COMPETITION: WIN A PLACE AT THE NEXT DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS @ H.FORMAN & SON

The next DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS will take place at H.Forman & Sons on Monday 31st May 2010.

The event also marks the publication date of my new book EATING FOR BRITAIN. So, we have decided to make this a 'Best of British" meal and from what we have planned so far, it promises to be one of the best events yet.

Thanks to the good people of Forman's (especially the delightful Nicola Swift) we have an amazing menu planned and the goody bags are already looking as if they will be rather splendid.

Unsurprisingly, the demand for tickets was higher than ever with over 500 requests and all the tickets were snaffled up very quickly.

However, Forman's would like to offer two lucky readers of Dos Hermanos the chance to come along as their guest for the evening and, to sweeten the deal, I will also add a signed copy of the book to the goody bags of the winners.

All you have to do to win this great prize is answer the following question.

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE CURE USED BY H.FORMAN & SON FOR THEIR SMOKED SALMON?

Please answer by e-mailing

info@formanandfield.com AND copying in doshermanos@doshermanos.co.uk

The competition closes on MONDAY MAY 3rd. We cannot enter into any correspondence about this competition, but the winners, whose names will be selected at random from the correct entries, will be contacted shortly afterwards by H.Forman.

Good luck and see you on the 31st May

COMPETITION: TWO TICKETS TO THE ALLENS OF MAYFAIR BUTCHERY SCHOOL

I have a real soft spot for food brands which are often neglected because they have become too familiar. Ask me for my favourite sherry and it will usually be a glass of Tio Pepe Fino, the original and in my opinion, still the best. Ask me which gin I drink and it will be Beefeater, made in London since the 1850’s but now often overlooked in favour of boutique distilleries who infuse the spirit with everything from the tears of a fallen angel to black pudding (actually that could be a good idea)

There is a reason why these brands have been around for ever and it is because they are usually bloody brilliant at what they do, refusing to kowtow to trends and sticking to what they have always done, crafting a great product in a time honoured fashion.

Which brings me, in case you were wondering what the point was to all of this, to today’s competition. Allen’s of Mayfair is one of London’s oldest butchers and the oldest in the country still residing on the same site. In 2006 the shop almost folded when the holding company went into administration. It was saved by the intervention of two former butchers and the owners of Rare, Justin Preston and David House who have spent the last three years returning it to its former glories.

For those of you who have not been there, Allen's is a butcher's shop as you remember they used to be and definitely worth a visit. As well as supplying superb meat to the restaurant trade and the public, Allen’s now also run very enjoyable butchery classes. They are not cheap affairs, costing £100 a pop, but are fun and very hands on. Now, they have been kind enough to offer the meat obsessed readers of Dos Hermanos, the opportunity to join one of their classes in February and to get down and dirty with something which once bleated, mooed or oinked.

We have two tickets to give away and to win all you have to do is answer the following question.

IN WHICH YEAR DID ALLEN’S FIRST START TRADING AT THEIR CURRENT SITE IN MAYFAIR?

The closing date for the competition is 15th DECEMBER 2009. Please submit all entries via the Dos Hermanos contact details with ALLEN’S OF MAYFAIR COMPETITION as the subject heading.

One entry per person, please. I cannot enter into correspondence but will confirm the winners, selected at random from the correct entries, soon after closing date.

Good luck.

WIN A PLACE AT THE THEO RANDALL COOKERY SCHOOL

Competitions on Dos Hermanos are like busses on the dreaded “55” route. I don’t mean by that they have ripped seats and smell like piss, more that you wait around for ages and then a whole load come along at the same time.

Well, I am not going to apologise. Restaurants, exhibition organisers and P.R’s have obviously cottoned on to what a discerning readership DH has (and by discerning I mean mal adjusted freaks with nothing better to do with their time) and are approaching me daily with offers of prizes for you to win just by the sending of a simple little e-mail.

The response has been staggering and my inbox is flooded with e-mails from people wanting to win the latest offering of two pairs of tickets for a Tayyab fest the like of which has never been seen before (for shame, however, on the people who e-mailed Wasim to ask what weight of lamb chops he sold, for shame.)

We are however, in true DH style “keeping it real” by only running competitions for prizes that we would very much like to win ourselves and today’s offering is no exception and is indeed one of the finest we have ever offered.

Almost exactly three years ago, I was invited to supper by Mr Rayner, keen to try out a new joint at the refurbished Intercontinental Hotel. It was the day I had just handed in my notice at work and begun to set out the journey, which became Eat My Globe. The meal was superb, from the first bite of Bagna Cauda to the last mouthful of a Meyer lemon tart. So good in fact, that I went back a week later for second helpings.

