Ramsbury Estate Vodka

Ramsbury Estate Vodka is an amazing single estate vodka from the English county of Wiltshire. Where it is also distilled.

It is distilled at the Ramsbury Estate's Stockclose Farm. 

It's an amazing vodka which is as smooth as silk, which has a distinctive yet subtle vanilla taste to it, yet with a creamy, buttery ending to the flavour. 

There are also fruity notes and a touch of chocolate, with hints of caramel. 

It's an ideal drink by itself, on the rocks, with soda, lemonade or with mixers such as Indian tonic water. Also make a wonderful base for my wife's freshly squeezed orange juice vodka and orange cocktail. 

Also makes a good combination with other spirts to make a wide range of cocktails.

Everything in this heavenly vodka is harvested on the Ramsbury Estate. And they do mean everything! The timber used to feed their bio-mass boiler, to the winter wheat they use in the distilling process which is harvested from a single field from their farm. When you buy your bottle of Ramsbury Estate Vodka you will be able to note the exact grid reference at the base of the label on the bottle. 

To learn more and to buy directly, please visit them at https://ramsbury.com/product/vodka.

A 700ml, 43% ABV bottle costs £29.50.

The website also contains a whole host of cocktail recipes and detailed information on the history and story of the vodka and their estate. 

Also, check out their equally tasty gin, too!

Both Ramsbury Estate Vodka and Ramsbury Estate Gin are ideal for your Christmas cocktail cabinet.

Warner's Gin for a gintastic Christmas

Check out their fantastic range of award-winning farm-born gins, including their “pink gins” made with fresh rhubarb and fresh raspberry!

Try their London Dry Gin, their delicious traditional Christmas special drink, Sloe Gin, their amazing Honeybee Gin, their Harrington Dry Gin, the Northampton Saints London Dry Gin.

There's also their amazing Raspberry Gin, Elderflower Gin, their Lemon Balm Gin, their very English Strawberry and Rose Gin and their Apple & Pear Gin which I believe will be an absolutely stunning winner for the Christmas drinks cabinet for this year.

And for those looking to give the gin aficionado in their life the perfect Christmas gift set this Christmas why not order them the very special and exclusive Warner's 70cl Gin with gift tin?

There is also a wonderous range of other gift items available. Please check these out.

Those who are not taking alcohol at present should look out for their very special Juniper Double Dry - 0% Spirit, or their equally special Pink Berry - 0% Spirit.

And if any readers of That's Christmas sign up to their newsletter you will be eligible for a 10% reduction off your first order. Plus get the latest on exclusive releases, news from Falls Farm & more besides.

And why not check out their special farm shop, too? 

Choose from their selection of speciality and flavoured gins and 0% range from the Warner’s Distillery Online Farm Shop, including 5cl, 70cl, gift boxes and miniatures in a wide range of flavours including Rhubarb, Sloe, Elderflower and Honeybee.

To learn more, or to sign up for the newsletter and to place your first order please visit https://www.warnersdistillery.com/collections/farm-shop.

Knoops. Expertly crafted chocolate drinks. For Christmas and all year round

Knoops (www.knoops.co.uk) is the UK’s first dedicated chocolate drinks brand, which delivers the yummiest, best chocolate drinking experience this Christmas with its ranges of delectable chocolate gift sets.

A special, unique, and original gift for those who are wanting to enjoy the hot chocolate experience at home, customers can purchase their favourite chocolate flakes from www.knoops.co.uk.

Selecting a gift bag when you purchase, Knoops will package the gift in the elegant black Knoops branded gift bag. Knoops offers a wide range of sets to create your own bespoke hot chocolate drinking experience.

There’s a wide range of gifts on offer from a dedicated Knoops cookbook, all the way to a SMEG Milk Frother to make the creamiest chocolate drinks. Do let me know if you would be keen to cover the below in any “Christmas gift guides”.

Milk Hot Chocolate Gift Set

The gift set for milk chocolate lovers. 34% milk hot chocolate flakes are a Knoops classic, with a balance of rich cocoa and milk, with notes of caramel. They are paired with our 43% single origin milk hot chocolate from Venezuela that has notes of roasted hazelnut and butterscotch. 43% is also a recent winner of a Great Taste Award with judges calling it “a sweet, milky but true hot chocolate that would please many chocolate lovers.”

