serve. Bellini Ingredients: 500 ml peach purée or peach nectar 1 bottle of prosecco Method: 1. Fill your glasses with 1/3 peach purée. 2. Top them off prosecco, and serve. Gousto offers over 250 recipes from expert chefs to choose from each month, from £2.99 per portion. Visit gousto.co.uk for more information.

British strawberry season has finally arrived, albeit a month later than last year’s first harvests due to the unsettled spring weather. A cooler than average April and May means the nation can expect to enjoy bigger, juicier and sweeter strawberries this year due to a slower ripening period. But it’s the iconic summer occasions that mark peak popularity for the British strawberry. The slightly later season this year means British strawberries will be in their prime for Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, the Lord’s Test Match and Henley Royal Regatta. Nick Marston, chairman of British Berry Growers, the industry body that represents 95 per cent of berries supplied to UK supermarkets says: “Our strawberry crop has arrived a little later this year – but the good news is that they are well worth the wait. Cooler spring weather means that strawberries have ripened a little more slowly which allows them to grow particularly large – and the recent bright weather has boosted their sugar content ensuring they’re incredibly sweet tasting too. “Advanced growing techniques now mean we now produce fresh British strawberries from May right through to October. That’s great news for UK shoppers and it means big business for the UK economy too.” Despite the UK spending a whopping £778m on strawberries in the past 12 months, most of us (two-thirds) are storing them all wrong, according to a survey by the group. Marston says: “When it comes to storing berries, wash them and pop them in the fridge to keep them fresher for longer. However, remember to take them out a couple of hours before eating so they can warm up to room temperature to release their wonderful natural flavours and sugars. “Storing berries in glass mason jars or airtight containers can also help them last longer. Whilst laying berries on a paper towel to absorb moisture can also help maintain freshness”. They’re not just for covering in chocolate or dipping in cream either. From a superfood salad to a cooling punch, these strawberry recipes make the most of the cream of the British summer fruit crop. Superfood strawberry and pine nut salad Serves: 2 Ingredients: 100g strawberries 1 large avocado 100g kale 150g cooked wild rice 50g pine nuts 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp mustard Salt Pepper Method: Toast the pine nuts in a small pan for a few minutes until golden then leave to the side to cool. Thinly slice the kale leaves into strips. Whisk the olive oil, vinegar and mustard together with a pinch of salt and pepper. Massage the kale with this dressing for 5 minutes until the kale wilts down. Cut the strawberries into quarters and the avocado into chunks and mix this with the kale salad. Stir in the wild rice, a pinch of salt and toasted pine nuts and serve. Cheat: add black Thai rice instead or buy a pouch of ready cooked brown basmati and wild rice. Strawberry and raspberry ripple Eton Mess Make up the strawberry swirled meringues and fruit puree the day before, then just layer with whipped cream and extra fruit in recycled jam jars and screw on the lids, take out to the garden in a basket or pack into a cool box for a picnic pud. Serves: 6 Prep time: 35 minutes | Cooking time: 1¼-1½ hours Ingredients: 225g (8oz) strawberries, hulled 100g (4oz) raspberries For the meringues: 2 egg whites 100g (4oz) caster sugar To finish: 300ml (½ pint) double cream 200g (7oz) 0.1% fat fromage frais 225g (8oz) strawberries, hulled, roughly chopped 50g (2oz) raspberries Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 110C (225F)/gas mark ¼. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. 2. Puree the strawberries and raspberries in a liquidiser or food processor then press through a sieve. 3. Whisk the egg whites in a large clean dry bowl until they form stiff moist looking peaks and you feel confident that if the bowl was turned upside down the egg whites wouldn’t fall out! Gradually whisk in the sugar a teaspoonful at a time then continue whisking for a minute or two until really thick and glossy. 4. Add 2 tablespoons of the berry puree then very briefly mix until marbled. Spoon into a large piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm (¾ inch) plain piping tube, pipe small rounds on to the lined baking sheet. Bake for 1¼-1½ hours or until the meringues may be easily lifted off the paper. Leave to cool. 5. To serve, lightly whip the cream until it forms soft swirls then fold in the fromage frais. Crumble the meringues then layer in jam jars or plastic containers with the remaining berry puree and diced strawberries. Decorate with the raspberries. Add the lids and keep in the fridge until ready to serve or transport to a picnic in a cool bag with a frozen ice block to keep them cold. Serve within 1½ hours or the meringues tend to lose their crunch. Strawberry basil éclairs Strawberries and cream get the French treatment, what’s not to love! Makes: 16 Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 50g (2oz) butter, plus a little extra for greasing 150ml (¼ pint) water 65g (2½oz) plain flour, sifted 2 medium eggs ½ tsp vanilla extract To finish: 400g (14oz) strawberries, hulled, chopped 2 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra sifted icing sugar to decorate 3 tbsp fresh chopped basil leaves 300ml (½ pint) double cream Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets and set aside. 