thefoodiegifthunter.co.uk

I love Firebox, I think it was created to answer men’s prayers, and women’s endless question of what on earth to buy a man! Their range has continued to grow, and there are some interesting options for gifts for foodies, and not just in the gadget department. Here’s my top choices of new stuff from them:

1. Marshmallow Fluff – ok, not my fave, but you have to try this at least once in your life, besides which the texture always make laugh. Firebox have the original plus strawberry and raspberry, so plenty of flavour combos possible!

Giant Gummi Bear - yes, you're seeing that right!

2. Giant Gummi Bear – oh my word, you have to see these! Firebox are the first to have them in the UK and they are awesome looking! They’re a great gift for a Gummi Bear lover, not so sure about their foodie credentials, but they will surely be a talking point. Hoping they come in a box, otherwise they’re going to be a so and so to wrap up!

3. Decantus Wine Aerator – perfect for disorganised forgetful foodies (like me) who love their red wine, but forget to open it ahead of time. Perfect foodie gadget, sounds like it should work so you should get the best out of your wine.

4. Baconnaise – there’s bacon, there’s mayonnaise, and then there’s their bastard lovechild. Possibly worth trying once.

5. Garlic Zoom - a bit gimmicky, but a hands free way to get finely chopped garlic if your knife skills aren’t that great.

6. Sparkling Gold Cuvee – recession, what recession? Bring on the blinged up bubbles, just for the heck of it!

So, not great shakes from a true gourmets perspective, but some fun stuff, some interesting stuff and some stuff that is worth trying just once in your life! Now, bring on the Gummi Bear!

That MGG really is a foodie in training, then I offer up just a bit of photographic evidence!

MGG & mussels

With mussels

MGG & noodles

With noodles

MGG & ice cream

And, because no one’s perfect, and it’s not Mr Whippy, with ice cream:

Training future gourmets

If you’ve read a few of my posts,  you’ll have spotted the appearance of Mini Gourmet Girl. MGG is a food lover in training, who would name her favourite food as mussels (marinieres, possibly grilled, but not barbecued), chicken pie and Chinese (read chicken chow mein). Which is not bad going for 7.

I know it’s a cliche, but she’s never had a McDonalds burger or a chicken nugget. She knows the sheep we kept is now the lamb we’re eating, and what to bring back when I send her out to the garden to pick any of number of herbs. She’s a dab hand at cake decorating, and is also happy chopping up veg.

And yes, we eat out reasonably regularly. Which is why I was depressed to read in the recent issue of Nottinghamshire Flavoursthat a number of local restaurants wouldn’t accept diners under the age of 18. Or that that led them to only recommend Pizza Express or Ask. Talk about shame on the restaurateurs though, but to be fair I have never been turned away from anywhere with MGG, and she’s had some darn good meals.

I’ve got nothing at all against Pizza Express, we will often use our local one, but it’s just I think kids should have wide range of experiences. I would think (well-behaved) children would be most welcome in most Indian, Chinese, Thai and Italian restaurants, but equally I know the same would apply to World Service in Nottingham.

I think the secret lies in getting them young, and getting them involved in cooking, and growing food, as well as exposing them to lots of different food experiences. For any mini gourmet girls or boys, I’d treat them to any of the following to get them underway:

1. The River Cottage Family Cookbook – this is my favourite cook book to cook together with. Great recipes and great explanations, this is perfect for a starting point but with enough scope for development.

2. Their own apron – guaranteed to get them into the kitchen quick! I really like the range of personalised ones that all the different artisans on Not On the High Street have, very cute!

3. Mini kit – little hands will benefit from little tools to at least get them started, and baking is probably the easiest place to start. As with many things baking, I would turn to Lakeland. They have a 20 piece kid’s size baking set at the moment, which includes mini rolling pins and spoons, cookie cutters and moulds. However, the reviews on the site are not positive at the moment, it may well be worth looking at it instore and making up your own mind. Mini size should not mean mini quality. John Lewis also have a reasonable collection from Miniamo.

4. A cookery day – fantastic idea, get them to make a mess in someone elses kitchen! Probably suitable for slightly older children, google to see what local options there are. That said, Buy A Gift offer a number of foodie gift experiences for kids, including chocolate making as well as more regular cooking. They’re mainly concentrated in the South East though.

