WRAP UP - Edition 22
TartanSpoon’s Weekly Wrap has switched down a gear and will now be every couple of weeks, as things are a wee bit busy at TartanSpoon HQ.
Here’s the latest news on food and drink …. TartanSpoon Wrap Up
TARTANSPOON REVIEWS
Old Curiosity Christmas Gin - has launched a new limited-edition Christmas Gin ahead of the festive period, perfectly capturing the essence of the season by blending classic aromatic spices, and naturally coloured with botanicals to create a fitting rosy red colour.
The Secret Garden Christmas Gin (50cl, 39% ABV) is distilled with botanicals grown in the distillery’s Secret Herb Garden on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom are distilled to create a distinctly festive flavour, while hollyhock petals give the liquid a natural festive red colouring.
TARTANSPOON WRAP UP - NEWS FOR YOU TO DIGEST
The Secret Garden Christmas Gin comes in three sizes to suit a range of gift ideas. Starting from a perfect stocking filler size of 5cl (£5.95), 20cl (14.95) to 50cl (£35.95), ideal for a gin lover’s present. The range also includes a festive gift set of a 20cl bottle of Christmas Gin paired with the distillery’s renowned Wild Gin (20cl, 40% ABV), priced at £29.95.
Stem Wine Club - a new home wine delivery service designed to help customers learn about wine and experience new flavour profiles from around the world has launched on HOME-X. The new at home wine experience, intended to be shared with friends or family, was developed to facilitate discussions around the drink and to help inform its fans about the various differences between wine varieties.
Stem Wine Club will bring customers five bespoke half bottles (375ml) of wines for £55, complete with a guide to wine tasting and two carefully matched fresh recipes from Chef Andy Temple. Each wine is full in flavour & enjoyment, but half the size to enable customers to try a wider variety. The contents of the box will change each month, and will be available for nationwide delivery.
A wine novice, a connoisseur or someone who wants to try something new, Stem Wine Club has been designed to create a fun and relaxing way for consumers to immerse themselves in wine tasting.
The team at Stem will work closely with wine suppliers and directly with vineyards across the world to bring top quality wines direct to customers homes. Within each box there will be five half bottles of wine, plus an easy to follow guide which breaks down the basics of the wine, with clear flavour profiles alongside a short introduction to each bottle, including information on why they taste or look the way they do. There will also be handy tips to enable drinkers to identify characteristics in wine.
GRAB THAI TO GO - offers a new solution to creating genuine Thai dishes at home. This new range of 8 sauces and noodle meal kits is made by a team in Thailand and recreates the sounds and smells of a bustling restaurant in Bangkok. The love of Thai food in the UK is undisputed. With greater travel and an increase in Oriental, specifically Thai restaurants, opening over the last 5-10 years, Britain has firmly established its love of the culture and cooking associated with Thailand. As interest and knowledge grew, consumers began looking for more genuine dishes, with complex, real flavours. Grab Thai Go new home meal kits and cooking sauces bring all the vibrancy and authenticity of Thai cuisine, directly to your home.
Simplicity is key. Cooking with Grab Thai Go offers a fast alternative to creating genuine Thai dishes. Little preparation is required and full instructions are provided, just add your meat, seafood, fish or vegetables and within 15 minutes you will feel like a Thai local with a delicious meal on your table, to enjoy with friends and family. Available online at https://www.grabthaigo-easy.com/
GLEN DYE CABINS - The perfect place for two to enjoy a sauna, byob pub and sustainable veg garden, Glen Dye, the UK’s most understated new staycation hideaway, has announced a slew of incredible new additions to its already stellar offering. Headlining the additions is a whole new steading perfect for two, THE BOTHY. The Bothy is available now for bookings, following a complete refurbishment from floor to ceiling. Designed as the idyllic apex of the Glen Dye vision; this property is comfortable, characterful and finished to the highest standard, from the handmade tiles in the kitchen to the Margaret Howell lamps and the wonderfully curated G record collection all the way to the art adorning the walls. The garden has a hand built outdoor kitchen (made traditionally, using no nails) complete with Big Green Egg barbecue and a private, wood-fired, Swedish hot tub. Sleeping two in a luxurious king-sized bed there is a kitchen, sitting room, dining room and a bathroom with a shower. The Bothy is the only property at Glen Dye to face east, making it a perfect place to enjoy the sunrise. For more info visit www.glendyecabinsandcottages.com
24 Carrot - A new, eight dish vegan meal delivery service, complete with wine pairing, has launched in the UK. As World Vegan Month kicks off this November, 24 Carrot will offer customers delicious vegan small plates, paired with a vegan wine delivered straight to your door. The first of its kind, 24 Carrot is positioned as eight tasting dishes, outstandingly tasty, unexpectedly vegan and created to share. The monthly menus are curated by its team of chefs, with flavour and creativity taking centre stage in every dish created. The vegan small plates menu, provides two people with a ready-made culinary experience that simply needs to be assembled and finished at home, to recreate the restaurant experience without leaving the house. Each 24 Carrot tasting menu will be paired with a carefully chosen bottle of vegan wine to accompany the food. The experience will launch this week on the new e-commerce platform, HOME-X, which brings restaurant quality food and drink experiences to homes across the UK. Each two person menu with wine is priced at £55 including delivery across the UK and available to buy from HOME-X - the newly launched online food and drink experience platform. www.home-x.com/pages/24-carrot-vegan-menu
Aloha 65 - Preparing for lockdown series two? Series one wasn’t easy for any of us, but in true Alohan style, Aloha 65 is approaching this one with grit and determination, and that means a determination to have fun too! Aloha 65 recently launched a new winter/ski edition bottle to keep our spirits up and to put a smile on our face this winter. We’ve all had our fair share of Quarantini’s, but now it’s all about the ‘Locktails’. And that means getting our mixology hats on to get us through the next month. So, if you’re looking for some new inspiration on the cocktail front, why not try Aloha 65.
