Allergico Magazine Autumn 2022

ALLERGICO AUTUMN

2022

BANH MI CA PHE - MADAME SEITAN - TIPPLE TIPS - PUZZLES & GAMES

Contents: 3: Banh Mi Ca Phe Find out why Vietnamese food is the best in the world according to this Warwickshire restaurant!

13: Madame Seitan We check out an exciting new vegan food business run by the former owner of an iconic Warwickshire vegan café.

17: Allergico Explains: Cider & Perry

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Everything you need to know about these much-loved seasonal beverages!

Editor's note HELLO ALLERGICOS! The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are hopefully plummeting after the baking hot summer we've had!

I love the autumn season as it is a chance to get out the seasonal jumpers and of course the seasonal food.

All of our interviewees for this edition are perfect for the season, from an iconic fiery Vietnamese sandwich to everything you ever needed to know about cider and perry. We'll also be revisiting a former interviewee and seeing how she's getting on in her new business.

So sit down, get yourself a cup of something mulled and enjoy reading!

BEST WISHES, SOPH 2 |

Sophie Wallace Founder & Editor of Allergico

Banh Mi Ca Phe 3 |

It's been nearly a decade since The BBC listed the Banh Mi as one of the best sandwiches in the world.

Since 2014, its popularity has soared, bringing a Vietnamese staple to a whole new audience.

Having started its life as a small street food cart in late 2019, Banh Mi Ca Phe quickly became a popular food brand throughout the West Midlands. Despite the global pandemic, they opened their physical store in Leamington Spa's Regent Street in April 2021 and have gone from strength to strength.

With such an impressive rise to fame, we just had to sit down and talk to them about their success.

Why did you decide to set up a

lot of support, love and help. Thank

Vietnamese street food business?

you all very much, especially those of you who helped advertise our

Simply because I miss Vietnamese

shop from the early days, thank you

street food. Every time I miss home, I

Leamington!

want to eat Vietnamese food but Leamington didn't have it. I thought

3. What would your dream plans for

why not? So I decided to open a

the business' future look like?

small Vietnamese restaurant in Leamington for myself, and

I have a lot of dreams, but my

Vietnamese street food lovers.

dream for Banh Mi Ca Phe is to expand to more branches and

2. What was it like opening during a

towns. I want to promote and affirm

pandemic?

Vietnamese street food on the food map in the UK. In particular I want

It was difficult in every way, it took a

this for the Banh Mi, as it's a

lot longer than the planned opening

nourishing, delicious and affordable

date because of all the problems, the

fast food option for everyone.

physical store was closed, everyone was afraid of the pandemic. But we are here now and we have received a

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What is your favourite item on the

in the UK. I think this is because the

menu?

Vietnamese are famous for their nail industry here, so the restaurant

I've got many favourite Vietnamese

trade is less common. To me,

dishes, but one I particularly love is

Vietnamese food is very delicious if

Banh Mi. This is associated with all

you do it right. Do not cut corners,

ages, but especially childhood. It's

cook with all the love like

spiritual food and part of the

grandparents and parents do. Then

identity for both rich and poor

the food is great, not inferior to any

Vietnamese people. “Banh Mi is a

other delicious food in the world, is

less expensive but still nutritionally

sometimes even better in terms of

complete and balanced.

nutrition.

Do you have any advice/recommendations for people trying Vietnamese food for the first time?

Not much, just read the menu and ingredients and carefully. After doing this, tell us what ingredients you are allergic to, so we can give you the best advice. Then just eat and enjoy!

Why do you think it took Vietnamese food longer to become popular than its counterparts?

Very good question, Banh mi and other Vietnamese dishes are famous around the world, but not so much 5 |

What's the response been to your

It's then stuffed with an ever varying

food so far?

combination of so many different flavours, from meat to fish to tofu

We have had so much great and

and homemade sauces. The Banh

positive feedback about our food!

m-Mi also has a lot of Vietnamese

People keep asking if we open at

fresh herbs such as: coriander,

night time or do delivery. I hope soon

radish, pickled carrot, cucumber

we can open at night and have a

and Vietnamese mint. This brings

delivery option.

together salty, sweet, sour, spicy flavours. This amazing taste is why

Why do you think so many people

David Farley from the BBC called it

consider the Banh Mi the best

"the best sandwich in the world".

sandwich in the world?

