Unwrap the Magic of Christmas With Don Papa Rum's Eternal Spring in Sugarlandia Eco-Canister

Don Papa Rum, famed for crafting absolutely exceptional aged rums which encapsulate the rich heritage of the Philippines, is justifiably proud to present this special offering to celebrate the joyous occasion of Christmas. 

With the Eternal Spring in Sugarlandia Eco-Canister, their aim is to create an extraordinary experience for both rum enthusiasts and nature lovers alike.

Not only will this eco-canister make a stunning looking Christmas gift, it will you will also be gifting back to those less fortunate. 

Because £50,000 worth of the proceeds from the sales of the eco-canister will be distributed amongst a number of Don Papa supported educational and environmental charities in the Philippines.

Available for £37. The bottle will also be available in all Sainsburys outlets from November.

For details please visit https://www.donpaparum.com.

Guide to Christmas BBQ - Flame-Kissed Festive Feasts with Kamado Joe

World famous ceramic charcoal grill leaders, Kamado Joe, reveals how to master a memorable Christmas dinner outside on yuor barbecue.

The 'Great British BBQ' survey of 2,000 people revealed a stunning 71% of their audience have cooked a Christmas turkey on a barbecue and over 80% would consider barbecuing their dinner on Christmas day.

Barbecued turkeys tend to be much more succulent and flavoursome compared with their roasted counterparts. Also, cooking outside frees up valuable oven space for other items. 

Here's Kamado Joe's tips and tricks for grilling the perfect dinner.

TV BBQ chef, and Kamado Joe global marketing manager, Ben Forte reveals his top tips to BBQing the turkey this Christmas. Passionate about BBQs, Ben is no stranger to cooking over charcoal flames whether it's for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

“My passion for BBQ started from a young age,” he admits “I use my Kamado Joe for cooking pretty much anything and have done so for years. The thick ceramic walls retain so much heat and actually they seal in moisture, so your food is juicier and more tender. They're designed to last a lifetime of year round cooking, and in my household winter barbecues are definitely a major thing.”

What better way to please the crowd this Christmas then with a showstopping barbecued turkey taking centre stage? Ben Forte shares his quick-fire tips:

CHRISTMAS TURKEY

Cook to temperature, not time. 75C is perfect.

Add a bacon weave. This helps the turkey breast meat to stay moist and you get a bonus bit of crispy bacon, too!

Get your turkey out of the fridge half an hour before you start the cooking process. This helps prevent shrinkage.

Cook your veg below the turkey on the BBQ so it catches all those juices as it cooks.

If you like a bit of smoke, then you should consider adding a chunk of fruit wood like apple or cherry.

CHRISTMAS BEEF

For a very special celebratory Christmas lunch, nothing wows everyone more than a large cut of beef like a rib. To make it even more succulent and to enhance the delicious beefy flavours, coat the beef in a layer of salt and marmite or miso and leave overnight in the fridge. This gives the most savoury, umami taste to impress your guests.

Smoked gravy tastes incredible, so ensure you catch all the flavours and juices from the meat as it slowly renders down.

Plan ahead – remember, you're cooking to temperature, not time. Ensure you've got at least an hour to rest a large joint of beef.

FOR THE TRIMMINGS

Veg can be par-boiled the day prior, this helps speed things up a little. Nothing tastes better than root veg once it has been licked by flame to transform their natural sugars. (EDITOR: True!)

To serve your chargrilled veg, take a large platter and cover in aioli. Lay the vegetables on top, perhaps with dollops of harissa to make the flavours sing?

When it comes to sauces and sides, don't think Sunday roast, think celebration. So go for a punchy chimichurri, tahini and yoghurt, salsa verde, a vivid romesco sauce – all these things transform it from a carvery to a truly memorable Festive Feast.

Gifts for BBQ Lovers

Kamado Joe BBQ Range

Kamado Joes - These world-renowned ceramic grills pack the latest technology and meticulous craftsmanship inside each iconic red barbecue. The thick-walled, heat-resistant shell locks in smoke and moisture at any temperature. There's nothing you can't cook in them, from low-and-slow dishes to grilling and searing at scorching temperatures. Prices start at £499 for Joe Jr.

