Golden Syrup Days are here again on Shrove Tuesday

Usually we would have pancakes at home served with freshly squeezed orange juice and some sugar.

But for a special treat we would sometimes be allowed to use Lyle's Golden Syrup on our pancakes. 

But now such decadent luxury is available to all, especially with the cunning advent of the Lyle's Golden Syrup squeezy bottles of Lyle's Golden Syrup special pancake syrup!

Now, my wife and I thought long and hard about this fantastic innovation, available in golden syrup flavour and also in new maple syrup flavour. 

Should we keep this news to ourselves? Or should we spread the magic and tell you, our readers, about this fantastic duo of top tasting sauces?

We have decided on the latter, more honourable, course of action.

They are both equally delicious, though if you hanker after the taste of maple syrup, I know which one I would prefer. 

So, make the pancakes, perhaps even put lemon juice or orange juice onto your pancake and instead of reaching for a spoon filled with sugar, why not reach for the Lyle's Golden Syrup bottle and squeeze it a little or perhaps a lottle?

PLJ can help you get perfect pancakes

With Shrove Tuesday (17th February) here, our thoughts turn to creating that perfect pancake to help celebrate Pancake Day the traditional way.

So to help you make this year’s batch the tastiest yet, classic British drinks brand PLj Lemon Juice has created a few tips to help you make this year’s event the tastiest yet:

PLj’s Perfect Pancake Tips:

Cast it with iron - Using a shallow cast iron frying pan is traditionally the best method for achieving a perfectly round, flat pancake.  While they are heavier than modern non-stick pans – you’ll need to use two hands to toss – cast iron pans distribute heat more evenly to create a better pancake.

Whisk, whisk and whisk the pancake mixture – doing so will add air to the batter, creating a lighter and fluffier consistency.

Butter up - Always use butter rather than oil in the pan, as it gives a better, creamier flavour.

Keep it hot – heat your chosen pan for two to three minutes before adding the butter to the pan.  Once the butter has melted, you can then add your batter mix.

Thin and crispy - For a thin, crepe-style pancake, pop two tablespoons of batter mix into the pan and swirl with a spatula to spread evenly around the pan.

Time out - Cook for about 30 seconds on each side of the pancake.  Flip at least once, but twice or more will give a better result if you are feeling extra enthusiastic and confident!

Enjoy! Drizzle each pancake with PLj Lemon Juice (an easy and convenient alternative to squeezing lemons) and dust with sugar for a traditional favourite.

Ingredients for the perfect pancake (makes 6-8 pancakes in an 18cm pan)

110g sifted flour

1 egg

100ml milk and 50ml water

50g butter, for frying

To serve: PLj Lemon Juice and a sprinkling of sugar

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.  Make a well in the centre of the mixture and break the egg into it.  Whisk the egg together with the flour, and while continuing to whisk gradually add the milk and water until you have created a smooth batter.

Add 2tbsp of the batter to your hot pan, evenly spread and cook for 30 seconds on each side.  For a traditional taste, add a splash of PLj Lemon Juice, a sprinkle of sugar and enjoy!

An invigorating support to calorie-controlled diets, PLj is a blend of lemon juice and is rich in vitamin C – a 25ml serving contains at least 75% of the recommended daily intake and just 9 kcals – yet is free from all artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners.

With approximately 20 servings per bottle, PLj is the easy way to enjoy real lemon juice, but without the mess or hassle of chopping and squeezing. PLj is available from Tesco priced £2.49 RRP for 500ml.

A few facts about Pancake Day

·         Pancake Day is known as ‘Shrove Tuesday’ in the UK, and falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, or the first day of Lent

·         The day is known as Pancake Day because pancake recipes were traditionally made to use up stocks of flour, milk and eggs, which were forbidden during the abstinence of Lent

·         The word ‘Shrove’ is derived from the Old English ‘shrive’, meaning to ‘confess all sins’.  On Shrove Tuesday, people would go to church and be ‘shriven’ ahead of the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday

·         In the UK, the term ‘shroving’ was a custom in which children sang or recited poetry in exchange for food or money

·         Meanwhile, ‘Lent Crocking’ was a term used to describe a custom whereby children would knock on doors asking for pancakes – and throw broken crockery at the doors of those who declined their requests!

·         Pancake races are held around the UK on Pancake Day.  One of the most famous takes place in Olney, where according to local folklore, in 1445 a woman of Olney heard the shriving bell while she was making pancakes and rushed to the church, frying pan in hand.  Participants of the now world-famous Olney Pancake Race must be local housewives and wear an apron and hat or scarf when taking part!

