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Celebrate with good food & good friends

It seems that wherever you go in the world, everyone is happy to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, whilst the other national saints barely get a look in even in their home countries! But lets not get all partisan about it, lets just get on with some eating and drinking!

1. Ok, you can’t really start St Patrick’s Day without a glass of Guinness. Possibly two or three. There again, loyalties are divided in Ireland, and so perhaps you should order in some Murphys. Or some of each, and decide for yourself.

2. A drop of the hard stuff? Well, there’s plenty of Irish whiskey companies willing to help you out with that! Bushmills and Jameson are probably the best known, but you could work your way through some smaller producers, and try something like Connemara, from the Cooley distillery. This is Ireland’s only independent distillery, and its newest, and the whiskey has been winning awards. Worth a try.

3. Taken the pledge? Ah, will  you have a cup of tea then? Go on, go on, go on. Swap your regular brew for something like Bewley’s Dublin Morning tea. Then there’s Barry’s Tea, which has everything from a classic blend to a gold blend, and a long history of good brews.

4. What appears in our supermarkets as Irish sausage is a poor excuse for a sausage. If you want the real thing then try Jane Russell’s Original Irish Handmade Sausages. These are high meat content sausages as they should be made, with only prime cuts and, as they say, no short cuts. Not only are there traditional pork sausages, but you could also try the beef and Guinness ones.

5. Should you be making a trip (and you may have to, as struggling to find a retail stockist) then it sounds like it is well worth checking out the Drumgooland Smokehouse in Co. Down. The hot smoked salmon has won awards, and they also have some interesting combinations such as gin marinated wild mackerel and smoked salmon fishcakes with lemongrass and coriander.

6. If you want to try a hamper full of Irish goodies, then check out the Irish Gourmet. For those with a sweet tooth, try the Battle of the Biscuits, which will give you not all biscuits but also cakes, honey and tea. For more all round tastes, then try A Taste of the Organic, which has smoked salmon, air dried ham, oatcakes and cheese.

7. Talking of oatcakes, I really like the Smoked Oatcakes from Dittys Home Bakery, for an added dimension to cheese and biscuits. You’ll find these in many places across the UK: I know I bought them first at Waitrose and you can find them everywhere from Forman & Field to Fortnum & Mason.

So, I’m sure there is a whole heap more you could explore, so probably best to get a flight and make a start. Dublin is an obvious choice, but my favourite is Galway. No need to wait until the Oyster Festival in September, there’s good eating and drinking all year round. If you want the rock star approach, you could stay at the G or for more pampering then try the Radisson Blu with the Spirit One Spa. Or I hear great things about the resurgence of Belfast, and especially about The Merchant Hotel, both for its restaurant and its bar. In fact, the bar has been voted Best Hotel Bar in the World, not to mention Best Cocktail Menu. If that’s not a good reason to go, then I’m not sure what other reason you need.

Sláinte!

Photo courtesy of biskuit over on Flickr.

Avoid disappointment this Mother's Day

I wrote yesterday about a few ideas on what to get a food loving mum for Mother’s Day. Which kind of got me thinking about the things to avoid. Here’s a few I’d give a wide berth to:

1. Milk Tray – the lady may love Milk Tray, but most food lovers won’t be over-thrilled. Particularly if it’s only a quarter pound box. Honestly, save your money, make cornflake crispie cakes or brownies instead.

2. A Shopping Trolley – you know what, we may look at these and think how practical for touring the farmer’s market and carrying home our purchases. But since when did we want practical presents?

3. Personalised Champagne – or even worse, personalised Prosecco. If you’re going to buy fizz, buy the best you can and go for taste. Make your own label if you must, but put the money into product, not the gimmick.

4. A novelty apron – foodie mums use an apron for practical purposes of keeping food off themselves whilst they’re cooking. Not for a practical joke.

5. Umami paste -this may just be me, but if a dish doesn’t have umami from the ingredients, don’t go messing with it.

6. Cheap truffle oil- a bit like the champagne, if you’re not going to buy the good stuff, then don’t go with the cheap stuff. Truffle oil should be expensive, and that’s why it’s a fabulous gift if you get it right. London Fine Foods do a 250ml bottle of Black Truffle infused oil which is the real deal. A little goes a long, long way. Which at £30 is a good job, but do this or don’t bother.

