July - Bites and Pieces

This month I want to draw your attention to some of the lovely products that I have been sent for reviewing.

Raw Halo - a chocolate handmade with love!

The Pure Dark is 76% Peruvian Pure Dark raw chocolate - made with at least 76% cocoa solids, sugar free and 100% natural.

Pure Mylk is made with 63% cocoa solids and a creamy cashew nut butter.

Mylk + Pure Himalayan Salt a chocolate made with 64% cocoa solids, and pure pink Himalayan crystal salt - giving it a lovely crunch as the chocolate melts in your mouth.

CafePod

Do you love coffee, good strong coffee? then you might light to check out CafePod.

Coffee is roasted and manufactured in the UK but has been sourced from all over the coffee producing countries of the world and put into the little Nespresso compatible coffee pods.  They will be delivered through your letter box using completely flexible and absolutely personalized subscription service which you are in charge of the frequency and the contents of.

If you want to try CafePod for yourself and you are a new customer you can get 20% off your first online order by entering the code HRKT20 at the check out. This code will be valid until 30 September 2016.

Bredemeijer - I don't often stop for tea, but when I do I like to make it into an occasion. I tend to drink the redb bush (Rooibos), one of the green teas or a Chinese jasmine tea.

Sometime I do like a traditional English tea as well.

Bredemeijer have a range of beautiful high grade cast iron tea pots and I was sent the Asia Jing 1.1ltr. There is an inner mesh holder to keep all of the loose tea leaves contained eliminating straining as you pour.

Thanks Haus for sending me this beautiful item.

Boostball
Little balls of tastiness made with 7 natural ingredients, gluten free, wheat free, no refined sugars but high in protein and a good source of fibre.

They come in four flavours:
Coconut Fudge Cake and Raw Chocolate Brownie

Chocolate Orange Mud Cake and Peanut Butter Cookie Dough

Nibble nibble munch munch and good for you!!

KinderKitchen Esssential Set from Kuhn Rikon

When the Little People get to a certain age they want to help in the kitchen.  Every parent's nightmare is letting them use a knife in case they cut themselves.  Welcome to Kuhn Rikon and their set of knives and snippers for the little cook or chef of the future.

The Duck Snippers cut herbs and vegetables and are covered with the Duck Bill for safe storage.

The Non-Serrated Dog Knife will cut fruit and spread peanut butter and jam and the Serrated Dog Knife cuts soft skinned fruits and vegetables

but the best thing is that little fingers are safe. I wouldn't let Big use a knife that would hurt him - he loved cutting the celery for lunch.

This set is recommended for ages 3+.

These are just some of the things I have been sent to review this month.  Keep a look out to see what is coming next month!

I was not paid to review any of the products listed above.  All opinions and photographs are my own.

Review and Giveaway:- KinderKitchen Knives for Children from KuhnRikon

When the Little People get to a certain age they want to help in the kitchen.  Every parent's nightmare is letting them use a knife in case they cut themselves.  Welcome to Kuhn Rikon and their set of knives and snippers for the little cook or chef of the future.

The Duck Snippers cut herbs and vegetables and are covered with the Duck Bill for safe storage.

The Non-Serrated Dog Knife will cut fruit and spread peanut butter and jam and the Serrated Dog Knife cuts soft skinned fruits and vegetables

but the best thing is that little fingers are safe. I wouldn't let Big use a knife that would hurt him - he loved cutting the celery for lunch.

If you would like to win a fantastic set of these knives and cutter then enter via the Rafflecopter widget below.

I was sent a set to review and was not paid to write a positive review or to run this giveaway.  All opinions and photos are my own.

How To Enter:

• Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
• Entries can be via blog comment, Instagram, Twitter etc
• This competition is open to UK residents only over 18 years of age .Please read the rules below .
• Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries.
• Closing date - 22th August 2016 12.00 am

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bake Box - New Arrivals

I have now received Bake Box box 2 and box 3 to review.  The fun part is the initial opening of the boxes, not know what you will find inside.  There are some flirtatious hints on their page on Facebook to get you excited of course.

Box 2 is called 'Springtime in Paris' and centres on all thing Parisienne in the cake department.  There are six fully illustrated recipe cards to go with each of the tools inside the box.

The cookie cutters this month are an Eiffel Tower and French Kittens - oh la la I hear you say!

There is also a calisson dough cutter to make cute little mouth watering almond flavoured sweets which originated in Aix-en-Provence.

As well as the cookie cutters this box includes a silicone mat for making heart-shaped macarons, silicone pastry brush for glazing, small and large flower press moulds and a nine hole silicone Madeleine mould.

Box 3 is called 'Decorate with Flowers' if you like flowers on your baking you will love this box. You can really make something different for the weekend to impress family and friends alike.

I made a lemon flavoured rose shaped cake with the silicone rose mould.

Also included is a chocolate deco mat, silicone 4-cup flower mould to make pretty jellies, set of four plungers to make delicate flowers to top your cakes and cupcakes, three sets of flower cutters and rainbow dust lustre dust to add that magical effect. 

If you want to make a simple pie look stunning there is a silicone pie topper with a flower design to cut out a pattern in pastry.

Each box has lovely printed recipe cards that build into a great collection. This subscription service makes a great gift for someone who is just starting to get interested in baking and it will help build their confidence.

What's coming next from Bake Box - keep looking out for the next installment!

I receive the Bake Box monthly subscription for reviewing. I was not paid to write a positive review. All photos and opinions are my own.

