Most people have someone in their family that traditionally makes the cake in their family whether it is the family patriarch, mother, or perhaps the grandmother.  Of course, the problem is finding the time to make it especially since you do have to ice it just before serving for the best results and then you have to find some people who still have room in their stomachs to actually eat it.  Despite this fact, most people will appreciate at least seeing it on the table even if they do not eat it.

The good news for those that are busy but still want to serve Christmas cake is the fact that you can now actually purchase a Christmas cake it that comes with everything you need without forcing you to actually have to soak, weigh, or waste bags of fruit that go unneeded.  Of course, you will still need to make sure you purchase some lemons, butter, eggs, and icing, but at least when it comes to making the cake you can cut out a few steps and a few ingredients which will give you a little bit more free time during the holiday season.

Tesco has a variety on the market from Mary Berry that offers chopped nuts, soaked fruits, marzipan, bagged spices, and icing which is more of a complete kit then others that are out there.  However, even though it may be ht easiest some people say that it’s a bit tasteless and does not have enough fruit in it, so therefore you may want to consider doing a bit more work and getting a kit that does not offer you so much inside of it.

For instance, the Taste the Difference Christmas cake kit by Sainsbury’s only offers the fruit, nuts, and spices, but by adding in the raisins and a bit more pudding quality the cake turns out a lot moister as the traditional Christmas cake should be.  On the other hand, if you do not like raisins then this is not going to be a great choice for you.

Another option is the complete kit from Harrods that offers icing and the marzipan, but you will have to soak the fruit on your own which means you need fruit and to purchase the booze to soak it in which takes out some of the convenience of the actual product.  In other words, you get a pan and the marzipan mix, but then you have to soak all of the fruit and deal with the bugs the entire operation attracts so while the end result tastes good, you may not actually come out that far ahead.

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The exciting food venture, Farmison.com is the idea of restaurant and hospitality entrepreneurs Lee Simmonds and John Pallagi , that share a passion for great, quality food. The idea began when they tried to order rosé veal from a supermarket Christmas brochure only to find that it had sold out by November.  They decided to track down the source and order straight from the farm.  The veal from the farm was brilliant quality, but the overall shopping experience (packaging, delivery, ease of ordering etc.) was nowhere near as good as the product.

And so Farmison.com was born…it is short for ‘farm produce in online’.   It is a new internet food store providing the finest British produce, directly from small producers across the country (with little or no expertise in marketing or internet retailing) to consumers looking for convenient and tasty alternatives to supermarket shopping.  They work with over 75 of the best independent British suppliers including butchery, fruit and vegetable growers which offer many varieties of seasonal produce, and farmhouse cheeses – more than 60% of which are not available anywhere else online.

Farmison.com is offering one of the largest ranges of rare and exquisite seasonal food from traditional farmers, growers and artisan producers across the British Isles – a wealth of delicious produce available in one simple delivery from the online butcher, greengrocer, cheesemonger and traditional pantry. The ingredients are used and mastered in the kitchens of world renowned restaurants such as: Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, Yorke Arms, Northcote Manor, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, and now they are available to you too, the adventurous foodie!

Currently you can get everything you need to get you started on that Christmas dinner in their handy Christmas hampers.  You can buy a feast for 12 people including a Free Range Herb Fed Turkey, all your traditional vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, red cabbage. They even provide you with 24 ‘pigs in blankets’, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, sage & onion stuffing, and that’s all topped off with a jar of goose fat!
They really do have everything covered, but if you don’t have that many people joining you this year they do a range of other smaller boxes or you could stray from the usual turkey and choose a Goosnargh corn-fed duck, festive Christmas cockerel or a delicious veal fore rib.

If you would like to give Farmison.com a go there is a great opportunity to try it for free at the moment with their Christmas competition.

There are two prizes up for grabs with the 1st being a 1 x Ultimate Festive Cheese Box which is hand picked by the Farmison.com Cheesemonger contains: Blue Stilton Colston Basset, Brie de Meux, Isle of Mull Cheddar, Grimbister Farm Cheese, Stag Water Biscuits, and Quince.

There are 2 x runner up prizes of a Classic Festive Cheese Box which is made up of:
Blue Stilton Colston Basset, Brie de Meux, Stag Water Biscuits, and Quince.

To enter all you need to do is go to this page and follow the instructions. ‘Like’ Farmison.com on Facebook and then fill in 12 easy to answer cheesy questions. Your details will be entered into the prize draw. All your details will be entered in the prize draw and the closing date for the Christmas competition is Sunday the 18th December 2011. All winners will selected at random and will be notified by no later than the Monday the 19th December 2011.
These would be great to win in time for Christmas to either give as a gift or serve on your own cheeseboard after your festive meals!