7. Big bottles of peppercorns or oils with herbs – most of us will want to know what kind of oil it is, possibly where it’s from, and who tended the herbs. We don’t want 50 litres of some unidentified stuff. Thank you.

8. Novelty pepper grinders - there is never a moment for these. Not that much to be said.

9. Ainsley Harriott cookbooks – and possibly no Gary Rhodes either. Cooking has moved on.

So, hope you get your mum something she will really enjoy, rather than what someone wants to sell you under the guise of Mother’s Day. Remember, taste first and foremost, to avoid disappointment. Unlike the pie.

Photo courtesy of raindog on Flickr.

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I love being a mum, and I love my food. Which probably makes me easy to buy for on Mother’s Day. And it has meant that Dr T has never fallen into the trap of Olay and L’Oreal Mother’s Day advertising (trust me, she’s worth so much more, and no mum wants anti-wrinkle cream. Ever).

Here’s some ideas for gifts for the food and drink loving mum, to show her just how worth it she is!

Fabulous chocolates from Rococo

* There’s got to be fizz, and make it interesting. TheDrinkShop has a great selection, in every shade and to suit every budget, and if you’re going to be super generous then check out Wine Hound. You have to buy a whole case, but could mix wine and champagne, and they have some from more unusual houses in Champagne. And even if mum doesn’t do alcohol, The Alcohol Free Shop offers some very good alternatives.

* Of course chocolates are traditional, but they don’t have to be old-fashioned. I love the packaging and unusual flavour combinations from Rococo, like the dark chocolate and violet. I adore the fabulously vibrant packaging from Prestat, a long established house with anything but an old fashioned look and feel to it. Have a look at the Marc de Champagne Truffle Collection. Want to go swanky? Check out Melt, which I would say was perfect true foodie territory. How about salted feuillantines or olive caramel bon bons?

* Mum got a savoury tooth, not sweet? How about a cheese gift from Pong? There is a luxury gift box for her, which is the sort of thing I normally avoid, but this is a great collection. Mum can feast on St Eadburgha, Reblochon, organic Cotswold Blue Brie from Simon Weaver and Golden Cross. Add in some fabulous crackers and maybe even some good chutney, and that’s supper sorted out on Mother’s Day!

* For green fingered, grow your own mums, how about a fruit tree? Tree 2 My Door offer some great self-pollinating ones, from apples, to something more unusual like mulberry. Or maybe treat her to something to inspire her growing, like tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show.

So, break out a bit from the norm and make mum’s day!

I really don’t like Marmite. I do like clever advertising. Weird, I know. But something about this one caught my eye this morning:

Well, you'd stop & look wouldn't you?

Whilst I am sure there’ll be some of you knocking down the doors at Boots tomorrow looking for the shower gel, this is actually just a clever campaign to support the release of the cereal bars. Whilst it doesn’t tempt me in the slightest, I might seek them out for the two Marmite lovers in the house.

Marmite claim these are the first in the world, in being the first ever savoury cereal bar. Quite possibly I guess. They deliver vitamins, fibre and that unique flavour that Marmite lovers adore. There was a good bit of video running at Kings Cross but can’t find it online, it just showed those very opposite reactions that Marmite gets.

If you want to upgrade the strength of your marmite, or the yuck factor, then you can buy extra strength Marmite XO online now. The XO is apparently matured four times longer for extra flavour. Deep joy.

I can’t appreciate the taste but I do love the iconic design, its Britishness (in spite of the fact it’s now owned by Unilever). The Marmite Shop has some great things like artwork for your walls, some really cute espresso cups, not to mention a special edition Marmite Dualit toaster.

It’s the closest they’re going to get me to loving it!

Photo courtesy Unilever

Accident waiting to happen

I think I can claim this post to have the vaguest foodie link of any I have written so far, but worth thinking about. Those of us who love to cook are probably going to spend more time than the average person with very hot things and sharp things. Unless you are a firefighter or a knife thrower.

