Women in Food Hamper

In celebration of International Women's Day, the folks at Macknade have put together a fantastic hamper designed to showcase some of the dedicated, hard-working, passionate women who create fantastic food and drink products.

It'll be a great gift for the strong and inspirational women in our own lives. It's available to order online and can be delivered nationwide.

The cost is £60.

Which women are included and what are their products included in the hamper?

Quinta da Mariposa, Dão Branco Wine - led by oenologist Lúcia Freitas

Choc Affair, Dark Chocolate - founded by Linda Barrie

Brindisa, Salted Marcona Almonds - from Founder & Owner, Monika Linton

Goupie, Ginger Vegan Chocolates - founded by Janet Simpson, with all recipes developed by her mother

Teastones Peace Mother Tea - led by Owner & Tea Connoisseur, Sev Michaels

Fudge Kitchen Rocksalt Peanut Brittle - led by Managing Director, Sian Holt

Benchmark Brewery, Pale Ale - from female Brewer, Amelia

Kent Crisps, Oyster & Vinegar - from Owner, Laura Bounds MBE

How can you order this gift hamper? Just click here:- 

https://macknade.com/products/women-in-food-hamper

The Sound of Tea

The Manasamitra band, with FenFen Huang 

Manasamitra is a Yorkshire-based arts organisation, which has brought to fruition a truly stunning and fully immersive musical performance which is based around the themes of tea and of tea ceremonies.

It is called The Sound of Tea and it is a multi-sensory celebration of the varied traditions of tea across differing cultures.

It skilfully incorporates musical performances and digital technology, creating a unique performance each and every time.

The Sound of Tea incorporates live musical events that are combined with specially designed lighting and soundscapes, participatory tea rituals and cutting-edge digital technology, which is employed to capture and reflect the responses of the audience in real-time.

Supriya Nagarajan

Creator and musician Supriya Nagarajan uses her experience of synaesthesia to explore the interplay between sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch. 

The Sound of Tea also features a number of unique interactive digital tables, developed by Professor Mick Grierson from the University of Arts London (UAL). This technology will allow audience members to influence the performance. Of course, this means that each and every performance is totally unique resulting in a bespoke performance every time.

In more recent times the Manasamitra team has carefully adapted the show into a corporate experience day, which is an immersive, mindful experience for the corporate workplace.

A spokesperson said: "Teams and work colleagues have been physically separated for many months as a result of the pandemic and as we return to workspaces and new ways of working, it is vital team members and colleagues are able reconnect and rebuild."

They went on to point out: "Not only has the time apart altered the dynamic of many groups, but there may also be new staff members or elements of restructuring that will benefit from shared experiences.

"Team building is a vital component of any workplace, helping boost productivity and improve morale.

"After the turmoil of the couple of years, a focus on wellbeing is needed to help individuals readjust to group situations and make a smooth return to the workplace. And what better way than with tea and with The Sound of Tea?"

For details please visit https://www.manasamitra.com/our-work/the-sound-of-tea/the-sound-of-tea-corporate-experience-days/

The images used are courtesy of Duncan Lomax.

That's Food and Drink Tea Festival

That's Food and Drink is running a Tea Festival over the next several weeks.

There will be stories about tea and the myths and legends that have grown up around tea drinking all over the world.

Plus, of course, with the help and assistance of many of the friends of That's Food and Drink we will be tasting and sampling different teas and letting you know what our opinions are.

As far as tea types we will be looking at loose leaf teas, teas in paper bags, teas in special cloth bags, herbal teas and more besides.

So if you like tea, or need to buy some tea for a special gift for a confirmed tea lover in your life (a collection of different teas might make an unusual and romantic Valentine's Day gift, perhaps?) then please watch this space!

We offer our thanks to Viren Kumar and Pixabay for allowing us to use the video to illustrate this posting.

Bring Appleton Rum to Valentine's Day

When I mentioned, in passing, to a friend that I had a bottle of Appleton Estate's 8 Year Reserve Rum, he a became quite animated. He said: "Wow! Jamaican rum has the reputation of producing some of the best Caribbean rum available. And Appleton Estate's Rum is the best of the best!"

And, of course, he was absolutely right!

