October 2026 Favourites list

Welcome, readers to this month’s favourites list! 

 

This month’s photos were taken on a glorious October day when the sun was shining and it was possible to eat al fresco. I went with a good friend of mine and we ate at Caravan in Exmouth Market, caught up, and took our time. We were celebrating her birthday a few days early, and could not have picked a nicer day for it. Since then, the weather has turned, and of course, this weekend the clocks go back. Autumn is now in earnest. I find this challenging, with the short days and dark mornings, but I will be keeping myself cheerful with warming eats, new home cooking projects, and all the new music we get treated to in time for Christmas.

Wishing you a happy change of the season, and I hope you enjoy my choices for this month’s list.

Grilled halloumi topped with hot honey sauce and pistachios

 Food writing and articles

Having very recently discovered Brets crisps in France (hooray!) and then stumbling upon them in a posh corner shop in Chislehurst (yay!) I can vouch for their crunchy yumminess, and it seems I am not alone: https://www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/7/14/its-not-chicken-its-braised-poulet-on-brets-the-french-crisps-taking-british-delis-by-storm

The National Trust is to take over Rules restaurant to protect London’s oldest restaurant with period interiors and high social history value: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-oldest-restaurant-rules-national-trust-b1300708.html

This wonderful website was for a Chinese food magazine which had to fold because the editors decided to retire well into their 80s. It is a treasure trove of wonderful articles and recipes. One to bookmark! https://www.flavorandfortune.com/

Cod dumplings

 

Food is never static, and things you thought were centuries old traditions often are more recent than you think (the Ploughman’s lunch was invented in the 50s!). Gen Z are doing the same with the Sunday roast, as they ditch the gravy and embrace kimchi and ketchup. https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/food-and-drink/features/gen-z-sunday-roast-ketchup-kimchi-gravy-b3054889.html

Kitchen and cooking tips

Mushrooms are one of those foods which provide the fifth taste, the elusive super savoury umami flavour. Here is now to prepare and cook mushrooms to maximise the umami: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/oct/06/how-to-maximise-the-umami-in-mushrooms

Chefs and cooking writers are asked the question “What ingredient do you think is the biggest waste of money?” Some answers are controversial, others common sense: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/news-trends/biggest-waste-of-money-kitchen

Labneh with flatbread

 

Which side are you on? Pro-garlic press or anti-garlic press

The anti-garlic press team is represented by Elizabeth David: https://www.londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/blog/2017/march/garlic-presses-are-utterly-useless-by-elizabeth-david

The pro-garlic press puts a guarded case that garlic presses do have a place in the kitchen here: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/sep/29/stop-press-why-garlic-presses-so-out-of-fashion

Full disclosure: I use a garlic press for a casserole or stew. I grate my garlic otherwise. I will finely dice for a stir fry or similar. Horses for courses, and all that!

Recipes

Chris Bulow writes about cooking Kurobuta pork over charcoal with a recipe for char sui pork from ArChan Chan: https://salutethepig.com/cooking-kurobuta-pork-perfectly/

Spiced baked cauliflower

Lina Saad writes about the confusing origins of the names of two iconic Lebanese dishes, Baba Ganouj and Salatet Rahib (with recipes): https://linasaad.substack.com/p/baba-ganouj-and-the-monks-salad

Spring onion or scallion pancakes are a dim sum dish many people adore, but might not make at home. Here is a shortcut version using a packet of puff pastry: https://whattocooktoday.com/puff-pastry-scallion-pancakes.html

Masala baked beans are nothing new, many Desi households have their own version. But what if you want to mix up butter chicken and masala beans? https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/sep/28/quick-easy-baked-beans-butter-masala-recipe-sanjana-modha

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen

My latest instant noodle review - Samyang Tangle chunky tomato pasta instant noodle review: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2026/10/samyang-tangle-chunky-tomato-pasta.html

My aubergine and pancetta pasta recipe. My attempt at replicating Sicilian flavours. https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2026/09/aubergine-and-pancetta-pasta.html

Baked cauliflower from the back

Why did you take a picture of the baked cauliflower from the back, Snigdha? Because it shows how the chef at Caravan kept the leaves on, to shield the cauliflower from the most fierce heat in the oven. The leaves were actually a little crispy, making the baked cauliflower have a variety of textures. An unexpected treat! 

Music

Ezra Collective – Here Because of Hope

This fourth album from South London’s Ezra Collective has, yet again, a vital mix of jazz, soul and reggae. This album, however, has spoken word elements, expanding the horizons of this band which make you feel proud to be British. Wonderful stuff.

