The UK undoubtedly has one of the richest pub cultures in the world with 'the local' being second home for many.

In recent years, the pub scene in England has undergone somewhat of a revolution with Michelin awarding stars, for the first time, to pubs with pub prices. Anyone still sneering at British cuisine and what it has to offer to will have their cynicism smashed by a visit to one of the UK's best pubs.

Hawkyns at The Crown Inn

To show the world just how good the offering is, GQ have compiled a list of 10 of the best pubs in the UK^[1], and it's a beauty.

The Hand and Flowers ^[2]- which often takes the crown on these lists - doesn't make the final ten, another testament to how good the pub scene is getting.

Below are the ten picks from GQ.

Hawkyns at The Crown Inn, Amersham

The Ginger Pig, Hove

The Green Man, Chelmsford

The Churchill Arms, Chipping Campden 

The Mariners Public House, Rock 

The Mayflower, Lymington 

The New Inn, Isle Of Wight

The Three Oaks, Gerrards Cross

The Red Lion, Bedford

The Porch House, Cheltenham

References

1. ^{^} 10 of the best pubs in the UK (www.gq-magazine.co.uk)
2. ^{^} The Hand and Flowers (www.finedininglovers.com)

In an age of food styling, Instagram^[1], avocado and #foodporn^[2] it's easy to forget that food wasn't always presented in the picture perfect glossy images we're regularly bombarded with on social media channels.

Fortunately, Feast for the Eyes is the new book from Aperture Foundation to set the record straight. In a unique and intriguing collection of photos the author and art writer Susan Bright serves up some of the the most fascinating ways in which food has been captured on camera and shared since the early 20th century.

In fact, this is the probably the ultimate guide to food photography, charting 100 years of food photography, chronicaling the life and times of the influence of food, from commercial photography to fine art. The added bonus being each image serves as a wider narrative of the time giving glimpses of cultural, politcal, social and economic issues of the moment.

Part food art, part social commentary the collection allows us to re-acquaint and reflect on the massive journey food has taken at the hands of an expert narrator, Bright, who reminds us that the "photographs of food are rarely just about food."

Favourite photographers like Martin Parr^[3] feature alongside artists across generations including Roger Fenton, Nickolas Muray, Victor Keppler, Edward Weston, Irving Penn, Stephen Shore, Cindy Sherman, Wolfgang Tillmans, Nobuyoshi Araki and Sophie Calle to name a few.

Take a look inside below.

Feast for the Eyes by Susan Bright is published by Aperture^[4].

Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook^[5]

References

1. ^{^} Instagram (www.finedininglovers.com)
2. ^{^} #foodporn (www.finedininglovers.com)
3. ^{^} Martin Parr (www.finedininglovers.com)
4. ^{^} Feast for the Eyes by Susan Bright is published by Aperture (aperture.org)
5. ^{^} Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook (www.facebook.com)

This year’s Seeds and Chips^[1] food innovation summit in Milan ^[2]brought together some of the world’s foremost protagonists in the future of food, including chefs, entrepreneurs, academics and curious foodies, plus one very special guest: the keynote speaker this year was none other than former US President Barack Obama, who spoke at length on his concerns around climate change, drawing particular attention to the link to food production and food waste. It was not all doom and gloom however; the President’s message was largely one of hope and opportunity. Read more about the speech here^[3].

But what else happened? Here are five things we learnt at Seeds and Chips 2017.

The only way is up

“Vertical farming shows us the way to go,” – so said Professor Tom Boyde of the University of Hong Kong. Vertical farming products were everywhere at Seeds and Chips, from large-scale commercial urban agriculture solutions to small contraptions for the keen amateur gardener, in all shapes and sizes. The Association for Vertical Farming^[4] were on hand to answer questions.

The restaurant of the future is digital

Construction and hunting are the only industries less digitised than the restaurant industry we were told, but that is set to change. Online booking service The Fork reported that in Italy at least, 80% of online bookings are now made through a mobile app and the company implored restaurants to take advantage of the opportunities online booking has to offer, by, for example, offering excusive online deals outside of peak times. According to Konstantin Zvereff, CEO and founder of BlueCart^[5], “The future of the hospitality industry is aggregation.” The BlueCart app is an all in one system of procurement for restaurants and Zvereff suggested that the restaurants of the future would use apps like his to crowdsource user data, the “most valuable resource in the world,” according to Tellspec’s Isabel Hoffman^[6].