The Appleton Estate's 8 Year Reserve Rum is a special rum carefully crafted for a very special occasion, the 250th anniversary of the founding of Appleton Estate in 1749, created by Master Rum Blender Joy Spence. Interestingly Joy was the first woman to hold the title of Master Blender. In recognition the government of Jamaica bestowed on Joy the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer (OD) for her service to industry.

Appleton Estate's 8 Year Reserve Rum is blended to include specially selected pot-still rum stocks from their inventory of aged rums.

This is not the strongest rum available, it's 43% alc/vol, but then this has been carefully crafted to provide a well-balanced and delicious rum, which is designed to provide a modicum of strength with a Zenith of taste.

The bouquet is inviting with a hint of cane sugar and the taste is deliciously warming and so very, very smooth.

By itself, or on the rocks, or with some high quality mixers. After all there's no point in skimping on mixers if you have a very high quality rum such as Appleton Estate's 8 Year Reserve, is there?

But what about cocktails? Here Appleton Estate's 8 Year Reserve really comes into its own. From simple cocktails using Cola, to more advanced cocktails, you will be in for a real treat.

My wife introduced me to a recipe that was a favourite of her brother. Rum and Cider.

The recipe calls for two thirds cider and one third rum, although, of course, you can adjust that to suit your own taste.

Obviously, only high quality cider should every be used and in this instance we used some Brothers Toffee Apple Cider which proved to be an admirable choice.

A 70cl bottle should cost about £25 to £30 or you can buy it in some restaurants, hotels and pubs. For example Wetherspoon pubs stock Appleton Estate's rum as part of their Rum Shack offering.

Or you can stay at home, create a Valentine's Day feast and finish the evening in style with Appleton Estate's 8 Year Reserve Rum!

Glebe Farm for truly oaty oat drinks

Rebecca & Phil Rayner

In the fields of rural Cambridgeshire brother and sister farming due Phil and Rebecca Rayner are not just championing good, high quality home grown British products, they are getting down to it in the fields of their family farm, Glebe Farm, and not only growing oat crops they are also milling the oats and also 'milking' them, too. 

And what's more, the oats they produce are gluten free, too. So they're ideal for people who are coeliacs.

Phil and Rebecca have turned their hands to producing a pair of utterly delicious and incredibly smooth oat drinks.

There's the Creamy and Enriched variety, which has added calcium and vitamins so is ideal for breakfast cereals, a nice cold drink, creating some awesome smoothies or replacing dairy milk in cooking and baking.

There's also the Barista blend which is carefully designed to be a super addition to your coffee (fresh or instant) for helping you produce top tasting cappuccinos and lattes. As a confirmed hot chocolate lover, I think that I'll be trying Glebe Farm Barista blend in my hot chocolate! Will it be good for tea? Let's find out together, OK?

They also sell oat granolas, too. Actually, Glebe Farm oat granola served with Glebe Farm Pure Oaty? That sounds like a real winner to me!

They also sell Soya, Almond and Coconut drinks, too.

Check out their website for some recipe ideas, too.

As an ageing hippy(!) I've long been interested in ecology and self-sufficiency since the early 1970s actually, so it was with considerable pleasure I found out that Phil and Rebecca are confirmed sustainable farmers and that Glebe Farm uses solar power and biomass boilers and only uses locally grown oats, thus helping keep food miles to a minimum.  

Where can you buy Glebe Farm products? On Amazon, from Central England Co-operative Stores, Booths Grocers and all Holland and Barret Stores.

And Glebe Farm’s gluten free bread and rolls can be found in all National Trust Cafes.

Or you can buy it directly from their online farm shop at https://www.glebefarmfoods.co.uk/shop/.

If you are interested in learning about stocking Glebe Farm Products, using them in your baked goods or in your café, restaurant or catering business you can visit them at https://www.glebefarmfoods.co.uk/trade/ or call them on +44 (0) 1487 773282 during office hours.

Bonne Maman ideal for your Valentine's Day repast

I absolutely love Bonne Maman jams and conserves. My all time favourite is their Strawberry & Wild Strawberry Conserve. And every year I would put together a hamper of Bonne Maman miniature jams and conserves for my late mother every Christmas, birthday and mother's day.

However, Bonne Maman are far more than jams and conserves. They also now produce a delectable hazelnut chocolate spread, too.

But Bonne Maman also have a range of products that are ideal for a desert for a Valentine's Day feast at home.

