Australian supermarket dark chocolate taste test: ‘I feel like a refined, classy lady eating this’

One was ‘bold, confidently sour’, another ‘smelled like soy sauce’. Nicholas Jordan and friends blind test 17 blocks of plain dark chocolate to find the ones that raised the barMy chocolate obsession has been through many phases. The most ridiculous was the bean-to-bar period when, over three sleep-deprived days, I tried to fashion a chocolate bar using a large bowl, a hairdryer and a pair of blenders. It taught me it’s possible for home cooks to make chocolate that’s both delicious and interesting, but it’s absolutely not worth it.That brings me to my current phase, a stage of life that requires frequent chocolate purchases, sometimes in bulk and sometimes immediately

Dear chefs: what are the perfect sides for Easter lamb?

What are the best sides to pair with lamb at Easter? “Lamb has a deep, rich flavour; it’s distinctive, but it’s versatile, too,” say Jay Claus and Syrus Pickhaver of Rake at The Compton Arms in north London. “As long as you render the fat slowly and fully, so the flavour is released and the lamb is tender, you can take it in all sorts of directions.” Something “with good salinity”, be that gherkins or anchovies, is as good a start as any in their book, as is erring towards a “Greek vibe” for Anna Hedworth, author of Service (think “yoghurty, fresh or sharp things, such as tzatziki or salsa verde”). Happily, lamb also lends itself “beautifully to an abundance of fresh herbs, and to spring produce – asparagus, wild garlic, peas, fennel and globe artichokes,” adds Ben Allen, head chef at the Parakeet in north-west London. When it comes to specific sides, however, that all really depends on how you’re cooking the lamb

José Pizarro’s recipe for spring lamb and asparagus rice with saffron and fino

Even though the lamb is the star of this dish, it’s the asparagus that truly makes me happy. The arrival of asparagus season always feels like a little celebration of spring and longer, brighter days ahead. British asparagus, the best in the world, adds a fresh, seasonal touch that makes this rice really special. It’s the perfect one-pot recipe for the first al fresco meal of the year, with simple ingredients that come together beautifully, and with saffron bringing its delicate aroma and golden warmth. This is a great minimal-effort way to enjoy the new season – and every bite

UK’s oldest Indian restaurant faces closure in dispute with crown estate

It has been a fixture of British-Indian dining since it first opened its doors in April 1926 on the day of Elizabeth II’s birth, serving guests over the decades ranging from Marlon Brando to the late Queen herself.Yet despite surviving the Blitz and London’s relentlessly competitive restaurant sector, a dispute with the current monarch’s property developer threatens the survival of London’s oldest Indian restaurant just short of its 100th anniversary.The crown estate, which owns Victory House, the listed building housing the Michelin-stared Veeraswamy restaurant near Piccadilly Circus, has said that it cannot continue to extend its lease against the backdrop of plans to refurbish and upgrade offices in the same property.Veeraswamy’s co-owner Ranjit Mathrani is now heading to the high court to attempt to have the lease extended. He intends to lodge objections to the plans

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for goat’s cheese, herb and hazelnut spring tart | Quick and easy

This is one of my favourite recipes for this column so far. Light, fresh goat’s cheese and artichokes baked in a tart with a smooth, herb-packed base and finished with hazelnuts; I especially like the contrast of the crisp filo against the filling. There are a lot of herbs here, but they balance beautifully, so I’d advise using them all, particularly the chives. (I bought 30g packs of mint and basil, but by the time I had got rid of the stems, there were just 20g leaves left. My herb windowsill is lavish with rosemary, sage and oregano, but sadly not the soft herbs yet

Rachel Roddy’s recipe for almond and potato cake with lemon curd and mascarpone | A kitchen in Rome

Writing in 1891, in his cooking manual La Scienza in Cucina e L’arte di Mangiar Bene (Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well), Pellegrino Artusi introduces the potato as a tuber from the solanaceae (nightshade) family that was native to South America and introduced to Europe in the 16th century. He goes on to note that large-scale cultivation didn’t begin in Italy until the beginning of the 18th century, due to the “obstinacy of the masses who were averse to eating it”, adding that, little by little, the potato became more than accepted (by the poor as well as the rich), because of its good taste, ability to satisfy hunger and the way it lent itself to being cooked in so many ways.If my counting is correct, of 790 recipes in that seminal book, 30 of them include potatoes or a significant proportion of potato flour. What is especially interesting is that even though the first recipe that includes potatoes is recipe 14 (a tasty-sounding brothy minestra with little gnocchi made from potatoes, boiled chicken, yolks and cheese), plus 14 more savoury potato recipes that Artusi waits to introduce, it isn’t until the chapter entitled Torte e dolci al Cucchiaio (Cakes and Desserts Eaten with a Spoon) that the potato is formally presented. In recipe 661, budino di patate, a soft, blancmange-style pudding that definitely requires a spoon, is made from floury potatoes, sugar, eggs, milk and lemon zest