Some summer sips with Santa Ana Gin cocktails

As we move slowly through our British summer months and with some hotter weather expected soon, Santa Ana Gin has some perfect cocktail ideas to help you cool off.

A fantastic beach BBQ? Something major in your back garden suggestions for your seasonal celebrations. Whatever the opportunity, Santa Ana's ideal for your cocktails.

Here are some summer Cocktail suggestions from Santa Ana:

The French 75

Originally known as the 75, this Harry McElhone classic first appeared around World War I in Paris at the New York Bar. The combination of ingredients was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun, giving this cocktail its famed name.

Ingredients

45ml Santa Ana Gin

25ml Lemon Juice

20ml Simple Syrup

Champagne

The Gin & Tonic

As the band warms up, slide into the mood with the signature Santa Ana Gin &  Tonic. Tall, crisp, and refreshing, this classic combination perfectly highlights the Philippine floral and citrus notes of Santa Ana Gin.

Ingredients

30ml Santa Ana Gin

Fentiman's Naturally Light Tonic Water

Santa Ana is available to buy at Master of Malt RRP - £29.90.

Have a fine foodie summer with Produced in Kent

You can celebrate summertime by making the most of the great Kentish summer produce. 

The quintessential Kentish fruit, cherries, can be found across the county right now. Why not try an irresistible cruffin filled with crème patisserie topped with a rich cherry compote from Gilda Bakery which is near Canterbury? 

Or fill your home with a glorious rainbow of seasonal and sustainable flowers from Blooming Green, open every Saturday for Pick Your Own until the end of October.

Produced in Kent have curated a collection of easy, tasty recipes from local producers using the best of the season.  Here are a few that will bring a taste of the Kentish summer to your table:

Summer Salads

In this recipe from The Corner House the sweet flavours of the colourful tomatoes are paired in a dish with a light and creamy goat's curd, while the dressing elevates the flavours to new heights.

Recipe: Heritage Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

Serves 4

400g Heritage tomatoes, assorted colours, shapes and sizes – Macknade have a vast range at this time of year

2 banana shallots, finely diced

3 sprigs tarragon, picked and chopped

50ml rapeseed oil – try locally made Kentish Oils

Squeeze of lemon juice

250g goat's curd or soft goat's cheese from Cheesemakers of Canterbury

Pinch of caster sugar

Handful of small salad leaves such as frisée or pea shoots

Salt and pepper

Method:

Slice your tomatoes in creative ways to make the plate look pretty and interesting

Place the tomatoes in a mixing bowl and add the shallots, tarragon, rapeseed oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and a pinch of caster sugar

Mix gently and taste. Arrange on a plate.

Toss and coat a few salad leaves with the leftover dressing in the bowl, scatter over the tomatoes and place a dessert spoon of goat's curd on top

Firing up the BBQ

Summer is BBQ season and Karimix are raising the 'sausage in a bun' bar to new levels with some Argentinian flavour inspiration. In South America foodies go nuts for 'Choripan', literally combining Chorizo Sausage 'Chori' and 'Pan'... Spanish for bread.

Recipe: Argentinian Choripan Recipe from Karimix

Ingredients:

Serves 3-4

1 x Pack Spicy Cooking Chorizo Sausages, skin removed

3 x Red Peppers, finely sliced

½ White Onion, finely diced

4tbsps Karimix Chimichurri Sauce – available from online from Karimix

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 tbsp Rapeseed Oil – try the Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil from Pure Kent

3-4 Buns or Ciabatta bread cut into pieces

Method

Light the BBQ so it has time to get to optimal cooking state.

Finely slice the red peppers and fry them in a pan with the rapeseed oil until they are soft and slightly caramelised on the edges.

Mix 4 tbsps. of Chimichurri sauce with 1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and set to one side.

Finely dice the white onion.

The skins on the chorizo sausages come off easily, just make a light cut down one side of them and peel the skin away.

The sausages are cooked whole to begin with, then removed from the heat and butterfly cut (just cut down one side to open the sausage up) exposing the centre. Put them back on the heat to crisp the middle.

Whilst the sausages are cooking, toast the bread.