Price: £25.00

Online store: https://knoops.co.uk/collections/gifts/products/milk-chocolate-gift-set

Chocolate Shaker Gift Set

Quickly and easily make smooth, frothy Knoops hot chocolates at home with the shaker. Simply add milk, your choice of chocolate flakes, then #ShakeYourFlakes in the compact, affordable shaker that you can take with you wherever you go.

For chocolate milkshakes, make a small, strong hot chocolate, top up with hot milk, then add cream, shake and pour. 

For hot chocolates, just warm your milk in the shaker in the microwave (without the lid on), add your choice of hot chocolate flakes, shake for ten seconds then pour and enjoy.

You can add a selected tube for the special price of £5 (normally £9.95) when you buy the chocolate shaker. Choose from:

28% White - Sweet and creamy with natural vanilla overtones.

34% Milk - Our best seller. A balance of rich cocoa and milk, and notes of caramel.

54% Dark - A mild dark chocolate with well balanced rich cocoa taste.

70% Extra dark - Deep cocoa flavour for those who like a less sweet chocolate.

Price: £25.00

Online store: https://knoops.co.uk/collections/gifts/products/chocolate-shaker

Smeg Milk Frother

(+ Hot Chocolate Maker + free Knoops Chocolate flakes)

The Smeg milk frother + hot chocolate maker lets you make two cups of the very best, most velvety smooth Knoops hot chocolate at home.

The full range of Knoops chocolate flakes can be used in the Smeg, and you can choose a free tube of 34% milk, 54% dark or 70% extra dark chocolate with your Smeg purchase.

It's available in black and white and this smart, stainless steel Smeg machine offers six preset programmes, plus a manual function, too. 

All you need do is add your choice of milk and hot chocolate flakes that you have opted for and you can enjoy perfectly frothed hot chocolate at the touch of a button.

Price: £169.00

Online store: https://knoops.co.uk/collections/gifts/products/smeg-milk-frother-hot-chocolate-maker.

Chocolate recipes through the day - The Knoops book

Jens's pioneering new cookbook 'Knoops - Chocolate recipes through the day' features 40 drink and 20 food recipes, all created with Knoops hot chocolate flakes.

Celebrating the joy of chocolate and Jens’s adventurous approach to cooking, the book is full of chocolate-based sweet and savoury recipes that will take you from breakfast through to elevenses, lunch, tea-time, dinner and dessert. And of course, there are plenty of the all-important chocolate drinks. 

Discover recipes for sweet treats like a retro knickerbocker glory and a decadent party platter, savoury plates that include chilli con carne and salads, and many more. Jens also shares inspiration from his life and the Knoops philosophy to encourage you to experiment with even more Knoopology at home.

Start your Knoopology experiments as soon as your book arrives by adding a tube of 34% milk, 54% dark or 70% extra dark flakes for the special price of £5 (normally £9.25).

Price: £20.00

Online store: https://knoops.co.uk/collections/gifts/products/the-book-knoops-chocolate-recipes-through-the-day

Lotus Biscoff Partners With Cinnabon

What do you get when you combine the nation's favourite coffee biscuit with the world's most craveable cinnamon roll? Pure cinna-magic! Which will be ideal for Christmas.

Yep, it's happened! It's official! Lotus Biscoff and Cinnabon have joined forces to create three indulgent treats which are hitting 28 Cinnabon counters across the UK from now on.

With three mouth-watering bons to choose from, the iconic caramelised flavour of Lotus Biscoff perfectly pairs with Cinnabon's aromatic freshly baked dough to create the most decadent flavour combination that you do NOT want to miss!

Lotus Biscoff Bon

A delicious Cinnabon roll, topped with frosting and fused together with Lotus Biscoff topping sauce, Lotus Biscoff crumbs, and a Lotus Biscoff biscuit.

Lotus Biscoff MiniBon

The world-famous cinnamon roll, just slightly smaller. The MiniBon, topped with frosting and fused together with Lotus Biscoff topping sauce and Lotus Biscoff crumbs.

Lotus Biscoff BonBites x4

Adorably bite-sized Bons, drizzled with Lotus Biscoff topping sauce and finished with Lotus Biscoff crumbs.

The Lotus Biscoff Bons will be made fresh in stores each day and are available at Cinnabon counters across the country as well as delivery partners; Deliveroo, JustEat and UberEats from now on.