There's a stunning variety of chilled deserts, including Strawberry Mousse, Chocolate Mousse, Clementine Mousse, Black Currant Mousse, Rhubarb Mousse.

Also check out their Salted Caramel Crème, Coffee Crème, Dark Chocolate Crème with a touch of sea salt, Milk Chocolate Crème, Riz Au Lait, Baba an Rhum (with high quality, high strength rum. Delicious!) Crème Caramel, Crème Brûlée (which can be baked or eaten cold) Red fruit tarte and Tarte au Citron.

And take a look at their cakes, biscuits, yoghurts and compote deserts, too!

They even have some recipes to help you create some truly scrumptious Valentine's Day treats for your love. Just check them out here https://www.bonnemaman.co.uk/recipes

Incidentally, what does Bonne Maman mean in English? Online translation sites get it only partially correct. It doesn't mean Good Mum, no matter what Google Translate tries to tell you!

Bonne Maman actually means "Grandmother" or "Granny" because as they have always done, they strive to make the kind of products that grandmother used to make.

Available in all good shops and from online retailers.

https://www.bonnemaman.co.uk/.

The ideal gift for the one who has your heart. A Seggiano Olive Wood heart!

Imagine the look of love and admiration on the face of the one you love when on Valentine's Day,  you present them with a genuine Olive Wood heart-shaped board from leading Italian brand Seggiano?

My wife is absolutely enchanted and besotted with it and it now takes pride of place in our kitchen. She has stated "This is lovely! Thank you!"

She has also stated very firmly that I am not to ever place it in our dishwasher and that it is to be treated very well and only washed, very gently, by hand!

What is the size? The average width is 23cm. That's just over nine and a bit inches to those of us who still use the measurements of the olden days!

It should cost you £23.90 and you can buy it direct at https://seggiano.com/product/olive-wood-heart-board/ or you can find it in your favourite deli, some cookware shops and other major retailers up and down the country.

What can you use the board for? 

Seggiano have some really very helpful suggestions. Cheese, they imply (and I agree wholeheartedly!) is the way to your love's heart and what better way to serve up an array of quality matured cheeses than on this board?

The gorgeous board is beautifully crafted by the Marchini family and each one is carefully carved from wood that originates in the Tuscan hills, where the olive trees are pruned to keep them renewed and healthy. 

I did not realise that much of the wood is over 300 years old! Making it an ideal, temporary, resting place for your Pecorino, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or your cave matured cheddar!

You can also purchase a lovely Olive Wood handled cheese knife, Organic Spelt Digestive Biscuits, Parmesan Handmade Flatbreads and lots more besides.

Seggiano recommends equipping your board with your favourite cheeses, paired with one of their Baked Fig Balls, a handful of Puglian Rye Biscuits and a dollop of Calabrian Fig Jam, or better still a drizzle of Raw Chestnut Honey which goes particularly well with Pecorino.

I rather like the sound of the Raw Chestnut Honey.

And don't forget to buy yourself some good quality Italian wines to make for a very food Valentine's Day feast.

MIghty M.lkology brought you by the magic of peas

Mighty M.lks were designed to be a realistic alternative to dairy milk that's available today. And that is exactly what they are.

It is produced using special dedicated Plantech®.

It produces a milk alternative that is creamy and tasty in a range of different types.

They don't compromise on taste or mouthfeel and they guarantee they are 100% vegan. 

And people like my wife who has coeliac disease and an allergy to both dairy and soya can drink and cook with Mighty M.lks safe in the knowledge that there are no soya, dairy products or nuts.

Mighty M.lks comes in semi and full varieties and also protein oat and unsweetened varieties.

There's Mighty Barista M.lk, too. This is a special premium blend of pea, oat and coconut. It's been carefully and specially designed to be a replica of  the flavour and texture of dairy milk but without the involvement of any cows. If you like a perfect frothy latte, then this is the milk for you! 

It also tastes great on breakfast cereals or as a chilled drink. 

There's also Mighty M.LK Protein Oat, too.

Looking for a drink that's shaken, not stirred? Then the Mighty Milkshakes, available in chocolate and banana and oat flavour will be right up your street.

And they also have a range of Mighty Vegan Protein Powders, too.

My wife has declared the range of  Mighty M.lks as "very close to dairy milks in both look, feel and taste."

So not only are they safe for someone with dairy intolerances or full dairy allergies, they also taste good, too.

