The One a unique British Isles spirit

For the first time in centuries, there are distilleries all over the British Isles, where experts in this ancient and revered craft (some even argue that its origins lie deep within the religion of the early British tribes) are now crafting and creating some very fine whiskies. Some very fine whiskies, indeed!

But then along came the Lakes Distillery in the English Lake District. A small, traditional, yet modern, distillery with a fairly unique take on things.

They fell to thinking and pondering. What if...? What if...? What if they went to all of the distilleries in the British Isles... and what if they brought together the best of the best of these different whiskies?

And what if... they spent month after month blending and tasting again and again until, finally, the had created a veritable admixture that would be justifiably called The One, combining the best  of all the British Isles whiskies?

And that is it. That's exactly what The One is.

Before we start, a question. So, after all that work what does it taste like? Did all that effort pay off?

That's actually two questions and I'll answer the second question first, for no better reason than I can!

All that effort did pay off.

As for the taste, it's not easy to be definite about this.

But it is very pleasing on the tongue. It has all the hallmarks of a great whisky. There are hints of spices, it reminded me of the delicious spices that are used mainly at Christmas. Although there was also a hint of nuttiness, too, with perhaps a tang that reminded me of citrus fruits? Malty smokiness also came through and the finish was surprisingly, sweetly attractive.

To learn more about The One visit http://www.lakesdistillery.com/en/.

And don't forget they also produce Cumberland's first and only Vodka and Cumberland Gin, too!

A 70cl bottle of The One costs £29.95 on the site.

Baru at Christmas

Baru have produced one of the best confectioneries known to man and woman kind.

They take their awesomely delicious honey and vanilla bean Marshmallows, and then make them even more awesomely delicious by giving them each a topping of proper burnt sugar caramel with just the right amount of genuine Fleir de Sel sea salt from Guerande.

And then just to make the whole process even more deliciously decadent, they cover them in thick, rich dark chocolate.

The result? A truly wonderful experience for the chocolate lover in your life.

They come in boxes of four, so please don't expect them to share them with you! That would be far too cruel!

Our best suggestion is that you should buy two boxes, one for you, one for the recipient. But here's a tip, don't try them before you make the presentation, or you will eat both boxes yourself!

They cost £6.40 for a box of four.

By the way, other flavours and other delicious treats are available, learn about them at http://www.baru.be/en.htm.

Soft Brew. Brewed for discerning adults

Just because you are driving or on antibiotics or just because you do not want alcohol is no reason why you should be condemned to a life of drinking fizzy pop!

Because it's no longer the bad old days when you would find yourself, as an adult, drinking some awful rip-off cola like drink at a party whilst all the other adults were drinking stuff that, you know, actually had a taste of something?

The bad old days of yesteryear have been replaced by the good new days and a new range of tasty, adult drinks that, although they are proud of their brewing heritage actually contain zero alcohol.

Whilst the Soft Brew range lacks alcohol the drinks contain a whole lot of taste and character.

There are three flavours to choose from: Apple, Lemon and Lime and Elderflower.

They are brewed to bring out the full, soft flavours of the fruits, there's a delicious aroma of hops and a full, satisfying flavour that is free not only of alcohol but also of preservatives and additives.

Chill the bottles (not too much) Gently shake the bottle (not too hard!) to make certain that the fruit is properly mixed throughout the bottle and then pour into your glass and enjoy.

Which one would you like best? Well, as for me, Lime and elderflower is probably the best, though Apple and Lemon come as join seconds, though not far behind.

To learn more about this delicious addition to the Christmas and New Year party scene please visit
http://www.alfresco.co.uk/ourbrands/soft_brew.

Peter's Yard when only the best artisan products will do

You have the finest butter that you can buy, you have the best cheeses that you could find, some really wonderful choice cold cuts, with the tastiest chutneys that are available. 

All helped along by some of the finest organic wines, beers, ports and sherries that you could possibly bring to the table of your guests this Christmas, because you love your guests and want them to be more than happy, you want them to be ecstatic with the food at the party you are hosting.

So what crackers do you supply them with? What? Really? Seriously? Those crackers? The ones over... there?

Oh, no! But surely ordinary cheese biscuits made in an industrial complex rather than a real bakery cannot be served at your party?

That's right, common decency says that they can't! 

So, what to do, instead? What you do is you get yourself to Peter's Yard, Britain's premier Swedish artisan bakery. And buy some real, honest-to-goodness real and properly baked crispbreads!

Your guests will love you for going to www.petersyard.com and either buying direct from this Shropshire-based centre of baking excellence or learning on the site the location of your nearest stockist.  

And Peter's Yard are also on the lookout for savvy folks to stock their range of crispbreads in their shops, delicatessens, garden centre foodhall, supermarket, farm shops and restaurants, so please do enquire!

