Archive For The “Food and Drink” Category
The Lebanese Cookbook: Exploring the food of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan is another well-written and beautifully illustrated volume from author Ghillie Basan. It truly is a Middle-Eastern culinary journey which offers surprisingly accessible recipes. This oft-war-torn region has a rich and colourful culture and that includes its cuisine. Ghillie has penned this Gourmand World Cookbook…
A rosé summer There can be nothing better than a mellow summer evening. We enjoy light drinks and equally light food. Delicate salmon hues are found in both flowers and wine. The weather is warm but we hope the wine is chilled, and we would be delighted if the bottle was a blushing Minuty Prestige…
10th-19th September 2021 Heritage Open Days (HODs), England’s largest festival of history and culture, will return in September. This year, with support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, HODs is celebrating England’s culinary customs. Each year, places across the country throw open their doors and give people the chance to see hidden places and try…
Charlottes Brown’s Dumpsie Dearie Jam Dumpsie Dearie sounded to me just like the shouts of mums to a toddler who has scraped a knee on the pavement or had a fall from the park slide. Dumpsie Dearie is in fact a jam which is both delicious and Victorian. Nobody seems to know the origin of…
200 traditional plant-based recipes India has had a long tradition of vegan and vegetarian cooking and its dishes are as diverse as its regions and its people. Indian Vegan & Vegetarian: 200 traditional plant-based recipes reflects that tasty tapestry. This is a hefty gift-quality volume which will gladden the epicurean heart of any Indian food…
What do you do to treat the special woman in your life? Give chocolates? Always acceptable. Offer flowers? Yes, that’s charming. Do the washing up? Now you are talking! But how about some old-fashioned pampering? A pairing of a Long Barn lavender candle and soap with a glass of Pommery English sparking wine on the…
I am not a great cereal eater. Bowls of sugary floating goods first thing in the morning just doesn’t appeal. I am an adult and left such pleasures behind several decades ago. Grandma Crunch has an alternative with added benefits. This is indeed a grown-up snack which one could enjoy with milk or without. Grandma…
Giddy Nibbles are delicious savoury cookies. These unique biscuits are the inspired brainchild (or is that children?) of two friends who love baking. The range of tempting savoury goodies adds so much to a cheese and fruit platter at the end of a dinner party. None of your usual dry Scandinavian crackers here. Or they…
Scottish Gin offers a taste of the coast in sustainable packaging Pictured – Rock Rose Citrus Coastal Edition: “If you close your eyes, you can picture being on one of the most beautiful stretches of the UK shoreline.” Dunnet Bay Distillers, located on the Scottish coast, has released its new Rock Rose Gin Citrus Coastal…
21-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky It’s days like these when I love my job. Spirit tasting and evaluating becomes a pleasure. It’s summer and we are enjoying some very hot days, but somehow Berry Bros. & Rudd – The Perspective Series 1 Blended Scotch Whisky has this sipper conjuring a leather armchair, log fire and shelves…
Haskap berries are the nutrition industry’s best-kept secret and are set to be the biggest superfood trend for Summer 2021. Don’t worry if you have never heard of it. I had not either, but I am glad to have had the introduction. Haskap berries really do have health benefits. They have one of the highest…
It is that time of year when we are all enjoying the great outdoors, which must mean tucking in to picnics with gusto too … hurray! And as the mode du jour for 2021 is bringing the inside out…it is not only food that we can grow for our dining table in the sun, but…
Bring Italy to your kitchen with over 80 quick and delicious recipes. Perfect Pasta at Home is perhaps the most deliciously practical cookbook I have reviewed in quite a while. Many of us are finding cash a bit tight these days but we have had months of rediscovering the hob, and we want to continue…
The name Aquavit has its roots in the Latin aqua vitae, meaning “water of life”, just like brandy being referred to as eau-de-vie. The name comes from early distillers believing spirits had healing qualities. It was thought to help ward off both disease and old age! I am not sure that works, but these days…
itsu’s NEW supermarkets products I love itsu! They never disappoint and they have just launched some new temptations. lucky katsu hotsu’potsu (Tesco, RRP £2.75) hotsu’potsu brings you a steaming gyoza noodle soup ready in minutes, featuring itsu’s best-selling vegetable fusion gyoza, authentic rice noodles, vegetables and a hand-crafted katsu broth. Simply add water and…
Summer Cocktails made with ‘The Properly Improper Gin’ Summer nights call for The Properly Improper Gin, Brockmans, and some new fruit-filled cocktail recipes to make evenings a little unconventional, a little different, and a great deal of fun. The Brockmans Gin mixologists have developed two cocktails designed for those who shy away from the conventional….
Its Dad’s special day, although every day should be Fathers Day. He loves cocktails and the weather (we hope) will be conducive to some interesting libations in the garden. CAMPARI is a classic and it’s versatile, so a bottle of this red delight will likely tick a lot of beverage boxes – and earn you…
A cocktail companion It’s really summer now. We are enjoying a little more freedom but we have learnt a thing or two over this past year. We have discovered what that extra room is for. It’s called a kitchen and it came with the house. Now we spend time there baking, cooking and exploring cocktails….
English Wine Week now officially marks the start of summer as it falls across the Summer Solstice and Midsummer Day, from 19th to 27th June 2021. It’s been a long, cold and wet spring and we are all ready to celebrate. Champagne Pommery is doing just that with its English sparkling wine, Louis Pommery England….
wagamama launches new cook at home range with a commitment to donate all of their profits to mental health charity partner YoungMinds wagamama announces the launch of an exciting new cook at home range with all their profits to be donated to charity partner YoungMinds. The new range was inspired by the overwhelmingly positive fan…