·         Pancake Day is celebrated differently around the world. In Brazil, Pancake Day is known as Terca-feira gorda and is the final day of the carnival in Rio De Janeiro while in New Orleans the day is marked by the Mardi Gras carnival

Will they apologise for their bogus "dangerous" fat advice?

Well, the cat is well and truly out of the bag. That advice they gave us, 30 years ago? You know, when they told us to give up real foods like butter and cheese and directed us to eat "healthy margarines and low fat spreads," instead?

It turns out that advice was not only wrong, but potentially unhealthy, too.

Here's what Xynergy Superfoodist Rick Hay has to say on this hot topic: You may have seen news on a report this week regarding past 'fat guidelines' issued in the 1980s that are now being called into question.

"The report released stated that the dietary advice warning people to avoid eating fatty foods such as butter and cheese "should never have been introduced," (according to new research).

February is National Heart Month so the timing is apt for such news, when it appeared on the online journal 'Open Heart'.

Figures show that 1 person dies every 7 minutes from pulmonary heart disease, thats 200 a day, or 73,000 p.a. (this is down from 178,000 in the 1980s though). "

Xynergy Superfoodist Rick Hay appeared on Sky News recently to discuss just this, saying that we shouldn't make a simplistic analysis, as people have now turned to a higher card diet, resulting in the crisis we see today.

He recommends that we simply eat sensibly, that we do not disregard any food group, (though we should avoid transfat).

He went on to say: "Eating a healthy diet that is as close to nature as possible should really help us on our way, and it is this philosophy that brought about Rick writing the Anti Ageing Food & Fitness Plan. Featuring easy to follow healthy recipes, choosing organic where possible, the right mix of protein, carbs & good fats plus including the right supplements to assist you in your health goals. The plan features such products from Xynergy Health Products."

Nutrient density is the key he says, and always include super foods in your daily diet regime.

So, what do we do? My wife and I no longer eat margarines. Incidentally this coincided with a decrease in eczema for my wife, so there already seems to be a health boost as far as we can determine.

So, will they apologise for their bogus "dangerous" fat advice? Probably not.

You can order your favourite foods from That's Food and Drink

Yes, it's true! That's Food and Drink runs a special food and drink shop where you can buy the best of the world's food and drinks from the comfort of your own home or from your tablet or smartphone wherever you happen to be.

The shop is powered by Amazon and is reachable via the link on the right hand side of That's Food and Drink.

Try some Clark's magic on your pancakes

Why not try some Clark's magic on your pancakes this Shrove Tuesday?

Clarks Original Maple Syrup, is the UK’s top retailing maple syrup.

What's different about it? Well, it is a special lower sugar alternative to traditional syrups.

It can be used in cooking, used in making really delicious smoothies, adding to your morning porridge and dripped and drizzled all over your pancakes.

It is a clever blend of pure maple syrup (No.1 medium) from Quebec, Canada, plus carob fruit syrup from the Mediterranean.

Why? Because carob fruit syrup has a low glycemic index, and this Clarks Original blend product has  an impressive 45% less sugar per 100g than white sugar (RRP £1.98, 180ml).

 It’s available in major supermarkets like Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's.

For those who are not needing to keep a close eye on their glycemic index or blood sugar levels, there is still Clarks No.1 Medium Maple Syrup, which is harvested from the start of the second half of the season, this pure premium blend is considered the ‘King’ of maple syrup.

It's perfect for pouring over pancakes, bacon or cereal. It should cost you £3.40, fror 180ml in Sainsbury's. Also available in 500ml containers.

Luscombe Drinks when taste, quality and your values matter

Everyone wants a good, tasty drink. And if you are the kind of person who cares about things like what you put into your body and the bodies of your family members and the ethics of how they are produced, you will undoubtedly do some research and find drinks (and foods, too!) that are not only pleasing to the palate but also ethically produced, too.

One such producer of drinks that you will want to try for yourselves is Luscombe Drinks of Devon.

I suppose that technically speaking they should be called 'soft' drinks, but that does tend to do them something of an injustice because whilst they may be free from alcohol they are most certainly strong on taste.

It is a family owned and family operated business and they have been producing their most excellent range of drinks since 1975, so that's an unenviable unbroken record of 40 years of providing delicious beverages to people like yourself, people who care about what they consume.

As they themselves say: "Welcome to Luscombe, where we've been making beautiful drinks since 1975. Based on a farm in deepest Devon, all of our drinks are crafted with exceptional care and integrity. Gabriel David, the head of our family-owned business, sources the ingredients direct from growers he trusts. There are no compromises, only the best goes in the bottle."