Where can you buy?

Cinnabon Aldersbrook

Beacon 62 - Cinnabon

Bedminster - ASDA Cinnabon

Corby - Cinnabon

Deansgate - Cinnabon

Deeside - Cinnabon

Discovery Park - Cinnabon

Dunningsbridge - Cinnabon

Eccleshall Road - Cinnabon

Elstree Cinnabon

Frontier Park - Cinnabon

Heathrow North - Cinnabon

Hogs Back - Cinnabon

Leyton - ASDA Cinnabon

Liverpool Central Station - Cinnabon

Milton Keynes - ASDA Cinnabon

Millfarm

Plantation - Cinnabon

Pride Park - Cinnabon

Rugby - ASDA Cinnabon

Snowhill - Cinnabon

South Shields - ASDA Cinnabon

St Matthews - ASDA Cinnabon

Thurmaston - ASDA Cinnabon

York - ASDA Cinnabon

https://www.cinnabon.com.

Ideas and Recipes to Save Energy and Money from Filippo Berio this Christmas

By Walter Zanre, CEO of Filippo Berio

One of the best ways to save time, energy and money when it comes to preparing food is to stick to the principle of “cook once, eat twice”. 

Some great ideas for Italian-inspired recipes that are relatively cheap to make and that freeze well are ragus such as the Filippo Berio Classic Ragu with Tagliatelle, casseroles, Tuscan Bean Stew and Chicken Cacciatore. 

Tomato sauce for pasta is also a great option for batch cooking. For lunch, you could make a big frittata to use up any leftover vegetables and then put it in the fridge to enjoy the following day. 

If you have any stale bread left around, whizz it up in the food processor to make breadcrumbs. Better yet, use them to make Pangrattato which translates to “grated bread”. It's often referred to as “poor man's Parmesan” but it tastes incredible. You toast the breadcrumbs in garlic and oil, then you add them to various dishes, such as pastas, to create a wonderful crunchy texture.

Another brilliant recipe for using up leftover or stale bread is the delicious Pappa Pomodoro. Served hot or cold, this is a thick Tuscan bread soup which is both filling and nourishing, also containing tomatoes, basil, garlic and chilli flakes.

Italians pride themselves on being very thrifty and like to use up leftover ingredients wherever possible. Ribollita is a famous, hearty, Tuscan bread soup and is a brilliant way to use up vegetables. The ingredients vary region to region but the ingredients mainly consist of leftover bread, beans, kale, cabbage, and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, chard, celery, potatoes, and onion. 

Soup also has the added advantage of warming you up, which is great if you're trying to avoid putting the heating on too often.

In terms of saving money on treats and snacks, stick to the “make and take” principle. You can make energy bars at home to fuel you through the day, which don't require any cooking in the oven. Filippo Berio's Superfood Energy Bars will keep you going for hours. Packed with oats, seeds and dried fruit and bound together with our Filippo Berio Mild and Light Olive Oil, these are both tasty and nutritious. 

With Christmas coming up, you can save money by making delicious treats as gifts for your friends and family. Our Chocolate Bark with Pine Nuts and Pomegranate using Filippo Berio olive oil, looks just as good as it tastes. Make a big batch then break up the bark, putting the shards into little gift bags.

Prices of essential goods such as olive oil are only going to keep going up - but it has a long shelf life, so now is a good time to stock up. You can take advantage of Filippo Berio's 10% off cases of olive oil in our online shop. Or, you could invest in one of our bundles which can help save money, compared with buying the products individually. 

It may be a tough few months ahead, but by planning ahead and knowing exactly what meals you're going to make week by week, you can buy less, waste less and still eat a healthy and nutritious Mediterranean diet to fuel you through the autumn and winter months.

https://www.filippoberio.co.uk. 

Tips for Cooking Well for Less from the Home of 'Cucina Povera'

Danilo Cortellini

Finding cheaper ways to prepare delicious, nutritious food is very much on our minds this winter. Whilst Italy is recognised far and wide for its excellent cuisine, the country has 'Cucina Povera',  'peasant cooking' to thank for a many of its celebrated dishes. Which will be ideal for this Christmas.

Even today, much authentic Italian food is made using simple, seasonal ingredients with techniques and recipes passed down through the generations.

