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Wednesday, 6 September 2023

Sainsbury’s invests an additional £6m annually in its dairy farmers

Dairy farmers supplying Sainsbury’s with milk will be paid more from next month thanks to a £6m annual investment made by the company to support dairy farms for the future.

Recent reports have indicated that due to factors like rising costs nearly 5% of dairy farmers left the industry last year and one in 10 believe they will have left the sector by 2053.  

Acknowledging the increasing volatility of input costs and high levels of capital investment required by dairy farmers, Sainsbury’s undertook a year-long review, with the support of its Dairy Development Group (SDDG) farmer steering group, into how it pays farmers for milk.

Over the last year Sainsbury’s have paid over £66m of support to British farmers, including increased pay for milk. 

Coming into effect from October First, this latest investment in dairy pay is on top of an £8.9m booster payment given to SDDG farmers in April 2022. 

Since introducing the Cost of Production model to the SDDG back in 2012, Sainsbury’s has paid farmers, on average, 2.45p per litre more compared to the rest of the market, delivering a benefit of £114m.

£4.3m of this new investment will go towards giving farmers an additional fixed 1p per litre for milk on top of the independently calculated Cost of Production price Sainsburys the currently pays farmers.

 With the typical volume of milk produced per year, per farm being roughly 2.7m litres, this means the average farm could receive around £27,000 extra per year. 

Alongside the investment in the new price model, the retailer has also committed £1.7m for sustainability bonuses. Farmers will be rewarded for helping Sainsbury’s achieve its Plan for Better targets, specifically carbon reduction, through activities such as using sustainably sourced feed and using the correct amount of fertiliser, in the proper way. 

The retailer previously committed a sum of £2.6m in bonuses for dairy farmers but is expanding the investment as it shifts the focus towards sustainability.

With new compliance legislation for dairy farmers it’s expected many will need to make expensive updates to their farms, like upgrading and improving feed stores and increasing the size of slurry storage. 

This additional support from Sainsbury’s aims to give farmers the confidence and desire to invest in these long-term changes so they can continue production for years to come.

Gavin Hodgson, Director of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Horticulture at Sainsbury’s, said: “The dairy farming industry is increasingly challenging for farmers and we recognise the responsibility we have as a retailer to support farmers and the need for continuous investment in this sector. 

“We are justifiably proud of our continued investment into the Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group and we're fully confident our £6m annual investment will help farmers plan for a long-term, sustainable future. In turn, we hope this will also provide surety of supply for our customers as we continue to champion British milk now and for the future.”

The SDDG was founded back in 2007 to provide more support to farmers. It includes over 260 farms who supply Sainsbury’s with its own brand milk. The group includes. For more information visit: Meet our milk farmers – Sainsbury's (sainsburys.co.uk)

More Reasons to Shop at Morisons as it kicks off 'More Month': Four weeks of industry leading deals and money saving offers

Morrisons is helping customers stock up, budget and bank extra loyalty card points with the launch of ‘More Month’ this month, September. They are available both online and in-store. 

More Card customers will have access to more exclusive offers than ever before, with an average discount of over 30% on cupboard staples such as breakfast cereals and lunch box fillers, as customers get back into their life routines during the month of September. 

Stock up items like confectionery pouches have also been included ahead of Halloween and Christmas and customers can now find More Card Exclusives in Morrisons petrol filling stations, too. 

Extra ‘More Points’ will also be available to customers on a range of branded products for the first time ever, plus a wider selection of Morrisons own brand products. 

Once a customer has saved 5,000 points, they'll receive a ‘Morrisons Fiver’ which can be redeemed on a future shop. For example, customers can earn:

400 points when they buy 1.75l Coke

300 points on Dolmio sauces 750G

1,800 points on Huggies Drynites (carry packs)

500 points on selected wines

150 points on Morrisons 12 British Beef Meatballs 340G

600 points if they purchase a meal of the day in a Morrisons café.

Customers can continue to earn points when shopping at Morrisons Market Street counters, where trained and skilled colleagues prepare fresh food, daily.  Offers include 100 points on sweet treats like brownies, doughnuts and a variety of loaves at the bakery and 500 points when customers buy three products at the Deli counter.  

Morrisons Fish Fridays and Steak Saturdays, where More Card customers can get 20% off fresh fish or British steaks from the Market Street counter are also continuing following positive feedback from customers. (EDITOR: Steak Saturdays? Time for a trip to our local Morisons at the weekend, I think!)

Also, Morrisons is reducing over 170 prices across the store this week. That's its eighth round of price reductions this year, so far.

