The catalogue has arrived through the door from I Want One of Those, and I’m interested how the gadget/boys toys websites have continued to grow the number of food orientated gadgets they stock.

 Now some of these are just pure gimmicks, but some would make decent enough gifts, for a more light hearted moment perhaps. Here’s a quick view from me on what’s new and interesting enough to put your name to having been the buyer of the item:

• Tea Sub – quirky and fun for the loose tea lover, the Yellow submarine meets tea infuser. Small enough to dangle in your mug, chain link cord for jiggling it around to get the required strength and a swing door so you can get the leaves in and out. Perfect for a Beatle loving, tea drinking kind of foodie.
• Tea Lover’s Eco Cup – must be a tea kind of year for some reason. This is a move on from the I’m Not a Paper Cup stocked last year, this is a ceramic version of a take out cup. More environmentally friendly than an endless stream of paper cups, if your local caff will fill this up, you can both have a tasty cuppa and feel virtuous/smug about doing your bit. Perfect for a green, urban eco-warrior, tea loving foodie.
• Eisch non-drip decanter – this doesn’t strike me as a particularly new idea, given the Ship’s Decanter we have from Dartington is somewhat similar in design and concept. That said, this is an attractive looking, non engraved decanter, perfect for red wine or port. I would say this was perfect for lover of clean, modern design, foodie or not.
• Mr Beer Brewing Kits – the homebrew revolution seems to continue at pace, with new kits every year to make it “easier” and avoid some of the kit, and explosions, of the ‘70s (I lived through it; my parents were keen home brewers). Mr Beer produces either a beer or cider brewing kit, and comes with all the kit you need to get going, and drinking. I would say this wasn’t for the artisanal beer or cider fan, as surely can’t be the same when it starts life in a tin? And for £70 you could buy a lot of decent stuff from proper brewers. I’d be tempted to give these a wide berth unless someone had specifically requested them. Or likes Magners.

So just 5 to give you a taster, will be doing some more digging around their site to see if there are any hidden gems. More to follow!

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Selected by Neals Yard to reflect some of the best in British Cheese

I’m off on a trip for the day job to China, which I’m really looking forward to. Love Chinese food and hoping to get some time out to try and get to eat some.

But there does come a point in a trip where I do suddenly crave a taste of home. On a trip to Japan, even though I’d been living on the most amazing sushi most of the week, I had a very memorable meal of chicken pie and chips washed down with half a pint of Guinness. And it was delicious.

So I do always tend to pack some tastes of home. But the one thing that is difficult to carry, but something I always end up wanting, is proper British cheese. I crave a proper piece of a decent Cheddar. If I could have it in a sandwich with some Branston I’d be even happier. Or a piece of Sparkenhoe Red Leicester with some crackers and butter.

I don’t think that the Chinese have a particularly long or big tradition of cheese making, so not sure there’ll be loads of local cheese tempting me. So if you fancy sending me an emergency parcel then let me know! Anyof the great boxes from Pong would probably do the trick, thanks! And if you hear news of any unpleasantness at Shanghai airport involving impounding cheese…well, temptation is a strong thing!

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More jam, less Jerusalem

It’s that time of year when I’m getting ready for the horticultural show in the village. Every year the classes are slightly different but each year tradition tends to win out. And it seems it may not just be our village show, as recent posts over on Belleau Kitchen show. So,if you’ve got a show coming up and need some inspiration, here’s some of the books I would be turning to.

* Mary Berry’s Baking Bible – certainly for our show, you’ve got to go traditional. So my lovely lemon drizzle cake from Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache will be out, and Mary Berry or the WI is in. I’m loving Mary a little bit more since the Great British Bake Off and this compendium of recipes should cover most of the baking classes that any show may throw at you!

* Good Old-fashioned Jams, Preserves and Chutneys by Sara Paston-Williams – now, this is a hard one for me, as my favourite jam book is Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber, but the majority of the recipes are far too way out there for our show, as I know from previous experience. Sara’s book is written for the National Trust, so a few national treasures lurk inside. Blackberry jam would be a safe bet at this time of year, and this book has a recipe for it. Don’t buy it for exciting new stuff, buy it for competition beating, village show stuff.

* Pickles, Relishes and Chutneys: Step-by-step Recipes for Home Preserving by Catherine Atkinson – this is an area that I tend not to compete in, as not a huge fan of chutney. Also BFF is pretty darn good in this area, so wouldn’t want to go up against her! This recipe book covers pickles, relishes and chutney, as well as savoury jellies, salsas and sauces. I would head in the direction of the more traditional, simpler recipes.

* WI Big Book of Best Kept Secrets: 500 Seasonal Recipes – there has to be a WI book in here somewhere, and this one would be useful for more than just the horticultural show. There are seasonal sections for baking and preserving, and then enough recipes to keep body and soul together for the rest of the time.

* The Great British Village Show Cookbook by James Martin – I’m not sure why I don’t own any books by James Martin, never really ticked any boxes for me. But this one just might I guess. This has good looking recipes matched up with the inside track from experienced village show judges. Forewarned is forearmed and all that. Maybe I need this for next year. Especially if there’s a chocolate stout cake class!

