Discover a world of extraordinary coffee with Union Hand-Roasted

You can discover a world of extraordinary coffee this Christmas with Union Hand-Roasted.

Union Hand-Roasted Coffee, the artisan craft coffee experts, launch 14 new coffees following a total rebrand. The new range features speciality coffees from all over the world, expertly hand-roasted by Union and sourced via the Union Direct Trade sourcing principle.

Despite the popularity of coffeehouses nationwide, a whopping 80% of us still buy instant coffee to drink at home, missing out on the incredible flavours and varieties fresh coffee has to offer. Union’s new range is designed to help consumers discover the joy of speciality coffee at home, with an exciting variety of single origin coffees and signature blends to suit any taste or moment.

Much like wine, the world of speciality coffee can seem baffling to the uninitiated. Union want to make great coffee the norm, so to help consumers navigate the range and enjoy home brewing, each of the new packs includes a simple guide highlighting the distinctive taste profile of each coffee, information on its origins and advice on how best to brew it.

All of the coffees in the range are sourced via Union’s flagship sourcing principle Union Direct Trade, which creates direct, long term partnerships with farmers to improve the quality of both coffee and livelihoods. As a result, all of the coffees in the range are made from the highest quality 100% Arabica beans, and score 84 and above on the ‘Q-grade’ scale which measures the standard of coffee. A score of at least 80 is required to be considered ‘speciality’ coffee.

The new range includes:

Blends:
House Blend (cafetiere ground) – Union’s original house blend, a bold intensity infused with a deep natural sweetness with notes of dried fruit and milk chocolate.

Natural Spirit (cafetiere ground or wholebean) – a beautiful blend of organically grown coffees, combined to produce a vibrant and zesty taste with notes of toffee fudge and lemon.

Revelation (espresso ground or wholebean) –  Union’s signature coffee, perfectly designed for espresso and enjoyed throughout coffee shops nationwide. It’s a luxurious dark roast, with notes of treacle, dark chocolate and cinnamon.

Bright Note (wholebean) – this light roast blend is smooth and nutty with hints of milk chocolate, the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

Decaf – Blend (cafetiere ground) – Decaf, with no compromises. This is one flavourful, characterful cup – a blend of coffees from smallholder farmers in Rwanda and Sumatra, with caffeine removed by natural process without chemicals. It’s indulgent, rich and full-bodied, with hints of dark caramel.

Single Origins:
Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia (cafetiere ground) – the winner of a 3-star Great Taste Award, this intriguing organic coffee has a unique floral aroma with notes of kumquat and peach.

Maraba, Rwanda (cafetiere ground or wholebean) – this is a fruity and full balanced coffee, with notes of citrus, redcurrant and toffee.

Bobolink, Brazil (cafetiere ground) – lightly roasted, this is a rich coffee with luxurious notes of macadamia and milk chocolate.

Liberacion, Guatemala (cafetiere ground) – this medium roast coffee is rich and full bodied, with notes of dark chocolate and red grape.

Timana, Colombia (cafetiere ground) – this medium roast is a fruity treat with notes of plum, orange blossom and maple syrup.

Gajah Mountain, Sumatra (wholebean) – this dark roast has notes of dark chocolate and treacle for an intensely rich experience.

The new range is available from Waitrose, Ocado and leading fine food stores, with a  RRP of £4.90 to £5.50 for a 200g pack.

From their kitchen to yours – Castle MacLellan spreads Christmas joy with two brand new festive pâtés

This Christmas, the UK’s number one branded maker Castle MacLellan is adding two brand new seasonal products to its collection of exquisite, artisinal pâtés.

Founded in the beautiful artist’s town of Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, Castle MacLellan is dedicated to using the highest quality ingredients from local suppliers, rooted in Scottish provenance, in every single one of its pâtés.

 

Celebrate the festive season in style as Castle MacLellan gives the gift of two limited edition products: Smoked Ham and Cider Paté with Bramley Apple Chutney and Luxury Orkney Crab and Scottish Salmon Terrine.

 

Castle MacLellan has developed the new products with the festive season in mind. Both pâtés are beautifully presented with glazed finishes in high quality packaging, meaning that they can be served straight to the table as a show-stopping starter or as the centrepiece of a party food buffet.

