New new new! Douwe Egberts coffee

New and brilliant Aromettes by Douwe Egberts amazing compressed coffee. A very clever little way of delivering flavour conveniently and with minimum mess. The tub/tin comes with 30 individually pressed ground coffee servings in the shape of a large over sized coffee bean, so no need to grind, spoon, measure or in my case spill. You simply take a bean for each person drinking and drop t in to the cafetiere and then add water. 

I must confess I am not a massive coffee drinker in fact I dont drink it so when it came to the tasting I tested it out on my boyfriend and his family over the lovely Easter weekend. And what better time with the over eating we did it was quite fitting and perfect timing to have such brilliant coffee to hand. 

The general feeling was good, they loved the compressed beans and loved the flavour too! All in all its a bit of a winner! Everyone said they would buy it but it, so it must be good! 

Pick some up for yourself from £3.69 and they are available in two varieties (Intense Aroma and Smooth Aroma) exclusively from Tesco. 

The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants Awards

Monday night I was lucky enough you be invited to The Worlds 50 Best Restaurants awards. 
I have added a video link below of the top 5 receiving their awards. All the expected super culinary names where there from Heston, Raymond Blanc to Fergus Henderson in his butchers apron suit and the beautiful Gizzi Erskine. 
Please let me apologise in advance for my somewhat less than steady hand on the recording. 


Link to the awards here

London's Secret drinking spot

Ok ok not so secret... thanks Stylist magazine and now Evening Standard too!


My friend and i went here last week and felt super cool and with it! hahah 


We were told by our lovely waiter at dean street town house to check out a new little speak easy in china town, yes you heard correct, china town. So we popped along after dinner. And sure enough right where he said was a door a beaten up door no sign no nothing. So we asked the guy and up we went. We walked up to which could only be described as a little like an old members club, a mix of people, business men, Chinese, the super cool and then us. It was really lovely, set over three floors they have love jazz most nights. Now the cocktails were amazing! I have the Basil one and my friend went for the poppy seed one. We also asked for signal measure as my friend was driving and i'm a wimp with cocktails. They were happy to help and we both ended up with amazing cocktails which also by the way were half the price. 


I pinched a menu for you to see the drinks on offer. 


Its amazing we will defiantly be going back, thats if the whole of London doesn't start going there!

the new place on everyones lips

Dinner at Spuntino. So it the new offering from the genius behind polpo and Polpetto! Needless to say we were not disappointed! We arrived at a site on Rupert Street Soho with no signage apart from a scribbled name on the corner of the rusted outside of the restaurant. We arrived and were immediately met by a queue we decided to wait it out after we were advise that we would be seated between 45mins to an hour. We have a drink, 2 small house white to which we were given a very small 500ml carafe, very nice, oh and water glasses no less to drink it from.

We waited and we ordered some fried stuffed olives... Very yummy.

We sat, ordered... Mac and cheese, soft shell crab and salt beef. All amazing particularly the mac and cheese! Just delicious at least a500g of cheese! We got the bill as wanted to check out a new secret speak easy bar round the corner for cocktails.

All in all very very good menu, wine, service and surprising, value!

Would totally recommend to all!!

i know terrible pic but it was only candle light in there. This is our fried stuffed olives and our little carafe of wine as we waited.  

I WANT AN EASTER EGG!

So every year I moan to my poor boyfriend..."please get me an Easter egg". I never get one and then the next one comes and I moan more. This year he has promised - so to help him on his way I have discovered the king of egg's Chococo.

Chococo’s have a delicious new range of Easter treats, all freshly handmade in Wareham, Dorset. From its Union Jack Egg through to its Mini Dorset Duck eggs, there’s something for everyone and most of all for me! 

All the eggs are made from Venezuelan Carenero Superior bean chocolate and carefully hand decorated to add that extra special touch. All the large eggs come presented nestling inside Chococo’s iconic Easter multi-coloured egg box - which features cut out window patterns on the side with a heart, a flower, a bird in flight and Easter eggs as the shapes.

www.chococo.co.uk 

Watson & Son Black Label Manuka Honey

The caviar of honey, expensive compared to your average joe honey but well worth it when you hear about not only how tasty it is but how great it is for you too! Now firstly the basics: this honey is from bees only found in New Zealand and only those who harvest form the Manuka bush. That in its self is pretty impressive! The list of health benefits is as long as my arm. It is said that Manuka honey holds hundreds of healing remedies from digestion to sunburn and everything in between, there isn't much this sweet nectar cant do.