2. Add the measured butter to a saucepan with the water, heat gently until the butter has melted then bring to the boil. Take off the heat add the flour and stir together then put the pan back on the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously until the mixture forms a smooth glossy ball that leaves the sides of the pan clean. Cool for 15 minutes. 3. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla, beating well after each addition until all the eggs have been added and you have a smooth thick paste. If you have a food processor or electric mixer you might like to use this to save time. 4. Spoon the choux pastry into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm (½ inch) wide plain piping tube. Pipe 7.5cm (3 inch) long éclairs, leaving space between them to rise in the oven. 5. Bake for 20 minutes until well risen and golden, pierce each éclair with a small knife so that the steam can escape then transfer to a wire rack to cool. 6. Meanwhile mix the strawberries, 2 tablespoons icing sugar and basil together, cover the dish and leave at room temperature. 7. About 1 hour before you are ready to serve the éclairs, slit open the sides with a serrated knife. Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks then fold in any strawberry juices. Spoon into the éclairs and top with the strawberries and basil. 8. Dust with sifted icing sugar and transfer to a plate and serve. Cook’s tip: Choux pastry isn’t as tricky as you might think to make, the secret is to weigh the ingredients accurately, don’t be over generous with one of the ingredients or the mixture may be too soft to pipe and use either metric or imperial not a mix of both! For chocolate fans: Spoon a little melted white chocolate over the top of the éclairs instead of adding the icing sugar. Iced berry punch This can be made in advance and chilled in the fridge overnight. Top up with white wine and chilled sparkling mineral or tonic water for a refreshing summer aperitif. Drivers can simply top up the cordial with sparkling water, tonic or lemonade. Add strawberry or herb flowers, even tiny pansy flowers to sections of an ice cube tray, then top up with water and freeze. Pop out of tray and add to punch just before serving. Makes: 10, 150 ml (¼ pint) glasses Prep time: 15 minutes | Chilling time: 4 hours or overnight Ingredients: 450g (1 lb) strawberries, hulled, sliced or raspberries (whole) 75g (3 oz) caster sugar Grated rind and juice 1 lemon To serve: A few ice cubes 75cl bottle dry white wine, chilled 1 sliced lemon 200g (7oz) fresh strawberries, halved or raspberries (whole) 1 litre (1¾ pint) sparkling mineral or tonic water, chilled Method: 1. Crush the strawberries in the bottom of a saucepan with a potato masher. Add the sugar, lemon rind and juice and heat gently for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave to cool. Mash once more then strain into a bottle or jam jar and chill overnight. Pour the chilled strawberry syrup into the base of a punch bowl, add some ice then the chilled white wine, sliced lemons and sliced strawberries. Mix together then top up with sparkling mineral or tonic water and serve immediately. Over 90 sweet and savoury strawberry recipes can be found on the Love Fresh Berries website: www.lovefreshberries.co.uk/recipes Read More Can you whip up the perfect burger in just five minutes? These are the viral TikTok recipes you have to make this Father’s Day Eddie Huang: ‘I’ll never eat at BAO London – I know mine’s better’ BBQ salad recipes without a soggy lettuce leaf in sight Grace Dent’s quick and easy recipes that only require the microwave How to shop for and cook Japanese food at home like a pro

Nothing says summer like a juicy, flavour-packed burger straight off the grill, but what if you’re short on time? According to Sorted Food’s Kush Bhasin, all you need is five minutes. In the Sub-10 Minute Burger Challenge on their YouTube channel, Bhasin topped the leaderboard with an impressive 1 minute 58 seconds cooking time. Luckily for us, he later refined the recipe so we can achieve the same greatness in just five minutes. Five-minute burger Makes: 1 Takes: 5 mins Ingredients: 250g beef mince 50g gherkins, sliced ½ gem lettuce 1 tbsp American mustard 2 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tbsp ketchup 1 burger bun, sliced 4 American-style cheese slices Method: Preheat the grill/broiler to high. Place a large frying pan over a high heat. Form the beef mince into 2 very thin burger-shaped patties, and then place them into the large frying pan, smashing them down as you go. Cook for 45 seconds and then flip the patties – repeat on the 2nd side until well browned all over. Finely chop the gherkins and shred the lettuce. Place the mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, gherkins, and lettuce into a medium mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Toast the burger buns under the grill for 1 minute until golden brown. Once the burger patties are coloured on both sides, season lightly with salt and pepper. Add 2 slices of cheese to each. Add 1 tbsp of water to the pan and cover with a lid to steam and melt the cheese for 20 seconds. Layer the burger sauce and burger patties onto the burger bun base and top with the bun lid. Serve. Read More These are the viral TikTok recipes you have to make this Father’s Day Eddie Huang: ‘I’ll never eat at BAO London – I know mine’s better’ BBQ salad recipes without a soggy lettuce leaf in sight Grace Dent’s quick and easy recipes that only require the microwave How to shop for and cook Japanese food at home like a pro Crystelle Pereira: ‘This is controversial but... French food isn’t that great’