Want to take your cookery to the next level and beyond? The School of Artisan Food Announces a Four-Week Summer School

The School of Artisan Food,which is a not-for-profit school dedicated to inspiring and helping people from all walks of life to learn about healthy, sustainable and delicious food, is justifably proud to be celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2024, having opened its doors back in 2009. 

To mark the anniversary, the School, set in the middle of 15,000 acres of rolling parkland on the beautiful Welbeck Estate at the edge of Nottinghamshire's Sherwood Forest, has announced a special summer programme for 2024 featuring over 40 short courses during July and August. 

The highlight of this year's line-up is a four-week Artisan Summer School, the only artisan summer school of its kind, offering students the opportunity to become immersed in the world of artisan bread baking, viennoiserie, patisserie, pizza making, BBQ and ice cream making, too.

The School of Artisan Food offers a wide range of hands-on courses which are taught all year-round by world-class tutors, from bread to charcuterie, cheesemaking to patisserie and more, with courses ranging from a half day short course to a full BSc (Hons) degree. 

Since the school was opened 15 years ago, it has seen over 15,000 students from all walks of life pass through its doors, with many students going on to form artisan businesses of their own both in the UK and further afield.

Artisan Summer School

Running from 29 Jul -23 Aug 2024, the Artisan Summer School is suitable for home bakers and anyone with a love of artisan food. 

No previous experience is required as students will be guided by the school's world-class tutors Kevan Roberts, Sally-Ann Hunt and Martha Brown to establish strong foundations and progress to advanced skills.

Summer School students will be taught in a small group in the School of Artisan Food's specialist training rooms, gaining much hands-on experience to develop their knowledge, techniques and confidence day-by-day. Highlights will include:

Learning the basics of baking bread, making tinned loaves, bread rolls, brioche, pizza and sourdough;

Graduating to more advanced techniques, including creating gluten-free and buckwheat dough;

Making traditional English pies with hand-raised hot water pie crusts;

Studying artisan patisserie, producing raspberry and meadowsweet financiers, milk chocolate and sesame choux buns, and venison and wild garlic petivier;

In the School's special dedicated teaching dairy, students will make ice cream, butter and yoghurt;

Learning Viennoiserie, producing a range of sweet and savoury laminated pastries, including pain au chocolat, zaatar, gruyere croissants and Danish pastries;

Out of the kitchen, students will also enjoy a visit to a local flour mill to see first-hand how flour is produced; a foraging walk; a picnic by the boating lake; and a behind the scenes tour of the artisan producers based on the Welbeck Estate, including Welbeck Bakehouse, Welbeck Abbey Brewery, DropWorks Rum Distillery, and Stichelton Dairy.

For students who wish to enjoy a truly immersive experience, accommodation is also available on the Welbeck Estate, just yards from the school itself.

Price: £3,995, or £4,995 with accommodation.

Short Courses

In addition to the Summer School, further highlights in the 40-strong short course programme running at The School of Artisan Food this summer will include:

Introduction to Sourdough Baking with Emmanuel Hadjiandreou

Smoking and Curing with Sally-Ann Hunt

Introduction to Fermenting and Pickling with Lindy Wildsmith

Woodfire Pizza with David Finn

Pig in a Day with Andrew Sharp

The school is also delighted to reveal the launch of three new patisserie courses with tutor Martha Brown. By popular demand, these courses, ranging from 1-3 days will cover Pastry Fundamentals (1 day), Vegan Pastry and Viennoiserie (2 days) and Creative Patisserie (3 days).

Prices start at £95 for a half-day course.

For more information, please visit www.schoolofartisanfood.org or call 01909 532 171

To view the School of Artisan Food's full summer programme, visit www.schoolofartisanfood.org/courses 

For more on the Artisan Summer School, visit https://www.schoolofartisanfood.org/courses/artisan-summer-school

Treat Mum to Delicious Handmade Flapjacks This Mother's Day from Flapjackery

Mothering Sunday or Mother's Day is just around the corner, presenting us with the perfect opportunity to pamper those motherly figures in our lives with delicious flapjacks from Flapjackery.

