Tidbits in my Pantry- Kitchen Gadgets

 Since the last couple of posts you can see that I have been sharing some really lovely product samples that I received to test in the simplyfood kitchens. I am really enjoying testing them all out in my kitchen and this is part three in the homeware tidbits section.

The Furi Pro 13cm (5 inch) East/West™ Santoku-   This knife has a deep blade for larger cutting tasks, a sturdy handle for extra leverage and scallops naturally positioned on the blade reduce friction and make cutting fast and easy. The knife is available on line and in most good kitchenware shops.

Single Medium sustainable Bee's Wrap® food storage, they are perfect to wrap bread, cheese, vegetables, or cover a bowl with them. They are a natural alternative to plastic wrap for food storage and will mould to any shape. They can be washed in cool water with a mild dish soap and air dried and then can be reused. 

The new Pro Sharp Twist ‘n’ Sharp is a 2-in-1 knifesharpener has a very simple single-handed pull-through operation which allows you to sharpen old and blunt knives, serrated blades and scissors.

big peeler™ is a really useful large peeler that  is perfect for peeling all types of vegetables and fruits. It’s great for tougher skinned vegetables. It is a good rubber grip handle and is food and dishwasher safe. It makes the perfect accompaniment to any kitchen preparation tools.

The 6cm Opinel spreading knife. It is made from stainless steel with a beech handle, it has a spatula shape blade that is perfect for spreading butter, spreads, chocolate.

These colourful ties by Kuhn Rikon  slider ties are made of long-lasting and durable silicone .The ties are fully adjustable and they are perfect for tying bags, bunches of herbs or even cords and wires around the house. They have a simple slider that makes adjusting them easy.

Savel is a food saver that bends to cover whatever shape of cut food is left and covers the cut side to keep it fresh from longer.

Do you have any favorite products that you have discovered recently??

**I was sent these items to test in the simplyfood kitchens.I was not asked to feature them or write a positive review of them.

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Tidbits in my pantry~ Kitchenware

The last couple of months I have had the opportunity to discover lots of new products, I featured afew in a previous post and today I am going to share some more that I am trialing at the simplyfood kitchens.

Barista and Co Brew It Stick Coffee Infuser-The perfect present for someone who just loves real coffee but doesn’t always have the time   to get out the cafetière or filter jug. This is a simple device which makes one cup of coffee straight in the mug. It retails at £11.99 and is available from most homeware stores or on line.

Melitta Original coffee filters have specially arranged aroma pores ensuring that your filter coffee develops its flavour perfectly. Available on line and in most home ware store.

SMART To Go by Curver is composed of a wide range of handy boxes and accessories for your lunchtime needs. The range is divided with snack boxes, lunch boxes with cutlery, full lunch kits with sauce cups and separation trays and some accessories (cutlery sets, cup sets, etc).

Sistema Fresh vent storage containers are perfect to store fruits and vegetables. They help to keep the produce fresher longer with its built-in FreshVent™ lid filter. They are available in assorted sizes too.

The Vac Smarter food container is ideal to store different food items. It has a vacuum seal which is created to seal in freshness of food to lock in freshness, flavours and nutrition.

Set of two ramekin dishes by quick recipe, these are perfect to create those scrumptious desserts and souffles in the oven.

I love organising my kitchen and some of these products have been really useful to have. Are there any new products you have recently discovered, that you love?

** I received these products to test in the simplyfood kitchens, I was not asked to write a positive review all opinions are my own.

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Tidbits from my Pantry

The last couple of months I have been invited to many press events and it’s always a great way to discover new products that are on the market. In this round up I am sharing some of the lovely product samples I have received to try in the simplyfood kitchens.

Bodum Vacum travel mug, Stylish in black and copper this has become my best friend. I use it every day to take my tea to work. The Travel Mugs are made from stainless steel, plastic, rubber and silicone. It retails at £30.00

This Champagne flute from Strahl is perfect for enjoying some bubbley. It is beautifully handcrafted from glass and it is very stylish. A pack of four glasses retail at £45.00

Aladdin Active Hydration Tracker Bottle, this is the perfect bottle to fill and take with you to ensure you stay hydrated throughout the day. It retails at £14.99 and it is available from most home ware shops and on line.

Doulton Filter bottles -The Taste filter bottle lets you take Doulton® quality water with you on all of life’s adventures. Enjoy clean, healthy drinking water wherever you are. The bottles come with a filter and it retails at £14.95

OXO good grips dish squeegeeis a handy gadget to clear left over food off dishes with a simple swipe. It will be available on line from November in the UK so do watch out for it as its a great little helper in the kitchen.

