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Countryside-based food producers are declared winners at Rural Business Awards

Two farm shops and a third generation fruit grower have been declared the British countryside’s best food and drink producers.

It happened at Thursday at the Rural Business Awards, which is the UK’s only dedicated national business awards for the rural community, operated in partnership with the CLA and actively supported by the countryside sector as well as MPs across the UK.

The Rural Business Awards are sponsored by Janine Edwards Wealth Management Ltd, Principal Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management.

At a glittering ceremony held at The Belfry Hotel & Resort in the Midlands on October 13, Yorkshire's Keelham Farm Shop was named the awards’ Best Food & Drink Business in the UK. With a winner, runner-up and highly commended in each sector of the awards, Starkey’s Fruit in Nottinghamshire came second with runner-up, while Gloucestershire's Jolly Nice farm shop came third with a  very well-deserved Highly Commended.

Keelham Farm Shop is a family business that sells and celebrates great tasting food. Based in Skipton, Yorkshire, it supports local producers and farmers and makes a difference to the local community by providing jobs and supporting community work.

The shop runs an innovative Veg Exchange Scheme and a weekly shopper-hopper which picks people up from local communities, giving people without their own transport access to fresh, affordable food.

A delighted James Robertshaw, who is the co-owner of Keelham Farm Shop, said: "The whole Keelham team are thrilled that we’ve won such a fantastic award which understands and celebrates rural businesses like ours.

"It’s the relationships we’ve built up with over 400 local farmers and producers over three generations of Robertshaws, that allow us to deliver affordable fresh food to around 19,000 customers a week.

"Yorkshire is a county of riches when it comes to farming and land-based business, and it’s really exciting that together we are helping to put Yorkshire on the national foodie map."

At Nottinghamshire's Norwood Park, three generations of the Starkey family have been growing fruit since 1910.

Today the farm is a major fruit grower, producing some 400 tons of strawberries and 50 tons of blackberries this year.

The farm, which is resplendent with many ancient oak trees and apple orchards, is home to several species of native birds,such as woodpeckers, nuthatch, owls and goldfinch.

There are also a range of different butterflies, too.

And the family is not content to rest on its laurels. For it has introduced an innovative new drinking pouch which comes complete with  a built-in straw.

It is aimed at bringing the farm’s Bramley apple juice to a whole new market of school children.

Suzannah Starkey said, after receiving her two awards for Starkey’s Fruit, “I’m totally thrilled. I think it’s the most brilliant scheme to support rural businesses. With our pouches we are trying something that didn’t exist before, we’ve taken it on and it’s massively exciting – and now we’ve been recognised for that and we’re chuffed to bits!”

Jolly Nice is a family run, sustainable local farm shop and take away café in rural Gloucestershire, using local suppliers and fast gaining a reputation for Harriet’s Jolly Nice ice cream.

The family has been farming the land since 1928 when Harriet’s great-grandfather started milking Shorthorn cows there.

Jolly Nice chefs Sarah Parker and Emily Forster collected their awards on behalf of owners Simon and Rebecca Wilson, who they said were “thrilled” to get the recognition in both categories of the awards.

Sarah said: “The business started from a tiny, tiny company – Rebecca’s daughter with her ice cream – and it’s grown. We’re really happy that the business is getting to be recognised because it has grown from nothing.”

Rural Business Awards co-founder Jemma Clifford said: “Our food and drink category is a very important one in our awards, as here we can often see how rural businesses have the opportunity to excel over their urban neighbours by using the rich produce available on their doorstep. In this category we were looking for food businesses which were using local, fresh ingredients and turning that into successful enterprises which celebrated the rural way of life.

“Our entries certainly didn’t disappoint. Our winner, Keelham Farm Shop in Yorkshire, simply ticked every box. This was a wonderfully strong candidate which both supported local food producers and offered some really innovative, practical solutions to help local people access fresh locally grown food.