Since January, Morrisons has committed to having over 1,000 prices lowered and locked every week to help tits customers plan their budgets without worrying unduly about price fluctuations.  

Rachel Eyre, who is Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Morrisons, said: “Customers tell us September is a chance for them to ‘reset’ and try new routines after the more expensive summer months.  

"We also know saving for Christmas is already on their minds and so we've launched ‘More Month’  to help.  We’ve added industry leading exclusive offers to items our customers buy weekly, plus products to stock up on ahead of the festive season.  Customers can also benefit from More Points on branded and own brand products and on top of that we are continuing to cut prices across our stores.”

Morrisons More Card launched in May 2023 and gives loyal customers even More Reasons to shop at Morrisons.  Customers can earn points on selected products and counters in store and online as well as 5 points for every 1 litre of fuel purchased in a Morrisons petrol filling station.  

As well as More Card Exclusive offers, customers are rewarded with regular, personalised deals on the categories they say matter most to them including meat, dairy and impulse buys.  Once a customer has saved 5,000 points, they earn a Morrisons Fiver which they can also opt to save for a special occasion or convert to Fivers straight away.

More Month offers are available in all of Morrisons 499 supermarkets and the majority of products can be found online, too.

morrisons.com

Transforming Restaurants: KAIKAKU’s Robots to Augment Human Capabilities

The three founders
The Gen-AI craze has largely overshadowed the revolutions bringing AI to the physical world. Robotics. 

A 22-year-old serial entrepreneur is embracing both AI and Robotics to revolutionise the way we consume food and has assembled an A-list team of respected innovators and “do-ers”.

The core philosophy of KAIKAKU centres around augmenting human capabilities by automating the repetitive chores and manual tasks native to the restaurant sector, which has long been riddled by chronic staff shortages and low job satisfaction. Unleashing the potential of robotics and AI, they aim to empower hospitality staff to embrace creativity and innovation, making the industry more dynamic and more engaging than ever before.

At its helm is CEO Josef Chen, who is a serial tech and food entrepreneur who at just 17 years old founded his first successful venture, which achieved a successful exit in just two years. 

Chen grew up in a Chinese Restaurant family helping with chores like slicing up cabbage at the age of 7. He said: “Having experienced all the problems first-hand and seeing my parents struggles to find staff, I've given thought to finding ways to radically change the industry.”

KAIKAKU, derived from the Japanese term for “radical change”, was founded in April 2023 by a stellar team with a mixture of F&B and technical expertise.

“I endeavoured to assemble the best team in Europe that can build everything at breakneck speed, and I believe we’re off to an amazing start!”opined Chen.

Co-Founder and CTOis  Dr David Sharp, who has a remarkable track record of delivering breakthrough innovations as former Head of Ocado Technologies 10x and Head of Engineering of Ocado’s Autonomous Mobility Team, joined the mission after researching commercial food and beverage  Technologies. 

Sharp said: “There's an exciting opportunity to apply the latest automation, robotics and AI technologies to transform the customer proposition and operational economics for the quick service restaurant sector."

Another notable addition to the team is Piers Millar, who Chen convinced to drop out of his studies at the London School of Economics to join as Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer. 

Bringing hands-on experience as the UK’s youngest Crew Trainer at McDonald's and having helped Chen scale a dark kitchen dessert brand to 6 figure revenues within 3 months of inception, Millar confidently pre: “By 2030, will robotics be a common sight at restaurants and cafes? I have no doubt!”

Chen went on to say: “To achieve our hyper-ambitious goals, we needed expertise on scaling the world’s largest locations of F&B chains, creating delicious food consistently at massive scale and the details on creating and opening new food and beverage concepts from ground Zero.”

He added: "So we went out and found the world’s leading experts in their fields to join our advisory board!”

Featuring industry veterans including Don Fertman, former Chief Development Officer of Subway, David Crean, former Global Chief Science Officer at Mars Inc and Jonathan Hart, former MD of Café Nero and CEO of Thorntons.

Automation and robotics aren’t distant dreams for the food and beverage industry; they’re today’s reality. 

Leading restaurant chains worldwide are embracing technology to streamline their operations and elevate customer experiences, emphasising the immense potential KAIKAKU is poised to harness.

Readers can learn more by visiting their website:- https://kaikaku.ai

(EDITOR: What do you think of AI and robotics being used in the food industry in an increasing fashion? Is it a good or a bad development?

