Archive for October, 2007

PieMinister

by Andrew on October 24, 2007 in Online Retailers, Specialist Shops with 4 Comments

PieMinisterThe covered market in Oxford is a great little place for the food lover – I loose count of how many butchers there are in the small space. One other must visit establishement is PieMinister. Their Oxford store is one of five shops (the others being in Hanley, Stonehenge (which seems an odd choice) and two in Bristol. Stalls are also operated in Borough Market and Bristol Markets.

You can also buy online.

So such tasty delights as Minty Lamb, Chicken of Aragon, Thai Chock and others are available to all. Each is around £3.50 or so each. Regular specials feature too – Poussin Boots and Mamma Calzone for example. I bet the marketing meetings are a hoot thinking up the puns.

Minimum purchase is 12 pies which arrive within 4 working days in special temperature control box. The pies can all be frozen.


Escargot South American Style

by Andrew on October 23, 2007 in food, In the Press with No comments

SnailsEscargot, a rare delicacy? More like a widespread and thriving nuisance in South America!

Who knew?

The giant snail, native to eastern Africa, was exported to Brazil as a profitable substitute for the common garden snail, used for escargot. When Brazilian natives caught on to the lucrative opportunity, they began to breed the mollusks in their own backyards. Unexpectedly, the population ballooned at an astonishing rate!

“This snail is at the height of its invasion, experts say, and its success makes eradication near-impossible.”

Even worse, the few diners in the country who actually eat escargot are turned off by the unfamiliar texture and flavor of the east African substitute. In turn, dozens of backyards and residents are crawling with giant snails—some of them measuring up to 8 inches and weighing in at 1 pound!

Story from National Geographic.

EcoCentric

by Andrew on October 22, 2007 in On The Web, Online Retailers with No comments

EcoCentricA great home accessories website for those with an ‘eco-bent’.

Founded by that good-looking guy from one of those TV make-over shows (Oliver Heath) the site sells items that are good for the environement and look stylish to boot.

“Good eco interiors and green design have come a long way in the last year – products are now better, sleeker and more stylish. At EcoCentric we love beautiful low energy, sustainable and recycled products that are as good for the home or as gifts as they are for the environment.”

Recycled glass features heavily for the serving plates, dessert bowls and the like, but bamboo too for some brightly coloured pasta bowls while yoghurt pots have become coasters.

I particularly like the cheese boards – individually made from English oak – they have a torn off edge that looks wonderfully original and natural.

EcoCentric offer free delivery for orders over £50.

Mawsons Traditional Drinks

by Andrew on October 19, 2007 in In Search Of..., On The Web, Online Retailers with 1 Comment

Mawsons SarsaparillaIt’s a rubblish looking website and comes with a hugely long url – mawsonstraditionaldrinks.co.uk but the products they sell have caught the attention of many.

Using only natural ingredeints the small range of cordials and sparkling drinks (nothing alcoholic) have been made in Bacup, Lancashire since 1933.

The range includes Sarsparilla, Dandelion & Burdock, Cream Soda and Sass and Soda. All come in cordial versions ( 12 x Sarsaparilla Cordial 500ml SwingTop for £47.88) and some in pre-mixed bottles ( 24 x Sparkling Dandelion & Burdock in 250ml Bottles for £24).

A sampler case of 24 x Mixed “Ready to Drink” bottles – £24 – containing Sass ‘N’ Soda, Cream Soda, Dandelion & Burdock and Lemonade is also available.

Bats & Broomsticks Biscuits

by Andrew on October 17, 2007 in On The Web, Online Retailers with No comments

Biscuiteers Halloween specialThey look delightful, come stylishly packaged and apparently taste superb. The only downside is the price! Biscuiteers.com, have created a special Halloween tin full of biscuits.

“To help you celebrate the spookiest day of the year in style, we’ve created a limited-edition tin of terrifyingly delicious Halloween biscuits. There are black cats, bats and scary ghosts, witches with wicked stripy socks, wise owls and a grinning pumpkin in a special Halloween tin. We don’t want to scare you, but order fast to be sure of getting one…”

To arrive in time for Halloween pre-ordered tins will be sent out on Friday 26th October to make sure they arrive in time. There are approximately 16 biscuits in each tin. And the cost? £38.50 plus postage.

Plenty of other styles are available including handbags, ladies shoes, poodles and creapy crawlies.

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