Monday, 3 October 2022
That's Christmas: Double Dutch Premium Quality Mixers
That's Christmas: Double Dutch Premium Quality Mixers: Joyce and Raissa de Haas No matter the quality of the spirt drinks you have in your Christmas drink cabinet, be they cheap, cheaper, or of h...
That's Christmas: Slow Cooked Turkey & Cranberry Wellington
That's Christmas: Slow Cooked Turkey & Cranberry Wellington: Using Cottage Delight Classic Cranberry Sauce Prep: 30 minutes Cook : 30 minutes (more if slow cooking) Serves: 6-8 Ingredients For slow...
Taste East Devon Food Festival Hailed a Tasty Success
For the second year running, thousands of people flocked to East Devon to savour gastronomic delights from the region.
Taste East Devon was designed to shake up the traditional food festival model with venues opening their own doors so guests can see where the magic really happens.
With hands-on food adventures, guests are invited backstage to see what it's really like to make the beer, mill flour and harvest seaweed, while enjoying tasting experiences right on the farm or vineyard.
The 16-day event offered a mouth-watering array of attractions including a theatrical lunch cooked by fire and smoke chef, Luke Vandore-Mackay at High Grange, a vegan lunch and conservation event amongst the donkeys at the Donkey Sanctuary, a lunch with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at River Cottage and a chance to taste hundreds of the region's finest artisan food and drink producers.
The sun shone brightly at Party at THE PIG-at Combe, which brought the festival to a close. The manor house and gardens came alive when hundreds of guests flocked for live music, demonstrations and food stalls.
Festival chair, Ruud Jansen Venneboer said: “This year has been a sparkling success. We're already looking ahead to next year and we'll continue to challenge ourselves. With such high-calibre food and drink leaders in this area, we're looking to throw more educational events. We're taking all feedback on-board to gain fresh perspective for next year's festival.”
For more information, visit Tasteeastdevon.co.uk or visit @tasteeastdevon.
That's Christmas: Enjoy a Babingtons Blends Christmas Tea
That's Christmas: Enjoy a Babingtons Blends Christmas Tea: Curated by Chiara Bedini, the debut UK collection is available in loose, refill & filter (tea bag) formats. Join them in celebrating th...
That's Christmas: Gifts for Tea Lovers: Ahmad Tea Unveils New 2022 C...
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Friday, 30 September 2022
That's Christmas: Christmas Morning Marmalade Buns
That's Christmas: Christmas Morning Marmalade Buns: This is another wonderful festive recipe from our friends at Cottage Delight. It uses their Winter Warming Thin Cut Marmalade Prep: 1 hour (...
Energy efficiency experts give top five tips for cutting household winter energy bills
Experts have given their top five tips for saving fuel this winter, urging billpayers 'not to be fooled' into cranking up heating and hot water after the 1 October price cap freeze.
Over 270 domestic energy assessors were asked how billpayers could cut their energy bills, set to average £2,500 per year – doubled since October 2021.
From 800 recommendations, installing loft insulation, programming the thermostat correctly and limiting hot water waste came out on top, followed by switching from traditional to LED lightbulbs and getting rid of draughts. These could save billpayers up to £782 annually depending on a home's age, energy efficiency and occupant number.
Stuart Fairlie, managing director of Elmhurst Energy – the UK's leading accreditation scheme for home energy assessors – said: "The new energy price cap average of £2,500 still means a bill at least double the cost of 2021. Billpayers shouldn't be fooled by the freeze into wasting energy, as they will still pay for the energy they use, meaning their bill could be significantly higher, especially if they live in a bigger, older home or have a larger family.
"Many of the most effective measures are free. One of the best energy-saving tips is simply to get to grips with your thermostat and programme it correctly, using a consistent temperature – one for day, one for night. Dropping by just one degree can slash 10 per cent off a bill."
The top five tips from Elmhurst's members – domestic energy assessors (DEA) who determine a home's energy performance certificate (EPC) rating from A to G – are:
1. Install loft insulation
Loft insulation costs vary by material, starting from £5/m2 for blanket insulation at the 270mm required depth – or £150 to £285 for an average mid-terrace.
Saving: Up to £330 a year
2. Use a programmable thermostat – at a consistent temperature
DEAs recommend setting to 15-16 degrees at night and 18-20 degrees during the day, depending on activity levels.
Saving: £127 minimum per year per degree
3. Don't waste hot water
Set the hot water thermostat to around 60 degrees, switch from bath to shower, boil kettles using only the water needed and use dishwashers and washing machines when full.
Saving: Around £100 per year
4. Make the LED switch
Every 75-watt incandescent bulb replaced with an LED can save around £10 a year, based on 503.5 hours' average per year – the amount for a typical kitchen or lounge.