NEW The Konnected Joe -  A global first, this digitally connected ceramic grill combines all the benefits of traditional ceramic cooking with modern technology, offering a solution for easy fire-lighting and effortless temperature control.  £1,999. 

Must have accessories every grill-master needs

Karbon Steel surfaces - Paella pan, griddle, half moon pan set and wok. Karbon steel combines the best qualities from stainless steel and cast iron. The lightweight yet strong material heats up quickly with exceptional heat retention. The new range is naturally non-stick, easy to clean and offers long-lasting endurance. From £109

The JoeTisserie fits inside your firebox and slowly rotates your skewered meat, veg or fish above the charcoal. It's been cleverly designed so the kamado lid will still close, keeping all the heat right where you want it. If you're going for a low and slow spit-roast, Kamado Joe's thick ceramic walls helps retain moisture, so you get a juicy, tender result. Best of all, you can bung the whole lot in the dishwasher when you've finished. RRP: £279

Kamado DoJoe The durable cast-aluminium transforms your Kamado Joe into a best-in-class pizza oven. You're guaranteed a crispy crust on the bottom, while the altered airflow traps heat in the dome above the pizza for perfect toppings. This combination of convection airflow above and conduction heat below creates a uniform, even cooking environment surrounding the pizza as it bakes for masterful results.

Here are some special recipes:-

Orange, Whisky and Cranberry Glazed Joetisserie Gammon

Ingredients

2kg Gammon, fat scored

2tbsp Whole cloves

200g Cranberry Sauce

1 Orange, zest

3 tbsp whisky

1 tbsp honey

Method

Set your JoeTisserie up on the Kamado Joe and set the grill to approx 170c.

Score the gammon fat in a diamond pattern and stud with whole cloves. In a small bowl mix together the cranberry sauce, orange zest, whisky and honey.

Secure the prepared gammon on your JoeTisserie and cook until it reaches approx 50c. At this point, brush your ham periodically using two thirds of the glaze mixture, reserving the remaining glaze.

Once gammon reaches a core temperature of 70 degrees, remove from the heat. Brush on the remaining glaze and set aside to rest.

The Jingle Burger

Complete with Turkey & Smokey Bacon Burger, Brussel Sprout Slaw, Oak Smoked Cheddar, Pancetta Weave, Cranberry Sauce and topped with a pickle and pigs in blankets this is one burger that has to be tried this festive season.

Burger Ingredients

500g Turkey Thigh Mince

4 rashers of Smoked Bacon (finely diced)

1 Egg

Bacon flavour crisps (I used popcorn crisps as they are gluten free) (crushed) 

Brussel Slaw

250g Brussel Sprouts

2 Carrots

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

 4 tbsp South Carolina BBQ Sauce

Other Bits

Oak Smoked Cheddar

16 rashers of pancetta/streaky bacon

Cranberry Sauce

Pigs in blankets

Pickles

Seeded Brioche Buns

4 Wooden Skewers 

Method

 Make your burgers by combining all the burger ingredients together then shape them into burgers using your hands or a burger press.

Finely grate the sprouts and carrots then combine in a bowl and add the vinegar and South Carolina BBQ Sauce.

Now you need to create some bacon weaves. For mine I use 4 rashers of pancetta cut in half and stretched out for each weave. This makes them the perfect size for the burger.

Now smoke your burgers in your BBQ at around 225F until they reach an internal temp of 165F.

Put your bacon weaves onto some foil and put them in the BBQ until they are nice and crispy and cook your pigs in blankets.

Then bring off the burgers and put them onto a hot skillet and cook for a few minutes each side, then add your cheese to the top and cover with a closh for about 1 minute to melt the cheese.

Time to build the burger.

Layout the base of the bun.

Put on the Sprout Slaw

Next add the Burger

Then the bacon weave

Now the cranberry sauce.