Wilkinsons for gifts, decorations and much more

Wilkinson's was founded by James Wilkinson back in the 1930s.

Since then it has served well the generations after generations of shoppers who have visited its hundreds of stores or in more recent years have shopped on line via its easy-to-use and shopper friendly website.

Each year every branch of Wilkinson or Wilko as it is know more widely known, and its website gear up to provide its customers with all the kinds of things they could need to ensure that they, the customers, can give their friends and family members they type of Christmas they deserve.

You'll find the Christmas shop at www.wilko.com but  for those of us who still enjoy shopping in the High Street for our Christmas goodies, you can use the handy Store Locator button on the top of the website's first page.

What will you find on line or in your nearest Wilko branch?

Christmas crackers, toys, gifts and more, Christmas decorations (for example, The Wild Wood NOEL decoration that is pictured is available from Wilko at a remarkably modest £5.00) and there are Christmas lights (both for your indoor and outdoor trees) aftershave, perfumes, stocking fillers, that lovely new table that will sit all of the family round it in one sitting, with nobody feeling left out!

See, at Wilko you can not only get what you know you want for Christmas, you can also get things you might have never have even considered as being needed at Christmas but, once you own them, you really can't imagine how you even coped without them, before!

For some really good hints of how to make your own Christmas please take a look at 

www.wilko.com/christmas-decorations/make-your-own-christmas/icat/make-your-own-christmas.

There are even specially recorded TV programmes to give you hints and ideas like this one!

So this December follow the link to the Wilko website or follow your feet to the nearest branch. And by the way, if you spend £50 or more, the delivery is free. Please ask for details.

Want to make a cake for Christmas? Cake Craft World is what you need

Want to make a cake for Christmas? Cake Craft World is what you need. Just visit their website at www.cakecraftworld.co.uk and you will find yourself in a Wonderland of all things cake.

If you are a novice looking to make your first Christmas cake for friends or family and you are looking for some gentle guidance and a nudge in the right direction, or if you are an expert cake maker who knows exactly what you require to wow the folks with your usual cake making skills, then the friendly people at Cake Craft World will be able to help you add those little finishing touches that add pizazz, glitz and glamour to your cake.

There's a "wow" factor in every section of the website.

Want to learn more about how to bake a cake?

There's a whole library of books for you to choose from.

From cake baking books for the very beginner to more comprehensive cake baking books that really deserve to grace the shelf of every country house hotel kitchen in the country, they are all there, plus there are book to help you produce the best icing ever.

But there's much, much more to Cake Craft World than that!

There are Christmas cake decorations (also available in bulk for the professional or semi-professional cake maker, cake boards (with special seasonal additions to the range as one would expect!) Christmas moulds (for icing or those special chocolate shapes, loved by children from three to 103!) Christmas tins and bakeware, Mince Pie tins and Christmas Pudding mould, special edible sundries, seasonal cake decorations, ingredients to help you make the best cake ever and also seasonal boxes and bags to place them in.

And much more, besides.

But please don't take our word for it. Visit their website at the above link and learn for yourself why the smart cake makers are all going to Cake Craft World.

And if someone you know is going for a December or January wedding, why not check out the Cake Craft World Wedding Cake section?

Cake Craft World: A cake doesn't just have to be for Christmas!

(PICTURED: A Cake Craft World Cake, made using the excellent book, Easy Christmas Cakes, available from Cake Craft World. Incidentally, the cake has not made it 'til Christmastime. A different recipe from the same book will be tried. Will that one last 'til Christmas? Who knows? But it will be fun finding out!)

Ampleforth Abbey Beer, it's ideal for Christmas

Ampleforth Abbey Beer is a traditional monastic beer which is based on a centuries-old Benedictine recipe adapted for use with modern brewing methods.

It was launched two years ago and is already on target to sell 100,000 bottles by Christmas.

And Ampleforth Abbey Beer was named ‘Yorkshire’s Best Drink’ in the Deliciously Yorkshire Awards in 2012/13. It also received the Two Star Great Taste Award and was awarded silver in the International Beer Challenge.

It is sold in around 70 specialist and independent retailers throughout Yorkshire, branches of Booths supermarket, in local pubs and restaurants, online and in the Abbey Shop.

So, what does it taste like? It's like a traditional Belgian Trappist beer, but it is so much more than that.

There's a hoppy earnestness about this beer. It is not for the lager fan, as it is 7%  and full of flavour.

There are hints of rum and also of a good old English pudding, too, but all delicately balanced.

It's not a quaffing ale and works very well as a accompaniment for your Christmas dinner, making an interesting replacement for the more traditional wines.

To buy your ale or one of the other most excellent products from the monetary please visit  http://www.visitors.ampleforth.org.uk/abbey-produce-2.