Saving: £100 per 10 bulbs switched to LED
5. Block out draughts
For doors, use draught excluders, cover keyholes, use letterbox flaps or brushes and fit brush, foam or wiper strips around to fill gaps. Use strips for windows and a chimney draught excluder for unused fireplaces.
Saving: £125 per year
DEA Faye Handfield, an accredited Elmhurst member and managing director of Oldro EPC Ltd., said: "This winter will be challenging for homeowners and tenants, so it's important to make the best use of heat created at home. One of the cheapest and easiest way to bring down costs and increase energy efficiency is to block out drafts through windows and doors and put up thick curtains to avoid losing heat."
Find a DEA: https://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/find-an-assessor.
That's Christmas: ‘Enchant,’ the World’s Largest Christmas Light Spe...
That's Christmas: ‘Enchant,’ the World’s Largest Christmas Light Spe...: Opening officially everywhere on Black Friday (Nov. 25), the sprawling 10-acre event is produced annually on the playing fields of major lea...
It's Sake month in London Restaurants until 20th November (Update)
Chefs across our capital city have created an array of delicious seafood-based dishes as part of the Sake Seafood Sensations campaign. Their carefully crafted menus aim to showcase the compatibility of different styles of Sake with a wide range of international cuisines. These will include contemporary British, Mediterranean and Fusion styles, plus modern Japanese.
An eclectic range of London establishments are planning on being involved. These will include three 5-star hotel restaurants, a floating barge restaurant/bar and a 75-year-old delicatessen.
All have worked closely with a WSET qualified Sake expert and a UK-based Sake distributor to develop their tailored menus and select a range of Sake to perfectly complement their dishes, allowing both the ingredients and flavours to really shine through.
Sake is an especially good match for seafood dishes due to its high umami factor and low levels of iron and low acidity.
Some of the specially created pairings that have been developed by restaurants involved in the campaign to highlight this Sake-seafood compatibility include:
Mediterranean rice with cuttlefish, red prawns, seabream and seafood stock, paired with Yauemon 'Silent Forest' Junmai Ginjō
Classic fish and chips (haddock, chunky chips, pea purée, tartare sauce, chargrilled lemon), paired with Dewazakura Izumi Judan Ginjo Sake
Chilean sea bass with shiso salsa, paired with CEL–24 Junmai Ginjo
Smoked salmon served with a toasted bagel, cream cheese and pickles, paired with Nishinoseki Classic
Sake expert Christine Parkinson, who has been supporting a number of the restaurants with their Sake-pairing menus, says: “Most people don't realise how versatile sake is, and how delicious it can be with all types of cuisines. It has an umami component that always brings out the harmony of flavours in food.
“I think people will possibly be surprised when they try some of the pairings, especially with seafood dishes if they haven't ever thought to try sake with these before. I'm particularly pleased we've such a wide range of restaurants involved, with seafood dishes in lots of different styles. It's going to be a real eye-opener!”
Further restaurants are still being confirmed but at this time participating restaurants include:
8 at The Londoner
Akira
Aqua Kyoto
Arros QD
Engawa
Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square, Mei Ume
Inamo, Covent Garden
Inamo, Soho
InterContinental London Park Lane, The Wellington Lounge
London Shell Co. Prince Regent
London Shell Co. The Grand Duchess
Moto
My Neighbours the Dumplings, Clapton
My Neighbours the Dumplings, Victoria Park
Panzer's
People's Wine
Plume
Wagtail
More details, including the full list of bars and restaurants taking part, will be updated on the SquareMeal restaurant review and booking website (https://www.squaremeal.co.uk/restaurants/promotions/sake-and-seafood-pairing_10282) and on the forthcoming Sake Seafood Sensations site (https://sake-jfoodo.jetro.go.jp/uk/sensations) which will also include a brief guide to the different styles and categories of Sake. In addition, updates can be found on Instagram at @sake_sensations and using #SakeSeafoodSensations.
Sake has been brewed in Japan for in excess of two millennia.
Unlike wine, where much of its quality is decided in the vineyard, the most important factor in making Sake is in the technical production process used in the brewery.
Today's brewers are merging tradition and innovation to create high quality, versatile Sakes that come in a range of styles and flavours, and that complement virtually any seafood dish.
UPDATE: We have just been informed that the promotion has proved so popular that they have extended it until 20th November.
That's Christmas: Collecting Seashells has some exciting Christmas G...
That's Christmas: Collecting Seashells has some exciting Christmas G...: Collecting Seashells has some exciting Christmas Gift ideas at their online shop https://www.collectingseashells.com . Here are some exampl...
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