Addis Dish Brush, made with firm bristles and a bamboo handle, this is really handy in the kitchen to clean off food leftovers  stuck to plate.

Colours Scrub Daddy, this smiley scourer is perfect for cleaning all your dishes. It is odour free and does not scratch your dishes.

These Andre Jardin nail brush and scourer are great to have in your sink tidy to wash the pans and clean your nails with.


Do you have any favorite products you have recently tried that you would highly recommend??

**I would like to thank all the brands who have sent me these lovely products to test, I was not asked to write any positive reviews in exchange for these products.

If you enjoy visiting simplyfood and would like to receive regular updates and a monthly newsletter straight into your inbox please sign up by email. You will find the email and newsletter signup right at the top under my photo in the side bar.

Alternately click the link below for email signup.:

Subscribe to simply.food by Email

Tidbits in my Pantry from B&M

This month I am really excited to show you some tidbits that I got from B&M stores. For those of you who are not aware B&M stores are a type of department store where you can purchase toys, household goods, home furnishings, electricals, kitchenware, stationary and food too.

This time of the year they have a lot of Christmas themed products too.The store offers great bargain and value for money items and lots of deals on food products too.We have a small office at work and wanted to put up a mini tree and have some nibbles and treats for Christmas.







I managed to pick up quite a few things for under £20.00. Our tree decorations had seen better days and needed to be replace badly. I picked up some lovely Christmas bobbles, tree decorations in gold and shimmering champagne pink which will look great and give the tree a much needed face lift.

For our Christmas snacks table I bought  some really delicious savory nibbles such as nuts, bruschetta bites, crackers and pringles too.

For the friends with sweet tooth, I picked up sweet treats too such as these Guylian chocolates, shortbread, Christmassy chocolate wafers in the adorable snowman tin and chocolate coins  and chocolate biscuits too.

I do love shopping at B&M as I can be assured that I can get lots of value for my money and make it stretch further. This is great as I can stick to my budget and not go over it.

Are there any money saving tips that you can you have? Do share them with me in the comments below I would love to know them.




**This post is in collaboration with B&M Stores.

Tidbits from my Pantry- Homeware

Last few weeks I have had the opportunity to attend many events where brands showcase their products. I love attending these homeware shows as you get a chance to see new products that are being launched on the market, together with some old time classics.
I am sharing below a round up of some really lovely samples, I have had the privilege to test out and use in the simplyfood kitchens.

1. Gourmet Gadgetry Vintage Tea Party Mini Toasted Sandwich Maker has non-stick baking plates to make 8 cute little toasted sandwiches ideal for a tea party.

2. Tala Salt and Pepper Mills are adorable novelty mills that are perfect for the dinner table.

3. Tower Veggie Peeler and Brush is very convenient as it is placed on your finger whilst peeling vegetables. The accompanied brush is handy for cleaning vegetables and fruit.

4. T and G Crush Grind Spice Mill crushes and grinds all types of spices and herbs. It has an adjustable setting for coarse and fine.

5. Addis Pop and Store is a collapsible container that can be used to keep your food fresh.

6. Sparq Home Hammered finish Copper Mule Mug is a really lovely size for serving chilled drinks in a stylish way.

7. Sistema Bento Lunch Box comes complete with compartments, food tray and a yogurt pot makes taking packed lunches very convenient keeping various foods separated.

8. JWP Good 2 Go Portion Perfect is a storage container collapses down for easy storage and helps to maintain healthy portion sizes for a balanced diet.

9. Mason Cash Wooden Spoon is a 3 in 1 utensil which stirs and blends, measures and scrapes.

10. Victorinox swiss made handheld grater with a curved silicone handle and safety cover to protect the blades.

11. Viners spoon, fork and knife set.

12. Kitchen Aid Silicone Spatula is perfect for all baking tasks.

13. Bobble make water better filter bottle is a reusable bottle that filters water as you drink. This is perfect for on the go in the car to work or at the gym.

14. Zoku Shooter Ice Moulds create edible ice glasses perfect for serving desserts or cold shots.

15. Jersey Pottery sardine run designed Jug is a cute little jug for milk or cream and would look perfect on any table.

16. Aladdin Bistro To-Go Hybrid Bottle keeps drinks cool for 12+ hours and ice for 16+ hours which is perfect for picnics.

