Vine, Twitter’s social network video service, lets users record six seconds of video on their iPhone. Co-founder of Vine Dom Hofmann created a video of steak tartare being made – all in six delicious seconds.

Steak tartare in six seconds. http://t.co/po3sLav0 via @dhof

January 23, 2013 4:48 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@dickc

dick costolo

Others have followed suit by documenting what they’re cooking in the kitchen – I’ve selected some of my favourites for your viewing pleasure.

Protein-Packed Bacon Omelette Bites #paleo #cooking http://t.co/wpTpuXwK

January 31, 2013 2:29 am via Vine for iOSReplyRetweetFavorite

@LisaByrne

Lisa Byrne

Homemade donuts for breakfast 🍩😊 #donuts #homemade #cooking #breakfast http://t.co/8k3kTHWD

January 30, 2013 12:43 pm via Vine for iOSReplyRetweetFavorite

@jwoodplicity

Jennifer Wood

Making bagels Take 2; part 1 #bagels #cooking #baking http://t.co/1KZP2kiQ

January 31, 2013 3:30 am via Vine for iOSReplyRetweetFavorite

@wandering_far

Wandering Far

Making bagels, Take 2; Part 2 #bagels #cooking #baking #homemade http://t.co/5vF91wzg

January 31, 2013 3:30 am via Vine for iOSReplyRetweetFavorite

@wandering_far

Wandering Far

First attempt at Cheddar Cheese Ice Cream. #hoffskitchen #vine #dessert #food #cooking #nomnomnom http://t.co/LWywVpxZ

January 31, 2013 4:47 am via Vine for iOSReplyRetweetFavorite

@hofftv

Jeremy Hoffmann

Cheddar cheese ice cream… that’s just wrong.

And my absolute favourite, you just can’t beat a bacon and egg sandwich. If someone could make me a gif of the bacon cooking that would be great. Hungry yet?

I was achin’ for some bacon! #food #bacon #howto #cooking #latenight #snack #yummy http://t.co/iyuw8bXi

January 31, 2013 6:07 am via Vine for iOSReplyRetweetFavorite

@rachSOTO

Rachel Soto 

And here’s what people have been saying about Vine and cooking.

Someone start a Vine cooking show yet?

January 31, 2013 4:34 am via Tweet Lanes for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@clarklab

Clark Wimberly

Vine should be renamed “The Cooking Channel”

January 26, 2013 2:25 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@bigchaz

Charles Wood

Checking out Vine. Expect we’ll see lots of fast and choppy @edgarwright style sequences of people cooking their dinner in the near future.

January 26, 2013 7:29 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@wrighty00

Matt Wright

guys hurry up and get on Vine im getting tired of people cooking and doing pushups

January 26, 2013 4:04 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@bugbucket

garbage boy

Cooking and doing pushups simultaneously? Now that’s a skill.

Vimeo have released details of a cooking video recipe challenge – I wonder if you can enter your Vine video? Now if only I had an iPhone…

Will Vine change the way you cook? Tell me in the comments section below.

Jalapeno Poppers

Baked Jalapeno Poppers (Photo credit: fritish)

These fiery little starters are a great way to kick a meal off. Although not the spiciest of foods, if you choose to leave the seeds in while preparing them you will get a little rush of warmth. I found a great recipe that is straightforward and encourages you to vary what you put in to suit your tastes.

Spicy Chicken Wings

This staple favourite is easy to put together and is great served at gatherings where people need a snack to perk them up. I found this video that takes you through the different steps in putting the wings together, I would watch out for those scotch bonnet chillis used in the hot sauce as they can pack a punch.

Singapore Fried Noodles

As a fan of spicy food there are few things better in this world than spicy Asian/Oriental food, with amazing flavours and a heat that builds up and adds to the dish. I thought that this recipe for Singapore fried noodles would be a great addition to our spicy round up.

Singapore Fried Noodle (Photo credit: Route79)

I hope that these examples of spicy dishes will inspire you to get your winter heat going! If you have any recommendations for some spicy dishes that we should try please let us know in the comments section below.

Robert Burns, fondly known as Rabbie by his admirers, achieved great success as a poet during the second half of the 18^th Century. He was a larger than life character, fond of good company and entertainment. It was only right that in 1801, five years after Burns’ death, nine men who knew him well met on the late poet’s birthday to eat haggis, recite his poetry and raise a toast or two to their missing friend.

