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An organic bakery has launched a new campaign, Rye Smile, to give customers a chance to win £250 to make someone close to them smile.

The Village Bakery Melmerby, which specialise in organic rye breads, are inviting people from all over the UK to give their ideas on what they'd do with the money to help someone raise a grin. The best 10 will be awarded the money to carry out their plan.

And the best idea from the winning 10 will also pick up £2,500 to ensure there's a smile on their face as well. The competition will run on Facebook and on the Village Bakery Melmerby's website.

Phill Callaghan, operations director, says, 'We wanted to help our customers share the happiness our products give them with their friends and family, so we decided to put up a prize fund to help them make someone else's day – tell us what you do and we could make it happen.'

The winners will be picked by the Rye Smile judging panel each month, starting in September. The grand prize will be chosen from the complete set of winners in February 2011.

Village Bakery Melmerby organic rye bread is available in health food shops, major supermarkets and from online grocery retailers.

It's enough to take the sparkle out of any Frenchman's day – English sparkling wine has been named the best in the world, beating off competition from some of the most prestigious champagne houses.

Sussex wine producers Ridgeview picked up the award at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2010, with its Grosvenor Blanc de Blancs 2006 winning the International Trophy for Sparkling Wine over £10, the first time it has been give to a wine outside of Champagne.

More than 10,000 wines were entered into the competition with over 700 sparkling varieties, including famous names such as Taittinger and Charles Heidsieck.

It's the latest in over 140 trophies and medals won by Ridgeview, founded by Mike Roberts on the South Downs of England with his wife Christine in 1995. A family business, their daughter Tamara, son Simon and his wife Mardi all work for the winery.

Christelle Guibert, Decanter Awards Tastings Director, said it was an incredible home-grown success. 'This unequivocally rubberstamps England's membership to that exclusive club of truly world class, sparkling wine producers. Up against a clutch of Champagne's finest, Ridgeview has produced a stupendous wine that defeated them all. It's a truly remarkable win.'

Mike Roberts added, 'Winning the Decanter Best International sparkling wine trophy is absolutely fantastic for a family business. It really does reward our enthusiasm and dedication. I am so proud that Ridgeview actually had two wines in the final shortlist of the 10 of the best sparkling wines.'

There's little more traditional than a beef and ale pie – so for British Food Fortnight, from September 18-October 3, the Cordon Vert school at the Vegetarian Society has created a veggie and vegan version of the classic.

Serves 4
Preparation and Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
100g vegan margarine
2 large bunches spring onions
550g small chestnut mushrooms
1 tbsp cornflour
Half a tsp yeast extract
300-350ml light vegan ale
210g ready rolled puff pastry
800g floury potatoes, peeled
100ml unsweetened soya milk

Method
Preheat Oven to Gas 6/200C/400F. Melt 50g of margarine in a large non-stick frying pan (you may find it easier to do in two batches). Chop the bottom 7cm part of the spring onions roughly and saute briefly. Save the tops as you will need them later.

Cut the mushrooms into 5mm slices and add into the pan. Continue to saute for five minutes until starting to colour, stirring to prevent sticking.

Take off the heat and sprinkle the cornflour over. Once back on the hob add the yeast extract and 300ml of ale. Cook for a further five minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften. Use more ale if the mixture seems too dry.

Divide the mixture into four small souffle/ceramic pie dishes. Cut out four circles of the pastry and place on top, leaving some room to rise. Brush with soya milk and make a small hole in the top to let the steam escape. Bake for 20 minutes until golden.

Cut the potatoes into large chunks and boil until soft but not falling apart. Drain and empty back into the pan to dry slightly. Add the remaining 50g margarine and mash very well. Finely chop the remaining green part of the spring onions and add, with enough soya milk, to make a smooth mash.

Cider or white wine might be the classic drink to match with pork but for this sweet barbecue recipe, add some extra depth with this real ale marinade from www.beergenie.co.uk.

An ale with a firm malt backbone is what is needed to really raise these ribs. Much like the marinade itself, you want something that straddles sweetness and bitterness such as a big German Bock, a Belgian Dubbel or brawny British brown ale.

Ingredients
3/4 pint dark real ale
1 finely chopped small onion
30g light brown sugar
1/2 tbsp sea salt
4 garlic cloves (finely grated)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
4 tbsp tomato ketchup

Method
Combine all ingredients apart from the ketchup. Marinade the ribs, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.

