Showing posts with label Christmas Gift Guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas Gift Guide. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 September 2023

How to make sure you have a great Christmas without breaking the bank

How to make sure you have a great Christmas without breaking the bank?

Make a list of every item of food and drink that you will need for your Christmas feasting and dining.

And every time you go food shopping between now and Christmas buy one of those items and tick it off your list and place the food and drink items that you are amassing in your pantry, in a large box, etc. But do check that the use by date isn't before Christmas.

But do make sure that everyone in your household know that those items are not to be eaten or drunk before Christmas.

And as for presents and gifts, why not try your hand at crafting and making very special Christmas presents for family members and friends? 

You can even buy a modestly priced wicker hampers from The Works https://www.theworks.co.uk and fill them up with goodies! These make excellent presents and leaves the lucky recipient with a very useful wicker basket, too! 

Please refer back to this blogpost to learn how you can get making and crafting 

Monday, 11 September 2023

Opies Fruits With Alcohol. Make them part of your Christmas feasting and gifting

Opies Fruits with Alcohol are genuinely vital kitchen cupboard ingredients, which according to leading chefs, pack a real punch in home styled puddings.

NEW Opies Forest Fruits with Mulled Gin provides next-level flavouring to meringues, roulades, sparkling cocktails and more, besides. An abundance of forest fruits preserved in syrup flavoured with delicately spiced Mulled Gin.

And there are some marvellous inspirational on-pack Festive recipes for flavour-filled puddings to make at home.

It's also the ideal Christmas gift solution: It makes an attractive yet affordable stocking filler gift, an addition to a home-made hamper or a festive treat for hard-to-buy for family and friends who love food and who love to cook.

Whether you're a complete novice in the kitchen or your culinary efforts can rival those of a MasterChef champ, ingredients that easily transform home-styled dishes from zero to hero are surely an absolute must-have for your pantry?

Opies collection of Fruits steeped in syrup infused with alcohol can single-handedly revolutionise your menu: changing up the simple to the sublime and the mainstream to the moreish in a matter of mere minutes! 

Opies is working with internationally respected liqueur manufacturer and trader Luxardo®, whose legacy has been enjoyed by royalty and the world's foremost bartenders and cocktail wizards. Their high-quality spirits have been impeccably paired to perfectly balance the soft, succulent fruits that Opies carefully selects from top fruit suppliers.

With a host of recipe ideas available on-line and also on the pack, these flavoursome treats can be used in recipes to replace canned or even fresh fruits to significantly raise the flavour intensity of a favourite fruity dish. 

As they have incomparable quality, it's easy to transform roulades, strudels, pavlovas, even cakes and tray bakes, with a simple switch, or enjoy simply, with a good scoop of ice-cream or a generous glug of cream. (EDITOR: That tends to be the go-to method here at That's Christmas, to be honest. Well, in the spirit of honesty it's a generous glug-glug of cream! Though you can also use vegan cream alternatives should you wish.)

This precious Luxardo® syrup can be mixed with a little bit of water to make boozy ice cubes for cocktails, warmed and combined with gelatine and champagne to create grown-up festive jellies or drizzled over meats to make an absolutely extraordinary glaze.

Not only is the collection ideal for an impromptu need to cater for unexpected but very welcome festive guests (EDITOR: That's Christmas thinks Santa might like some with his traditional mince pies?) they also offer you the perfect gifting scenario and a welcome change from the more predictable bottle of wine or a box of chocs. From teachers and neighbours to friends and family and even that last-minute overlooked gift.