Stevie Wonder released one of his greatest albums Songs In The Key of Life half a century ago. The album was considered at the time to be an ambitious double album, but it is now recognised a classic, exploring a number of musical styles close to Stevie’s heart. Excitingly, it turns out there were tracks which did not make the cut of the album which Stevie Wonder has chosen to release for the album’s 50^th Anniversary

Details and the videos here: https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/stevie-wonder/stevie-wonder-shares-new-tracks-in-songs-in-the-key-of-life-the-ep

Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.

Samyang Tangle chunky tomato pasta instant noodle review

Samyang are a noodle brand most famous for their hot and spicy noodles. Therefore this western coded “Tangle” product is a departure for the first instant noodle manufacturer in South Korea. As will be clear from the rest of this review, if you are expecting a Buldak style instant noodle product, this will challenge your expectations. 

The product

Samyang have created a separate “Tangle” website, suggesting they want this product to be seen as distinct from their instant noodle products. They are trying to market this as a “wholesome pasta meal”. They are so keen for this product to be seen as pasta rather than noodles they are calling the pasta shape Tangluccine. Whether our Italian cousins will be impressed with this is hard to say. Some will be swearing at their screen as they read this.

Tangle has 5 flavours advertised on their website: bulgogi alfredo, garlic shrimp, mushroom cream, garlic oil, and basil tomato. The chunky tomato flavour and Kimchi rosé flavours are still available, but may be on the way out. All the Tangle products are Halal certified and all but the garlic shrimp variety are vegan. I found these in the east Asian grocery shop in Lewisham, but having searched online, there are packet and pot variants. As you can see, I found the packet variant and I have not yet seen the pot variant in the wild. 

 

The protein content is a selling point, with the packet information stating there are 15g protein per pack, and 6g fibre. This would fit with the current “proteinmaxxing” trend (though I confess I find the current fashion for everything to be “somethingmaxxing” is annoying). Their own website says: “Balanced nutrition for your busy day. Packed with protein to help you eat better without the hassle. This is nourishment that goes beyond the bowl.”

What’s Inside

The packet has four elements; the Tangluccine pasta, a pack of dried flakes (Step 1), sauce (Step 2), and powder (Step 3). The flake packet, impressively, is very generously packed with dried tomato pieces. It also has dried onion and garlic. The solid pasta cake is large, much like other Samyang products, perhaps too much for a light lunch, but good for a more substantial meal. 

 

Making up the noodles

The packet product, as opposed to the pot, has instructions which tell you to add Step 1 to the pasta, add 310ml boiling water, and cook for 4 minutes. Then the pasta should be taken off the heat and the sauce and powder are then mixed in before serving. If there is too much sauce or the pasta remains hard, the instruction say the product should be heated for a further minute. 

The pasta at the start of the cooking time

The pasta at the end of the cooking time

 

My measuring jug and measuring cup set are not precise enough for measuring out 310ml, so I went with 300 ml. Otherwise, I cooked this product on the hob to the required 4 minutes time, adding the other elements afterwards with the heat off. 

The cooked pasta with the sauce and powder added before mixing

 

What does it taste like

The finished pasta

The sauce really tastes of tomatoes! I was surprised at the tomato soup taste. There was a hint of basil and oregano. The soup is not spicy at all, unlike the other Samyang products. The dried tomato, onion, and garlic had rehydrated well. Freeze dried veggies which don’t reconstitute completely bring this kind of product down, so I was pleased to have avoided the sticking-in-the-teeth dried veg disappointment with Tangle.

The pasta does not quite taste like durum wheat dried pasta. That has to be said straight up. It does not taste like a typical wheat ramen noodle either. This is likely because of the chick pea flour added to boost the protein content.

If cooked for the recommended 4 minutes on the hob, the pasta comes out a bit softer than al dente. This is fine if you like your pasta soft. But I am a stickler for al dente pasta. This needed to be cooked on the hob to ensure the water didn’t cool down and that the dried tomato, onion and garlic reconstituted before serving up. I would not try to cook this in the microwave as it is highly likely to boil over and make a mess.

The 310ml water instruction seems wrong to me, this is too much. I measured out 300ml and the sauce was, for my taste, too soupy. The packet illustration shows a sauce which clings. Mine has collected at the bottom of the bowl like a scarlet tomato soup. The pack instructions suggest if there is too much water, to cook for a further minute, but this would have resulted in obviously overcooked pasta. Perhaps 3 minutes on the hob for the pasta with a final minute with the sauce is the answer?

The instructions for the pot version only requires 1 cup (7.6 oz) (240ml US cup or 250 ml UK cup) which would be a more appropriate amount. The pot version is microwaved for 5 minutes in a 1000watt model.