Is it going back to the old days of the automated robo-diners of the 1950s? They were called Automats and you'll find details of the rise and fall of Automats here:- https://www.thoughtco.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-automat-4152992)

Food Drink Devon Awards Unveils This Year's Outstanding Finalists

With the eagerly anticipated annual Food Drink Devon Awards taking place next month in October, Food Drink Devon is absolutely thrilled to announce this year's finalists in the prestigious awards.  

Following the closure of entries in the Spring (April), a distinguished panel of judges and industry experts embarked on a rigorous process of assessing and judging the unprecedented number of entries.  

Including many of Devon's the county's most respected and influential artisan food and drink producers, over 300 products were tasted and sampled, 95 hospitality establishments visited, 30 retail outlets scrutinised and eight Training School / Learning Experiences were participated in, to select Devon's finest.

Winners are to be announced during the organisation's glittering and prestigious black tie award ceremony on Monday 2nd October at Sandy Park, home of Premiership rugby team Exeter Chiefs.  

Returning for the 12th year, the gold standard industry accolades celebrate the best the region has to offer, with categories being open to members and non-members of Food Drink Devon. Awards include  'Producer Awards', 'Retail Awards', 'Hospitality Awards' and 'Sustainability Pioneer Award'.

Food Drink Devon's 'Sustainability Pioneer Award' shines an important light on businesses going the extra mile in their endeavours to be environmentally friendly.  

This year's finalists for the 'Sustainability Pioneer Award' include a broad spectrum of producers, including hospitality establishments, retailers and training schools including Hylsten Bakery (Buckfastleigh), The Husbandry School (Bickington), THE PIG-at Combe (Honiton), Springwater Farm (Broadclyst), Eversfield Organic (Bratton Clovelly) and The Black River Inn (Black Torrington) plus others, besides.

Sustainability Board Director at Food Drink Devon and Met Office Climate Service Lead in Food, Farming & Natural Environment, Dr Pete Falloon, remarked on the entries; “The judging panel were thrilled with the number of very high quality entries for the 'Sustainability Pioneer Award', there were some truly inspirational entries. 

"It's been especially encouraging to see how Devon businesses are acting as a force for good and embracing all three dimensions of sustainability - planet, people and profit - to ensure a greener world, to support thriving communities and workforces and drive their businesses forward. We can't wait to unveil the winners and tell you a bit more about their stories at the awards' ceremony!”

Shortlisted businesses in the 'Product Awards' cover a massive variety of delights including sweet and savoury, meat, preserves, jams and chutneys, ales, ciders, wines and confectionery, plus a host of others. 

Finalists are also automatically in the running for 'Food Product', 'Drink Product' and 'New Product of the Year'.  Some of this year's finalists include; Atlantic Spirit (Bideford), Beckland Charcuterie (Hartland), Clive's Purely Plants (Dartmouth), Ebb Tides Seaweeds (Sidmouth), Hattiers Rum (Mothecombe), Jamu Wild Water (Exeter), Lovaton Farm (Okehampton), Taw Valley Microgreens (Umberleigh), Cakewhole (Plymouth) Sandridge Barton Wines (Stoke Gabriel) and Truly Treats (Kingsteignton).

Food Drink Devon Board Director, Jack Pickering, commented: “The number, quality and range of products we received for judging this year was truly amazing. It's a very real testament to the hard work producers from across the county of Devon have invested to deliver delicious food and drink products from our fertile lands. This year will see us award a record number of Gold awards and more excitingly a record number of Platinum awards, too! But everyone will need to wait until the awards' ceremony to find out who they are!”

In the 'Retail Awards' entries have been whittled down for the 'Best Retailer' and 'Best Online Retailer' ranging from top-end delicatessens to village stores.  

Finalists include Ashburton Delicatessen (Ashburton), Ben's Farm Shop (Staverton), Greendale Farm Shop (Exeter), Lyme Bay Winery Cellar Door (Axminster), Shaldon Village Store (Shaldon) and Veyseys Butchers (Cullompton).

The hospitality section of the awards sees establishments battling it out in five very fiercely contested categories such as 'Best Fine Dining Restaurant', 'Best Restaurant', 'Best Pub', 'Best Café' and 'Best Takeaway'.  