Spoil Mum in the comfort of her own home with a selection of their delectable, gluten-free flapjacks, lovingly handcrafted on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon using only the finest of British ingredients. 

Packaged in 100% recyclable materials, these treats offer the ideal accompaniment to a special afternoon tea. Or breakfast, or what about a Mother's Day picnic?

Choose from Flapjackery's enticing Mother's Day offerings:

NEW Mother's Day Hamper £32

New to Flapjackery Mother's Day gifts is a sumptuous gluten-free hamper bursting with an array of delectable treats that promises to give mum the sweetest of days.

The hamper includes:

A large chunk of  Clotted Cream, Raspberry Millionaires, and Salted Caramel Brownie Flapjack

Happy Mother's Day Bar of Chocolate inscribed with the message "Happy Mother's Day" in white chocolate, adding a personal touch.

A bag of Orange Tiffin.

A bag of Vanilla Fudge

A bag of Honeycomb Clusters, which are sublime dollops of rich milk chocolate infused with crunchy honeycomb.

Mother's Day Box of 3 - £14.00

Make Mother' Day extra special with a thoughtful gift that won't break the bank. This box of six generous half pieces of flapjack chunks features irresistible flavours: Clotted Cream Fudge, Raspberry Millionaires and Salted Caramel Brownie. Each bite delivers the perfect balance of crunch and crumble, making these handcrafted flapjacks an utterly delicious treat. Delivered to the doorstep in recyclable packaging, they are crafted with care using premium British Oats and topped with mouthwatering toppings.

Each flapjack is individually wrapped for freshness and convenience and is suitable for home freezing, ensuring that the delicious taste can be enjoyed at any time.

Mother's Day Box of 6 - £26.40

For the ultimate Mother's Day gesture, opt for our box of twelve heavenly half pieces flapjack chunks. This assortment includes Clotted Cream Fudge, Raspberry Millionaires, Salted Caramel Brownie, Caramel Brulee, Millionaires and Honeycomb Rocky Road, sure to bring joy to every mum's heart. With the perfect amount of crunch and crumble, these gluten-free delights are packaged in eco-friendly materials and crafted with the finest British Oats.

Each flapjack is individually wrapped for freshness and convenience and is suitable for home freezing, ensuring that the delicious taste can be enjoyed at any time.

Create Own Box of 8 (£32) or 12 giant flapjacks (£48) 

This Mother's Day craft your very own bespoke flapjack boxes filled with your Mum's favourite flavours. Handmade in Devon using only the finest locally sourced ingredients, Flapjackery's artisan flapjacks are gluten-free, ensuring quality and taste in every bite.

Choose from a box of 8 or 12 giant flapjacks, or opt for one of their unique message boxes featuring a giant millionaire's flapjack with Happy Mother's Day written in white chocolate - the perfect touch for this very special occasion!

Once the box size is selected, the fun begins with choosing from Flapjackery's wide array of traditional and unique flapjack flavours. From classic favourites to innovative creations, there's something to satisfy every palate. 

Order online at www.flapjackery.co.uk

Divine has launched a new range for all dessert lovers

Divine Chocolate has launched a new range of Dessert Bars, inspired by the flavours of popular puddings, such as Tiramisu, Cherry & Almond Bakewell and Lemon Cheesecake.

As the world’s sole farmer-owned Fairtrade chocolate maker, Divine has been doing things differently in the chocolate industry for over a quarter of a century. Now, it's inviting fellow chocolate lovers to ‘do dessert differently’ with the launch of its Dessert Bar range.

The Divine Dessert Bars offer a fuss-free alternative to run-of-the-mill puddings, featuring classic flavour combinations, enrobed in Divine’s signature dark, milk or white chocolate. The Divine Dessert Bars are already available through Amazon.co.uk and www.divinechocolate.co and will be available via Ocado and Oxfam from the beginning of March. RRP £4.49.