Opies Fruits with Alcohol collection includes:

Decadent whole Black Cherries steeped in syrup infused with Luxardo® Kirsch, ideal for the iconic Black Forest Gateau, but also sa urprisingly tasty accompaniment to goats' cheese. Available from Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Booths, Nisa, and high-quality independent retail stores. MRSP is £7.50

Succulent Peaches steeped in syrup infused with Luxardo® 12 Year Aged Brandy, ideal for Peach Melba or a lavish twist on a prawn salad. Available from Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Booths, Nisa, and high-quality independent retail stores. MRSP £7.50

New for 2023 Forest Fruits steeped in syrup infused with Luxardo® Mulled Gin. A fine mix of redcurrants, blackberries, blackcurrants and sour cherries. With a sharpness from the fruit balanced with the warming cinnamon, nutmeg, and notes of mulled gin, they are absolutely ideal in an Eton mess or to add intensity and depth of flavour to fruit tart or a fruit pie.  Available from Sainsbury's, Booths and high-quality independent retailers. MRSP £7.50

Delightful Baby Pears steeped in syrup infused with Luxardo® Amaretto will add a very welcome twist to a traditional Tarte Tartin or dazzle in Chocolate Espresso Meringues. Available from Morrisons, Booths, Nisa and independent retail stores. MRSP £7.50

Vibrant Pineapple steeped in syrup infused with Luxardo® Spiced Rum will boost Pineapple Upside Down cake and add a welcome refreshing twist to Tiramisu. Available from independent retail stores. MRSP £7.50

Rich and opulent Baby Figs steeped in syrup infused with Luxardo® 12-year aged brandy are fantastic in Figgy Pudding and utterly tantalising in truffles. Available from independent retail stores. MRSP £7.50

The entire range can also be purchased online from www.bennettopie.com

Tuesday, 8 August 2023

Celebrate the Christmas Magic With Luscombe's 'Open Fire' and 'The Sicilian' Cocktails

Whether  you're looking to host a festive gathering, toasting with loved ones or simply unwinding after a long fun-filled day at Christmas, Luscombe's Christmas cocktails will add a wonderful touch of style to celebrations.  

Capture the spirit of the season with their cosy fireside cocktail, 'Open Fire' or citrus delight, 'The Sicilian'.  Cheers to a joyful and merry Luscombe Christmas!

Open Fire

Combining the warmth of Luscombe's famous multi-award-winning Hot Ginger Beer with rum, the sweetness of honey and chestnuts and the zing of lime, 'Open Fire' is perfect for kicking off the festive season.

Ingredients

Luscombe Hot Ginger Beer

35ml Premium Navy Strength Rum

15ml Chestnut Liqueur

15ml freshly squeezed lime

15ml runny honey 

Garnish - Lime wheel

Suggested glass - Rocks or tumbler 

Method

1. Combine the rum, chestnut liqueur, squeezed lime and runny honey into a cocktail shaker filled with ice

2. After a good shake to dissolve the honey, strain into an ice-filled tumbler

3. Top with Luscombe Hot Ginger Beer

4. Garnish with a chunky lime wheel 


The Sicilian

Blending Luscombe's traditional Sicilian Lemonade with sloe gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, 'The Sicilian' is pure joy.  It's simply Christmas in a glass. 

Ingredients

Luscombe Sicilian Lemonade

35ml Premium Sloe Gin

20ml Campari 

20ml Sweet Vermouth 

Garnish - Clove-studded orange peel

Suggested glass - Rocks / tumbler 

Method

1. Stud a long slice of orange peel with cloves, don't be shy with the cloves!

2. Put the sloe gin, Campari and sweet vermouth in a mixing glass with ice and stir for a good 15 seconds

3. Strain into a rocks glass with the studded orange and lots of ice

4. Top with Luscombe Sicilian Lemonade

5. Give the drink one last little stir for luck and to get the cloves working

Luscombe

Luscombe is the proud holder of a Royal Warrant, over 100 Great Taste Awards from the Guild of Fine Food and was the first drinks brand to gain organic accreditation from the Soil Association. 

Passionate about crafting exceptional tasting premium organic drinks, they source the finest quality organic whole fruits from trusted growers around the world. Luscombe expertly blends these with their own source of Dartmoor spring water to create their range of fruit juices, crushes, bubblies, tonic waters and mixers. 

Owner and founder, Gabriel David, is justifiably famed for his pursuit of perfection and no compromise approach to creating an elegant and multi-award-winning range of drinks.  The team takes great pride that all of their drinks are made from gently pressed organic ingredients, picked at their ripest in the climates where they grow best.

For further information visit luscombe.co.uk or follow Luscombe on Instagram: luscombedrinks or 'Like' on Facebook.