Cheap, healthy, sustainable and delicious – why mussels are a no-brainer

Fans say they’re the perfect food. No wonder they’re having a moment on restaurant menus. But how hard is this shellfish to prepare at home?It might be that they’re cheap. It might be that they’re healthy. But, in all likelihood, it’s “because they are just delicious”, says seafood chef Mitch Tonks

How to turn leftover cooked orzo into a delicious late-summer salad – recipe

A hugely satisfying way to use up odds and ends in your cupboard and crisper drawerI rarely, if ever, buy orzo, the rice-shaped pasta, but I was intrigued by barbecue chef Melissa Thompson’s poll on her Instagram stories asking: “Do you have a half-finished bag of orzo sitting in your cupboard?” She had more than 600 responses, almost 90% of which said yes. Thompson turned hers into a salad with pepper, spring onion, tomatoes and cucumber. Inspired, I rushed out to buy a bag (yes, I see the irony, too) and made a salad using leftovers. And, of course, ended up with half a bag of orzo in my cupboard.I’ve called this an anti-recipe because I think recipes are often guilty of creating food waste by being too prescriptive

Tesco tries out in-store avocado scanners to assess ripeness

It is the millennial’s perennial problem: returning home after spending a small fortune on an avocado only to find the green fruit is either too squishy to slice for a salad or too hard to smash on toast.One UK retailer, however, is claiming to have found the tech to solve the textural trouble. Tesco has begun trialling in-store avocado scanners that allow shoppers to asses how ripe the fruit is before they put it in their basket.The UK’s biggest supermarket said the machines, which will be in five stores from this week, uses infrared technology to find out what the fruit looks like inside. The scanners will return one of two ripeness readings when shoppers present it with an avocado: immediately ready for smashing, or better for slicing

Ice cubes in beer: is this popular pub order atrocious – or ingenious?

A new survey has found that more than a quarter of adults under 35 commit the sin of dilution to keep their pint cool. Is this alarming new trend here to stay?Name: Icy beer.Age: Niche for a while, now horribly mainstream.Appearance: There’s no way to sugarcoat this, it’s beer with ice cubes in it.I see we’re talking about people with no taste today

Cress to impress: the peppery, unsung hero ingredient | Kitchen aide

Growing cress with my daughter is a fun activity, but she’s intolerant to eggs so can’t have the classic sandwich I grew up with. What else can we make with cress? Sophie, via emailThis is also a pressing matter for Rosie Birkett, author of the A Lot on her Plate Substack, because her daughter recently returned home from nursery with a yoghurt tub containing cress: “It might be tiny, but cress is mighty – peppery punchy, and full of character, almost like a mini rocket leaf.” And if eggs are off the menu, Birkett’s first port of call would be to harness the young seedlings’ ability to accessorise: “Do your usual mashed avocado with a little lemon and olive oil, spread that over bread or toast, then top with a scattering of cress. It will add brilliant bite, freshness and pepperiness.”The same goes for bruschetta, or toasts with hummus, olive oil and gentle spices such as cumin, says Anna Jones, author of Easy Wins

José Pizarro’s recipe for chilled cherry and tempranillo soup

Cherries are a big deal in Extremadura, where I’m from, especially in the Valle del Jerte to the north, where the picotas are some of the best in all of Spain: sweet, dark, no stalk and full of flavour. At home, we usually just eat them by the handful, fresh and cold, so when I started cooking with them, my family looked at me as if I’d gone mad. But they always end up saying yes after the first spoonful. This chilled cherry and tempranillo soup is one of those dishes: a bit unexpected, but it always gets a smile.Fresh cherries are one of the joys of late summer, but this soup can also be made using frozen cherries at any time of year