 

Castle MacLellan’s new Luxury Orkney Crab and Scottish Salmon Terrine is dually layered with a lemon glaze and topped with a slice of lemon for an elegant touch. Delicately flavoured with soft cheese, crème fraiche and lemon juice, the terrine is perfect for creating delicious canapés spread on a blini or ‘tattie scone’.

 

The Smoked Ham and Cider Paté comes layered with a moreish, fruity Bramley Apple Chutney. The coarse paté comes with thickly cut ham, apples and raisins for a rustic feel – ideal for spreading over crusty, artisanal bread.

 

Castle MacLellan is owned by the Kavli Trust, which donates all profits to good causes in the UK and abroad. This means that whenever you purchase any Castle MacLellan product, money will go to a worthwhile charity or community organisation.

 

Castle MacLellan is also proud to work with Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink 2015, celebrating the best of Scottish produce and provenance.

 

Castle MacLellan’s Christmas pâté range is available throughout the UK, priced at a remarkably reasonable £3.00.

 

The real reason Santa and the rest of us will pile on the pounds this Christmas

It’s the time of year when we all like to overindulge – and Santa Claus is no exception. With all the mince pies and brandy on offer from the world’s children as he makes his present deliveries, Santa will consume well above his daily allowance of calories this Christmas season.

Santa won’t be the only one piling on the pounds. A recent survey for personal genetic testing company 23andMe found that 1 in 10 of us expect to put on a whopping half a stone over the Christmas period.

The average person expects to consume around 1,000 calories in their Christmas dinner alone, while 17% will consume up to 10 alcoholic drinks on Christmas Day.

Exercise is not a part of the Christmas routine for many either, with 39% of those surveyed revealing they will do little or no exercise until January.

Though the New Year tends to signal new starts, when it comes to making New Year’s resolutions, 29% of us break their resolutions before the end of January. Eating healthily and getting fit are the first things to go, for various reasons including losing incentive (40%), January being depressing enough (35%) and lack of willpower (32%).

The choices we make every day can have differing impacts on their risk for disease, depending on personal genetics. While most know the importance of proper diet and exercise, being armed with information about personal genetics allows you to make informed health and lifestyle decisions specific to you that can have a major impact on your wellbeing. Data shows that 72% of people studied reported making positive changes in their health behaviour relating to their dietary pattern, whilst 61% made positive changes to their exercise habits.

Taking a 23andMe test can tell you how you might respond to diet and exercise. In addition, 23andMe provides information about 11 genetic risk factors, 43 inherited conditions, and 41 traits, along with 11 reports on drug response. If you tend to reach for second helpings, 23andMe’s reports on eating behaviour may also shed some light.

As the festive infographic depicts, Santa Claus could be at risk for a higher than average BMI among other things, and has managed to swap the mince pies for a bite of Rudolph’s carrot and slimmed down enough to glide down chimneys with ease. He has also skipped the sleigh rides during the summer, replacing them with healthy jogs around his toy factory instead.

A 23andMe test can be bought online at www.23andme.co.uk or in store at Superdrug.

New ways with leftovers and maple syrup

The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers and have a host of festive recipe ideas for leftover Christmas ingredients.

These are just some of them:







Maple pulled turkey sandwiches
http://www.welovemaple.co.uk/recipe/maple-pulled-turkey-sandwiches/

Pulled turkey with sweet and sour maple sauce http://www.welovemaple.co.uk/recipe/pulled-turkey-with-sweet-and-sour-maple-sauce-2/

Parsnip purée with maple syrup - http://www.welovemaple.co.uk/recipe/parsnip-puree-with-maple-syrup/

Maple glazed brussels sprouts - http://www.welovemaple.co.uk/recipe/maple-brussels-sprouts-chestnuts-pancetta-and-cranberries/

For more information please visit www.welovemaple.co.uk.

Some Christmas recipes kindly supplied by Sainsbury's

This is part of Sainsbury’s ‘Canapénds’ campaign.

