Mummy Meagz and her original Rocky Road

 

Have you heard of Mummy Meagz and her Original Rocky Road?

These are some utterly out of this world chocolate treats that you really must try.

What flavours are available?

Original Rocky Road

Sea Salt & Cinder Toffee Rocky Road

Orange Rocky Road

Minty Rocky Road

Mummy Meagz Orange Choccie Bar

The flavours and the textures of these bars is out of this world. They actually look and taste as if a confectioner has made them for you in your own kitchen. 

This is sort of what has happened, but they were actually made for you in the kitchen of the confectioner and chef, Meagan Boyle who, with her daughter Willow Boyle, launched Blondes Coffee Shop in the village of Cottingham, East Yorkshire, back in 2003.

When I had to opportunity to taste these bars I was feeling a bit low. COVID 19 will do that to a person!

However, I was lucky as it hadn't (thankfully!) taken away my sense of taste or smell. These bars are awesome and I believe they actually helped me get through the irritation of being under a total lockdown, not even able to go out on our usual 10k steps walks, my wife and I.

Crunchy and delicious biscuit pieces, perfectly tasty and soft vegan mallows and covered with some absolutely delicious Belgian chocolate and with some fruit, too, with some of the bars.

In the past I have had some Rocky Road bars that were a bit too rocky and a bit too road-like if you know what I mean, but these bars are smooth and utterly, utterly delicious.

They are 100% vegan friendly. I am not a vegan, but now I know that Holland and Barrett stock these wonderful treats, I know where I'll be going when my lockdown is over. My nearest Holland and Barrett branch!

To learn more (or to buy direct from Mummy Meagz) please visit them at https://mummymeagz.com/

And they produce a whole lot more, including the decadent Chuckie Egg, Sunnycomb Bars and seasonal treats.

The Engineer Shiraz Tempranillo from McGuigan

 

The Engineer Shiraz Tempranillo 2019 is a new wine from the McGuigan family of Australia.

They combine Tempranillo grapes and what they describe as "luscious blue and black berries from the Shiraz."

OK, so how does this 13% red wine work?

The scent is heavenly. Yes, I know wine experts call it the bouquet, but I am not a wine expert, but I do know what I like. And I like this wine very much indeed!

What is it like? It's a bold and strong wine, but the taste is exquisite and gentle on the palate.

There are tannin notes and definitely an underpinning of fresh hedgerow fruits, with a good fruity finish.

It pairs very well with a wide range of foods. We happened to try it with a roast chicken dinner and it worked remarkably well, together.

It's available in a range of stores, the Co-Op sell it at £10 a bottle, but I have seen reports of two quid being knocked off the price at the Co-op.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this wine and we will be visiting our local Co-Op store to buy some more bottles of this really rather super wine.

You can learn more about McGuiguan's at https://www.mcguiganwines.co.uk/ or https://www.mcguiganwines.com.au/.

McGuigan Zero

Founded by Brian McGuigan, McGuigan's is a leading name in the Australian wine industry. 

In recent years their experts have worked on a range of alcohol free wines. 

One of these is McGuigan Zero, an alcohol free Chardonnay style wine.

It's an attractive wine with peachy notes, plus a hint of honey and melon on the finish.

It's very similar to McGuigan's Chardonnay. Is there something missing, without the alcohol? It would be wrong of me to say that there wasn't. There's the unmistakeable "tang" of the alcohol that is missing, but that's all that is missing. Many wine companies that make alcohol free wine seem to remove more than the alcohol, I.E., there's some of the taste that has gone missing, too.

But this is most certainly not the situation with McGuigan's Zero Chardonnay, as it is just a full of flavour as the other McGuigan wines. 

It will cost about £7.00 and is worth every penny.

Not drinking alcohol for reasons of health or religion or in order to stay sober for driving or for work reasons? Then McGuigan's alcohol free wines are ideal.  

Heineken 0.0. It's Dutch lager but kinder

Curses! Here I am with my regular winter bronchitis. It's bronchial asthma, so my old Doctor told me many years ago.

Dosing up with antibiotics to help cure a parasitic infection that always occurs I read the paperwork that came with it (hint: always read them!) and I noticed to my dismay that alcohol is not allowed to be consumed with these particular antibiotics.

But then I remembered that I actually had a four pack of some Heineken 0.0, which has no alcohol in it. So what better time to run a taste test?

What's it like? Colour-wise it's not distinguishable from other Heineken lagers and the scent on it is of a nicely hopped and nicely yeasted Dutch lager.

What does it taste like? It's got a reasonable mouthfeel to it. You can certainly taste the hops the malted barley. 

