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That's Christmas: Foodies will love Taste Tripper: Taste Tripper are revolutionary new food and drink guides bringing something extra. They are from Jennifer Earle, the wonderful lady beh...

Laytons Champagne Brut Reserve

Laytons Champagne Brut Reserve is a very, very special Champagne indeed.

Just because a Champagne is called "Reserve" does not, always, mean that it is worthy of that title.

But in the case of Laytons Champagne Brut Reserve, this Champagne is really extremely worthy of that title.

There are some Brut Champagnes that have a very low sugar content, hence they are called dry or Brut. Sadly the only thing that can be said about them is that they have no sweetness in them.

As a result they are more of a chore than a pleasure to drink. At least to my taste.

However, this is most certainly and definitely not the case with Laytons Champagne Brut Reserve.

Yes, it is obviously a Brut Champagne, there is no sweetness, yet there are a complex range of differing flavours.

When one takes one's first sip of Laytons Champagne Brut Reserve there is a hint of apple blossom and apple juice, with a delicious note of the freshest of fresh white grape juices.

It's an extremely lively and very effervescent Champagne that bubbles and fizzes very nicely in the Champagne flute, the bubbles dance and caress the mouth in a most delightful way.

The That's Food and Drink Taste Team do not care what you might have heard previously or might have been led to believe about other Brut Champagnes being the best in class, but in truth
Laytons Champagne Brut Reserve is one of the better, if not the best, Champagnes of its type.

It's not as expensive as some, but always guaranteed to be smoother and nicer of taste.

A magnum costs  about £45, 75cl bottles about half that.

http://www.laytons.co.uk/content/nv-laytons-brut-reserve-1

That's Food and Drink Wine Festival

As part of the That's Food and Drink Summer Wine Festival we are reviewing two very good wines today.

They are both very different from each other, but both are very eminently drinkable.

The first is a sparkling Italian wine, Bortolin Angelo Valdobbiadene, Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G.

It is a 2015 vintage and is described as "Extra Dry."

However, I have to say that this wine did not "drink" as an extra dry wine.

There was, to my taste, a sort of underlying sweetness that gave me hints of the fruits of the summer, with the taste of the grapes perfectly balanced.

This wine is a perfect representation of the Prosecco type of wine and it is, very much, a "superiore" representation of this wine.

It is recommended to drink it whilst it is still young, so it is best not to be laid down in a wine cellar or a winestore for any great length of time.

It is best served at roughly 8 to 10 degrees centigrade, that's about 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is suggested that it is kept in the refrigerator for a minimum of time and that previously it should be stored in a cool, dark place. 

The second wine tasted was a fine example of the craft and skill represented by the Australian wine makers.

It is the '15 wine, labelled as apo|stro|phe stone's throw.

It is described as a Riesling/Gewürztraminer wine/blanc wine, great southern '15.

What to say about this wine?

I love the cool, crisp Riesling style of wine making, but it must be said that this '15 Riesling (with the addition of the  Gewürztraminer grape) actually, to my mind at any rate, takes this style of wine to (I hate to use this term, but I feel that this is one rare occasion that it is genuinely justified) another, higher, level.

It is a simple and highly effective wine. There is the beautiful simple -yet, paradoxically, complex- taste of the Riesling grape and the  Gewürztraminer grape, yet there's the extra oomph added by the nurturing and warming Australian summer sunshine.

Ideal with snack foods, light snacks, main meals, deserts or just chilling in a wine cooler on the patio, this Larry Cherubino Wine is imported into the UK by Halgarten Druitt.

To learn more visit http://www.apostrophewine.com.au. 

 

Glorious! Soups!

Yes, soup, Glorious! soup comes from the foodies who run Glorious! Explorer.

They take your tastebuds through a wonderful tour of the whole wide world!

You will find yourself travelling over the Atlantic to visit the Eastern seaboard of America to enjoy a very delicious New England Butternut Squash soup.

Next stop, the Indian Ocean where we visit the tiny island paradise of Goa, where you will thrill to a tasty and pleasingly spiced Goan Tomato and Lentil soup.

Next you will come back to something a little closer to home, a perfectly delightful Spanish Chicken Paella soup, which is new to the range.

Now, let's go back over the Atlantic to visit the South Eastern USA, to taste a bowl of Texan Four Bean Chilli soup. Mmm! Absolutely delicious!

