Be careful who you gift a box of Kshocolât’s hot chocolate mix this year because they may never be satisfied with their usual mug of cocoa again. Good chocolate alone is enough to send most people spinning into bliss, but when good chocolate is blended into a heavenly drink, its extra special. Kshocolat has now added “flavour bites” to the hot-chocolate-drinking experience.
During the holidays, family and friends often make surprise visits, landing on your doorstep with arms full of presents. You might have all the ingredients for your big holiday meals ready, but what do you serve those unexpected guests? Loseley Natural foods has some suggestions for keeping your refrigerator stocked with a few supplies that will make it easier to get snacks ready in a hurry.
Had enough of those Christmas prawn cocktails? Why not try something a little different? This tasty cheese on toast with a twist can be fixed up in just a few minutes. The apple and red onion relish is easy to make, and you could double the quantities to keep some extra in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then you can make more of this delicious bite at a moment’s notice.
To help you with your party plans in a tight economy, All Bar One is offering a special deal: No booking fee, hire charge, or minimum spend. Bring in your office party and sip on fruity specialities All Bar One is famous for: warm Aspall mulled cyder, a Berrioska, or glass of smooth and spicy Zinfandel.
Emmi is Europe’s leading provider of premium Swiss dairy products, and has a long history of producing first-class speciality cheeses that are ideal for melting in fondue and Raclette. Both traditional dishes are experiencing a resurgence as we turn to comfort food in the colder weather. Fondue and Raclette are both made using Swiss cheeses, which have a good level of maturity and distinctive taste, and contain no additives or preservatives.
The clergy and food, what is it eh? Across the world priests of all denominations have been traditionally depicted as being as well fed and corpulent as a restaurant critic. It shows in the names of dishes like the Middle Eastern Imam Bayaldi, ‘the priest fainted’; either at the deliciousness or at the thought of how much olive oil went into it. And here on Santino Busciglio’s excellent menu at Number Twelve are strozzapreti, or ‘Priest Stranglers’.
Bang off Clerkenwell’s Hatton Gardens at the Hat and Tun (Hatton Tun – punny, no?) is Ed and Tom Martin’s latest addition to their empire, a funny cross between Victorian East End boozer and English country pub.
So we have the ubiquitous dark, wood-panelled walls hosting haphazard stuffed pheasant, wild boar and badger heads. Then – on the counter – a jar of pickled eggs, a tureen of cauliflower soup, mushy peas in a vat.
Nothing pleases a foodie more than opening their door to a delivery person carrying a food hamper full of everything they love. Caviar House will design a gift box exactly to your specifications, pulling fresh from their shelves just what your loved one was dreaming about as they were writing their Christmas wish list.
Eversfield Estate has gotten together with local Devon farms to put together Christmas hampers filled with local meat products and all the trimmings for Christmas meals. The Eversfield Deluxe Christmas hamper has enough home-produced organic meat to feed six-eight people for the entire holiday season.
On Wednesday, 3 December, the Black Boy Inn in Milton will offer a feast made from local produce alongside the opportunity to buy gifts directly from producers. And for this shopping trip, all under one roof, no umbrellas will be needed. The Black Boy Inn’s head chef Kevin Hodgkiss has prepared a menu using entirely local seasonal produce, including “Upton Smokeries” goose breast with berry salsa & shaken oak sweet honey mustard dressing, or “The Meat Joint” made with rosemary & redcurrant sausages. Guests will be able to try the “Country Deli” Christmas pudding or “Oxford Cheese Company” cheese board. With Homemade mince pies served with handmade Grand Marnier truffles, the dinner alone is an event not to be missed.