17. Kilner Jar is a perfect little glass jar that is ideal for serving mini drinks.

18. Kuhn Rikon Scourer is a stay clean silicone scrubber that is hygienic and dishwasher safe.

19. Any Sharp is a kitchen knife sharpener with a powerful suction grip securing the sharpener to the table or flat surface and is good for straight or serrated blades.

I am totally thrilled with all these new items. They are going to be very useful in and around my home, especially the storage and cooking utensils which you can never have too many off.

I would like to thank all the brands that are featured in this post who have gifted me these wonderful products to try.

Tidbits in my Pantry ~Breakfast

I love receiving parcels of new products that drop through my post from time to time. It gives me a chance to discover  and sample new upcoming products on the market.

This month I was fortunate to try two great new breakfast products. The first was a range of granola by Cereal Lovers  have created a range of simply fruit granolas in 4 amazing flavours; apple, banana & chocolate, blackcurrant & apple and orange. Our favorite one is the apple and blackcurrant one.

The granolas are high in fibre, antioxidant, low in saturated fats, very low in gluten and are perfect for diabetics and are totally suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

We also tried the Great little grains Sown and Grown Granola. This range is cereals made from British Grain only. In the range there are three flavours apple and blackcurrant, nut and seed and three grain granola.

The three muesli flavours mixed berry and nut, apple and raspberry and four grain muesli. All six cereals are suitable for vegetarians and high in fibre too.

We only tried the  Apple and blackcurrant flavour  which was very nice.

Breakfast is an important meal of the day and with these delicious and healthy granolas it will be easy to enjoy breakfast.

Tidbits in my Pantry from Bloggers Party

This month I have had an interesting collection of products in my pantry to sample. They did not arrive through the post, instead I had the opportunity to attend the Bloggers tea party where a few of these brands were showcasing their products. I had the chance to meet the creators behind the brands and taste their awesome products.

Fruit Jerky- A delicious vegan gluten free fruit snack made from misshapen rescued fruit. Two delicious flavours Apple and Raspberry and Apple and Mango.These are the perfect on the go snacks.

Pic's Peanut Butter -  Pure peanut butter made from roasted peanuts and ground to make peanut butter. There is the smooth or crunchy variety. No other additives are found in this jar of goodness from New Zealand.The crunchy peanut butter was divine.

Chika's A taste of the Exotic- A collection  of tasty snacks from West Africa which include Chickpea crisps, cashew nuts , peanuts, smoked almonds and plantain crisps.There were truly delectable and moreish,I could continue to nibble on these fore ever.

Jakes Boost- All natural nut and seed butter which is sugar-free, palm oil-free, salt-free, gluten- and dairy free and vegan.I loved the addition of the seeds and the crunchy texture they gave the butter.

Biotifuldairy's Kefir Organic Cultured milk smoothies - Smoothies with probiotic cultures and vitamins and minerals in 4 different flavours Honey and Mint, Morello Cherry, Riazhenka(baked milk) and Kefir. I had never tried Kefir before so was pleasantly surprised at the taste.

Drink me chai-  Drink Me Chai Latte is range of delicious award winning Chai Latte’s inspired by the original Chai from India.Being a chai drinker these collection of chai's really rocked my boat.

Just Bee Honey water- Natural spring water enriched with a drop of honey in three delicious flavours Blueberry, Lemon and Green tea and Apple and ginger.I was really  so impressed with this drink and really enjoyed the Apple and ginger one although all three flavours were great.












I would like to Thank all the brands that  gave me their product samples to taste. All views and opinions are my own.

Tidbits in my Pantry

This month I have had a fair amount of snacks that have arrived at the simplyfood kitchens. I love my snacks but I do try to make sure they are healthy too. The selection of snacks I have received this month have all been delicious and healthy so we have been able to munch through them guilt free.

Emily Fruit Crisps are low in fat, gluten free, vegan, no added sugar.Three delicious flavours;banana, pineapple and apple and they are also launching a new vegetable crisp soon too.

Fit Fit Fruit snacks  are discs of compressed dried fruits for perfect snacking. 

They come in 5 delicious flavours ; 

Apricot, Apricot and Almond, Fig and Walnut, Fig, Date and Coco. 

These little snacks are free from colouring, GMO free, have no added sugar and are gluten free too.

Ten acre snacks make a wonderful range of hand cooked crisps and delicious and unusual flavours of popcorn. 