And if your concern with dairy is because of ethical considerations regarding the use of animals to produce milk for human consumption. the great thing is that you don't have to compromise your diet for your principles.

Where can you purchase Mighty M.lks from? The following shops and supermarkets stock them: Morrison's, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Ocado, WH Smith, Asda, Holland & Barrett and Co-Op stores.

Or you can buy direct at https://www.mightydrinks.com/our-range.list.

    

Gee Gee Gin from start to finish, it's a real winner!

What happens when you love gin and also love horses? You combine the two and you get Gee Gee Gin!

The gin is proper, real craft gin distilled in the traditional manner using small batch distillation, with each batch produced with love and attention to detail in a special nano distillery in Newbury, Berkshire, not far from the world renowned Newbury Racecourse.  

Unlike many craft ginmakers Gee Gee make everything from scratch. They even produce their own initial neutral alcohol base. Many other ginmakers buy in the alcohol, which is not the case with Gee Gee, so they know exactly what went into their base alcohol.

A spokesman for Geee Gee said: “We lovingly craft our gins from the very start to the finish. Yes, it is a long and complex process but the finished product is well worth the wait.it.  

“So our Master Distiller is a true distiller unlike other small batch gins that are on the market.”

He went on to explain “Our gin is only made using the finest quality natural ingredients. We can guarantee that our small batch gins contain absolutely nothing artificial. 

“I must emphasise that each part of the process of producing our gin is made entirely by hand and this includes drying the natural botanicals that we use, right through to hand dipping the gin bottles into wax.” 

How can you buy Gee Gee Gin? You can join the UK’s newest Craft Gin Club.

Select the monthly subscription for your favourite Gee Gee Gin and they'll ensure you never run out by delivering to your door a fresh bottle of craft Gee Gee Gin each month. 

But that’s not all you will receive. Because with your monthly gin subscription you’ll also receive a variety of especially chosen gifts that will include dried fruit garnishes, special mixers and a sample of another high quality gin for you to try.

The monthly cost is a modest £30, which you can pause or even cancel whenever you want. Makes an idea present for a loved one or as a reward to yourself!

Or why not browse the gins in their online shop to see what’s available for purchase now?

The people behind Gee Gee are gin lovers themselves, so they’re keen on trying out new varieties so do keep an eye open for new, experimental flavours.​

Flavours available include Classic Dry, Dark Berries, Elderflower and Lavender. There are currently two limited edition gins, Seville Orange and also Magic Blue Summer Berries.

500ml bottles of all gins, including the limited edition varieties cost £27.50 each.

To learn more and to make your first purchase visit them at https://www.geegeegin.co.uk/.

Brothers Cider

If you want to see Veganuary out in style, then you should do it with some Brothers Cider.

I was introduced to ciders when I was a student in the student union bar in the dim and distant 1980s. It was OK, but I can honestly say I was not overly impressed.

However, moving on to modern times when my wife and I discovered Brothers Cider my wife and I were both monumentally impressed. And as my wife is from Devon and grew up drinking West Country Cider, that is high praise indeed!

We have been drinking several bottles of Brothers Toffee Apple Cider and I have to say that it is a properly balanced cider which does have a lovely toffee flavour added to it. To me it reminded me of toffee apples consumed during village Halloween celebrations many years ago.

Although I prefer the 4.0% alcohol version of the Toffee Apple Cider my wife was more keen on the alcohol free version, which is also available.

Other flavours are available, including Strawberry and Lime, Rhubarb and Custard, Wild Fruit, Tutti Frutti, Pink Grapefruit Cider, Honeycomb, Red Apple, Parma Violet, Strawberries and Cream, Cloudy Lemon and also Marshmallow flavour. The latter I think I'll be trying next.  

The family know a great deal about making cider from their Somerset homeland, as there is documentary evidence that their Uncle 14 times removed, Gabriel Showering, was taking the family produced cider round the pubs in the area in 1658. That's nearly 365 years of the production of cidery goodness!

And now four brothers, Matthew, Jonathan, Francis and Daniel are continuing the fine family tradition by bringing good quality real ciders with a modern twist.

You can buy it from your local retailer or direct from Brothers https://brotherscider.co.uk/.

If you want retail their ciders please visit https://brotherscider.co.uk/pages/trade-customers