“When we saw the work of Starkey’s Fruit in Nottinghamshire, we loved the way the business’s new juice pouch was delivering authentic Bramley juice to a wide market. We found it quite simply an elegant piece of eco-innovation, which simply and impressively delivered a sustainable business promise. Starkey’s is a very well established and well-known brand which is still growing English fruit and delivering it to the marketplace.

“And our highly commended firm, Jolly Nice is a first rate rural business and a fantastic start-up. Jolly Nice has a very high positive impact on the local community, one of our key judging criteria, and we felt the quality of the home-grown food, not to mention Harriet’s Jolly Nice ice cream, made it a very worthy highly commended.”

Aimed at organisations based in the countryside, the Rural Business Awards recognise excellence in a range of different business categories, from innovation through to employment. Now in their second year, the awards were the brainchild of Leicestershire businesswomen Anna Price and Jemma Clifford, who believe that rural enterprises are often overlooked by other business prize-giving schemes based in urban areas. The award scheme has been praised by MPs including Nicky Morgan and Andrew Bridgen, both of whom have lent their support to the successful initiative.

CLA Director General Helen Woolley said: “I am delighted to have been a part of the judging panel and to see first-hand the passion for rural business demonstrated by all the finalists. There were some outstanding entries and my congratulations go to all the winners, every award is truly deserved.”

Rural Business Awards sponsor, Janine Edwards of Janine Edwards Wealth Management, Principal Partner of St James’s Place Wealth Management says: "The Rural Business Awards has seen a number of commendable and outstanding finalists. It has been a pleasure for my team and I to be involved in the whole process, and we are delighted to see that each and every winner has achieved the recognition they deserve. It is a huge accomplishment for all of the finalists to be involved in such a high-profile event and I’d like to congratulate them all on their success now and in the future!”

Entries for the 2017 Rural Business Awards open on November 1 – so any rural business that feels they deserve recognition for their achievements is strongly advised to get in touch! For more information visit: www.ruralbusinessawards.co.uk. Find out more via social media on:
T: @RuralRBAs
F: The Rural Business Awards

Keep up with the Twitter chatter and use #RBAs.
The full category list:
1.      Best Rural Start-up
2.      Outstanding Rural Diversification Project
3.      Best Rural Apparel Business
4.      Rural Innovation of the year
5.      Best Rural Manufacturing Business
6.      Best Rural Professional Services Business
7.      Best Rural Creative or media based business
8.      Social enterprise / community project of the year
9.      Best Rural Tourism Business
10.  Best Rural Sporting Business
11.  Rural Employer of the year
12.  Rural Entrepreneur of the year
13.  Best Food & Drink Business

That's Food and Drink would like to offer its hearty congratulations to all the winners.

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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.

Cook properly with an Everhot range!

Everhot ranges are designed and constructed to last you a lifetime.

And the advantage is that, unlike some ranges, you can easily have your Everhot range removed from your home and moved with you to your new abode!

The new Everhot 100i (Teal with Chrome Handles and Hinges) costs £7,530.

Over 35 years ago the story of the Everhot ranges began at Coaley Mill, which is in Gloucestershire.

What was the intention? To develop an efficient heat storage range which could make use of the water turbine which had been installed by the owner of Coaley Mill, Mr Ossie Goring.

In fact, Ossie still lives at the mill, but the business is now in the equally capable hands of his son, Guy.

Incidentally, Everhot’s passion for conservation means that the company is now carbon negative.

Everhot cookers are built to last a lifetime and thanks to an in-house installation team, a robust design and traditional British craftsmanship there is usually no need for servicing.

Everhot cookers are also available in ten colours: The new Teal colour plus Black, Graphite, White, Cream, Green, Sage, Blue, Burgundy and Aubergine.

Costs for the additional chrome package costs £150 for the Everhot 60 and 90 ranges and £200 for the bigger sizes.

