Bee Happy with Divine’s Chocolate & Honeycomb Bees

Divine is excited to announce a new and very interesting product for the Spring 2013 season: bee shaped chocolates made with their own smooth milk chocolate and small pieces of honeycomb crunch.

The solid exclusively designed chocolates come in a honeycomb shaped box and make a charming gift for young or old. Priced at £4.00, their honeycomb bees (100g) will be available from February at Oxfam stores, some independent stores and Divine’s own online shop: www.divinechocolate.com/shop. More stockists will be announced closer to the launch date.

At Divine they are keen on the humble bee. In fact, they love them! So they have produced their delicious chocolate bees as a reminder of how vital bees are to the planet’s eco-system – they’re responsible for pollinating 70% of the food we eat. 

But worryingly,  they are under threat, with numbers dropping to dangerous levels – in Britain they are disappearing faster than anywhere else in Europe. You can help encourage bees back to Britain by planting wild flowers. So Divine have joined forces with www.beehappyplants.co.uk to get consumers four bee-friendly plants for the price of three. Just use the promo code you’ll find under the flap on their chocolate bee box and plant some beautiful bee-friendly flowers this Spring.

As with all Divine’s products, their honeycomb bees are made from the “best of the best” cocoa from the co-operative that owns the company. They are free from artificial flavourings, colourings and preservatives, and are suitable for vegetarians, too!

For Spring/Easter launches in the United States please visit www.divinechocolateusa.com

How far would you go for Fantastic Delites?

How far would you go? Personally, I doubt I'd go that far, but I would go as far as Morrison's...

Are you too scared to order wine in a restaurant?

According to the French Wines with Style Report it appears we British are a bunch of scaredy-cats when it comes to ordering wine in a restaurant, with just 12.4% of us being confident of selecting the right wine when ordering in a restaurant, and over a quarter (25.8%) passing the buck to our mates rather than risk making a faux pas.

Surprisingly however, although we are a nation of ditherers at the wine list, we also don’t take advantage of the help to hand, with only 20.8% saying that we would ask the advice of the waiter, the rest presumably being prepared to close their eyes and point to any random beverage on the wine list!

France is the most popular country of choice for Brits when choosing wines in a restaurant, with nearly one quarter of Brits opting for their near-neighbour wine-producers (24.1%) when perusing the wine list. Australia (18.6%) and Italy (13.4%) take the second and third place podiums.

Gerard Basset OBE, arguably one of the greatest wine professionals of his generation and reigning World Champion Sommelier, comments:

“People can often be overwhelmed when looking at a wine list. It is important not to feel intimidated. When you are eating out, the experience is all about your enjoyment. If you know about wines, then great; but if you are confused or uncertain about which wine to choose, then take advantage of the help to hand. The waiter or sommelier is there to help.”

Basset also underlines some handy tips to remember when choosing wines:

• If you taste a wine try to define it by style: light-, medium-, full-bodied or aromatic:
o Generally delicate, light foods are better with light or medium wines; heavy dishes with heavier wines; and aromatic wines with spicy foods
• Use the tasting notes on the wine list to guide you
• Wait until everyone has ordered their meals before choosing the wine – that will help you decide on a match or matches
• Set a price bracket for the wine you select and stick to it – there will be fewer choices to make
• Don’t forget to check out the wines by the glass offer – often people choose very different dishes around a table – it might be better to order individual wines for each dish

And if you are ordering French then simplify: try to remember the approximate guidelines for the French regions which break down into the following style groups:

Reds:
• Light styles: Loire, Beaujolais, Burgundy
• Medium styles: Rhone, Bordeaux
• Full bodied styles: Languedoc-Roussillon, South West
Whites
• Light styles (fresh and crisp): Loire; Bordeaux, Chablis
• Medium styles (smooth): Languedoc-Roussillon, South West, the rest of Burgundy
• Aromatic styles: Alsace

Aunt Bessie’s launches five hot new desserts!

Everyone should have an Aunt Bessie! Someone in the family who can cook perfect hot deserts (ideal to cheer us up on a winter's day! Well, everyone does have an Aunt Bessie!

Aunt Bessie’s is launching five delicious new desserts this autumn, including three juicy fruit crumbles, a tangy lemon sponge and a gooey chocolate pudding.