Obama wants us to eat less beef

Former US President Barack Obama is huge steak lover, as we learned from his conversational address with former White House chef and policy advisor Sam Kass (Kass: “We’ve had thousands of steaks together,” Obama: “Well not thousands.”), but he wants us all to be eating less beef to help cut down on carbon emissions. “I think people naturally understand... air pollution, so they can make the connection between air pollution and greenhouse gasses. People aren’t as familiar with the impact of cows,” he said.

Food Swamps

We learnt a new and unpleasant phrase at Seeds and Chips 2017. A ‘food swamp,’ as explained by Sudhvir Singh, Director of Policy at the Eat Foundation^[7], is a region, town, neighbourhood, etc. flooded with unhealthy food options, with limited access to nutritious alternatives. The Eat Foundation’s ambition is to “reform the global food system and enable us to feed a growing global population with healthy food from a healthy planet.”

Bacon seaweed

Remember that bacon-flavoured seaweed^[8] we introduced you to a couple of years ago? Turns out it doesn’t really taste like bacon at all. It’s still delicious though, and healthy. If you’re more interested in seaweed-flavoured seaweed, here are eight edible seaweeds to try^[9].

All images: Seeds and Chips

Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook^[10]

References

1. ^{^} Seeds and Chips (www.seedsandchips.com)
2. ^{^} Milan (www.finedininglovers.com)
3. ^{^} Read more about the speech here (www.finedininglovers.com)
4. ^{^} Association for Vertical Farming (vertical-farming.net)
5. ^{^} BlueCart (www.bluecart.com)
6. ^{^} Tellspec’s Isabel Hoffman (www.finedininglovers.com)
7. ^{^} Eat Foundation (www.eatforum.org)
8. ^{^} bacon-flavoured seaweed (www.finedininglovers.com)
9. ^{^} eight edible seaweeds to try (www.finedininglovers.com)
10. ^{^} Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook (www.facebook.com)

We've officially entered deviled egg season. What could be better than offering a few twists on this classic Easter dish?

Basic deviled eggs are delicious but incorporating a few extra ingredients like bacon, herbs or even avocado will make your Easter deviled eggs extra special.  

Ready to give these Easter deviled eggs ideas a try? Here is what to cook:

Assorted Deviled Eggs

Assorted deviled eggs are a great idea when feeding a crowd. That way you give everyone a few choices they can sample.

Avocado, cream cheese and capers are all great additions to the deviled egg filling.

You can try these three recipes for assorted deviled eggs^[1].

Crab Stuffed Deviled Eggs

Adding crab to deviled eggs offers a luxurious touch that seafood lovers will appreciate.

These deviled eggs are blended with crab but also garnished with the crustacean...that's a crab double whammy!

See how it's done:

Bacon Deviled Eggs

If, like us, you believe bacon makes everything better than you'll love these bacon-infused deviled eggs. Bacon, bacon, bacon! Enough said...check out the recipe:

Another way to incorporate bacon into deviled eggs is to make BLT deviled eggs.

Interested? Here's how to make them:

Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook^[2]

References

1. ^{^} You can try these three recipes for assorted deviled eggs (www.finedininglovers.com)
2. ^{^} Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook (www.facebook.com)

Atla is the latest restaurant concept from chef Enrique Olvera ^[1]and is set to open in New York within the next month. 

Fronted up by head chef Daniela Soto-Innes, Atla, which is located on Lafayette Street, will offer up casual and healthy Mexican cuisine that steps away from Olvera’s more high-end Cosme restaurant concept.

It will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with Olvera’s polished take on dishes like Mexican sandwiches made with pambazo, quesadilla (great for breakfast) and huevos rancheros.

The design, a collaboration between Alonso de Garay and interior designer Micaela de Bernardi, is meant to reflect “a cozy Mexican terrace” of 1950s style architecture.

With the huge success of Cosme in New York, the reopening of a new Pujol in Mexico City^[2] and now Atla, it seems Olvera’s firing on all cylinders.

Below you can see the menu and a first look at some of the dishes - all pics by Signe Birck. 

Huevos Rancheros

Pambazo

Quesadilla

Meatballs

Conchas

Tamal

Chile Relleno

Nopal Tostada

Chicken 

Chia Oatmeal 

Tlacoyos

References

1. ^{^} Enrique Olvera (www.finedininglovers.com)
2. ^{^} new Pujol in Mexico City (www.finedininglovers.com)