This concept offers diners the opportunity to ‘do dessert differently’ with the launch of its brand new Dessert Bar range, a fuss-free approach to after-dinner sweet treats. Offering the fun and frivolity of dessert, but without the faffing about, the Divine Dessert Bars have been specially created to offer the same flavours of our much-loved sweet treats, minus the cooking commitment. 

The Dessert Bar range is perfect for sharing, and includes a variety of three delicious and decadent flavours, guaranteed to impress the chocolate-lover in your life.

As the only farmer-owned Fairtrade chocolate maker in the world, Divine has been doing things differently in the chocolate industry for over 25 years. The launch of its Dessert Bar range is no exception, offering chocolate-lovers an easy alternative to preparing their own pud.

With nearly a quarter (24%) of Waitrose consumers enjoying a dessert at weekends, but 30% confessing to buying more sweet treats than ever before, it’s clear that when it comes to pudding prep, we prefer ready-made to DIY. On a mission to sweeten the dessert scene with effortless and Divinely different sweet treat solutions, Divine’s newly launched Dessert Bar range has been inspired by the flavours of our most popular puds, enrobed in a rich dark, milk or white chocolate coating. 

Encompassing three flavours, spanning the decadence of Cherry & Almond Bakewell to indulgent Tiramisu, and the tart freshness of Lemon Cheesecake, there’s a bar to suit all dessert devotees.

With chocolate the key to many hearts, what better way to express love than by breaking a bar with the chocolate-lover in your life. Perfect for sharing, all you need do is lift the wrapper, divide and devour for a show-stopping pudding.

Sophie Loveday-Davies, who is Group Marketing Director at Divine said: “We’re incredibly excited to be sharing our new range of Dessert Bars with fellow chocolate lovers. We know that in increasingly challenging times, the power of the ‘pudding effect’ is more evident than ever before, with people looking for small tasty treats to brighten the day-to-day. Our mission at Divine is to spread a little joy with our deliciously decadent range of Fairtrade chocolate, so we’re delighted to now be able to offer our customers a Divine-worthy dessert with the launch of our Dessert Bar range. We hope pudding-lovers everywhere will enjoy breaking a bar with the fellow chocolate lover in their life.”

Coffee and HelloFresh from Amazon Prime

Amazon, known for selling books and everything from stepladders to beauty treatments and groceries has launched some own-brand coffees. Having enjoyed tasty fruit and vegetables from Amazon, I'm sure that Amazon's coffees will be equally high quality and just as delicious, too!

Why not try by Amazon Coffee Beans Caffè Intenso Currently priced at £8.23? Or by Amazon Gold Instant Coffee, Medium Roast Currently priced at £3.10 or by Amazon House Blend Ground Coffee, Medium Roast (6 Packs of 227g,Currently priced at £11.72?

And there's good news for those of us who like cooking nutritious tasty meals at home. Amazon has recently teamed up with HelloFresh to offer Amazon Prime members new access to free delivery on HelloFresh recipe boxes for an entire whole year! And what's even better is that this special offer is available for both new and existing HelloFresh customers.

According to new research, the UK is in a sort of culinary ‘Groundhog Day’ with one in three of us cooking the same ‘comfort foods’ meals twice a week, whilst over two thirds of us are looking to branch out and improve our cookery skills in 2024, –making the offer the perfect way to reach those 2024 goals!

To learn more visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/hellofresh

Bonne Maman for your Maman!

Bonne Maman Sweet Hearts make an absolutely lovely addition to Mother's Day celebrations. 

Available in two delightful flavours, Chocolate Sweet Hearts or Marbled Sweet Hearts, these adorable treats are made using the only the finest of ingredients to a delicious traditional French recipe.

Chocolate Sweet Hearts: a soft vanilla flavoured sponge, topped with a layer of smooth and velvety milk chocolate.

Marbled Sweet Hearts: combine moreish vanilla and chocolate sponge, a truly classic pairing.