Whether you’re looking for a quick and tasty family dessert, or fancy an indulgent sweet for two, Aunt Bessie’s has created five new desserts to suit every occasion and taste. All are -as you'd expect, from Aunt Bessie!- free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, and can be popped in the oven and served to perfection within a matter of minutes – ideal for busy couples and mums on the go.

Aunt Bessie’s new crumbles come in two sizes: a Perfect for Two size – smaller desserts that are ideal for couples; or a family size – designed to fill up the whole family. For dining in pairs choose from an Apple Crumble made from juicy Bramley apples, or a Rhubarb Crumble made with chunky rhubarb pieces – both topped with an oaty crumble topping and ready to serve after forty minutes in the oven.

For families getting together this autumn, Aunt Bessie’s family-size Rhubarb and Custard Crumble provides plenty of servings and will have the whole family coming back for seconds. The oven baked crumble features tasty rhubarb pieces with dairy custard and is topped with a crunchy, oaty topping.

Aunt Bessie’s has added a new Tangy Lemon Sponge Pudding to its dessert range that the whole family will enjoy. This zesty lemon flavour sponge with lashings of lemon sauce can be sliced into individual portions to cater for everyone’s appetite! Served hot, the pudding can be oven baked or microwaved and is ready to serve in 5½ minutes.

Last but not least, Aunt Bessie’s has created an indulgent Gooey Chocolate Sponge Pudding – the perfect treat to complement dinner, any night of the week. Combining deliciously moist sponge with an irresistible chocolate sauce, this pudding will have families and couples coming back for more time and time again.

To its existing range, Aunt Bessie’s has also increased the size of its Sticky Toffee Sponge, which is now 10% bigger and even tastier.

Aunt Bessie’s Perfect for Two Apple Crumble is available in Asda, Morrison’s, Tesco, Waitrose and Co-op (from £1-£1.29), with Perfect for Two Rhubarb Crumble (£1) available in Morrison’s and Waitrose. Aunt Bessie’s Family Size Rhubarb and Custard Crumble (£1.79) is available in Iceland and Waitrose, and Tangy Lemon Sponge Pudding and Gooey Chocolate Sponge Pudding are both available in Iceland (£1.50).

For those looking for a helping hand or to serve up something different at meal times, visit the Aunt Bessie’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/auntbessies, follow @AuntBessie’s on Twitter or go to www.auntbessies.co.uk for plenty of hints, tips and recipes.

Trick or Treacle with Lyle's

This Halloween you can show off your spooky kitchen skills with Lyle’s Limited Edition ‘Trick Or Treacle’ – the perfect ingredient to create ghoulish delights family and friends will love.

The vamped up version of kitchen staple Lyle’s Black Treacle features three collectable pumpkin designs which will bring even more theatre to the baking experience and inspire you to produce truly spooky snacks.

They've created fiendish snacks using the product including Popcorn Toffee Apples and Witches' Ribs with Vampire Toast!

Lyle’s Trick or Treacle will be sold from early October in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose stores nationwide, with prices starting from 88p per tin (454g) with additional great value offers available at individual retailers. 

ROKK Processing Launch New RFE Continuous Freezer Range

ROKK, the award winning manufacturer of high-end ice cream manufacturing machinery, has launched the new RFE range of continuous freezers which are capable of freezing ice cream quicker than any other machine in it’s class.

The continuous freezer boasts uniquely designed high efficiency barrels fitted in each RFE continuous freezer can cool an entering ice cream solution to freezing point and beyond exceptionally quickly to ensure that ice molecules don’t have time to form and a hard, smooth and luxurious end product is created each and every time.

Phil Darvell, managing director of ROKK, commented: “Each machine in the range is also fitted with a twin piston pump to ensure that seeds, fruit and other particles are passed through easily without the risk of causing blockages and disruption to the business through the subsequent downtime.”

As with all ROKK machines, the range has been designed and manufactured around the core principles of being ‘simple, solid and dependable’, resulting in only the very best, industry-recognised, components being used to ensure each machine is of the highest quality and extremely reliable.

Phil continued: “The new RFE freezer is a heavyweight industrial ice cream machine that offers unrivalled build quality. The simple excellence of our machines means that faults, and the consequent downtime, are few and far between meaning manufacturers can run and meet demand without that niggling thought of ‘when’s the next breakdown going to happen’ – it’s surprising what a difference it makes to a production line not having that over-hanging worry.”