Across the nation, we’re preparing to kick off the Christmas celebrations.  UK families buy an average of £216 worth of food and drink* per household for the festive period, but data from WRAP tells us that up to £340million of food can be wasted in each month.

We all know that Christmas can be an expensive time of year as we love to spend money on special treats for family and friends, so Sainsbury’s team of chefs have created a collection of delicious Christmas ‘Canap-énds’, providing a route for some smart savings this Christmas, that will impress your guests while making the festive budget go a little further.

Sainsbury’s chefs Nicola Bramley and Shu Tan have masterminded six inspirational Christmas canapés, combining some of the nation’s most wasted food 'ends' according to WRAP with easy to access store cupboard staples. Every year, Brits throw away more than 4.2million tonnes of food that could be eaten - including an enormous 350,000 tonnes of bread, 320,000 tonnes of potatoes, and 99,000 tonnes of pork, ham and bacon.  However, instead of sending them straight to the bin – you can now turn them into beautiful party ‘canap-énds.’

So, whether you’ll want to transform the ends of those sausages and potatoes into innovative ‘Sausage & Mash Cupcakes’  or use the end of that cucumber and salmon to make light and healthy ‘Salmon Tartare on Cucumber slices’ there’ll be something exciting for everyone. And for those with a sweet tooth, the ‘Chocolate, Sea Salt & Pistachio Mini Toasties’ are sure to hit the spot.

Not only are these recipes guaranteed to impress, they all take less than 15 minutes to prepare and they’ll also help reduce household food waste and your Christmas party food bill– leaving more to spend on the family.

Nicola Bramley, Sainsbury's Development Chef comments: “Families are often looking for Christmas party food inspiration, and these tasty ‘canap-ends’ can be created using frequently thrown away foods and store cupboard ingredients.

"They take less than 15mins to make, help save money and most importantly make the most of food that would otherwise be wasted.  Sainsbury’s knows our customers worry about wasting food and are dedicated to helping make their food go that little bit further, and limiting waste within our own supply chain.”


Gin and lemon salmon tartar, on cucumber with crème fraiche and dill
Makes 10
•      10 Cucumber slices, salted
•      2 tbsp crème fraiche
•      1 tsp chopped dill
•      Few sprigs of dill to garnish
•      Salmon marinade
•      1 x 150g salmon fillets
•      20ml of good quality gin
•      Juice and zest of 1 lemon
•      Pinch of sea salt

Method
1.  Chop the salmon very finely and place into a bowl with the marinade ingredients
2.  Leave for 5-10 minutes, until salmon is just starting become opaque around the edges
3.  Place a spoonful of crème fraiche on each piece of the cucumber pieces and add then top with a teaspoon full of salmon mixture. Sprinkle with dill

Thai Red Curry Meatballs, with a Lime Coriander Yoghurt Dip

Makes 8-10
·         100g leftover pork mince
·         1.5 tbsp ready-made Thai Red Curry Paste
·         Small handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped (save stalks for dip)
·         100ml Greek yoghurt
·         Juice of half a lime
·         1 clove garlic, finely chopped
·         Coriander stalks, finely chopped
·         Salt, to taste
·         1 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying
·         Fresh Coriander or lime wedges, for garnish

1.     In a mixing bowl, mix pork mince, coriander and red curry paste thoroughly. Shape into small bite size balls on a plate or tray.
2.     Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat, start frying the meatballs until all sides are browned and just cooked through for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from pan and rest for a few minutes before plating.
3.     Mix yoghurt, lime juice, garlic and coriander in a dipping bowl and serve alongside meatballs. Garnish with more coriander or lime wedges.

