Sharmilee, Leicester: ‘It really is worth your time’ – restaurant review

Our hugely influential restaurant critic, leaving the Observer after 26 years, finishes up with an Indian feastSharmilee, 71-73 Belgrave Road, Leicester LE4 6AS, (0116 266 8471). Starters £4.25- £5.95, mains £6.95-£12

Thomasina Miers’ Sunday lunch of glazed ham hock with harissa lentils and praline sundae – recipes

Our neighbourhood farmers’ market comes every Sunday, and brings with it a stunning range of seasonal fruit and veg, affordable fish, good-quality meat with cheap cuts galore, plus cheeses, breads and much more. For me, going there and chatting to and supporting the stallholders and farmers (many of whom I have now known for years) feels a bit like going to church; there’s something soulful about it, wrapped in community spirit. But it can mess with my Sunday lunch timings, so here is a rich, comforting braise that you can start before you go out to do your favourite Sunday ritual. I hope you love it as much as we did and which should supply some delicious ham leftovers for sandwiches.This delicious sugar- and mustard-crusted ham hock with braised lentils flecked with a touch of harissa is a total feast

How to turn leftovers into a savoury bread pudding – recipes | Waste not

Layers of savoury custard-soaked stale bread, topped with odds and ends of cheese, vegetables and meatStrata is a classic dish that is also a marvellous way to use up stale bread, odds and ends of cheese, and whatever vegetables or meat you have left over. It’s endlessly adaptable, and great for feeding a crowd or prepping ahead for a laid-back breakfast or brunch.Strata involves layering custard-soaked bread in a buttered dish, and covering it in more custard, plenty of cheese and just about whatever other flavoursome ingredients take your fancy. Cubed bread seems to be common in many recipes, but, as a big fan of the quintessential British bread-and-butter pudding, I’ve used sliced bread instead (I was surprised to learn that this American-style savoury bread pudding has been around since the early 1900s – one of the earliest recipes appears in Juniata L Shepperd’s book Handbook of Household Science, published in 1902).I flavoured my strata with chopped spinach, roast leeks and sun-dried tomato paste, a combination that I can very much vouch for, but I would recommend working with whatever you’ve got to hand

Five bars that show off London’s status as ‘wine capital of the world’

This week, London was crowned “wine capital of the world”. It’s worth noting, perhaps, that this shiny new title comes from the annual Knight Frank Wealth Report, and is based on how many restaurants serve fine wines from the world’s top 250 wine and champagne houses. If this is what matters to you when looking at a wine list, this would put London’s wine offering ahead of New York, and even Paris.The Guardian’s wine expert Hannah Crosbie lists a few old and new wine bars that you can walk into and order a bottle anytime. You don’t have to be rich to drink here (but I’m sure it helps)

Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for guava jam sandwich biscuits | The sweet spot

At the start of the year, I spent a month eating my way around Mexico City, and one thing I ate in abundance (besides tacos) were guavas. I had them in every way possible: blitzed into a juice; sitting on a cheesecake at the iconic Contramar; or as a sticky, jam-filled pastry found at nearly every bakery I visited. My favourite version also came with a layer of cream cheese, and I’ve taken those flavours and put them in biscuit form. Shop-bought guava jam is as close as I’ll get here in the UK, but these remind me of a delicious trip every time I make them.Prep 5 min Chill 1 hr 15 min Cook 1 hr, plus cooling Makes 9For the biscuits175g plain flour 50g ground almonds 80g caster sugar ¼ tsp salt 100g unsalted butter, diced 1 medium egg, beatenFor the filling 100g cream cheese ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or extract15g icing sugar, plus extra to dustA pinch of salt 3 tbsp guava jamTo make the biscuits, mix the flour, almonds, sugar and salt in a bowl until combined

Xinomavro: the incredible Greek grape with the X-factor

No wry anecdotes this week, no obscure references or jokes that only I find clever or funny. Today, I’m getting serious about xinomavro. If you haven’t heard of it, allow me to make its introduction, but if I’m already preaching to the choir, why are you still reading? Pour yourself a glass to have with lunch.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link