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I love peanut butter. I particularly like peanut butter whiskey, but especially with properly hot Jamaican ginger beer. Not ginger beer, but ginger ale.
But on to the peanut butter milk stout, plain and with strawberry jelly/jam.
Peanut Butter milk stout. There was definitely a strong peanut butter aroma from the beer. And it did have a peanut butter like colouration.
There was a peanut butter taste plus a strong, malty taste and a somewhat bitter aftertaste.
The Peanut Butter and Strawberry milk stout had a similar colouration. It tasted very similar to the peanut butter milk stout, but there was also a slightly sweet undertone that I attributed to the strawberry jelly content.
However, tin my opinion, the strawberry flavour was not strong enough to make any real headway through the stronger peanut butter flavour. If I were brewing this stout I'd certainly consider adding more strawberry jelly to the recipe because of this.
I'd have to point out that, although these beers are interesting and well worth seeking out, that they are not really to be considered as milk stouts, to be completely honest.
However, they are intriguing enough that I'll certainly be looking out for beers from Tailgate Brewery in the future.
To check out the beer range at Home Bargains use their store locator service https://storelocator.homebargains.co.uk
Or you can visit your website at https://home.bargains
From memory I think I paid about £1.49 a can.
Bloodlines by Chris Bishop
Published by Red Door Press at £8.99.
It’s the year 893 and King Alfred is making ready his defences to beat back yet another Viking invasion.
Alfred is concerned about the plight of his stable boy, Edward. Alfred believes that Edward is the bastard child of Matthew who was a famed warrior who had met his death fighting for the cause of the Saxons.
However, the story is a complex one because if Edward was the son of Matthew and this could be proved, Alfred would be in line to inherit a staggering fortune. Alfred is aware that the fortune would attract every fraudulent chancer in the entire realm. Even worse, with his potential noble lineage, Edward might even prove to be a risk to Alfred’s kingship.
In order to play it safe Alfred sends Edward to the burh (burg) at Wareham, using the excuse of having him train a magnificent black stallion. It was a spirited horse and considered by some to be unrideable.
The people at Wareham accept that whilst Edward is stunningly good with horses, they believe he is too weak to be a warrior.
But when they find themselves outnumbered by a Viking war party Edward’s abilities to think quickly and his massive courage make people wonder if he might be a real warrior after all.
The beginning of the novel starts at a raging gallop in the birthing chamber of twins, when someone had to follow through with a devastating promise.
The rest of the novel continues at a strong, compelling pace and will make the idea gift for the father who loves historical fiction.
Available for a special limited time, this juicy and very tender British Tomahawk Steak is grass and forage fed and is sure to bring the wow-factor to your summer meal times.
A spokesperson said: "With searches on waitrose.com up 54% compared to last year, we know our customers are ready to bring this exciting steak to their hosting events this summer season, and this particular steak is perfect for those celebrating Father’s Day."
Senior Development Chef at Waitrose, Paul Gamble, says: “Our Tomahawk steak is ideal for hosting this Father’s Day. The easiest way to ensure the steak is cooked exactly the way you like it to be is to use a temperature probe, medium rare should be 52°C, medium 58°C, and medium well 62°C.
"During cooking, I recommend you baste the meat with melted butter or with beef dripping, which adds extra flavour, and when finished cooking always slice the meat against the grain. Serve up with a sprinkle of sea salt, our delicious triple-cooked chips and the rich and buttery bearnaise sauce.”
For a step-by-step guide on cooking our Tomahawk Steak please click here https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/content/inspiration/at-home-with-us/more-stories/how-to-cook-the-perfect-tomahawk-steak
All Waitrose beef is from British farmers
Their cattle get more space, some 30% more than the standard set by food standards regulator Red Tractor.
No growth hormones are used at any stage. And Waitrose promises that will never change. It's all part of their commitment to high standards of animal welfare.
The spokesperson went on to say: "We’ve worked exclusively with many of our farmers for more than 10 years – and in some cases, more than 25 years. This long-term partnership offers our farmers the security they need to invest in sustainable farming practices that help to benefit the environment and encourage local wildlife."
The smaller packs provide a valuable space saving, which will also result in up to 350 delivery trucks being taken off the road every year.
Customers across the UK will be guaranteed the same amount of high-quality 100% British beef mince, whilst collectively saving over 250 tonnes of plastic a year through the new packaging. With the new packaging providing around double the current shelf life, it’s also estimated it will half the amount of beef mince food waste in store.
Alongside the positive impact on the environment, the change, which will be introduced at the beginning of 2024, will also comes with significant additional benefits for shoppers, such as:
Double the shelf life, from eight to around 16 days, staying fresher for longer for customers to use
Easy peel film, so customers don’t have to touch the raw meat
Smaller footprint pack, thus taking up less storage space in the fridge or freezer
Shyam Unarket, Lidl GB’s Head of Responsible Sourcing & Ethical Trade, said: “Plastic reduction is a huge priority for us at Lidl, and this one change will cut the amount of plastic in each pack by a whopping two thirds, culminating in the elimination of over 250 tonnes of plastic from packaging a year.