Shortlisted establishments in the fine dining restaurant, restaurant and pub categories include Bayards Cove Inn (Dartmouth), Harry's Restaurant (Exeter), Orestone Manor Hotel (Maidencombe), Salcombe Harbour Hotel (Salcombe), The Bucket & Spade (Shaldon), The Nightjar Inn (Aylesbeare), The Fig Tree @ 36 (Plymouth) and Winslade Manor Restaurant & Bar (Clyst St Mary) as well as others.  Finalists in the café and takeaway categories include Arc Kitchen and Coffee House (Exmouth), Sara's on the Beach (Paignton), Valley View Café (Loddiswell), The Original Pasty House (Plymouth and Tavistock) and Amelia's Pantry, Cofton Holidays (Starcross) and others.  

Covering food production, preparation, retailing, cooking and service, the Food Drink Devon Awards honour businesses that demonstrate a consistent commitment to quality, sustainability, provenance, excellent customer service and support for their local communities and other local businesses.  

Every year judging for the awards is undertaken by a special panel of independent, unbiased experts including a number of regional celebrity names.  All results and winners are verified by an independent adjudicator, with entrants receiving the opportunity to benefit from invaluable product feedback provided from the panel. 

Chair of Food Drink Devon, Greg Parsons, commented on the calibre of entries: “Being part of the judging panel for the Food Drink Devon awards is a real, genuine privilege. It presents us with an annual opportunity to assess the quality of food and drink in our glorious county. 

"I'm pleased, delighted and extremely proud to report the overall standard this year is amazing and will doubtless be reflected in the number and levels of awards. 

"In such challenging times, with rocketing costs and a squeeze on discretionary spend, it's really inspiring we're raising our game and making Devon the 'go to' county for fantastic food. We look forward to our awards' dinner, where we'll properly celebrate our region's produce and food and drink community.”

During the celebratory evening of Devon's finest food and drink, along with the presentation of the awards, attendees will enjoy a drinks reception, a three-course meal created (obviously!) with produce from Food Drink Devon members with all the fruit and vegetables provided by awards sponsor West Country Fruit Sales.  

Special thanks go to sponsors of the awards Partners, M&B Edible Oils, Bays Brewery, Caterfood, West Country Fruit Sales, Bishop Fleming, Vale Labels, Harvey & Brockless, Impact Design & Marketing, Stephens Scown, inkREADible Labels, Hedgerow Print and Food Magazine, with the staging being provided by PL1 Events. 

For a full list of shortlisted producers please visit www.fooddrinkdevon.co.uk/awards.  For more information on Food Drink Devon please visit www.fooddrinkdevon.co.uk and follow @FoodDrinkDevon on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Tuesday, 5 September 2023

The Coolest Drink That Everyone's Talking About. With a Unique British Twist

The nation has been going crazy for clotted cream cold brews and shakes with a global coffee house chain pushing the latest trend of the drinks scene, especially with the "last gasp" British end of summer heatwave!

Cornish Trewithen Dairy can't get enough of these creamy, indulgent drinks and they have released their very own favourite flavours that anyone can make at home.

For an authentic experience, the cream must be Cornish. Trewithen Dairy uses only milk from Cornish herds to make their award-winning crusted clotted cream. It's gently heated and left to cool slowly, which lets the cream rise to the surface to form the famous thick golden crust. 

The Cream Tea Shake

Shake base:

50g Strawberries

200ml Milk

1 scoop Vanilla ice cream 

Topping:

1 spoonful Trewithen Dairy Cornish clotted cream

Granola sprinkle (pinch)

Half a scone 

Fresh strawberry slices

Strawberry jam

Method:

Start by blending your shake base until it's smooth and frothy. Add the halved strawberries, one scoop of ice cream and chilled whole milk and blend.

Spoon strawberry jam into the bottom of your glass and pour the milkshake up to the top.

Next, add half a scone (place a straw through the middle of the scone first so that it is held ready to drop on top of the glass) spread with jam first then a dollop of clotted cream. 

Garnish with a sprinkle of granola and fresh strawberry slice

 

Tropical Eton Mess Shake

Shake base:

100g Banana 

75ml Milk

75g Natural yoghurt

½ tsp Ground turmeric 

Juice of 1/2 lime

50g Pineapple 

15g Honey 

Topping 

1 scoop Trewithen Dairy Cornish clotted cream

Coconut flakes

Broken meringue 

Chocolate drops [optional]

Method:

Blend the banana, 100ml of milk, yoghurt, turmeric, tinned pineapple and honey into a creamy base until smooth. 

Feel free to add more milk if you want it more frothy.

Next, add the toppings.

Enjoy your amazing shake!

Chocolate - Red Velvet S'mores

Shake base:

50ml Beetroot juice (Obviously raw beetroot juice, not with any vinegar added!) 