How do you make your Banh Mi so Many people consider the Banh Mi

delicious?

the best sandwich in the world

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because it's an airy and crunchy

We make them with love and care,

fresh French baguette with a

how we love to eat is how we want

Vietnamese flourish, wheat and rice

our customers to eat. Above all,

flours provide a thin and crispy crust.

everything is always very fresh and

delivered during the day. This includes the seasoning for the dishes which are always marinated for 6 to 8 hours.

This makes the dishes very tasty and full of flavour.

Do you have any allergyfriendly recommendations for people visiting?

We always enquire about all allergy issues before our customers order food. Then we encourage guests to carefully read all food ingredients on the menu and talk about allergy-containing ingredients.

Always be careful and inform us of allergies and intolerances so we can give the most reasonable advice. We also regularly train and remind staff about allergy awareness.

Vietnamese coffee is said to be very special, what makes it so unique?

Vietnamese coffee is something that's very special to us and everyone in Vietnam, we love it!

The taste is so amazing, so different to every other coffee out there. Many people don't know that Vietnam is the world's second largest coffee producer. This coffee is something you have to try at least once in your lifetime.

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Does Vietnam have any autumnal traditions?

Yes we have a big autumn festival called Trung Thu. It's the time for family to come together, with kids running around chasing candy and watching a dragon dance.

Together we eat many traditional dishes, drink tea together, listen to the old people in the village tell stories and eat moon cakes.

Great vacations that no child far from home can forget.

Where to find Banh Mi Ca Phe: 112 REGENT ST, LEAMINGTON SPA, CV32 4NR

Tipple Tips When the days get colder, the drinks get warmer! So with the Autumn incoming, this season's Tipple Tips are all around warming drinks.

We have a great selection for you, from hot spiced drinks, to rich deep flavours sure to shake off the autumnal chill.

Alongside seasonal classics, we also have some delicious hot drinks for those who are going alcohol-free. One particularly exciting one is a Turkish staple which is truly marvellous.

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Photo credit: Olmeca Altos

Boozy Ginger Beer

Photo credit: Belvoir Farm

Not quite ready to say goodbye to summer Margaritas? Well this is the perfect crossover drink! It's easy to adapt too, just leave out the tequila to make it alcohol-free.

INGREDIENTS: 50ml Reposado Tequila (if you can't find this, buy the best alternative you can afford) 25ml Ginger cordial (ones with a hint of chilli work especially well) One lime wedge Water METHOD: 1. Place the tequila in your glass of choice.

2. Add in the ginger cordial.

3. Top up the drink with water to taste.

4. Give the lime wedge a gentle squeeze over the glass, then add to the mix.

5. Enjoy!

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Looking for a party drink without the alcohol? Try this delicious mocktail which provides some deliciously refreshing fizzy delight. Want to spice it up? Garnish with a small slice of chilli!

Photo credit: Belvoir Farm

Ginger Nozeco Fizz INGREDIENTS: Bottle of Nozeco or similar alcohol-free grape-based fizzy drink 25ml Ginger Cordial

1. Add the 25ml ginger cordial to a fluted glass (alternatively a coupe glass will work).

2. Top up with the fizzy alcohol-free drink.

3. Add your favourite garnishes.

4. Enjoy!

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Photo credit: Sainsbury's

METHOD:

Beer & Cider Eyam Brewery Mompesson's Calling Plum Porter Available: Eyam Brewery Website & select stores

Photo Credits: Eyam Brewery

Available: Eyam Brewery Website & select stores

Photo Credits: Eyam Brewery

Eyam Brewery Black Death Vanilla Stout

Low & No alcohol HazerBaba Turkish Apple Tea Price: £7.53 Stockists: Amazon, health food shops nationwide

Belvoir Ginger Cordial Price: £3.75 from Sainsbury's Stockists: Belvoir website & stores nationwide Photo Credits: HazerBaba & Belvoir

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Food Festival Finder:

Logo Credit: BID Leamington

The Leamington Spa Food Festival Where: Pump Room Gardens, Royal Leamington Spa, CV32 4AA When: 11th & 12th September 2022 The Allergy & Free From Show Winter Where: NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT When: 5th - 6th November 2022 Vegfest UK London 2022 Where: Olympia Grand, Olympia Way, London, W14 8UX When: 12th & 13th November 2022

Logo Credit: The Allergy & Free From Show

Logo Credit: Vegfest UK

BBC Good Food Show Winter Where: NEC, Birmingham, B40 1NT When: 24th - 27th November 2022 12 |

Logo Credit: BBC Good Food/Immediate Media

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Madame Seitan Longtime fans of Allergico might recognise Keirra Macdonald-Mosdall as one of the owners of The Garden Shed, a much-loved vegan venue in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.

