Latest news with #DavidCarter
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Which dips are OK to buy, and which should I make?
Dips are a great unifier, whether they're married to a big bowl of crisps and crudites or served as a companion for a picnic spread. If there's hummus, cacik or borani in the picture, then it's a party. Happily, says David Carter, founder of Smokestak, Manteca and Oma in London, 'you can get a lot of good stuff in stores these days'. That said, he adds, anything involving vegetables is 'always going to be best when made fresh'. If your dip needs lead you to the shops, the trick is to create contrast. Much like getting dressed, you first need to consider the temperature. 'Let's say you have some shop-bought hummus,' Carter says. 'If you put that in a pan with a bit of hot water and maybe some lemon juice, then whisk, the hummus will loosen, turn creamy and completely change from the usual fridge-cold stodge.' Next, you've then got to accessorise your tub, which means toppings: 'A lot of our dips in the restaurants have some form of texture, whether that's crisp garlic, seeds or crisps,' he says. 'If you've got something like a silky-smooth labneh and think, how am I going to jazz this up, spiced chickpeas would be one answer.' Similarly, Carter tops his baba ganoush with a 'very hot' tahini sauce and some crisp artichokes: 'That's contrast exaggerated.' Sami Tamimi, author of Boustany (out in June), meanwhile, is not a fan of dips that take a lot of time, which is why you'll always find yoghurt or labneh in his fridge ('I don't make my own any more'). They're an easy win, and can be quickly turned into a dip with the addition of a squeeze of lemon, some garlic and whatever spices or herbs (fresh or dried) you have to hand: 'If you're doing a barbecue – especially if there's a fatty piece of fish or meat involved – mix yoghurt with tahini, and add a little sun-dried tomato, some garlic, herbs and a lot of lemon juice.' If, like Tamimi, your entertaining MO is to pile a load of dishes in the middle of the table, you also have to draw the line somewhere. For Tamimi, that line is tzatziki: 'I just buy it, but the thing with readymade dips is that they don't taste fresh, so you need to add a bit of zing.' That's not to say you need to get all fancy, mind: just a squeeze of lemon, a bit of lemon zest and/or some fresh herbs (think mint, coriander) will 'bring it to life'. While we're at it, no one is ever making their own taramasalata (no arguments, please), so head to the shops and that's a 'really nice addition to brunch with bagels and smoked salmon', Tamimi adds. One dip that you'll never catch him buying, however, is hummus: 'That's a big no-no. Shop-bought versions have so many stabilisers, they always taste grainy and they're made with not enough tahini and not enough, well, everything!' Hummus, he insists, should be made fresh ('I boil more chickpeas than I need and freeze half for another day') and eaten within two days. 'There are nicer things you can buy, so, when it comes to hummus, just make it.' Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@
Business Mayor
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
This Retro Game Store Is So Good It Has Its Own Video Game
Image: Damien McFerran / Time Extension If you've ever been lucky enough to visit the historic UK city of York, then there's a good chance you've visited the excellent Sore Thumb Retro Games, an independent store packed to the rafters with video games, anime products, vintage toys and much, much more. As a regular visitor to the city, I've been popping in multiple times each year and on a recent trip, store owner Lee Cunningham mentioned that Sore Thumb is getting its very own video game—and if that wasn't cool enough, it's been coded by the 13-year-old David Carter. The game charts a journey from your character's home to the Sore Thumb store, and mixes a variety of styles, including top-down RPG, side-scrolling platformer and even a scrolling racing game. The objective is to gather as much cash as possible during the trip to spend when you get to the shop, but there are hazards on each level which cause your available money to drop. Keen to learn a bit more about how this project came to be, we asked Carter some questions. Time Extension: What inspired you to create the Sore Thumb video game? David Carter: My dad had been messing around with some device for backing up Pokémon saves before their batteries died and had put the Sore Thumb logo onto a cart just for amusement's sake, really, to show to Lee. When we went in, Lee mentioned he'd always wanted a game based on the store, so I decided to have a go at making one. The game, coded by 13-year-old David Carter, mixes various game styles for a high-score challenge — Images: Damien McFerran / Time Extension Time Extension: What tools did you use to create it, and how long did it take? David Carter: Mainly Game