Buy your Watson & Son Black Label Manuka Honey here from £6.50.

I've added a little more info below for you on this delicious, sticky, magic stuff 

• Watson & Son was formed in 2003 in New Zealand and is the country’s largest single producer of Manuka honey. Its sole activity is the production of premium Manuka honey for healthcare products offering the antimicrobial properties of Manuka.

• The company is headquartered in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand’s North Island and has over fifteen thousand beehive.

• Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), part of the tea tree family, is a small evergreen tree that flourishes in New Zealand. Manuka honey is produced in the flower of the tree.

• Watson & Son Black Label Manuka Honey selects each of its hive sites to ensure honeybees will only draw from the very best Manuka forest areas. Every site is government registered and identified with a GPS locator.

• Every stage of the Manuka honey production process is managed to enable full traceability back to the hive.

Penn State Snacks

Yummy yummy pretzels. So for the road trip to the west country I packed a large pack of salted pretzels from Penn State Snales, they were amazing, perfect for the journey and a very welcomed balance to the sugar sweets one of the girls brought along. I also had some cream and chives ones too which were delicious super flavoursome! They even made our picnic on Saturday. ao all round very good buy, car snake, wine nibble and picnic player. 

£1.29 per pack - www.pennstate.co.uk

Dinner with friends in the west country

This weekend my friends and I went for a little trip to the west country Chalford to be exact. 

We decided on some country pub grub up on Minchinhampton Common, The Halfway House in Box was the pub / restaurant of choice. The sun was shining the pimms was flowing what better way to finish the day but with a pub meal. We arrived late, as to be expected with 5 girls getting ready while drinking a drop or so of the lovely ( and on offer at waitrose)  Rabbit Row Sauvignon Blanc 2009/10 Marlborough, New Zealand.

We made it with 20mins to order. The menu was small very small and we were advised that the Sea Bass had sold out but they did have the 'trolley' which had stuffed pork belly with haggis and black pudding - well I was sold straight away. We went in to order as we had decided on drinks outs side. I asked to see the 'trolley' and to my surprise and joy they also had beed wellington! Done, it was three of those with the trimmings and two sirloin steaks. 

We sat at our table and ordered another bottle of wine and waited as our tummies roared! 

The trolley was rolled over to us and the grand metal hood rolled back. Three very generous portions of beef wellington were dished up and I couldnt resist, I asked for a side of the haggis and blackpudding with extra gravy. 

All in all we were raving about our meal, the service was excellent and the food very good. The beef on all accounts was cooked to perfection. 

I would defiantly go back and would have no problem at all recommending it to others. It was also good pricing the beef wellington was only £15 which is great value as the beef fillet was £20.

http://www.thehalfwayhousebox.co.uk/

Greggs hot cross buns, with real butter the only way!

We picked up some goodies from Greggs this week… hot cross buns and some muffins. Now in my opinion it is vital, imperative some might say, ok I might say to have the right butter with your freashly toasted hot cross buns! Greggs buns were yummy! A bakery I hold dear to my heart anyway, many of my childhood memories of popping in to Greggs for a hot sausage roll or a little something sweet. 

Our treats were as tasty good as I remember them to be. And with Easter on its way best get stocked up cos these are not going to be hanging around the house for long. 

Carrot Cake Muffin from 82p each 

Cornflake Nest from 45p each 

Easter Cupcake from 60p 

Easter Ring Bun from 55p each 

Hot Cross Bun 25p each 

Loving a drop of shloer in this amazing sunshine!

I now it sounds like I have been a bit of a booze hound the past few posts but sometimes its nice to just chill out with a refreshing super cold sparkling juice… last Thursday must have been the hotest day in London town so when I got home I opened the doors and relaxed with a massive glass or two of shloer, a much welcomed change from my glass or two of white wine. 

Its created from blends of red and white grapes so it taste a little like your drinking pink bubbles, which is one of my top ten drinks. 

So if like me you tend to over kill on the old vino bianco why not pop along to your supermarket and pick a bottle of this stuff up! you'll be surprised - I was. 

 www.Shloer.com

Tea anyone?!

I love love love a good cup of tea and just last week The East India Company dropped me a line about a new pamper package they have available. The East India Company was originally founded in the time of Elizabeth 1^st, so has been blending the finest teas and importing new flavours all around the world for centuries so if anyone knows a thing or two its them. 

