Felippo Berio introduces new fantastic vegan pesto range

Filippo Berio has been the UK's favourite olive oil brand for over four decades. It's now decided to expand its popular pesto sauce range with two new vegan varieties, Basil Vegan Pesto and Sundried Tomato Vegan Pesto. 

These pestos are produced with the finest available ingredients including Filippo Berio Olive Oil, fresh Lugurian Basil and the finest Sundried Tomatoes.

They are both dairy and gluten free, plus certified by the Vegan Society, so they don't compromise on flavour.

Benchmarking tests compared the Filippo Berio Basil Vegan Pesto against Sacla which showed that Filippo Berio was the clear favourite. When asked which they preferred, over three in four people chose Filippo Berio, many commenting their products had both a superior taste and texture.

Filippo Berio UK's MD, Walter Zanré, said: “These vegan pestos really tick all the boxes when it comes to flavour, so they're the perfect store cupboard essential for anyone who's vegan or looking to reduce their dairy intake. We spent a lot of time in our kitchen developing the recipe to get the taste just right - so anyone who already loves our Filippo Berio pesto can be confident it is equally delicious.”

According to the latest YouGov data, vegans account for 6% of the British population. Flexitarians, who are actively trying to reduce consumption of meat, form 13% of the UK's population.

The plant-based food category has seen huge growth in recent years, it's currently worth £1.2billion each year in the UK, with 6.6 million households buying vegan products beyond Veganuary.

Both the Basil Vegan Pesto and Sundried Tomato Vegan Pesto are priced at £2.75 for a 190g glass jar, and are available from www.FilippoBerio.co.uk.

Seggiano Launches New, All Natural, Vegan Panettone for Christmas

There's a growing demand for vegan products. And leading Italian food specialist has decided to step up to the (food) plate by launching an all-natural, artisan panettone which is totally vegan, enabling retailers to offer all of their customers a slice of traditional Italian cake this Christmas.

Last year Vegan Society research confirmed that in excess of 26% of Brits opted for vegan choices at Christmas. 

With vegan sales expectations even higher for this Christmas, the new Seggiano Vegan Panettone is perfect for diners and foodies who are seeking alternatives which can be enjoyed by everyone inclusively, at this important annual season of gatherings with friends and loved ones. 

They are delicious for vegans and non-vegans alike, Seggiano Vegan Panettone is baked in small batches by award-winning panettone master baker Beniamino in his small Italian family bakery. 

It's baked without industrial emulsifiers, stabilisers, binders or preservatives, thus setting it apart from almost every other vegan cake on the market. 

Beniamino has skilfully created this vegan panettone recipe using cocoa butter, candied fruit paste, natural vanilla, linseed flour and turmeric to add fragrance, moisture and colour to the dough, which is naturally leavened using the bakery's 33-year old mother yeast. 

The result is a  pleasingly delicious, light and aromatic authentic panettone absolutely perfect for plant-based diets - but without compromise on taste or the exceptional quality which Seggiano food lovers expect.

“We are incredibly excited to be able to offer a panettone that everyone can enjoy this Christmas,” says David Harrison, co-founder of Seggiano. “This is a delicious recipe that's lovingly made using the authentic artisan techniques and clean ingredients that are the hallmark of any product in the Seggiano portfolio. 

"Besides being free from industrial additives, preservatives and emulsifiers, the recipe features sulphite-free candied fruits and healthy high oleic oil to deliver a superior quality panettone with unrivalled taste in the vegan cake category.”

Italian Panettone has been a popular choice with UK consumers at Christmas, for many years not only as a wonderful addition to the Christmas table, but also as the perfect gourmet gift, offered at a price point that is accessible to most shoppers. 

The new Vegan Panettone will be available from https://seggiano.com this Christmas, RRP £16.75 for 500g. 

All gifts are available to pre-order direct from Seggiano.com for home delivery in the UK & NI from 1st October 2022, with deliveries running right up until Christmas Eve. Last orders for delivery before Christmas Day to be placed on 16th December 2022. 

Scottish Botanicals bringing the botanicals of Scotland to a glass near you!

Scottish Botanicals from Dunnett Bay Distillery bringing the botanicals of Scotland to a glass near you!

Their experts have developed a well-deserved reputation for blending and crafting some of the finest botanically-based distilled spirits that are available on the market, today.

Let's take a look at Holy Grass Scottish Vodka, first.

It has a clean aroma and the taste in the mouth is exquisite. There are some very exciting Scottish botanicals therein. Can I taste vanilla? I think I can and there's also various hints of herbs and spices, too.