That was the start of a tradition that has since spread around the world. With Burns Night fast approaching, there’s no better time than now to have a look at this man and how you can enjoy your own Burns Night experience.

The heaven-taught ploughman

Robert Burns was born into a farming family in the village of Alloway on 25 January 1759. His parents ensured that the young Rabbie got a good education and he turned out to be an avid reader. Burns faced a hard life of farm work but his mind increasingly turned to poetry, drink and women. His first collection of poetry was published to great acclaim, with his pastoral poems complementing a growing taste for romanticism.

Through his late twenties into his thirties Burns continued to produce popular poetry, becoming well-known amongst the literary circles in Edinburgh. During this time his abiding interest in the opposite sex also continued, leading to a number of illicit relationships and illegitimate children.

By 1779 Burns had spent all the money that he‘d earned through poetry and so took up a job as an excise officer. The work was physically demanding and it finally took its toll in 1796 when Burns died aged just 37. Five years after this, the tradition of the Burns Night Supper was born.

Modern Burns Nights

The template for a Burns Night has not changed much since those nine men met in 1801 and although over the years a lot of ceremony has been applied to the procedure, you needn’t go through masses of effort. The essential ingredients are:

• Food: Haggis (delicious Scottish national dish – maybe best not to go into the ingredients), neeps (mashed swede) and tatties (mashed potatoes) are the traditional favourites. A liberal dose of whisky sauce (neat whisky) should be applied to the haggis.
• Alcohol (optional, of course): Beer or wine is perfectly acceptable for the meal but make sure you haven’t thrown all your whisky on the haggis as a good malt is the perfect accompaniment to your after-dinner entertainment.
• Poetry: The poetry and songs of Rabbie Burns are central to a great Burns Night. There are a few essentials, including ‘The Selkirk Grace’ and ‘Address to the Haggis’ that accompany the meal. After dinner, it’s traditional for some of Burns’ songs to be performed, and the night should end with a rousing rendition of ‘Auld Langs Syne’.

Just remember, Burns himself was no slave to ceremony so feel free to play around with any of the elements. As long as they’re done in the right spirit, you can’t go wrong.

The easy option

Of course, a Burns Night gets a whole lot more convenient if someone else is organising the affair. Up and down the country restaurants are offering Burns Night special meals and events. Grabbing some discount train tickets and heading to one of these could make for a great themed break. Here are a few of the best locations:

• Alloway: Where better to enjoy a Burns Night than at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. From this fantastic location you can enjoy the traditional Burns Supper experience, and spend some time learning about the life and times of the remarkable poet.
• Edinburgh: It’s no surprise that Scotland’s capital has some great options for celebrating Burns Night. Lavish venues such as the Prestonfield House Hotel hold formal Burns Night dinners, while a host of other bars and venues across the city put on Burns themed entertainment.
• London: There’s nothing more Scottish than a Scottish exile and the restaurants in the UK capital have some great options for revellers wishing to celebrate the life and work of Burns. This year you could celebrate Burns Night anywhere from the grand City restaurant 1 Lombard Street that is giving a complimentary whisky to kilt clad attendees, to the Min Jian restaurant whose ‘Chinese Burns’ celebration promises haggis dim sum!

How will you be celebrating Burns Night this year?

Eating is like running in that it plays an important role in lots of sports, but it is also, like running, a sporting discipline in itself. This might sound surprising to you, but we are living in a world where stadiums can be packed out by crowds watching people play videogames , with a team winning $5million US for playing League of Legends in October – so apparently just about anything counts as a sport these days.

Competitive eating first emerged in the USA as an event held at county fairs and the like from the 1920s and before. During the 1990′s eating competitions began to get major media attention, and the prizes and profile of the sport both began to rise.

The governing body of the sport of competitive eating is Major League Eating. There is though the much smaller rival Association of Independent Competitive Eaters, which runs contests under a slightly different set of rules, described as ‘picnic style’.

“we eat our food ‘picnic style’. We don’t mutilate the food, we don’t mush it, we don’t mash it, and we eat the food as is presented in accordance to history, custom, and the culture of that food item”

Competitive Eating Training And Health

Whatever the merits of ‘picnic style’, it is MLE that dominates the world of competitive eating, and it is  MLE that is the home of the biggest names in alimentary athletics. Names such as Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas and the almost legendary Takeru Kobayashi.

Profile of a Champion Eater

The diminutive  Sonya Thomas is a giant in the world of competitive eating. The Korean born resident of Alexandria VA weighs in at just 105 pounds, but has an almost superhuman capacity when it comes to eating.