The NEW Teal Range Cooker from Everhot aims to bring some lightness and joy to kitchens nationwide.

This vibrant new colour range is available with the option of chrome hinges and handles to make a bold, striking statement.

Everhot’s handbuilt cookers are the most energy efficient heat storage ranges available.

They use a stunning half the energy of equivalent comparable range cookers, Everhot cookers gently warm a kitchen with electricity.

What's the advantage? They run cleanly and they are also easier and quicker to switch on or off, they are simpler and easier to install (no flue is required, so no chimneys or flues to be swept clean!) and they are ideal for running off solar panels or other forms of renewable energy.

They are also really, really good for cooking with!

The ability to have an induction hob together with a more conventional and traditional hot plate, plus the grill, makes Everhot cookers a big hit with just about anybody and everybody.

Busy parents, dedicated amateur and professional cooks and chefs, all are seduced by the charm and versatility of the Everhot ranges.

Want to cook a full English breakfast? Grill some meat? Bake bread or cakes, slow-roast a joint, or whip up a quick meal from scratch? The ever-so-capable Everhot will help you do it.

There's a massive selection of different models and different sizes, so there's one to suit every kitchen.

And no servicing costs and much lower energy bills are two more plus points to buying an Everhot.

To learn more about Everhot and their ranges please visit www.everhot.co.uk call them on 01453 890018 or email: sales@everhot.co.uk.

Lucy Rocks Paleo. Breakfast time just got better!

With the introduction of Lucy Rocks Paleo breakfast meals, breakfast time has, indedd, just ogt better!

Blush Crunch £6.49.

Blush Crunch is specially created using  raw activated buckwheat which is coated in a very tasty selection of anti inflammatory beetroot powder and lucuma.

This makes it delightfully creamy. As buckwheat is naturally gluten free buckwheat, it's great for those who have a problem with gluten.

And buckwheat is a very valuable source of protein, rutin and manganese.

Not only is it a great breakfast meal, you can use it in smoothies or as part of a tasty dessert.

However, we were also able to try Golden Granola. It's also £6.49, and it is a real breakfast treat.

It's delightfully crunchy -but not too crunchy!- and it is so flavoursome that you might want to hide it from guests or visitors!

Our ancient ancestors used to have to forage in the woods to collect up enough super berries in order to put a decent breakfast together.

All we have to do is to grab a box of Golden Granola and enjoy a fantastic paleo diet meal which is a good and hearty start to your day!

Also available are Glowing Granola and Lush Crunch and a whole range of other yummy products!

For details and for buying information please check out their website at http://www.lucyrockspaleo.com

Skippy Peanut Butter. It's what Americans eat!

America's favourite, Skippy Peanut Butter comes in smooth and crunchy varieties.

And both are equally delicious.

However, my wife and I noticed that the smooth version is much smoother than other peanut butters that we have tried.

And even the crunchy version is also smoother, too.

There's none of that annoying cloying lumpiness that one can come across in other brands of peanut butter.

There's enough crunch to keep your teeth busy, but there are no ridiculously large chunks of peanuts that can occur with other brands of crunchy peanut butter.

But here is a curious thing. My wife, who for years has assured me that she "hates" peanut butter, has really and seriously fallen very deeply in love with both the smooth and the crunchy varieties of Skippy Peanut Butter!

Rather than hating peanut butter, it looks as if the real reason for her previous antipathy to peanut butter was that she had just never tried Skippy Peant Butter, before!

They are available in 340g jars and cost £2.25 each from Sainsbury's.

Goa Premium Beer

The island of Goa, off the coast of India, is known for its beaches, its sun... and its beer.

Goa is the home of the Impala Distillery and Brewery, Ltd., of Assolda, Quepem, Goa.

One of the beers that it brews is Goa Premium Beer, which is a lager style beer.

It is brewed with all of the essential ingredients to create a good, classic lager style beer.

Water, malt, maize flakes, hops and yeast.

