Spirit and Spice

July 28, 2019 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Spirit and Spice

Amongst my vast collection of cookery books are several by the very talented Scottish author Ghillie Basan.

The books occupy prime position in my kitchen and rarely a week passes without me dipping into them for recipe ideas. The books are a perfect reference for recipes and advice on North African, Turkish and Middle Eastern food. But most of all I love the stories of Ghillie’s family life, work and travels and woven through them all is a sense of her spirit, courage and adventure.

The story continues on home ground and the setting for Ghillie’s latest book Spirit and Spice is her beautiful remote Scottish home and this hugely enjoyable book combines her love of global flavours with the whiskies and natural larder of Scotland.

Readers are taken on a culinary journey around the world and back again – to Ghillie’s home in the Highlands of Scotland.

The author of more than 40 cookbooks, Ghillie’s journey into food and spices began in a very different part of the world. She grew up in Africa and has travelled extensively throughout Turkey, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, researching the links between culinary cultures forged by trade routes, colonisation and migration.

Childhood for Ghillie was one big safari. In the wide open spaces of East Africa with wild animals for company, she camped, cooked and learned about spices. Learning from locals in remote villages, she ground coconuts and pineapples on a stone in Kerala, stuffed pounded pork, ginger and spices into the hollows of bamboo stems in Saigon and picked argan nuts out of goat droppings to be pressed for oil in the Sous Valley.

On returning to Scotland, Ghillie moved to a deserted croft in the wind-battered hills of the Cairngorms. The primitive and harsh living conditions felt completely natural and it was here she brought up her two children.

Despite some very challenging times she grew vegetables, foraged for fungi and berries and cooked wild rabbits from the glen, while using the flavours, spices and techniques picked up on her travels to shine a new light on Scottish produce.

Spirit and Spice is an outstanding book with expert insights on pickling, preserving, smoking and outdoor cooking and features beautifully presented recipes detailing Ghillie’s fascinating life story and painting an inspirational, heartfelt picture of her family life in one of Scotland’s wildest and most beautiful corners.

Taking inspiration from the notes of spice lingering in the air from nearby distilleries, she has become an expert in identifying which whiskies enhance the flavours and spices of her recipes and in Spirit & Spice she explains how to pair the perfect dram to a dish.

Recipes include “Body-warming, Midge-busting Dhal”, a spicy, nourishing lentil-based dish, perfect for camping in Scotland; “Whisky and Spice Cured Venison Fillet with Juniper Berries and Wild Thyme” and “Fresh Fish on Sticks Over the Fire”, which Ghillie makes in her garden using fresh trout from Rothiemurchus Estate.

Over 6 chapters whisky and food are brought together in the most delicious ways.

Flavour and Spice – how to concentrate and enhance flavour in spice mixes, preserves, pickles and flavoured spirits
Breakfast in the Bush – inspirational ideas for cooking outside whether you’re camping in the glen or hiking through the mountains
Wild Food & Foraging – making the most of Scotland’s natural larder
Feeding Family & Friends – family favourites to savour and share
Sweet Contentment, Sugar and Spice – treats from all over the world, from Ghillie’s kitchen to yours
Spirit and Spice – a user’s guide to pairing food with whisky

Ghillie talks candidly about how 2 years ago she almost her home – the very heart of this book – as she had given up everything to look after her mother who has dementia. To buy a bit of breathing space with the bank she sold her jewellery and other valuable items and then sat on the deck with a dram to draw inspiration from the view – a view that has always reminded her of Africa but on this occasion the realised that she was in the heart of whisky country and had never done anything with the spirit, apart from drink it! As hospitality costs nothing and is at the root of everything she have ever done, a link up with Chivas saw her opening the doors of her home to welcome international groups to experience food and whisky in a remote smugglers’ glen. By breaking down the flavours in whisky and building them up again in the food, working with flavours from different culinary cultures, the foundation for Spirit & Spice was set and Ghillie was finally on a path to save her home.

With photography throughout the book by Christina Riley and Ghillie’s son, Zeki Basan, Spirit & Spice was published in hardback by Kitchen Press on 14^th May 2019 and is available nationwide, priced at £25.

Stellar Beech Woodware

August 1, 2018 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Stellar Beech Woodware

Stellar Beech Woodware, one of the latest ranges in the Stellar Cookware range will be a welcome addition to any kitchen. Stellar products have become firm favourites in my kitchen and the reason is simple – they’re stylish, hard wearing and always functional.

