Muscadet Sevre et Maine

Muscadet Sevre et Maine is an excpetionally good white wine. It is not too sweet, yet nor is it too dry.

It is deliciously fruity undertones and a compelling finishing in the mouth.

It can be drunk with friends after a hard day's Christmas shopping, at a party or at Christmas dinner, in the opinion of this wine taster. My opinions tend to vary from other wine tasters or tasters as I go by what I like, not what tradition dictates!

To find out more, visit www.chereau-carre.fr

Crosta and Mollica Biscuits and Italian flatbreads

From the famed Piemonte region of Italy, come Crosta and Mollica biscuits and Italian flatbreads.

The biscuits are light and buttery (ideal if you want some special biscuits but want something a little lighter than the traditional shortbread biscuits) and will be a welcome addition to anyone's Christmas time dining table.

Or ideal if you want some nice biscuit treats for the coffee table when you are watching the Queen's Speech on Christmas afternoon.

For an extra and slightly naughty treat, dip them in some Port for a truly decadent taste sensation. I did not believe how good this would be until I tried it. It really is delicious!

And as for the flatbreads? These are light and tasty and, as they are made with olive oil, very healthy, too. (Traditional Italian flatbreads are made with lard, you see.)

What to do with flatbreads at Christmas? Ideal with some turkey or ham slices, perhaps with some crumbled cheese. Or some Mozzarella.

To learn more please visit www.crostamollica.com

Prepare for Christmas with the Festive Gift Fair

The wondrous Festive Gift Fair will be back at the Birmingham NEC later this month, from 22 – 25 November.

Half the fun of Christmas is finding unusual and perfect gifts.  If you like a lot of choice, this is the Christmas Fair for you!  There are amazing special show offers, wonderful fabulous ideas and gifts from the affordable to the exotic.

You do not have to do lots of hard work tracking down that elusive, perfect Christmas gift. Because the Gift Fair organisers have done it all for you!

They have brought together in one place 325 stalls, just crammed to bursting point with literally thousands of neat gifts for all ages and tastes.  And this year there are 100 plus new firms attending.

There's even a present crèche so you can leave your goodies in safe hands, whilst you continue to browse and buy or whilst you have a well-deserved meal!

And to add to the truly festive spirit you can enjoy the great music from a variety of Christmas musical entertainment – from live bands, choirs and brass bands.    

It's the The 17th Festive Gift Fair and you have to know that it promises to be a 'Showstopper' of an event, so head along to Birmingham’s NEC to find a gift and tick your list!

What's there?

• Crafts
• Christmas Decorations
• Games, Toys and Stocking Fillers
• Food & Drink
• Gifts for Cooks & Gardeners
• Fashion, Handbags & Jewellery
• Health & Beauty Gifts
• Baby Gifts
• Decorative Accessories for the Home
• Gadgets
• And much, much more!

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW and prepare for some GREAT Christmas Shopping at The Festive Gift Fair open 09.30 – 17.00 from Thursday 22nd – Sunday 25th November.

For more information on Exhibitors and Visiting the Fair, visit www.festivegiftfair.co.uk .   Save money by booking in advance – adult tickets are just £8.50.

Book by phone by calling The Ticket Factory on 0844 581 0808/0809

Or Book online at www.theticketfactory.com

Gallo Wines, for the perfect accompaniment for Christmas

With Turkey: Barefoot Merlot

The perfect combo of cherry, boysenberry, plum and chocolate flavours. Raised right, it’s well rounded with mild tannins.

The Barefoot Wine range has a RRP of £6.69 and the 7 varietals are Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato, Merlot, Shiraz, White Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, Barefoot Wine is now available at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Co-op, across the convenience channel and in an increasing number of pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants. www.barefootwine.com  www.barefootwine.com

Christmas Pudding: Gallo Moscato 

This sweet light to medium-bodied wine has flavours of juicy peach, citrus, pineapple and orange blossom, which complement a crisp, refreshing finish. 

