Cheers to the Best of Britannia

               The Wild Game Co won the Young British Foodies Street Food Award for 2012-13
                                                             Kamm & Sons - Ginseng Spirits

Did anyone manage to get to Best of Britannia recently? If not, then here is the low down, especially for you. Tucked into an exposed brick East End warehouse, this was a showcase of British products and an opportunity to hear the stories of some of the more fashionable brands out there.

Amongst the sea of tweed jackets, hip bicycles and vintage light shades were a healthy representation of the latest independent traders of British food and drink. Nyetimber were present selling some of their finest English sparkling wines and in the outside area you could catch a band whilst munching on a lobster roll from Bob's Lobster.

Bob's Lobster

Harry Brompton's London Ice Tea

Something which did catch my eye was Harry Brompton’s London Ice Tea. Made from Kenyan tea with a hint of citrus, this lightly sparkling drink at 4% ABV was certainly a first for me. Although I found the combination a little perplexing before I tried it - it worked beautifully! The drink reminded me slightly of dandelion and burdock and smacked of summer in a bottle.

This drink has been positioned as a premium product and with the more discerning tastes we’re seeing in tea currently (check out Good & Proper Tea as an example), this could well be a drink which will tip next year.

Keeping on the theme of tea check out Comins Tea House who not only source tea but make an amazing range of tea ware including storage tins and tea caddy spoons – ideal Christmas gifts.

A range of tea caddy spoons from Comins Tea House

www.bestofbritannia.com
www.harrybromptons.com
www.goodandpropertea.com
www.cominsteahouse.co.uk

Posting courtesy of Kitchen Delights London Reporter @PaulFoodie

Diciannove Italian Restaurant Launch - London

Kitchen Delights London Reporter @PaulFoodie is invited to the launch party of Diciannove and enjoys the most luxurious chocolate dessert.......

Diciannove is the latest Italian restaurant to hit London town. Nestling in the smart Crowne Plaza hotel in London’s Blackfriars, this is a quirky take on an Italian restaurant both for food and the interior.

We went to the launch night and were treated to prosecco, cocktails and nibbles from the in-house deli such as 24 month matured cheese and various cured meats. We also tried zucchini fritters with anchovy sauce and indulged in some fantastic pizza.

The restaurant is split into zones to meet different needs for different occasions. One moment we found ourselves on seats which could have come from inside a tube carriage – perfect to enjoy with friends or family, to more elegant dining areas with large round tables where you would go for a celebration.

To end the evening we were treated to a chocolate pot - a signature dessert called 'Delizia al Cioccolato' - a rich chocolate mousse with chocolate salami - wow! It really works despite the unusual flavour combination!

Grazie to the Executive Chef Alessandro Bay and his team - see you again soon.

Address: Diciannove, Crowne Plaza London, The City, 19 New Bridge Street, Blackfriars, London, EC4V 6DB  (just around the corner from St Paul’s Cathedral)

The Big Feastival 2013 - The Electrolux Chef's Table

Peter and Jonray Sanchez-Iglesias
with the Electrolux Chef's Academy winners

One of the most exciting emails sent to me this year - 'you are invited to be a guest at the Chef's Table at The Big Feastival' which is to be held on the farm of Alex James in the Cotswolds.

Michelin Star chefs Peter and Jonray Sanchez-Iglesias from Casamia in Bristol cooked and plated up in front of us and introduced each of the courses. The sommelier from Casamia explained the matching wines which were superb.

Beautifully presented Chef's Table 

The diners seated around the table were fellow bloggers and journalists and we were all treated to a stunning four course tasting menu - silence fell when we were presented with our food, I think we were all speechless with delight.

Quiche Lorraine, Tomatoes and Mozzarella, Duck with Carrot and Fennel, Peaches and Cream

The food was exquisite, and not only did it look amazing, the food was a taste sensation too.