Sadly, I think I may not be going for a full house of entries, as day job calls, not to mention a long-haul flight and a few Miles for Macmillan. I shall be perfecting my lemon drizzle and a few Julie Biscuits (an old family favourite recipe) but apple pie, lemon curd and cheese scones will just have to wait for another day! I’ll keep you posted on any interesting rosettes heading my way!

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I am not sure when flights came onto the drinks menus. I guess for me it was about 5 years ago at the Flatiron Lounge in NYC, and I have no idea what flight I had. But it was a great night.

I would have thought that just about every kind of flight had probably been done by now, but equally there are so many niche routes you could go down that I guess this could continue to reinvent itself forever.  Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons in DC is doing whiskey flights, covering everything from rare, small-batch bourbons through to select, barrel-aged scotches. There’s a massive difference  in pricing here, from $30 through to $200.

If you’re interested in bourbons, then the small batch ones may well be of interest. The flight list at the Four Seasons is Pappy Van Winkle 15 year old, Noah’s Mill 15 year old, and Willet 18 year old. I can’t find the Pappy 15 year old, but the 20 year old is just under £100, so I guess this really is artisanal, small scale production. But still cheaper than getting on a plane to DC!

I’m not a big fan of whisky of any shape, origin or spelling, but I am very interested in the accompanying chocolate dessert flight. Where would you start when faced with Ovaltine-soaked devil’s food cake with chocolate ganache and dehydrated chocolate mousse; chocolate custard with red velvet cake, spicy pecans and chocolate foam; and chocolate brownie with Nutella ice cream? I didn’t even know they had Ovaltine in the US!

Still, if for any reason you are travelling to Washington DC, then it sounds like stopping by for dinner could be an interesting evening. Not to mention if you’re staying you can have your photo taken with President Obama. Only if you qualify as a junior traveller. And you don’t expect conversation.

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I may have mentioned, once or twice, that Dr T is an expat Welshman, living here in the East Midlands. He still feels a long way from home. I do try to help with the continued homesickness (it’s been over 16 years, at some point it’ll get better) so there do appear to be regular deliveries of Brain’s Dark and the odd welsh cake or two.

It also means I was delighted to discover Adra, with their great range of gifts for around the home. Now, it must be said, Dr T’s Welsh language skills are fairly limited, but it’s always a talking point to have a Welsh language item around the place. I really like the new shopping bag, which may attract a glance or two at West Bridgford Farmer’s Market. Still, at only £6, I could start populating quite a few of these around the place.

I like the big metal bread bins and things, which seem to be cropping up everywhere, so be different and have one stating Bara, just for a change. I also really like the monochrome oven gloves designed by Melin Tregwynt, very stylish with a hint of traditional Welsh blanket design but wouldn’t look out of place in a contemporary kitchen.

Oh, and it’s not a bad source of gifts for babies born to ex-pat parents either. Since moved back to home land, one friend’s little girl was often seen at nursery in London sporting the legend “Dwi’n hoffi…dolis, lolis a jam”.   

If only they were always so happy with dollies, lollies and jam!

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I’ve been really lucky since I started writing this blog that occasionally interesting companies offer to send me their stuff to try. I always let you know if they have, I always still write honestly and I turn stuff down if I know it’s way off what I want to write about.

And really, I should have turned down the Challenge Bar from Cadbury. You’ll no doubt have seen the Spots and Stripes advertising, and I like the idea of us all playing games together. But not in competition for an awful bar of chocolate. Imagine three big pieces of Dairy Milk overlaid with Milky Bar (think I may be mixing up my producers here, but you get the picture). You stuff your face with one piece each then play for the third.

Honest to god, do yourself a favour and just play the game. There was lots of touchy feely stuff in the press release about getting families to play together but just send them a football. Or a Wii. Anything would be better than getting kids to eat more rubbish chocolate. I mean, it’s going to take a lot of thumb wrestling to burn off the chocolate.

To be fair, MGG thought the chocolate scrummy, but then she is only 8. Dr T ate one small bites worth. And I finished mine in a hormonal rage. Which is about all it’s good for.

If you want to play more games with your family, then do so without the chocolate would be my suggestion. Or play for something interesting and tasty. Or go on a long walk. Or cook together. If it’s about spending more time together, then I’m all for it. I just don’t need someone else telling me to do it as a way to sell more chocolate.

Oh, and heaven help the athletes as Cadbury are Official Treat Provider to the 2012 Olympics. I think we should start campaigning for an alternative artisanal food sponsorship programme. Instead of Cadbury, lets have Montezuma’s. Instead of McDonalds, lets have Hawksmoor. And instead of  Coca-Cola, I think we should have a nice cup of Yorkshire Tea!

Great shot of families really playing by Mike Baird over on Flickr.

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As many of you know, in addition to being the Foodie Gift Hunter, I’m also really lucky to have a great day job with Boots. I am really proud of the partnership Boots has now established with Macmillan Cancer Support, and also the Miles for Macmillan challenge we have this year, where all Boots staff are undertaking to walk, in total, 290,000 miles, one for every person diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year.

