Food and drink news
In her latest round-up, Delia Online editor Jo Hill unearths some great new food finds including the most brilliant mozzarella made in Britain to juice that captures the full flavour of autumn pears and mouthwatering ideas for cold-weather eating.
Marvellous mozzarella
As we all know, mozzarella made from buffalo milk is a superior product, but until now we’ve had to import this from Campania – not good news for those of us who prefer not to fill our shopping trolley with air miles. So I’m delighted to wax lyrical about the best buffalo mozzarella I’ve ever eaten, made by former racing driver Jody Scheckter in Hampshire at Laverstoke Park, where he rears the UK's largest herd of 1600 water buffalo. Creamy and fresh-tasting, it will perk up your salads, cheese platters and pasta dishes no end. £2.49 for a 125g pot from Waitrose; also stocked at Neal's Yard and Selfridges. Visit www.laverstokepark.co.uk for more info.
Damson jelly with a difference
Tracklements are regulars on this page, as their preserves and sauces are always of the highest standard. I wasn’t disappointed in their damson jelly either: the natural sharpness of the fruit has been tempered with sugar but there is still plenty of fruit and balance; it would be a great accompaniment to seasonal game dishes or stirred into gravies and sauces. Handmade to a traditional recipe, find it delis, butchers and farm shops or at www.tracklements.co.uk, £2.50 for 250g.
Cheat’s casseroles!
Casseroles are wonderful but you do need several hours’ cooking. Help is at hand: Donald Russell have done all the cooking for you so you simply have to put them in the oven for 50-55 minutes, straight from the freezer. Serving 1 or 2 people, choose from Slow-cooked Beef, Lamb, Braised Beef and Lentils or Beef & Tomato. You can beef them up with vegetables and suggested accompaniments, or just serve with crusty bread....yum. Enjoy an introductory offer of £27 for a taster of all four at www.donaldrussell.com
Doing porridge
During the winter months I enjoy porridge for breakfast, as it’s warming and keeps me feeling full all morning. Flahavan's oats are made by Ireland’s leading oats producer, who has been milling oats in the family mill for over six generations using a unique milling process which cooks the oats twice, resulting in a creamier taste and texture. The range includes Traditional Irish Oats, Organic Oats, Microwaveable Quick Oats and handy individual portable Porridge Pots (labelled as the perfect 'desk-fast')! Find them in major supermarkets, £2.10 for 1kg.
The credit crunch?
Staying with oats, Jordans Original Crunchy bars have been around for a while, but have now been joined on the supermarket shelves by new flavours: Coconut and Butterscotch. I really couldn’t work out which one I liked best, which was a good excuse to keep on sampling...and sampling. The bars have a pleasing snap to them, but then soften as you eat. The good news, too, is that all the oats are grown on British nature-friendly farms, so you’re doing your bit for our native wildlife. £1.99 from major supermarkets.
Events with Aga
Delia Online members can enjoy 10% off cookware in AGA shops from 10-29 November (just show a printed copy of this page to qualify). Or why not go along and enjoy a special event: on 14 November, pick up simple craft ideas to transform your home plus a recipe for Christmas pudding ice cream; on 21 November it’s time to discover the best location for local walks – with recipes you can leave to look after themselves, and on 28 November the emphasis is on last-minute entertaining: super-quick canapés and advice on great local producers. Visit www.aga-web.co.uk for your nearest shop. (10% off promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers and is not available on electrical goods/books.)
Spoilt pig!
Yes, I’ve featured Denhay Farm’s bacon before... but I couldn’t resist mentioning their new smoked streaky bacon. Like all the Spoilt Pig range, the bacon is made from outdoor-reared British pigs and from farms carrying the RSPCA Freedom Food mark – which means the pigs have free access to mud baths in the summer and warm shelters in straw barns in the winter. Frankly, we should make sure that all the food we eat enjoys such high welfare standards...£2.49 from Morrisons. Visit www.denhay.co.uk for more info.
Lusciously Luscombe
Juices from Luscombe taste as if you’ve made them yourself – maybe because the range has no artificial additives but is gently pasteurised to guarantee freshness and preserve the delicate character of the fruit. A recent worthy winner at the Great Taste Awards for their Sicilian Lemonade and Raspberry Lemonade, Luscombe has triumphed yet again with the gorgeous new Apple & Pear which manages to capture the essence of an English pear to perfection. From £1.50-£4.00 from Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and independent shops nationwide.
Ham it up!
Perfect for Christmas, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference is offering some excellent charcuterie – the perfect lazy supper with cornichons, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes: lovely 18-month matured Parma ham (£3.49), Prosciutto di San Daniele (£3.79) and an Antipasti of Parma selection including Coppa and Felino Salami (£3.99). They've also come up trumps with Christmas party nibbles, from £2.59: pork cocktail sausages, sausages wrapped in butter puff pastry and sausages wrapped in smoked streaky bacon...alternatively, put them in the freezer to serve with your festive turkey!
It’s all for charity
For obvious reasons we don’t usually promote Gordon Ramsay on these pages, but we felt obliged to give his Seriously Good sauce range a plug, as at least 10p of the profits from each jar are going to Comic Relief. My favourite was Spicy Red Pepper and Spianata Sausage, which perked up a plate of pasta no end; other varieties include Bolognese & Red Wine, and Wild Mushrooms and Mascarpone, £1.89 from major supermarkets.
Snippets...If you care about bees and are concerned about their decline, visit new charity Friends of the Bees, founded to conserve and protect bees, to educate people about bees and to research and promote natural beekeeping methods at www.friendsofthebees.org; budding designers may fancy designing a T-shirt for Wagamama’s staff uniform – visit wagamama.com/positivedesign. There’s a £1000 prize and work experience with an art and design collective up for grabs, entries need to be in by 12 November; shoppers may be interested in downloading a new free app for iPhone and iPod Touch, FSA Salt, from the Food Standards Agency, which helps consumers plan, calculate and monitor their daily salt consumption when shopping and on the go, also accessible by web-enabled mobiles at www.food.gov.uk/saltapp