5. Growing their own – you must remember growing cress on blotting paper, and the excitement of watching the shoots, let alone eating the crop! Well, try expanding that out to whatever space you can make available. Herbs are a great starting point, and then fruit and veg opens up all kinds of possibilities. Depending on the time of year, you could get seedling collections that are ready to go straight in the ground, or buy a selection of seeds.  I also like the Rocket Gardens, where you can now pre-order the Spring 2010 kids garden, which includes pumpkins, courgettes, strawberries and peas amongst other things

So, just 5 small steps, but the best thing you can do for kids is get them involved: eating, shopping, baking, growing, preparing, choosing. The more they’re involved, the more they’ll want to be involved.

Meanwhile, I’m off to track down those dark age Nottingham restauranteurs, for a bit of naming and shaming!

Photo by Search Engine People Blog on Flickr

You've got mail

Ah, September. Month of mist and mellow fruitfulness. And catalogues.

Yes, an almost daily deluge in our house, driven by my addiction to online shopping and from my work on ProblemPresents.com in the past. Some are good, some are bad, and some are laugh out loud awful. But what about if you’re trying to find a gift (or write a wish list) for a foodie? Lets have a look, given the odd selection I have already.

1. Joules – tough call on the foodie front, can only suggest that if it’s a foodie with an allotment or raised beds, then you check out their wellies. They are still the best designs going for not looking dull in the garden. For her I would be tempted by the plain purple or possibly the Paul Smith like multi-stripe. For the guys, well, sorry, nothing doing. Next!

2. Hamptons Hampers – hampers from the shop of the same name in Stow on the Wold, which provided us with some very nice little foodie treats last weekend, with my favourites being Oxsprings English Air Dried Ham, and Woodchester’s Cherry & Balsamic Fruit for Cheese. On the hamper front, depending if it’s for now or later in the year, I could be tempted by the indulgent Christmas Cheese Hamper or the Luxury Cheese Hamper, and then the Swell Hamper, just for the name really. Great quality contents, some of the best I’ve seen.

3. The Original Gift Company – we went into this shop just to laugh at the really naff stuff. Of which there is plenty. If this was the only place to shop for the foodie in your life, then I would possibly risk a personalised plum pudding, or even a personalised party bucket, as being kitsch, probably tasty, and possibly useful. I would avoid the personalised wine like the plague. Likewise the personalised plates, mugs, tea towels and one touch electric wooden pepper mill. And the chocolate fondue. I’d maybe just give up and buy a penguin dynamo torch instead.

4. Bright Minds – really sad to see no kids starter kit in molecular gastronomy, although there are plenty of other science kits. Might have to settle for buying future Heston’s their own personalised apron instead!

5. Presents For Men/Gifts for Girls – a little similar to The Original Gift Company. What can I say? You must know a man who is crying out for a lager bottle pepper mill, or a toilet shaped mug. Or a female foodie who would love a kitchen utensil wall clock or pink lady gardening gloves for tending only pretty vegetables. If you forced me, then I would choose to buy: a pack of 5 Envirosax to save the planet with, a PinQY Fire Extinguisher for those who practice smoke alarm cookery, the whisky decanter set as it’s actually quite tasteful and Drinking Roulette. Well, too much good taste is boring!

6. J Parker - for the grow it yourself foodie, then I would look at some of the more unusual stuff in here. How about a loganberry or tayberry plant? A talking point with red gooseberries? Or health on the patio with goji berries, honey berries and vitalberries? Certainly unusual for the green fingered foodie.

7. Pedlars – I love these people, and a lot of what they stock. I’ve written about items they carry before, and you could wander round the house and find stuff from them I’ve bought. Right now, as a foodie, I am lusting after the vintage Hovis tins, some vinyl coasters, some of the big stainless steel casseroles, and a L’Econome peeler.

8. I Want One of Those - another old faithful that I regularly turn to, but usually not for foodie stuff, more for fun stuff. That said, if I wanted a foodie gift right now, I would be looking at the V Gauge Wine Preserver and Vinturi Wine Aerator, for gadget loving wine drinkers, and a BeepEgg for those just learning to boil an egg. But I have a feeling that a cuddly Yoda might just slip into the basket too.

And that’s just the first pile I’ve worked through. More to follow!

Great photo of mailing junk mail back by Oran Viriyincy.