Bonne Maman Chocolate Sweet Hearts are available from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Co-op, Booths and Nisa stores nationwide and online on Ocado. Bonne Maman Marbled Sweet Hearts are available from Waitrose RRP 2.90.

https://www.bonnemaman.co.uk

Swizzel's make perfect Mother's Day treats

Swizzels’s popular range of sweets is perfect for Mothering Sunday/Mother's Day gifting.

From Squashies to Love Hearts and Drumstick Lollies, the UK’s favourite sweet maker’s sweets are all about spreading love, making it the perfect gift to show someone you care.

This Mother’s Day, some popular Swizzels treats include:

Best-selling Sweet Shop Favourites Tubs, packed full of Drumstick Squashies, mini Love Hearts rolls, Refreshers Chews, Fizzers, Fruity Pops, Double Lollies and Parma Violets, available nationwide from major supermarkets and convenience stores, RRP £5.

Vegan Variety Bags range including Scrumptious Sweets, Curious Chews and Luscious Lollies, packed full of Drumstick Lollies, Fizzers, Mini Love Hearts Rolls, Parma Violets, Fruity Pops, Double Lollies, Refreshers Chews, and more, available nationwide from major supermarkets and convenience stores, RRP £1.25.

Love Hearts range: Love Hearts Gift Drums, packed full of Love Hears mini rolls, now sold at B&M, RRP £2.50. Additionally the range includes Originals Love Hearts hanging bags, RRP £1.25 all available nationwide from major supermarkets and convenience stores.

Swizzel's have been making sweets for generations of adults and children since 1928.

https://swizzels.com

Make sure your Mother is choc-full of love this Mother's Day with Monty Bojangles

If you are looking for a way to show your thanks and say I love you this Mother’s Day? Nothing does it quite like some utterly delicious chocolatey truffles! 

So, this Mother’s Day, why not show your Mum or the one you love a whole choco-lot of love with a magically moreish gift from Monty Bojangles, the multi-award-winning UK confectionery brand? (And That's Food and Drink can confirm that the reason they have won multiple awards isn't down to clever marketing, it's all down to the fact that they are 100% guaranteed to be absolutely and utterly delicious! Trust me. I know these things!)

Monty Bojangles Mother’s Day Bouquet – Waitrose, Amazon £5.49

The ultimate Mother’s Day gift for any true chocolate fan, this glorious gift box contains 12 individually wrapped Choccy Scoffy Cocoa Dusted Truffles. With this vegetarian-friendly truffle recipe being Great Taste Award winning, what better way to show them you think they deserve a place on the winners’ podium this Mother’s Day?

Monty Bojangles Choccy Scoffy Cat Tin – Amazon, Sainsbury’s, £15

Whilst the chocolatey truffles will soon be devoured, this keepsake tin will last forever, just like your love for Mum! Filled with 14 of Monty Bojangles’ award-winning original rich and chocolatey truffle recipe truffles, coated with a generous dusting of exquisite bitter-sweet cocoa powder, this stunning gift is sure to put a smile on her face this Mother’s Day.

Monty Bojangles Gift Wrapped Chocolatey Truffle Collection – Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, £7.50

The perfect chocolatey treat for your loved one this Mother’s Day, this gift-wrapped collection is filled with an assortment of Monty’s Cocoa Dusted Truffles, including Chocolatey, Butterscotch Chips, Candied Orange Peel and Salted Popcorn Flavour with Crispy Wafer Pieces, what’s not to love?!

Monty Bojangles Choccy Scoffy Chocolatey Truffles – Waitrose, Sainsburys, Tesco, £3.75

Monty Bojangles’ signature pure chocolatey truffle flavour, Choccy Scoffy, is a prestigious Great Taste Award winner. With the delicately soft chocolate truffles delivering an intensely chocolatey experience full of delicious mouthwatering flavours, Choccy Scoffy is not a Mother’s Day gift to be scoffed at! Featuring 14 individually wrapped truffles, the true test of love will be whether the family let her enjoy them in peace…

Monty Bojangles Truffle Selection – Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, £3.75

Give the gift of a taste sensation this Mother’s Day with Monty Bojangles award-winning Truffle Selection. Dubbed the tastiest truffles in the kingdom, winning prestigious Great Taste Awards, the 135g box includes a selection of Cocoa Dusted Truffles, with Chocolatey, Butterscotch Chips and Raspberry & Popping Candy.