"But we also recognise the important role plastic plays in our daily lives. That’s why it’s vitally important Lidl's plastic reduction strategy is centred around a progressive circular programme. By ensuring any new packaging is recyclable, we’ll also be able to help prevent plastic pollution in our environment.
“When the new packaging arrives in store early next year, we know the huge benefits both from a sustainability and practical perspective, will be welcomed by our customers.”
This latest change forms part of Lidl GB’s commitment to tackling the important issue of plastic waste, as it looks to drive improvements across its product range through plastic reduction, recyclability and circularity.
They'll be joining the other existing 990+ stores that Aldi already operates. It'll be opening in new locations this month June including Southampton and Whittlesey.
Further stores in Norwich, Castle Donington and Porthcawl will also open early next month, July.
The new stores are a part of Aldi’s commitment to invest over £400 million in store development during 2023.
On average each new store will provide about 40 new jobs on average, thus offering a welcome boost to employment opportunities in local areas.
Store Assistants will be able earn up to £11 nationally, and £12.45 inside the M25 zone, with paid breaks included, increasing to £11.40 and £12.85 respectively from July.
George Brown, Aldi's Real Estate Director, said: “Demand for Aldi has never been higher, and more than two thirds of British households already shop with us.
“However, there are still too many people for whom shopping at Aldi isn’t a convenient option and we’re committed to changing that, thus we'll be giving even more people access to our award-winning products at unbeatable prices.
“To meet that demand, we're investing in new stores up and down the country and won’t stop until we’ve made quality, affordable food accessible to everyone.”
Aldi has been recognised by Which? as the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket for the past 12 consecutive months, with the latest figures showing Aldi was a massive £18.21 cheaper on a basket of shopping than the most expensive supermarket, Waitrose.
List of store locations opening in the coming weeks include:
Hedge End Retail Park, Southampton
Eastrea Road, Whittlesey
Station Road, Castle Donington
William Frost Way, Norwich
Eastern Promenade, Porthcawl
Now, as Google searches for ‘vegetarian BBQ ideas’ soar by some 300%, Asda has announced the launch of nine new products across its vegan ranges, OMV! and Plant Based by Asda.
New and approved by the Good Housekeeping Institute, Asda’s OMV! No-Pork Chilli Sausages (£2.50) are blended with fiery green JalapeƱos, red chillies and smoky chipotle, perfect for vegan spice lovers.
Making a deliciously flavourful alternative to meat, the new, fragrant Plant Based by Asda Bombay Inspired Meat-Free Bangers (£2.35) are blended with roasted sweet potatoes, roasted cauliflower, spinach and spices for extra flavour.
If burgers are more your thing, then you should try the Plant Based by Asda Spiced Bean Burgers (£2.35). Shoppers are already praising these succulent bean burgers with spicy chillies, with one shopper commenting they're “the best meat free burgers [they] have ever had.”
Those wanting to indulge in traditional BBQ meatiness can opt for the OMV! No Beef Burgers (£1.85) or the Plant Based by ASDA Mushroom Sausages (£1.85). Asda’s meat-free alternatives are perfect when served with the OMV! Deliciously Vegan Burger Mayo (£1.50) or sandwiched between one of the OMV! Deliciously Vegan Brioche Burger Buns (£1.15).
To celebrate the arrival of BBQ season, Asda’s Senior Director of Food Trends and Innovation, Jonathan Moore, shares his top three tips on how to master the ultimate vegan BBQ:
“Don’t be tempted to start cooking on your BBQ until the flames have died down, you want to cook over the coals when they are grey in colour”
“Don’t cook your food straight from the fridge to the BBQ, you want your food out of the fridge for 10-15 minutes before you start cooking”
“Cook over direct and indirect heat depending on what you are cooking and how thick it is. When the coals are cooling slightly, you can drop vegetables like peppers and aubergine straight on and cook directly on them. This blisters the skin and adds another layer of flavour”
Asda’s OMV! And Plant Based by Asda ranges are available online and in-store now.
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Rewards provides Asda customers with the opportunity to earn pounds, not points, each and every time they purchase certain products or complete a milestone mission.
In excess of five million Asda customers use the app every month and have been growing their Cashpots to help reduce their grocery bills, earning a total of in excess of £100m so far this year. (And it's only June...)
Asda customers in Scotland are high earners, with customers across the country having received a total of over £13.5 million back into their Cashpots.
Customers in the South are also eagerly taking advantage of the Rewards scheme, with London alone earning over £4.8m into their Cashpots.