What drinks are available? There's Pure Devon apple juice, English Apple Juice, Apple and Pear Juice, Apple Juice with Elderflower, Apple Juice with Ginger, Apple and Apricot Juice, Orange Juice, Carrot and Orange Juice.

As well as the juices there's also a range of soft drinks, too: There's Damascene Rose Bubbly, Madagascan Vanilla Soda, Strawberry Crush, Blueberry Crush, Sicilian Lemonade, Lime Crush, St Clements, Raspberry Crush, Cranberry Crush, Elderflower Bubbly, Cool Ginger Beer, Hot Ginger Beer and Passionate Ginger Beer. (The latter is ginger beer with the added little extra twist of passionfruit for a slightly different an even more uplifting flavour.)

And for those who look for a little bit of an extra kick with their drink, there is also a most excellent traditionally made Devon Cider, with no added Sulphur Dioxide, so this cider does make a refreshing change, in more ways than one.

The That's Food and Drink Taste Team had nothing but kind words for the entire range of Luscombe drinks that they sampled.

They liked all the drinks they sampled, but some they liked more than others. "As one taster commented: "All of the drinks are really, really good. So good that's its a bit hard to state a preference. But in my case, the Elderflower Bubbly scores very highly. It's just like our family's traditional recipe!"

Another taste tester favoured the Madagascan Vanilla Soda.

Taste team members also liked the fact that the drinks are organic and come from a producer which is big enough to cope with high demands for their excellent products, yet who are small enough to care.

(EDITOR: My favourites were the Damascan Rose Bubbly, the Strawberry Crush and the Elderflower Bubbly.)

So a toast to Luscombe Drinks! To learn more visit http://www.luscombe.co.uk.

Put a real Spring in their step this Easter with Lindt chocolates

Why not discover Lindt’s exclusive Easter editions, with your family and friends?

You can bring some Springtime Easter magic home and share the joy with your loved ones with the exclusive Easter range of Lindt luxury chocolates.

There's the iconic Lindt Gold Bunny (they even have a real little bell around their delectably sweet little chocolates necks!) collection and his new friends to deliciously refined eggs and sharing assortments, the Easter range offers a selection crafted by the Lindt Master Chocolatiers with the finest chocolate made with the highest quality ingredients.

Our roundup of Lindt Easter classics and new additions offers gifts for the smallest members of the household and indulgent Easter treats for adults - the perfect accompaniment to magical Easter celebrations.

Nothing marks the start of Easter like the iconic Lindt Gold Bunny. This delightful character has long been a firm seasonal favourite and comes in many varieties and sizes to provide an Easter treat for one or an enchanting gift to share.

Lindt Gold Bunny
From classic milk and creamy white to elegantly dark and delicious hazelnut – there is a Lindt Gold Bunny for everyone!
 
Lindt Gold Bunny Milk 10g (£0.49), 50g (£1.59) 100g (£2.99), 200g (£4.49), 500g  (£17.99)
Lindt Gold Bunny White 100g (£2.99), 200g (£4.49)
Lindt Gold Bunny Dark 100g (£2.99), 200g (£4.49)
Lindt Gold Bunny Hazelnut 100g (£2.99)

Lindt Gold Bunny Milk Chocolate 1kg
Guaranteed to make a big impression, the 1kg milk chocolate Lindt Gold Bunny (£39.99) is wrapped by hand and beautifully presented in an elegant carrier case making it the perfect statement Easter gift.

Lindt Gold Bunny Storybook (This is a new edition for 2015)
A perfect gift to bring home the magic of Easter - The enchanting Lindt Gold Bunny Storybook (125g, £6.49) brings the Gold Bunny to life in an engaging and interactive story. This new gift also contains a selection of 15 Lindt milk chocolate treats to enjoy with storytime.
The Lindt Gold Bunny Storybook is a Waitrose and Ocado exclusive.


Lindt Gold Bunny Soft Toy
This adorable Lindt Gold Bunny gift (30g, £13.49) means the family can enjoy the magic of the Lindt Gold Bunny all year round and is accompanied by three mini milk chocolate Lindt Gold Bunny miniatures.

Lindt Giant Carrot
It wouldn’t be Easter without the Lindt Gold Bunny and what Bunny wouldn’t be complete without a carrot! The Lindt Giant Carrot (140g, £5.99) is packed with mini versions of the milk chocolate Lindt Gold Bunny, double milk chocolate Carrots, Lindor Eggs and Hollow Eggs. Treat your family and friends to this gift with a difference!