Boy Studio; most of what I needed I could do in that. It's not too far off stuff I've used at school. My dad had to do some fiddling with plugins to try and get certain bits to work. Other than that, it was pretty easy to follow what to do by reading up or watching YouTube. I think it probably took about six months of weekends to do, when I wasn't busy fishing! Time Extension: What was the hardest thing to get right with this game's development? David Carter: Almost all of it! I had massive problems getting the Game Boy Printer to work (at one point, it would have printed out a till receipt with your score from your trip to the store!), so I gave up on that. The scoreboard was a lot harder than I feel it should've been, as I was trying to make the levels long enough without having memory/sprite budget issues. Sore Thumb is one of the UK's best retro game stores — Images: Damien McFerran / Time Extension Time Extension: What kind of input did Sore Thumb have in the game's design and development? David Carter: Loads! Lee really had a clear idea of what he wanted, right down to the game of Frogger to get into the store. It's just a shame I couldn't get the beat 'em up or Tetris (Lee loading the van for a show) levels in. He really wanted the game to involve the challenge to become a 'big hitter', which is in. If you get a big enough score, you get the Big Hitter ending [a reference to the championship belt Sore Thumb customers get to wear when they spend enough money]. Read More Switch 2 vs Xbox Series X: which system is right for you Time Extension: What's the feedback been like so far? Was all of the effort worth it? David Carter: The guys in the store have played and fed back on loads of different versions and have always been really impressed, but they have also given tips and good opinions. We've had the game playable at a few Sore Thumb Gaming Nights, where loads of people have played it, and we even had a high-score contest with a prize! I think people think it's cute that a retro store has its own retro game that pays tribute to other retro games! Time Extension: What plans do you have for future games? David Carter: None at the moment. I'm about to start my GCSE years at school, and most of my free time will go to studying (so my Dad tells me). Image: Damien McFerran / Time Extension You can visit Sore Thumb's website here. If you're in York, be sure to drop by.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Michelin Guide 2025: UK's first vegan starred restaurant revealed as London gains 10 new one-star venues
London restaurants Oma, AngloThai, Lita, 64 Goodge Street, Cornus, Caractere, Row on 5, Dosa, Plates and Mauro Colagreco at Raffles London have each been awarded a Michelin star in the 2025 guide. The standout accolade might be for Plates, which has become the first vegan restaurant in the UK to win a Michelin star. Chef-founder Kirk Haworth said: 'I'm trying to get rid of the word 'vegan', really. It's all about flavour, excitement, and innovation. We're taking food to a new place of deliciousness.' London's new Michelin-starred restaurants were announced at a glamarous ceremony in Glasgow on Monday night. The restaurateur David Carter founded his Hellenic-inspired concept Oma in Borough Market in spring 2024. It also won opening of the year. Head chef Jorges Paredes said: 'My passion is for food and customers. I'm very excited, it's a dream come true. It took me a long time to get here. Now I want to say thank you'. Oma, which launched alongside the more casual restaurant Agora, serves dishes such as gilt head bream tartare, scallops in chilli butter, spanakopita gratin, and dry-aged Cornish lamb with green sauce. AngloThai, meanwhile, was years in the making, but the permanent restaurant has been open since November. When asked why the restaurant took so long to come to fruition, chef-founder John Chantarasak said: 'It was like a pint of Guinness — good things come to those who wait.' Many had predicted Michelin stars for the likes of Lita, Cornus and 64 Goodge Street, all of which were praised with aplomb in recent Standard restaurant reviews. Lita head chef Luke Hearne told the Standard moments after appearing on stage: 'Dreams do come true. I've wanted this since the age of 12. It's an absolute honour to be awarded a Michelin star. 'Every dish we serve at Lita is a reflection of our passion for cooking, our respect for ingredients, and our drive to create a unique experience for our guests. This award is a huge moment for my amazing team and I'm incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication. We're just getting started, and I can't wait to see what's in store. Thank you'. Michel Roux, meanwhile, will be pleased to see his daughter Emily's French restaurant Caractere win its first star. 'The fact it hasn't won one already is a surprise,' he told the paper recently. Read our review of Cornus Read our review of 64 Goodge Street
