To celebrate fifty glorious years of cheese making, the team at Brue Valley Farms has created a new improved recipe, extra-mature Farmhouse Cheddar, exclusively for Marks & Spencer. The new recipe Cheddar is rich and full flavoured in the true farmhouse tradition, making it ideal for Britain’s cheese lovers who crave a really flavoursome, strong-tasting cheese with a lingering finish that will bring their taste buds to life.

As you sip cider with a slice of delicious and unique Farmhouse Cheddar, let your senses transport you to the idyllic, tranquil and rural landscape of Somerset. Look down from Glastonbury Tor to the flourishing green meadows below where the Clapp family has been farming at Brue Valley Farms since the 11th Century.

Farmhouse Cheddar is traditionally made by the Clapp family and their team, from the milk from Brue Valley’s own dairy herd. Making the cheese requires a combination of art, skill and science with the cheese makers relying on skills and practises handed down from generation to generation. Employing these traditional methods results in a cheese that delivers powerful, complex flavours – a must have on any cheese connoisseur’s cheeseboard.

To celebrate supplying one of Britain’s best loved supermarket, Marks and Spencer’s, for the past twenty five years, a delicious new recipe Farmhouse Cheddar has been specially created exclusively for the store. This new recipe shows off the quality and flavour of this specialist cheese and has a slightly softer flavour than previous blends, aiming to appeal both to purists as well as those trying a stronger cheese for the first time. Perfect for those seeking a stimulating gourmet treat to satisfy their savoury taste buds, this cheese is best enjoyed on a chunk of warm crusty bread or with a glass of fruity red wine as an after dinner treat.

Give your cheeseboard and your cooking some good old fashioned farmhouse flavour with this delicious and delightfully full flavoured cheese. The new Farmhouse cheddar is a bespoke recipe that has been developed with M&S and Dairy Crest to broaden the appeal of farmhouse cheddar by introducing a slightly softer flavour while still delivering a mature, savoury taste with a lingering finish. Partner with Somerset cider, chutney and crusty bread

These clever little (no waste) spice kits from Spicentice, give you all the spicy know-how to create an authentic and great tasting dish for four, in no time at all – and as easy as 1,2,3…

Step 1 – choose your recipe from one of 16 Indian spice kits, then check out the handy shopping list on the back of pack which lists everything you need to cook the dish.
Step 2 – at home just follow the simple recipe inside the pack.
Step 3 – serve and enjoy with family and friends.

A selection of SpicenTice spice kits will be on sale at Sainsburys, Asda and many independent stores, as well as Ocado online.

The range features dishes inspired from regions and cultures of India, including Kashmiri, Goan, Bengali and Gujarat.

The kits are made from 100% pure herbs and spices such as Fengugreek Leaves, Cassia Bark, Garam Masala, Cardamom, Coriander and Mustard Seeds which ensure an authentic taste and flavour to your dish – and no additives, preservatives or colourings are used.

In 1994 when Spicentice founder Ketan Varu was a hungry student, Manjula (Ketan’s mum) sent him recipes and spices to make real Indian curries that would remind him of home. Pretty soon all his university friends where hooked on these clever little spice kits and the idea for Spicentice was born.

Of all the recipes that Manjula cooks for her family, her favourites include Lamb Rogan Josh – an aromatic dish, brought to India by the Moghuls, Bombay potatoes and Chickpea Curry – both from the hot, dry climate of the Gujarat and Chicken Jalfrezi a traditional Bengal curry – delicious with SpicenTice Pilau Rice and Mango Chutney. Goan Prawn Curry is a traditional fish curry from Southern India, and just needs some Naan bread to mop up all the lovely curry juices. If you prefer a mild curry try the creamy Chicken Korma which has its roots in the Mughlai cuisine of North India.

On the Spicentice website www.spicentice.com you can see the full range of 16 Indian spice kits (prices are from £1.59 to £2.99) and there’s no minimum order, if all you want is one curry – that’s no problem.

Following the success of last years’ ‘Enjoy the Taste of Scotland’ event in Glasgow’s George Square, Tesco is taking its free food and drink event on a road trip around the country this summer.

The events promise a fantastic day out for families and foodies alike with a variety of food and drink from local Scottish producers to sample as well as a host of entertainment.

‘Enjoy the Taste of Scotland’ will be visiting:

• Perth Extra 7th August 2010
• Silverburn Extra (Glasgow) 28th August 2010

Tesco Chairman, David Reid said: “Enjoy the Taste of Scotland celebrates the very best of Scottish fare from Tesco’s many local food and drink producers. We are committed to getting even closer to local suppliers across Scotland and this series of events are testament to that.”