Holy Grass that gives it's name is a plant that is unique to Scotland and it's that which gives the Holy Grass Vodka the distinct vanilla taste! 

There's also, to my mind, a distinct and delicious cinnamon apple after taste which makes this one of the most pleasant vodkas I have tasted in a long time.

It's 41.5% Alc Vol. - 700ml and a bottle costs £34.00.

https://www.dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk/

London Smoke & Cure Launches Limited Edition Products for Festive Feasting and Christmas Gifting

The fantastic artisanal geniuses at London Smoke & Cure have announced their product range for Christmas  2022 and they are promising some exciting new flavours as part of their offering.

This year, the team have been getting creative in their south London smokery and will be adding some festive spices to their award-winning bacon. There'll be a Limited Edition Spiced Orange Bacon, priced at £5.95 for a 170g pack and a Limited Edition Stilton and Walnut Salami, -priced at £4.95. 

The Spiced Orange bacon will take Christmas breakfast or brunch to a whole new level whilst the salami is the perfect addition to any festive cheese and charcuterie board.

London Smoke & Cure is also stocking a fantastic range of Christmas gift boxes, too!

The Festive Feast is the perfect gift for anyone who loves to try great quality British produce and includes Sashimi-Grade Smoked Salmon (200g), Air-Dried Lonza (50g), Air-Dried Coppa (50g), Air-Dried Saucisson (150g), Air-Dried Snack Salamis (100g) and Air-dried Bresaola, all presented in a stylish box and priced at £39.95

For the ultimate gift for lovers of the cured and smoked, the 'Christmas Gets Smokey' hamper contains items from across the London Smoke & Cure's award winning range. 'Christmas Gets Smokey' is available for £79.50.

London Smoke & Cure's ever popular British Cheese Selection box, features five different award-winning cheeses and crackers produced from small businesses and dairies. The box is priced at £39.50.

For a sense of luxury, London Smoke & Cure has brought together its Good Housekeeping Taste Test winning sashimi-grade smoked salmon with Besserat de Bellefon champagne. The gifts are priced at £75.00 for a 70cl bottle of Besserat de Bellefon Blue Brut NV champagne and half a side of salmon and £99.00 for a whole side of Salmon and 70cl bottle of Besserat de Bellefon Blue Brut NV champagne.

London Smoke & Cure sources the highest quality, highest welfare produce possible and takes big steps to manage the business sustainably. Its acclaimed range includes Great Taste Award-winning sashimi-grade smoked salmon, 28-dry aged bacon, coppa, chorizo and nduja and air-dried Bresaola - all are packed with big, natural flavours and crafted with expertise and passion.

Christmas orders must be made by Wednesday 16th December for delivery on 22nd December or collection on 23rd December but to avoid disappointment, please order as early as possible.

Gift vouchers from £20 are also available and more details on all the products can be found on the website and are available for nationwide delivery https://www.londonsmokeandcure.co.uk.

(Editor: This looks very good. Though the cheese selection box is more my kind of thing, though the Spiced Orange Bacon sounds delicious, too!)

Superzeros Breakfast cereal. The way healthy way forward

Most of us eat breakfast cereals. We try to convince ourselves that they are OK and good for us. But they usually aren't. They are often heavy on carbs and heavy on sugar, but low on protein.  

If only there was a make of breakfast cereal that was light on carbs, light on sugar and high on protein. Wouldn't you be wanting to try them for you and your family?

Those fantastically healthy breakfast cereals are here in the form of Superzeros! 

The vast majority of traditional breakfast cereals are heavy on the carbs, heavy on the sugar and have a minimal amount of protein.

But Superzeros are the exact opposite. They have a nominal amount of sugar and 10g of protein and per serving, Superzeros are looking good for those of us who want to fuel ourselves for the day ahead.

They are nut free, gluten free, high in fibre and come in some fun and delightful flavours. I love the Choco chocolate flavour but really go for the apple and cinnamon flavour which is even more delicious.

They are shaped into delightfully crunchy small balls they go really well with whatever milk you prefer, including oat, almond, dairy, goat, soya, etc. 

They looks set to be an appealing option for those that of us who are looking to better fuel themselves in the morning.

Ideal for those of us who want to cut down on the risk of gluten (though they point out they are made in a bakery that does use gluten in some other products) and also need to increase carb intake and cut back on the carbs.

To learn more please visit https://super-zeros.com/.

Two boxes will cost £12.99, three cost £18.99 and four £23.99. Though if you subscribe you can save money.

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/