More to Cardiff than cheese!

After yesterday’s post about Stilton, it seemed only right to give a mention to the Great British Cheese Festival in Cardiff this weekend. More cheese than even I can get through, there will be all sorts to take your fancy. There’ll be tastings and masterclasses, so really from milk to plate.

But if you go to Cardiff and only do this then you’re missing out. It’s a city I love, and know a bit, mainly because Dr T is a Penarth boy, still with family in the area. We were even married in Cardiff, in the fabulous surroundings of City Hall.

So, these are my personal favourites to get the best out the area.

Staying – depends on your budget, and your mood. If you want the luxury version, or a spa on hand to recover from your cheese tasting efforts, then it has to be The St David’s. Sadly, since the advent of the barrage, they can’t show you the TV Robbie Williams threw out the window, but the gorgeous rooms will not disappoint. And a few spins around the thalassotherapy pool will leave you feeling well refreshed. For unique, individual and welcoming, then I would go for Jolyons. Apparently very popular with the Doctor Who and Torchwood cast, the rooms are cosy and Bar Cwtch is very chilled.

Eating – my favourite is definitely Le Gallois in Canton. Fantastic food and presentation, this is a treat for dinner, but if the fixed price lunch is on offer, it’s a great bargain. Two courses is only £20, and you’ll get great representations of local food to a very high standard. If you like Indian, then I recommend Spice Quarter in the Old Brewery Quarter. I took a friend from Amritsar, and she raved about it, so that’s a good sign to me. And if you’re still hungry, you’ll be needing chips from Caroline Street, also known as Chip Alley. But I’d be avoiding Champers. Long story, food completely unmemorable, entertainment provided by clientele unbelievable.

Shop – you have to visit Wally’s Delicatessen, it’s legendary, and deserving of the legend. Leave room in your coolbox amongst all the cheese for charcuterie from around the world, amongst a huge variety of things, in a very small space!

Drink – pint of Dark followed by a Pendeyrn Whisky chaser.

So, go and indulge in the cheese, but make sure you don’t miss out on everything else!

Fantastic Cardiff mosaic by Mooganic on Flickr.

The King of Cheeses!

Dr T has been avoiding dairy for the past two weeks. Don’t ask, but it’s lasted longer than avoiding beer! The benefit has been huge amounts of goats cheese in the house, which I love.

In fact, I love my cheese. Which is just as well round here, as you can’t walk 50 yards without bumping into a cow that provides milk for Stilton. I drive past Colston Bassett dairy every day or, if I’ve had to go the long way round, Cropwell Bishop. Pop to the doctors, and it’s Long Clawson. Head into Melton Mowbray and it’s Tuxford & Tebbutt.

As it’s coming up to Christmas (really, have you not looked in Tesco this week?), then it really is traditional Stilton eating time. To be honest, our favourite is still Colston Bassett, and it does crop up in fine delis everywhere. Including Dean & Deluca in New York. I do apologise to the girl on the counter, I was a little homesick, had been a long trip, still possibly no reason to get emotional over cheese. To save going to New York, you can buy it online at Neal’s Yard.

Pong have the Cropwell Bishop Stilton, which I always think has very nice fine veining. I understand, unofficially, that Long Clawson supplies all the Stilton to Harrods. There isn’t any online at the moment, but I bet you can get it in the store. There’s nothing on Selfridges at the moment either, but that will no doubt change. In fact, very few of the high street stores who have launched Christmas gifts have Stilton.

Which I think is good news, as it’s not been subject to price cutting. Of course it’s not to everyone’s taste, but it’s still one of our top cheeses.

I am very excited though by Stichelton, for Stilton as it would have been made traditionally from unpasteurised cheese. It doesn’t need me to talk it up, chefs and journalists have been writing about it for a while, but very worthwhile seeking it out. Again, Neals Yard have it, and Waitrose quite often have it in.

Of course for decent cheese, you’ll need decent crackers. Fudge’s are always a good choice for me, particularly the flatbreads. I’m also very fond of Miller’s Damsels, particularly the Spelt wafers, which have a nice bit, a slight nuttiness and great for those with a wheat intolerance, who can often tolerate spelt. Oatcakes are good, and I’ve been having a late night snack of ginger oatcakes with a little bit of Wensleydale with blueberries.