Peter and Jonray explaining the types of tomatoes used
 in their Tomato and Mozzarella dish

After the Chef's Table experience, we were feeling very happy and we had an enjoyable look round The Big Feastival, we were really lucky with the weather especially as it was the last weekend in August. As usual we headed for coffee and a look round the many stalls selling local produce, ice cream, brownies and more.We then made our way to The Electrolux Big Kitchen.

 Rachel Khoo was a joy to watch and she demonstrates how to make Paris Brest
with a surprise filling of brie, spinach, apple and a mustard mousse

We were all booked in for a cook-a-long at Electrolux Chef's Secrets with Nigel Haworth, head chef of Michelin Star restaurant Northcote,  he made this such fun and my jaw ached from laughing. Nigel wasn't very impressed with hubbies knife skills dicing a shallot but it all added to the fun.

We all made Pea and Broad Bean Risotto with baby leeks
using the latest induction hobs

I had been looking forward to the event for a few weeks and it exceeded my expectations. It's a great family festival and it was lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves.

A huge thank you to Electrolux for a fabulous day and being such amazing hosts.

Coming up:  More from The Big Feastival a foodie and music lovers festival.

Bordeaux Wines Go Wild at London Zoo

Kitchen Delights London Reporter - Monkeying Around.......

If you live in London, every Friday night until the end of July London Zoo is now open especially for us grown-ups and it’s a fantastic chance to get up close and personal with the animals and enjoy a glass of wine. You might even see a Sumatran tiger or two like I did in the new tiger territory exhibit.

Bordeaux wines is located in the rather exclusive Bordeaux Jardin du Vin and provided a short and sweet tasting of some easy drinking white and rose wines (excellent for the few hours sunshine we had). Afterwards, it was time to explore the international street festival, sampling a variety of cuisines from fresh Thai street cooking to hot pork rolls – foodie heaven!

For more information visit:

 Bordeaux Wines

 Zoo Lates

I was a guest of Bordeaux wines who recently took over London Zoo with a wine tasting event - treating us to some of their favourite wines from Bordeaux.

Ben & Jerry's Twitter Moosical

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Fun!

Posting Courtesy of Kitchen Delights London Reporter

The Ben & Jerry’s Twitter Moosical graced London’s stage a couple of weeks ago, to mark a cool 35 years in the ice cream business.

Improvisational  Group Abandoman

Joining a group of other foodie bloggers, we were treated to lots of ice cream and improvisational group Abandoman, who crafted the worlds first Twitter Moosical based on audience tweets.

The night was really interactive with Tweet Deck projected onto the wall and any way you could milk a pun into a pop song or film – the better, as you might just see it featured in the Moosical.

Which one will you choose?

Now apart from all the yummy flavours they create, one of the things I love most about this brand is that the guys who created Ben & Jerry’s started out having spent just 5 dollars on an ice cream course and secondly, they really do care for their cows. Did you know they get moosoosed (massaged) to keep them happy cows?

As ever, Ben & Jerry's events are a lot of fun, check out the video below of the evening and you will get to see me being interviewed!

A huge thanks to Ben & Jerry's for a fabulous event.

De'Longhi and Lindt, Coffee and Chocolate Pairing Experience

Posting courtesy of Kitchen Delights London based reporter.

Last week I was kindly invited to spend an evening with other bloggers at a De'Longhi coffee and Lindt chocolate masterclass in Central London.

Lindt Master Chocolatier Stefan Bruderer listening for the all important snap.
Image courtesy of Lindt.

Lindt’s Master Chocolatier Stefan Bruderer and expert Barista, Robert Henry guided us through an exciting coffee and chocolate tasting and encouraged us to deliberate about different taste profiles and why one particular chocolate might work well with a specific coffee bean or style of coffee.

Chocolatier Stefan demonstrated to us that he could determine the quality of chocolate just by the way it sounded when snapping it. If it is sharp and loud, that’s a good indicator that the chocolate is high quality and made from a high percentage of cocoa.