Danilo Cortellini, author, founder of Tiramisoo Events and former head chef at the Italian Embassy in London, grew up in humble and rural surroundings and bases much of his cooking style on all that he learnt from his upbringing. Here he shares some simple, cost effective ways to make the most of your ingredients and keep the shopping bills down this winter.

Buy in the staples

Says Danilo: "Every Italian kitchen has plenty of olive oil, dried pasta, fresh pasta and risotto rice. I always have a piece of hard Italian cheese such as Grana Padano in my fridge, which can be used so many ways once you have learned how it works in recipes, not just grated over pasta. It keeps well for weeks in the fridge without changing flavour or texture.

"I always recommend storing in a sous vide bag or covering with cling film as you don't want the cheese to oxidate. Think of it as a seasoning rather than an ingredient and you'll find it elevates so many dishes and reduces the need for salt!"

Plan your meals before you shop

"Be sure to plan your meals for at least several days ahead before you go shopping to avoid buying too much and then having to throw food away.

"Organise a fridge and cupboard raid meals with your friends, partner or family - take all the ingredients that you haven't used in a while or that are at risk of being thrown away and collectively agree what you're going to cook in the coming days. This is a great improv activity that stimulates both your creativity, saving money and doing your bit for the planet at the same time."

Learn some new techniques

"Pickling, freezing, curing, and other preserving techniques might sound tedious but they can all be easily mastered. Learning these skills not only boosts your cooking confidence but helps your ingredients go much further.  With the right jars and wrapping you can even use your new skills to create personalised and thrifty Christmas gifts."

Create dishes with fewer ingredients

He added: "Basil and lemon are hugely popular ingredients in Italy - they add sweetness and acidity to a wide range of dishes. I recommend growing your own basil on your windowsill (outdoors and indoors) which is cheaper and involves less packaging than buying from the supermarket every week.  A cheap and easy family meal is my bucatini cacio-e-pepe with Grana Padano, lemon and basil. and you can add extra lemon, basil, pepper or Grana Padano to taste.

Use the parts you might have previously thrown away

"Whilst I wouldn't recommend eating wax or cheese cloth, most cheeses have rinds that are perfectly edible and that can be a great addition to many dishes. I always use Grana Padano rinds in stocks and sauces and they are a treat in this delicious and nutritious Grana Padano, Spelt and Broad bean soup.

"A more unusual way to use the rind would be to make puffed bites into the microwave. Simply dry your piece of rind with a clean cloth, place it in a dish on a piece of parchment with the rind facing up and bake at maximum power for about 2 minutes to watch the magic happen. Use as a crouton or follow this delicious canapé recipe."

To learn more please visit https://www.granapadano.it.

No-Bake Apple Pie Cake

Those lovely folk at the Trewithen Dairy in Cornwall have introduced a no-bake apple pie that will make a delicious addition to the family's Christmas desert menus. And year-round, too, for that matter!

This showstopping dessert couldn’t be more effortless but rewarding to make. You can replace the fruit according to the seasons – strawberries in summer and raspberries in autumn. Not only does it look (and taste) sensational, it comes together in minutes and you don't need to turn the oven on!

Serves 8

300g Trewithen Dairy Cornish Clotted Cream

300g double cream

1 tbsp vanilla extract

75g icing sugar

400g shortcake biscuits – large round biscuits work well, but any size will work

3 large cooking apples e.g. Bramley – peeled, cored and diced

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

50g dark brown sugar

50g Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter

Blackberries to decorate

Line a 20cm cake tin with cling film, leaving a large overhang to wrap on top.

Melt the butter in saucepan over a medium heat and add the diced apples, cinnamon and dark brown sugar. Pop a lid on and cook gently for 3 – 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat when the apples are soft but still holding their shape.

Mix together the clotted cream with 150ml of the double cream and vanilla extract before sieving the icing sugar into the mixture. Combine thoroughly.

Now it’s time to assemble it. Add a layer of biscuits to the tin and spread a layer of cream over the top. Add a layer of cinnamon apples, then repeat with biscuits, cream and apples, finishing with a layer of biscuits. Press it down firmly, then cover with a place a chill overnight.

To serve, turn the tin over onto a serving plate and discard the cling film. Whip the remaining 150ml cream and spread it thickly over the top. Decorate with blackberries and serve.

Visit them here https://www.trewithendairy.co.uk.