It is a good, honest lager style beer, yet there is something else there, almost, in the complex background flavours, there seems to be a hint of spiciness, that adds a little certain something else to this light and refreshing lager style beer.

Is this due to a reaction between the maize flakes and the other ingredients? It could well be.

It is best served chilled and it makes an excellent accompaniment for all types of food, it goes well with tapas, meals from the Indian subcontinent, British, American, European and African foods, and a bucket of these bottles kept chilled with ice is a perfect addition to anyone's BBQ spread.

In the UK it is distributed by The Offie Ltd., for Viking Ventures UK Ltd.

Aduna cacao bars. Heavenly eats!

Aduna cacao bars do make for Heavenly eats!

For example, please take into consideration the Aduna Cacao bar with the crunchy cacao nibs, walnut and hibiscus.

Some people in the food industry argue that they need to shove large amounts of sugar or artificial sweeteners or sugar alternatives into pies, puddings and confectionery because they need to make their products sweet enough for the British palate.

Well, Aduna products are living proof that the above argument is just not true!

The bar is sweet and delicious, with the combination of tastes nothing short of phenomenal.

There's the cacao, the almonds and the walnuts, with a very alluring tang of hibiscus flowers, too.

It's also a good source of fibre, is good for vegetarians and vegans, too and is compatible with the paleo diet so there's a whole lot going on in favour of this nifty product and the other bars in the range.

To learn more please visit www.aduna.com.

We will be reviewing other Aduna products over the next several days. Please do look out for these.

Chika's Plantain Crisps

Chika's Plantain Crisps are a real taste of West Africa brought to the UK.

The plantain is described as the West African reply to the humble spud.

Well, whilst there's some truth in that, you have to remember that the plantain has a little bit more of a taste thing going for it than the more traditionally known potato.

It's also just as versatile as the potato, as Chika has been able to prove with her highly delicious and most agreeable Plantain crisp snacks.

They are hand cooked and the ingredients are plantain, sunflower oil, a little bit of salt (but not too much!)  and with the addition of some kickingly good chilli in the chilli flavoured plantain crisps.

You know they are different to crisps when you open the packet. Well, they are plantains, after all!

But the things you notice about them is their unique flavour.

There is a subtle sweetness there, but then there is also a nice savoury tang to it, also.

There is also a good, satisfying crunch to them, too.

And the kick from the chilli flavoured plantain crisps? It's good. Excellent, in fact, though it is not over-the-top, it's got a sort of laid back kick to it.

Chika has taken her West African heritage and used it to serve up a veritable plantain feast for us.

They are ideal for a snack, as a lunchbox treat, something good for a party or as a tasty supplement to a summer BBQ.

And the clincher is? They are gluten free, too!

To learn more please just visit www.chikas.co.uk.

And these fantastic crisps are available through Ocado, which is one of the main retailers for Chika!

Gluten Free Nutribix

Gluten Free Nutribix is a very helpful breakfast cereal.

Very helpful in that they provide a nutritious breakfast meal that does not cause the poor family members who crease up in agony when they eat breakfast cereals that are laden with gluten.

Gluten Free Nutribix are carefully made to an exacting recipe that consists of sorghum, which is "an awesome ancient grain", which makes up to 96% of the Gluten Free Nutribix breakfast biscuits.

There's also a small amount of salt, a little bit of Golden Syrup and Niacin, Thiamin, Riboflavin and folic acid. 

And that is about it.

Apart from the fact that Gluten Free Nutribix will not cause gluten intolerant people to double over in agony after breakfast, what other advantages are there with  Gluten Free Nutribix?

They are a good, traditional breakfast product. 

Served with milk (cow, goat, sheep, soya milk, rice milk, almond milk, oat milk, etc) and perhaps with some sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, whole blueberries or the like, they make an amazingly tasty breakfast treat that will give you the energy you need to tackle your daily life with renewed gusto. And without having to reach for tablets, pills or potions to fix your poor stomach if you have a gluten intolerance problem.