These snacks are gluten free, dairy free and have no MSG.They are suitable for vegetarians.

Soffles Pitta Chips, oven roasted with fresh ingredients these pitta chips are so moreish that you won't want to stop with one bag. 

The pitta chips come in delicious flavours such as spring onion and Italian Cheese, Rosemary and Thyme, Wild Chilli and Garlic.

Metcalfe's skinny popcorn is so delicious and perfect for snacking. They come in a variety of delicious flavours so something for everyone.

I received these samples to try by the various companies when I visited the Hotelympia.

Tidbits in my pantry- Healthy Snacks

During the months of November and December, I have had a lot of foodie gifts either sent to e by companies or gifted to me by friends and family. I love the whole collection of these delicious healthy goodies.

1. Liberation Nuts- these selection of nuts are perfect for nibbles, party nibbles and snacking. Three delicious varieties  making these perfect for all tasted.They come in small single serving packs or larger packs for sharing.

• Oven baked Salted cashew and peanuts.
• Oven Baked Chilli and Lime Cashews, peanuts and roasted corn
• Oven baked peppercorn, peanuts with cashewnuts, habas fritas and crunchy beans

2. Quinoa Chips made by Eat Real, a super grain vegetarian and vegan snack that is delicious and healthy. These come is assorted flavours and are so moreish.

3.Raw Gorilla Munchies- Grain free cereal free snacks.

Raw Cacao and Lucuma fruit and nut bites.

4.Elephant Food- Superfood snack

• Coco Chomp-coconut, raw cashew, cocoa.buckwheat clusters and cranberries
• Nuttin but energy, raw cacao,brazil nuts,almonds,sunflower seeds and buck wheat clusters

 

5.Planet Organic Gnaw on Nature Raw 46- mini bite size snacks made with natural goodness.
These nibbles are free from grains, gluten,dairy and refined sugars

6. Dr.Karg's Organic crispbread Emmental Cheese and pumpkin seed crackers. these delicious and healthy bites a have pumpkin seeds and linseeds and are made with 100 % wholegrain flour.

After the indulgence of food during  of the festive period, these delicious snacks are perfect if you want to have a guilt free snack for the new year.I was sent the liberation nuts to review all other products were bought for me by friends and family.

Tidbits From my Pantry

At simplyfood we have been enjoying some lovely treats this month. During Chocolate week we were sent some super delicious Haagen Dazs Ice cream. Their new Salted Caramel flavour is gorgeous and no one can beat their classic vanilla. Both ice cream are rich creamy and absolutely delectable.

The only dilemma was whether to eat the ice cream straight from the tub or be sensible and scoop it into a bowl!!!!









We also tried 2 new flavours from Rachels Organics; Cherry and Dark Chocolate and Apple and Butter Scotch . What inventive combinations but the firm family favorite in our house was the apple and butterscotch. It tasted like toffee apples.

 

Leedammer Cheese slices was also something we tried this month. We were sent samples of  three different types; the Leerdammer light, Leerdammer original, Leerdammer Toastie.

Each pack had eight slices and the packs were easy to open and sealed well for storage.

This is a mild and subtle  flavour cheese that is suitable for vegetarians. It made the perfect toasted jalapeno, tomato and cheese sandwich.

We also enjoyed this cheese in a lovely ploughman's baguette with salad and pickle,










From Heartsease farm we sampled their new apple and rhubarb flavour drink. It is really refreshing and tasted of Autumn.It is a lovely addition to all the other delicious flavours that they already do.

J2O have launched two new great flavours; Midnight Amber a delicious blend of citrus fruits with winter spice. This was absolutely delicious and it would be perfect to serve at Christmas.

The second flavour in the range is Midnight Forest a orange, cherry and chocolate flavour. an innovative combination of classic flavours. Not only were the drinks very unique  but the bottles were really eye catching.

All these samples were sent to us to try at simplyfood. All views and opinions expressed here are of our taste and true.It is always nice to have the opportunity to try out new products 

Tidbits from my pantry.

The last few weeks  its been Christmas almost every day as the post man has been bringing me lots of surprises for my pantry. I love these receiving these new products as it gives me a chance to sample stuff that are sometimes new on the market or products I would have not thought to try out.