This Beech Woodware range will undoubtedly add style and class to any kitchen table and I was delighted when Stellar sent the pizza paddle and the beechware extendable trivet for review. Two pieces of kit I knew would be well used in the Wee Pinch of Sugar kitchen.

Pizza Paddle

The pizza paddle while perfect for serving up pizza, also doubles as an attractive board for canapes and it can also be used as a bread or chopping board. The paddle has quickly become a favourite in my kitchen as it really suits the style of food I like to serve. It’s also an ideal size for a large pizza and it makes a great sharing platter for just sticking in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves.

Its certainly been well used in my kitchen for serving food and apart from its stylish modern appeal, the quality of the beech wood and the durability is what I’ve come to expect from Stellar Kitchenware products.

Stellar Beechware Extendable Trivet

A kitchen can never have enough trivets, well at least my kitchen can’t. With oak and granite worktops and an oilcloth on the table, I’m always careful about marking or burning the surfaces. The extendable trivet is a real flexible friend. It’s a neat and attractive 14cm square that extends to 21cm. The 2cm depth keeps hot pans and serving dishes away surfaces and will stretch out to hold pans from 14 to 20cm. The trivet has a smooth finish and extends with partially concealed anodised steel batons.

Other products in the beechware range include a butcher’s block and 5 sizes of chopping boards.

Prices start at £8.40 for the extendable trivet

Product Code	Description	ASP
SW81	Stellar Kitchen, Beech Extendable Trivet, 23 x 15 x 2cm	£8.40
SW82	Stellar Kitchen, Beech Cutting Board, 27 x 22 x 2cm	£16.80
SW84	Stellar Kitchen, Beech Cutting Board, 30 x 25 x 2cm	£21.70
SW86	Stellar Kitchen, Beech Cutting Board, 35 x 27 x 2cm	£25.20
SW88	Stellar Kitchen, Beech Cutting Board, 39 x 29 x 2cm	£30.24
SW90	Stellar Kitchen, Beech Cutting Board, 47 x 35 x 2cm	£40.60
SW92	Stellar Kitchen, Beech Pizza Serving Board, 30 x 1.5cm	£21.70
SW94	Stellar Kitchen, Beech Butchers Block, 40 x 26 x 4cm	£46.20

Disclaimer. Stellar Cookware provided the Beechware Pizza Paddle and Extending Trivet for this review. All opinions are expressed are my own.

Judge Radiant Cookware – Review

November 5, 2017 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Judge Radiant Cookware

Judge Radiant Cookware perfect for the modern home cook.

These beautiful red coloured pans are part of the new Judge Cookware Radiant range designed to satisfy the demands of the modern home cook. The collection is made up of a 16cm milk pan, a 26cm crepe pan, a 24cm chefs pan, 22/24/26 cm frying pans and two stir fry wok type pans – 24/26cm.

I tested the pans with some home cooking and top Scottish chef

Mark Heirs also helped me put them though their paces at the recently held Scotland’s Salmon Festival.

Over the two days the chefs used the chef pan and the 24cm frying pan to cook a wide range of salmon dishes. The Judge Radiant Cookware range is made of thick aluminium and is coated with PFOA Teflon Radiance. This combination provides speedy and most importantly an even heat transfer making it ideal for fast efficient cooking. This really suited the type of food the chefs were cooking and of course one essential was crispy skin on the salmon. It’s easy to see why this range is particularly suited to the modern cook. The chefs pan was used extensively for many dishes; sauces, stir frying and braising and the chefs were impressed with the general performance.

I also tested the pans in the Wee Pinch of Sugar kitchen and as you can see from the images the results were good

Perfect for cooking salmon and of course a crispy skin is essential.

Golden and crispy skin on chicken without sticking to the pan.

Brisket seared and browned with the minimum amount of oil before going in the oven for a slow pot roast.

Features

All pans in the range have matching red soft grip handles, are oven and dishwasher safe up to 150c and of course come with the Judge 25 year guarantee with 10 year on the non stick coating.

Prices

Judge Radiant are a great value for money range – on line prices start at £17 for the 20cm frying pan and the multi use chefs pans pan can be found at £23.

Judge Cookware supplied the for this review. all opinions expressed are my own.