Monty Bojangles Milk Chocolate Belgian Flaked Truffles – Sainsbury’s, Amazon £4.50

The perfect gift for the chocoholic in your life, these Great Taste Award winning indulgent flaked truffles feature a luxurious soft truffle centre with creamy flavour notes that melt in your mouth. Coated with a thick creamy milk chocolate shell and finally sprinkled lavishly with utterly moreish Belgian milk chocolate flakes, they’re presented in a beautiful gift box, giving you extra brownie points this Mother’s Day!

Monty Bojangles Magnificent Luxury Belgian Chocolates – Sainsbury’s, Amazon £5.50

The perfect gift for the mum who enjoys a little treat with her tea or coffee, this magnificent assortment of Belgian chocolates gives the gift of an unforgettably indulgent experience! Made with RFA chocolate offering an assortment of filled milk, dark & white Belgian Chocolates, the chocolates are all beautifully hand decorated for a really spectacular finish!

https://montybojangles.com 

That's Gardening: Branded Garden Products Group Achieves Planet Mark...

That's Gardening: Branded Garden Products Group Achieves Planet Mark...: Branded Garden Products (BGP) is pleased to announce it has become a Planet Mark Certified organisation, which is a reward for its commitmen...

Introducing the new Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener

Basically, this is professional level cutting-edge sharpness for the home kitchen.

Ask any top chef and they'll tell you knife maintenance and care is one of the most important and vital tasks in a professional kitchen. And the same applies at home, too. After all, what's the point in having excellent knives if you’re not going to invest in their upkeep? If you had a top-of-the-range Maserati car, you'd not try to tinker with it yourself, would you? So why take the same risk with your kitchen knives?

Most conventional methods don't sharpen the knife properly but align a weighted edge or sharpen only parts of the edge. That’s fine for basic maintenance, but after a while you'll notice that you're not getting the same sharpness as previously.

Tormek is introducing the first real knife sharpener for the home chef.  

Tormek has 50 years of expertise in tool sharpening for woodworkers. The NEW Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener is the first professional, premium quality kitchen knife sharpener designed for the home. 

It's quick to use, easy to operate and is clean and quiet. It precisely sharpens blades 12 - 60mm high and up to 5mm thick, with an unlimited length. 

Based on the innovative sharpening system developed for professional kitchens, the Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener effortlessly delivers a razor-sharp cutting edge and a durable angle that won’t dull after every use.

Blades remain sharper for longer

The Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener has a sleek industrial design and comes fully assembled with a solid oak handle, powder-coated zinc body, diamond grinding wheel and a composite honing wheel. The method consists of three steps:

Set preferred bevel angle

You can choose any angle between 8 and 22 degrees. However, 15 degrees is a good angle to start with if you are unsure. A small angle will cut more easily, while a large angle will give a stronger edge.

Sharpens on both sides

The fine-grained diamond grinding wheel sharpens all types of steel including ceramic knives, to professional sharpness levels. The low-speed means there’s minimal steel wear.

Insert the clean, dry knife into the guide. Follow the shape of the knife and apply only gentle pressure. A magnet in the patented guide collects the steel particles keeping the grinding wheel clean.

Hone to an expert, razor-sharp finish

Moisten the honing wheel using a damp paper towel to reduce friction and remove the burr* and polish both sides of the knife on the honing wheel. Ensure the honing wheel rotates away from the edge.

(*After sharpening, a ‘burr’ is created which needs to be honed off to obtain a sharp and durable edge.)

Unlike some alternatives, the Tormek T-1 sharpens the entire bevel of the knife, not just the outer edge, and because the bevels can be sharpened separately, there’s the option to set different edge angles on each side of the blade, or sharpen just one side, which is particularly useful for more advanced knives.

It's designed and built to last, comes with an eight-year warranty. But they do advise that you store it  safely in a dry place.

