All posts in Specialist Shops

Hotel Chocolat Christmas Selection

by Andrew on December 20, 2011 in Online Retailers, Specialist Shops with 2 Comments

hotel chocolat christmas selection

Christmas really isn’t Christmas without at least one box of chocolates; a fail-safe gift or a little private indulgence for you alone. This seasonal selection from Hotel Chocolat is £22 or 2 for £40. Pick up in store or order online – still plenty of time for delivery before Christmas Day itself! Billionaire Shortbread anyone? Or perhaps a Christmas Mess followed by a Cinnamon Praline?

Brimming with sparkling seasonal cheer and the gorgeous flavours of the season – in melt-away pralines and soft caramels, truffles with warming chilli and creamy coconut, cherry florentines, gingerbread, cinnamon and more. There’s something inside to make everyone feel Christmassy all over.

Harrods New Boulangerie and Patisserie

by Andrew on September 15, 2011 in Delicatessens, Eating Out, Specialist Shops with No comments

Harrods has unveilled its brand new Boulangerie and Patisserie department, located in the heart of the Ground Floor Food Halls. Expect a delicious range of new pastries, cakes and breads, all freshly crafted each day by some of the UK’s most celebrated bakers.

Each morning Harrods team of expert pastry chefs prepare over 100 new pastries, desserts and cakes for the department – from fresh fruit clementines and fraiser tarts to innovative green tea-infused crème brulées.

And in response to the latest demands from shoppers, an array of gourmet marshmallows flavoured with orange blossom and strawberry has also been created, alongside a range of savoury mini muffins, including sautéed leek and thyme and bacon and cheddar.

Complementing Harrods own selection are exclusive patisseries from award-winning chocolatier William Curley and renowned artisan baker Paul Hollywood. The Boulangerie and Patisserie is now home to Curley’s stunning patisseries, including a cream-filled Paris brest and a Venezuelan chocolate cadeaux, while a variety of Hollywood’s freshly made, exclusive breads – such as a Stilton and walnut loaf – are delivered from Kent each morning.

Completing the area is a brand new, beautifully designed counter. Here shoppers can enjoy perusing endless displays of patisserie, special occasion cakes, baskets of gourmet breads and a host of freshly baked seasonal exclusives.

Brillat Savarin Affine Cheese

by Andrew on September 13, 2011 in food, Specialist Shops with No comments

One of the most popular cheeses in Europe is proving to be strangely illusive to the nation’s cheese lovers. Brillat Savarin Affine is a soft, creamy white cheese that appeals to even the fussiest of pallets, yet its own popularity is becoming the cheeses own nemesis. Some cheese enthusiasts are putting in orders months ahead, just to ensure delivery.

Brillat Savarin Affine is a luxurious cheese named after one of France’s most legendary food writers, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. The lawyer-turned-food-writer had the honour of the MAGNUM cheese taking his moniker in the 1970’s following his rise in popularity as French Gourmet and political figure. The cheese itself, from the Normandy region, is a triple cream Brie that is luscious, creamy and faintly sour, going well with medjool dates and also champagne.

Nick Baines of JustCheese.co.uk, one of the UK’s top online cheese stockists, is proud that their website is one of the few places that Brillat-Savarin is consistently available: “We have established a fantastic relationship with the producers of Brillat-Savarin cheese. It’s true that this cheese’s popularity has caused a real supply and demand issue, so we are just pleased that we are able to be one of the few stockists of this esteemed variety. This really is one of our favourite cheeses!” JustCheese.co.uk carries a wide variety of artisan cheeses and caters online to the UK’s cheese aficionados by supplying cheeseboards featuring a selection of top cheese delights.

There is no definite date in sight when Brillat-Savarin Affine will be available on a wider scale, purely due to demand. Sites like JustCheese.co.uk give cheese lovers an easy and speedy option of getting hold of their favourite cheese.

Just Cheese is offering Brillat Savarin Affine for £7.95 for 150g.

THE FIRST EVER APPLE JAM AVAILABLE ON THE HIGH STREET

by Andrew on June 29, 2011 in Specialist Shops, Supermarkets with No comments

British high streets have long had strawberry, raspberry, damson, blackcurrant, apricot, plum, fig, cherry and other jams but until now never apple.

Now Master Preserver Michelle McKenna, (aka Clippy) is about to put that right when her Clippy’s Apples range of six apple conserves hit 800 Tesco stores this week.

The award-winning range of mind-bogglingly tasty conserves are made using the quintessential British apple and have a significantly higher fruit content than other brands dominating the shelves, making them a healthier option. Clippy’s Apples products are packed with juicy fruits and other indulgent ingredients such as fresh ginger and cinnamon to create unique flavour combinations. The conserves now available in Tesco include: Apple & Strawberry; Apple & Figgy Diggy; Apple, Rudebarb & Ginger; Apple Pie and Apple & Blueberry.

Clippy’s Apples conserves are hugely versatile and not just for spreading on toast! The labels highlight serving suggestions: try the Apple Pie conserve with waffles, the Apple, Rudebarb & Ginger conserve with roast pork or the Apple & Figgy Diggy conserve with cheese! Delicious! Their products appear on the menus of both Harvey Nichols and The National Trust.

Clippy’s Apples is the brainchild of Master Preserver Michelle McKenna (aka Clippy) who set up Clippy’s Apples with a mission to save the British Apple and to create a range of versatile, indulgent preserves that are healthier, less sugary and down-right tasty.

Believed to be the smallest National Brand in the UK!

Clippy and her partner Paul Gorman, who work out of their tiny spare room, are not only Tesco’s but quite probably the UK’s smallest national supplier reaching shoppers from the south coast of England to north Scotland.

And they have achieved creating their own brand of British-apple based preserves with an original outlay of just £100, keeping overheads to a minimum by working from their home.

Effervescent founder Clippy brings the brand to life and has been cited as the new face of preserves in the UK, re-invigorating the stagnant market with this versatile, indulgent, healthier range of family-friendly products, a great alternative to all the sugary brands currently on the shelves. Using only British apples and other fruits together the brand boasts provenance and a feel-good factor.

Clippy’s Apples products are also available to purchase in Asda in the North West (88+ stores), Harvey Nichols, Fortnum & Mason, John Lewis, Ocado, EH Booths in addition to 800 Tesco stores nationwide. BBC Countryfile listed Clippy’s Apples as the ‘pick of the best’ preserving companies!

Highgrove Beef Burger at Fortnum’s

by Andrew on June 6, 2011 in food, Specialist Shops with No comments

Fortnum’s customers can now enjoy a culinary treat with the introduction of the Highgrove Beef Burger, a reflection of the best of British, in the Gallery Restaurant.

Made from 28 day aged Aberdeen Angus beef from The Prince of Wales’s Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire, the only other ingredients added are salt and pepper to ensure that the flavour of the aged beef is enjoyed to the full.

The beef burger is served on a half brioche burger bun with British baby gem lettuce, British heritage tomatoes, pickled baby cucumber and Fortnum & Mason’s handmade tomato and basil relish, served with thrice cooked chips (£17).

At Fortnum & Mason’s Gallery Restaurant, seasonal menus are created mirroring the flavours of the Fresh Food Hall with the focus on offering ingredients of the highest quality and known provenance.

← Older Entries