Now we travel back around the world to the Indian subcontinent where we will try some Mumbai Lentil and Chickpea. Another culinary tour de force in a soup bowl!

Still in Asia we visit the country of Singapore to sample some Singapore Crushed Tomato, then just a short distance away we find ourselves indulging in the luxurious flavours of Fragrant Thai Carrot soup. I must admit that I had no idea how wonderfully tasty you could make a carrot! Now, I do.

And you'll absolutely adore your visit to Vietnam for the Vietnamese Supergreen soup!

Then the final leg of our journey takes us over to West Africa, where we will find some delicious and highly evocative West African Chicken Soup.

The recipe for each of the soups in the range has been carefully created by expert chefs who know more than a thing or two about how to craft a perfect bowl of soup!

Each recipe is exquisite in texture, appearance and, most importantly, in taste. And each soup tastes completely unlike the other soups in the range, so there is definitely something for everyone in the range.

And they are "skinnylicious" too and ideal for people who cannot tolerate gluten. So, serve up with some gluten free crackers or gluten free rolls or fresh sliced bread and it's a feast for everyone!

And they are as good as homemade, too. And at under £1,40 in leading supermarkets, you really will have something to write home about... from  Spain, Texas, New England, Goa, India, Singapore, Vietnam or West Africa.

However, there are other soups in the range, so do stop by at www.gloriousfoods.co.uk to learn more.

Chock Chick brings you Blissful Blends

Chock Chick brings you Blissful Blends.

These are very special chocolate treats that are filled with absolutely delicious flavours yet are utterly guilt free!

They take raw cacao powder and blend it to make some utterly tasty hot chocolate.

You can indulge in the citrus power of "Marvellous Mandarin" or "heart-warming cinnamon."

These hot chocolate treats are utterly free of guilt because there is no dairy, no sugar and no gluten.

They are ideally suited to people who are vegans, coeliacs and all lovers of good quality hot chocolate drinks.

Alsop, due to the fact that, unlike 'leading' hot chocolate rinks there is no added sugar so they should be fine for people who are diabetics.

The sugar content of Chock Chick Blissful Blends is a very respectable 0.3 grammes per 10 gramme serving, or 3.1 grammes per 100 grammes of product. (EDITOR: If in doubt you can discuss this with your doctor or your clinic's diabetes nurse.)

However, there's much more you can do with Choc Chick Blissful Blends! There are lots of absolutely yummy recipes that you can try your hand at.

Just visit www.chocchick.com for details and a little bit of inspiration. (And to find your nearest stockist, or you can order direct from their website. do please check out the rest of their range.)

Choc Chick points out that the Thebroma Cacao (chocolate powder) they use is 100% organic and is only ever single origin Nacional Arriba variety. Which is only ever sourced directly from Ecuadorian cooperatives ventures

All additional flavours are also guaranteed to be natural.

Natur Boutique's Organic Artichoke Tea. A miracle in a box!

Natur Boutique's Organic Artichoke Tea is a miracle in a box!

They are made by Fito Pharma of Binh Duong, Vietnam and distributed in the UK by Fito Ltd of London.

The first thing that you will notice when you make a cup of tea with the tea bag is a very distinct yet rather pleasing scent.

When you drink it, you will notice that it has a sort of smoky under note to it, with a deliciously savoury taste.

However, the rather nice taste is not the magical part of this Artichoke Tea.

The magical part is what it does to other substances when you taste them.

For Artichoke Tea has the amazing ability to make other things taste sweeter than before when you taste them after drinking the Artichoke Tea!

So, the amazing thing is that you do not need so much sugar or sweetener when you are cooking or making a drink!

I also found, and this is just a personal observation, that the Artichoke Tea seems to somehow enhance the flavours of other substances, too.

Natur Boutique organic Artichoke Tea is certified as organic by Ecocert SA.

Natur Boutique can proudly point out that the organic artichokes used are grown without artificial fertilisers or pesticides.

They are gown in high altitude areas of Vietnam. The artichokes -they use the flower heads to make the tea-  thrive very nicely there. But insects, however, don't, so hence no need for pesticides!

Incidentally, the farmers are paid 30% over and above the normal market price, so their farmers always get a fair deal.

To learn more about this astounding tea, please visit www.naturboutique.co.uk.

You can buy it from their website (20 tea bags for £2.99) or from Holland and Barrett stores.