Archive for the ‘Products’ Category

We know how well organised men are (sic)…which is why Father’s Day, Sunday June 19, feels a bit like a test. So be prepared and get your gift ready, already.
Many of the dad’s we know like a good gadget, so here are our top two recommendations for his special day:

Cherry/olive pitter

Ahh, ingenious little tool how we love you! There are so many varieties of pitters available that you can have your pick…but we would suggest the Oxo Good Grips as a decent kitchen staple as it’s good quality, and good looking. It’s also reasonably priced at £7.96 on Amazon and has the following features:
• Splatter shield protects work area from juices and removes for cleaning
• Sturdy, die-cast zinc construction removes pits with ease
• Soft, comfortable non-slip handles absorb pressure
• Generous cherry holder accommodates large cherries or olives
• Locks closed for convenient storage, dishwasher safe

For added entertainment, make Dad guess what it is.

Stainless Steel Soap

Say what? This hunk of soap couldn’t be more manly if it tried. It looks good, it feels good, and its purpose is to remove odours from your hands when you ‘wash’ with it – goodbye garlic/fish/onions/cumin/etc/etc. There are so many types of soap available – different sizes and shapes – that we suggest you google ‘stainless steel soap’ and start your search from there. The one featured in the image on this blog is available for £7.95 from Amazon, however.

Oh – and make him guess what it is…

P.S.: If you figure out how this metallic marvel achieves such a feat of science, please do get in touch with us.

Despite commercial efforts to convert us over to chocolate egg varieties, we believe the quintessential Easter gift is the noble egg cup (chocolate eggs aren’t quite the same for dipping soldiers!) So, break the mould and surprise a loved one with the gift of an egg cup this Easter. Here are our top two picks this holiday; one for adults and one for kids…and to prove we’re not totally old-fashioned, we’ve included an edible solution to the chocolate egg/soldier dilemma, too…:

For the sophisticate:
Silver plated egg cup, £22.50, www.culinaryconcepts.co.uk

For the chocolate lover: 
Classic Milk Chocolate Eggs and Soldiers, £7.00, www.hotelchocolat.co.uk

For the kids (or the kid in you): 
My Egg & Soldiers Cup gift set, £28, www.notonthehighstreet.com

For un-beat-ably the best range of egg cups on the market, go to notonthehighstreet.com: type ‘egg cups’ into their site search engine for dozens of egg cup varieties. 

1. Plan ahead…; and

 …is reportedly through his stomach, so you can’t go wrong this Valentine’s Day if you order an edible gift from Hotel Chocolat.

 This up-market chocolatier-y has something for everyone (and every budget, it seems): we’re a bit partial to the Hero slab (available in 40% milk or 72% dark chocolate, 200g, £8) which states that ‘every heroic act deserves a reward…from all-action heroes to those who just put the bins out every now and then…’ …but of course you can go all out to show your affection through confection and plump for the Ultimate Chocolate Hamper (24 products, £300). However, if you’re conscious about your lover’s middle, then the Chocolatier’s Table Luxe (1.4kg, £85) might be that perfect something in-between…

Hotel Chocolat package to perfection, deliver in every sense of the word, and even offer a monthly chocolate subscription to keep your sweetheart sweet for a whole year ahead…be sure to put your dentist on speed-dial.

 We urge you to open your heart this season to the Pampered Chef Round Stone. Often referred to as the ‘pizza stone’, you can cook just about anything on this amazing self-oiling, non-stick slab.

From chicken, pork and sausages, to croissants, cookies and pizza, this stone has oil, odour and flavour-repellent properties so the next meal doesn’t taste like the last…and, like a pair of favourite shoes or a well-loved book, the more worn it is, the more you’ll warm to it. 

Pampered Chef Stoneware:

• Evenly distributes heat and draws moisture away from the surface
• Retains heat, so your just-out-of-the-oven foods stay hot longer
• Doesn’t require pre-soaking before use
• Doesn’t retain oils, odours or flavours
• Is microwave-, freezer-, and conventional and convection oven-safe
• Naturally seasons, and develops a nonstick surface over time, with use
• Simply needs cleaning with water (this product is not dishwasher safe).