200ml Milk

1 tbsp Cocoa powder 

50g Raspberries

Topping:

Chocolate brownie

Raspberries

Chocolate sauce

Marshmallow (blow torch)

White chocolate chips

Trewithen Dairy Cornish clotted cream

Method

Start by blending your shake base until it's smooth and frothy. Add the beetroot juice, chocolate powder and fresh raspberries to whole milk and blend.

Squeeze chocolate sauce up and down the side of your glass to get the vibe going and pour the milkshake up to the top.

Next, add the clotted cream, a few raspberries and some chocolate chips on top plus a few cubes of chocolate brownie. Sprinkle with marshmallows.

Finish with a blowtorch to toast the marshmallows and create a s'mores style shake.

 

Tiramisu Affogato

Shake base:

50ml Coffee 

150ml Milk

1 scoop Vanilla ice cream

Topping:

Candied orange zest

Sponge biscuits

Cocoa powder dusting

Trewithen Dairy Cornish clotted cream

Method

Start by brewing strong coffee in advance and chilling down in the fridge. To make your shake base, blend the milk, a scoop of ice cream and the coffee until smooth and frothy.

Next, add the clotted cream on top. Add in a couple of sponge biscuits and some candied orange zest. To finish, burn your orange zest to give off a fragrant aroma and dramatic style.

Finish by dusting with cocoa.

https://www.trewithendairy.co.uk

That's Christmas: Mandira's Kitchen will bring something special to ...

That's Christmas: Mandira's Kitchen will bring something special to ...: Mandira’s kitchen are an award-winning producer of delicious and authentic Indian food. Their all woman team, which based from a converted 4...

Thousands Expected to Attend Taste East Devon Food Festival

Thousands of exited and eager foodies are expected to make their way to Devon to attend the Taste East Devon Food Festival this month.

East Devon is preparing for a bustling, vibrant month of September when thousands of visitors flock to to the district to join local foodies to attend a whole host of events during the Taste East Devon Food Festival (9th-24th September). 

Back for its exiting third year, the festival promises to showcase the very best that the area has on offer, with some exciting new additions and sold out events at River Cottage, Darts Farm, Coldharbour Field Kitchen and Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary. 

From mouth-watering food markets and street food extravaganzas to immersive gastronomic workshops and ultimate and exclusive dining experiences, the 16-day festival really does have something for everyone.

What's the opinion of the region's well-known celebrity chef and television personality, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall? He said: “This is so much more than a traditional food festival. It's a truly unique chance for people to experience East Devon in an entirely new light. We can't wait to welcome visitors to our little corner of the South West and share all the amazing food and drink it has to offer. 

“I'm obviously pleased to be hosting the new Gut Health Revolution event at Darts Farm. It's a sold out event and I'm very much looking forward to sharing my own enthusiasm for the topic, alongside experts from the gut health industry.” 

Another key player on the East Devon food scene, Michael Caines, who is the chef and patron of Lympstone Manor, said: “This food festival takes a different format to most others, which are generally fixed in one place. 

"It provides a fantastic opportunity to visit a wide range of food, drink and hospitality businesses within the 16 days enjoying everything from wine and beer tastings to sociable feasting evenings and fine dining experiences. 

"During the festival, please do ensure you come down to Mickey's, in Exmouth, to give our delicious Taste East Devon Lunch Menu a try or why not head over to Lympstone Manor for a special Vineyard tour and wine tasting lunch with Lyme Bay?”

Ruud Jansen Venneboer, Chair of Taste East Devon and owner of Mazzard Farm Holiday Cottages, says: "Last year's festival was a fantastic, huge success. It solidified the fact East Devon has an incredible food community, and it was amazing to see so many award-winning businesses join together and really put our district on the food map. 

“This year, we've popular events returning and a range of exciting new events on offer, too. It's set to be bigger and better than ever before. Whether you're a food lover, a cooking enthusiast, a resident of East Devon or a visitor to the region, we invite everyone to join us and indulge in East Devon's wonderful produce.”

Leader of East Devon District Council, Councillor Paul Arnott says: “Obviously, we're tremendously proud of our local roots. East Devon is our home, we're keen to support activities that bring people together, encourage community spirit, support the local economy and local producers.  

"Taste East Devon allows businesses with shared values to collaborate and shout about the diverse, high quality food and drink offering we have here in East Devon. Being able to celebrate the district in this way is such an incredible privilege.” 

To launch the festival, experience the City to Sea Taste Trail at Darts Farm (9th September). 

