Blanchette East | London (UK) | By Lee Fleming

The Blanchette have opened up their second restaurant in London's East End following the success of their Soho restaurant and the IDMCo team can't wait to check it out. Brothers Maxime, Yannis and Malik Alary alongside Sam Storrar who is executive cheff for both eateries chose London's Brick Lane as the ideal setting for the latest expansion of their French sharing plates experience with a modern French menu that's more informed by the country’s southern styles as well as North Africa.

Named after the Alary brothers mother, Blanchette has been designed by design Agency Black Sheep, the space finely balances Parisian Belle Époque with urban East London. The dining room is decorated with antiques sourced from Parisian vintage markets while a white marble counter, rustic wooden and marble tables set the scene in front of a backdrop of distressed walls and ceilings. Blanchette doesn't only serve up great tasting food, the music played a perfect match; a well considered playlist of nu-disco, funk soul classics and new wave sounds curated by Malik (Check out the Blanchette soundcloud here).

To read more about Blanchette visit their website.

Mina Holland | The Edible Atlas | London (UK) | By Lee Fleming

The Edible Atlas: Around the World in Thirty-nine cuisines, the first book by Mina Holland (Editor of Guardian Cook) is a full whistle-stop tour for intrepid cooks that perfectly blends together Holland’s passion for food and travel. Published by independent publishers Canongate Books and edited by Jenny Lord, the striking cartography and infographics were designed by London-based illustrator/graphic designer Liane Payne. The impressive art direction and design is thanks to Canongate’s own Rafaela Romaya and the symbols that pepper the book are from Peter Adlington.

The Edible Atlas tracks Holland’s exploration into various cuisines from across the globe alongside their culinary heritage. Demystifying the flavours, ingredients and techniques of 39 different cuisines, the book travels worldwide via South Indian coconut fish curry, zingy ceviche, yoghurty Jordanian mansaf, Danish dream cake, Spanish tortilla de patatas and Caribbean jerk chicken. Alongside snippets of anecdote, history and literature associated with the recipes, words of wisdom from some of the world’s most seasoned food experts also pop up across the pages- expect to hear from Yotam Ottolenghi, Jacob Kenedy, Jose Pizarro and Giorgio Locatelli.

Bilder De Clercq | Amsterdam (NLD)

Created from the regular and ever uninspiring trip to the local supermarket, Bilder & De Clercq on De Clercqstraat 44 is a solution brought about by Leopold and Rogier Diederik van Gelder to bring that all too familiar food shopping mental block to an end.

Both living in Amsterdam, Leopold and Rogier were faced daily with the question to self “What shall I do tonight for dinner” and after frequent unsatisfying searches for noble ingredients they decided to act, the result, Bilder & De Clercq with offers convenience, inspiration, time saving as part of their seasonal and regional gourmet recipes.

From idea to inception, Bilder & De Clercq was to be a store decorated for recipe creation, providing recipes and all the ingredients needed to prepare these dishes which are carefully considered and presented clearly in the right quantities, bringing an end to the saga of only needing ‘a pinch’ of yet having to purchase the entire packet/bottle. All ingredients are of the highest quality and carefully selected, locally where possible and are complimented with handy step-by-step recipe card’s to inspire you to create surprising, delicious meals that are easy to prepare and are simply cooked.

Dutch design agency Staat lent their creative hands to design the interior and branding for this alternative supermarket in Amsterdam. Instead of traditional supermarket aisles, the supermarket features bespoke white tiered frames with wooden surfaces for displaying foodstuffs and the steel frames are grouped according to the ingredients of each dish that’s pictured and detailed above the produce.

The café area in Bilder & De Clercq features a counter decorated with handmade turquoise tiles, wooden panels are across the ceiling and merge into shelves behind the counter to display delicious handmade bread. Alongside daily groceries and provisions, a range of kitchenware including chopping boards, vegetable peelers and spatulas are available in either wood or metal.

Chalk & Chocolate by Cereal Magazine | Bristol (UK)

A publication we eagerly await its release is Cereal Magazine, a quarterly food and travel magazine, home grown and based in Bristol (UK). In their ‘pursuit for food and travel’ Rosa Park, Rich Stapleton and their small but perfectly formed Cereal team explore the world, discovering culinary delights and cultural significance. Cereal Magazine moves towards timelessness in their magazine which is also inherent in their editorial content; always considered, this passionate publication is filled with intelligent words, beautiful design and striking imagery.

The photography featured in each and every Cereal Magazine is a key cause of our impatience in receiving the latest volume; with contributions from photographers all over the world, the featured imagery of landscapes, places, food, and products are truly inspiring, a guarantee to read over and over again like a good book.

Their latest release, Volume 4 features the exploration of grains, British watchmaker Uniform Wares, Krakow, Los Angeles and their collaboration photography project ‘Forest’ with Protein (London, UK). A feature of note that brought the IDCM° taste buds alive and equally reminded us of the school blackboard is their feature ‘Chalk & Chocolate’, exploring texture, photography by Ulf Svane and chocolate by Anne au chocolat.

Benjamin Edmonds of Blok Knives | Derby (UK)

Appreciating something’s value is a notion of individual taste and judgment, no matter its form, but appreciating its value often brings unity. Investing in a bespoke chef’s knife may not be something of recent consideration but nevertheless allow us to present Blok Knives. Designed and handmade in the heart of Derbyshire, Blok Knives are individually crafted by craftsman Benjamin Edmonds. Each purpose built knife is hand ground, finished and tested in Benjamin’s Crow Studio workshop (Unit 2, 29 Great Northern Road, Derby, DE1 1LR).

Born from a passion for quality and a love for all things handmade, Benjamin’s addiction to sharp edges has firmly grounded him in what he wishes for Blok Knives going forward. His obsession for fine finishing and attention to detail is visible with each and every blade crafted. Visit Benjamin’s Blok Knives for more information and knife enquiries.