Is there such a thing as a good alcohol-free wine?

For those forgoing the virtuous annual kickstarter that is Dry January, disregard this article until, like me, you decide some time around February that it would probably have been a good idea. And for those currently knee-deep in it, let me shed some light on whatever the hell you’ve been drinking.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more

Toum, London W1: ‘The rotisserie is very much not rotating. Has there been a power cut?’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

I will never forget the vegetarian aubergine schnitzel option – it had the texture of a bloated sanitary towelToum, a modern Lebanese rotisserie with French culinary influences and chic cocktail-bar vibes, has recently appeared just off Regent Street, near Hamleys toy store. I often use Hamleys as a landmark for non-Londoners, because they might not find directions such as “It’s on Maddox Street, close to the Kingly Street food drag” all that useful, but may very well have experienced, or at least heard of, Hamleys’ daily “Friends Parade” with Professor Bubbles. If so, Toum is all of five minutes’ walk away, and serves cold tomatillo martinis and, more importantly, posh rotisserie chicken from a grill behind the chefs’ heads that’s in full view as you approach the front door. So very inviting.Or at least it is on social media

How to make the perfect smacked cucumbers – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …

Though I suspect many of us first find ourselves drawn to this Chinese “cold plate” by the faintly surreal overtones of vegetable-based violence suggested by the name (and before you say it, cucumbers are, of course, botanically speaking a fruit), it’s the flavour that keeps us coming back for more. A salad of cool, crunchy fruit bathed in a deeply savoury, garlicky dressing, according to Wei Guo of the Red House Spice blog, Pāi Huáng Guā is to be found on “family dinner tables, in small street cafes and in upscale restaurants” nationwide.Here in the UK, however, it’s particularly associated with Sichuan restaurants, where the cucumbers act as a bracing contrast to the fiery flavours of chilli and hot and numbing Sichuan peppercorns. In fact, there are many different versions regionally, but what they all have in common is a guarantee to wake up your palate with a good smack after all those turkey sandwiches – though it would pair pretty well with them, too. In fact, smacked cucumbers go with everything from grilled meat to hot pots, but right now I’d recommend starting with a fried egg (or some silken tofu) and a bowl of steamed rice

Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for cooking with lentils

My pantry is stocked with an abundance of lentils: tiny red ones that take moments to cook, which I throw into soups; buttery yellow ones for khichdi; French green ones to add heft to salads; glossy black beluga; and pebbly puy. They’re cheap, nutritional powerhouses that have a low carbon footprint, require little water to grow and improve the health of depleted soil, making them good for our planet, too. What’s not to love? Dal might be the obvious choice when cooking lentils, but there is so much more you can do with them.I first came across these moreish little fritters in Kerala, where they were served as an afternoon snack with a cup of chai. The batter comes together very quickly in a food processor

Australian supermarket iced milk coffee taste test: ‘It reminds me of the time I tried breast milk’

From bottled beverages that taste like ‘liquefied Fantales’ to others that are ‘the bubblegum vape of the coffee world’, Nicholas Jordan and friends imbibe a heroic amount of caffeine to give you their verdictThere are plenty of things I’m snobby about but coffee isn’t one of them. While I admit I spend every Tuesday at a cafe that charges up to $30 for a coffee, I also have a cupboard full of instant and a long history of making low-quality home-brew iced coffees with anything from ginger beer to cream and sugar.Coffee’s main purpose isn’t being delicious – that’s a secondary concern. Its job is getting us high, so I will take it any way it comes (though during summer I never want a hot milky drink and I’m confused why anyone does). So the idea of adding a few supermarket-stocked bottled drinks to my caffeine repertoire was very appealing to me, even if I had to ingest a dangerous amount of caffeine to make it happen

Vegetarian lunch box ideas for fussy eaters | Kitchen aide

Where there are picky eaters, there needs to be a gameplan. For Alissa Timoshkina, author of Kapusta, that means slipping vegetables into an existing favourite, be that pasta, pancakes or muffins. “You can’t go wrong with a veg-rich pasta sauce or pasta salad with roast vegetables [courgette, peppers and tomatoes, say] and mini mozzarella balls,” she says. Meanwhile, courgette, pea and sweetcorn pancakes, and cheddar and courgette muffins are other firm favourites round at Timoshkina’s: “You could add a few chopped green olives as well.”Failing that, she goes for colour: “Think something that would be appealing and exciting to the eye, and therefore likely to entice children to dig in