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.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

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.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

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.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

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!

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

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.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

You can’t have too much of a good thing. That’s why every self respecting food lover carries a miniature bottle of Tabasco in their handbag or pocket, to cheer up dull meals or bland sandwiches; that’s why that iconic 57ml size bottle sits boldly on many a dining table; that’s why professional cooks choose the chunky (350ml) chef sized bottle. Now there’s the ultimate kitchen aid – a gallon sized jug of Tabasco Pepper Sauce.

Destined to create almost as much impact on kitchen shelves as on the plate, the Tabasco Gallon Jug will be a perfect choice for hot pepper sauce fanatics, real chilli heads and true Tabasco fans. When a normal size bottle is not quite big enough and when breakfast lunch and dinner just aren’t the same without it, here’s a sensible sized supply of Tabasco® Pepper Sauce!

Whether it’s the three year ageing in oak barrels, the unique recipe or its flavour enhancing properties the army of Tabasco fans is growing and demanding more of their favourite condiment. They’ll be delighted with the news that the gallon jug can now be found in Fortnum and Mason, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges (RRP from £75).

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

Riding high on the success of her award winning British Cassis, Jo Hilditch has set about adding to her product range with the launch of her blackcurrants steeped in Cassis – a perfect flavour addition to both sweet and savoury dishes as well as summer cocktails.

Bursting with Vitamin C and antioxidants it’s a very versatile store cupboard staple; perfect on ice-cream, with granola and Greek yoghurt or to add flavour to sauces. Jo has been devising some fantastic summer recipes including; a delicious blue cheese and blackcurrant salad and a new take on the traditional Eton mess. All recipes are available on the website www.britishcassis.co.uk.

Jo has now been producing her Cassis on her farm for 5 years. Although not as alcoholically strong as the French version it is infinitely fruitier in flavour. Jo won Herefordshire drinks producer of the Year at the Flavours of Herefordshire Festival in 2009 for her Cassis and Framboise. This followed her equally exciting accolade of being voted a Local Food Hero by the Hairy Bikers for Countryfile in 2009, and adds to other awards including two gold stars in the Great Taste Awards 08 for her Cassis and being a finalist in the Waitrose/Made in Britain awards.

Jo said, “I am thrilled that our cassis has achieved so much in only the fifth year of production. It is important to us that our Cassis gains the recognition it so richly deserves and with these awards being judged by industry experts it is gratifying to know that our product is deemed to be among the best in the UK. We look forward to our jars of British Blackcurrants with Cassis developing in the same way.”

Price: £8.95 available online at www.britishcassis.co.uk, also available in selected fine food establishments across the country (full list on the website).

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

Firefly Tonics, the 100% natural energy drinks producers, are bringing back the Love Potion for Valentines Day. This special edition love tonic is just the thing to get hearts racing on Valentines Day for guilt free passion. This tasty little aphrodisiac is back by popular demand after being in hiding for the last five years. Founder of Firefly Tonics Marcus Waley-Cohen admits “Love Potion is the single thing we are asked for more than any other edition”.

Love Potion is a saucy blend of Passionfruit, Blueberry and Jasmine with sensory botanicals Angelica, Chocolate and Damiana, all known for their aphrodisiac qualities.

The limited edition range will be available from Harvey Nichols, Whole Foods, online at Holland&Barratt and other independent retailers nationwide while stocks last.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

Brace yourself! I’ve just discovered three of the greatest new healthy snack bars of all time: Nākd Cocoa Delight, Nākd Cocoa Mint and Nākd Berry Delight. (Although I didn’t really like the mint version, having an aversion to the combination of mint and chocolate, but others loved them). The manufactueres believe they are going to take the healthy snacking market by storm.

So what’s the big difference from other bars? Nearly all so-called ‘healthy’ snack bars on the market rely on intense heat-processing, refined sugary syrups and mysterious additives. Take a look for yourself; your typical cereal bar, for example, has between 15 to 30 ingredients, many of which are completely unrecognisable and several of which are often just various types of sugar. Despite what decades of slick marketing and packaging seeks to imply, heavily processed, syrup-laden and additive filled is not a credible recipe for ‘healthy’.

These new Nākd bars, on the other hand, are made with a wholefood approach. Instead of heavy processing, sugary syrups and mysterious additives, Nākd bars rely on raw fruit, nuts and natural flavours rolled together. That’s it. Simply wholefoods rolled together and nothing else. Literally, any more natural and you’d have to peel them. Consequently, they are genuine nutritional powerhouses bursting with natural raw nutrients, are wheat, dairy and gluten free, vegan and count towards one of your five a day. They are as different health-wise from most snack bars as freshly squeezed orange juice is from fizzy orange.

And they actually taste fantastic! Flavourful and satisfying – almost too good to be true; you have to taste them to believe it!

Nākd bars are widely available in Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Boots, Holland & Barrett and independent health food shops.

Nākd Cocoa Mint Ingredients: Raw dates, raw cashews, raw raisins, cocoa, natural flavour
Nākd Cocoa Delight Ingredients: Raw dates, raw cashews, raw raisins, cocoa, natural flavour
Nākd Berry Delight Ingredients: Raw dates, raw cashews, raw raisins, raw raspberries, natural flavour

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

Salisbury got a taste of OO La La when the renowned Patisserie Valerie opened its doors – complete with the now familiar can can girls and balloons!

This marked the end of a year when the London based chain, established in 1926, had new and old customers in market towns and Cities across the UK drooling with its continental style patisserie offering – with more openings planned early in the New Year.The opening was part of a rapid expansion for the Company which has already seen thousands of new customers and businesses try its clever combination of early morning breakfasts, delivered catering, wedding cakes and a dazzling array of indulgent offerings.

Patisserie Valerie until recently, was a familiar site in London but relatively unknown outside the Capital.

Patisserie Valerie’s Chief Executive Officer Paul May said,
“This year the plan has been to open in quality shopping areas outside London – and Salisbury fitted the bill perfectly. Despite opening on the worst day so far this winter, we were full to capacity for many parts of the day. We had a similar experience in Twickenham only a couple of weeks ago.

We provide a dazzling array of pure indulgence in the form of our delicious cake range, but we do not neglect the basics of breakfasts, lunches etc matched with quick and excellent service. Many business breakfast clubs use our facilities early in the mornings for example. We provide businesses with a delivered catering service and at the other extreme, decorated wedding cakes.

All of this puts us in a different market place from any other operator. This is why we have been able to add so many new customers this year alone.

We really believe that we are helping to add to the shopping experience and entice shoppers.”

Founded in 1926 by a Belgian – Madame Valerie, Patisserie Valerie has had new openings this year in Bath, Cambridge, Canterbury, Twickenham Wolverhampton two outlets in Leeds together with further openings in its London base. Openings planned early in the New Year include York, Manchester Arndale, Liverpool and Chester.

For more details of why Patisserie Valerie is so popular, go to www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK