Friday Foody Roundup #15

Here I am with the last Friday Foody Roundup of 2013 and this one is a bit of a Christmas hangover! I really should have done some of this prior to the festive period but I got so busy it was untrue and I'm still playing catch-up!

Port Salut

If I had to make a list of my 5 favourite cheeses Port Salut would be in it so when they offered to send me some samples I wasn't about to refuse! It has a lovely mild taste and creamy texture and is perfect on crackers or with some lovely fresh crusty bread - and obviously a nice glass of red wine too! There's some lovely serving suggestions and recipes on their website so do check them out. 

Cawston Press

Just before Christmas Cawston Press sent me a lovely parcel of juices.  I received several bottles of the sparkling variety as well as a sample of one of their pressed juices. Cawston Press started making apple juice in 1986 and they now have eight award-winning blends. My personal favourite is the Sparkling Apple & Ginger which is made with pressed apple juice, ginger extract and a hint of chilli but they are all delicious. The sparkling juices are available in 330ml bottles. Keep an eye out on my blog as pretty soon I shall be showcasing some mocktails and maybe even a cocktail too! 

Harveys Bristol Cream

To be honest, I've never been a huge fan of Sherry. It normally only gets an outing if it's going to be used for cooking or as a tipple for Santa so I was intrigued at the idea of making a cocktail Harveys Bristol Cream. Why had that never occurred to me before? I loved the idea of making a mulled winter drink with it though never actually got around to trying that - maybe next year - and instead I made a cocktail from their website using some of aforementioned apple juice from Cawston Press, serving it over crushed ice. It was a delicious way to try sherry and had me converted! I'll be sharing the recipe on that very soon. Harveys is available from all good supermarkets in the UK with an RRP of £9.41 for 75cl.

Rudolph Potatoes

I don't think there are many people out there that aren't fond of a potato. Certainly, I've never met one I didn't like and when I tried Rudolph Potatoes for the first time I wasn't disappointed. Rudolph is a main crop variety with red skin and white flesh. It has a smooth and creamy texture and is a versatile potato being a great choice for roasting, baking or mashing.  We had them with a pre-Christmas Sunday lunch and I confirm that they mashed wonderfully. I'm a bit of a mash-lover so I am quite particular when it comes to potatoes as I've found that some either completely boil away, soak up too much water or remain quite lumpy once mashed. We didn't have a problem with these ones at all and they also made deliciously crisp roasties that all the family enjoyed!

Tradizionale from Dr Oetker

I love a pizza and I've always enjoyed a Dr Oetker pizza so was keen to try out the latest addition to the Dr Oetker range - the Tradizionale - a delicious new stone oven pizza.  Apparently they are made the Italian way -  they have a slightly rustic, uneven look to them and are baked directly on hot stones, making them crispy on the outside and soft and airy on the side. They come in three varieties at the moment - Mozzarella, Salame and Prosciutto-Funghi. I tried the Mozzarella version which is topped with creamy cheese, basil pesto and tomatoes, a nice classic taste.  I thought it was a tasty pizza, perfect for a quick tea after work. Sometimes you just can't beat the convenience of a pizza from the freezer when you're exhausted.  It was as good as the other Dr Oetker pizzas I've tried and I'd definitely buy it again in the future. The Tradizionale pizzas have an RRP of £3.50 and can be found in Tesco, Asda and Waitrose. Check out their Facebook page for more info.

Sainsburys Mulled Wine & Mince Pies

Yes, yes, I'm a little late on this but the kind people at Sainsburys did furnish me with some delicious mulled wine and mince pies. I think I've mentioned in the past and I definitely mentioned on Twitter Christmas than the Sainsburys mulled wine is delicious as I've bought it on more than one occasion. It's a lovely rich colour with a deliciously sweet flavour and just a gentle hint of spice. I find some mulled wines can be a little over-powering but really enjoy this one. Make sure you look out for it next year.  The all-butter mince pies were as always very scrummy - especially served with a huge dollop of Taste the Difference Extra Thick cream. Thanks Sainsburys! 

That's all for now! I'll see you in 2014 with another Foody Roundup.  If you're a brand who'd like to have your product featured here, do get in touch.