Lindt Chicks and Little Lambs
New playful characters are perfect as an Easter treat for little hands

Also new for 2015
Joining Lindt’s family of delightful Easter characters are the super-cute double milk chocolate Chick figures (100g, £3.69), carton of six milk chocolate Chick eggs that little ones can easily be split in two (168g, £4.99) and five Little Lambs (50g, £2.59) - perfect to hide around the garden as part of your Easter egg hunt, or for your little ones to share with their friends.

Egg-stra special eggs
Lindt chocolate skilfully crafted into special edition Easter eggs for a festive take on the favourites

Lindor Luxury Easter Egg
Hand crafted with love, this milk chocolate Easter egg  (322g, £10.99) is tied up with a beautiful red bow and accompanied by delicious Lindor mini eggs with their famous smooth melting centres.

Also new are...
The Lindor Mini Easter Egg
An adorable gift for family and friends; this mini version of Lindt’s much loved Lindor Luxury Easter Egg is accompanied by Lindor smooth melting centre eggs. (55g, £2.99)

And

Lindor Strawberries & Cream Easter Egg
This delicious Lindor truffle flavour now comes in this special Easter egg edition. A creamy white chocolate egg is complemented by irresistible strawberry and cream truffles - a silky smooth filling with a white chocolate casing and real strawberry pieces.  (285g, £8.99).

(EDITOR: The That's Food and Drink Taste Test Team couldn't get enough of these strawberry and cream truffles. In fact they very kindly saved me two! "And you are really lucky to have those!" said my wife, eying them up! I gave my wife a 'look' and said: "I thought you are allergic to chocolate?" To which she grinned and said: "Once I tried a nibble of one, I was hooked! Besides which, this is why they invented antihistamines!")

Lindor Spring Easter Egg
For the Lindor fan who just can’t begin to choose their favourite flavour - this irresistibly smooth milk chocolate Easter egg is accompanied by an assortment of deliciously indulgent Lindor chocolate truffles (285g, £8.99).

Plus
Lindor Luxury Mini Eggs
You’ll be spoiled for choice with a mix of favourite Lindor flavours including: Milk, Stracciatella, Coconut and Strawberries & Cream (115g, £3.99).  Perfect for sharing a moment of Easter bliss with your loved ones.

LINDT EXCELLENCE Easter Egg
For those who appreciate the darker side of chocolate, the Lindt EXCELLENCE egg (220g, £10.99) makes an elegant gift. The deliciously refined egg is complemented by luxurious dark chocolate mini eggs for a sublime Easter experience.


Lindt EXCELLENCE Mini Eggs
The Lindt Excellence Mini Eggs canister (90g, £3.99) contains 18 luxuriously smooth, deliciously intense dark chocolate mini eggs - the perfect Easter treat for the dark chocolate lover in your life.

Master Chocolatier Collection Easter Egg
This decadent Easter egg (350g, £19.99) is a real Easter favourite that perfects the balance of fine chocolate and hazelnuts that Lindt fans love. Smooth Lindt milk chocolate is rolled in roasted Piedmont hazelnuts and generously coated with a final chocolate layer. It’s not to be missed!

A TASTE OF SPRING
A celebration of the season with limited edition packaging encases a selection of Lindt treats that make for the perfect gift.

NEW FOR 2015
The new Taste of Spring Boutique Collection is a beautiful selection of delicious gifts; the perfect treat for your family, friends and colleagues.
Choose from the Taste of Spring Boutique Gift Box - a mix of twist wrap eggs and flavours (200g, £6.99); the Taste of Spring Boutique Praline Box - a mix of Spring bunny, eggs and flower shapes (120g, £5.99), a Taste of Spring Boutique Mini Eggs (150g, £4.99) or the Taste of Spring Boutique Flame Egg (57g, £3.99).
The collection is exclusive to Selfridges, Harrods and other premium outlets.