Whether you’re looking for the perfect knife sharpener for yourself or hunting down the ideal gift for a foodie friend or family member, the NEW Tormek T-1 Kitchen Knife Sharpener (RRP £330), is available from https://shop.tormek.com/en-gb

@tormek_culinary | #tormek

2024 Mother’s Day Literally Gift Guide

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we have the ultimate gift guide for all the book loving mums out there, and for every taste, too. So if your mother likes to nibble on biscuits, sip coffee or enjoy a glass of wine whilst reading a new book, these books are what she'll love! Available on Amazon and via all good bookshops.

Whether your mum loves a gripping page-turner or a laugh-out-loud read, there is literally (and I chose that word deliberately!) something for everyone.

The Mother of Honey by Ana Maria Luisa

This story takes the reader from the harsh conditions of rural Brazil to the concrete jungle of Sao Paulo. Readers follow Iracy's journey which is filled with love, loss, and triumphs. 

Along the way, she and her sisters Maria and Ana Maria Luisa are confronted with the harsh realities of the lives of indigenous and African slaves in colonized Brazil and the formation of the first mixed-race families.

If you're looking for a book to keep your Mom on the edge of her seat, this book is a must-read. It's a powerful testament to the human spirit and a celebration of the triumphs that can come from the darkest of places.

Spanning generations from Brazil to England and India, The Mother of Honey makes for the perfect Mother’s Day gift.

Beyond Beige by Sylvie Boulay

Old age. It's something most of us get, whether we want it or not. This book is about the joys and horrors of our old age. Sylvie Boulay writes: "It will show you the uncensored reality of my experience and that of women who confided in me. You will find humour, despair, and some gritty bits but absolutely no euphemisms.

Unflinching, honest, and relatable, this illustrated book is neither a celebration of nor a complaint about old age. It is the simple, unadorned truth of a life. Fully illustrated throughout with cartoons and drawings, this fantastic new title shines the brightest of lights on ageing as a woman."

Beyond Beige is the perfect gift this Mother’s Day for mums with a sense of humour!

Thirty-Eight Days of Rain by Eva Asprakis

Androulla is 24 and recently wed when she discovers she is infertile. In a bid for Cypriot citizenship she is undergoing adoption by her stepfather, and wondering if she will have to adopt a child one day herself?

As the reality of her situation sets in, Androulla's marriage begins to unravel. Between migration departments and doctors' appointments, she learns she must question what it means to be from somewhere, what it means to be a woman and, when an impossible choice presents itself, which of those things means the most to her? It's an unflinching literary novel that explores themes of womanhood, infertility and PCOS, immigration and complex family dynamics. For fans of Conversations With Friends & Breasts and Eggs.

Bright Midnights by L.S. Delorme

As Amelie finds herself increasingly drawn to Clovis, who is an alluring and mysterious young man who she meets in a dream, who hides a secret, she learns his story, establishes how it intertwines with her own life and finally discovers how to live her life in the real world. Until her own secrets are revealed to the wrong people and that world is turned upside down.

Bright Midnights is the second in the Limerent Series and continues in the thought-provoking and beautiful style of the first as it considers different dimensions, different ways of looking at the world, and the transcendental power of love. This is the described as the paranormal romance to gift this Mother’s Day.

She Can Prosper by Diane Watson

Diane Watson is an award-winning, distinguished financial advisor, entrepreneur, and the passionate founder of 'She Can Prosper.' It's Diane's firmly held view that you can afford to take risks if you stay informed and remain continually aware of what is happening around you. 

Through her work as a financial advisor, she witnessed far too many women who she believed were abdicating responsibility for their finances to their partners. The realisation was that women who did not take control of their finances were being left vulnerable and potentially severely impacted later in life. 

Their lack of knowledge or input into shaping their financial future was the catalyst to write this book. The book aims to provide women of all backgrounds with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to take control of their financial destinies.

She Can Prosper is the perfect gift for Mother’s Day, whether your mum is super financially savvy or not at all, there’s so much to learn for everyone.