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Chinese recipes are heavily dependent on fried rice and Jasmine rice is often used. Jasmine rice is fragrant, light, and short grained and can be bought in bulk or made yourself.

The best way to cook it is with a rice cooker- a very common household item and well worth the money if you intend to cook Chinese recipes regularly. You will need about two cups of refrigerated rice for a recipe which yields about four cups of fried rice – enough for about two people.

You will also need uncooked prawns, cut in thirds and marinated in a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce.

Pick up some lup cheong- a Chinese sausage that is smoked and dried. Prep the rest of your ingredients by finely chopping carrots, celery, peppers, and any other vegetables you want. Make a simple sauce of chicken stock with oyster sauce and of ketchup and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a wok, rolling it around to evenly coat the bottom with the oil. Lightly scramble 4 eggs in the oil.

When scrambled, remove it from the wok and add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and add the minced garlic. Stir fry this for about 30 seconds and add the chopped lop cheong.

Stir-fry for about 3 minutes before adding the chopped vegetables.

After about 3 minutes, add the shrimp with marinade and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

Add your refrigerated rice, using a spatula to break up the clumps. You want the rice to be completely hot, so stir-fry for about 5 minutes.

Lastly, drizzle the sauce around the outside of the rice, stirring to mix evenly. It may not be necessary to use all of the sauce so make sure you keep an eye on the consistency and texture to prevent it from becoming over saturated or soggy.

Turn the heat off and stir in the scrambled egg.

Then all you need to do is serve this as one of your Christmas recipes, giving friends and family members something different to accompany their traditional meal. This can be served as either a starter or as a side dish and is incredibly popular during winter.

Make sure you garnish and season the meal and consider using herb and spice mixes from companies such as Schwartz. These will be easier to use than fresh ingredients and will ensure you get a good balance of foods and flavours.

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Their network comprises of 8 separate wine schools which are located in East and West London, Birmingham, Lancashire, Manchester, Hertfordshire, Newcastle and Yorkshire. The vouchers are available to purchase online from  www.localwineschool.com, or buy calling 0191 2818045. Postage is free and vouchers are sent in a presentation wallet and left blank so a personal message can be added.
Postage costs: Free. Vouchers are posted in an attractive presentation wallet and left blank for the addition of a personalised message.

Top-selling vouchers include:

• Saturday courses with Champagne and lunch (from £75)
• One evening Wine Tastings (from £22.50)
• Open vouchers for any value, which can be used for any of the network’s courses and tasting (plus, they come without an expiry date)
Other vouchers available, priced between £30 and £115, include:

• Sherry and Tapas food and wine matching
• Sparkling and sweet wine tastings or fine wine
• Fine wine super tastings
• Four week wine course
• Eight week introduction to wine course
Please note that events available vary between Wine Schools.

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Not all fat is bad; some of it is necessary and helpful.  Susan Berkow, PhD, is an adjunct professor at George Mason University near Washington, D.C. and a spokesperson for IFT.  She explained the difference, drawbacks and benefits of the three types of fat in terms that anyone can grasp, allowing that 30% of the calories we consume daily should come from fat, preferably the unsaturated type.

Unsaturated fats are the ones found in plant-based oils such as canola and olive oil, fish like salmon and tuna, and in nuts, particularly almonds and walnuts.  Low or fat-free dairy products like yogurt and dips are healthy and, believe it or not, just as tasty as the ones loaded with fat.  The same is true if you bake with margarine instead of butter; it’s just a matter of refining your tastes.

Saturated fats, also natural sources, are good for you in limited quantities.  They are most heavily concentrated in foods like meat, especially beef and pork, and in cheese and butter.  A portion of saturated fat at a meal helps make you feel comfortably full, reducing the urge to overeat or snack between meals.

The fat to avoid if at all possible is trans fat, the one found in processed foods.  It’s manufactured and added to lengthen shelf life and add flavour, but trans fat has consistently been linked to many health problems including heart attacks and strokes.

Prof. Berkow suggests that reading the labels on processed food is the surest way to minimize the ‘bad’ fat we consume.

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Picking out the perfect Christmas present can be rather stressful. In fact, when it comes down to it, it can be downright difficult to come up with a gift idea that you think the lucky recipient will really enjoy. Instead of trying to find something that may not be particularly useful or wanted, you’ll find that most people can agree upon the fact that good food is always welcome. For this reason, food hampers make a particularly great choice as a holiday treat.

Hampers, which traditionally consist of special foods and/or beverages that reflect a certain high quality, make great options as gifts and can also be brought as a contribution to home dinner parties or events.

You’ll find that British retailers are well aware of the fact that different people enjoy different tastes, and for this reason there are many unique hamper combinations available for the Christmas period. Some options are more decadent than others and some contain a greater amount of product within them; for this reason, prices will of course vary depending upon the contents within each hamper.

