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Archives for August 2012

VIP Drinks

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This weekend we will be catering for a very exciting VIP event for a private company in Henbury, Cheshire.

Lucky guests are going to be sampling some very fine tipples indeed. Today, these fantastic bottles have arrived ready for the main event!

We have Louis Roderer Champage, a very fine Cloudy Bay Sauvignon and an incredible Chateau de Selle, Domaines Ott Rose which is a very rare and delicious wine, stocked in just two places in the UK.

We have been lucky enough to get hold of 25 bottles for this event. It looks set to be fabulous evening!

Watermelon Mojitos

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Phew! warm sunny day’s have been few this summer. This weekend looks set to be rather nice. Why not enjoy a balmy evening with some friends and some alfresco dining?

The rum in these fantastic iced lollies means that they are strictly for grown ups only, they will certainly get people in the party mood!

Watermelon Mojito Lollies

Makes 12 2.5 oz Lollies

· 8oz. watermelon juice (2 ½ cups chopped watermelon)
· 2 oz fresh lime juice
· 1 oz. simple mint syrup (recipe follows)
· 8 oz. light rum
· 14 oz. club soda

First make your Mint Syrup
(You will have more syrup than you need. Save for other cocktail uses)
· 1/2 cup water
· 1/2 cups sugar
· 1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed

Place sugar and water in a pot over heat until sugar dissolves. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature and place mint leaves in mixture and muddle. Allow mint leaves to steep for 20 minutes. Strain and discard leaves. (Depending on the fine-ness of the sieve tiny pieces may remain).

Instructions:

1. Place chopped watermelon in a food processor or blender and process until watermelon is juiced (will be slightly pulpy).

2. Combine watermelon juice, lime juice, mint syrup and rum in a shaker and shake well. Fill Lolly mold 3/4 of the way up with mixture. Fill remaining lolly mold with club soda and stir to combine.

3. Freeze for about 2 hours or until mixture starts to solidify enough to hold a lolly stick upright. Insert lolly sticks and finish freezing lollies overnight. To release lollies run hot water on the outside of the molds for a 2-3 seconds.

Oatcake Day

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Apparently today is Oatcake day. If this conjures up horrific images of soggy old Staffordshire oatcakes dripping with oil, think again!

A lovely, healthy alternative to a sandwich, oatcakes can be healthy, tasty and delicious.

We have found some fantastic recipe ideas for you to try –


~Fried egg, rosemary and garlic~


~Apple and walnut salad~


~Tomato, cucumber and butter~


~Rocket & Parmesan~


~Sausages and onion, egg and sage~


~Caramelised onion and sage omelette~


~Lettuce, goat’s cheese and honeycomb~

Recipes & Images from www.thisisnaive.com

A Little Lunch

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In the news today, Jamie Oliver has labelled our country’s food education as, unforgivable. It certainly does seem that he has a point.

With kids becoming more unhealthy and favouring only junk food, our younger generation is becoming increasingly unaware and disinterested in basic healthy eating. What can we do about this?

It is important to educate our own children and encourage them to develop a taste for a wide variety of food. Today we look at some great ideas for kids lunches.

We think that the trick is to make food exciting. Try adding fun, variety and colour to their lunches and encourage them to enjoy lots of different colours, textures and flavours.

Together we can all make this country a healthier place. Children are amazingly responsive to new things if you start them early enough. We hope this has inspired you.

Do you have any tips, ticks or ideas for healthy eating that you would like to share? Get in touch! We would love to hear them.

Sweet & Delicious – Roasted Garlic

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Due to this years super soggy summer, our usually plentiful summer vegetables such as Peas and Broccoli are very low. However, one veg that has flourished is that glorious and versatile bulb, Garlic.

Garlic has many health benefits and works beautifully when combined with herbs and spices or used to add flavour to all manner of dishes.

One of our favourite ways to serve garlic is simply roasted.

When prepared in this way, the garlic loses much of it’s pungency and becomes, sweet, mild and sticky. Delicious! Here is a very easy method to try at home…


First, chop the top of the whole bulb, leaving the rest of the skin intact.


Drizzle the whole bulb with olive oil and season the exposed cloves with salt and black pepper. You could also add some finely chopped herbs such as parsley, rosemary or thyme.


Wrap and seal the whole bulb tightly in greaseproof paper or foil. Roast on a medium high temperature for 30-40 minutes until soft and squidgy.

Leave the roasted garlic to cool a little. Now, its ready to eat! We like to spread it on toast with fresh tomatoes or avocado, add it to a pasta dish or serve with a creamy roasted Camembert. Why not give it a try? Let us know what you think!

Glorious Gooseberries

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Gooseberries are often overlooked and overshadowed by that other, rather famous summer fruit, the strawberry. Although you could say the Gooseberry is ugly in comparison to it’s pretty red counterpart, these hairy green berries are actually rather delicious when prepared the right way.

Gooseberries have a sharp, sweet tang which works perfectly with a summer pudding or savoury sauce. Why not get a bit adventurous and give them a try? Here are some of our favourite recipes –


~Classic English Gooseberry Fool~


~Gooseberry Jam~


~Mackerel with Gooseberry Sauce~

Happy Yorkshire Day!

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Today is officially Yorkshire Day! The classic Yorkshire pud is one of our favourite British dishes.

Did you know that originally they were traditionally served as a sweet with jam? We prefer them with a classic rare roast beef and gravy. mmmmm maybe a touch of horseradish, ooh my mouth watering just writing this!

Mini Yorkshire puddings make a fantastic canapé or starter for a party, wedding or event. This recipe with roast beef and horseradish cream is excellent.

You could try it yourself or, alternatively speak to us about including it on a served menu for your next event.

See the full recipe here.

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