Stellar Hob Top Espresso Maker

November 3, 2017 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Stellar Hob Top Espresso Maker

Good coffee, especially in the morning is essential in our house and over the years the Gillon boys have amassed a collection of different types of coffee makers. In addition to the standard coffee machines, they have a portable espresso maker, an aero press, an electric percolater, slow drip coffee maker and a bean to cup machine. Interestingly I’m told they are all essential and the Stellar espresso maker is a welcome addition.

Then there’s the essential top quality coffee and sadly as their coffee making skills improved, I was banished from ever grinding beans or making coffee.

The new Hob Top Espresso Maker from Stellar Cookware has offered hope for me.

Easy to use

The stylish polished steel pot holds 400ml and makes 6 cups. It’s suitable for use on all hobs types and the phenolic handle remains cool when in use.

It’s so easy to use and the six cup capacity makes it an ideal size for serving a crowd. The three part pot works exactly like other espresso makers. Fill the base with water, add finely ground coffee to the holder, screw the base and jug back together and its ready to make perfect coffee.

Expresso Cups

The stylish double walled espresso glasses from Judge Cookware are the perfect match for the espresso pot and will have so many other uses. I loved Serving affagato in them but they’ll also work well with other small desserts and starters. The glasses have a thermally insulated air pocket construction so no need for coasters. Hot drinks stay hot and the exterior remains cool.

One of my favourite quick desserts is affagato and the capacity of the Stellar espresso maker is ideal, especially if there’s 6 to be made

Afagatto is so quick and easy to assemble

Place a scoop of ice cream in a coffee cup and pour over a shot of espresso. Serve sprinkled with chocolate curls, chopped hazelnuts of crushed amaretto biscuits.

Stellar Cookware provided the espresso maker and Judge Cookware supplied the espresso glasses for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Stellar Rocktanium Pans – Review

October 23, 2017 By Rachel 1 Comment

Stellar Rocktanium

I’m not sure when I started amassing a collection of pots and pans, but what I have come to realise it the fact that I cannot help myself when it comes to a good pan. I’ve brought them home from holidays abroad, got them as presents and more recently I’ve been happily reviewing pans for top cookware company Stellar Cookware. Good pans are essential in a kitchen.

This month I’ve been testing out two of Stellars’s Rocktanium pans in the Wee Pinch of Sugar kitchen and if you’re looking for new quality non stick pans then this review is for you.

Stellar Rocktanium – Stylish, Versatile, Durable

The stylish and versatile pans have a tough, non stick coating with a distinctive and stylish ‘stone’ appearance. Thanks to a new titanium based formula, Quantanium, this PFA-free coating gives a scratch resistant surface that is claimed to be more durable than conventional non stick.

There are five frying pans in the Rocktanium range and they are available in the following sizes – 20/24/26/28/30cm.

The 24 cm sauté pan comes with a stylish vented glass lid.

The Rocktanium range has been created from thick aluminium with an induction base to ensure even heat distribution; they are suitable for use on any hob type and are oven safe up to a temperature of 210c.

I put the pans to the test on my induction hob with a number of different foods and was impressed by how well they performed. In addition to the non stick performance and versatility I was very impressed by the heat distribution and pans ability to hold heat.

The images below are from actual dishes I cooked for family meals.

The non stick coating is ideal for breakfast frittata and the metal handle allows for the dish to finish cooking in the oven.

When cooking fish with skin on in a stainless steel it can be difficult to get a nice crispy skin that doesn’t stick to the pan. The ‘Rocktanium’ surface was ideal and the salmon cooked with perfect crispy skin and no problems with sticking.

The saute pan is a real winner on versatility. It’s become a real favourite in the kitchen as it lends itself to so many different dishes. With its stylish stone finish it’s also a perfect oven or hob to table serving dish.

I cook a lot of fish in stir fry recipes and curries and again the saute pan is a good choice for cooking this type of one pan dish with no risk of the ingredients sticking to the pan.

Pasta sauces are another quick favourite in our house and the saute pan came out on top for this. Also ideal for adding the pasta straight into the pan to serve.

Browning meat for casseroles is essential and I prefer to do this in a non stick pan rather than a stainless steel pan. No chance of that happening with the ‘Rocktanium’ and also the added advantage of using less oil.

We used the Stellar Rocktanium pans in the Marine Harvest Kitchen Theatre at the recently held Scottish Salmon Festival. Over two days the saute pan and the frying pans performed well with some heavy duty road testing at high temperatures and the chefs were very impressed with the performance. Even after constant cooking and washing by five chefs, the pans looked like new.