The records that Sonya Thomas has set in the world of eating are as numerous as they are impressive. They include consuming an absolutely astounding 65 hard boiled eggs in just 6 minutes and 40 seconds. 11 pounds of cheesecake in 9 minutes is another athletic feat that will prove hard to equal, but it is the 2004 Baked Beans ‘Long Course’ record of 8.4 pounds in  2 minutes 47 seconds which is regarded with most awe in the professional eating community.

Forty four year old Sonya trains hard to be at the top of her game. She puts in 2 hours intense cardio every single day to help prevent weight gain and to stimulate appetite. Incredibly she is now 30 pounds lighter that she was before turning pro in 2003.

Take a look a look at a sportswoman at the very peak of her game:

What do you think about competitive eating? Is it time it got wider recognition? Should it be considered as an addition to the Olympics? The comment section waits hungrily for your input.

However, in recent years I have done very little of this kind of cooking. The reason for this as you may have noticed above, is that all of the things my Mum taught me to cook have meat in them and I am now married to a vegetarian.

I am not usually too bothered by my other halves vegetarianism, in fact all the cooking I have done since meeting him has been vegetarian and I’ve never really missed cooking meat. However this winter for some reason I’m really craving those winter warmers! (and no, I am not pregnant) Maybe it is simply because now we are married and clearly married people eat grown up food like cottage pie right?!

So anyway I have decided that I am going fix this problem and have a look at my favourite source of food inspiration pinterest to see if I can find some vegetarian winter warmers to try out this winter.

Mexican Veggie Soup with Lime & Avocado

What can be more warming than soup on a winters day? Probably a nice tasty Mexican soup! Packed full of beans and vegetables this should be filling winter warmer. A small note, on the recipe it says to use chicken stock you will obviously need to substitute this for vegetable stock to make it properly vegetarian.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili

Sticking to the Mexican  theme I have to try this Sweet Potato Black Bean Chilli, just looking at it with all it’s bright colours makes me feel warmer!

French Onion Soup

Soup is the perfect winter warmer and this French Onion soup looks all the more comforting with it’s yummy melty cheese, don’t you just want to dunk that chunk of bread right in the middle of that delicious gooey cheese?! YUM!

Gardener’s Shepherd Pie

I am most excited by this discovery, it’s not quite a vegetarian Cottage Pie but a vegetarian Shepherds Pie is basically the same thing right? In fact as the only real difference between a Shepherds Pie and a Cottage Pie is the type of meat used this version may as well just be called a Gardener’s Pie, either way I can’t wait to try out this veggie version winter warmer classic!

Do you have any tried and tested veggie winter warmer recipes? Share them with us below so we can all give them a try!

Pumpkin beers have built a strong seasonal tradition in the US in recent years; the craft beer revolution mixed with Halloween and Thanksgiving’s pumpkin pie to give something that frankly, tastes pretty much as that sounds.

This website lists 363 different brews from American speciality brewers!

Like many a trend that has gone before (chewing gum, cowboys, rap music), an enthusiasm for pumpkin ales may well be spreading across the pond. In an Edinburgh pub the other evening I had my first taste, and contrary to my expectations was surprised by how much I enjoyed a few pints of the stuff. So in celebration of the season, here’s a selection of British pumpkin ales to try:

‘Stewart’s Pumpkin Ale’

Stewart Brewing is an Edinburgh-based brewery that has been going since 2004. Alongside their year-round selection, the brewery has a number of seasonal offerings, with the autumn’s 4.3% Pumpkin Ale as one of these.

‘Sadler’s Pumpkin Eater’

Another seasonal brew, this time from Sadler’s, a microbrewery based in Stourbridge near Birmingham. Pumpkin Eater is a ruby red English bitter with the addition of that all-important fresh pumpkin, available only in October.

‘Downton Pumpkin Ale’

From a very old village in deepest, darkest Wiltshire, Downton turns out up to 60 barrels a week of real ales. Each October, their 4.2% Pumpkin Ale is one of those made – with plenty of hops and locally-grown organic pumpkins.

Do know of any other British pumpkin ales?

You can let us know by adding a comment in the box below.

This year they are hoping to do even better and we wanted to help make more people aware of the Macmillan coffee morning so created this widget below to determine what kind of coffee drinker you are.