Finally push a wooden skewer through the pig in blanket and through a pickle and then straight through the burger.

https://international.kamadojoe.com.

That's Food and Drink: Why not plant fruit trees in your garden?

That's Food and Drink: Why not plant fruit trees in your garden?: King's Seeds have a wide range of fruit trees available for sale. These include Peach Peregrine Fruit Tree - 4.5Ltr Pot. Apricot Flavorc...

Plan ahead for Christmas and save money!

It's often difficult buying what you need for Christmas, the food and drink, presents, decorations, etc.

However, with the current economic situation, things might be a bit tighter than usual, this Christmas.

Some people will flex the plastic or even take out expensive loans and then face a New Year of penury and hardship as a result.

But it doesn't have to be like that at all! Here is the simple That's Christmas Plan Ahead for Christmas Programme!

1) If your shop or supermarket has a savings club, sign up for it and save a small amount of money for Christmas.

2) If you see an item that would make an ideal Christmas present for a family member, buy it when you see it (so long as the price is keen) and put it away for Christmas.

3) Rather than buying a large amount of drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) at Christmas and risking buying more than you'll need, add a bottle or two to your weekly shops between now and Christmas. If you find you need more you can always pop out to the shops when you need to.

4) Bearing in mind use by and best before dates, stock up on foods for Christmas well before the Christmas season. And avoid any potential pre-Christmas price rises that might occur!

5) Get crafting! You might be surprised at how good you can be with making special bespoke Christmas gifts for friends and family members. Also, why not try your hand at making unique Christmas decorations? Hobby Craft, Home Bargains, Poundland, Rymans and The Works all stock craft items and art items.

6) Shop around! You'll be pleasantly surprised to find the item you wanted to buy at a much lower price in a discount shop. 

7) Check out local/regional Christmas Markets to see of there are any you'll be able to get to. However, if you are looking out for genuine Continental Christmas products/produce then the German discount stores Aldi and Lidl are both well worth checking out. 

https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk

https://www.poundland.co.uk

https://home.bargains

https://www.bmstores.co.uk

https://www.ryman.co.uk

https://www.theworks.co.uk

https://www.lidl.co.uk

https://www.aldi.co.uk

(Image courtesy of Jan Vašek from Pixabay)

That's Food and Drink: Violife the cheese alternative and more, besides

That's Food and Drink: Violife the cheese alternative and more, besides: I'm neither a vegan or even a vegetarian, but I cannot eat dairy cheese for health reasons.  Whilst we were discussing what to give up f...

That's Food and Drink: That's Food and Drink Video channel launches

That's Food and Drink: That's Food and Drink Video channel launches:  

Waitrose launches its Christmas range for 2023, with more than 140 new products this year

Savvy, wise shoppers are planning ahead as searches for ‘Christmas dinner ideas’ on Waitrose.com has risen 51% compared to the same period last year.

Waitrose has introduced new frozen vegetables and exciting new party food lines to launch from this month, August, to help customers spread the extra cost of Christmas

As the song says, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! Waitrose has launched details of their Christmas range for 2023, and with searches on waitrose.com for ‘Christmas’ increasing by an astonishing 133% compared to last month and searches for ‘Christmas dinner ideas’ are up 51% compared to the same period last year, it’s clear savvy customers are starting to plan ahead for the festive season. 

(EDITOR: That's Christmas has noted a similar increase in visits to our site, plus sister site That's Food and Drink during this time period.)

Martyn Lee, Waitrose's Executive Chef, said: “Our team have had a real blast developing products for Christmas, with over 140 new products this year. So, it’s safe to say we've been really very busy. 

"We feel we want to do Christmas like nobody else this year and with our Ultimate Triple Nut Roast served in a beautiful panettone casing, social media driven Cinnamon Bunettone and great tasting, high welfare Chestnut-fed Galician Serrano Ham, I think we may well have managed to do just that.

"Our customers can be certain when they shop at Waitrose this festive season, they'll have a Christmas to remember with the best quality products that not only look beautiful on their festive table’s but taste amazing.”