You may have already seen Lola surfing down Spirit of Aloha 65’s iconic blue bottle over the summer, but it turns out Lola also skis (wooden skis of course)! The stunning new winter edition bottle itself will give you plenty of photo opps to keep your friends guessing as to what this new spirit is. With its delicious and warming botanicals of pineapple, ginger and chilli at its heart, Spirit of Aloha 65 is the perfect autumn or winter tipple and hits the spot on a cosy evening in front of the fire served just on its own over ice or instead of a gin and tonic as a long drink mixed with ginger ale or a seasonal tonic like Fever Tree’s Clementine tonic water. The Aloha Mac, a modern twist on the classic, Aloha 65 and Stone’s ginger wine also works a treat, but for the more adventurous who want to go a bit off piste, why not try making an Aloha Old Fashioned with Aloha 65 instead of half of the Bourbon or something really Christmassy, like the Aloha Velvet with Aloha 65, brandy, orange and lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg yolk! Yum!! Finally, if you’re up for some mulling, surprise your friends and family by whacking some Aloha 65 in either red wine, cider or cloudy apple juice together with some cinnamon, star anise and cloves - job done.
Oh, and as if that wasn’t enough, when it comes to your seasonal entertaining, Spirit of Aloha 65 has also got your canapes and cheese board covered. Their legendary “Detonators”, scotch bonnet infused pineapple chunks, whilst controversial on pizza, offer the opportunity for mouth and eye-watering canape creations or just a spicy twist to that classic retro combo - pineapple and cheddar chunks on a cocktail stick. Plus, their sweet and spicy “Sun on a Beach” hot sauce - not quite chutney, not quite hot sauce - is a brilliant new dipping addition to your cheeseboard, spicy accompaniment to the family fondue, or something to cheer up those leftovers! Available to purchase on Amazon
The Cheese Club - 1KG of cheese every month, direct to your door. Nothing says cosy night-in like a perfectly indulgent platter of cheeses shared with loved ones. The Cheese Club is the newest home delivery package to be released on the HOME-X e-commerce website, featuring five hand-picked cheeses, crackers, chutney & a half-bottle of Port. Whether a cheese lover who knows their Gruyere from their Brie, or someone developing a new found taste for cheese, The Cheese Club provides the perfect experience to immerse consumers into the world of cheese and its embellishments, and to leave them wanting more. The Cheese Club experience combines a range of five finely selected artisan cheeses - a total of 1kg in cheese - accompanied with a half bottle of port, biscuits, crackers and handmade chutney, all selected to perfectly compliment the cheeses. www.home-x.com/pages/the-cheese-club
Scotty Brand Mash Art Competition - You’ve heard of Mr and Mrs potato head toys – well, Scotty Brand and Scottish sculptor Natasha Phoenix have cooked up the real thing with comical ‘mash art’ creations of political leaders Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson. The faces of the leaders, sculpted from Scotty Brand potatoes, have been created to launch Scotty Brand’s mash art competition, which aims to make family meals fun at a time when there are restrictions on seeing other people and eating out.
Throughout November, Scotty Brand is encouraging people of all ages to produce their own fun artistic creations on their plates with mash as the main ingredient. Budding mash artists will be encouraged to share their creations across their social channels using the hashtag #Scottymashart and the best creation will be awarded a £50 voucher for art supplies. There is also an online competition to win £200 worth of art supplies up for grabs at www.scottybrand.com/mash-art. The closing date for entries is 30 November. To inspire budding mash artists, Scotty Brand commissioned Scottish sculptor Natasha Phoenix to create potato heads of Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson. The former teacher, who is based in East Lothian, sells her work around the world and currently has work on display at the Saatchi Gallery in London.
eTeaket - Award-winning eteaket, a Scottish independent whole leaf tea company have launched their festive hand-made limited edition Tea Advent Calendar for 2020, priced at £29.95 – the perfect gift whilst supporting Edinburgh local in the lead up to the festive season and completely plastic free. Available to pre-order online at www.eteaket.co.uk, featuring 25 sachets of speciality loose leaf teas and infusions. It includes a wonderful selection of their famous teas it will also include their two amazing limited edition Christmas blends. Open each door daily for a tea surprise and follow the daily tea routine on the reverse, empowering you to pause, re-balance and create calming space for your mind this December.
eteaket’s support of the mental health & wellbeing charity ‘Health in Mind’ continues & for every advent calendar purchased, they are donating £2 to their charity.