The RFE continuous freezers are available in three sizes. The RFE 400 offers a maximum capacity of 410 litres per hour, the RFE 600, 620 litres per hour and the largest of the range, the RFE 800 which offers 840 litres per hour.

ROKK is extremely confident that any machine in the RFE range will make a dynamic and effective addition to every production line and as a result, is also offering free onsite demonstrations, anywhere in the UK.

For more information about ROKK, its new RFE continuous freezer range or to book a free demonstration, please visit www.rokk-processing.co.uk or call +44 (0)1455 220 179.

A Jamie Oliver inspired Red Tractor roast for Kate and Wills

UK mothers have come home to roost with Royal guests and classic dishes as the ultimate dinner party wish list, a new survey by The Red Tractor has revealed.

One in four mums said they would most like to invite the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge over to dinner ahead of Dame Judy Dench, Jess Ennis, Mo Farah and David Beckham according to research by Red Tractor Assurance. Only one in twenty wanted to add some va-v-avoom to the dinner table and invite Shades of Grey author EL James.

And while most households enjoy watching cookery programmes, the reality of juggling the kids and running a busy household makes them play it safe when it comes to cooking the evening meal, with over a quarter of families not wanting to take inspiration from television celebrities. Whilst two out of ten mums’, seek tips and recipes from the home grown, mover and shaker Jamie Oliver, ahead of Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson ; Gordon Ramsey, Marco Pierre White and Heston Blumenthal don’t come close.

Despite all the wild and wonderful cooking books, cookery shows and ethnic restaurants, over 50 percent of households opt to cook a traditional roast dinner with over a third taking the easy route and preparing the great British classic, apple crumble for pudding.

Richard Cattell, Head of Marketing, at Red Tractor who commissioned the study on 2,080 British families said: “We’re aware that shoppers are faced with a variety of choices, both from the high-street supermarkets and also when eating out. The survey tells us that shoppers like to support British food, with more than 55% already looking out for the Red Tractor logo when choosing their dish, a clear sign people care more about food which is produced to good standards of farming and food production, with a guarantee of origin.”

Interestingly, over a quarter of husbands surveyed said they would like to cook something new for their guests, but over a half of them strongly agreed that cooking something already tried and tested was the best decision. A remarkable 13.3% of the respondents also commented that they wouldn’t cook anything for their guests.

Launching 24th September, Red Tractor Week will be showcasing what the logo means to consumers and explaining how it provides the shopper with a shortcut to affordable, quality food and drink, covering everything from food safety, environmental protection, animal welfare as well as origin. To join in the fun and view spoof videos of Debra Stephenson and her celebrity friends go to www.redtractor.org.uk/RTW2012 and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ottB... to see Debra’s Red Tractor Pals’ shenanigans

Chack 89 gets musical

Chak 89, London’s Award winning Restaurant got all musical on Saturday when singing legend Anuradha Paudwal turned up to the famous Indian eatery for a meal with a couple of her friends.

Anuradha, looking great and relaxed, enjoyed the night with her friends and even joined in with other diners, giving one diner the best Birthday present she could have wished for.

Anuradha, who has a portfolio of hit songs in the Bollywood industry, overwhelmed by the decor and ambience at Chak 89, sat humbly with her friends and tucked into an array of pure vegetarian starters including a variety of Chak 89 chaats.

Chak 89 known for its traditional Indian cuisine and elegant ambience were only too happy to have the legend Anuradha dine at the restaurant and to be added to Chak 89’s celebrity wall.

We asked Frank, the owner of Chak 89, what he thought about Anuradha signing the celebrity wall and he replied, “To have a legend like Anuradha sign our wall only makes me more happy to see how far we have come since we started and having stars like Anuradha coming to Chak 89 only makes me feel honoured. Sooner or later I will have to look at having another celebrity wall; this one’s running out of space”

Tea Room visits

Ellis Tea Room Guide website, sweep across the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales in his bid to seek out the highs and lows of English tea rooms and save more from closing. His passion is not for the ‘cuppa’ tea itself, but for the tea room: the ambience, the staff friendliness, and the attention to detail of both what is served and the environment.

Ellis said ‘statistics show that 15 traditional English tea rooms are closing down every week, and they really need our support to keep going. If I find a tea room which is what I deem not my cup of tea, I am not afraid to say so. Many tea rooms finding themselves in this category in the past have contacted me for advice on what they can do to improve, and I am always happy to help’.

