<preform>Food & Drink notes</preform>

It's a cracker; please give generously; idylls from Iberia; raise that toast

It's a cracker

It's a cracker

They call them walnut oat digestives, we call them crackin' biscuits for cheese. The Fine Cheese Co in Bath produces a variety of very fine crackers designed to go with different cheeses. The latest are these which are just the ticket with goat's cheese. From The Fine Cheese Co shop, 29 Walcot Street, Bath (01225 424212/ www.finecheese.co.uk) or independent delis.

Please give generously

As World Food Day reminds us today, 840 million people around the world are hungry. It's also Restaurants Against Hunger Week. Spare a donation when you eat out at participating restaurants (visit www.restaurants
againsthunger.org). £1 added to the bill can provide a full meal for four children in Africa. And spare a thought for Tracey MacLeod and me, who will be feeding the likes of Heston Blumenthal and Alan Yau at tomorrow night's Too Many Critics dinner at 1 Lombard Street, in aid of Restaurants Against Hunger.

Idylls from Iberia

Spain is top dog in Europe when it comes to culinary innovation but good recipe books for home cooks interested in the region are thin on the ground. No cookery writer knows Spain better than Elisabeth Luard, who lived there as a child and brought her children up in Andalusia. Her book has such joys as rabbit with cinnamon and almond milk, and tomato jam with vanilla. The Food of Spain and Portugal (Kyle Cathie, £25) is a beautiful addition to every kitchen.

Raise that toast

Rowlett, a company based in Surrey, has been making toasters for professional chefs and caterers for almost 60 years. Now exactly the same ones are available to us amateurs who value handsome, sturdy, British kitchen equipment. They're guaranteed for two years and all parts are replaceable. The two-slot toaster is £99, the three-slot 'Thick & Thin' is £119, and the Three Plus One - three slots plus a sandwich toaster for any thickness of slice you care to think of - is £139 (pictured). Available in stainless steel and cream from John Lewis stores, 01372 453633. Visit www.rowlett.co.uk for other stockists.