Anyway, every food lovers kitchen should have a great first aid kit to hand, and can I make an absolute recommendation for Boots Faster Healing Hydrocolloid Plasters. Just to point out, for those who don’t know, I do work for Boots but my recommendation is unhindered by that, I paid out cash for these, and they are absolutely based on the very rapid healing of a burnt finger, leaving a not very big scar.

First aid kits are the things you don’t think about until you need them, and I would most definitely include these. You might also want to think about burn relief spray, but I’m a big believer in cold water for a prolonged period of time. I’m sure that’s what they recommended when I was in Girl Guides anyway.

If you don’t want to just top up existing first aid supplies, then you can get a ready made kit from Boots, offering plenty of basic ideas. If you want something a little more funky whilst still functional then look at the one from Ally Robinson over on Not On the High Street. Or if you want to fill your own then have a look at the First Aid Box or Tin that they have.

John Lewis  have some very funky first aid kits, and I particularly love the vintage Beano one. Just remember that there is no good a kit being great to look at if it doesn’t have the things you are likely to need in an emergency. If you’re not sure what you should keep in your kit, there’s a good guide from the NHS here.

So, be safe, but most of all, as we said in the Guides, be prepared! As accidents are waiting to happen, as this fab photo by zappowbang on Flickr shows!

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What will you swap?

The annual Fairtrade Fortnight started yesterday, and I like this year’s theme around asking people to swap just one thing they regularly purchase for the Fairtrade version. Small steps to change always seem much more manageable somehow!

So, bananas and coffee feel a bit old hat, and many will already be buying fairtrade (or did 5 years at The Body Shop do too much brainwashing on me?) Anyway, what else could you swap?

* Swap your vodka for Fair Vodka, the first Fairtrade certified vodka, and the first quinoa based in the world. At last, a decent use for the stuff! And apparently it does it very well as it was voted best tasting vodka 2009 at the New York Spirits award. Does good and tastes good then!

* Swap your regular basmati rice for Suma’s organic & Fairtrade brown basmati. That’s such an easy swap of such a basic item that it almost doesn’t need thinking about.

* Swap a morning brew for a morning brew from Make Us a Brew. Strong, full on, English breakfast tea that is both organic and fair traded. Not to mention it has very cute illustrations!

* Swap your regular beer for something quite different from Mongozo. Fruit based, you could try something like the Coconut Beer, and still keep to your fair trade principles.

* Swap your spice rack to fairly traded spices. I love Steenbergs anyway, but even more so for the fact that there is a large range of fair trade options available from them, as well as being organic. Even if you only switch one spice, it’s a start. I’m starting with cinnamon sticks.

So, take one small step and make one small change. But equally, I want to make another plea, and that is not to forget our own farmers and small producers, that they equally deserve a fair deal. Please get out there and support those working hard, delivering great animal welfare standards and great tasting produce. Small producers making products the traditional way, or inventing new ways, to really delivery high quality products. Fair trade for all!

Learn more skills than you ever knew about

I got a tweet last week regarding a new website, ooh.com, which looks really interesting if you want to find, or even run, a great cookery course or experience near you. Whilst it doesn’t only cover food and drink, at the moment there are just under 170 courses listed across the UK.

From West Cornwall to the Highlands, there is a huge variety on offer. Always wanted to know how to cook in a wood-fired oven? You can do it in a day in Shaftesbury for £160. Want to learn to smoke your own produce? Yep, you can learn to do that too.

There are courses for designer dinners and intensive courses for wannabe chalet cooks, courses at famous places and courses at someone’s house. And if you fancy teaching, then you could even sign yourself up to run any kind of course, not just cookery. Pass on your knowledge of bee-keeping, or how to build a wind turbine, or even hide working and buckskin course. The sky is only limited by your passion and knowledge.

I think a day course (or longer) makes a great gift for a foodie, particularly those who are a little difficult to please! After all, getting a new skill to brag about has to get extra brownie points! Have a look at the site, and keep an eye on how it develops. Personally, I am hoping to have time to get on the Parisian memoir writing master class!

Fabulous photo of domestic classes past from Cornell University Library.