OTHER PRODUCTS IN THE LINDT RANGE INCLUDE
EASTER EGGS

LINDOR Easter Egg Milk – 215g, £6.99
LINDOR Easter Egg Assorted – 215g, £6.99
LINDOR Easter Egg Milk – 285g, £8.99
HELLO Cookies and Cream Easter Egg – 314g, £10.99
EXCELLENCE Dark Flavours Easter Egg – 265g, £10.99
LINDT GOLD BUNNY

GOLD BUNNY and Carrots – 140g, £5.99
GOLD BUNNY Family Hutch - £5.99
GOLD BUNNY Paw – 20g, £0.69
GOLD BUNNY Canister – 100g, £3.99
GOLD BUNNY Milk 5 Pack – 50g, £2.59
GOLD BUNNY White 5 pack – 50g, £2.59
GOLD BUNNY and Plush Ears – 50g, £5.99
GOLD BUNNY Easter Egg – 125g, £5.99
GOLD BUNNY Luxury Easter Egg – 260g, £10.99
GOLD BUNNY and Friends Sharing Pack – 182g, £5.99

OTHER TREATS
LINDT Carrot Double Milk – 13.5g, £0.69
LINDOR Milk Egg – 28g, £0.69
LINDT Solid Mini Eggs Canister – 200g, £3.99
LINDOR Mini Eggs Bag – 100g, £1.99
LINDOR Assorted Mini Eggs Bag – 100g, £1.99
LINDT Easter Fun Bugs & Bees – 50g, £2.59

(EDITOR: If you care about someone, perhaps if you know someone who is going through a difficult time, why not 'Lindt them a helping hand' with some of the best chocolates in the world?

Because of how good they taste, Lindt chocolates probably will not last too long, as they'll be eaten, joyfully, within minutes, but the memory of good Lindt chocolate products will last them a lifetime.)

Make Pancake Day Speculaas Day, from now on!

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day as it is also known should, in my opinion, now be known as Speculaas Day, in honour of the spices produced by the Speculaas Spice Company, launched several years ago in London by Dutch-born Steven Dotsch.

The speculaas spice mix really boosts pancakes to an entirely new level.

Holland has had a long and interesting association with the spice trade dating back at least to the 15th century and, in all likelihood, well before that.

This fine tradition of excellent spices is carried on by the Speculaas Spice Company who still produce their family's traditional and highly secret speculaas spice mix.

Even as late as the 1970s most bakers in Holland had their own special family speculaas spice recipe. Sadly most of these died out with the advent of mass-production.

But Steven Dotsch wanted to revive the tradition. Fortunately he had his grandmother's own recipe and used that as the basis for his business, the Speculaas Spice Company.

This morning we made some pancakes with this special spice mix and the evocative flavours of another age flooded our senses with memories of trips to Holland back in the 1970s and the sites and sounds of Holland.

The spice mix is Vandotsch Speculaas and it is a careful and special blend of Sri Lankan cinnamon, cloves, ginger and six other (secret!) spices that provides a little bit of a lift and a kick to the tastebuds!

You can learn more about these most excellent spice mixes by visiting www.speculaasspice.co.uk which contains the detailed story of why Steven started his company, some delicious recipes and how to buy the spices!

I would like to thank my wife Anni for her help in preparing the batter mix and in photographing the pancakes before they completely disappeared!

Romance will bloom with Bloom Gin

My wife and I recently enjoyed some of the finest gin that we have ever tasted.

I have to confess, I am not know for my affinity to gin. Real ale or a nice single malt, but gin? Not so much.

Until, that is, I was introduced to Bloom Gin.

Why is this the case? Why is Bloom Gin so vastly different to other gins?

Some gins remind me of aftershave, the taste is harsh and unpleasing to the palate.

This is, however, certainly not the case with Bloom Gin.

Bloom Gin has an essentially floral flavour to it, with a subtle intermingling of herbs deep in the background.

My wife' chief love is for Plymouth Gin. "Bloom Gin is even better than Plymouth Gin!" she said, excitedly, after taking a cautious first taste. And that's high praise, indeed.

We were also fortunate enough to try some Bloom Gin Strawberry Cup. Oh my word! This has to be one of the best alcoholic drinks that I have ever tasted!

It was as if strawberries had been soaked in essence of meadow flowers for a time before the addition of Bloom gin!

Ideal for a romantic Valentine's day tryst with your spouse, or for a hot summer's day (serve with ice) or for eating al fresco, Bloom Gin Strawberry Cup is the ultimate drink for this summer.

And please do remember to look out for bottles of Bloom and Fentimans tonic, a classic combination.

To learn more please visit http://www.bloomgin.com.

Lollipop the question on Valentine's Day

You'll buy a card, true. And a nice Valentine's gift? Undoubtedly!

But what about something else? What about a special gift for the love of your wife, made in the shape of a delicious love heart lollipop, with an edible flower nestling within it?

They are truly stunning, you can buy them individually or as a special bouquet as a box of ten.

They cost £3.50 each (that includes postage and packing) and can be personalised, too, thus making them unique to the love of your life.

To learn more please visit www.dosomethingdelicious.com/products/edible-flowerr-lollipop-heart