Ellis advocates supporting the more traditional tea rooms; painted pretty colours, with lace tablecloths and pretty china; and staff who get to know their customers. They usually give their customers a hearty welcome and value for money.

Ellis was delighted with the standard of tea rooms in the areas visited although he was disappointed that the majority he visited were self service.

Ellis points out ‘the experience of an afternoon tea, or even brunch or lunch in a tea room should be relaxing and enjoyable. Having to order at the counter is not really conducive to this concept. I even encountered one establishment, where the waitress came to the table specifically to tell me to order at the counter…why could she have not just taken my order?’

Of course the vast majority of the tea rooms visited on this trip had the added bonus of the beautiful countryside of the Peak District and Derbyshire Dales, and therefore the views from windows and tea gardens were worth the visit alone. Sadly though out of 19 tea rooms visited, 11 were open and were reviewed, two were closed despite the visits during opening hours, and the other six had closed down apparently only recently.

Just one tea room received the accolade of not my cup of tea but this was mainly because it was more of a café than a tea room in the true sense of the title.

Ellis continues to travel England in his quest to save the English tea room.

Joe Ellis’ website is very popular and he receives good feedback on the tea rooms he visits daily. He is also editor of the Time for Tea magazine which can be subscribed to via the site at www.tea-room-guide.org.uk

Britain's oldest farm shop critical of supermarkets

Hinchliffe's Award Winning Butchers

The boss of the UK’s oldest farm shop has criticised supermarket giants for being too expensive and not providing consumers with enough good quality produce from their region.

Simon Hirst, partner in the family-run Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop based in Netherton, West Yorkshire – which was established in 1974 – said consumers were “missing out” by being forced to buy from supermarkets.

“The supermarkets have had a stranglehold on our food chain for so long we’ve been given little choice but to trawl the multiples’ aisles for food that is poor quality, poorly sourced and, particularly in the case of the meat products, over-priced,” says Hirst, the fourth generation manager of the Yorkshire farm, which is famed for its top-quality beef, chicken and on-site butchers shop. “The supermarkets would have us believe they are cheaper than the farm shops and farmers’ markets but, in many cases, this simply isn’t true.”

For two years in a row, Hinchliffe’s meat cuts have proved to be cheaper than those from the nearest supermarket with its latest price comparison survey showing that 18 out of 20 products are the same or better value than the local Sainsbury’s, with cooked ham, chicken breasts, pork chops and cooked beef more than half the price.

“Supermarkets may sell ‘value’ meat but really it has no value,” says Hirst, the great-grandchild of Hinchliffe’s founder Charlie Hinchliffe. “Our meat is hand reared on the farm, and we butcher on site too so we know exactly what has gone in to the meat from plot to plate. Because there’s no middle man and zero food miles we can offer it at a cheaper price than the supermarkets but still ensure top quality.”

Hinchliffe’s butchers sell award-winning fresh beef from its own herd of South Devons, bred and fed on family-run farms – and the family are closely involved in every stage from feeding to handling. Hinchliffe’s highly skilled butchers bone out and cure meat, and make award-winning sausages and homemade pies and pasties on site.

“Some 85% of the food and drink that is sold in the farm shop is sourced from trusted local producers,” adds Hirst. “Giving our customers the confidence that what they buy will be top notch – and from their region – injecting money back into their local communities, and not into the pockets of the supermarket bosses.

“Like many local, family businesses, we’re passionate about what we do, and can give that one-to-one personal service that supermarkets cannot. Multinationals and chains are stripping away the unique character of our high street – and our countryside – so let’s make a stand before we all end up living in identikit towns and cities.”

Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop, Butchery and Restaurant, established in 1929, has been an integral part of the landscape of Huddersfield for generations, weathering eight prime ministers, four recessions, three royal jubilees and a great fire that completely destroyed its Netherton premises back in 2010. Hinchliffe’s can say with all honesty that nothing stops its from serving its customers.

It’s commitment to its customers saw it win a coveted ‘Customer at the Heart’ award this month, which is nominated solely by customers to celebrate and praise independent retailers who work hard to make sure their customers are happy, that they have great choice and that they leave the store feeling content.

Visit www.hinchliffes.com