Natalie Mitchell, who is the Director of Own Brand at Waitrose, said: “Christmas is truly the most wonderful time of year, friends and family come together to celebrate and enjoy the good stuff! With searches on Waitrose.com already rising, it’s obvious that savvy customers are already planning ahead and our team has put a lot of work into the range to ensure customers can do this with ease. So however you’re celebrating this Christmas you can be sure to celebrate with great tasting, ethically sourced food - we hope our customers love the range just as much as we do!”

Buffet bites and Christmas grazing board

Christmas is really the time to celebrate, whether you’re hosting all your family and friends, or planning a smaller affair with your nearest and dearest, we have a selection of delicious buffet bites and Christmas cheese to help you create a spread to impress. Ensuring you can spend more time with guests and less time in the kitchen this Christmas. We also have seven new additions in our frozen party food range launching in September to allow savvy customers to spread costs and shop ahead this Christmas.

WR Paneer Fries

Waitrose Paneer Fries - Paneer and grilling cheese in a spiced crumb, with mango chutney and crispy onion dip

Waitrose Feta Popcorn with Hot Honey - Bitesize balls of whipped feta, soft cheese and goats cheese, with a quinoa flecked crumb for extra crunch and hot honey dip

Waitrose Red Fox Welsh Rarebit - A deliciously creamy vintage Red Fox bake with a splash of ale and a hint of mustard

Waitrose Shimmering Salmon Mousse - Tender Scottish smoked and poached salmon mousse with a shimmering bronze lustre finish - available as a large sharing centrepiece as part of Waitrose Entertaining and a smaller-scale in shops

Waitrose Old Fashioned Smoked Salmon - Hung and smoked in a traditional kiln over whisky cask oak chips, cured with salt and sugar finished with whisky, orange and bitters 

Waitrose Chestnut-fed Galician Serrano Ham - Sweet and nutty ham made from free range pigs fed with chestnuts

Centrepieces and Sides 

When celebrating over the festive season, it’s no longer just about the traditional turkey that takes pride of place at the big Christmas day lunch. So we have a number of mains to suit all occasions, to ensure your spread is one that will have people talking for years to come. And with higher welfare British beef with room to roam, MSC certified seafood that is responsibly farmed and caught and free-range British turkey - you can be sure your produce has come from farmers we know and trust. 

WR Old Fashioned Glazed Ham

Waitrose Jewelled Stuffed Bronze Turkey Crown - Free Range British Bronze turkey crown with a pork and jewelled fruit stuffing, dry cured smoked streaky bacon, maple butter glaze, star shaped salted butter and a rosemary sprig.

Waitrose Old Fashioned Glazed Ham - 'Sugar pit' dry cured boneless ham with a whisky and orange glaze, candied orange slices and smoke flavoured cherries - available on and off the bone

Waitrose 2 Mini Pork Stuffing Panettoni - Outdoor bred British pork sausage meat has been laced with panettone crumb, raisins, lemon, cherries, sultanas and caramelised orange zest. Our fresh pork is always British and always outdoor bred or free-range.

Waitrose Shredded Sprouts and Cavolo Nero - Spring greens, shredded sprouts and cavolo nero, with crispy maple smoked bacon, coated in a caramelised shallot glaze.

Vegan

With searches for ‘plant based’ on Waitrose.com up 115% compared to the same time last year we wanted to make this our biggest vegan Christmas ever with options for every dish. Meaning you can create a whole plant based menu bursting with flavour, with no compromises. 

WR Ultimate Triple Nut Roast

Waitrose No.1 Ultimate Triple Nut Roast - Richly savoury, with crunchy roasted nuts, sweet potato, lentils, chickpeas and a dash of miso, hand finished with a spiced clementine and apricot chutney glaze. Adorned in whole brazil nuts and almonds.