Since then Theo Randall has established himself at the very top rank of London’s restaurant scene. I can also say that on the two occasions I have been lucky enough to meet him, his enthusiasm for the ingredients he uses is tangible and pleasingly bereft of the ego of so many other chefs at his level.

Well, now you have the chance to find out for yourselves as, from December, Theo will be running a series of cookery schools offering you the chance to learn from a master about the joys of Northern Italian cuisine. The courses run from 9am-3pm and include a three-course lunch in the restaurant. Price to the likes of you and me, £150 and given my experiences there, well worth every penny. However the good folks at The Intercontinental have agreed to offer Dos Hermanos readers two tickets for February’s cookery school and to win all you have to do is answer this, oh so taxing question.

AT WHICH LEGENDARY LONDON RESTAURANT DID THEO RANDALL MAKE HIS NAME AS HEAD CHEF?

The closing date for the competition is 25th November 2009. Please submit all entries via the Dos Hermanos contact details with THEO RANDALL COMPETITION as the subject heading. One entry per person only (for those of you who have sent multiple entries to the Tayyabs comp) and, because as I mentioned, most of you are freaks, I cannot enter into correspondence but will confirm the winners soon after closing date.

Good Luck

THE BRITISH CURRY AWARDS: WELL DONE WASIM (AND A GREAT COMPETITION)

Last night saw me join my good chum, Wasim Tayyab, half a dozen of his friends and Petra “Choc Star” Barran at the 5th Annual British Curry Awards. It was a colossal event with close to 2,000 people gathered together in Battersea to witness the presentation of weighty trophies to the best “Indian” restaurants from all regions of the country.

The main event was hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald. Chris Tarrant also popped up and exhorted the gathered congregation of wealthy Asian business people to dig deep into their pockets for the worthy Lords Taverner’s Charity. Judging by the event car parking lot, stuffed with Bentley’s, Jaguar's, Maserati’s and Porche's, there was plenty of money for them to dig deep for. There is, obviously plenty of money in curry.

Food was provided by Madhu’s Restaurant in Southall, no mean task when feeding a couple of thousand of your peers, and the entertainment was loud and a lot of fun. But, we were here for the awards and Wasim, in true fashion, barely noticed when a photo of Tayyab’s dining room was flashed on the screen as a nominee for the “Best Casual Dining” category and was busy chatting to Petra when his name was read out as the winner.

Champions had been asked to keep their speeches brief and not to thank every member of their family, which with Asian families meant the event could have gone on for days. Even so, Wasim’s “er, thanks” was a measure of the man’s reticence to be in the spotlight and quite frankly he looked terrified as the battalion of photographers began flashing away in his general direction.

You may have noticed that we have begun to offer some fun prizes on Dos Hermanos recently. We get approached to do a great deal, but pick and choose what we consider the very best. Well, on the 25th November, Wasim is throwing an incredible dinner for friends and regulars of Tayyab to celebrate the opening of the new expanded space at the restaurant. I have been working with him on the guest list and the menu and it promises to be an extraordinary night. Let me just say the words “Whole Roast Lamb” have been used

Wasim has kindly allowed me to offer two pairs of tickets to the event for Dos Hermanos readers and to be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is answer the following question

HOW MANY KILOS OF LAMB CHOPS DO TAYYAB’S SERVE IN AN AVERAGE WEEK

A) 300
B) 400
C) 600

Please email via the website. The competition will close on Friday 13th 2009. I don't have time to enter into correspondence with individual entrants, but will let the winners know on that day.

Hopefully a lucky day for four people who will have one of their best meals of the year

GOOD LUCK and once again WELL DONE WASIM

UK RUMFEST: WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS AND A BOTTLE OF RUM

As we have said so many times before, Dos Hermanos is the website that just keeps on giving. A few weeks ago we offered you the opportunity to win some tickets for The Whisky Show. A splendid event taking place on the 6/7th November at The Guildhall.

Now, it's the turn of Rum. Not only do we have a pair of tickets for the UK RUMFEST on the 24th/25th October, to give away, the organisers have also kindly added a bottle of Chairman's Reserve to sweeten the deal. It's a golden rum and relatively new to the UK market. It also won Gold Medal and "Best in Class" at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2008. Pretty fine stuff.

To have a chance of winning, please answer the following question

In which country is Chairman's Reserve Rum produced?

Please send answers directly to the e-mail below and NOT to Dos Hermanos and please title your E-mail DOS HERMANOS RUMFEST COMPETITION. The competition closes on the 20th October.

rumfest@rt-com.com

Even if you don't win, it looks like a fun event.

Good luck and hopefully see you there