To build the Choripan, start by piling in the fried red peppers, place 1-1½ sausages on top (depending on the size of your bun), drizzle over some chimichurri sauce and scatter in some of the diced white onions. Whack on the other half of the bun and devour...

Relaxing Afternoon Tea

The fields of Lavender at Castle Farm are awash with purple right now, enjoy this seasonal flower (known for its calming properties) and delicate flavour in this shortbread recipe.

Recipe: Castle Farm Lavender Shortbread

Ingredients:

200g plain white flour

Pinch of fine sea salt

40g ground rice flour

75g caster sugar (plus extra for decorating)

5-10 drops Castle Farm HOT Lavender Essence

One heaped teaspoon of Castle Farm Culinary Lavender Flowers

175g unsalted butter, from a chilled 250g block

Method:

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and stir in the ground rice flour and sugar

Take your butter from the fridge, and while your bowl is on the weighing scales, grate in 175g of butter from the block.

Sprinkle in the Lavender flowers, and the drops of HOT Lavender Essence.

Work it all quickly into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Press the mix into a 20cm square baking tin and level the top

Chill in the fridge for about an hour.

Then, heat the oven to 140'C fan (160'C/gas 3).

Bake the shortbread for 40 minutes until light golden.

Remove from the oven and prick all over with a fork, then mark into 20 pieces, cutting right through to the bottom of the tin.

Dust caster sugar all over the top and leave the shortbread to cool before removing from the tin.

Then sit back and enjoy with a relaxing cup of tea!

Not in the mood for cooking? From wine tastings, music and foodie festivals, Produced in Kent have bags of inspiration on things to do, where to eat & how to treat yourself this summer, check out Produced in Kent's Summer Guide.

For more information visit https://www.producedinkent.co.uk/.

 

A new way to buy us a coffee!

My wife and I run That's Food and Drink from our home.

We do it mainly because we are both writers and we like what we do. We are also passionate about food. My wife's mother was a cordon bleu qualified chef and ran her own specialist catering business for many years.

And my father was an army chef trained to B1 and B2 levels. The equivalent to advance City and Guilds 153 at that time. He was usually the chef for the officer's mess. So we were both brought up with food.

As you will appreciate it's not cheap to operate our food blog and I recently found a way to encourage our readers to Buy Us a Coffee using this link and following the instructions   https://www.buymeacoffee.com/martinschoX.

Thank you!

C4 Energy Drinks

There are "energy drinks" then there are C4 Energy Drinks.

You can trust me, you will not have had an energy drink like C4 Energy Drink before.

If your idea of an energy drink is something that has a weird, chemically, slightly disgusting sets your teeth on edge taste and bright "makes you question what you are putting in your body" colours, then I have a pretty good idea that I could name at least one of several energy drinks you will have sampled in the past.

But those "energy drinks" are the past. Because the future of real, honest to goodness (with myself adding emphasis to the word goodness) energy drinks is C4 Energy Drinks.

There's no colouring, artificial or otherwise. It's clear! Wow! How neat is that? There are no unpleasant artificial or the weaselly faux "nature identical" flavourings.

Only natural flavourings in this bad boy! Nope, the term bad boy cannot be used in relation to C4 Energy Drinks. Because in my opinion, C4 is a good boy, through-and-through.

What else is in it? There's also water, a moderate amount of carbonation, a bit of malic and citric acid, a touch of L-Arginine (sounds exciting, but it's merely a valuable amino acid that helps the body build protein) a bit of taurine (also an useful amino acid, which is vital in several of the body's metabolic processes, plus known as an antioxidant) some Betaine (another nifty and important amino acid) and some no sugar sweeteners, being sucralose and Steviol.

Factor in the Niacin and Vitamin B12 and a smidgen of caffeine and you'll know that C4 Energy Drinks are the real deal.

Each can contains 500ml of drink, so they'll quench your thirst, too. 

What do they taste like? Cosmic Rainbow tastes to me like a nice summer's afternoon, maybe add a chunk or two of ice? Orange Slice tastes of freshly sliced oranges (duh!) and Twisted Limeade tastes, well, like a rather nice limeade drink with a twist.

