Recipes from a passionate cook & foodie
The life of a recipe blogger can be painful sometimes - well, to the waistline at least. A few days ago we received a special gift from the awesome guys at Green & Blacks - an Ultimate Chocolate Sharing Collection hamper! More importantly, for you at least, we also have one to giveaway - stay tuned for further information. Description: Green & Black’s chocolate ultimate sharing hamper is a perfect way of showing you care. Containing a selection of Green & Black’s intense … [Read more...]
The Cookiepedia - Mixing, Baking and Reinventing the classics. The first thing you notice when you received your copy of The Cookiepedia is its novel design, in the form of a small spiral binding, which is both cute and practical. Its design certainly makes it stand out from the crowd of recipe books I have received lately - that and the wonderful mouthwateringly good photography that is! All in all it was a fun read - its written in a casual style and contains some of the most wonderful … [Read more...]
Its approaching Christmas and our minds are turning to potential christmas gifts for our friends and family so when I was approached a short while ago to review an item from Hotel Chocolat´s splendid range I was naturally delighted. I am a passionate chocoholic, loving dark chocolate in particular. The collection I got to try was the Signature Dark - a 26 piece collection featuring some of their most prized recipes. With 14 different flavours there is something to appeal to all dark chocolate … [Read more...]
I was recently approached to review a few items from Mermaid Cookware, a company well known for providing superb baking and cookware items made from Hard Anodised Aluminium. Naturally I was delighted because, in order to conduct the review, I would naturally receive some of their items free! I expected an item or two - maybe a roasting tin but never expected such a wonderful collection of cake tins, pie tins and a pudding sleeve! The latter being something I had never heard of until today. The … [Read more...]
I was approached sometime ago to take a look at Ann Nicol´s new book "Cupcakes & Muffins". As someone who takes far too much delight in these little treats but whose own recipe range is, shall we say, a little limited I was more than delighted. The author, Ann Nicol, is a expert on cake baking and decorating - and has written for a wide range of publications (BBC Good Food, Women's Weekly and Home and Freezer Digest being just a few). The book is an absolutely wonderful collection of … [Read more...]
I love Tea. I realise this will come as no surprise to many since I am, clearly, British. I love traditional tea and I love fruit teas and infusions. So, naturally, I was absolutely delighted when I was approached to try and review PG Tips new range of teas - namely "The Fresh One", "The Delicate One" and "The Strong One". Given I have now tried all three I can honestly say PG Tips are onto a real winner as there is something for everyone. I can see a place for all three of these days in my … [Read more...]
Some of you may recall back in June I reviewed a couple of new teas from Clipper. I recently got to try a couple more and I had to post a brief additional review as a follow up. Clipper´s Liquorice Tea I mentioned in my previous review one of my obsessions was Liquorice. I am, quite literally, addicted to the stuff in whatever form - be it sweets, unsweetened liquorice or the root itself. The clever marketing team of Clipper caught onto this and promptly sent me Clipper Liquorice tea to … [Read more...]
Out of all the new recipe books I knew I had coming to review this was the one I actually relished receiving - The Food Lover´s Guide of Europe. I love to travel and experience different cuisines around this marvellous continent of ours and have in fact travelled widely across Europe and even lived in one or two places! But there is still so much more to see and, more importantly to me at least, to taste! The Food Lover´s Guide to Europe is marketed as an informative guide to the tastiest … [Read more...]
I realise there is a place in the world for ready made pizza in a box but, given the choice, I would prefer fresh homemade pizza anyday. Despite the hype pushed on us by marketing teams frozen pizza just never lives up to expectations does it? Even if you follow the instructions to the letter you frequently get a base which would be better served as a frisbee and a sloppy tasteless topping. Yuck. No, I am afraid I will never be a lover of frozen pizza - which is why, incidentally, I always … [Read more...]
Ever since I first heard the name I have had a passionate affair with the idea of Cupcakes. Maybe because they sound (and look) far more interesting than "buns". I´ve watched American television for many years practically drowning in my own drool at the very idea of some the more unusual concoctions being put forward by bakers and chefs. Finally, at long last, I have the ability to create my own in the comfort of my own home. Sure, I´d tried a recipe or two in the past but they never seemed … [Read more...]