You may also want to go the whole hog, and have some Membrillo from Spain, or some good chutney. But really, with Stilton? Let it live and breathe, don’t scoop it out from the middle, don’t pour port on it, just get good cheese, good bread or crackers, and maybe, just maybe a very nice pear.

And then feel virtuous about supporting a great British tradition!

Lead yourself not into temptation!

I don’t mean to keep picking on Cotswold 88, but one of the other thing that had me in stitches of laughter and snorting in indignation was the mini bar, or mini tray in this case.

Don’t get me wrong, it really didn’t offend my foodie sensibilities, far from it. Lets face it, I’m as fond of Montezuma’s as the next girl. Although I can leave Nobby’s Nuts well alone!

What did offend me was the cost! Can you guess how much the tray contents , plus two small bottles of Carta Vieja wine, came to?

£40.20!! Although it would appear, as it didn’t appear on the price list ,that the water was free. But that could have been an expensive assumption.

And if I’d brought it all myself? Lets have a look…

2 bars of Spice it Up - £2.50 compared to £3.40

Bag of dark chocolate orange slices - £5.95 to £7.50

James White Apple Juices – about £2.50 compared to £3

Nobbys Nuts – about 69p compared to £1.70

Wine – Oddbins have the Carta Vieja’s at £4.99 a bottle. Compared to £9.95 for a quarter bottle here.

So, I could have put the whole lot together for £24.81, which would also have given me two full bottles of wine, rather than half a bottle. Meaning the mark up on the cash element of 62%. And who said there was no margin in food?

I would suggest investing in an electric cool box and taking your own! I’m not tight, but if I’m investing that kind of cash then I want a good collection of interesting foodstuffs, and good wine. Lets face it, for the cost of the wine on this tray, I could have had a half bottle of Bollinger, and still had some coppers for the charity box. In these cost conscious times, I say invest wisely, and make every penny count by not falling prey to the mini bar!

Cotswold 88

I feel it only fair to start this by saying there are many things that the ever patient Dr T is good at. Sadly, choosing hotels is not one of them. But he does normally choose ones that give us something to laugh about!

Having survived 10 years of being married to me, he chose to whisk me off to the Cotswolds for the night. And Cotswold 88 is certainly well placed for a night in the Cotswolds, being in the pretty, although slightly soulless, village of Painswick. Like many of these places, there are so many second homes that the guts of these villages are often missing.

Cotswold 88 bills itself as an intimate lifestyle boutique hotel.

Yes, I know, we were in trouble already. If I had to bill it, I would say it was the perfect example of style over substance. Of trying too hard. Of not getting to the basics right. Like the food.

You can see it’s a beautiful building, it’s a beautiful location, and there was an idyllic little balcony to sit on. Having had no lunch, we were happy to indulge in a cream tea. Always interesting when ordering stuff separately is cheaper, even if only slightly, than the total package, but it was true here. But I’d forgive that, given the billing of having to wait 15 minutes for the scones to be produced.

I should perhaps have taken a warning when the pots of tea arrived without an extra pot of hot water. Tight, I think is the word that came to mind.

Not quite my favourite cream tea

And then I laughed at the cream tea! The word that came to mind first was poncey. The second was a string of words, along the lines of what the heck is butter doing on the plate. There was disappointment around the pool of strawberry jam, I’m a raspberry girl myself.

But the scones! Oh my word, even MGG could do better. We won’t mention the lack of fruit, as I know that’s my naff Northern tendencies, but measly, poorly risen and crumbling like a biscuit does not a good scone make.

And really, that summed up most of our eating experiences there. We even skipped out on dinner, having not been asked to book in advance and finding ourselves offered 6.15pm or 9.15pm. Whilst no culinary great shakes, we had the funniest, most entertaining night at The Royal Oak, with good, honest food and just an endless parade of character and events. There wasn’t a whole heap of laughing going on back at 88, just some painful self consciousness. Possibly followed by sharp intakes of breath at the bill.

If you still want to be at places to say you’ve been at places, then 88 might be for you. I would rather head for The White Hart Inn at Stow. Looked very friendly, has beds by And So To Bed, and the menu looked like the sort of thing I would want to eat. Chicken liver parfait, caramel peach and toasted sourdough sounds like a good place to start, or the smoked sirloin of beef from Upton Smokers. Dr T had his eye on the Angus ribeye. Next time!

