A great cheeseboard deserves to be adorned with something a little more imaginative than apple and grapes… 

We all know there are some fantastic artisanal cheeses out there these days, and although they all have enough flavour to stand alone on a cheese board, when cleverly paired with the right accompaniment they can take a cheese platter from simply satisfying to instantly sublime. 

Today, whatever’s found on a cheese board that isn’t cheese needs to be more than casual fruity decoration, but ingredients of equal quality that provide truly exciting compliment and contrast. Finding more unusual accompaniments to adorn your cheese board can also be especially gratifying, when unlikely cheese pairings such as speciality honey and guava paste deliver diners an end of meal revelation. 

Small plates of sunshine, we’ve got the ingredients and the recipes for amazing antipasti this summer. 

Italy’s less fussy answer to French hors d’oeuvres, antipasti are the original appetisers, and these simply delicious simple dishes arguably work even more effectively than Mediterranean counterparts such as Spanish tapas or Turkish mezze by relying on the vibrant complement one or two fresh and preserved ingredients. 

We’re delighted to stock mouthwatering meze toppings and pittas from Greek fine food specialists Odysea. 

In countries throughout the Levant, the Near and Middle East, in Greece and even as far as the Balkans, the sharing platters collectively known as meze are more than a culinary tradition, they’re a way of life. 

Is there anything better than a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day? 

The answer for most of us is probably not, and that the way it’s been for centuries - for this simple dish in all its myriad variations is as old as the history of cooking. A staple of the poor when times where scarce, a dish that uses mainly scraps and water yet, nevertheless, often creates something so roundly satisfying its just as frequently enjoyed by the wealthiest in society. 

From cabbage broth to lobster bisque, from Russian borscht to Italian minestone, there’s a soup out there representing every class and culture, and according to a YouGov survey on (believe it or not) the habits of British soup eaters, the UK is one of the world’s most enthusiastic soup consumers. 

As 2020 unfolds we make our annual predictions for this year’s key food trends 

It’s fair to say that beyond the hype for Pacific Rim fusion cuisine, the buzz (no pun intended) for CBD oil (derived from cannabis hemp but without the psychoactive ingredient) in cooking, and the plethora of contenders for the latest, greatest ‘super food’ ingredients, from Maqui Berries to Tiger Nuts, last years biggest new trend was doubtless the rise of vegan and vegetarian ‘meatless meat’ products. 

From the Impossible Burger (now available in Burger King) to the range of products from market pioneers Beyond Meat (now available right here at Maws), the demand for meat-free products that almost perfectly mimic the textures and flavours of meaty