Go nuts, bit in a Liberating way, with Tesco, this Christmas

Everyone loves to have some nuts on the table at Christmas! It's a tradition that dates back hundreds of years, perhaps more.

This year Tesco and Liberation Foods have put their thinking caps on and produced a truly delicious product that might cause a bit of a kerfuffle around the nut bowl. Well, it is if our Taste Testers were anything to go by! It was a race to see who could finish off the honey and cinnamon caramelised peanuts, the sugar coated almonds or the Brazil nuts, the cashews and the flame raisins! My own personal flavourite (sorry. Truly dreadful pun, there! was the honey and cinnamon caramelised peanuts.

Not only do these nuts taste jolly good, they are also better from a sustainability point of view, also. Liberation Foods is the Fairtrade nut company owned by farming groups in countries like: Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Incidentally, many of the nuts in the packet come from countries where Christmas is celebrated, but often in a more devoutly religious way than in the UK.

The 225g bags costs £3.00 and is worth every penny!

Castle Maclellan Pates for your Christmas table

Nearly 30 years ago Castle Maclellan began making pates in a modest way. They were sold in a local delicatessen. Eventually, however, more and more people began demanding their fine pates. Their fame spread as well as their pates spread, far and wide.

30 years on and now they are a major force in the speciality foods market not only in their native Scotland, but also throughout the rest of the UK, too.

Their products are available via high end delicatessens, major food retailers and also some farm shops, too.

Available are: Chicken Liver Pâté with Scottish heather honey, Rannoch Smoked Duck Pâté with Bramley apple jelly, Scottish Smoked Salmon Pâté, with lemon juice & horseradish, Oven Roasted Mushroom Pâté with garlic & thyme, Duck Pâté With Port,  Smoked Salmon Terrine, Chicken Pâté With Brandy.

All are delicious and have full-bodied, no nonsense flavours! There is none of the “with a hint of…” about Castle Maclellan products! If it says it contains port or brandy, then you can taste the high quality port or brandy in them. To be honest, I was wowed by the intense combination of the chicken flavour and the brandy flavour in the chicken pate with brandy.

Served on small slices of toast for your guests at a Christmas or New Year party, or served on full slices of toast for a Christmas or Boxing Day breakfast, you will find that the full flavours of the Maclellan products burst forth and will really make the meal what it should be.

But beware, your guests will always expect Castle Maclellan products to be on the table. The worrying question is: “Could you really bear to party with them and let your guests have them?” The answer from our team of taste testers was: “Only if we like our guests very much indeed!”

So, there you have it. Castle Maclellan products. Only to be served to people you know and love! But isn’t that the way? We love to serve special foods to the special people in our lives. And what could be more special than Castle Macellan, the finest of fine foods?

www.castlemaclellan.co.uk

Benedictine DOM for Christmas

My wife has a family recipe for Benedictine DOM. Two measures of Benedictine DOM and two measures of warm water and a cube of ice.

This, her uncle told my wife, will cure just about anything! And I must admit that the usual pre-Christmas bug was quickly helped on its way with several glasses of the family recipe! I am not sure which of the nearly 30 herbs and spices did the trick, but it certainly worked!

You can enjoy the warming, sensuous characteristics of  Benedictine by itself, or with water, or on the rocks.

You might also enjoy a Cafe Benedictine, which is two measures of Benedictine and four measures of coffee, topped off with some whipped cream, or some thick pouring cream, if you'd rather.

Or you can try your hand at the Old Fashioned Benedictine. Take two drops of Angostura Bitters, two measures of Benedictine and two bar spoons of sugar.

You add the sugar the bitters and half a shot of Benedictine into a glass. Stir for one minute until the sugar is dissolved.

Add an ice cube, stir for one minute.

Add a shot of Benedictine and two more ice cubes. Stir for two minutes.

Then add another half shot of Benedictine with two more ice cubes. Stir for two minutes, then serve with extra ice if required. You can garnish with a twist of orange peel.

Do it right this Christmas! Use Thousand Island Dressing!

Thousand Island Dressing Light is fat free and will add more than a little pizazz to your Christmas and New Year party starters!

If you want to make a prawn salad that is perfection on a plate, or produce a potato salad that would grace the table of any of the TC chefs (well, in our dreams!) or if you want to do something really creative with some turkey leftovers, then Kraft Thousand Island Dressing Light will do this and much, much more for you!

And don't forget, there are several other delicious chef's helpers in the Light range: Herb and Garlic, Honey and Mustard, Balsamic, Caesar, French and Italian. Why not buy them all in your last big Christmas shop and really go to town on the starters?

drinks21 Serves Up ‘Must Have’ Drinks Cabinet Essentials with new online shop

www.drinks21.com kicks has launched  an enviable range of premium and super-premium ‘handpicked’ alcholic drinks carefully tried, tested and selected from ‘seasoned’ authentic producers located around the world. Exclusive to drinks21.com include Heavy Water Vodka (one of the purest Scandinavian vodkas available) and the cool refreshing taste of ABK6 Ice Cognac.

