I currently work between 6.45am and 3.15pm, and have developed a bit of a ritual once I arrive home from work in the afternoon. Most days I make myself a sandwich or salad to have during my workday, normally around noon. So once home I tend to feel ready for a snack to tide me over until dinner.
I recently wrote about the lovely day I spent at the Foodies Festival on Clapham Common and my purchase of some passion fruit curd from The Bay Tree (see here). Three weeks on and I've almost finished the jar, it's so delicious! This is because each afternoon, when I get home from work and am ready to put my feet up for a little while, I tuck into a scone spread with this tasty curd...
I like to enjoy it with a mug of peppermint tea, which I've been enjoying as an alternative to breakfast tea or green tea. I know that drinking green tea is known to have multiple health benefits, but as hard as I tried I have never been able to develop the taste for it!
Instead, I find drinking peppermint tea refreshing after a long day, and it's known for being beneficial for the digestive system. I just feel that a mug of peppermint tea relaxes me after a long day... and I personally think it tastes so much better than green tea!
My current favourites to drink are Pukka's Three Mint tea, Teapig's Liquorice & Peppermint tea, and a lovely blend of Moroccan Rose & Mint from Wilkins and Edwards that I bought at Greenwich Market. More on those another time....
Lisa x
On Saturday I met with some friends in sunny Clapham and we headed to the Foodies Festival on the Common. The festival features pop-up restaurants, food & drink masterclasses and lots of exhibitor stands, including a local produce market. I loved wandering up and down the aisles of exhibitors, well and truly making the most of the freebies being handed out! I enjoyed various meats and cheeses, cakes, oils and dips, popcorn and drinks (gin, wines, flavoured vodka and my first ever sample of alcoholic ginger beer - Ginger Grouse - very nice!)
I was very impressed by some of the products I tried so I did a little shopping whilst there - and I thought I'd share some of my favourite bits.
The Bay Tree Passion Fruit Curd
I often enjoy a slice of crusty loaf with some lemon curd alongside a cup of tea as an afternoon snack, so I was keen to try this passion fruit flavoured curd - it was amazing! It won 4 awards in the 2012 Great Taste Awards and they were well deserved. The company suggest serving the curd on toast, or mixed with whipped cream and broken meringues as a dessert - I'll definately be trying that! I bought my 310g jar for £3.50 at the festival - and the company has an online shop selling all their products which can be found here: www.thebaytree.co.uk
Joe & Seph's Gourmet Popcorn
Last year at the Battersea Park Foodies Festival I got a bit carried away and bought 4 or 5 packs of this popcorn - it really is tasty. This is another product that has won multiple Great Taste Awards. The flavours are so unique and the team at the stall were so friendly and knowledgeable. They are also very generous with the tasters - they encouraged me to try most of the flavours without pushing me into buying anything. I did of course, but I was more restrained this year, only buying one pack (I'm currently on a strict budget!). I was torn between their 'Gin and Tonic' flavour (you could first taste the tonic, then about 4 seconds in the gin flavour really came through) and the 'Thai Style Peanut Satay' limited edition flavour. I decided to go for the later, because it seemed so unusual. I was planning to save the pack for a nice occasion, however I couldn't resist and am currently scoffing them as I write this post!
Sold in various shops, including Wholefoods stores - find your nearest stockist on their website: www.joeandsephs.co.uk
SimplyCook.com
I thought this was an interesting idea - it aims to help people cook great food at home from a range of recipe kits. The website states:
'We provide a SimplyCook.com box once a month containing easy to
follow recipes and key 'taste ingredients', designed to transform fridge
and food cupboard staples into great tasting, authentic dishes. The chefs at SimplyCook.com have devised a range of recipe kits, which
provide the taste elements in just the right quantities to make cooking
quick, easy, convenient and hassle free.'
I was given a free sample box by the staff at the SimplyCook stand, including the recipe and some of the ingredients to make 'cajun chicken with sweet potato mash'. The box included 3 pots of 'hero' ingredients - red pepper paste, cajun seasoning and garlic oil, alongside the recipe and a list of other ingredients needed to prepare the meal for 2 people. Sign up online and for £10 a month you will receive the instructions and taste ingredients to make 4 meals for 2 people (1 meal a week). I think this is a great idea if you enjoy cooking but fancy some new recipe inspiration - there is a list of sample recipes available on their website:
www.simplycook.com
There are upcoming Foodies Festivals this summer in Bristol (July) and Edinburgh (August). Then the festival will be returning to London in August at Battersea Park (August 16th,17th and 18th) - I've noticed they often have 50% off ticket offers on daily offer sites such as Groupon a couple of months in advance, so if you're keen on going it's a good idea to keep an eye out for those nearer the time.
For more info check out the Foodies Festival website here.
Lisa x
