That's Christmas: Christmas is coming!

That's Christmas: Christmas is coming!: I am sorry to have to tell you this, but the fact is, Christmas is on the way! In fact, it's just a little over four months away. So...

Beer review Sadler's Mud City Stout

Sadler's Mud City Stout is a truly delicious dark stout style beer brewed by Sadler's of Lye, near Stourbridge in Worcestershire.

It is made using raw cocoa, vanilla pods, flaked oats, wheat and dark malts.

It is as moderately strong beer at 6.5%.

It provides a complex range of tastes, all dark and satisfying, balanced by a sweetness that is almost toffee-like in nature.

www.sadlersales.co.uk

Legend of Kremlin Vodka

After a successful launch into the prestigious Mayfair venue Brown’s last month (EDITOR: My wife and I really must visit Brown's again, soon!) Legend of Kremlin Vodka is on a mission for 2013 – to become the most consumed and talked about vodka in W1, London!

Already in discussions with some of the most iconic venues in and surrounding Mayfair, over the coming months Legend of Kremlin Vodka will announce exclusive collaborations, guest appearances and home residencies throughout W1, widely regarded as one of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods.

Legend of Kremlin Vodka prides itself on being derived from the very FIRST vodka recipe, making it Russia’s oldest export (probably!). Taking this original formula, and fusing the finest modern technology with top quality ingredients, Legend of Kremlin has become THE definitive Russian vodka.

Made using luxurious wheat grain infused with artesian well water, and distilled in the only traditional copper vats in use in Russia today, Legend of Kremlin has what most legends lack: authenticity. Each precious drop is enclosed in unique bottles: a Potyomkin glassworks pastiche of an ancient vodka carafe, juxtaposing cold brilliance and golden translucence.

Legend of Kremlin has won eleven “Grand Prix” and nine Gold Medals at the biggest international and Russian degustation competitions, making it a truly legendary drink.

    

Legend of Kremlin’s predisposition with quality has seen it ally with those who share similar priorities. Over the last year we have seen exciting collaborations with HR Owen, Lamborghini, the Saatchi Gallery and world famous mixologist Salvatore Calabrese!

Legend of Kremlin (70cl) is available from Harrods, leading wine merchants and online retailers. A 50cl carafe will be launched with Harrods in June 2013.

(EDITOR: It has a brilliant and transcendental range of flavours and that knowing tingle that only a high quality Vodka can provide properly!)

BBQ safety tips from That's Food and Drink

These BBQ safety tips are supplied courtesy of www.nationalbbqweek.co.uk

Position BBQs on level ground, well away from hedges, fences, or overhanging shrubbery. 

When lighting charcoal, only use proper BBQ lighter fuel, never, ever use petrol or other flammable liquids. 

If using gas ensure grill lights immediately, if it fails, turn off gas, leave for a few minutes and try again.

And here is a top safety tip from That's Food and Drink: Never, ever use a BBQ in a tent, a kitchen or a garage or a shed, as carbon monoxide gas released from it could kill.

Blue Monday cheese to be made for Alex James by Shepherds Purse

Musician, writer and cheese maker Alex James has selected Shepherds Purse to produce his Blue Monday cheese under trademark.  

North Yorkshire based Shepherds Purse was chosen for its award winning artisan cheese making skills and innovative speciality for making top notch blue cheese at its family farm in Thirsk.

Blue Monday, traditionally handmade with 100 per cent cow's milk, has been redeveloped to a new recipe created by Alex and the Shepherds Purse team over the last 6 months to ensure its premium quality. The new Blue Monday is a soft, creamy blue cheese with strong blue veining which delivers a smooth, satisfying piquancy to the palate.

Originally named after Alex's favourite New Order song, the new Blue Monday will be added to his fine British artisan cheese range, 'Alex James Presents' and is set to officially launch in August at The Big Feastival, a two day celebration of music, food and fun for the family, founded by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and Alex James.

Says Alex James:   "Delicious taste and quality are the cornerstones of the Alex James Presents artisanal cheese range and I am very proud of all our award-winning cheeses.  Blue Monday has perhaps been the most popular and best known, but it hasn't had the chance to shine alongside the others. So we thought we'd bring in the experts at Shepherds Purse to give it some extra love and attention and I'm absolutely delighted with the results."

Caroline Bell, director, Shepherds Purse said: "Innovation blended with tradition is at the core of what we do at Shepherds Purse and we remain proudly artisan, making every cheese by hand using only the best British cow's, ewe's and water buffalo milk. 

"It has been a pleasure to work with Alex developing the Blue Monday recipe and we believe that we have created another world-class blue cheese.  We're excited that the new Blue Monday will be launching at The Big Feastival at the end of August and are looking forward to introducing this cheese to the public".

Shepherds Purse Cheeses produces a range of award-winning, traditionally handcrafted cheeses using British cow's, ewe's and water buffalo milk.  From its kitchen table beginnings in the 1980s, Shepherds Purse has gone from strength to strength, picking up international awards each year. Today, Shepherds Purse is still a family run business, with founder Judy Bell's daughters Katie and Caroline now at the helm. 

Unrivalled for taste and quality,  Shepherds Purse cheeses can be found online at www.shepherdspurse.co.uk, and nationally in specialist cheese shops, delis and farm shops and in the best major supermarket chains. They are also a great favourite with the nation's top chefs, and can be found in dishes and on the cheeseboards of top hotels, restaurants and pubs across the UK and beyond.

(EDITOR: Shepherds Purse cheeses are amongst some of the best cheeses that I have ever had the pleasure of eating.)

Linda's No Bake Birthday Cake

The recipe for this very rich chocolate birthday cake was made specially for our good friend Linda's birthday.

1 Large page of digestive biscuits
1 pack shortbread biscuits
2 large cans of evaporated milk
1 pack of butterscotch instant pudding mix (of the type to be made with cold milk)
5 bars of chocolate
1 to 2 ounces of butter
Icing, if desired

Crush all the biscuits to a reasonably fine powder.
Then melt the butter in a pan and add the biscuit powder and the butterscotch powder and mix very well.
Remove from heat, place mix in large, deep greased cake tin.
Add the evaporated milk and mix well.
Use a double boiler (if available) to melt 4 bars of chocolate and when totally melted vigorously swirl this through the mix in the cake tin.
Smooth surface, break up fifth chocolate bar and use to decorate the surface, gently pressin in to mixture.
You can add icing to decorate, Dr Oetker's ready-made cake icing is ideal.

Then place in the fridge over night or for several hours.

This is a very rich cake and should prove popular!

Serves well with ice cream and individual portions can be heated in the microwave.

Enjoy! 

What is coming on That's Food and Drink?

Over the next 12 months That's Food and Drink will carry many different news stories about food and drink, recipes and a range of special features.

There will be special features on dietary requirements, our Wine and Beer  Festivals, our barbecue feature and many more other features.

If you would like to have a product featured, please email afj_uk@yahoo.com and mention That's Food and Drink in the subject line, please.

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