They have carefully selected goodies that are themed around the ultimate indulgent afternoon tea – an occasion that I love and try to treat my self to as often as possible, even if it is home made.

The package selection combines traditional afternoon tea favourites such as Butter Shortbread and Clotted Cream Biscuits, Strawberry and Champagne Jam and White Chocolate Enrobed Strawberries and Champagne Truffle Selection. 

 The bespoke collection also includes Damasque Rosebuds - as well as stimulating the senses of smell and taste with a feminine rose fragrance, this infusion produces a beautiful feast for the eyes, as whole pink buds come to life, unfurling when added to hot water. Rosebud tea is traditionally used as a relaxing tonic, so if your off the cafine maybe opt for this one. 

Prices start from  £7.95 to £50. For a full list of products, further information or to order online please visit www.eicfinefoods.com.

Tatty Teddy’s

A little Easter treat from Teddy. This is possibly the cutest box of chocs I have ever seen, perfect for this coming Easter for a niece of your mum. Me to You has brought out an exclusive selection of luxury chocolates featuring the adorable bear, Tatty Teddy. 

Tatty Teddy’s irresistible box design features the cute grey bear with his signature blue nose peeking through a bouquet of pretty pink roses.   

The selection includes milk, dark and white luxury chocolates with a choice of luscious fillings including golden caramel, almond and marzipan and strawberry parfait. 

Available at just £4.99 from selected Tesco stores.

Seeds covered in chocolate

I know sounds a little strange but I can tell you now they are yummy! I also know that if your anything like me you'll be thinking, 'of course they taste lovely they are covered in chocolate'. And I would say yes your right. But its the way they have done it that makes them work. They havent just grabed a load of seeds and covered them they have chosen seeds that work the best together and also thrown some fruit in o the mix too. Also its not just any old chocolate its luxury Belgian milk and dark chocolate. 

They are a great snake at work and yes granted they are a little naughty but they are also filled with good stuff too. Well its better than a whole bar of solid chocolate sat on your desk?

Choccy Seeds are available in 50g snack bags (rrp £1.50) or boxes of 12 or 200g tubs online at www.munchyseeds.co.uk.  Large 500g tubs are available in Lakeland stores nationwide.

Free from Gluten, Cholestrol and artificial colours and flavourings.  Suitable for Vegetarians and Coeliacs. 

I've listed some of the mixes below...

Omega Mix – Savoury roasted 7 seed blend (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, linseed, flax, hulled hemp and rape seeds)

Pumpkin Mix – Savoury roasted 3 seed blend (pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds)

Chilli Mix – Hot savoury roasted 3 seed blend (Apricot kernels, Pumpkin and sunflower seeds)

Vanilla – Sweet roasted pumpkin seeds dusted in vanilla icing sugar

Munchy Granola –Roasted oats, seeds, sultanas and orange zest drizzled with honey and maple syrup

Original – savoury roasted 2 seed blend (sunflower and sesame seeds)

Available in 200g tubs, 500g tubs or 30g snack pack size sachets.  Ideal for snacking, cooking and baking.

Stockists of these Munchy Seeds include Tesco Extra stores, Booths, Waitrose and Lakeland stores nationwide, plus  are available to buy directly via www.munchyseeds.co.uk or by calling 01728 833004.

New new new

If your looking for a little touch of lux then look no further...Ruinart Interpretation Giftbox: an innovative and interactive way to taste and discover Ruinart’s cuvée, Blanc de Blancs.  

The Ruinart Interpretation Giftbox explores the aromatic bouquet of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, revealing the eight contributing aromas of the signature cuvée to offer a unique tasting experience. This beautifully crafted set brings to life an initiative that was designed to reveal the secrets of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and to present a sociable format to discover the cuvee wine.

The Ruinart Interpretation Giftbox contains a bottle of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and eight vials; each containing one of the principal aromas that make up its bouquet (jasmine, lemon, citron, pineapple, peach, pink peppercorn, ginger and cardamom). Thin strips of unscented paper are neatly stored in a small drawer used to help participants play the Interpretation game, guess the beautiful smells found in the individual vials.

The ninth and final vial in the giftbox is the masterpiece collaboration between Frédéric Panäiotis, Cellar Master for Ruinart and Anne Flipo, the ‘nose’ from the IFF (International Flavours and Fragrances). The vial contains their aromatic interpretation of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs.

The Ruinart Interpretation will be sold at Harrods and Selfridges and will be available at £85