One item that is quite prevalent in Christmas hampers is smoked salmon.

Now, we all know that we can go down to our local supermarket and be treated to the option of buying smoked salmon. However, while supermarkets offer this product it is one of many on sale, which means they do not specialise in selling the best smoked salmon around; they must pay attention to all products on sale.

However, there are top quality fishmongers that do devote special attention to this delicious and nutrient-rich product. In fact, you’ll find that once you have tasted smoked salmon of this higher standard, you’ll never want to go back to experiencing it any other way.

If you think of all of the Christmas parties you have gone to, it will become clear that salmon is a staple on the hors d’oerves table for this time of year.

Christmas hampers that focus on offering smoked salmon as one of their key components know that this ingredient is one that can be paired with many other rich foods to create intensely delicious combinations. Not only does salmon go well with bread and cheeses, it can also be enjoyed further with a great bottle of wine.

Festive hamper companies understand the art of combining foods to maximise overall taste and enjoyment, so when you purchase a basket, not only will you be purchasing many different items at once, you will acquire these items knowing they really do complement each other.

Of course, if the person you are considering buying a hamper for is not a huge fan of smoked salmon, you’ll find that there are many other types of Christmas hampers available on the market.

For instance, if you know someone with a sweet tooth, it’s fair to say that you could make their holiday season feel all the more warmer by presenting them with a hamper full of sweets. Many hamper companies are keen to make arrangements with items such as chocolates, biscuits and wine. This is a kind way of showing someone you are thinking of them by providing them with a top quality product that you know very well that they will enjoy.

If you’re looking to find something for someone whose tastes are more aligned to savoury foods, you’ll find plenty of hampers that place a strong focus on cheese. Some of these will include samples of fine British and international cheeses including all of your favourite varieties including Stilton, Brie, Cheddar and more. More decadent packages may also include a variety of crackers and jams to accompany the cheese.

Considering that hampers place emphasis on luxury foods and goods, you’ll also find other common ingredients such as caviars, champagnes and fine biscuits. Depending on the hamper you choose, you will find that most are packaged in a lovely wicker basket, though some may come in the shape of tins or wooden boxes.

So, whether you’re looking to present family members with some lovely food for them to enjoy, looking to make your significant other feel all the more significant or hoping to impress a boss with your kindness, you’ll find that there is certainly a great option available for you.

Additionally, you’ll also find that many Christmas retailers sell hampers online.

Rather than having to go down and face the crowds on the high street, you can save yourself the time and trouble by checking out your options online. Not only will you be able to compare prices, you will also get the chance to take an in depth look at what you are getting in each package by simply skimming over the product description. This will give you more time to relax, which will of course help you to make the best choice in the end.

This means that you don’t have to worry about carrying around a large gift set or finding a way to transport it back to home; the product will be delivered straight to your door. And if you’re feeling a bit cheeky and find yourself tempted by all of the products available, why not treat yourself to a bit of luxury and get yourself a Christmas Hamper to have in your kitchen?

These have been popular gift options for years, and it is simply due to the fact that these gifts are both practical and luxurious all at once.

So, this Christmas be sure to indulge in the spirit of giving and as you do so, give a gift that you can rest assured will be enjoyed down to the very last bite. Start considering all the delicious options that can be found in hamper sets today and before you know it, the previously stressful notion of finding a thoughtful holiday present is sorted.

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Booja Booja chocolate truffles are handmade and contain fresh organic bananas combined with organic French cognac and come presented in a beautifully presented wooden box, made from 100% renewable poplar wood. Such is their organic pedigree that they can boast being 100% organic, gluten, dairy and wheat free – meaning they are an ideal Christmas gift for vegan friends and family members.

To top it all – these rather delicious chocolate truffles are Non-GMO and have the Organic Standard by the Soil Association to prove it.

For those looking for something that is a little bit different but more on the side of new and slightly, dare we say it “cool”, Greenlife Direct have recently introduced the Mr Scruff range of teas. Renowned for his DJ skills Mr Scruff brought out his teas to help with the growing problem of teenagers binge drinking culture. He can be heard to announce on his UK wide tour “Let’s have a brew” – and his new range is being widely purchased by the teenager and young adults market.

His range includes Look Lively Tea Bags containing organic lemongrass, yerba maté and mint for a proper uplifting brew; whilst his Mint and Chilli Tea Bags is a blend of spearmint and peppermint with a twist of chilli for an extra mini-tickle factor – and should clear the cobwebs.

Visit Greenlife Direct for a wide range of organic Christmas Gifts from their gluten free Christmas Puddings to indulgent, organic chocolates, natural cosmetic products and much more.

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