I have been feeling under the weather of late (long COVID, nasty and very, very boring!) and I have to say that C4 Energy Drinks have been a really nice pick-me-up. My degree is in writing and journalism, not medicine so I have no scientific basis for saying this but I can only go by my feelings and I know they made me feel better.

They are available via Holland and Barrett either in branch or online 12 cans cost  £26.99. You can also order them via Amazon at £20.00 for 12. They are also available through other retailers.

Flavours available include Cosmic Rainbow, Orange Slice, Twisted Limeade and Frozen Bombsicle.

You'll be able to learn more at https://cellucor.com/pages/c4-energy

The Story of Real Vanilla from Charlotte White

Charlotte White

Charlotte White will be the host and curator of the Cake & Desserts Theatre at the Foodies Festival - a celebration that will bring together the biggest names in food, drink and music.

Held over three days from 5 - 7 August 2022 at Inverleith Park in Arboretum Place, Foodies Festival is a star-studded event centred around the best food and drink, which offers visitors the chance to broaden their palates, watch culinary masterclasses from TV chefs, enjoy street food whilst drinks flow, along with live music from some great acts.

Sponsored by LittlePod vanilla, the Cake & Desserts Theatre has a full schedule of live demonstrations set to thrill baking fans. Bringing her passion for real vanilla to life on stage, Charlotte White from Restoration Cake is a remarkable host and worth seeking out at the Foodies Festival.

Not only is she a creative baker who has appeared on shows like ITVs Lorraine, she is also a well respected historian. “I've always been interested in the world of King Charles II and the people who inhabited it,” she reveals. 

Regularly contributing to Inside History Magazine and history podcast History Hack, she obviously enjoys talking and writing about 17th century history and classic Hollywood.

Believing cakes should tantalise and tease the taste buds, Charlotte White has published two cake decorating recipe books in her unique show stopping style - Burlesque Baking and Deliciously Decorated. As a LittlePod ambassador for the use of real vanilla, Charlotte demonstrates creative baking and cake decorating skills at Foodies Festivals across the nation.

“I am host and curator of the Cake & Desserts Theatre at the Foodies Festival - and I get to travel the UK presenting live cookery demonstrations, interviewing chefs - and all whilst wearing heels!” she laughs. 

With both her historian and chef hats on, Charlotte really does know her stuff when it comes to the story of vanilla and is highly aware of the fact that 97 percent of all the items sold as 'vanilla flavoured' do not contain a single genuine molecule gleaned from the pod of this much celebrated tropical flower.

“I find that fact extraordinary and it is something that drew me to Janet Sawyer [LittlePod's MD] and her company. LittlePod is doing so much to get real vanilla being used once again around the globe,” she says. “I first came across Janet and LittlePod a decade ago - and I fell in love with what Janet was trying to do in promoting the use of real vanilla. 

“So that is what I do - I take the LittlePod products around the country to festivals and demonstrations and put them in front of people who love food with a great story. It's a privilege to be able to tell the world about real vanilla - and in that way I see myself more as an evangelist than a saleswoman. I'm not there to sell, but explain why. And I tell people that what's important is to spend money on real quality vanilla. Which sounds like a tough message to deliver when everything is getting more and more expensive - but the truth is that this is a win-win situation. 

“Real vanilla is so amazingly delicious and, added to that, when you are buying the LittlePod products you are sourcing your ingredients responsibly and sustainably. Yes, it's true that in the past vanilla was not a very ethical product - so when you get someone like Janet working with real vanilla farmers and knowing them individually by name, then you know the product is the real deal.”

Delving into her favourite world of culinary history, Charlotte admits that vanilla was once a product that seemed to signal the unadventurous and mundane. “I remember a time when vanilla flavour was basically regarded as the most boring thing you could order - probably because it was an industrial product that had nothing to do with an orchid growing in a tropical rainforest. 

“But when you taste the real thing, it is anything but boring! And at the moment, that is the message I'm taking around the country,” says Charlotte, who describes herself as a 'travelling showgirl chef'.

So what's her favourite thing to make when she's showing people the deliciousness of real vanilla? 