The two Stellar Rocktanium pans have been well tested both in the Wee Pinch of Sugar Kitchen and by the Chefs at the Scottish Salmon Festival and did not disappoint.

Stellar Rocktanium come with a lifetime guarantee and a five year non stick guarantee.

Prices start at £25 for a frying pan. Information on stockists can be found on the Stellar Cookware website.

Disclaimer Stellar Kitchenware provided the pans for this review. A ll opinions expressed are my own.

Sri Lanka: The Cookbook – Review

October 19, 2017 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Sri Lanka: The Cookbook

The say love conquers all and in Sri Lanka: The Cookbook, husband and wife duo, Prakash Sivanathan and Niranjala Ellawalla’s love for the food of their homeland shines. This is their first book and it brings together feather-light hoppers, fiery sambols, subtly spiced curries, pickles, chutneys and unique ‘vada’ (fried snacks).

For 8 years the couple ran the award winning Sri Lankan restaurant, Elephant Walk in Hampstead, North London and have gone on to set up a new food company – Coconut Kitchens. The popular cookery teachers now offer corporate cooking events, home cookery lessons and other events, including hosting regular workshops and supper clubs

The book contains beautiful images from their own travels and the vibrant recipes celebrate not only the islands ingredients but also it’s history, it’s culture and it’s people. Uniquely, the recipes in the book combine the authors Tamil and Sinhalese cultures to give an insight into Sri Lanka’s culinary heritage. Each recipe has its own characteristic; there’s influences from the southern and eastern states of India, but there’s also traces of idiosyncratic traces of the foods and countries that have colonised the island.

Sinhalese tend to use more spices such as cardamom, clove and black pepper and many follow the principle that ‘food is medicine; medicine is food’.

In contrast, the Tamils tend to use more chilli and say there are 6 tastes; sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, salty and astringent, and every meal should be a harmonious balance of all.

A useful glossary outlines some of the unusual ingredients used in the recipes and all are readily available in Asian stores or specialist Sri Lankan suppliers. Each recipe has a colour key, denoting whether it’s Sinhalese or Tamil.

With 100 recipes, the book has an excellent mix of breakfasts, vegetarian, fish and shellfish. The cow is a sacred animal in Hinduism so beef doesn’t widely feature but there are excellent recipes for chicken, lamb, mutton, wide boar and pork.

“My wife and I have lived in London for many years, but I was born a Tamilin the Jaffna peninsula in the north of Sri Lanka, and Niranjala is a Sinhalese from the south. Between us we have a deep understanding and love of the unique styles of cooking that together makes up our island’s cuisine. We hope this provides a record of Sri Lankan history and diversity for generations to come.”

-Prakash K Sivanathan

Drilled prawns – ‘This is a bar food originally served in drinking clubs during the era of the British Raj, and it has found its way into the homes and hearts of Sri Lankan’s. As a nation we’re also fond of devilling g squid, cuttlefish, pork, potato…you name it.”

Achchura – Date and shallot pickle. “In Sri Lanka many vegetables are turned into zingy pickles, from the carrot to the exotic ambarella sour plum. Here, the sweet, soft dates are a beautiful match for the sharp shallots, creating a spicy side dish that will enliven even the simplest platefuls.”

The book is a welcome addition to the range of South East Asian cook books that have been published recently and will appeal to cooks and chefs looking for something different when cooking with spices.

Sri Lanka : The Cookbook is published by Frances Lincoln. Price £20. Images by Kim Lightbody.

Disclaimer Francis Lincoln provided the copy of the book for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Gamba – A Seafood Cookbook – Review

January 25, 2017 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Gamba – A Seafood Cookbook.

Cook books from Scottish chefs are currently somewhat of a rarity – only a handful have been released in the past few years. The latest being an impressive book – Gamba – ‘A Seafood Cookbook’ by Derek Marshall, Chef Patron of Glasgow’s top seafood restaurant, Gamba.

The award winning, two AA rosette restaurant has remained popular with diners since it opened in 1998 and the new book reflects Derek’s passion for cooking with sustainable Scottish seafood.

The recipes capture the Gamba ethos – ‘Using fresh, well sourced fish and seafood makes it easy to create a wonderful meal, ‘and the book represents the best of Gamba with the recipes showcasing dishes featuring fish and seafood that are perfect for simple suppers as well as special occasions.

