This week I've been eating...Yum buns

We reported last week on the rise of the Pizza à la Bastard, or egregious violations of the dish by food technologists armed with toppings and techniques as removed as the Moon from its Neapolitan origins.

Fruit loop

This week I've been eating... Big Apple hotdogs

Whether in the cut-throat field of politics or the fashion industry's corridors of power, this year they left our planet a better place. Celebrate 10 of the best, nominated by Independent writers

When was the last time you had a hotdog? I mean an authentic, American-style dog with fried onions and mustard, not the British barbecue favourite of a banger in a bun cloaked in ketchup.

Ah, the courting rituals of the American male. First the gridiron legend Brett Favre, then the rap musician Kanye West, now the ambitious Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner. All three have been accused in the last few months of sending lewd pictures of themselves to women, via the social media.

The size of the Latin American community in London has grown nearly fourfold over the last decade with more than a third of the population migrating to the capital in the last six years.

Whether adding zing to a hotdog, glazing a ham or mixed into a salad dressing, a spicy condiment is a key tool in any cook's store cupboard.

A few weeks ago, the chef and restaurateur Thomasina Miers and I set off at 6am from The Harvest at Jimmy's Festival in Sufolk and headed over to Ludlow to judge the British Street Food Awards. Fresh, delicious and reasonably-priced street food is something to be celebrated and this fantastic event, which is the creation of Richard Johnson, is now set to happen every year at the Ludlow Food Festival.