“I've been making an amazing tiramisu,” she smiles, describing a rather complex but fabulous vanilla-cocoa-and-coffee flavoured version of the classic Italian dish. “It's a plant-based tiramisu, so a bit different. There's no egg or butter, so the vanilla sings through because nothing competes with it. It also features in the cream - it's a kind of Chantilly cream and you have the flecks of vanilla sitting alongside coffee and cocoa - two crops which of course grow in close association with vanilla. I love it because I agree with that old adage in food which says: what grows together goes together…”

“So much of what I do is about stories from the past,” adds Charlotte. “The nostalgia thing comes from my love of old Hollywood movies. I loved them so much I ended up with a film degree. I am also an historian - my business Restoration Cake is named after Charles II. So, working with LittlePod fits in nicely - because the history of vanilla is absolutely fascinating when you start looking into it.

“Elizabeth I, for example, was obsessed with vanilla - and the moment she tasted it she immediately demanded that it should be in everything she ate! Which was a very expensive demand, when you think of what it took back then to bring vanilla from the Tropics. It must have been like putting gold leaf on everything!

“Few other ingredients have such stories,” mused Charlotte. “And I love being able to tell people about them in my role with LittlePod as an ambassador for real vanilla.” 

https://www.littlepod.co.uk/

https://foodiesfestival.com/

 

Greener, kinder packaging for Fudge Kitchen

Fudge Kitchen are an artisan confectionery producer which is putting sustainability at the forefront of its business, with the launch of a new range of products in pouches that you can fully compost after use. 

And Fudge Kitchen is fully committed to reducing its impact on the environment and it is making changes to the way they source ingredients and also package their products.

The new packaging which is made from fully renewable resources - including TIPA bio-based film, NatureFlex cellulose and PaperWise paper, and can be composted in your household food waste (subject to local authority, of course). 

The compostability is clearly stated on each pack, with instructions on how to dispose of it appropriately.

The new pouches range will include Fudge Kitchen's handmade Chocolate Coated Honeycomb, Raspberry Coconut Ice, Rock Salted Peanut Brittle, and Sea Salted Caramel Crumbly Fudge. The collection is available to buy in their shops throughout the UK, on the Fudge Kitchen website and through their independent retail partners. The confectionery pouches are priced individually from £5.50.

Over recent years, Fudge Kitchen have made a number of business changes to propel them forward on their journey to operating in a more sustainable manner. 

For example several months ago in March, they changed their chocolate supplier to Colombian producer Luker Chocolate, meaning they have more visibility on supply chain ethics & sustainability practices used. 

Luker Chocolate is widely recognised for their work supporting cocoa growing communities in Colombia, recently receiving a sustainability honours award in recognition of this achievement. 

Sian Holt, who is the managing director of  Fudge Kitchen, says “During the pandemic, we began challenging ourselves to actively do more to minimise our environmental impact and give back wherever possible. As well as changing chocolate supplier, we are also trialling cane sugar (grown overseas) to beet sugar grown predominantly in the UK.”

The brand has also recently published their 2021/22 Giving Report, detailing their partnership with giving platforms B1G1 and Work For Good, which is allowing them to provide an exceptional positive impact not only to the environment, but to local and community initiatives too.

The compostable pouches range follows on from Fudge Kitchen's sustainable rebrand earlier this year. As part of their new look and feel, the confectioners moved to UK printed packaging, dramatically reducing their carbon footprint, and switched to plant-based inks and water-based glues. All non-compostable packaging is now FSC certified and fully recyclable.

Head of Sales, Rupert Allinson, says “There's a responsibility for all businesses to play their part in tackling the climate emergency. We don't want to just do 'enough' to keep in line with government rules and legislation, instead we want to pave our own way, going above and beyond to minimise the impact we have.”

The confectionery producers are nearing their 40th anniversary, and alongside their 6 high street shops and a flourishing online business, they also produce confectionery for some the UK's most prestigious department stores. 

To learn more please visit https://www.fudgekitchen.co.uk/en.

Parma Ham Recipe to Enjoy This Summer

The warmer summer weather always gives us the ideal opportunity to celebrate in true British fashion. By getting together outdoors with friends and family over some delicious food and drinks. 