Mini stilton toasties (PICTURED) topped with caramelised port glazed pear and rocket
Makes up to 12
•                     4 slices of white bread

•                     60g stilton (ends)

•                     60 butter

•                     40g caster sugar

•                     1 pear

•                     Splash of port

•                     Handful of rocket leaves

Method
1.     Butter the bread on both sides and lay onto a board. Slice the stilton and use to top 2 slices of the bread – then place the other piece of bread on top to form sandwich

2.     Core and cut the pear into wedges and then halve each wedge. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan, add the sugar and cook until beginning to caramelise. Add the pears and cook on each side until golden and softened (approx. 5 mins). Add the port and cook for a further 2-3 minutes

3.     Heat a large frying pan and then cook the sandwiches on each side for a couple of minutes until golden and crispy and the cheese has melted – pressing down lightly with a spatula

4.     Remove the sandwiches, cut of the crusts and the cut each into 4-6 rectangular pieces

5.     Top with a rocket leaf, followed by a piece of the pear and push a cocktail stick through to secure everything in place

Harissa & Sesame Prawn Toast
Makes 16
·         250g prawns
·         3 spring onions
·         0.5 tbsp cornflour
·         1 tbsp harissa paste
·         1 small egg white
·         1.5 tbsp sesame seeds
·         4 slices of white bread
·         Vegetable oil, for brushing

1.     Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Whizz prawns, harissa paste, spring onions, cornflour and egg white in food processor until a paste forms but still with texture. Alternatively, roughly chop prawns and spring onions and mix in cornflour and egg white.

2.     Cut slices of bread into 4 triangles. Brush one side of bread slices with oil, grill oil side for 2 minutes or until just lightly golden. Remove from grill and flip over to non-grilled side. Divide prawn paste onto bread, press down lightly and brush with a little vegetable oil.

3.     Sprinkle sesame seeds all over and place back under grill for 5-6 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Sausage and mash cupcakes
Makes 12
•                     12 Mini foil cupcake cases

•                     150g leftover sausage meat

•                     4 tbsp breadcrumbs

•                     150g cold mashed potato

•                     1tbsp butter

•                     3 rashers of streaky bacon

•                     1 tbsp chopped chives, finely chopped

•                     1 tbsp dried thyme

Method
1.     Place the cupcake cases into a mini muffin tin and put a couple of pinches of breadcrumbs into the base of each (this will absorb the oil for the sausage meat). Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan

2.     Season the sausage meat with salt and pepper and thyme (could also use leftover pork stuffing). Roll into 2cm balls and press each ball into a cupcake case

3.     Using a star shaped nozzle, pipe the mash potato onto each sausage cupcake, as you would ice a cupcake. Place in the oven and cook for 10-12minutes

4.     Cook the bacon until crispy and cut into triangular shaped wafers

5.     Finish each cupcake with a sprinkling of chives

It's not too late to order your Christmas gifts

It is not to late to order your Christmas gifts.

We all know how it is. A gift suddenly becomes out of stock, you realise you forget to include a relative, or someone you didn't expect to see this Christmas will be attending after all, so you have to get a present.

It could not be easier! All you have to do is use the Amazon-powered shop that is associated with That's Christmas and the related sites and you can order whatever you need:

Special foods, books,DVDs, CDs, magical tricks, musical instruments, jewellery,watches, presents for pets, clothing, ex-army clothing and equipment, exercise equipment, sporting goods, Kindle books, Kindle devices, Audible Audio books, Amazon gift cards. In fact, if it is stocked or sold by Amazon you can order it via http://www.amazon.co.uk/?tag=bookworms05-21&linkCode=w0f

But please do remember that some items if dispatched from a country outside your own may not arrive before Christmas.

You can make your purchases at the special portal to the right hand side of this page.

New Christmas Song from Red Sky July

Red Sky July are an award-wining female trio consisting of husband and wife Ally McErlaine (guitarist from Texas) and Shelly Poole ()Alisha's Attack) with Charioty Hair (of the Alice Band but more latterly The Ailerons with Blur's Dave Rowntree.

Add Experienced and highly accomplished Nashville singer-songwriter Beth Nielson Chapman adding to the vocals on this extraordinary Christmas song.

In this reviewer's opinion, this song deserves to be a Christmas hit this yers and for many more Christmases to come.

The song tells the story of a lover's heartfelt commitment to be there, at Christmas, with their one and only.

It is what I describe as "proper" Country Music, pitch perfect vocals, wonderful harmonies, and guitar playing that used to make the Grand Old Opre what it was during its heyday.

But don't believe me! Order or buy your copy as soon as you can. It is released by Shadowbirds Records SHADOW6P.

You can learn more about Red Sky July at www.redskyjuly.com

You can check out the track here