Waitrose Chestnut and Thyme Plant-Based Turkey Roast and Gravy - Hearty plant based soya turkey roast, packed with thyme-scented chestnut and caramelised onion stuffing, served with a rich cabernet sauvignon gravy

Waitrose No.1 Ultimate Vegan Sharing Wellington - Moreish mushroom duxelle with no ‘beef’ plant based beef braised in a fragrant shallot, garlic and thyme vegetable stock. Hand decorated with holly to finish.

Waitrose Fruity Stuffing Christmas Trees - Apricot and cranberry stuffing decorated with cranberry and a herb breadcrumb

Cakes, Bakes & Desserts 

With over 20 new products across desserts and bakery for 2023, there are plenty of sweet treats to be enjoyed by all this Christmas. From showstopper desserts, to panettone with a modern twist and not forgetting a festive favourite - the mince pie.

WR The Golden Buche De Noel

Waitrose No.1 The Golden Bûche de Noël - Belgian blonde chocolate mousse and silky salted caramel and caramelised biscuit sauce on milk chocolate speckled with caramelised biscuit

Waitrose No.1 Chocolate and Hazelnut Quenelle - Rich hazelnut mousse with a silky milk chocolate sauce hiding inside, on a crisp chocolate base speckled with crunchy feuilletine and cookie crumb

Waitrose Cinnamon Bunattone - Panettone meets cinnamon bun – a light cinnamon-spiced Italian cake with pockets of sweet mascarpone sauce. It’s served with a sachet of cinnamon icing sugar to finish. Made in a family-run bakery in Piedmont, Italy, our bunettone takes over 24 hours to create.

Waitrose No.1 Florentine-inspired Panettone - Buttery panettone speckled with sultanas,  cherries and Sicilian orange peel, swirled with caramel sauce and finished with dark chocolate, cherries, orange peel, almonds and Nocciola Piemonte IGP hazelnuts.

Waitrose Crumble Mince pies with Orange and Cranberry - All butter mince pies filled with zesty mincemeat with a dash of Valencian orange oil, tangy cranberry and a buttery crumble on top.

Waitrose Deer-licious Sticky Toffee Pudding - Sticky Toffee Pudding made with dates and gingerbread spices. To be finished at home with a drizzle of the unctuous toffee sauce before adding the gingerbread antlers.

Waitrose Sicilian Orange and Whisky Christmas Pudding - Richly fruited pudding laced with Scottish whisky and topped with red and blonde glacé cherries, almonds and candied orange then finished with a sticky Sicilian orange sauce.

Gifts

Gift something delicious from Waitrose this Christmas! Including small gestures for the party host, keepsakes that a loved one will cherish and the perfect treats for your Christmas stocking. Also as part of our brand new Winter Village theme you’ll find our Winter Village Chocolate Box, Biscuit Tin and Poinsettia Musical Tin - ready to reuse again year after year!

They’re proud to continue our use of Fairtrade cocoa in all of our own-brand confectionery and as part of our efforts to remove unnecessary packaging where we can, we have removed non recyclable wooden packaging and replaced it with recyclable card - saving over eight tonnes of packaging from going to landfill.

WR Winter Village Chocolate Box

Waitrose Winter Village Chocolate Box - A 3D showstopper with hidden drawers housing tempting chocolates inside 12 dark chocolates made with zesty Valencia orange, and 12 silky milk chocolate salted caramels.

Waitrose Panettone Chocs - Real Italian panettone is mixed into smooth milk chocolate and given a shimmering lustre in our indulgent panettone truffles. With tangy orange peel for extra fruitiness.

Waitrose Merry the Mince Pie - Our new little festive friend, Merry is made from hollow white chocolate with just a touch of milk chocolate.

Expected launch dates (subject to change, so please keep an eye out for these):-

Frozen vegetable sides - from 28th August

Frozen party food - from 18th September

Confectionery & gifts - from 24th September

Bakery, including panettones, Christmas cake and mince pies - from 27th September

Christmas sandwiches - from 25th October

Sides, including stuffing, gravy and sauces - from 22th November 

Party food - 29th November

Starters - from 6th December

Chilled desserts -15th December

Mains, including beef and turkey - 20th December

www.waitrose.com