I’d like to tell you about our team effort, walking the highways and byways of Leicester all the way to Loughborough on September 9th. The endurance of the uphill parts of the 12 miles and the joy of heading downhill.

I’d like to tell you about which character I will be from Alice in Wonderland during our 12 mile travelling tea party.

I’d like to, but I can’t, as I will be on a whistle-stop tour of the Far East that week, and on the 9th will be in our Hong Kong office.

So my challenge is to walk a mile in each of the four locations, starting with a mile around Terminal 3 on Sunday 5th, a mile in Shanghai, a mile in the unconfirmed location two hours drive from Shanghai, and finally a mile in Hong Kong by Friday 10th.

Whilst no endurance challenge to sit alongside the likes of walking the Great Wall of China, climbing Everest or walking 12 miles as the Mad Hatter, I will endure these miles with jet lag and lack of sleep, an endurance feat in its own right to me. Not to mention potentially high humidy, which I am particularly rubbish at coping with!

If you would like to support this incredibly worthwhile cause and sponsor me in this “long distance” stroll, and support this very worthwhile cause, then please donate on-line at our team’s Just Giving page, remembering to Gift Aid if you can.

http://original.justgiving.com/bootsbbemilesforsmilesmacmillanchallenge

This page is for all our team, so please help me identify your generosity so I can say proper thank you after the event. I’ll be posting photos and tweets, and letting you know if I manage to combine this with any good eating or drinking, not to mention shopping.

I appreciate times are not the best but, to quote one of my least favourite supermarkets, every little does help. Every family hopes never to need the great work that Macmillan do but, sadly, 290,000 families every year do. And for them, they need all the help and support we can give.

Many, many thanks in advance. 

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Lets face it, for most of us it’s been the most lousy fortnight on the weather front, and it’s felt more like Autumn than the height of summer. Which means there’s only one thing to do: bring on the comfort food!

Need some inspiration?  Here’s a few titles that you might want to stock up on now ready for the real Winter season still to come.

Clarissa’s Comfort Food- I love Clarissa Dickson Wright, what you see is what you get and she cooks in a similar uncompromising manner. With something for every course, you’ll be in deep level comfort which such dishes as salt beef, chocolate bakewell pudding and drappit eggs with sables. No idea what the last one is, but sounds good.

Italian Home Cooking 125 Recipes to Comfort Your Soul by Julia Della Croce- This is one to put on your wish list for later in the year, as it’s not released until October. But for me there can be no better comfort food than a big steaming bowl of buttery pasta, a dish of lasagne, risotto…a whole set of dishes just oozing in comfort!

Sweet Comfort Food by Bridget Jones- there are so many comforting puddings, like rice pudding or bread and butter pudding that would just bring such a great sense of wellbeing. Never mind the calories, some times you just need a portion of some of these things!

Winter in the Alps: Food by the Fireside- just the imagery conjured up by the title makes me think this is going to be full of comforting, warming delicious food. Cheese fondue and mushroom polenta anyone? I mean, I can feel the calories piling on just writing those words, but when the weather’s like this, who wants a lettuce leaf?

Life is Sweet: A Collection of Splendid Old-Fashioned Confectionery – I don’t think you can beat a few old-fashioned sweeties to cheer the day up, and this should give you plenty of ideas. Coconut ice is going to cheer up any day and making your own marshmallows would drive grey days away.

So, we have to hope that the sun makes a reappearance some time soon, but in the meantime have a practice for what lies ahead. It’ll be here before you know it, sorry!

Beautiful rainy shot by malias over on Flickr.

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Want to kick September off with a wild time? Well, foodies and foragers will probably want to head for St Davids for the Really Wild Food & Countryside Festival. Celebrating food and countryside crafts originating from the wild, you’ll get not just demonstrations from top chefs such as Scott Davis and Fraser Christian, but also walks and talks, ferret racing and welly wanging!

How could you resist?

Happening over the weekend of 4th and 5th of September, there’ll also be plenty of food and drink to sample too. There’ll be cheese from Caws Cenarth, cake from Popty Cara, and lamb from Glam Lamb, amongst others. Don’t worry, there is beer, cider and perry on the go too.

I am sure there will be plenty of campsites around but if, like me, you don’t do camping, then I like the look of Caerfai Bay Cottages or The Shearer’s Loft. I also really like the look of Garn Mawr guesthouse, contemporary but cosy. 

So, go get practising your wanging of wellies in order to build up an appetite, not to mention saving your pennies to back your porker in the pig racing!

Welly wanging photo by Annie Mole over on Flickr.

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Our honey has gone on sale in our village shop today, so pretty low on food miles as the hive is approximately 100 metres from the shop as the crow, or bee flies.

It’s also gone in with a bit of a market research question, as the beekeepers can’t agree on a brand name! Do we go traditional, with Manor House Honey, or with the modern alliteration of Belvoir Buzz. Just bear in mind that round here Belvoir is pronounced beaver.

What would you go for?

What ever they call it, the honey is really delicious but with only one hive it really will be small scale production. I’ve a feeling they will be hunting for space for more hives for next summer, so I’ll be building up my collection of honey based recipes!

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