Delish Fish - Limited Edition Honey & Mustard Hot Smoked Salmon

The people at Delish Fish near Aberdeen are a family run business situated in the small Peterhead village really believe in our products. With the fish market right on their doorstep and a shop in Peterhead as well as one in Aberdeen, Delish Fish make sure they provide the freshest fish possible.  

Each morning they are at the market at 6am to buy the fish, fillet it, smoke it and pack it in individually labelled packs. Despite their retail options you can order on line. When they post the salmon out to the customer it arrives as fresh as when it was sent out.  

I was sent a package of Hot Smoked Salmon with different flavours.  The first one we tried was the Limited Edition Honey & Mustard Hot Smoke Salmon.  

I must admit mustard was not an ingredient I had thought to pair with smoked salmon but this was delicious! 

The fish is delivered individually wrapped and if you are not going to use it right away it is perfectly suitable for the freezer.  I took the pieces out of the freezer and left them in the fridge on a plate to defrost during the day.

The filets were so thick and flaked really easily but were not dry in any way instead soft and creamy and very, very tasty.

I served our Limited Edition Honey & Mustard Hot Smoked Salmon with new potatoes boiled with a little fresh garden mint and finished with salt & pepper and a little butter along with a portion of peas and sweetcorn kernals.

Thank you Delish Fish for the opportunity to try this wonderfully fresh and tasty fish.  I look forward to eating the other packs soon.

I was sent a selection of Hot Smoked Salmon and was not required to write a positive review.  As usual all photos and opinions are my own.

June: Bits-n-Bobs Review

I get sent a lot of products each month for review and each month I like to bring you a selection.

1. Cadbury have two new large bars out, great for sharing but of course perfect to eat by yourself! The two new flavours are 'Toffee Whole Nut' and 'Oreo Crunch'. Both available in most shops and supermarkets.

Mr R was very keen to get this one unwrapped!

Nice little squares for sharing ...... Who are you kidding no one would share this bar!

Oops and it's gone!! Mr R has put in an order for more of these next time I am shopping!!

2. Schwartz Grill Mates - Just add beef mince(ground beef) and shape into burgers 

then either grill or cook on the BBQ and you will have a fantastic and flavorsome burger.  The Grill mates come in two varieties - American Smokehouse and Classic Steakhouse.

Each packet is enough to make four large burgers when added to 450gm of beef mince.

3. HECK Vegetarian Sausages - If you are having a get together or gathering you don't want to leave out the vegetarians now do you.  Heck have a new range of vegetarian sausages and sent me some of them to try.

The double cheese 'sausages' tasted really cheesy however I pan fried them instead of grilling because I couldn't read the instructions on the pack. The light yellow outside packaging was written with white letters and really quite small which made it nearly impossible to read indoors.

The goat's cheese burgers would be welcomed by anyone loving goat's cheese however that is not me.  At least the packaging could be read!

The little green balls are a great way to get your 'super greens'!

4. Book Review - Mason Jar Nation by Joann Mosser, published by Quarto Books Group.

Mason jars have always been around in my lifetime. When I was younger people that we knew would grow their own produce and "put up" their gluts of things like peaches, beans, and sweetcorn relish. Every garage or shed had Mason jars full of nails and various screws.
As transport improved bringing fresh food to every village and town as well as the surge of home freezers the popularity of these jars seemed to dwindle.

However today there has been a surge in their popularity due initially to the move to make homemade jams and chutneys and  crafty and creative folk have found a plethora of uses for them as well as the obvious.

There are 50 great projects in this book but two of the projects in the book that caught my eye are Tabletop Mason Jar Water Fountain and

Tiki Torch Jar.

These are just a few thing I get sent to review.  There will be more next month.  Stay tuned and keep your eyes out to see what's on the menu for July.

I was sent a selection of goods to review.  I was not paid nor was I required to write positive reviews. All opinions and photos are my own.

Heavy Duty, Forged Pots - n - Pans from ProCook

I have some pots and pans that I have had for years, they have cooked so many memorable meals for the family and for Mr R and I.  However, sometimes it is nice to get some new kitchen equipment especially when it fits in so well with what you already have.

When I was younger 'non stick' was great until it got a bit old or you scratched it and suddenly the coating started peeling and you got little bit of black peppering your food and it wasn't pepper!  Nowadays there are some great non stick pans on the market, one set of these was sent to me by ProCook to put through their paces.

The Elite Forged Wok is a really useful size especially as I am only making my stir-fries for myself and Mr R.

I also made the pasta sauce for dinner tonight in the wok, the size was perfect for spaghetti pomodoro for two people with a bit left over for lunch the following day!

The Elite Forged 28cm Shallow Casserole pan with a glass lid is the perfect size to make my somewhat famous pasta sauces in.  The surface is completely non stick due to the triple coated superior non-stick release technology allowing me to sauté my onions and celery with the minimal amount of oil.  The garlic didn't burn and the bacon cooked up nice and crispy.

I always use plastic, silicone or bamboo utensils in my pans which does give them a longer lifespan in the long run.

The glass lid lets you see through without letting all the steam and therefore flavour escape.

Something else I really like to have on hand when I am cooking is a salt and pepper grinder and Pro-Cook sent me their Soft-Touch Electric Salt & Pepper Mills.

Not only are they sleek and lovely to look at, have a little light when you are grinding so you can see where the spices fall but are also so easy to operate with only one hand leaving the other hand to stir.

My kitchen essential collection just got a bit better thanks to ProCook.

I was sent the three items to review.  I was not paid or required to write a positive review. As usual all opinions and photographs are my own.