Laverstoke Park beers for Christmas and the New Year

The first thing one notices about the beers that Laverstoke Park produces is that they actually do taste like beer.

Now, whilst the idea of beers that taste like beers might be somewhat confusing to some people, please let me explain what I mean.

I speak -or rather, write- as someone with considerable experience as a drinker of beers and as a writer on beers. Sad to say, some beers do not taste particularly pleasant.

I remember one brewer of organic ales who worked very, very hard to brew his beers. But somehow or for some reason he had decided to use smoked malt in all of his different types of beer. The result was not good.

However, it has to be said that the folks at Laverstoke Park know what they are doing!

Their Organic Real Ale is 5.0% ABV. It has a pleasingly light flavour, though the malty character of this finely crafted ale does combine nicely with the yeast and the hoppy goodness, though there's a rather nice and welcome surprise, a fruity undertone that means it will go very well with Christmas dinner, Christmas cake, mince pies and will be a great toast for the Queen's Chirstmas Message!

Next we come to the Laverstoke Park Organic Real Lager. At 4.5%
 it is a good, decent strength and is exactly what a lager should taste like. It has the characteristically lager style taste (not all lagers do!) and it is a light and refreshing beer, ideal for those who know their Continental style beers.  Ideal for drinking with all Christmas foods, and for just drinking whilst you think nice thoughts about what Christmas really means. I would suggest getting in a good supply of this Real Lager and watching every film version of the Charles Dickens novel a Christmas Carol that you can!

www.laverstokepark.co.uk

It must be Aldi for Christmas

If you are worried about what to buy for your Christmas and New Year food this year, do not worry! Just shop at Aldi, instead!

Aldi has an undeserved reputation and I want to show you why this is wrong. I was shopping in Aldi not so long ago and met a retired Lieutenant Colonel I know who had a trolley brimmed with Chirstmas shopping.

He was clearly very happy to be shopping in Aldi and he explained why: "I was a base commander in Germany for a number of years and Aldi is one of the best supermarket chains over there. And when you are stationed over in Germany for any length of time, you get a taste for certain German foods. Especially at Christmas time, because the Germans certainly know how to celebrate Christmas with mulled wine, Stollen, cheeses and so forth. And I know I can get all of these items -genuine, good quality German stuff, too! all at a fraction of the price I would pay in a delicatessen or a high end supermarket!"

And there are genuine British goodies that are available, too! The mince pies -especially when warmed in the oven!- are absolutely delicious (better than those at premium prices elsewhere!) the Stollen pieces are to die for, the four bird roast is a real treat and please do not forget  the goose fat roast potatoes!

There's a stunning range of beers and wines and the selection of Champagnes and sparkling wines is excellent and all at prices that might make you think you have joined Dr Who for a quick trip back to the 1980s!


To find out more and to locate your nearest Aldi store, please visit www.aldi.co.uk

That's Books: First the Absolute Sanctuary, now the cook book!

That's Books: First the Absolute Sanctuary, now the cook book!: The Love Kitchen, the in-house restaurant, at ABSOLUTE SANCTUARY is proud to announce the launch of its much awaited cook book Food Made wit...

Christmas Dinner - In A Cake? Here's the recipe!

Christmas Dinner - In A Cake? Whatever next?!

Why not try a slice of Weeton's of Harrogate's new 'Christmas Dinner Cake' made from all the trimmings - minus the turkey, however!

The Christmas Dinner Cake - which was baked exclusively for Weeton's by its multi-award winning cake supplier Allison Whitmarsh, of Proper Maid in Huddersfield ­- contains carrots, parsnips, cranberries, Christmas spices, chestnuts - and of course, the sprouts.

"We all know that vegetables are great in cakes but who knew you could get an entire Christmas dinner in there!" says cake connoisseur Allison. "While the cake was baking there was a definite whiff of sprouts, but the end result is absolutely delicious - Christmas dinner never tasted so good!"

Weeton's operations director Jo Loftus says she can't wait to sample her first sweet slice. "Allison has been providing us with delicious cakes for sometime now and we didn't think she could beat some of her more unconventional flavours, but this is festive and fantastic," she says. "There'll be no running around like a headless turkeys this Christmas - just serve a slice of this Noel novelty and you've got Christmas dinner licked!"

The Christmas Dinner Cake, which is topped with a cream cheese frosting and decorated with cranberries and white chocolate curls, will be available to try at Weeton's café throughout December, plus this unusual sweet treat is available to order this festive season.

And in case you want a slice of the action at home...

...that Christmas Dinner Cake recipe in full!