Take the ribs out of the fridge and marinade two hours before you want to cook them and place them in another container. Cover with cling film and allow them to sit at room temperature.

Strain the marinade through a sieve into a saucepan and reduce to a slender syrup - be careful not to not burn. Take off the heat and allow to cool before mixing in the ketchup.

Using a brush coat each rack with the marinade. Add more of the marinade with the brush each time you turn the racks on the BBQ or grill.

Roasted chestnuts might make you think of Christmas but they're in season from the end of September – so make the most of them with a fantastic veggie pie recipe, from the Vegetarian Society, to keep you warm this autumn.

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients
110g dried chestnuts, soaked for 6-8 hours
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary or 1tsp/5ml dried rosemary
210ml vegetarian/vegan red wine
300ml vegetable/vegan stock or water
25g butter or soya margarine
8 small pickling onions or shallots, peeled
110g chestnut mushrooms, wiped
50g button mushrooms, wiped
10ml Dijon mustard
30-45ml tamari or soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
225g vegetarian/vegan puff pastry, thawed if frozen

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place the soaked chestnuts, herbs and 5fl oz of wine in a saucepan with vegetable stock to cover and cook until just tender, approximately 50-60 minutes.

Drain the chestnuts, reserving the liquid. Melt the butter or margarine in a frying pan and saute the onions until lightly browned.

Add the mushrooms and cook for a further four to five minutes. Add the chestnuts, the remaining red wine and sufficient chestnut cooking liquor to cover.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes to reduce the liquid a little. Stir in the mustard, tamari and black pepper to taste. Cook for a further five minutes. Check seasoning and consistency and adjust as necessary.

Spoon the mixture into a pie dish. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and place on top of filling. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden.

There's nothing like soup once the weather turns colder – but you can still add a bit of spice with a Japanese noodle version.

October spells the beginning of the Flower Sprout season so this is a great way to try out this unusual vegetable, exclusive to Marks & Spencer. A cross between Brussels sprouts and kale, they're packed with vitamins B6, C and E to keep you feeling great.

Serves 2
Preparation time: Five minutes
Cooking times: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 litre vegetable stock
20g miso paste
4cm piece of ginger peeled and cut in two
80g baby sweetcorn
10 raw tiger prawns
80g Flower Sprouts
300g udon noodles (ready to wok)
4 spring onions finely sliced
Japanese seven spice mix (optional)

Method
Bring the stock to a simmer in a large pan, add the miso and the pieces of ginger. Drop in the sweetcorn and cook for two minutes.

Reduce the heat so the liquid is just turning over and add the prawns, flower sprouts and noodles to the pot and cook for three to four minutes till the prawns are cooked through but not over done and rubbery.

Discard the ginger pieces then divide the noodles, prawns and vegetables between two bowls, ladle over the broth and top with spring onions and a sprinkle of seven spice.

A beer marinade might sound strange, but if you've ever used wine or cider to give your recipes an added kick, you'd be missing out not to try an ale-based version.

For a strong, spicy flavour, stick to malty darker beers like stout, porter and amber ales while wheat beers and light pilsners make for a more subtle marinade. But less is always more, as the drink's bitterness can overwhelm your other ingredients.

So if you're a beer novice, try your hand at this sweet and spicy Southern-style recipe from www.beergenie.co.uk using a dark stout or a porter.

Ingredients
2 cups red wine
1 330ml can of beer (a dark stout or porter)
1 small red onion, sliced
Juice from 6 to 8 limes
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Method
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Leave to stand for 30 minutes to blend flavours. Marinade.

If you're using it on poultry of pork, leave for two to four hours, while red meat should be left for four to six hours and game such as venison, for six hours or longer. For fish, stick to 30 minutes to one hour for fillets or one to two hours if you're using it on a whole fish.

The humble potato tends to get overlooked when it comes to getting creative in the kitchen, but with autumn beginning to approach, it's perfect for satisfying meals – and giving your immune system a quick boost too.

Try this simple one pot dish from the Potato Council, perfect for filling you up with a spicy twist.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
500g diced pork leg
1 yellow pepper, diced
800g medium potatoes, diced
410g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
500g jar sauce for chilli con carne

Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the pork and pepper for five minutes. Add the potatoes, kidney beans and chilli con carne sauce. Wash the jar out with a little water and add to the pan.

Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until potatoes and pork are cooked throughout. Serve immediately.

Top tip: For vegetarians, replace the pork with a meat alternative such as diced Quorn, adding it to the pan for the last five minutes.