October Food and Drink News – I’ve recently tried some really clever ways to produce spectacularly good dishes by simply adding a ready-made sphere of spices to your dish. They are appropriately called Flavour Bombs, as that is exactly what they are! Not just a spice blend, they’re a complete cooking solution, packed with carefully selected herbs, spices, onions, garlic, tomatoes and aromatics that make a sauce, curry, broth or consomé. There’s no need for loads of ingredients or hours of prep. Just add a Flavour Bomb to water and meat or veggies; no chopping, blitzing, or soaking required. Flavours include Mexican Birria, Vietnamese Pho, West African Jollof, Guyanese Coconut Curry, Jamaican Curry Goat and Cajun seafood Boil. They are all ambient and each tube contains two Flavour Bombs, (each feeds 2-3). Just add a Flavour Bomb to water and your choice of meat or veggies, no chopping, blitzing, or soaking required. From around £7.50 a pack from Delli or Amazon.
Talking of flavour, Heinz has recently spiced up its classic baked beans and launched three new flavours of beans. Pizza Beanz, Tagine Beanz and Sweet & Sour Beanz. These have joined the existing Beanz Flavours range, including BBQ, Chilli, and Cheesy Beanz, and are available at £1.40 a can from Ocado.
A great hot lunch idea – this time from unearthedⓇ: a ready-made Croque Monsieur (Ready to cook toasted sandwich with béchamel sauce, sliced ham and Emmental cheese). There’s also a Croque Fromage (with béchamel sauce, Emmental cheese and raclette cheese) that’s ideal for vegetarians. Each is 140g and can be popped into the airfryer or oven for a delicious snack. £3.00 from Sainsbury’s
Have you tried Lutenitsa? It’s really delicious, similar to ajvar – a roasted red pepper, aubergine and tomato dip – but this is a Bulgarian staple, enjoyed for generations. It has the most amazing depth: rich & smoky and a natural sweetness. It’s made in Bulgaria, using the best local produce: roasted red peppers and aubergine, tomato paste (100% Bulgarian tomatoes), sunflower oil, salt, cumin, black pepper. No added sugar or preservatives. It’s also vegan, gluten-free and with none of the main 14 allergens. I really enjoy it as a dip, on bread with crumbled feta, with grilled meats, added to any “picky bits” or cheese boards. It’s available online from £4.99 rilabalkangoods.com
BOSH!, one of the UK’s most influential plant-based food brands, has introduced eight prepared meals and pizzas to Tesco stores, a major milestone for Henry Firth and Ian Theasby, the best-selling cookbook authors and co-founders of BOSH!. BOSH! has 3.5 million social media followers and this range is inspired by recipes from its massively popular channels, is plant-based, packed with protein and packed with flavour. The launch range includes: N’duja Sourdough Pizza; Margherita Sourdough Pizza; Creamy No-Duja Pasta; Goan Chickpea Curry; Creamy Mac & Greens; Teriyaki Mushroom Noodles; Hearty Vegetable Lasagne and Ultimate Bean Chilli. From £3.95 to £4.75 each pack serves one
Now the days are getting colder and the evening drawing in, red wine is starting to come into their own. I’ve recently enjoyed a really delicious red from Tesco Finest – Montagne Saint-Émilion. The best classic grapes from Bordeaux have been harvested from Montagne Saint Emilion vineyards on the right bank of Bordeaux’s Gironde’s estuary. This smooth, full bodied red wine has been carefully crafted to obtain the typical blackcurrant, cedar wood and savoury spice flavours of Montagne Saint Emilion. With local grapes picked on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, it’s produced by Yvon Mau and is an Appellation Montagne-Saint-Émilion Contrôlée Grand Vin de Bordeaux. It’s £11 a bottle but on special offer for Clubcard holders – 25% off on purchases of six bottles…it’s worth stocking up for Christmas.
Regular readers will know that I’m a loyal supporter of our English sparkling wines, and I was delighted to discover recently that one can purchase wines produced by Plumpton College, the Centre of Excellence in Wine Education for the United Kingdom. There are three different dry sparklings available and I’d urge you to consider one or two – either as Christmas gifts, or just to spoil yourself. Plumpton Estate Brut Rosé NV is an award-winning sparkling rosé made using the traditional method of blending Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, on lees in the bottle for at least two years. Its eye-catching pink hue is the result of an added splash of Pinot Noir, enhancing the visual appeal and contributing to its refined red berry character. Plumpton Estate Brut Classic NV is a classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier made using the Traditional Method. The grapes are hand-picked and whole bunched pressed at the Plumpton winery. And finally, the Plumpton Estate Brut Reserve is a unique blend of Reisling, Seyval Blanc, Pinot Blanc and Regner. The base wine is fermented in tank, then again in bottle, to capture the bubbles. Prices are from just over £25 a bottle from store.plumpton.ac.uk
The Seasoned Gastronome