7" Cake serves 6-8

Ingredients

185g Wholemeal Chapatti Flour

135g Soft brown sugar

55g Dark brown Sugar

1 tsp. ground Cinnamon

1 tsp. Mixed Spice

1 tsp. Bicarbonate of Soda

30g Cranberries

30g Chopped Chestnuts

2 Eggs

110g Vegetable oil

40g Sour cream

125g Grated Carrots

50g Grated Parsnips

50g Chopped Sprouts

Filling

50g Roses orange Marmalade

80g Philadelphia

40g Vegetable Margarine or Butter

40g Icing Sugar

Cranberries and White Choc Curls to decorate

Method

1. Mix together the flour, sugars, bicarb, cranberries and chopped chestnuts

2. Add the eggs, sour cream and oil and beat well

3. Mix in all the grated and chopped vegetables and beat well again

4. Grease and line 2 x 7" sandwich tins

5. Pour the prepared mixture into the tins

6. Bake 180°C for approx. 30 mins until cooked (test with the tip of a knife to ensure all

the mixture is cooked through)

7. Leave to cool

8. When cool spread the orange marmalade onto the bottom half of the cake

9. Mix together the Philadelphia, margarine/butter & Icing Sugar until smooth

10. Spread 80g of the prepared icing onto the top of the marmalade and sandwich

together

11. Spread the remaining 80 g of icing onto the top of the cake

12. Decorate with cranberries and white chocolate curls

Weeton's is located at 23/24 West Park, Harrogate, HG1 1BJ, 01423 507 100,

info@weetons.com, www.weetons.com.

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King of Beers? The crown belongs to W J King, Brewers!

W. J. King area proud traditional brewer based in Horsham, West Sussex.

Although they declare themselves to be a new style micro brewery, they are clearly more akin to the master brewers of yesterday, when each town of note -and with a good supply of water- had at least two or three breweries, each producing some extremely fine beers all under the watchful eye of the master brewer.

And this is what drinkers will get this Christmas and New Year should they be fortunate enough to find themselves drinking beers brewed by W J King.

Because W J King are proper, traditional brewers of finely crafted ales who do not compromise on brewing technique or on the fine ingredients that they use.

Their IPA, for example, is a fine example of this style of beer. Although it is heavily hopped, this is not over done so the high hop content is well balanced and there is a wonderful fruity tang that supports the hoppy bitterness.

There Market Porter is another fine beer. My wife -an expert on Porter style beers- has declared this the finest Porter she has drunk in many a year!

It is darkly roasted, and yes, one can imagine Victorian market porters using this to slake their considerable thirst before heading back, satisfied, for several hours more hard work. And then, after work, imbibing some more of it before making their way home.

These are only two beers from their extensive range of CAMRA recognised and bottle conditioned beers. To find out more and where to buy them visit www.kingbeer.co.uk

You must get a selection in for Christmas and the New Year.

Ooo-Er Missus - A Little Sauciness From Olives Et Al

Chilly round the edges, dark nights and dull days call for turning up the heat and that's what the dedicated bunch of oliveers at Olives Et Al have done with NEW Chilli Harissa.

This little pot of heat begs to be dolloped onto chicken breasts, stirred into sauces and soups, plonked onto roasted veggies, smothered under a blanket of cheese on toast, scrambled up with eggs and even speed-dated with cous cous - it could even be used to warm up a cold fish.

Made with seriously hot chillies, which have been crushed with garlic, coriander, cumin, fennel and paprika, Chilli Harissa is an essential ingredient in tagines, curries and chillies, or try a teaspoon rubbed into a chicken breast (or a halved aubergine for a vegetarian version) and baked for 20 minutes - it's the ultimate in a hot, speedy supper! For lots of other quick and easy to make with one hand tied behind your back recipes, pop on to www.olivesetal.co.uk

Olives Et Al's NEW Chilli Harissa is suitable for vegetarians (not on chicken of course!) and vegans and is gluten free. The rrp is £4.00 for 180g jar.

Olives Et Al's products are available in good food retailers, delis, farm shops, food halls and online at www.olivesetal.co.uk

(EDITOR: This would make an idea addition to leftover turkey, I feel.)

Chief Chocolate Officer Gerry Spreads Christmas Cheer With Extreme Chocolate Truffle Making Demo On YouTube

Gerry Wilton, chief chocolate officer at events company Chocolate Delight, is aiming to spread a little Christmas cheer with his extreme chocolate truffle making video posted on youtube.

In the video, Gerry whisks up chocolate truffles in his own inimitable style while singing instructions to the tune of Mack the Knife, prompting one bemused commenter to write: "I tried this - my hair is now silky soft - thank you."

You can see Gerry's extreme chocolate making video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd8qu0dAsqU


Who is Gerry? As well as heading events company Chocolate Delight, Gerry owns and runs the Chocolate Boutique Hotel, named one of the six best novelty hotels in the world by the Sunday Times Travel Magazine.

Chocolate Delight holds chocolate-themed teambuilding events and challenges for many of the UK's leading companies and brands.

www.chocolatedelight.co.uk/corporate-chocolate-events.html

Gerry is currently in the Caribbean, teaching passengers on board a cruise ship the art of chocolate truffle making.

Founded in 2004 by the Wilton family, Chocolate Delight was one of the first companies to have a commercial chocolate fountain in the UK and quickly established itself as the leading chocolate fountain hire company. It was soon called on by corporates, event companies and celebrities to provide fountains for functions such as film premieres and weddings, including Peter and Jordan's.

