Tag: Party

Fox Vintage Crisps

Food & Drink, Gluten Free, Lunchbox Fillers, snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

National Picnic Week is here and with warm and sunny weather forecast for the weekend it’s looking like it’s going to be perfect picnic weather.

Crisps are one of my staple picnic snacks, crunchy and packed full of flavour they are great to munch on whilst chatting with friends and are the perfect accompaniment to sandwiches, salads or even a bottle of beer! If you’re looking for an extra special crisp then you really need to try some of the hand cooked Artisan Olive Oil Company crisps – made in Italy they will add a real touch of luxury to any picnic basket.

The Fox Salt and Truffle Vintage Crisps are thickly cut and have a satisfying crunch which you bite them. I’ve never tried a truffle before so I can’t tell you how close the flavour is to a real truffle but the earthy flavour combined with the saltiness of the crisp works really well and you find yourself reaching for more!  

The Fox Italian Vegetable Crisps are made from the finest root vegetables including beetroot, parsnip and carrot. Baked to perfection and lightly salted they are lovely and crispy and incredibly moreish! They’re a reasonable thickness and well-seasoned and the saltiness really enhances the flavour of the root vegetables.

With a RRP of £4.25 they are in the more pricey, premium crisps bracket however for a special treat they are certainly worth the extra money.  

Terrific Tins Mini Celebration Kit

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Toys

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

It’s party season!  Whether you’re in full Christmas party mood or still trying to get organised, there are so many things you need to prepare this time of year.  Christmas parties, or even birthday around this time, are helped along with a bit of pre-planned celebrations. 

The Terrific Tins series of gifts has this lovely Mini Celebration Kit. The tin is only the size of a playing card, but inside there are two party blowers, a bag of foil confetti and a book of toasts. The book of toasts includes quotes relating to celebrations, poems, translations around the word ‘celebration’ and puns and rhymes.  In practical terms, the party blowers (one silver, one gold) are a useful addition to any kind of celebration and there is A LOT of foil confetti!

The Terrific Tins gifts are great as stocking fillers, or to post to loved ones without being too expensive. Perhaps good with a gift card if you can’t think of anything else?  They’re not just for Christmas either, there’s toasts in the tin for weddings, birthdays, engagements etc and can fit in luggage or a handbag too!

Available from £7 at: https://kikkerlandeu.com

Black Cow & English Strawberries Vodka

Drinks and Mixers, Food & Drink, Summer

Disclaimer – We received this item for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

With no added sugar or sweeteners, Black Cow English Strawberries Vodka is flavoured naturally by the fruit.

Locally sourced, leftover or misshapen English strawberries that would otherwise go to waste are pressed and infused in Black Cow to create a fresh, light vodka with the unmistakable taste of freshly-picked strawberries.

Below are a few ways to enjoy Black Cow English Strawberries Vodka.

Strawberry Old Fashioned

Ingredients

  • Black Cow + English Strawberries
  • 50ml Peychaud’s Bitters
  • A brown sugar cube
  • A small orange segment
  • Pepper

Muddle the sugar cube and orange segment with a few drops of Peychaud’s Bitters and crush into the bottom of a rocks glass.

Add the Black Cow, ice and add pepper to taste.

Strawberry Espresso Martini

Ingredients

  • Black Cow & English Strawberries, 50ml
  • Fresh, cooled coffee, 40ml
  • Maple syrup, 15ml

Put all three ingredients in a cocktail shaker, along with a handful of ice.

Shake. But don’t just shake a little; shake a lot.

Pour the drink into a martini glass.

Leave a few minutes to fully settle.

Garnish with one or two coffee beans.

Black Cow Easter Cake with Strawberry Vodka Syrup Paired with Strawberry and Lemon Sgroppino

Ingredients

Finely ground almonds, 225 g 

Polenta, 100 g 

Cardamom, 1 tsp

Baking powder, 1 tsp

 Sugar, 200 g

Butter, 225 g

Eggs, 3

Vanilla essence, 1 tsp

Zest from 2 medium oranges (plus zest from a 3rd orange for garnish)

Garnish – chopped pistachios, additional zest  

Syrup

Honey, 2 Tbsp

Black Cow & English Strawberries vodka, 4 Tbsp

Preheat Oven to 180˚C. Grease an 8 inch (20 cm) round tin with a little butter. Line the tin with baking paper.

Combine first 4 ingredients. Mix together ground almonds, polenta, cardamom and baking powder in a bowl.

Prepare batter. In a separate mixing bowl, beat together sugar and butter until fluffy using an electric beater. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each egg. Add half the dry ingredients and beat just until mixed. Repeat with other half. Fold in vanilla and zest of 2 oranges.

Bake. Pour batter (it will be very thick) into prepared pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until cake test/toothpick comes out clean. Remove pan and let cool for 10 minutes.

Make Syrup. While cake is baking, briskly mix the honey and vodka together.

Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a skewer. Pour about half of the syrup onto the cake, allowing it to absorb. Sprinkle chopped pistachios and zest an orange over the top of the cake – Serve with a drizzle of remaining syrup and a glass of Sgroppino.

Sgroppino Ingredients

Black Cow & English Strawberries Vodka

Lemon Sorbet or Lemon Gelato (if you can find it.)

Prosecco

Place a small scoop of the lemon sorbet or gelato into a stemmed glass and mix well with 30ml of the strawberry vodka using a long spoon, top with Prosecco and serve with a slither of strawberry and a slice of cake.