Category Archives: Food

I Went To Prague And Discovered Tartar Sauce On Chips – Here’s What Other Countries Swear By

Posted on by
Reply

I just got home from Prague and there were two huge revelations for me: homemade raspberry lemonade should be on every drinks menu, just as it is in the Czech capital, and tartar sauce goes SO well with chips.

I know, it doesn’t sound like it would fit and to be honest, when my partner and I were offered some for our sides, I politely declined. My partner didn’t, though, and I bravely pinched some for a sample.

I am so glad that I did.

The hot, salty chips we were served combined with the tangy tartar sauce made for a taste sensation. It is a match made in heaven and I can only apologise to the great city of Prague for my oversight.

It did get me wondering though. am I missing out? And what do people around the world prefer to have with their chips?

What people have with fries around the world

Australia

In Australia, chips are often served with chicken salt. On their website, The Chicken Salt Co says this is a mainstay in Australian takeaways and has been for 50 years: “Originally developed in the 1970s by two Europeans living in Adelaide, chicken salt was used as a seasoning for rotisserie chickens to add flavour and colour.

“Chicken shop owners would also add chicken salt to chips (known as hot chips) and it’s popularity spread to all corners of Australia.”

It’s surprisingly not made with chicken and is instead a blend of paprika, sugar, garlic and onion. It is DELICIOUS and I am fully obsessed.

Belgium

According to Belgian Smaak, which is a website and podcast about Belgian beer, Belgian culture, and Belgian beer culture, Belgians eat more fries per capita than any other nation and it’s the world’s biggest exporter of frozen fries.

While Belgians also enjoy tartar sauce with their chips, Belgian Smaak explains they often have Andalouse sauce, which is “essentially mayonnaise made with tomato paste and mixed with crushed, roasted red bell peppers.”

Canada

Canada is home to poutine which is a delicious dish made of fresh-cut french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy.

It. Is. Incredible.

Iceland

According to Icelandic food store Topiceland: “This spice is absolutely essential on French fries. It’s also great in various potato dishes, gratins, sauces, and stews.”

The popular seasoning includes MSG, onion, paprika, spice mix, herb protein and glucose syrup. Sounds amazing.

Netherlands

This one is a constant in our house.

Home cook Kinfolk Recipes explains: “In Holland we like to add fritessaus to our french fries. Fritessaus is a sort of mayonnaise. It is similar to mayonnaise, but with at most 25% fat, it is leaner and usually sweeter than mayonnaise.”

Ingredients include lemon, mustard, and chives.

Romania

In Romania, chips are most often enjoyed with mujdei: a creamy, very garlicky sauce.

According to Romanian food and folklore blog From Dill to Dracula, this sauce contains a whole head of garlic, sour cream, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil. Sounds delicious and utterly pungent.

Scotland

Here in my home of Scotland, we have something called chippy sauce. Only sold on the east coast and very controversial to some people, this sauce is a mix of brown sauce and vinegar. The ratio of each part changes depending on where you are, but in Edinburgh, this tangy treat is available in every chippy and always piques the curiosity of tourists at the Fringe.

The rest of the UK

The UK takes condiments very seriously and in fact, preferences change from one region to another. A 2023 survey found that in northern England, ketchup is the preferred condiment with chips.

In Northern Ireland, people most often opt for gravy and in Wales, a good dousing of curry sauce does the trick.

Vietnam

Food Republic reveals that in Vietnam, “it’s common to enjoy french fries, called khoai tây chiên, with an almost dessert-like dip made of a small scoop of butter with a side of sugar.

“People eat the sweet and buttery combo by dipping crisp fries into the softened butter and then granulated white sugar.”

Honestly? Sold.

Share Button

So THAT’s Why Easter Eggs Are So Expensive This Year

Posted on by
Reply

Tough news for fellow chocolate lovers – consumer advocacy publication Which? says that Easter eggs are up to 50% more expensive this year.

That’s despite the fact that many of the seasonal treats have actually gotten smaller.

Chocolate prices have risen by a mammoth 16.4% in the past year, compared to an average 4.4% increase among other supermarket food and drink, they add.

