Tag: Christmas snacks

Bennett Opies Christmas Food Gifts

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Drinks and Mixers, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for teachers, snacks

Disclaimer – We have received this item for free or on a loan basis for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

As Christmas rolls in and you wonder what to buy, Bennett Opies have the perfect gift for food lovers. There’s a huge range of preserved fruits, pickles, cocktail items and ingredients available, there’s almost too much to choose from! We were sent a big box of goodies to sample before Christmas, and trust me, it took a while!

Firstly, there’s the fruits; Opies preserved Peaches in 12 year old brandy, Black Cherries in Kirsch and Baby Pears in Amaretto. The alcohol in the preserving syrup makes these extra special for Christmas and something that brings back memories. The peaches are my favourite, with ice cream added for the sweetness overload. The pears are not something I would usually buy but with the stems still on them, they are particularly pretty for Christmas. The Kirsch soaked cherries can be added to cakes, desserts or fruit salads and add both colour and flavour which again are quintessentially Christmas.

The Cornichons & Onions, Pickled Walnuts and Mini Gherkins are great accomplices to a buffet, or to use on the table on Boxing Day with cold meats or even if you do fish and chips. The Capers and Green Peppercorns are equally great for adding as ingredients (I like adding them to pizza!).  The Ginger in syrup, Sliced Lemons and Cocktail Cherries are great for cocktails, and I use them in baking too. Try making a ginger cake with real ginger pieces, or a lemon drizzle cake with lemon slices on top. A fruitcake isn’t the same without a proper cocktail cherry either, and Opies have some great additions to your Christmas.  Try some of the range before Christmas, or add them to a hamper as a gift for teachers, neighbours and friends.

All available at: https://www.bennettopie.com/ and with 10% now for new customers.

Two Farmers Lightly Salted Crisp Drum

Children, Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, snacks, Stocking Fillers

Disclaimer – We have received this item for free or on a loan basis for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

For lovers of crisps, you can’t beat a drum, literally, of crisps this Christmas! Two Farmers, the Herefordshire based farmers, use local potatoes to create these local, lovely and sharp crisps in a 500 grams tin. It opens like a paint pot, with the lip having to be prised open (I used the back of a spoon) but it can be sealed up again when not in use. That’s handy, because 500 grams of crisps is a lot!  It’s the equivalent to more than 4 of the big bags of potato chips you get in the supermarket, but this isn’t a brand that you would find in the supermarket, nor the format that you’re used to.

The Two Farmers Herefordshire Crisps which we were sent from Sous Chef are lightly salted and ooze a cleaner flavour than other crisps. These are prefect for sharing, thanks to the size of the tin, plus they can be used with dips, thanks to their light flavouring. The tin also means that they don’t get crushed in transit, so I found that the crisps were bigger and there was less ‘dust’ at the bottom of the tin. They stay nice and fresh too thanks to the metal container and resealable lid.

These are great for watching TV on Christmas Day, and after the festive season, you can clean out the tin and use it for storing Christmas decorations!

Available from £15.00: https://www.souschef.co.uk/products/two-farmers-lightly-salted-potato-crisps-in-sharing-tin

Higgidy’s Christmas Range

Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, snacks, Vegetarian

Disclaimer – We have received this item for free or on a loan basis for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Higgidy snacks are starting to play more of a role in the Christmas feasts and this year they have a limited edition selection for the festive period.  So, if you’re pecking before dinner, or picking something up at work that’s different compared to your normal sandwich, Higgidy have something for you. Don’t worry if you’re vegetarian too, there’s some lovely veggie options that anyone can enjoy.

Starting with the rolls, there’s the twin pack Pigs In Blankets Inspired Sausage Rolls with bacon jam.  These are sausage rolls with a hint of bacon flavour from the bacon jam.  They’re topped with extra mature cheddar, a touch of parsley and delicious beetroot crumbs. This is the pigs in blanket hit you didn’t know you needed as it requires no cooking, but like all of the Higgidy range, you can heat them if you prefer.

There’s also the Beechwood Smoked Ham Hock & Mature Cheddar Sausage Rolls with Dijon Mustard. This pack of 6 rolls can also be heated for 6-8 minutes or eaten cold, which is what I preferred to do as part of a weekday lunch.  The puff pastry is especially puff and reminds me of Christmas with the fresh mince pies of a similar texture. There’s also poppy seeds on top and a light sprinkling of sea salt to compliment the ham hock. 

For the vegetarians, there’s the two pack of French Brie and Cranberry Rolls. These are also puff pastry and topped with extra mature Cheddar and Emmenthal cheese, millet seeds and dried beetroot crumb. I really liked the flavour of these, and they’re just as filling as the sausage rolls where you can taste the Brie and cranberry side-by-side.

If you know the Higgidy range then you’ll know they also do mini muffins.  This Christmas season’s mini muffins are the Extra Mature Cheddar & Spinach Mini Muffins which are a cross between a baked muffin and a crustless quiche. They contain wheat, but they’re big on cheese and eggs too. You can really taste the turmeric and chilli powder which makes them great party bites as well as snacks.  They can also be heated for 3-6 minutes or left open in the fridge for the family to help themselves at Christmas time!

Lastly, my favourite; the Beechwood Smoked Bacon & Extra Mature Cheddar Quiche with Bechamel.  Bechamel always feels like a luxurious treat to me so when it’s part of this delicious Higgidy quiche it brings me back to Christmas and works particularly well with the smoked bacon. There’s a lot of mixture in this quiche which provides the flavour and the Extra Mature Cheddar is a great bed-mate of the Beechwood Smoked Bacon. I loved this to eat straight out of the box and with some olives, coleslaw or as a piece on its own. It has a beautiful texture too and the pastry is thin and quite light, so you don’t get full up on the stodgy edges.

Lovely snacks, lovely lunches and a great shortcut this Christmas to not having to cook but to be able to bring a few more festive flavours to the table.

All items available at Tesco and Sainsbury’s with the two packs also available at Boots on the Food To Go counters.

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/higgidy-smoked-english-bacon—mature-cheddar-quiche-400g