Tempus fugit.  Time flies in Latin, as it said on the face of the clock in the hall of my school.  Not long now till Christmas…again! 

To help you think about the festive season, here are some food and drink products I’ve discovered recently and can recommend:

Heavenly Olives

unearthed®, the company that brings us wonderful Mediterranean foods, has a range of olives in larger pots that are ideal for the festive season.

Chilli Olives and Green Olives & Tomatoes are £5 for a generous 330g tub.  If you love chilli, you’ll love these – the olives are marinated in Calabrian chilli and have already become a best-seller, but the resealable bucket is the perfect go-to snack. 

Earthy and sweet Queen Green olives are one of the largest green olives grown in Spain and are firm and juicy. The young olives have been combined with semi-dried tomatoes and parsley to offer a sweet and tangy flavour combination. 

Available in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s Tesco, Asda and Ocado.

Moreish Spread

Tea and crumpets in front of the fire is even better with the new Bonne Maman Sweet & Crunchy Peanut Spread.

This blend of toasted peanuts has subtle hints of vanilla and cacao butter – and no nasties like palm oil. 

It’s rich and creamy… and incredibly moreish!

Available in Waitrose at £2.90 a 230g jar

From Freezer to Home Baked

I’ve written before about the lovely Doughlicious products and I was pleased to hear that they have two new frozen, ready to bake cookies:  Matcha & White Chocolate and Blondie Cookie Dough.

Just pop the oven on and let the fresh-baked cookie aroma fill your kitchen!

Find in the fridge or freezer aisle of your grocery store – stockists include Tesco, Waitrose, Costco, and Ocado RRP £3.50 for a box of six cookies.

Seriously Good Chocolate

Conscientiously sourced chocolate is becoming, thankfully, more and more important.  Gnaw Chocolate’s unflinching vision has been never to skimp –  either in terms of taste ( ingredients, flavours) or purpose (work with ethical Colombian cacao producers, compostable recyclable packaging using only vegetable inks, produced using clean, solar energy).

Some fabulous new flavours will delight chocolate aficionados:  New York Cheesecake bar (milk chocolate),  Raspberry Mojito (milk),  tangy Seville Orange (dark & milk) Popcorn & Peanut (milk), Espresso Martini (milk), Honeycomb & Caramel (milk),  zingy Peppermint (milk & dark) and Sticky Toffee Pudding (milk). 

80g bars with beautifully designed compostable packs £3.50 from gnawchocolate.co.uk 

And Hot Chocolate too       

And if you’re a hot chocolate fan (or know one),  look no further than the Gnaw Gooey Hot Chocolate Spoons.

Each spoon is packed with a rich, soft-centre core for that extra bit of indulgence.

Choose between Double Chocolate, Salted Caramel, or Hazelnut & Chocolate. Simply stir into hot milk, then watch the gooey centre melt away to give a velvety, chocolatey ‘hug in a mug’.

There are a number of options for different gift packs (including boozy ones) online from £9.95 a pack of three here

Sweet & Spicy Popcorn

Two of my favourite brands have collaborated, and the result is really delicious! 

It’s Joe & Seph’s Fresh Chilli Jam Gourmet Popcorn – air-popped popcorn coated in smooth caramel & Tracklements Fresh Chilli Jam.

This is a wickedly good combo of Joe & Seph’s caramel recipe with an impish kick from Tracklements’ Fresh Chilli Jam. 

It’s not a cheap product, but trust me, it’s worth it, at  £4.00 for 70g pack (4 servings) 

Available online from tracklements.co.uk and joeandsephs.co.uk. 

If you’re planning to do a pre Christmas order, make sure you include a pack – or three – of these. 

Limited Edition Kombucha

Another fabulous collaboration is Great Taste Award winning MOMO Kombucha, with Natoora.

Just launched, this limited, seasonal, edition – Green Mandarin Kombucha uses natural methods. The unfiltered kombucha blends perfectly with Natoora’s Green Mandarin, using the rare variety of tardivo di ciaculli mandarin endemic to small pockets of Sicily. 

This kombucha is so good: sweet, zesty mandarin with vibrant, aromatic freshness from the essential oils in the rind, balancing the tangy, sour notes of raw kombucha. (www.momo-kombucha.com).

£4.50 per 330ml glass bottle, available from MOMO, Natoora, Gail’s Bakery, Selfridges, Planet Organic and Whole Foods Market throughout Autumn/Winter, and the fresh fruits are available from Natoora. (www.natoora.com),

Prize Winning Stilton

It’s time to start thinking about stocking up with some fabulous cheese for the festive period, and the International Cheese Awards (ICDA) Supreme Champion is a fabulous Blue Stilton from Long Clawson Dairy.

This Blue Stilton rose to the top, beating over 4000 entries, no less.

Long Clawson Dairy’s 1912 Blue Stilton, named in homage to the year the dairy was founded, is crafted using time- honoured methods and the finest local milk, sourced from 30 farms within a 30m radius of the dairy.

Its rich, creamy texture and distinctive blue veining, makes the cheese a favourite among cheese connoisseurs. The judges praised the Blue Stilton for its exceptional balance of flavour, aroma, and texture, highlighting its complex, yet harmonious, profile that stands out in the world of artisanal cheeses.

And having tasted it, I’m definitely adding it to our shopping list – it’s available at Ocado and Tesco at £3 for 150g.

A Devilishly Good Tipple

Known for its bold, intense flavours, Diablo Wine, is sponsoring  The Devil Wears Prada musical.

The wine is from the volcanic soils of Chile, and reflects Diablo’s unconventional approach to blending varietals to create unique flavour profiles. 

The wines are perfect for these cold evenings. So you can have an excuse to be a devil and treat yourself to a devilishly good bottle.

Available from Tesco, ASDA and Sainsburys from £10. 

Truffle-tastic Range

Be Truffle is on a mission to change the misconception that anything with a truffle flavour must be very expensive. Its range of truffle-based products is designed to appeal to a wider audience, making it easy to add some truffle-tastic flavour to a wide range of dishes. 

Truffle differs from other truffle brands by offering a revolutionary ‘truffle take’ on traditional British favourites, injecting a dash of truffle into everyday sauces and condiments such as  mayonnaise, ketchup, BBQ sauce and mustard. In addition, the collection includes an assortment of delicious innovative truffle infused sauces such as Truffle Teriyaki, Truffle Soy Sauce, Truffle Ponzu Sauce and the unique BeTruffle Sauce, alongside affordable traditional truffle products such as truffle honey, olive oil, butter and salt.

The Be Truffle range starts at £2.50 and is available from the Be Truffle website. All products are Vegetarian Society approved. For more information about Be Truffle visit www.betruffle.com

Hampton Court Palace Festive Fayre

Dates for your diary: Hampton Court Palace Festive Fayre (6-8 and 13-15 December), where the courtyards and gardens are transformed into a food lover’s wonderland, with delicious artisan food and drink and other gifts to buy.

Now in its 9th year, it brings artisan and boutique food and drink businesses plus independent companies, and plenty of gifting ideas. 

Hampton Court Palace admission tickets include free entry to the Festive Fayre, while Historic Royal Palaces members can also enjoy free entry. For further information and to purchase tickets visit: tps://www.hrpfestivals.com