What difference does carefully removing the alcohol make to the flavour? I'd like to say no difference, but that wouldn't be entirely accurate, because I find that alcohol does add a little extra bite to the experience of consuming alcoholic drinks.

But! Having said that, if you are not able to drink alcohol, due to an allergy or religious reasons (for example) are on medications that preclude the consumption of alcohol or you have decided to get yourself fit, then Heineken 0.0 is an excellent option. It's available in bottles, in cans and on draught too, in some of our more enlightened establishments. 

What's my final opinion of Heineken 0.0? I like it and I'll definitely get some more on my next trip to the shops, at least as soon as my antibiotics have finished!

PS Do you run a pub or other establishment that sells beers, etc? If you want to sell Heineken 0.0 on draught you can get Heineken's funky bar top Blade dispenser by visiting https://www.heineken.co.uk/alcohol-free-beer-is-now-widely-available-on-draught/

Innerji. A unique revitalising drink

Innerji is a truly innovative and unique revitalising drink.

It's described as an "antioxidant revitaliser" drink and that's exactly what it is and what it does.

Unlike drinks billed as 'energ'y drinks, Innerji has no caffeine or taurine within in its structure.

Instead it contains a unique natural substance known as Jiaogulan which is called "the immortality herb" by the canny Chinese who have known about it for many a long year.

What are the ingredients? Lightly sparking water, fructose, citric and malic acids, sodium citrate, lemon and safflower, potassium sorbate, Jiagulan extract and vitamins B12 and Thiamine.

The taste is tropical lime and it guarantees that it is 100% taurine and 100% caffeine free. This is important to me, as a consumer, as many 'energy' drinks can trigger a migraine headache with me. 

But Innerji doesn't. Not only does it taste great and perfectly natural, it doesn't give you a "snap" of energy it actually gives you a good, slow release of energy that helps you to be able to perform at your best. And it also tastes great, unlike some "energy" drinks.

To learn more please visit https://innerjidrink.com/

Travellers will enjoy contactless food and retail ordering and delivery at airports

As travellers gear up to start flying again, airport e-commerce platform Grab and top in-airport food and retail delivery firm AtYourGate have combined forces to offer innovative contactless ordering and delivery for airline passengers whilst they are waiting for their flights at airports.

As a result, airports can benefit from being able to assist passengers to maintain safe social distancing by giving them the flexibility to order using their own personal devices, allowing them to have their food and other purchases delivered direct to their chosen airport gate where they will be awaiting their flight to depart. Of course, they'll be able to order across terminal and security lines, meaning they'll have a much wider choice of dining and retail options.

Jeff Livney, of Grab, said: “At this difficult time, our goal is to make the experience at airports less stressful for travellers who are worried about flying again.

"The way people dine and shop at airports is going through a period of change. I hope our platform will assist travellers who are nervous and help to calm their fears, as they take to the skies again.”

PJ Mastracchio, who is the founder and CEO of AtYourGate said: "The existence of new, safety-focused dining and retail options like contactless delivery services will be a major part vital of the expectations of travellers as they start to fly, again.

He added:"With this partnership we have combined the best available technology with world-class customer service and safety standards to provide safe, copnvenient alternatives to traditional shopping methods and dining normally available within airports."

At present this service will be limited to North American airports, though it is believed they have plans to expand into other markets in the future.

To learn more please visit www.getgrab.com  and www.atyourgate.com

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

What is your comfort food?

Comfort foods are as varied as there are people. And it depends on the time of year and the type of weather.

For example, I love stew in the winter months, but in the summer months my ideal comfort food would probably be ice cream, perhaps with strawberries.

Other comfort foods include sausages, cheese, baked beans on toast, cheese on toast, mashed potatoes and fish finger sandwiches (don't judge me!) macaroni cheese, rice pudding, fruit cake spread with butter, honey sandwiches, jam sandwiches, fried chicken and a good traditional roast dinner.

What is your comfort food?

 

Back and raring to go!

After a period of less than stellar activity on That's Food and Drink, we are now back and raring to go.

But a three year BA Honours degree course in one's early 60s is probably not the best idea I have ever had, but I now have BA (Hons) after my name (it's in Creative and Professional Writing, in case anyone wants to know) and I now have much more time to devote to my That's Food and Drink blog and my several other blogs, too.

We will be covering food and drink news, recipes and more besides.

The site will be given a bit of a dusting and possibly a touch up or two.

Please stay tuned!

Tea and coffee – how much do they affect your health?

Are you a coffee or tea addict? Do you struggle to get through your day without your caffeine fix?