Often hailed as a healthy alternative to bacon, Parma Ham is a natural product with no additives or preservatives, making it the perfect healthy choice to add flavour to anything from picnic palmiers, crispy canapés, and yummy fresh salads.

Prosciutto di Parma (often known as Parma Ham in English), is a product with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. It is therefore made according to precise production methods that have undergone very few changes over the years. Every leg of ham is individually quality-checked after exactly a year of ageing by an independent inspection body, after which it is branded with the special 5-point Ducal Crown. This symbol is also present on all supermarket packaging, making the authentic Parma Ham easily identifiable.   

Parma Ham is the star of the show in these seasonal dishes – from small bites to picnic favourites, there is something for everyone to bring the taste of Italy to British summertime.

Prosciutto di Parma Palmiers

A simple puff pastry dish perfect for sharing as well as a delicious Parma Ham pairing.

Makes 28  

INGREDIENTS 

320g Sheet ready-rolled puff pastry

Flour for dusting

4 tsp. Sundried tomato paste

50g Parmigiano Reggiano

6 slices Prosciutto di Parma

1 Egg, beaten

METHOD 

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and line a couple of large baking trays with parchment paper.  

Unravel your pastry sheet onto a lightly floured surface with the long edge facing you. Spread the sundried tomato paste all over the pastry, right to the edges, then evenly scatter over the Parmigiano Reggiano. Gently roll with a rolling pin to flatten the cheese a little. Top with the Prosciutto di Parma slices, laying them flat and evenly over the pastry. 

With the long edge facing you, fold the top quarter of the pastry down and the bottom quarter up. Repeat, folding the bottom up and the top down, so that the pastry meets, and you have a seam in the middle.  

Roll along the pastry pushing down gently to compact a little, then brush the top with the beaten egg. Fold in half along the seam, then chill in the freezer for 20 mins. 

Transfer the dough to a chopping board and cut into slices just under 1cm thick using a floured knife. Place well apart on the prepared trays.  

Gently pull the ends of each palmier apart slightly to make a kind of heart shape. Sprinkle very lightly with a little more Parmigiano Reggiano and bake for 15-20 mins, or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

To find and support a local Parma Ham Specialist deli in your area, visit:

 https://specialist.prosciuttodiparma.com/ 

Brits Brave the Pub Despite the Heat

Monday and Tuesday of this week saw scorching temperatures over most of the UK, with the first 40 degree plus temperature ever recorded. 

Despite warnings to stay indoors and many businesses closing their doors, OrderPay data showed many Brits braved the heat, with pub sales broadly similar to the same days last week. However, the heat seemed to affect when we drank, and what we drank, with some interesting behavioural shifts in the data.

Although overall sales were similar to last week, lunchtime sales dropped dramatically - orders between 12PM and 2PM were down 42% week on week (18th -19th vs 11th - 12th)

However, punters stayed around until last orders to grab a drink when the heat dropped - orders at 11PM on Tuesday 19th were 3x higher than last Tuesday. 

Birra Moretti and Aperol remained the most ordered drinks through the OrderPay platform, with Guinness unsurprisingly seeing a 23% dip in sales week on week. 

But what is OrderPay? OrderPay is the UK's fastest, most flexible & highly cost-effective Order & Pay provider. 

Live in over 26,00 sites including Stonegate & Corbin & King, and the chosen partner for TUCO's 130 universities, every base is covered - from a slick app to a web-based Pay Only solution. With tipping, tabs, bill splitting, gifting & analytics offered as standard, OrderPay is the most feature-packed system on the market.

to learn more visit  www.orderpay.com. Would you like your premises on OrderPay? please visit marketing@orderpay.com.

Hot summer? Cool off with Nielsen-Massey

As temperatures continue to rise all over the UK, Nielsen-Massey, leading expert makers of gourmet extracts and flavourings, has introduced some delicious ice cream recipes that are perfect summer coolers.

These recipes feature Nielsen-Massey's Gourmet Vanilla Extract which offers cooks the ultimate flavour enhancement, as it is produced with vanilla beans that are hand-picked and cured, using a precise cold extraction process that preserves over 300 flavour compounds from the vanilla. 

No other company uses this method, guaranteeing both quality and the most 'true-to-bean' vanilla flavour that's possible.

