Guaranteed to put a sparkle in your Christmas! Terlingham sparkling Rose!

If you want a bottle of sparkling wine made to the old traditional method, do you have to use the same old wines? No, you don't! Now you can try something which has the right level of dry, crispy snap, the same effervescent zing, yet does not have to cost the Earth!

And which, believe it or not, actually comes from the Garden of England, beautiful Kent! The Terlingham Vineyard & Winery of Terlingham Lane, Hawkinge, Kent, CT18 7AE produce a whole range of very interesting and very palatable and very pleasing wines.

But their particular wine that we are interested in for this review is their sparkling rose wine.

Their sparkling rose wine is a very worthy holder of the term rose. It is made from a Champagne blend of Chardonnay (40%), Pinot noir (40%) and Pinot meunier (20%).

It is a delicate shade of pink and although bubbly it is not too gassy.

Is there a hint of Kentish orchards and soft fruits? The slight sensation of a hot summer's day? Yes, there is. Although it is described as a dry wine, it does have a delicate sweet undertone to it.

It makes an ideal drink with Christmas dinner or to welcome in the New Year or just to celebrate the arrival of friends and family for the Christmas festivities!

Visit www.terlinghamvineyard.co.uk or call +44 1303 892452 .

It is priced at £16.65 a bottle (box of six bottles a very reasonable £83.90.

Their equally delightful sparkling white wine costs exactly the same.

Adopt a Pony for Christmas

The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust performs a valuable, indeed vital, role in preserving Dartmoor Ponies on Dartmoor.

Their work is important but it costs money for them to operate. This is where you can help. The Trust is offering a special “A Dartmoor Pony Adoption Gift Pack”.

It is perfect for anyone, no matter what their age, who loves horses and ponies, but for whom owning one of their own is just not a realistic proposition.

And at this time of year it makes an ideal Christmas gift, too! You can adopt a pony and follow its progress all the year round.

The cost is just £20 per year for UK residents: £25 for those who live abroad. The Adoption Pack includes a beautiful line drawing and an adoption certificate and you’ll also receive updates on the development and progress of the pony you have chosen over the following year.

The pony you adopt, whether male or female, will be one of a small traditional herd cared for at the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust Centre, at Parke. These ponies are for everyone to enjoy and here you will be able to visit them all year, find out all about them, follow their interesting lives, discover their true value and how important they are to the Dartmoor landscape.

If you are interested in adopting a Dartmoor Heritage Pony please visit www.dpht.co.uk or phone 01626 833234.

Oon, Two Three... Go! Your child can be a Unique Christmas Superhero!

Want a really neat idea for a good Christmas gift for your kids? They can now create their ‘Oon’ secret identity with the stylish silver SwooperCape!

Unleash your kid’s inner super powers at Christmas with the matching mask and SwooperSonic wristbands on www.miioon.com, creators of the innovative Ruckjack.

The safe, online experience enables kids, encouraging them to use their own imagination and inspiration, but with a little assistance from the loveable, and sometimes rascally Oons, who will act as their guides on the Miioon.com website.

The kids can customise their SwooperCape by guiding a mouse over the Oons so they can personally brand them with their own initials and emblems. Eyes pop open and reveal a choice of colour palettes and letters!

Miioon.com aims to please children, parents and grandparents with a product and customer experience that pleases everyone.

They have created a safe, controlled environment where kids enjoy creative freedom and can express their individuality. But in a safe way. Priced at £15.99, SwooperCape delivers quality, yet at a price that will not make the bank manager cry!

The SwooperCape and matching SwooperSonic wristbands are available for 3-12 year olds and are despatched within 48 hours. Adjustable velcro on the wrists and neck means one size fits all maybe even some big kids, too!

And do watch out for www.Miioon.com on Nickelodeon!

Ideal Christmas present for Music Lovers

The ideal Christmas present for the music lovers in your life is the Now That's What I Call Music ! Trivia Box.

It's aimed at people 12 years of age and older and can be played by two or more people.

It's nicely packaged in a box (that's why it is called a Trivia Box!) and contains 189 question cards, 20 picture cards and a set of the rules that carefully explain how to play the game.

It's ideal for fans of popular music and there are 100s of trivia questions for them to get their teeth in to after the Christmas pud has been demolished and the turkey is being readied for the Boxing Day sandwiches!

It is produced by Imagination and is available from all good retailers including Amazon at £12.50.

Let's talk Turkey with Jimmy's Farm

Traditionally-reared turkeys from Jimmy’s Farm have been voted the UK’s best in a blind tasting.

The free-range birds saw off competition from the industry’s finest to win ‘Best Christmas Premium Product’ at the Turkey of the Year awards 2012.

Judges, who unanimously voted for Jimmy’s turkeys, praised the birds’ stand-out texture and taste. One said: “It was so moreish I couldn’t stop eating it.”

Jimmy Doherty said: “I am so proud of this achievement. Our turkeys are a slow-growing breed and their feed is based on locally grown cereals and vegetable protein. There are no additives, drugs or growth promoters in their feed, as we believe it is much better to rear them the natural way.”

The shortlist included Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Free Range Woodland Norfolk Black Turkey and Copas Free Range Bronze Turkey.