It’s a book for anyone interested in cooking seafood and it’s one you’ll reach for time and time again. “All the recipes are essentially quite simple because my philosophy in the kitchen has always been to let the ingredients do the talking,” explains Derek. “Many can be found on our menus in Gamba while others are brand new and yet to be featured,” Each recipe calls for fresh, seasonal ingredients and Is easy to make at home in your own kitchen.”

Recipes

In addition to chapters on starters and mains, the book offers hints and tips on how to get the best out of great ingredients as well as providing foolproof methods for preparing essential recipe components such as stock and salad dressing.

The recipes for Gamba’s famous Fish Soup – known as ‘Foup is featured along with one of Derek’s long time favourites, Whole Lemon Sole Meunière a classic Gamba dish that has graced the menu since the day he restaurant opened.

Gamba’s famous fish soup – Foup

Whole Lemon Sole Meuniere

Tempting and mouthwatering starters include

Sardine Pate, Sundried Tomato, lemon and Tartare

Tartare of Seabass, Goats Cheese,Sesame, Chives, Red Pepper & Caviar

Lobster, Smoked Salmon & Mango Salad, Smoked Caviar

Gamba is all about sustainability and recipes for main dishes include widely available seafood favourites including halibut, monkfish, hake, cod and john dory.

Roast Shetland Cod, Lobster, Asparagus, Bitter Orange & Thyme.

King Prawn & Scallop Kebabs, Crispy Seaweed, Spiced Garlic & Lemon Dressing

Of course no cook book would be complete without a chapter on stunning desserts, and the Gamba Cookbook excels with favourites like, Gamba’s Bitter Chocolate Tart and Liquorice Creme Brûlée. And cooks who like to cook with a glass of something to hand will be impressed with the the recipes for a selection of Gamba’s Signature Cocktails.

Liquorice Creme Brulee

“It’s been a labour of love collating all the recipes for this book,” says Derek. “Customers often ask us for advice on cooking fish and seafood, and ‘Gamba – A Seafood Cookbook’ shows them that cooking our delicious recipes at home isn’t complicated if you choose your ingredients well and cook them simply. Scotland has some of the best produce in the world and I hope my new cookbook goes some way to showcasing the fruits of the sea.”

And a final word from Derek, “A simple twist on a traditional recipe can turn something good into something great.”

‘Gamba – A Seafood Cookbook’, priced at £25, is Derek Marshall’s second cookbook. Copies are available now directly from the restaurant.

Thanks to Derek Marshall for providing the copy of ‘Gamba – A Seafood Cookbook for Review.

Image Credits
Mark K Seater, Simple Photography, Glasgow.
www.simplephotography.co.uk

Stellar Cookware Copper Kitchen Gadgets

October 17, 2016 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Stellar Cookware Copper Kitchen Gadgets

Copper kitchen gadgets and accessories are on trend at the moment and Stellar Cookware’s new stylish collection will be a popular addition to any kitchen.

Exceptional Quality

I’m a regular reviewer for Stellar and these are exceptional quality and of course come with the Stellar lifetime guarantee. The attractive collection combines the attraction of copper with the unsurpassed functionality needed by today’s cooks. The collection is also dishwasher safe.

Essential Pieces of Kit

A reliable peeler and garlic crusher are essential pieces of kit in any kitchen The copper finish and soft touch handles gives this gorgeous collection a smart trendy look that doesn’t detract from the durability of the gadgets.

Both gadgets performed well and are now used regularly in the Wee Pinch of Sugar kitchen. I really like the soft touch curved handles which provides for a very comfortable grip, a necessary feature in my opinion, especially when prepping larger quantities of fruit and vegetables.

The classic style peeler has a sturdy blade and tackled the chore of removing the peel of potatoes, root vegetables and fruit with ease.

The garlic crusher is robust and I like the fact that there is no real overflow from the garlic cloves when pressure is applied. It produces a finely crushed garlic and unlike many crushers I have owned, it is easy to clean.

The remainder of the collection includes, a y shaped peeler, nut cracker, pizza cutter and and an ice cream scoop.

Prices start at £4.50 for the copper peeler with the most expensive being the the corkscrew at just over £9. Further information on the Copper Kitchen Gadgets collection and other products from Stellar Cookware.