Fabulous De'Longhi Coffee Machines

Expert Barista Robert Henry
Image courtesy of Lindt

Expert Barista Robert Henry showed us how to correctly taste lattes and espressos which were made using De’Longhi coffee machines. By taking a really good sniff and a big slurp, this was enough to bring out the different flavours, just as you might taste a wine. I found this quite hard at first but the more I did it, the easier it became.

Lindt Excellence Bars - which one will you choose?

I was lucky enough to try quite a few variations of coffee and chocolate from a Brazil Fazenda Passeio long black to a Sidamo blend flat white and match it up with Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy and Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa. I also really enjoyed a Bolivian Coffee such as a ‘Copa Cobanna’ which is full of orangey notes and discovered that it makes the perfect partner to a Lindt orange chocolate. Of course, it is all subjective but it did make me realise that there are a tremendous amount of flavour combinations out there which are fun to discover.

Sea Salt Lindt Excellence Chocolate

To find out more about pairing chocolate with coffee visit http://www.lindt-excellence.co.uk/

A huge thank you to my London Reporter for the Lindt Excellence Chocolate Selection Box goodie bag.

Thank you to both Lindt and De’Longhi for the very informative and delicious evening.

Tate & Lyle Sugars - The Tasting House: Event

Bedroom with bathtub - you can even eat the rug!

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

If like me you have a sweet tooth and can never quite say no to dessert, then I have the perfect sweet treat for you.

We were recently invited to London’s Soho with other foodie fanatics for a sneak preview of Tate & Lyle Sugar's pop up hotel made entirely of sugar and cake.

Hansel and Gretel would have felt at home, as guests were given permission to rip beautifully made macaroons from walls, tear into windowsills made of fudge and even eat edible books straight from the shelf. There were eight tasting rooms to explore and the idea was to consider how different sugars can add a unique twist of flavour to cooking.

As we nibbled our way around three floors, we discovered a Mediterranean-inspired bedroom (pictured above), which would have made for an interesting overnight stay. It featured 100 strikingly coloured meringues which looked just like a real rug. There was also a bath tub filled with caramel popcorn flavoured with light soft brown sugar and fabulous cake cushions adorned the bed.

Rainbow cake with a chocolate golden babies head

At the very top of the hotel was the rather excellent Mississippi-inspired room with a five foot long cake, I couldn’t help but run my finger along it for a taste. When else can you feel this naughty and get away with it?

A mountain of macaroons

The new range of Tate & Lyle Sugars

Tate & Lyle Sugars new range of golden and brown cane sugars are now available in all supermarkets.

Thanks to all at Tate and Lyle Sugar for the fun and a big thank you to Laura for the invitation.

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Tasting

Posting courtesy of Kitchen Delights London Reporter.

In a crowded ice cream market, the launch of a new ice cream flavour has to be exciting, interesting and crucially have the wow factor.

Last Tuesday night, I was invited along with a hip crowd of food blogger's to the sneak preview of Ben and Jerry’s latest flavours in Central London.

Blondie & Brownie

First up was the ‘Blondie and Brownie’ ice cream. It contains lush brownie pieces in vanilla and chocolate ice cream with a salted caramel core running through it. The sweet and salty pairing worked really well and was much better than I expected. Heaven really!

Peanut Butter Me Up

Second up was the ‘Peanut Butter Me Up’. Inspired by classic peanut butter and jelly (or jam!) sandwiches, it has a raspberry jam core running deep into the ice cream, surrounded by peanut butter ice cream and vanilla ice cream with peanut butter chunks contained in small chocolate cups. This was brought to the UK by pester power alone, coming straight from the States. Worth a try!

Putting the tasting aside, I did learn something quite extraordinary about animal welfare. All Ben and Jerry’s dairy comes from moo-saged (massaged) cows in the Netherlands where the animals even get to choose if they feel like a massage or not. In times when we are questioning where our food comes from, it’s an interesting story with a fun video here:  

http://www.benjerry.co.uk/our-values/inside-the-tub/cow-cam

Thank you Anna for the invitation to 'eat ice cream'.