If you can’t cope without a cuppa or two, could this have any effect on your health and, in particular, on your menopausal symptoms?

In the Winter 2019-20 issue of The Menopause Exchange newsletter, registered dietitian Angie Jefferson explores the pros and cons of tea and coffee drinking. How much coffee should we be drinking – and what’s the best way to drink it? And is drinking tea any better for our health?

“Media reports can be very conflicting, so it’s hard to know how much our tea and coffee intake is affecting how we feel,” says Norma Goldman, founder and director of The Menopause Exchange.

“In her article, Angie Jefferson provides us with the facts and also takes a look at the impact of drinking coffee on hot flushes.”

The Menopause Exchange, established in 1999, is completely independent and isn't  sponsored by any companies. It provides impartial, easily understood information to women and healthcare professionals. The Menopause Exchange quarterly newsletter contains articles written by top medical experts, such as gynaecologists, GPs, consultants, specialist menopause nurses, complementary practitioners, pharmacists, dietitians etc.

Articles in the Winter 2019-20 issue of The Menopause Exchange quarterly newsletter include progesterone in HRT, CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) for the menopause and diabetes and the menopause, as well as news and Ask the Experts Q&As.

The Menopause Exchange has a number of members who are happy to talk to journalists about their menopause experiences. The members are based in different parts of the UK, which may be of interest to regional publications as well as national ones. Many of the case studies are willing to provide a name and photograph, if required.

The Menopause Exchange quarterly newsletter is available via email for free. Sign up on their website, www.menopause-exchange.co.uk. Find them on Facebook and Twitter (@MenopauseExch).

How Wild and Game is creating a post-Brexit UK game market

As the Duchess of Rutland recently said in an interview with Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, pheasant deserves a bigger place on UK menus.

Speaking about her opposition to the opening of a McDonald’s in Rutland, she said she would feel better about the prospect if pheasant was on the menu there. Correcting Piers Morgan’s assumption that pheasant is expensive, she said: “A pheasant is the cheapest food of all. It’s clean food. We are desperately looking for a market for our game in this country – it’s a big issue.”

Food producer Wild and Game was founded with the aim of addressing this issue head-on. At present most of the game produced in the UK gets shipped abroad. Wild and Game’s founders Steven Frampton and Michael are creating a market for wild game in the UK by reimagining some of the UK’s favourite dishes with game as a key ingredient. They also sell ready-to-cook game and provide easy game recipes on their website.

Wild and Game’s products have already won awards, and their range is expanding regularly. Its most recent additions were its premium chicken, pheasant and mushroom pies and its premium steak, pheasant and ale pies.

The company’s aim is to make game a regular fixture in the UK’s supermarkets and it recently took a step in the right direction by getting its first products listed with Ocado. These are selling well, and the company aims to have more products listed soon.

Wild and Game founder Steven Frampton said: “We welcome the comments from the Duchess of Rutland. The underconsumption of game in the UK really is a big issue, and one that needs to be addressed. Game is plentiful in the UK.

"It’s sustainable, healthy and delicious, and following Brexit it’s just the type of home-produced food we should be championing. We’re delighted with the success we’ve had so far and have big plans for 2020, including the launch of some superb new products.”

Why not try this delicious recipe?

Easy, tender pot roast pheasant with mushrooms

Some people think pheasant can be a tough meat, but this pot roast recipe will ensure the meat is tender and juicy – and it’s beautifully simple, too.

Feeds 2-4

Ingredients

2 Wild and Game pheasants
3 rashers cooking pancetta or streaky bacon, chopped

Chopped shallot – 1 large or two small

6 tbsp double cream
1 tbsp honey
1 glass white wine
150g mushrooms, sliced
1 litre chicken stock
2 cloves garlic
1 pinch dried mixed herbs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 knob butter

Method

Pre-heat the oven to Gas 4/180 degrees centigrade

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large hob-to-oven casserole dish

2. Add the pheasants and cook for a few minutes until browned, then remove

3. Add the pancetta, shallot and mushroom and cook until softened

4. Add the herbs and garlic and cook for a few more minutes

5. Add the pheasants, stock and wine

6. Transfer to the oven and cook for 1.5 hours

7. Remove the pot from the oven, take out the pheasants and stir the cream and honey into the sauce.

8. Let the pheasants rest for about 10 minutes then serve with the sauce and vegetables of your choice.

The Wild and Game website is at www.wildandgame.co.uk

On Ocado Wild and Game’s pies are both priced at £3.79  https://www.ocado.com/search?entry=game%20pie

Image by Foto-Rabe www.pixabay.com.