They are tasty and are a good, light eat. By light I mean that they are not stodgy like some gluten free products.

They are available in most supermarkets (check out their "free from..." section if they aren't with the other4 breakfast cereals) and healthfood stores.

They should cost up to £3.79 for a 375 gramme box of 24 breakfast biscuits, though do shop around for a good price.

To learn more please visit http://www.nutribix.co.uk and do please check out their other breakfast products.

Lizi's gluten free granola

Lizi's gluten free granola is a delightful breakfast treat that is not only tasty but very good for you, too!

Lizi makes a very good point. Although oats are, of themselves, a naturally gluten free food, the problem can arise should oats become contaminated with other crops that do contain gluten.

Also, some companies that produce oat-based granolas and other breakfast foods add other grains that do contain gluten into their recipe.

The ingredients of Lizi Shaw's granola are as follows:

Rolled-oats, rapeseed oil, desiccated coconut, fructose, black treacle, chicory fibre, cashew nut pieces, pumpkin seeds, suinflower seeds, golden linseeds, chopped almonds, chopped walnuts and chopped hazelnuts.

Lizi also makes the point that oats contain a protein called avenin, to which some people might be sensitive.  

The product is suitable not only for vegetarians but also for vegans and the product is GMO-free.

So, that's some of the technical details out of the way. So, what is the product like?

It's softer than many granolas. With some granolas older people with teeth that are way past their use by date find it a nerve racking experience as some granolas are a bit hard on the teeth and elderly fillings have been known to go ping! with some of the harder, perhaps over-baked types of granolas.

But that certainly is not the case with Lizi's gluten free Granola.

It is obvious that you are eating an oat-based product, which is, in my opinion, a good thing. There is a perfect balance between the flavours of the oats and the other ingredients.

Combined together this is an excellent breakfast meal. And yes, admittedly, it makes a good supper, too!

You can buy Lizi's entire granola range direct at https://www.lizis.co.uk.

At present the price for the gluten free granola is £2.99 for a 400g packet.

Red Stag from Jim Beam

Jim Beam's Red Stag Black Cherry flavour is Jim Beam's finest whiskey but infused (and also perhaps enthused?) with natural flavourings.

When you open the bottle you know that it is going to be somewhat different. For there is an earnest aroma of fruits, which comes, naturally enough, from the cherries that are used to create this somewhat unique American bourbon whiskey.

There's actually a hint of the scent of a good old fashioned Bakewell Tart coming through on the nose, as they say.

Wow! Talk about sweet! it is as sweet as a bowl of very pleasent sun ripened cherries.

If ever a bourbon deserved to be described as a sipping whiskey, then this, surely, must be it?

There are a number of complexities in the flavour, there's the good, standard Jim Beam flavour, but the rich flavours of the cherries take it to a whole new level of taste excellence.

Good by itself, over ice or as part of any cocktail that you care to mention, though do be aware that if you use this in place of Jim Beam in a recipe do, please, be ready for a taste of something out of the ordinary.

I now find myself wanting a bowl of ripe cherries or a slice of Bakewell Tart, so alluring was the taste of this whiskey.

Soupologie. It's dairy and gluten free

Soupologie. It's dairy and gluten free. So, one might say it is "dairy and gluten negative" but it's also highly "taste positive."

In the 600 gramme range there is Broccoli and Matcha Green tea soup, Adzuki Bean Soup, Beetroot and Pomegranate, Roasted butternut and red pepper, Curried sweet potato, Three mushroom broth, Ancient grains, Amaranth, flaxseed and millet,  Celery apple and ginger, Cauliflower and kale with black garlic, Wartercress, courgettes and quinoa, Spirulina greens, Pea and leek, plus Spinach and kale with garlic.

They were exactly like the soups that our ancestors used to make on the range many years ago.