Although I also have a sneaking desire to go back and stay and eat at Cardynham House. From what you could see, the rooms looked very nice, and the bistro was very busy in the evening. I’m just intrigued as to whether the Hawaiian Chicken was an ironic dish, or not! Wherever we go, I think we have come to the conclusion we are definitely more Alastair Sawday than Mr & Mrs Smith. Fabulous food and service will always top style for us!

The Great Salsa Book

This may be the most obscure and tenuous Friday Five I’ve done so far, but couldn’t let the return of Strictly, especially on a Friday, go unmarked. X Factor passes this house by, but everything halts for Strictly Come Dancing. I think I’ve even recovered from being photographed between two of the world’s most photogenic people to come back and watch it again this year!

So here are 5 little numbers to whisk you around the kitchen floor, to have you hot to (fox)trot so you waltz off with compliments from all diners present!

1. The Great Salsa Book - possibly the easiest, but this hot little number will get you spicing up the action in unexpected ways.

2. Fig Jam and Foxtrot – here’s a surprising one! Never imagined would find one with foxtrot in the title! This is an intriguing pairing that could produce a few surprises. Not quite the beauty and the beast pairing, but a combination of fact and fiction, with over 80 recipes intertwined with the tales of six women from around the world.

3. Cook, Eat, Cha Cha Cha!: Festive New World Recipes - this is the book of a restaurant, famous for its Sangria. That would certainly get you whizzing around the dancefloor. Or possibly it really would be murder on the dancefloor! Good sounding recipes that would get things hot and spicy.

4. Slow: A Quick-step for Relaxed Eating - ah, can’t beat the old slow, slow, quick, quick, slow! I love a bit of slow cooking, and could certainly produce a slow cooked masterpiece an awful lot easier than I could master a quickstep. Like cooking braising steak, I don’t believe my feet were meant to go that quick!

5. Secret Kitchen: An Argentine Cooking Book - tango with your tastebuds in honour of the Argentine tango with this unusual book. I would imagine that it will involve beef, be deep and tempestuous and get passions aflame!

So bring on the sequins, pass the fake tan, and let the dancing commence! Appropriate eating is optional. Just watch out for these two hanging around a bar near you. The one in the middle is okay, but the other two shouldn’t be allowed to be photographed with mere mortals!

People not to be photographed with

Have a cupcake, all week!

This had passed me by slightly, but this week apparently is National Cupcake Week. Which is definitely going to be one of my favourite weeks of the year.

Where did the cupcake come from? How did it raise itself up to be the top cakey treat? Like many trends, I would think we have to blame Sex and the City, and those trips the girls had to the Magnolia Bakery. Now every city seems to have it’s own version, yes, even near my office in Nottingham. The team at the Bluebell Bakery (obviously Magnolia’s distant cousin) delivered half a dozen scrummy ones last week.

Through Twitter, I’ve come across some fabulously talented people making these little tiny delights of scrumptiousness and artistry. If you’re in the Kent area, then you need to be heading to The Kent Cupcakery, for everything from pirates and skull & crossbones (yes, cupcakes for the boys) to pretty florals and ones for wedding anniversaries.

If you’re seriously into cupcakes, then you could head to NYC and tour a few of the famous bakeries. And even those of us who are not friends with wheat or gluten needn’t miss out, if you head to the Lower East Side and stop by Babycakes. Not to mention that they are all vegan as well, so everyone is welcome!

There again there is nothing to beat the smell of cupcakes being lifted fresh out of your own oven, then working out what on earth you are going to put on the top of them. If you’re doing them with kids then the more is more principle will apply. Check out Cupcake Wrappers for an amazing selection of cases and sprinkles and toppers, more than you could ever have thought existed! For more basic but useful stuff, then you can never beat Lakeland!

If you want some inspiration, then there are some fab books around to do just that. On my wish list you’ll find Bake Me I’m Yours…Cupcakes, Hello Cupcake (which has the cutest cover, but not sure how I would feel about eating a Yorkshire Terrier cupcake), and Planet Cake, which is not exclusively cupcakes but very inspiring.

Failing that, I shall be making a run into Peyton & Byrne at St Pancras tomorrow and hoping the 5 for £10 deal is still on!