It may not look like much but it’s received a rating of 4.55 out of 5 stars by 232 cooks. Contact your local Pampered Chef consultant today, and buy with peace of mind that your product will be replaced if faulty – unlike other versions of this brilliant bake ware.

Occasionally we find a gadget so cool and canny that we deliberately create opportunities to use it. We’ve planted an extensive herb garden outside our kitchen window to help this tool fulfill its culinary destiny: the multi-blade herb scissor. 

‘Ever wondered why one flavour works with another? Or lacked inspiration for what to do with a bundle of beetroot? The Flavour Thesaurus is the first book to examine what goes with what, pair by pair.’

At a time of resolutions, when we seek inspiration and adventure at the turn of the year, this brilliant book offers the ultimate in unlimited exploration to creative cooks.
The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit, published by Bloomsbury, is organised like an actual Thesaurus. In the Publisher’s own words, it’s a ‘unique treasury of flavour combinations, offering endless diversion and inspiration for the creative cook’. It’s not a recipe book, per se, so don’t expect a light read, but it does list almost 100 popular ingredients with suggestions for classic and contemporary flavour matches for each. Unlikely combos, for example, include black pudding and chocolate, lemon and beef, or blueberry and mushroom -  in addition to more ‘obvious’ flavour pairings such as pork and apple, lamb and apricot, goat’s cheese and beetroot.

With almost a thousand entries, 16 flavour themes, and 200 recipes or suggestions, even if it’s not your taste, the book makes a clever and stylish gift for any culinary enthusiast…this one could easily become a staple on the cookery book shelf.

It’s marked RRP £18.99 but there are literally tons of deals to be had online, so type The Flavour Thesaurus into your search engine, and shop for your copy today.

ISBN: 9780747599777

Format: Hardback, 400 pages, 216x135mM

Here’s our top three must-have gifts this Christmas, for the man in the kitchen in your life…

Pour yourself another one

Can’t wait for your wine to breathe? Want to enhance the flavour of your favourite bottle? The Vinturi Wine Aerator is a simple but utterly genius gadget, and one of Bryan’s personal faves at home.

Simply pour your wine through the aerator into a glass for an instantly richer, full-bodied taste. Faster (and easier) than decanting, it aerates the wine as you pour. It’s that simple, and every home should have one. There are lots of product variations and stockists online, but for under £30, Amazon is reliable, competitively priced and offers free shipping on this product.

The ultimate Kitchen Aid

We’re making a slightly stereotypical assumption by suggesting this is a must-have for men, but let’s face it, anyone can benefit from having essential kitchen tips literally at their fingertips: this apron is full of useful information, including numeric conversions, cooking and roasting times for veg and birds, freezing instructions, defrosting times, a cooking glossary and more. Oh – and it looks good too!

The Apron Cooking Guides is available from SUCK UK for a pinch at £15, either online or by phone: 020 7923 0011.

Brew something brilliant

Help him take the guesswork out of making the perfect cup of tea or coffee with a pair of MyCuppa mugs. You select the hue of your perfect cuppa, and he colour matches it using the guide on the mug – it’s like using paint swatches in a DIY shop. And, ‘they’ do say that the easier something is to do, the more he is likely to do it…

If you’re really quick on the draw (every pun intended), you can snatch the coffee mug for £1.99 from Amazon. Otherwise, the mugs are regularly £7.50 each, direct from SUCK UK, either online or by phone: 020 7923 0011.

…perhaps it’s just Halloween hype, but we’re totally carried away by this broom! There’s nothing quite like this Swedish household must-have, made of oil-treated birch, horsehair and polyprophylen.

Ok, so it doesn’t fly, but it does clean a path without you so much as having to bend at the waist. At 88cm tall, this broom is light, elegant and superbly crafted, and looks fantastic in any kitchen.

We know it’s not cheap but we think the convenience of sweeping without bending, plus its very neat design and super-soft bristles for any floor, pay for itself after the first use. We defy you not to love this product! Buy yours from Pedlars online, from £39.75, or by phone, 01330 850400. The set is available with a red, black or metal dust pan.