Customers looking to get ahead of the back to school rush can now also take advantage of the Back to School boost on the app. Customers who convert their Cashpots into vouchers to spend on school uniform or shoes before 18th June will get 33% back in voucher value.
The Back to School boost voucher can be created by selecting the ‘spend’ tab in the app and clicking on ‘create rewards voucher.’ If customers opt to use £15 from their Cashpot on school uniform, a £20 voucher will be added to their wallet which can be redeemed instore.
Since the launch of the app, Asda has continually assessed how customers shop with the aim of providing a more tailored experience for each customer.
Asda recently increased the number of personalised missions that users will have access to. Customers will see an evolution of their offers within the app over time based on how they use it.
To get started on Rewards, customers just need to download the Asda Rewards app and log in with, or create, an Asda Groceries account.
Mark Baxter, who is the Senior Director for Loyalty at Asda, said: “We’re really pleased to see our Rewards users are continuing to benefit from using the app. This milestone shows that by earning pounds and building their Cashpots, our customers are being rewarded for simply shopping with Asda.”
For the fourth year running, Tesco is working with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation by donating 10p from every Tesco own brand Free From product customers purchase in stores and online throughout the week. More than £270,000 has been raised for the Foundation since the start of the partnership in 2020.
All money raised through generous customer donations will help Natasha’s Foundation continue its research into reducing the risks of food allergies and raise awareness around ingredient labelling.
Natasha’s Foundation was founded in 2019 by Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse OBE, following the tragic loss of their daughter Natasha, who had a fatal allergic reaction to a baguette that contained sesame seeds not listed on the packaging.
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, said: “We’re thrilled that Tesco is supporting us for the fourth year running, helping us raise essential funds to deliver our mission to #MakeAllergyHistory and better the lives of up to 3 million people in the UK living with food allergies."
Oonagh Turnbull, Head of Health Campaigns at Tesco, said: “Tesco was the first UK supermarket to develop a Free From range to help customers with food allergies, or other special dietary needs to enjoy the food they want to eat. Since its launch in 2003, our own brand Free From range has grown to 176 products across all categories, many of which are award-winning. We are delighted to continue to support Tanya and Nadim, and the Foundation’s crucial and potentially life-saving research.”
Tesco is an eight-time winner of the Retailer of the Year title at the annual Free From Food Awards.
The major move has seen the supermarket re-design its in-store bakery options launching nearly 30 new lines, including six limited-edition products.
As part of the revamp, which will roll out to all Tesco bakeries this month, the supermarket will also include nutritional information on packaging, such as calorie content and daily recommended allowances.
Said Tesco Lead Bakery Product Development Manager, Sarah Donovan: “Times are changing in the baking world, and we’re seeing the emergence of an adventurous new type of shopper who is very eager to try more premium artisan varieties of bread and sweet treats.
“But we don’t believe shoppers should have to pay higher prices for artisan bakery items, which is why we’ve launched a new range of great quality products baked daily in store.”
Among new artisan bread lines being introduced are:
Tesco Finest Cheddar Boule – 400g - £2.25. Fermented for 12 hours and bursting with indulgent, melted pockets of Vintage and West Country Cheddar and Red Leicester cheeses. Stonebaked for a deep crust.
Tesco Finest Halkidiki and Kalamata Olive Batard 400g - £2.25. Made with a blend of Greek olives – black olives from the southern Ionian area of Kalamata and green olives from the northern Halkidiki peninsula to give a full and rounded flavour.
Tesco Finest Limited Edition Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia – 250g - £2.25. Crafted with a long fermented Italian style Biga dough, made and hand topped with Italian extra virgin olive oil, Anglesey sea salt and rosemary.
Added Sarah Donovan: “Instead of seeing bread as just something to toast in the morning or make a sandwich with, more people are beginning to appreciate it as a food to savour and one that can have many different flavours and complex tastes.
“This has resulted in a major boom for speciality bread with sales of focaccia, ciabatta and Mediterranean varieties all selling really well.”
New sweet lines include:
Tesco Finest 2 Victoria Sponge Muffins – £1.75. Made with a light and fluffy vanilla sponge the muffins are filled with strawberry jam and topped with strawberry pieces with buttercream enriched with clotted cream.
Tesco Finest 2 Sicilian Lemon Meringue Pastries - £1.90. A new twist on the classic lemon meringue pie. These Danish pastries are made up of 24 layers of delicious flaky pastry with a zingy Sicilian lemon favoured filling and finished with crunchy meringue pieces and a drizzle of icing.
Tesco has dropped the price of bread and butter across its stores and online as part of its commitment to provide value for customers during the cost-of-living crisis. The move has included reducing the price of the supermarket’s most popular bread, the Tesco Toastie white bread, from 85p to 75p.