Well, except for the fact that many of the above highly health-giving and nutritious ingredients were, sadly, unknown to our ancestors.

But each soup tastes like a little visit to Soup Heaven as they all taste so utterly deliciously divine!

But there's much more to the great tastes. Each soup recipe is entirely plant-based, there is on added sugar (incidentally, the lack of sugar made no difference to the taste, so other soup producers could take note of how Soupologie makes their soups!) and each 600 gramme serving is two of your five a day, so what could be wrong there? Not a blessed thing!

Soupologie describes their soups as: "Soups with benefits" and it would be very difficult to argue with that, packed as they are with a variety of supergreens (Shouldn't that be soupergreens? Sorry!) and highly important and highly nutritious vitamins and minerals.

They have also recently introduced a range of Raw Soups, a first for the UK. They are designed to be eaten without cooking and are chock full of  important enzymes, vitamins and minerals.

These are available as Beetroot and mint, Strawberry, tarragon and lucuma, Watermelon and chilli, Spinach, mango, lime and baobab, plus Cucumber, avocado and kale.

 You can buy the soups online (the 600 gramme tubs cost £2.99) other sizes are available.

For details email info@soupologie.com, visit www.soupologie.com or call 020 7435 2245.

Super Greens From Heck

Super Greens are vegetarian meat(less) balls from North Yorkshire's very own Heck Foods.

They are made from a range of superfood green vegetables, Quinoa, Spinach, Kale and to add some spicing up to the whole recipe, some tasty ginger, too.

And they are guaranteed to be gluten free, too.

They cook within 20 to 25 minutes, but if you have a microwave you need to use the combination oven setting -if it has one- as Heck tells us that the Heck Super Green Veggie meatballs are not suitable for microwave cooking. (So, no ping cuisine for them!)

When you have cooked them you will be just bowled over by the taste.

The taste is hard to describe. It's 'meaty', yes, but there's no meat and all of the different vegetables crowd together on your tongue, to dance a dance of savoury goodness!

You can serve them with fried eggs, with poached eggs, or maybe an omelet. Or how about a nice, fresh salad?

Heck recommends a crisp beansprout and cashew nut salad, and I do not think I could argue with that idea, to be honest.

Though a large plate of nicely buttered mashed potatoes very liberally seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and a light sprinkling of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt or Welsh sea salt, plus a good portion of baked beans would also be an ideal way to serve these Heck Super Greens.

They should cost £3.00 from all good stores and from https://www.heckfood.co.uk.

Fava Beans. Finland's Nordic Superfood

Fava Beans. Finland's Nordic Superfood?

You could have heard it here on That's Food and Drink, first. The Fava bean from Finland is reputedly the new Nordic superfood.

Why and how? Because it's low in salt and low in sugar and high in fibre, but it has more protein than an egg.

The Fava Mill has a range of very tasty and very filling granolas based on the Fava bean in the following flavours:


Fava Mill Crunchy Granola

Fava Mill Cranberry Granola

Fava Mill Apple and Cinnamon Granola

Fava Mill Apricot and Papaya Granola

and

Fava Mill Berries and Beets Granola.

All of the above are utterly delicious and if you enjoy a bowl at breakfast time, you'll remain fuelled and focused for a long time thereafter!

But breakfast meals made with wholesome and sustaining  Fava Mill Fava Bean Granolas are not the only use that you can put Fava beans to.

For also in the range are Fava Mill Ground Fava Beans, which can be used as a substitute in vegetarian or vegan recipes which normally use soya beans. A boon for those vegetarians who are allergic to soya products.

You can find out about a whole host of recipes (soups and starters, desserts and savoury meals, snacks, smoothies and more) at http://favamill.com/recipes.

J. J. Whitley Elderflower Gin

J. J. Whitley Elderflower Gin is what a good gin should be.

No distilling in giant vats for J. J. Whitley Elderflower Gin! Indeed not!