MILK - have three cafes in Edinburgh are one of the only cafes in the city who are currently accepting reusable cups throughout lockdown. Hardly anywhere is accepting them just now due to Covid but they have a non-contact method of pouring which means that they can still take care of the planet. There is a movement which they are following to encourage more cafes to do the same to continue to use Environmental and sustainable practices which are really important to them. The movement is called City to Sea and you can find out more about it here - https://www.citytosea.org.uk/reusables-during-covid/
As incentives to MILK customers, they are offering one free coffee with a purchase of one of their MILK re-usable cups and 20p discount if the customer brings in a re-usable instead of using takeaway packaging. All of their takeaway packaging is also vegware compostables. The re-usable cups are available to buy in all of their cafes. They are £14 for 8oz glass, £10 for 8oz original and £11 for 12oz original. More info on their website www.cafemilk.co.uk
Holyrood Distillery, Edinburgh - From virtual tastings and Christmas parties, distillery tours, festive drinks and gift packs, and a bespoke cask programme, Holyrood Distillery is launching a series of festive options for whisky and gin lovers. Those looking for alternative ways to come together for office or family and friends gatherings can enjoy a virtual tour of the distillery accompanied by a live online tasting - exploring the heritage and flavour of whisky and gin, and gaining a fascinating insight into the way they are produced at Holyrood. Guests will be sent whisky or gin tasting packs in advance so that they can enjoy these as they experience a tutored tasting with one of the distillery experts. These virtual tour and tastings can be booked exclusively for Christmas parties, and with a choice of add-ons such as a bespoke ‘pub’ quiz, or virtual stand-up comedy. Individuals, pairs and groups of all sizes from across the UK can take part in these ‘Christmas Nights Out, In’. Groups that include international participants can be arranged specially. Prices start at ￡55 for two people, and include a virtual tour of the distillery, live online tasting session, up to 40cl worth of different spirits to share, Glencairn tasting glasses, and a choice of gin or whisky.
The distillery’s spirits and gift shop doors are also open from Thursday to Sunday 12 - 6pm, stocking a beautifully displayed selection of whiskies, gins, liqueurs, gifts and even chocolates created especially for the distillery. Visit www.holyrooddistillery.co.uk/shop
East Coast Cured, Edinburgh - Edinburgh charcuterie maker, East Coast Cured, has teamed up with some of their favourite producers to introduce a set of hampers in the run up to Christmas. Customers can have hampers made up to order or choose from a small (£25) or medium hamper (£40) containing a selection of the award winning salamis and sliced meat. In addition, East Coast Cured has also teamed up with some selected independent producers to create two sharing hampers:
· Savoury Sharing Hamper (£50): a selection of award-winning salamis and a pack of sliced meat as well as marinated olives, cheese sablés, handmade Scottish oatcakes and a savoury onion marmalade.
· Sweet & Savoury Sharing Hamper (£55): a selection of award-winning salamis and a pack of sliced meat, as well as marinated olives, cheese sablés and a savoury onion marmalade. Two bars of chocolate from East Lothian’s Chocolate Tree and a tin of locally made Scottish shortbread are also included.
Produce included is made by Edinburgh producers Shortbread House and luxury savoury biscuits maker Pea Green Boat; family bakery Barnetts from Fife, Galloway Lodge maker of fine preserves from Kirkcudbrightshire and Silver & Green marinaded olives from Cumbria. All the hampers are hand-packed with care with everything wrapped in tissue paper and presented in box hand-tied with ribbon. Those looking for stocking fillers or secret santa gifts may also appreciate the individual salamis. The range includes Red wine and garlic, Saucisson sec, Fennel salami, Salami picante, Chorizo with bourbon, Ndjua and Porcini and truffle salami with prices starting at £5.05. Run by Susie and Steven Anderson from their workshop in Leith, East Coast Cured has won plaudits from the likes of Guild of Fine Foods and Scotland Food & Drink for their range of slow-cured meats. Combining contemporary flavours with methods from the best of European artisanal tradition Susie and Steven cuts, smokes, cures and slow matures all the products by hand. They source high welfare pork from Puddledub in Auchtertool (Fife) to create a range of salamis, chorizo, pancetta, coppa, lomo, lonza and guanciale in small batches. Visit their website to order www.eastcoastcured.com
That’s all for now folks!
Adele x