Whilst that venue has sadly closed its doors, Keirra has set up an all-new vegan food business and we caught up with her to talk about Madame Seitan and all things vegan food!

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Why did you decide to set up

What kind of products do you sell?

Madame Seitan?

My thing is world foods, and of Madame seitan came about because

course seitan.

of taking over The Garden Shed café,

I like to cook food from around the

although it was the first business I

world that you would normally get

owned it wasn't my creation.

anywhere else or at least, is a bit

Madame seitan was my baby.

more exciting that a standard burger.

What inspired you to give the

What's your most popular product?

business such a unique name?

My shawarma kebab, for sure! I make My best friend and I were chatting

the seitan with authentic

about what I could call my name if I

Middle-Eastern spices,

ever renamed the business, at that

recommended by an Iranian shop

time I was experimenting with

keeper I once met, he always advised

making seitan. And Ben, my friend

me that you cannot eat falafel

just came up with Madame seitan!

without pomegranate syrup! He's

And I instantly knew that's exactly

right, I'll never eat them without

what I'd call it. I practiced how to

again!

make seitan from then on for about 2 more years before I went ahead with renaming the business!

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What would be your dream for the

when you cook for people and make

business' future?

people happy.

I've got a 5 year plan foe Madame

From when The Garden Shed opened

seitan, maybe a business on wheels.

to your work at Madame Seitan now,

But you'll have to keep your eyes

how much has the vegan food

peeled for anymore info about what's

landscape changed?

going to happen next!

Oh, a lot. I mean look at the What was your favourite memory

supermarkets and what they offer,

from working at The Garden Shed?

it's crazy. And I'm so so so grateful that the vegan food world is getting

Owning the Garden Shed Café was an

bigger and better!

amazing experience, I was so young and just excited to show the world

What's your favourite warming

what I could do.

autumnal dish?

Did you take any ideas/popular

Pumpkin and cauliflower curry!

dishes over with you when The Garden Shed closed?

I'd like to think my menu at the café is the same is what in doing now but now, I'm bigger, better and with a lot more experience.

What advice would you have for anyone considering opening their own food business?

It's a hard graft! But very rewarding

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Keep an eye out for Madame Seitan at food events throughout the Midlands!

Allergico Explains: 17 |

Cider & Perry 18 |

With autumn now here, many people love to enjoy the classic British drinks of cider and perry.

But what's the difference and how do you know which varieties will work best for you?

In this piece Allergico is aiming to shed some light on these questions and more, so you can enjoy this delicious seasonal drink!

Cider:

Any apple variety can be used to make cider, but many are carefully selected for flavour profile.

Famous cider-producing regions include: Herefordshire, Somerset, Cornwall in the UK and Brittany in France.

CREDIT: CAMRA

Perry:

Only perry pears can be used to make the drink called perry.

Perry pear trees take a long time to grow to maturity, some can survive for hundreds of years.

The West-Midlands makes famous perry.

Term decoder: Real cider & Real Perry The term "real" in the context of cider and perry means either beverage which is seasonally produced and uses 100% apples or perry pears depending on the variety.

Over the decades, a wide variety of cider and perry brands have flooded the market, meaning that heritage varieties are often left fighting fierce competition from international rivals.

However, groups such as The Big Apple Association and Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) are fighting to preserve what is known as "real" cider and perry.

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Allergico Recommends: Dry Cider: Weston's Old Rosie Price: £4.75 - £5 depending on stockist Available: Weston's website, Tesco, Iceland Description: A Herefordshire icon, this robust dry cider works perfectly for everything from curry to a roast dinner.