For J. J. Whitley Elderflower Gin is batch distilled in a proper and very traditional copper pot still.

It is the type of gin my wife prefers and recommends to people who ask her the best gins to try.

There's a reassuring sound as the cork is pulled from the bottle and then there's the heavenly scent that wafts from the contents of the bottle.

There are floral scents -is that a hint of an English hedgerow, there? I rather think there is!

But the difference is the first taste. Oh, my word, that first taste!

It's a gin, so yes, there is juniper... but there's a depth of character, too. There's the taste of the elderflowers, plus the added spiciness of the coriander and cinnamon. But not too much, and other  there's just the right amount to take this gin out of the ordinary and to elevate it to the sublime gin drinking experience.

It's smooth and sweet. In fact the smooth easy drinking of this gin belies the fact that it is 38.6% volume of alcohol!

Drink it neat with some ice, or drink it with a nice tonic (Fevertree is a good one to match this gin)  or use it to make some exquisite cocktails. The choice is yours.

The J. J. Whitley family have been distilling gin for eight generations, and there experience shows in this most excellent gin, which contains 8 distinct botanicals.

It should cost around the £25 mark for a 70cl bottle.

If you can't find it in a local shop, you can find it at https://www.masterofmalt.com/gin/halewood-international/j-j-whitley-elderflower-gin and other online retailers.

Liqueur de Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream

Liqueur de Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream is a truly amazing drink.

It is a strawberry cream liqueur with just a hint of Tequila.

You can serve it at room temperature, or chilled, which is probably the best way, to be honest.

My wife is not a particular fan of either strawberries or Tequila for that matter, so her liking for Liqueur de Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream is a matter of some wonder.

Basically, it is a strawberry based cream drink with just enough Tequila to make things a little bit more interesting.

You can use it to make cocktails (we'll include some recipes) but many people just prefer to chill it and sip it. Sat outside on a hot, summer's day, there's nothing like a chilled  bottle of Liqueur de Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream to help the day pass more smoothly.

And at only15% alcohol by volume, it's lighter on the alcohol than you might think.

So, what about these recipes, then?

Mix it with Irish cream, or coconut flavoured rum, or vanilla or toffee flavoured vodka, serve with ice, crushed or chunked, add some real dairy cream and you have a wide and perhaps wild range of cocktails.

And here's an off the wall idea, when you are making a strawberry cheesecake, add some Liqueur de Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream into the mix and chill well before serving. Obviously you'll need some glasses of chilled Liqueur de Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream to help it go down!

It's distilled in Missouri and is imported exclusively into the UK by those very nice folks at Halewood International in Liverpool.

It should be available in all good stores throughout the UK.

For details of Liqueur de Tequila Rose Strawberry Cream and other products please visit http://mccormickdistilling.com/tr/

Heck! If you like cheese, you'll go Nuts about these!

Yes, indeed! Heck! If you like cheese, you'll go Nuts about these!

There are a number of different types of vegetarian sausages that are available.  But there is only one Heck Nuts About Cheese!

These sausages are made by Yorkshire's Heck Foods and they are made from cashew nuts, two types of cheese, some flax and chia and a tiny bit of chilli to add a bit of zip and zing to the proceedings.

You can taste the cashew nuts, there's a hint of the flax, plus the chia comes through with a little hint of chilli (but not too much, thankfully!)  but the predominant flavour is that of the cheeses.

The cheeses are Mozzarella and Cheddar and the taste combination is utterly sublime!

You can have them as sausage sandwiches or served in the traditional way, as bangers and mash (perhaps with fresh green beans or baked beans, with a fried egg or two?)  or you can use these as the vegetarian option next time you do a BBQ, perhaps with seeded baps?

However, you'd better get extra packs in as the meat eaters may well be tempted to start wolfing these down, too!

Learn more about them and the other sausages in the range by visiting www.heckfood.co.uk.