My ratings:

(I use Gingey Bites’ rating system for my noodles. For Alex’s scoring method and an index of all of her instant noodle reviews, please see: https://gingeybites.com/guide-to-instant-noodles)

Texture 6/10 (I dropped a mark because 4 mins cooking time is too much)

Flavour 7/10

Ease of making 6/10 (at home; would be inconvenient at work)

Would I buy them again: Maybe, but made with less water and a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan.

For my previous Instant noodle reviews please see:

Samyang Carbonara instant noodle review: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/11/samyang-carbonara-instant-noodle-review.html

Doll brand Hello Kitty Dim Sum Japanese prawn flavour instant noodle: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/08/doll-hello-kitty-dim-sum-noodle-review.html

Itsu’s Chick N Ramen noodles:  https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/03/itsu-chick-n-ramen-instant-noodle-review.html

Nissin x Shoryu “Ramen Masters” Cup Noodle: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2024/01/nissin-x-shoryu-ramen-masters-cup.html

Maruchan spicy chicken and prawn noodles: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2024/05/maruchan-spicy-chicken-and-prawn.html

Nongshim brand’s “Chapagetti” noodles: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2024/09/nongshim-chapagetti-noodle-review.html

This review represents the genuine opinions of Snigdha, who has received no incentive to write this review, and who purchased the product with her own money.

September 2026 favourites list

Welcome to this month's list! 

This month’s pictures are from my delicious lunch at Lahpet Larder from this summer. The food of Myanmar is under the radar in the UK, which is a shame. It is a fascinating culinary tradition, where quite literally you can see how geography has shaped a cuisine. Myanmar’s food is on the one hand an expression of its own identity, and on the other influenced by its neighbours. 

 

Like so much of south east Asia, the salads are fresh tasting, spicy affairs. I had never expected to want second helpings of a mashed potato salad! The fritters reminded me of a day trip to the Mingun Bell back in 2020. The rich and flavourful curry was like the warm hug of a friend.

I returned to Lahpet Larder as I had sampled the lunch menu last year, and wanted to explore the a la carte menu at a later date. I wrote about my previous trip to Lahpet Larder at London Bridge here: https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2025/02/february-2025-favourites-list.html

I hope you enjoy the photos and selections here. Happy reading, happy cooking, and happy eating!

Foodie inspiration

Henry Harris has been working in restaurant kitchens since the 80s. His current restaurant Bouchon Racine continues the Paris Bistrot style of his previous Racine restaurant. Harris has now collected together some of his classic French recipes in The Racine Effect: Classic French Recipes by Henry Harris, a cookbook which Kavey has done a review of on her blog. As ever, she has done a deep dive, considering the storytelling, structure, recipes, and photography in the book. https://www.kaveyeats.com/racine-effect-henry-harris

Ful medames, or fava bean stew is a favourite across the Middle East and North Africa. This is an evocative read by Zahra Hankir about her grandfather, Ahmed, or as she calls him “The King of Ful”: https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2017/the-king-of-ful/#:~:text=In%20Arabic,%20the%20dish%20is,borders%20in%20the%20Arab%20world.

Nigella Lawson loves to big up new cookbooks on her website, reviewing the cookbooks with recipes she loves and would most like to make. Here is her Cookbook Corner review of Kitchening by Jeremy Lee. https://www.nigella.com/cookbook-corner/kitchening-by-jeremy-lee

Eating to help reduce anxiety, by consuming a small amount of choline each day: https://www.sciencefocus.com/wellbeing/anxiety-nutrient-choline

London’s Napoli On The Road named the best pizza in the world at the 50 best pizzas of the world 2026: https://www.standard.co.uk/going-out/foodanddrink/london-best-pizza-restaurant-napoli-on-the-road-b1297238.html

Some restaurants, inexplicably, would rather use AI generated pictures for menus and marketing, rather than photos of their actual food. This is a trend I dislike intensely, and I am not alone. https://theweek.com/culture-life/food-drink/the-nauseating-horror-of-ai-food-slop

Personally, I just want a restaurant bathroom to be clean, for the toilet and seat to be intact and functional, and for there to be loo paper and running water. But for the Instagrammers and TikTokker, fancy restaurant restrooms are a big thing. Egg pods at Sketch, anyone? https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/sep/25/the-lure-of-the-loo-restaurant-bathroom-design

Kitchen tips

I am not sure I like the linguistic trend to call everything “something-maxxing”, but it is true we need fibre to keep our digestive systems moving and maintain good health. So here are some tips on how to get fibre in your diet if you are on a budget. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/fibremaxxing-budget-hacks

 