Aspall's Premier Cru Cyder Price: £2.20 - £2.25 dependent on stockist Available: Aspall website, Sainsbury's, Tesco Description: A refreshing dry cider with a floral aroma.

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Medium-Dry Cider: Sheppy's 200 Special Edition Price: £2.25 Available: Sheppy's website, Waitrose (single bottles only) Description: For their 200th anniversary in 2016, Somerset's most famous cider company brought out this robust traditional beverage.

Henry Weston's Vintage Cider Price: £2.00 - £2.25 dependent on stockist Available: Weston's website, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Tesco Description: This medium-dry cider is refreshing and has a smooth taste, with a scent full of fruit.

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Sweet Cider: Aspall's Imperial Cyder Price: £2.50 - £2.60 Available: Aspall's website, Sainsbury's, Waitrose Description: This cider is a strong one in both vol and taste. But that means it provides a rich, sweet fudgy and fruity taste which is truly delicious.

Cornish Orchards' Wassail Mulled Cider Price: Case of 6: £30 Case of 12: £54 Available: Cornish Orchards' website Description: Originally integral to the eponymous festival to ensure a good apple harvest, this is an iconic old English autumnal drink.

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Fruit Cider: Weston's Rosie's Pig Rhubarb Cloudy Cider Price: See Weston's website for prices Available: Weston's website, Weston's Cider Mill Description: Rhubarb combines with classic Rosie's Pig cider for a traditional and fresh taste.

Gwynt Y Ddraig Autumn Magic Cider & Blackberry Price: Case of 12: £30 Available: Gwynt Y Ddraig's website Description: Say iechyd da with this delicious Welsh cider. It combines the classic combination of apple and blackberry to brilliant effect.

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Perry: Gwynt Y Ddraig Perry Vale Pear Cider Price: Case of 12: £30 Available: Gwynt Y Ddraig's website Description: The company uses three types of pears in this beverage to create a crisp and refreshing drink.

Woodredding Sweet Perry Price: See Woodredding website for prices Available: Woodredding's website, stores & festivals in Hereforshire Description: This small-business made perry is a delicious introduction to the beverage.

CREDIT: Weston's, Aspall, Sheppy's, Cornish Orchards, Gwynt Y Ddraig, Woodredding

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Want to learn more about Real Perry, Real Cider and Real Ale? Check out these organisations to learn more:

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Founded back in 1971, this organisation was set up to help secure the future of real ale, real cider and real perry. Today, it's one of the most prominent consumer groups in the UK.

The Big Apple Association This organisation was set up in 1989 to support and raise interest in apples, pears, cider and perry. Its Blossomtime and Harvesttime events in Herefordshire are annual highlights.

CREDIT: CAMRA, The Big Apple Association

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Follow us on social media!

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Puzzles & Games Warm up your brain cells with these autumn puzzles!

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Pigpen Cipher We're back with another seasonal cipher, but can you guess what it says?

ANSWER: Did you know that Pho is the national dish of Vietnam?

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The Anagram Challenge See if you can solve these fiendish seasonal anagrams!

MILL REDUCED MACE NOOK SCENT SHUT

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ANSWERS: 1. TOFFEE APPLE, 2. MULLED CIDER, 3. MOONCAKE, 4. CHESTNUTS

OFF PEEP TEAL

Wordsearch See if you can find the words in our autumnal wordsearch!

BANHMI PHO VIETNAM GINGER BEER TEQUILA AUTUMN 31 |

CINNAMON HALLOWEEN DIWALI HANNUKAH PUMPKIN TOFFEE APPLE

Big Quiz Warm up those brain cells with this autumnal trivia!

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Which of these was the original vegetable used for Halloween carving?

A) Watermelon B) Turnip C) Apple For which festival is it common to eat Mooncakes in China?

A) Diwali B) Thanksgiving C) Mid-Autumn Festival What is the name given to the last Sunday before Advent when Christmas puddings are traditionally made?

A) Stir-up Sunday B) Singsong Sunday C) Sit-down Sunday

ANSWERS: 1 - B, 2 - C, 3 - A

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Picture Round!

Can you name what's in these four pictures? They're all about either this edition or the season of autumn, good luck!

Answers: Pho, Quinces, Blackberries, Samosas

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Thank you for reading, see you at Christmas!