Articles by Olivia Haughton

We’re really excited about the recent launch of the speciality prawn section on our website. Working with our dedicated supplier we have put together a stonking selection of prawns, shrimp and langoustine, even if we do say so ourselves! And better still, there’s more to come so watch this space.

In the meantime though take a look below for a glimpse at some of the beauties we now have on offer. Each of them different from the next and all of them wild, sustainably fished and top quality. Why frozen? When the prawns are flash frozen at sea within hours of being caught, they have no chance to degrade in quality and freshness. So when you defrost and cook them at home that freshness remains and they taste as good as if they’d just been caught.

We’ve had some great recipes on the blog in the past year and, since Valentine’s Day is a good opportunity to cook something fabulous, we thought we’d round up some of our favourites for a romantic dinner extraordinaire.

January is traditionally a time when we’re bombarded with healthy eating advice and the national mindset shifts its focus to diet mode. Whether you subscribe or not, the beginning of the year can often be a time when meal inspiration is lacking; fresh produce is sparse and at its least varied. But help is at hand. I’ve pulled together a few of my favourite late winter ingredients to help bring a little excitement to the post Christmas blues.

This dish is a great way to enjoy the game season. It’s elegant and perfect for a dinner party without giving yourself too much work to do – just scale the quantities accordingly.

This quick canapé idea couldn’t be simpler to make. It’s a great snack to whip up for a last minute dinner party or an impromptu visit from friends. The heat can be adjusted by using more or less nduja and the quantities scaled up or down easily, so just make as much as you need. Serve with breadsticks, crudités or crisps.

I admit this barely qualifies as a recipe, but it’s so good it’s worth it! What follows is more of a series of assembly instructions to create a delicious and super easy canapé or snack. Nduja has entered my life with a bit of a bang. As soon as I tried the spicy spreadable salami I knew it would play a starring role in my cooking for a while. Whether I want to deepen the flavour in a stew, enrich a pasta sauce, top a homemade pizza or make a quick dip (recipe coming soon!), nduja is my new favourite ingredient, enhancing the flavour of so many dishes.

Hot and fiery horseradish is a love-it or loathe-it ingredient. While many indulge in its rich heat, others find the heady mustard-like kick a step too far. For those who can’t get enough though, this root is so much more than just the perfect foil to roast beef. Horseradish is part of the brassicaceae family and shares genetics with mustard, wasabi, broccoli, radish and kale. Long and gnarly in shape, the flesh is creamy white and seemingly innocuous. Don’t be fooled though, this root has a knockout punch.

The meatiness of morels is a revelation to this morel novice. Having never tried this particular fungi before, I wasn’t expecting such full-flavoured, substantial and juicy flesh. So when Drogo whipped up this pasta dish I was eager to tuck in. Brought to life by the classic pairing of chicken stock, cream and booze, the mushrooms tasted fantastic - so rich and meaty in texture. This is such a simple recipe and a great way to introduce newbies like me to morels. So, what are you waiting for? Give it a go while they’re still in season.

At this time of year the sense of invigoration and new possibilities is palpable in everyone I meet. Spring has definitely sprung and the range of seasonal produce available is expanding almost daily. We’ve been cooking up some treats in the office but I thought I’d share with you some of the season’s stars that will hopefully inspire a little creative flair in the kitchen this spring.

I first came across charmoula when I was working as a chef at a Mediterranean restaurant in Bristol. It’s a herb-laden sauce prolific in North African cuisine and it pairs fantastically with fish and grilled meats. We often served it with roast butternut squash and goats cheese as a tapas dish – a combination I thoroughly recommend. Earthy cumin and coriander paired with the rich, spiced porkiness of chorizo balance beautifully with the sea-sweetness of mussels. A gentle heat from the chilli and paprika warms the mouth slowly and brings the dish to life. If your diners are anything like the hungry gannets here at Fine Food HQ your plates will be wiped clean in no time!

This is the first feature in a new series where we’re shining the spotlight on some of our favourite producers. We’re kicking things off with Costèllo + Hellerstein, a fantastic brand still in their infancy but with a small yet stunning range of chocolates that we’re delighted to have on our shelves.

Chocolatier Ori Hellerstein and former marketing recruiter Yvonne Costello run the business from their Cotswold base. Ori’s Le Cordon Bleu training and many years working as a Pastry Chef in some of London’s top restaurants were the foundation on which he started his own food business. Yvonne came on board to manage the day to day running but gradually became more involved in the creative side of things. It was while supplying artisan bread, cakes and petit fours to retailers and restaurants that a client suggested they make something more of the chocolate truffles. They took the advice and launched Costèllo + Hellerstein two years later.

This dish can be dressed up or down to suit the occasion – delicately flake the salmon and scatter with micro herbs, as we have for this recipe, or throw casually into hearty bowls for an easy weeknight meal. Drogo serves this up to his family almost every week so we at Fine Food Specialist HQ were eager to try some traditional Montagu fare. Salmon, just like meat, can be cooked rare or medium rare, and for this dish the fish really benefits from the juicy firmness it gets from slightly undercooking it. If you like a bit of heat then add a sliced and deseeded red chilli into the stir-fry vegetables.

Here at Fine Food Specialist we decided to put together a list of products that we thought would be perfect for the foodie in your life come Valentine's Day. As the old saying goes, actions speak louder, and what better way to put a smile on their face than with these amazing products.