Recipes

Here is a collection of frugal one pot recipes for the students in your life. If you are a student reading this, good luck with your studies and don’t forget to keep yourself sustained. Eat properly, don’t skip meals, and do keep hydrated. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/one-pot_student_recipes

A recipe for sesame and miso soupy rice which can be pre-prepared, packed into a jar or flask, and rehydrated in the workplace if you only have a kettle to hand. https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/sesame_brothy_rice_with_39484

Mieke shares a recipe for a refreshing Peruvian drink – lemon verbena lemonade: https://www.dorothy-porker.com/limonada-de-cedron-peruvian-lemon-verbena-lemonade/

This Yum Goong (Thai Shrimp and Lychee Salad) Recipe from Andrea Nguyen and Pim Techamuanvivit’s new Thai food cookbook is one I can vouch for being delicious and easy to make. https://www.foodandwine.com/yum-goong-thai-shrimp-and-lychee-salad-11948737

Cottage cheese is back! Not quite the same as the 80s diet pots of low fat low taste misery, but protein rich soft cheese to keep you feeling fuller for longer. Unexpected? Wait until you see the next step – cottage cheese oven chips: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/a73864596/cottage-cheese-chips-recipe-perfected/

What you might have missed at Snig’s Kitchen

My aubergine and pancetta pasta recipe. My attempt at replicating Sicilian flavours. https://snigskitchen.blogspot.com/2026/09/aubergine-and-pancetta-pasta.html

 

TV

Colin From Accounts, Season 3

My TV watching this month has passed the time, without much which can be described as standout. So much evening wallpaper! But the third and final season of Australian sitcom Colin From Accounts is the only exception. Written and starring Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall who are a couple off screen, this season revisits Ash and Gordon three years after his proposal of marriage went wrong (the ending of season 2). Now, both are in new relationships, but their shared interest in Colin means they have to navigate the emotional terrain of rejection, guilt and whatever the hell their friends and family are doing.

Available on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0f255x9/colin-from-accounts?seriesId=p0f255x9-structural-3-m00303gt 

 

Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.

Aubergine and pancetta pasta

This dish was an attempt to get some summertime into a bowl, inspired by the delicious and highly individual pasta dishes of Sicily. The flavour combinations on the island reflect the history and the different waves of people who have arrived on its shores. If you want to add more of those flavours, feel free to add fennel seeds, and/or toasted pine nuts, and/or raisins. 

 

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 shallot, diced

Small pack of cubetti de pancetta (or lardons)

2 tbsp plus another 2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

3 anchovies in chilli oil (or 3 anchovies in salt which have been rinsed, or in plain oil and you can add chilli flakes if you want a little heat)

1 can cherry tomatoes (I was feeling fancy so I used Mutti brand)

Half a teaspoon dried oregano

half a tablespoon chopped capers

1 small aubergine cut into half inch or 1 cm cubes (if you have a larger aubergine use half to two thirds)

220-250g dried pasta try to use bronze die cut pasta (I used gigli)

3 tbsp parmesan cheese

 

Method

Fry aubergine in 2 tbsp of olive oil until golden and there is a little shrinkage. Put to one side. Reuse the pan for the pancetta, you can wipe clean if you wish.

Dry fry the pancetta until cooked but not crispy, and empty onto a plate covered in kitchen roll.

Then fry the diced shallot in 2 tbsp olive oil for 5 mins, keeping things moving so the shallots don’t brown or burn.

Add the finely chopped garlic and anchovies in chilli oil. Cook for another 2 minutes, until you can smell the garlic softening.

Add a tin of cherry tomatoes with their juice, the dried oregano, and the chopped capers. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Allow to cook into a slightly thickened sauce. While cooking, boil either a pan of water or a kettle of water for cooking the pasta. Then cook 220-250g pasta in salted water to 1 min less than the al dente time.

Then add the aubergine to the tomato sauce in the last 5 or so minutes of cooking time.

Drain pasta, reserving half a mug of pasta cooking water if needed. Then add pasta to the pan with the sauce, stirring until thoroughly mixed.

If you need to add pasta cooking water to loosen the pasta and sauce, add a little at a time, keeping pasta and sauce on very low heat. Try to do this in 1-2 minutes to avoid over softening the pasta (something I never have to worry about with pasta!).

When happy with consistency, taste and season, then serve, topping with parmesan. Eat while hot.