So, we spoke to the former VP of International Trade at Barclays and current founder of personal finance platform Generation Money, Alex King, and Mark Owen, chief chocolatier at Pembrokeshire-based chocolate factory Wickedly Welsh Chocolate, about what was really going on.

It’s partly down to growing conditions

“Easter egg prices are noticeably higher this year, and unfortunately it’s not just a case of retailers hiking up costs – the entire chocolate industry is feeling the impact of a global cocoa crisis,” Mark told us.

“Cocoa prices have more than doubled since 2023, and we’re still paying over twice what we were just two years ago.”

Alex agreed, explaining that “Cocoa prices shot up in 2024 to record highs after three poor harvests in a row for cocoa producers in the Ivory Coast and Ghana – the world’s two largest cocoa-producing nations.

“This has had a direct impact on the price of Easter Eggs this year as cocoa is obviously a major ingredient in chocolate production.”

Dairy costs have also risen by 18%, the trading expert added.

And as if that wasn’t enough, “at the start of 2024, we also saw hedge funds pour into the cocoa market with bets that the price of cocoa would continue to rise – which it did throughout 2024.

“Although these hedge funds weren’t the main driver of increased prices, they helped to spike already, increasing prices even further.”

Oh good. Anything else?

Yup, unfortunately. Alex says energy and transport costs have risen too, affecting the supply chain and, by extension, retailers.

“Another factor hitting supermarket prices more generally in the UK is the rise in National Insurance in April, just before Easter,” he suggests.

“Retailers will have begun to increase prices in advance of this to cover the extra NI cost, so that’s another reason we’re seeing higher prices – not just in easter eggs.”

Worse news: Mark told HuffPost UK he doesn’t expect the problem to go away any time soon.

“With global stocks at an all-time low and no bumper harvest expected in the coming months, supply remains incredibly tight,” he shared.

“The reality is that chocolate makers of all sizes are being squeezed. As a small, independent factory, we’ve had to absorb as much of the cost as we can, but there’s no avoiding the fact that Easter eggs are more expensive to produce this year than ever before.”

Here’s hoping 2026 is a little easier on our wallets…

Share Button

So THAT’s Why Restaurant Rice Is So Much Better

Posted on by
Reply

Did you know the size of your frying pan can seriously affect the texture of your omelette?

Yup – pros swear by a medium-small option to get the right mix of thick curds and fully cooked fluffiness.

These are the kinds of secrets chefs keep under their white sleeves when making restaurant-level food, and the sort I’m always keen to learn about.

So, you’d better believe I tuned in when former chef (and current YouTuber) @SenpaiKai9000 began his video by describing “why rice tastes better in restaurants.”

Why DOES rice taste better in restaurants?

The chef explained that, as with so many other gourmet “secrets,” chefs simply start off with “better-quality” rice.

It might surprise you to learn that not all rice is created equal. Lower-quality rice contains more blemishes, has more broken grains, contains the right amount of starch, and is the correct length.

The YouTuber says he prefers higher-grade basmati and jasmine rice “because they have so much more flavour” than other kinds.

Then, the former cook says it’s important to rinse rice in three to five times as much cold water to remove excess starch, “otherwise it can taste gummy or tacky.”

When cooking, he uses one part rice to 1.25 parts water and – a true chef’s trick – chucks butter into the pan.

If you’re cooking rice in a pot, allow it to boil, then let it simmer for 15 minutes and rest for at least a further five minutes with the lid on. That way, the steam continues to fluff up the rice.

But “really good restaurants will cook [rice] in the oven or rice cooker,” he added.

To cook it in the oven, the ex-chef covers a baking dish with foil and bakes the water, rice, butter, and salt together for 40-45 minutes.

“This allows the rice to cook way more evenly, because the heat source isn’t just coming hyper-aggressively from the bottom.”