From limited edition ‘rare finds’ to more popular quality brands, drinks21.com serves up a ‘menu’ of boutique spirits, Champagnes and wines for those looking to stimulate their palate with a taste of the unexpected.

Winter 2012 drinks cabinet essentials as recommended by Gail Graham

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Porsche Design Chiller– £200

Made from brushed steel and PU leather trim, this bottle of award winning Johnnie Walker Blue Label is showcased within a sophisticated limited edition Porsche design ice chiller and contains a blend of rarest malts and most superior grains, matured to their peak. Very limited availability

Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Brut Gold NV - £225

The Brut Gold cuvée is a blend of the grape varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, making use of only Premier Cru and Grand Cru rated grapes.

A host of celebrities have shown their support for Armand de Brignac Gold.

Heavy Water Vodka - £30

Handcrafted in Sweden to an old Norwegian recipe, this exceptional Scandinavian vodka combines the purest water from a subterranean lake formed in the ice age with Scandinavian winter wheat.

Distilled not less than five times to create smoothness with rich crisp flavours on the palate, the award winning Heavy Water Vodka has a distinct in-built aeration rod which infuses oxygen into every pour. Launched in the UK earlier this year by drinks21.

ABK6 Ice Cognac - £40

New to the UK by drinks21, this Cognac should be served in a tumbler over several cubes of ice to maximise flavour explosion. Ice Cognac (40% vol) marries suave and subtle notes of fruits and evolves towards fresh aromas such as zesty lemon sorbet and the coolness of mint.

Showcased in a pearly white 70cl bottle boasting an elegant design with shiny white and golden frieze detail to inject a ‘Marie Antoinette’ sophisticated chic-ness, Ice Cognac will be appreciated by both connoisseurs and amateurs alike.

Penfolds Bin 620, 2008: £1,000

An iconic wine, this is the first release of this particular Penfolds wine since 1966. Coonawarra was blessed with a great vintage when the earlier-ripening Shiraz could be blended with the later-ripening Cabernet to highlight the best of both varieties, and their synergistic union. The brilliantly clear, deep purple-crimson colour is an enticing start, and the seamless fruit and oak integration on the bouquet is perfect. Complex cedar and cigar box aromas are entwined with a basket of perfectly ripened black fruits. The palate is exceptionally intense, yet supremely elegant, with immaculate balance, texture, structure, line and length. Its outstanding tannins give the wine a certain authority.

Penfolds Bin 620 2008 is 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Shiraz. It was matured 12 months in new oak hogshead, 57% French and 43% American, and bottled in July 2009. Extremely limited availability worldwide

Lourensford Winemakers Selection Chardonnay 2011- £12

Produced from the vineyards of Stellenbosch, South Africa, this gold medal winner at the 2012 International Wine Challenge invites a Brazil nut creaminess on the nose, plenty of buttery, oatmeal lees richness and lots of crunchy apple fruit. In the mouth, a joyous ripeness to the fruit, edging into the pineapple and mango range, but the apple, pear and lemon core of fruit and acidity drives through. A real find!

Pio Cesare Barolo - £45

Awarded 93 points by Decanter magazine, Pio Cesare Barolo boats lovely dark fruits, nice acidity and softening tannins coupled with a nut and leather finish. A real Autumnal wine, warming and full bodied. Will continue to mature.

Seasonal Snacks from Penn State

Penn State know a great deal about snacks. They produce American style pretzels.

They are ideal for munching whilst watching Christmas TV specials, for serving as part of a festive buffet or for enjoying as part of a salad.

Penn State has something very special to offer us, this Christmas. Deliciously moreish Maple Bacon flavour pretzel knots are an ideal savoury snack which, despite the lovely bacon flavour, is also fine for vegetarians, too.

And then there is the Original Salted Giant Stars! The glaze on them is delicious and the crystals of salt are delightful little surprises as you nibble your way through this festive treat!

I find both types irresistible!

Incidentally, Penn State pretzels are low in salt, so are a little bit more of a healthy option than you might expect!

They are both available in large sharing bags at £1.40 each, in Asda.

Coffee from Jamaica is a must for Christmas

I have to admit that before I became aware of Sea Island Coffee, I had been woefully ignorant of the strong tradition of coffee growing in Jamaica.

Sea Island Coffee is a genuine gold medal winning coffee, having won "Great Taste Gold" in both 2010 and again this year, 2012.

The first thing one notices about Sea Island Coffee Clifton Mount Estate Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee is the deliciously strong, yet subtly mellow aroma of this finest of fine coffees.

The taste has a strong character, yet it is also paradoxically extremely smooth in the mouth and on the tongue.

There is also a creamy note to it in the after taste that takes this coffee and sets it apart from most other coffees.

It is pleasant with a meal, after a meal, before a meal or at any time of the day when you just want to know that you are indulging in coffee excellence.

Whilst I have to say that this coffee is ideal for Christmas, the truth is it is ideal at any time of the year. A fantastic drink when you come back from a brisk walk in the snow, and an equally fantastic drink on the patio at the height of summer!

Incidentally, the coffee is roasted and packed within the U.K.

To learn more visit www.seaislandcoffee.com.