Judges included Christine Parsons, food writer Chat magazine, Julia Glotz, fresh foods editor The Grocer, Sheila Eggleston, editor of Stockpot as well as two members of the public who won a place on the panel via the British Turkey website. 

Jimmy continued: “To make sure our turkeys are the very best, our birds are hand plucked and then hung in a chilled environment for at least 14 days to develop an even fuller flavour.”

Turkeys are available to order on line at www.jimmysfarm.com or call the farm office on 01473 604206.

(EDITOR: Our taste team were fortunate enough to enjoy a free range turkey from Jimmy's Farm. We soon became aware that what we thought we knew about turkey meat was almost entirely wrong!

Think turkey meat is dry and crumbly? Not from this bird! The meat was firm, moist and succulent. Have problems carving a turkey? Not with this bird! Perfect slices every time.

And four out of four members of the That's Christmas Taste Team declared it the most tasty turkey they have ever eaten. But don't take our word for it. Visit Jimmy's website or give the farm office a call on the above number.)

Check out the Boots Star Gift Offer This week!

It's a Champneys Complete Home Spa Better than half price at Boots UK for one week only!

Let’s give glowing skin to the special women in our life this Christmas. 

This week’s Boots ‘Star Gift’, the Champneys Complete Home Spa, is better than half price at only £24 (it's usually priced at £50) for one week only (from 23rd–29th November), so she can indulge in some ‘me time’ and recreate her own spa-at-home. This is the perfect gift to soothe, revitalise and give a head to toe pampering treat.

This collection of Champneys Spa treatments contain coconut, mandarin, lemon and sweet almond oil - the perfect ingredients to give women the complete spa indulgence sensation at home. Let’s give gifts that keep on giving glowing skin all year through!

Champneys Complete Home Spa includes:

• Citrus Blush Body Scrub (200g)
• Citrus Blush Body Lotion (200ml)
• Skin Comforting Shower Cream (200ml)
• Skin Comforting Bath Milk (300ml)
• Skin Comforting Body Butter (175ml)
• Body Polisher
• Drawstring bag

If you know someone who would love to receive the Champneys Complete Home Spa on Christmas morning then head to Boots from Friday 23rd November or visit www.boots.com to purchase the item at this bargain price, but hurry as the offer is only available while stocks last.

And that’s not all, there are plenty of other weekly Christmas offers to be snapped up instore or online across fragrance, electrical and beauty:

Better than half price from 23rd – 29thNovember

John Frieda Straightener - transform your hair and create smoothness and shine with this salon performance hair straightener that neutralises static and controls frizz. Just £38.99 (normal price £79.99) or redeem with 3,899 Boots Advantage Card points.

Braun 380 Shaver – offers an incredibly close smooth shave, with 30% less skin irritation and an improved Triple Action FreeFloat system to easily deal with 3 day beards. Just £64.99 (usual price £139.99) or redeem with 6,499 Boots Advantage Card points.

£35 and under

Versace Bright Crystal Eau De Toilette, 30ml – with delicate and dreamy notes of juicy Pomegranate, Peony and Lotus flowers, will leave you smelling divine. Only £21 (usually £32) or redeem with 2,100 Boots Advantage Card points.

Versace Man Eau Fraiche Eau De Toilette, 50ml – with notes of lemon, rosewood, star fruit, cedar leaves, tarragon, sage, musk, amber and sycamore wood. Only £24 (usually £37) or redeem with 2,400 Boots Advantage Card points.

Plus, with the Boots Mega Weekend, from Friday 23rd until Monday 26th November, customers can collect triple Boots Advantage Card points when you spend £30 or more in-store, or £60 online. That’s an amazing 12 points per £1, so whether you fancy indulging in a glam lipstick or a heavenly bubble bath, take advantage of this fantastic offer and treat yourself too this Christmas!

Customer evenings

The Boots Customer Evening is taking place in store from 12pm on Wednesday 28th November or Thursday 29th November, so come down and join in the fun!

Get that all-important inspiration for your Christmas shopping by browsing the extensive range of gifts that Boots UK has to offer, by taking a bit of well-deserved ‘me time’ and come along to the Boots Customer Evening Event! You can receive £12 worth of Boots Advantage Card points when you spend £50 in store or £75 online giving you the perfect excuse to treat yourself whilst ticking off your Christmas list!

Enjoy a free drink on arrival, as well as demonstrations and glam makeovers. There will also be the opportunity to win a girls comedy weekend in London filled with gossip, giggles and gorgeous. Boot's will treat you and a friend to a make-up lesson at the Benefit Beauty Bar, a night in a boutique hotel and tickets to a top London comedy night. Don’t forget to take away a free copy of the Christmas gift guide on your way out too! (EDITOR: Might not be available in all branches, check which branches are participating.)

Get California Almonds for Christmas!

Everyone has nuts at Christmas. And almost everyone loves Almonds. But is every Almond equal? The answer is, no. They are not.

To ensure you get some really good, tasty and wholesome Almonds, you would be better off insisting on only genuine California Almonds.

Californians are very passionate about the food and drink they consume. They are also equally passionate about the food and drinks they produce and export all over the USA and to the rest of the world.

That's one of the reasons why they created the Almond Board of California, to ensure that only the best tasting Almonds are produced by the nut farmers of  California.

To learn more about Californian nuts such as snack tips and delicious recipes the California Almond Board have launched a UK website at www.almondboard.co.uk.