Gallo Moscato has a RRP of £6.79 and will be available from UK retailers including ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Co-op. Please visit www.gallofamily.co.uk/moscato for more information.

(EDITOR: These wines are also perfect for unwinding with once the children are in bed on Christmas Eve, or when listening to Christmas Carols on the radio. These are some pretty awesome wines from the Gallo family of California.)

Weanie Beans goes for Christmas

Award winning, artisan coffee company Weanie Beans, has unveiled its range of distinctive and delicious Christmas products, proving itself to be a cut above the rest when it comes to innovation and quirkiness, while keeping its own blend of hand-roasted coffee at the heart of every product.

From unique gift sets to moreish coffee blends, mulled drinks parcels to stocking-filling confectionery, spoil your loved-ones this holiday season with a tantalising offering designed to suit every palette. With prices ranging from just £3.00 for Chocolate Coffee Beans to £30 for the legendary Camping Coffee Kit, Weanie Beans makes the perfect purse-friendly gift this Christmas. Further information on all of the Weanie Beans Christmas range along with all prices are available from the official website.

Here's an example of what they can do for you to help you spice up your party this Christmas:

Gift Set of Chilli Hot Chocolate, Mulled Wine Bouquets, Mulled Cider Parcels and Chilli Chocolate Almonds.

Get your party started with a kick! This Gift Set is all you need for some grown up festivities. We've put in the effort to make delicious mulled wine or mulled cider so you don’t have to - just pop a parcel in a pan with your booze or fruit juice of your choice, and you have perfect mulled drinks every time. For the non-drinkers, there is a proper grown up hot chocolate with our chilli hot chocolate and nibbles to get your guests talking. (£22)

To find out about the entire range visit their website at  http://tinyurl.com/bmyussl

For a perfect Christmas you need Kitchen Devils

 …...Eight knives a chopping, two scissors snipping and a sharpening steel in the top drawer...

Whilst your true love might not have a kitchen knife at the top of their Christmas list, it makes sense to get kitted out with Kitchen Devils in the lead up to the big event. 

Whilst Kitchen Devils can't promise lords a leaping or swans a swimming, they can promise super sharp knives, with a 15 year guarantee that are comfortable to use and easy to look after.

The clever folk at Kitchen Devils have a selection of six little devils all at heavenly prices that will help with any festive dilemmas.

Kitchen Devils Carving Set, £19.49 – don't hack at the turkey with a bread knife use a  Kitchen Devils carving set and make a proper job of it. (EDITOR: The slices look better and there's a reduced risk in the calls to A&E caused by 'wrong sort of knife' accidents!)

Kitchen Devils Vegetable Knife, £7.99 – sprouts and parsnips, carrots and potatoes the list goes on and this super sharp little knife is up for the challenge.

Kitchen Devils Large Cook's Knife, £12.49 – this fabulous all rounder can tackle anything – chopping, slicing,  dicing and mincing.

Kitchen Devils Kitchen Scissors, £11.49 – snipping sausages, bacon, sage, parsley, smoked salmon, string around the pudding and troublesome packaging too – how does anyone manage without kitchen scissors.

Kitchen Devils Sharpening Steel, £12.99 – get all your knives in tip top condition with a few sweeps on the steel.

Kitchen Devils Bread Knife, £12.99 – turkey sandwiches anyone? Need we say more!

The Kitchen Devils range is available at  Asda, Tesco, Lakeland, Amazon, Dunelm Mill and independent kitchen and hardware stores or go to www.kitchendevils.net

Monks Delight Cider A taste for Christmas

Although best known for it’s strong, clear ciders, Biddenden vineyards also produces a spiced mulling cider – Monk’s Delight. This cider is spiced with a blend of cinnamon and honey, and is ideally served warmed, offering a lighter alternative to mulled wine. The cider is perfect as a hot toddy on a cold evening.

The cider is available direct from the vineyard shop, online at www.biddendenvineyards.com and from selected outlets across the South East.

You can call the vineyard direct on 01580 291726.