Hone your steak skills with a masterclass with Luke Vandore-McKay at High Grange (10th September). 

Indulge at a Lyme Bay Winery and Quickes Cheese Tasting (12th, 14th, 16th, 19th and 21st September). 

Start the weekend with a Cocktail Masterclass at Copperwood (16th September), followed by the Party at the Pig (17th September). Enjoy the last of the summer rays with a fabulous afternoon tea at Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary (18th September). 

Eat to your heart's content with the big Taste East Devon Feast at River Cottage (22nd September). As the festival comes to a close, take the family along to Smallicombe Farm for a Farm to Fork Family Experience and Lunch (23rd September) before celebrating the festival at Taste East Devon's Party in the Vineyard at Heron Farm (24th September). Explore the full programme of events at www.tasteeastdevon.co.uk

Taste East Devon is kindly supported by founder members River Cottage, THE PIG-at Combe, Darts Farm, Mazzard Farm, Otter Brewery, Donkey Sanctuary and Lympstone Manor. Sponsors include East Devon District Council, Ashfords, East Devon Excellence, Goosemoor Foodservice, SunGift Solar and NFU Mutual (Tiverton and Honiton Agencies). 

To find the full programme of events visit the official Taste East Devon Food Festival website at www.tasteeastdevon.co.uk. Details of how to book each event and accommodation providers can be found on the website. To stay up-to-date you can follow @tasteeastedevon on Instagram and Facebook.  

Cocoba Chocolate introduces Halloween themed chocolates and hot chocolates!

Cocoba, the Kentish chocolate company justifiably famed for producing utterly irresistible chocolate and hot chocolate gifts, has launched this year’s Halloween range.

The delicious sphere-shaped Halloween “Hot Chocolate Bombes” are handmade using only luxurious Belgian chocolate and literally bursting with hidden treats from jellies to marshmallows. 

Flavours will include orange hot chocolate and unique spooky green hot chocolate. These Halloween delights are available as a pack of three for £9.95.

Cocoba’s Belgian chocolate Halloween themed lollipops priced at £1.95 each are ideal for little trick or treaters or to share if you are hosting a party.  

From orange flavoured pumpkin lollipops to ghoulish ghost chocolate lollipops, Cocoba’s Halloween range has something for everyone.

For the ultimate, cosy night in, the tasty “Hot Chocolate Spoons” are an absolutely perfect accompaniment. Just simply add some steaming milk and the chocolate melts to create a warming, utterly delicious drink.  

The spoons are carefully crafted using indulgent Belgian chocolate and sold individually for £3.50.  Flavours will include a milk chocolate spoon with a white chocolate ghost and a block of orange flavoured chocolate served with a helping of mini marshmallows.

Cocoba Chocolate have really crafted a delightfully wicked range of Halloween treats for all chocolate lovers to enjoy.  

Please visit Cocoba Chocolate’s website for more information including their vegan chocolate product range.

www.CocobaChocolate.com

So, what's available? Cocoba’s chocolate product range includes Belgian hot chocolate, chocolate bars and lollipops, truffles and buttons, and a growing range of vegan dark and ‘milk’ chocolates, too.

Cocoba’s range is available from the above website and also from Cocoba’s flagship chocolate café at the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent, independent farm shops, high quality delis, John Lewis, Selfridges and more, besides. Of course, all products are handmade in Kent. 

To receive 10% off please do join their mailing list also free delivery on orders of  over £35.

(EDITOR: I'm just imaging the awesome chocolatey smell of the shop and the production kitchens!)

New Apple and Caramel Mousse from Bonne Maman

Introducing the utterly superb and new Apple and Caramel Mousse, a delicious addition to the Bonne Maman chilled desserts range.

It's a fantastic and mouth-watering and indulgent everyday treat, the new Bonne Maman Apple and Caramel Mousse contains generous pieces of apple which are delicately mixed with a light vanilla mousse and topped with a delectable, smooth caramel crème.

Bonne Maman offers a wide range of extremely popular mousse desserts, all following simple recipes and all using natural ingredients. The range includes five single flavour varieties, Chocolate, Strawberry, Clementine, Rhubarb and Blackcurrant, plus two layered, flavour combination desserts of Pear & Chocolate Mousse and now Caramel and Apple Mousse.

They are carefully presented in packs of two x 90g pots, new Apple and Caramel Mousse are available in the chilled dessert cabinets at Sainsbury’s and Waitrose & Partners stores nationwide at a rrp of £2.20.

That's Christmas: Wow! The perfect Christmas gift! Milky Plant

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