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Just a quick post on online retailers of good foodie stuff with good offers, in case you need a gift but with some cash left for day to day eating! Here goes:

Kissing Birds Free Gift from Thorntons

1. Thorntons have a free gift on offer for orders over £15 between now and the 14th, so a great one for the one for them, one for you principle. The free gift is the Kissing Birds, which is cute looking, and possibly tasty. I really like the chocolate blocks they have done, colourful and tasty. Enter code THKS at checkout to qualify.

2. I love how Majestic announce their offers: 25% off South Africa. Apparently it does just mean the wines! Great saving though when you buy two bottles. Possibly champagne discounts will follow next week if Valentine’s Day sales aren’t as good as they were hoping!

3. I do like my coffee, but good coffee. If you’ve got a caffeine freak, then how about joining them up to the Coffee Tasting Club from Coffee Cavern. It’s now available for £22.50 for 3 months, rather than £30, for which they will send 4 different coffees every month from single estates and co-operatives, along with tasting notes. A perfect pick you up gift.

4. Natoora is a great source for continental goodies from Italy and France amongst others. If you need to plan a big shop, then right now they are offering £20 off when you spend £80. The offer runs until 28 February, and you just need code HT785KE at checkout. Not sure I know where to start, but I would certainly be looking at their interesting wine and beer selection, and some San Daniele ham for sure.

5. There can never be enough fabulous chocolate in a home, and Chocolate Trading Co is a great source for finding great stuff. Just to ease some of the guilt, there is 10% off everything at the moment with code love, and it’s valid through till the end of this month. Deep joy!

6. If it’s too cold, or there’s still snow, then stay warm and safe and shop at the Virtual Farmers Market. Great selection of all kinds of producers from around the UK, and for all of February delivery is completely free, so got to be worth a go. And worth staying in for! Check out goodies from Gower Cottage Brownies, South Devon Chilli Farm and Upton Smokery amongst many other tasty choices!

Six great choices of places to shop, six great discounts. Happy shopping/cooking/eating!

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Just having a quick virtual browse round to see what’s new for Spring for the foodies, and here’s just a few of the things that have caught my eye:

Gluten free fishcakes

* From The Fish Society, a tasty treat for those needing a gluten free diet. Norcakes are fishcakes from Norway that have seen neither potato (so you get more fish) or a breadcrumb (so you get no gluten). Great sounding flavours, either Pollock & Lemongrass or Salmon & Dill. Perfect standby comfort food for me.

* I love TheDrinkShop.com, it’s such a great source of such a huge variety of different drinks, the stuff you don’t necessarily see in the supermarket. They’ve just listed SW4 Dry Gin, which I have yet to see on sale round here, or make it into my glass, but it sounds great. And I’m intrigued by the Bitter Truth Pimento Dram, which is pimento and rum. Could make for an interesting evening!

Light my Fire, with chocolate

* Always a sucker for chocolate, I like the cheeky bars that Jamie Oliver is doing, which include Light My Fire (dark chocolate with mandarin and ginger) and Get Fresh (dark chocolate with a hint of mint). The flavours are nothing new, but the chocolate is 72% cocoa solids, as well as organic and fairtrade, so on top of that to have great looking packaging is a real positive. Cheer someone’s day up, any day, with one of these.

* I know this won’t tick the local box, but it is seasonal. Natoora have Wild Pink Radicchio in from Verona, which they say is very nice grilled, and I would be tempted to try it in risotto, having made one before with “normal” radicchio. I am expecting this to be slightly less bitter than the red version.

* The Eden Project is one of my favourite places, but it’s a bit of a drive from here in the East Midlands. Pleased to see their online shop suddenly looking really snazzy and interesting with some great things on it. For the foodies, then there is the Olive Lovers Gift, which has an olive sapling, and a jar of their own marinated olives. This is going to be one of those taste good, do good gifts, going to support the ongoing work at the Project. They’ve got some great chicken houses too, if keeping your own is on your to do list this year.

So just a few new things that have caught my eye, that I’ll be storing away as ideas for great gift ideas for someone, at some stage, this Spring. What’s caught your eye? I’d love to know.

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Chocolate has had a reputation as an aphrodisiac all the way back to at least Montezuma, if not further, so it seems only appropriate that there is a lot of the stuff being given at Valentine’s Day. For those that a half pound box from Tesco is going to leave you very much out in the cold, here are some romantic and yet incredibly tasty choices.