After choosing answers that relate to your taste in coffee you will then be given a coffee character which can then be shared through twitter. The tweet will have the #coffeemorning to help promote the event.

If you are holding an event and wish to let people know about it Macmillan have set up a Tweetmap that you can “pin” your event to. It is really simple to do, all you need to do is send a tweet with the #coffeemorning and the first part of your postcode eg. #SE1. Once tweeted you will be added to the map allowing people to find you if they are searching for a coffee morning in your area.

We hope that this event is going to be a huge success and encourage you to share this post and get involved to help let people know about the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and how they can help those affected by cancer and the families that support them. If you would like to use the widget on your blog you can grab the embed code after filling in your choices, please help to spread the word.

~ Starters~

There would be something distinctly fishy about any celebration of Scottish cuisine that did not mention sea food!  The Langoustine is a delicious lobster like sea creature, also known as the Dublin Bay Prawn.

Known around the world as a byword for bivalve quality Loch Fyne Oysters are a shelled speciality not to be missed. If Oysters are not your thing you could always go for the quintessential luxury food and Scottish  speciality smoked salmon.

~Main Course~

It has to be Haggis. A fragrant mix of offal and oats served nestled inside a sheep’s stomach. The traditional dish eaten on Burn’s Night, where every year the life and work of the poet are celebrated.

A celebrity in cattle terms, the Aberdeen Angus is known for its excellent beefs. Whether you have it in a burger, roasted or as stakes, don’t miss out on this highland highlight.

~Dessert~

A buttery biscuit, Shortbread is long on flavour. The history of shortbread stretches back to the middle ages. Presentation boxes of shortbread are a popular souvenir of Scotland for visitors.

Unfortunately now off the menu is the Deep Fried Mars Bar. Created at Stonehaven’s renowned Carron Fish Bar in the early ’90s, a battered and fried Mars bar is an experience never forgotten. Now killjoys at  the company behind the Mars bar have intervened to try and end its use in this way.

~Drinks~

Scotland and Whiskey are virtually synonymous. For half a millennium Scotland’s distillers have been producing the ‘water of life’. There are quite literally thousands of different  whiskeys produced in Scotland – all with their own unique tastes and styles.

Another beverage popular in Scotland is Buckfast. Although actually manufactured by a mysterious order of monks sequestered at Buckfast Abbey in the depths of rural Devon, ‘Buckfast Tonic Wine’ has cemented its place at the top table of Scottish life.

Have you ever eaten anything or drunk anything while in Scotland? What did you have? How was it? Tell the world about it in our super soaraway COMMENTS SECTION!

Click on the image to see the guide.

Calm Your Beans explored the streets of Manchester to bring you a guide to the very best places to go for a coffee in the city.

It’s a common misconception that Brits can’t make a decent cup of coffee, but this guide just proves that wrong. We asked a few locals to recommend some of their top cafes in Manchester. We were led to some amazing places, all serving strong and flavourful cups of our favourite beverage.

Why we love coffee so much? There is nothing better than a smell of a freshly brewed coffee in the morning. It warms you on a cold morning and sets you up for the day. For us, drinking coffee is also a social experience, a time when we can get together with our friends and family.

Whether you’re just a tourist or a local, we really hope this guide will inspire you to discover new coffee spots in the city.

We also hope this list will grow so please recommend new cafes you love in the comments section below.

Image by: nomilknocry~oh on Flickr

So inspired by The Great British Bake Off I have spent my morning searching Pinterest looking for yummy things to bake in my kitchen and I thought it only fair I should share my findings with you lovely fellow bakers!

White Chocolate, Cranberry and Strawberry Rocky Road:

Not technically speaking “baking” but delicious none the less and deserves to be made!

Rhubarb, Strawberry and Pecan Pudding Cakes:

These have a lovely homely feel about them. Maybe it’s because they remind me of how my mum often made Rhubarb Crumble with rhubarb fresh from our back garden. Either way, they look yummy and so cute in their indivdual pots.

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins:

I love cheese…and desserts and strongly believe both should be consumed at any available opportunity. So any reasonable combination of the 2 is a winner in my eyes! (Hence I also have a fondness for Cheesecake.)

Pancake Muffins:

These are too cute and easy not to try them yourself!

Nutella Cupcakes:

What could be better than Nutella Cupcakes with a Nutella Buttercream Frosting? I would have said nothing until the invention of Chocolate Philly, I’m keen to try this recipe with a slight cheese related adaptation.

What recipes are you keen to try out? Let us know below!