<div class="js-react-hydrator" data-component-name="YouTube" data-component-id="5616" data-component-props="{"itemType":"video","index":19,"contentIndexByType":1,"contentListType":"embed","code":"

","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Senpai Kai","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt80koRTG61DmNCp4oybLSg","cache_age":86400,"description":"#shorts #food #easyrecipe \n$50 OFF your FIRST order of A5 WAGYU BEEF (:\nhttps://www.crowdcow.com/l/uywukadcief\n\n————————————\n\nBusiness Inquiries: stowellkaito1@gmail.com\nInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/chino_cappucino/\nTikTok: http://tiktok.com/@senpai__kai\n\n————————————\n\nMY KITCHEN GEAR\n🍳 Pots + Pans: cookgoldilocks.com/senpaikai\n🧷 Chef Tweezers: https://amzn.to/33389KU\n🔪 Chef’s knife: cookgoldilocks.com/senpaikai\n🥄 Spoons + Spatulas: cookgoldilocks.com/senpaikai\n🥘 Cast iron pan: https://amzn.to/3t7dZpj","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Add your own player cover","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AthENEDVtjc/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Why Restaurant Rice is Better","type":"video","url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AthENEDVtjc","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"life","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"originalEdition":"uk","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isAdsFree":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"67e28b46e4b07be5218749d2","entryPermalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/restaurant-level-rice-at-home_uk_67e28b46e4b07be5218749d2","entryTagsList":"food,recipes,rice","sectionSlug":"lifestyle","deptSlug":null,"sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"uk.lifestyle","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc140cf94592c45d7390c","disabledWithMapiEntries":false,"overrides":{"all":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4"},"whitelisted":["56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439","56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529","570278d2e4b070ff77b98217","57027b4be4b070ff77b98d5c","56fe95c4e4b0041c4242016b","570279cfe4b06d08e3629954","5ba9e8821c2e65639162ccf1","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e","5b35266b158f855373e28256","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2","60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","60d0de02b627221e9d819408"],"playlists":{"default":"57bc306888d2ff1a7f6b5579","news":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","politics":"56c6dbcee4b04edee8beb49c","entertainment":"56c6e7f2e4b0983aa64c60fc","tech":"56c6f70ae4b043c5bdcaebf9","parents":"56cc65c2e4b0239099455b42","lifestyle":"56cc66a9e4b01f81ef94e98c"},"playerUpdates":{"56c6056ee4b01f2b7e1b5f35":"60b8e525cdd90620331baaf4","56c5f12ee4b03a39c93c9439":"60d0d8e09340d7032ad0fb1a","59bfee7f9e451049f87f550b":"60d0d90f9340d7032ad0fbeb","5acccbaac269d609ef44c529":"60d0d9949340d7032ad0fed3","5bcd9904821576674bc55ced":"60d0d9f99340d7032ad10113","5d076ca127f25f504327c72e":"60d0daa69340d7032ad104cf","5ebac2e8abddfb04f877dff2":"60d0de02b627221e9d819408"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"8b034f64-513c-4987-b16f-42d6008f7feb","clickToPlayPlayer":"5a777b9b-81fe-41a6-8302-59e9953ee8a2","videoPagePlayer":"19654b65-409c-4b38-90db-80cbdea02cf4"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":10},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":0},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"67e28b46e4b07be5218749d2","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"desktop","page_edition":"en-uk"},"tags":[{"name":"Food","slug":"food","links":{"relativeLink":"news/food","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/food","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/food"},"relegenceSubjectId":979740,"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"Food & Drink","slug":"food-drink","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/food-drink/"},{"name":"Recipes","slug":"recipes","links":{"relativeLink":"news/recipes","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/recipes","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/recipes"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"lifestyle"},"topic":{"title":"Recipes","slug":"recipes","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/recipes/"},{"name":"rice","slug":"rice","links":{"relativeLink":"news/rice","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/rice","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/rice"},"url":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/rice/"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-1\", \"entry_paragraph_1\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline\", \"entry_paragraph_2\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-2\", \"entry_paragraph_3\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n HPGam.cmd.push(function(){\r\n\t\treturn HPGam.render(\"inline-infinite\", \"repeating_dynamic_display\", false, false);\r\n });\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}”>

Why does butter work in rice?

The addition gives rice a fuller, richer flavour, which it then imparts onto other food,

Tasting Table says

.

But that’s not the only advantage of the added fat – the experts say that including it in your rice cooker or pan can also improve its fluffiness.

That’s because, as with greasing a baking dish, it prevents the starches from sticking to the sides of the pan.

So, you’ll be left with more evenly-cooked, richer-tasting grains (don’t mind if I do).

Share Button