Visitors will be able to take a culinary tour of the region, browsing stalls and meeting the enthusiastic producers from all over Scotland. Each event will be unique to the area but will include:
The Tesco Cookery Theatre – featuring local producers, well-known chefs, restaurateurs and hoteliers.

The Tesco Fair– a collection of producer marquees and stands as well as a variety of activities and great entertainment including the Haggis Shy, milking ‘Bella’ the Wiseman’s life size cow, a craft corner, face painting and even the chance for kids to come and taste, plant and grow their own herbs.

Each event will be open to the public and free to attend.

Creeping on to the nations supermarket shelves at this very moment are a new range of biscuits from Cadbury’s; all are based on existing, popular, sweets. Welcome then to

Caramel biscuits: Biscuits with a smooth Cadbury Caramel centre, covered with Cadbury Milk Chocolate (at a lads tasting, my favourites, but then I love caramel!)

Cadbury Crunchie biscuits: Biscuits with a melting honeycomb cream sprinkled with Cadbury Crunchie pieces, covered with, you guessed it, Cadbury Milk Chocolate

Cadbury Turkish biscuits: Biscuits fully coated in Cadbury Milk Chocolate with a layer of Turkish Delight. (The overall favourite with three of the lad tasters; even those who dislike Turkish Delight voted for these!)

This new Cadbury range all look the same, but delve under the chocolate and the filling is revealed. Each pack of biscuits are priced at £1.59 for 130g packs and are available from all leading supermarkets

A YouGov SixthSense report into the chilled and frozen foods market reveals that 27% of UK adults rarely visit the frozen food aisle. The report also shows that a considerable number of consumers have not embraced new and non-traditional frozen food products.

Consumers are unhappy with the variety of foods on display in the frozen food aisle. Almost half of consumers (47%) believe that the frozen food section is ‘uninspiring’, whilst over a third think that the choice of frozen food on offer is ‘limited’. ‘Despite 40% of consumers saying they often vary the frozen food products they buy, almost as many (37%) claim that they continually buy the same frozen food items.

The reluctance on behalf of many customers to change their frozen food buying habits may be related to packaging design. 65% of respondents believe that frozen food packaging should be changed so that ‘you can see more of the product’, while 62% think that ‘it is difficult to tell whether frozen food is good quality or not’.

Commenting on the findings James McCoy, Research Director of YouGov SixthSense, said “With frozen food aisles located at the back or the middle of most supermarkets, customers are less likely to browse in search of new products and are less suggestible to impulse buys from the frozen food selection.”

The report also reveals that the ready meal market has suffered slightly from the growing trends towards cooking from scratch and healthy eating. 49% of respondents agree that cooking from scratch is often just as quick as preparing ready meals. Despite this, ready meals still remain a convenient option for many. 35% of consumers say that they eat ready meals as a last minute stop gap, while the same number claim to eat ready meals when they are too tired to cook.

70% of consumers eat frozen potatoes of one variety or another at least once a week. Despite high-profile marketing campaigns by companies like McCain, which seek to open up the market to other frozen potato products, chips are still by far the most popular form of frozen potato, accounting for 70% of the market share. Convenience is a key driver of frozen potato sales, with over two thirds of respondents describing them as such. Men are most likely to agree that frozen potatoes are convenient, whilst women over 40 are most likely to consider them to be a good standby.

83% of customers mainly buy fresh vegetables; frozen vegetables are then used to supplement these purchases, with 73% of consumers stocking frozen vegetables as a back up or buying them when a fresh version is not available. On this trend, McCoy continued, “Companies have a long way to go to convince consumers that frozen vegetables are as healthy or appetizing as their fresh counterparts. Consumers are clearly harbouring reservations to do with texture and nutritional value.”

The report also gives a detailed brand analysis across the UK market. In the chilled foods industry, retailer own-label products account for 95% of sales, with Tesco, Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s the biggest own label brands. Manufacturers such as Weight Watchers and Annabel Karmel focus in on specialised areas of the chilled food market such as health foods, vegetarian options and children’s foods.
In the frozen potato market McCain and Aunt Bessie’s are on top – McCain’s success perhaps owing to high levels of promotion and brand visibility. Weight Watchers remain the largest frozen dessert brand, offering consumers a way to indulge without the need to feel guilty.