Food News – December 2013

Before I sign off for Christmas I just thought I’d bring you one last Food News for the year.

WhyNut

I was recently sent a selection of products from WhyNut and I have to say that my favourites so far are their Green Pistachios which are harvested early and steam peeled to reveal their beautiful green colour. Better still they taste absolutely amazing too. My other favourite product is the Green Pistachio Paste which you can add to so many different dishes and bakes. I put these two products into my recent recipes for Chocolate & Pistachio Wreath and also my Chocolate & Pistachio Mousse. I’m very glad to have discovered WhyNut and look forward to using the Hazlenut Paste too.

Scrummy Organics

To date I’ve always turned down reviewing boxes of food which turn up once a month without fully knowing the content as you might find yourself not wanting to cook the dishes the ingredients were intended for. So when Scrummy Organics approached me I felt completely different as they send out boxes of organic healthy snacks which you and your family can just eat. All the items in the box were of top quality and my children particularly enjoyed eating them. I was amazed when my daughter took a liking to the cute little boxes of raisins, she usually avoids raisins like the plague but these were really moist and she really loves the concept of organic produce! I remember when my kids were toddlers I would go into the health food shop and buy little fruit bar snacks for them occasionally and here they all are in one box as well as nuts, chocolate and biscuits! I think this box would be ideal for a student living away from home, an elderly person or just a family wanting to eat healthier organic snacks. The box I was sent was a personal one which costs £15 a month but they come in varying sizes so do go and check out Scrummy Organics for more information.

Rekorderlig

I had read a awful lot about Rekorderlig Cider but had never tried it so when I was given the opportunity to sample their Premium Winter Cider I jumped at it as cider is my drink of choice! The bottle said it could be served hot or cold and I would have liked to try it both ways but as I was sharing it with my husband I wasn’t going to heat up a quarter of a bottle of cider. So we had it cold and I must say it has a really smooth delicate quality which I think is down to the Swedish spring water and the cinnamon and vanilla flavours are not over powering but just enough to put you in a festive mood. I can now see why this brand seems so popular and if anyone is visiting me this Christmas and New Year don’t bring wine, bring Rekorderlig (please)!

A 500ml bottle of Rekorderlig retails for about £2.25.

Taylor & Colledge

Taylor & Colledge, of Australia, were lovely enough to send me a whole range of their finest quality organic vanilla products recently and I couldn’t have been happier. So far I have buried one of the Vanilla Beans in a container of castor sugar as I love the added dimension that vanilla brings to my bakes etc and the smell is amazing. I have also tried out the Vanilla Bean Paste in my Chocolate & Pistachio Wreath which gave a lovely back drop of flavour to this festive bread. Using top quality ingredients in your cooking/baking makes such a difference so do reach out for some Taylor & Colledge vanilla when you’re next out shopping (I have seen it in Waitrose)!

So it just remains for me to wish you all  a Very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. Thank you for all your lovely comments which really do mean the world to me and taking the time to show me the dishes you’ve re-created during the year. I look forward to pushing my culinary boundaries with you next year!

Best wishes

Camilla

xxx

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