 

August 2026 favourites list

This month’s pictures are from a very pleasant lunch I had at the famous London restaurant Fallow. The restaurant serves up “modern British cuisine” putting a principle of “conscious usage of British produce” at the forefront of what they do, with sustainable practices. The two main chefs, Jack Croft and Will Murray, have worked at some top restaurants Dinner (Jack), Core, The Fat Duck and The Clove Club (Will), but at Fallow they have managed to be classy but not snooty. It feels like a pleasant and relaxed place to treat yourself to a special meal rather than the more demanding “fine dining” experience.  

 

I hope you will like the food photos, but also the selections of food writings, kitchen tips, and recipes for this month. If you have been wilting in the heat, I feel your pain. Let us hope for rain and for the mercury to fall in September! 

Foodie inspiration 

Chinatown Bakery’s Roast pork bun and roast pork pastries are something I love to buy either when in London’s Chinatown or any of the Chinese grocery shops which sell their products. If you love pandan cake and all the other gorgeous baked treats, you will be pleased to know they are expanding: https://www.timeout.com/uk/news/chinatown-bakery-20-locations-080426  

 

The much missed chef, food writer, and culinary explorer Anthony Bourdain was not just a born genius chef. He worked his way up from washing up to food preparation to cooking, learning skills from many people who were migrants and people of colour. In this article, Jason Jesudason says the new film Tony concentrating on the year of his life where he started to work in restaurants does not properly honour his work and legacy:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/culture/article/20260812-why-anthony-bourdain-biopic-tony-fails-to-honour-the-chefs-work  

Emiko Davies' defence of Japanese food, after *that* horrible racist piece in The Canberra Times exposes the original author's stunning ignorance. It is also a good read on Japanese food. [I know it is on Substack, I can't help that.] https://emikodavies.substack.com/p/japanese-curry-is-the-worst-curry 

A history of Japanese food culture with the startling revelation that eating red meat only started in Japan in the mid to late 19th Century.   https://buttondown.com/theswordandthesandwich/archive/notable-sandwiches-145-yakisoba-pan/  

 

Science expert Hannah Fry talks air fryers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0029kt8/the-secret-genius-of-modern-life-series-3-1-air-fryer  

Nigel Ng AKA Uncle Roger on MSG and why it is misunderstood plus some chat about the Uncle Roger phenomenon and the best egg fried rice (podcast plus bonus cook along edition): https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/nigel-ng-aka-uncle-roger-on-msg-and-the-best-egg-fried-rice  

Kitchen tips 

What is the best way to store tomatoes? Cold in the fridge makes them tasteless, that’s for sure. But can I be bothered to tape them all at the top? I am unconvinced. https://www.foodandwine.com/best-way-to-store-tomatoes-12032959  

Personally, I use parmesan rinds by putting them in my risotto when I leave it to sit with grated parmesan and butter, but it’s too hot to sweat over a pan of stock, ladling it into risotto, right? So here is Tom Hunt’s pesto recipe using up a single parmesan rind.  https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/aug/12/how-to-leftover-parmesan-rind-pesto-recipe-zero-waste-cooking  

 

They are a bit light on the cooking details, but Science Daily have explored the idea that microwaving your chips before frying might make them absorb less oil when you fry. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260729044048.htm  

Recipes  

Mieke has shared a new recipe, which you can call a vegan sobrasada or a sun dried tomato dip. Either way, it will taste great on toast, flatbread or on pasta. https://www.dorothy-porker.com/vegan-sobrasada-from-sundried-tomatoes/ 

 

Grain salads might be a way to go this summer if you are bored of salad leaf. This chicken, chickpea, and grain-salad with green harissa is served warm and takes 10 minutes: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/food/recipes/a73403903/chicken-chickpea-grain-salad-green-harissa/  

Kavey recently reviewed the Chinese Made Easy cookbook by Kwoklyn Wan, sharing this Minced Lamb and Aubergine Noodles recipe from the book. Sadly, I couldn’t get hold of any lamb mince in my local supermarket, but I did make it with pork mince and it was delicious: https://www.kaveyeats.com/minced-lamb-and-aubergine-noodles   

May at Eat Cook Explore shares the recipe for Shakalaka, a sweet and spicy vegetable relish originating in Soweto, South Africa: https://www.eatcookexplore.com/chakalaka-recipe-a-south-african-condiment/  

 

Diana Henry’s recipe for Turkish spiced chicken with flatbreads and green relish from Saturday Kitchen:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/turkish_spiced_chicken_12732  

Fowl Mouth’s supperclub host and cookbook author Melissa Thompson uses Japanese flavours in this Bavette steak recipe with ponzu:  https://www.nigella.com/recipes/guests/ponzu-pepper-and-garlic-bavette  

Please note: as with every monthly Favourites List, all of these items have been selected by me simply because I love them. I do not receive any money, benefits in kind or other incentive for posting these links or recommendations.