Beansprouts Pronounce it: been sp-rowts The two most common beansprouts are the green-capped mung bean and the bigger, yellow-capped soy bean. Widely seen as a major, somehow magic, ingredient, beansprouts have little more nutrition than other…
Bicarbonate of soda Bicarbonate of soda, or baking soda, is an alkali which is used to raise soda breads and full-flavoured cakes such as gingerbread, fruit cake, chocolate cake and carrot cake. It needs an…
Broccoli Pronounce it: brok-o-lee Like cabbage and cauliflower, broccoli is a brassica and is sometimes known by its Italian name, calebrese. It has tight clusters of deep green buds and thick, edible stems and was…
Blueberry Pronounce it: bloo-bear-ee Blueberries are one of the few edibles native to North America and credited with being particularly high in antioxidants. They’re now grown very widely internationally but the ever-increasing number of varieties…
Barbera Pronounce it: bar-bare-ah Pizza house star This is probably the first red wine anyone drinks in an Italian restaurant or pizza place. That’s because it can be cheap and very cheerful. The red, juicy…
Bramley apple Pronounce it: bram-lee app-el A large, flattish cooking apple, green in appearance but sometimes with specks of red. The flesh is white, juicy and acidic and when boiled it turns into a frothy…
Beetroot Pronounce it: beat-root A favourite in 1970’s British salads (served cooked and pickled in vinegar), beetroot is a root vegetable with dark, purple skin and pink/purple flesh. It has also enjoyed something of a…
Banana Pronounce it: bah-nah-nah Probably the best known, most popular tropical fruit, their name probably derives from the Arabic for finger, ‘banan’. There are a number of varieties, inluding red bananas (which have a yellow-pink…
Barley There are two types of barley available- pot barley and pearl barley. Pot barley is the more nutritious of the two but is less readily available and takes longer to cook. It is less…
Bain-marie Pronounce it: bah-marie Consists of placing a container (pan, bowl, soufflé dish, etc) of food in a large, shallow pan of warm water, which surrounds the food with gentle heat. The food may be…