Product Code	Stellar Copper Gadgets Prices	ASP
SE05	Stellar Soft Touch Gadgets, Copper Corkscrew	9.38
SE08	Stellar Soft Touch Gadgets, Copper Garlic Press	9.00
SE09	Stellar Soft Touch Gadgets, Copper Y Shaped Peeler	4.50
SE11	Stellar Soft Touch Gadgets, Copper Nut Cracker	7.88
SE16	Stellar Soft Touch Gadgets, Copper Pizza Cutter	5.38
SE21	Stellar Soft Touch Gadgets, Copper Peeler	4.50
SE25	Stellar Soft Touch Gadgets, Copper Ice Cream Scoop	5.00

Stellar cookware supplied the gadgets for review in this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

Chef’s Pan range from Stellar Cookware

June 22, 2016 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Chef’s Pan range from Stellar cookware is a new addition to the company’s growing range of top quality cookware and are great multi tasker pans. I’ve been testing out 2 pans in the Wee Pinch of Sugar kitchen and I’ve been more than impressed, not only with the quality and features but the versatility of the pan for cooking a wide range of dishes.

Chef’s Pan Features

The pans come in 3 sizes, 16cm, 20cm and 24cm. This new collection is made up to high spec, heavy duty 18/10 stainless steel and is suitable for use on all hob types. Each has a wide flat base and tall sloping sides which allows for the pan to take on the role of saucepan, frying pan and wok. Ideal if you have a small kitchen with limited storage space as the pans comfortably nest inside each other. I tested the 2 larger pans and gave them top marks for cooking a variety of dishes.

As you will see from the images the pans are being well used for everyday cooking and also for serving straight to the table. Perfect as a multi tasking pan and also live up to Stellar Cookware’s strapline, ‘small pans with big ideas.’

With prices starting at £20 for the 16cm pan, the pans are excellent value for money and will be a worthwhile addition to any kitchen.

I regularly cook for one and the smaller 20cm pan with it’s 850ml capacity has been more than adequate for this.

The largest pan at 24cm with a 1.4L is an ideal size for family meals such as curries, stir fry and pasta dishes.

Other features

Suitable for use in the oven up to 210C Gas 9.
Heavy duty thermic base suitable for all hob types
Dishwasher safe.
Stellar lifetime guarantee

Prices

Stellar 16cm Chef’s Pan, 500ml £20.00
Stellar 20cm Chef’s Pan, 850ml £26.00
Stellar 24cm Chef’s Pan, 1.4L £33.00

Coming soon. Watch out for some of the recipes in the featured images.

Visit the Stellar Cookware website for full details of the Stellar Cookware range.

Disclaimer. Stellar Cookware provided the pans for this review. I was not expected to give a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Paella Pan – Review for Stellar Cookware

May 19, 2016 By Rachel Leave a Comment

Paella is up there with favourite dishes in the Wee Pinch of Sugar kitchen and over the past 30 years or so I’ve owned several but admittedly I never really found the perfect pan. The traditional non expensive pans were never a success and eventually I resorted to using a stainless steel saute pan.

Chef James Martin designed the Lamina’ range of pans for Stellar Cookware and following my review of his recent UK tour, I was offered the chance to review a pan from this top quality range.

The paella pan was the obvious choice.

This range of tri ply cookware has been designed to the chef’s strict tolerances and in terms of outstanding performance and control, it did what it said on the box . The three layers of metal produce a slightly thicker pan and unlike many stainless steel pans the base is not just stuck on to the bottom. This design ensures that the entire pan heats up. Heat radiates up the side of the pan this avoids the problem of food burning on the base of the pan.

I tested the pan by making my usual paella recipe. Much has been written about how to cook the perfect paella and even the Spanish disagree on the best way to cook and what produce should be used although there’s no disagreement over the main ingredient, rice.

It’s also said that a wide pan with a thin base should be used. However, The lamina paella pan is a deeper pan and with the entire pan heating up I found that all the rice cooked consistently and in a shorter time than usual. This also meant that it was ideal for layering up ingredients like the shellfish which was added near the end of cooking. There’s little or no stirring when cooking paella and with previous pans I often found the rice didn’t cook evenly without moving or stirring the pan. Being oven safe it gives the option of finishing the dish in the oven.

The paella pan is 28cm which is the ideal size for the largest zone of my induction hob.

The Lamina range is suitable for all hob types. All are dishwasher and oven safe and come with the Stellar Cookware lifetime guarantee.

Included in the range are saucepans in a selection of sizes, frying pans, stockpot, sautee pan, saucier, a wok and of course the paella pan featured in this review.

The paella pan is currently on sale at £68.

Coming soon. Watch out for the paella recipe used to to test this pan.

Stellar Cookware provided the pan for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.