In 2006, the Wilton family saw the opportunity to expand and bought a beautiful but outdated 19th century grade II listed hotel. Christmas 2007 saw the renovation of the building and it became The Chocolate Boutique Hotel, the world's first chocolate themed hotel. Today, Chocolate Delight is one of the most successful UK chocolate companies in its field and holds Chocolate Workshops across the country. Its Corporate Chocolate Teambuilding events commenced late in 2005 and are now run all over the UK and more recently in Europe. Last year saw Chocolate Delight in Spain, France, Austria and Switzerland.

Box Brewery should be on your Christmas list!

If you are buying beers for yourself or a family member or a friend for this Christmas and Nee Year period,. then you simply must make certain that beers from the Box Brewery are on your list.

They are one of the leading independent brewers in the South of England, proudly sited in Wiltshire.

One of their fine ales is called Funnel Blower and, as my wife is a fanatic for the history of Victorian engineering. this one really caught her attention.

It is a finely hand crafted real ale and named for an incident that struck the Isambard Kingdom Brunel ship the Great Eastern, when, two days after her sea trials commenced, the ship suffered a gigantic explosion which blew off one of her five funnels.

What of the beer? The only thing this is liable to blow is your taste buds! It isa serious ale and not to be taken lightly, coming in with an ABV of 4.5%. The other thing that took my wife's fancy about this beer -and mine, too! is that this is a dark brown coloured Porter beer.

It has a good Porter aroma, you just know that there are some well-roasted barley and malts in there! You can taste the bitterness of the roasted notes, but that's well-balanced by a nice sweetness that pervades this fine ale.

It will cost you a very reasonable £2.35 a bottle and for stockist lists please visit www.boxsteambrewery.com or call them on 01225 858383.

Of course, this is not the only beer they brew. Please ask them for details and do mention That's Food and Drink and That's Christmas when you contact them!

Tesco scoops up DipNation in time for Christmas

DipNation are set to launch their award winning range of dips in Tesco this December. The selection of chunky dips from the Fife based company will be available in selected Tesco stores across Scotland from today.

The Company was set up by Jeremy and Juliet Williams, and Juliet’s brother Patrick Gilmour. Inspired by the variety of dips available overseas and bored at the lack of choice in the UK market, Jeremy and Juliet decided to fill a niche. Patrick, with his background in chefing created scrumptious recipes to appeal to a primed UK consumer.

Since its launch in 2009 the family-run business, based in Fife built up a strong customer base of local Farm Shops and Delicatessens in Fife and its surrounding areas. They were an instant hit, their fresh ingredients and delicious flavours won them numerous stars in the Great Taste Award and a nomination in the Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards. Their increasing popularity allowed them to supply to independent stores nationwide and they will now be rolled out across Tesco’s Scottish stores.

Commenting on the Tesco launch, co-founder Juliet Williams said, “It’s an exciting time for us and we are thrilled to be working with such a major retailer. It has really impressed us that Tesco are so keen to support and promote smaller, local producers who have innovative new products and to help them reach a wider market. We are extremely proud of our range and the awards they have won, so we are delighted that they will now be more readily available to consumers.”

The range is entering Tesco stores at a perfect time as they are a great product for the festive season. The delicious dips are perfect for parties, buffet table nibbles or for your traditional chips ‘n dips relaxing with friends and family. They even go well in recipes for a quick but impressive dish.

Lynne Roxburgh, Local Sourcing Marketing Manager for Tesco in Scotland said, "We pride ourselves on sourcing top quality food and drink from Scottish producers and are delighted to be the first supermarket launching such a range from DipNation. DipNation attended our 'Meet the Tesco Local Sourcing Team' event last year and introduced us to their award winning range of dips. Their enthusiasm and passion for their products was clearly evident and we are delighted to be working with them to help grow their business by adding these fantastic products to our range of locally sourced food and drink."

Bursting with delicious fresh ingredients, the Chunky Dips are made with a base of crushed cashews and real Parmesan shavings to give you more of a mouthful. Combined with an imaginative mix of ingredients these dips bring imaginative flavours to the UK table.
For more information contact Pam or Su at Crimson Edge PR on 0131 311 7050 or email pamela@crimsonedge.co.uk or su@crimsonedge.co.uk

FACTFILE:

*The dips will be available in 62 Scottish stores – a full list of stores can be provided if necessary
**The dips will retail at £2.20 for a 135g tub
***The following is the full range of Chunky Dip flavours available and the number of Great Taste Award gold stars they hold:

Sweet Thai Chilli Chunky Dip 2010 2 stars GTA. 2011 1 star GTA
Roasted Butternut & Sweet Chilli Chunky Dip 2011 1 star GTA
Roasted Red Pepper Chunky Dip 2011 1 star GTA
Spinach & Feta Chunky Dip 2011 1 star GTA
Sun Dried Tomato Chunky Dip 2010 1 star GTA