Nielsen-Massey also produces a wide range of other extracts, including orange blossom, peppermint, rose water, coffee, almond, and lemon, all made with the same high quality standards as their vanilla. These are all incredibly versatile and perfect for various sweet and savoury dishes.

Ice cream for all the family:

No-Churn Coconut Vanilla Ice Cream

Enjoy a refreshing tropical twist on Britain's favourite vanilla ice cream, that  is really easy to make, with no need to get hot and bothered churning.  This simple five-ingredient recipe combines rich creamy coconut milk with the classic rich flavour of Nielsen-Massey's Gourmet Vanilla Extract to make the perfect summertime treats.

It's also a fun activity for adults to do with children over the summer holidays.

20 minutes of preparation.  Makes four servings.

Ingredients:

Three 400ml tins of unsweetened coconut milk

60g double cream

85g caster sugar

7g Nielsen-Massey gourmet vanilla extract

24g coconut flakes for garnish

Directions:

1. At least six hours before you plan to make the ice cream, put the coconut milk tins in the fridge to separate the coconut milk from the coconut water. Be careful not to shake or tip the tins, to ensure the layers stay separated.

2. Put a 1,000ml loaf tin in the freezer to chill.

3. Once the coconut milk has chilled, use a knife to take out the hardened coconut milk, and put it into a sieve or strainer.

4. Place the solidified coconut milk into a heavy mixing bowl with the double cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Reserve the leftover coconut water for another use.

5. Whisk the mixture at a low speed until the coconut milk is smooth, then increase the speed to medium until it forms soft peaks.

6. Scrape the mixture into the frozen loaf tin and place some baking parchment or cling film over the top of the mixture.

7. Place the loaf tin in the freezer until completely frozen (about six hours).

8.  Toast the coconut flakes by spreading them on a baking tin and baking at 180°c for three minutes.

9. Garnish the ice cream with the toasted coconut flakes and serve.

For adults:

Tequila Sunrise Ice pops

These refreshing, boozy, ice pops, named after their cocktail counterparts, are colourful and easy to take to a picnic or BBQ.  They feature Nielsen-Massey's Gourmet Vanilla Extract and Orange Extract which make a great flavour combination.

10 minutes of preparation.  Makes 10 servings.

Ingredients:

10 stemless maraschino cherries

830ml orange juice

150ml silver tequila

6ml Nielsen-Massey Orange Extract

5ml Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract

2.5 tbsps Grenadine

10 x 90ml ice pop freezer bags

Directions:

1. Add a maraschino cherry to the bottom of each ice pop bag

2. Place a freezer bag in a tall clean drinking glass

3. In a measuring cup stir together the orange juice, tequila, Nielsen-Massey Orange Extract and Vanilla Extract.

4. Place a funnel into the top of an ice pop bag and pour in some of the mixture, making sure you don't go over the fill line.

5. Stir the mixture between fillings to make sure the tequila is evenly distributed in each ice pop before freezing.

6. Using the funnel, pour 3-4ml of Grenadine into each bag to create a colour gradient.

7. Freeze the ice pops in an upright position until fully frozen, to retain the colour and prevent seepage.

New Bonne Maman Fruit & Chocolate Mousse

Bonne Maman has added another two very indulgent new layered mousses to its chilled desserts range.  Cherry and Chocolate Mousse plus Pear and Chocolate Mousse.

It actually makes reference to a classic French dessert, 'Poire Belle Hélène', the new Pear and Chocolate Mousse is a mouth-watering, multi-layered combination of flavours and textures. 

The creamy vanilla mousse is delicately whisked with generous pieces of juicy pear, then topped with a smooth, rich chocolate sauce.

New Cherry and Chocolate Mousse is a classic flavour fusion of milk chocolate mousse whisked together with delightful and luscious pieces of fresh cherry and then topped with a juicy cherry coulis.

As you'd expect from Bonne Maman, both of these desserts are made with highest quality, all-natural ingredients and, of course, contain no artificial colours or flavourings. 

Presented in packs of two x 95g pots the new mousses are available at Waitrose and Sainsbury's stores nationwide, at £2.20 recommended retail price.