Nib Nibs are premium  baked British nibbles that are made in a North Yorkshire Bakery. Delicious cheddar cheese straws in an array of flavours and  available in mini and full sizes. With flavours such as Cheddar and spicy chilli, cheddar and cheeky onion, sea salt and cracked black pepper or just plain cheddar. These lovely cheese straws are so morish that you will not be able to stop your self from munching the whole tub. These premium baked nibbles are beautifully presented in handy re-seal-able snack tubs so they are perfect for on the go, parties or lunch boxes.

Candy Crate is a monthly subscription service that sends you exciting American Candy treats right to your door.Each month you will get a selection of American candies for just £ 14.99 per month.The selection will vary each month so that you can get a chance to sample  varied candies from America.

Stur Liquid water enhancer. This product is simply delicious.They come in  mini bottles,each bottle has 30 servings and they come in only orange mango flavour, boldly blackcurrant apple flavour, goodness green apple flavour, clearly cranberry pomegranate flavour, real brewed tea and lemon flavour and real brewed tea and peach flavour. You just need to squeeze  a little into 200 ml of chilled water to get your flavoured water. The enhancers are made from natural fruit and tea flavours, lightly sweetened with stevia and are free from sugar, calories and fat and also provide 100% of your daily vitamin c.

All the products featured were sent to me as samples , I was not asked to write any positive review, all the opinions are my own.

Tidbits from my pantry.

I love having new food in my pantry so here are a few foodie items that I have received this month that are definitely worth a mention.

I received some nuts from Mr Filbert's- The three bags of nuts I received were:
French Rosemary Almonds
Peruvian pink peppercorn cashew nuts and peanuts
Italian herb hazelnuts and peanuts
All the nuts are hot air roasted using a unique process which means they have a lower fat content than most other nut brands and potato snack companies who deep oil fry.These nuts are lovely for snacking on and serving at dinner parties with a glass of wine.Our favourite was the Pink peppercorn cashew nuts and peanuts.The bags retail at £2.99 each.

The next item in my pantry this month was an assortment of crisps from Fairfields Farm. All the potatoes used to make the crisps are grown on the family farm in Wormingford, Essex, before being prepared, cut, cooked and packed in the farm's purpose-built factory. I liked the fact that all the flavours used in the crisps were natural and sourced throughout the East Anglian region

There are many flavours in the Farmfield range such as Lightly Sea Salted, Sea Salt & Aspall Cyder Vinegar, Sweet Suffolk Chilli, Suffolk Farmhouse Cheese & Chive, Wicks Manor Smoky Bacon & Sunday Roast Potato, Butter & Mint and Parsnip Crisps with Essex Honey & Black Pepper, Parsnip and Sweet Potato, Chilli and Lime, Chorizo and Sunblushed Tomato and Sour Cream & Onion.

The flavours that we sampled were:

Sweet potato with chilli and lime

Lightly salted Parsnip 

Sea Salt & Aspall Cyder Vinegar

Sour Cream & Onion.

All  flavours in the deli range are available in delis and farm shops nationwide in 40g bags with an RRP of 85p.

We loved all the flavours however the Sweet potato with chilli and lime was voted the best in our family.

Thankyou to MrFilbert and Fairfield farm  for sending us samples to review all, views and opinions expressed are our own.

Tidbits from my Pantry

Every once in a while, simplyfood is lucky enough to get some lovely and unusual food samples to try.Over the last few weeks I have received some lovely products that are definitely worthy of a mention here.

Bannisters Potatoes- I received a selection of these pre cooked potatoes that you pop in the freezer and they are ready to eat in minutes by warming them in the microwave.

Potato skins baked and filled with cheese and jalapeno 4 in a box microwave or oven cook 207 calories, no salt.

Potato halves baked and filled with mature cheddar cheese 4 in a box 203 calories microwave and oven.

2 ready baked potatoes cross cut with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil 218 calories no salt.

My daughter took these to university and gave them a big thumbs up. She said they were very versatile as all she had to do was microwave them and add her chosen topping and she had a delicious lunch/dinner in a short space of time.

PROPERCORN - I received some samples of propercorn, the corn is hand-popped  in rapeseed oil  which is low in calories and then delicately tumbled using secret recipes from the most authentic and natural ingredients. It is available in five delicious flavours:
Lightly Sea Salted
Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun-Dried Tomato
Sour Cream & Chive
Sweet & Salty
Sweet Coconut & Vanilla.

Of all the flavours we particularly liked Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun-Dried Tomato and the Coconut and vanilla one which was delicious.Single-serve packs are available from Waitrose, Ocado, Harvey Nichols, Benugo, and Whole Foods for RRP £0.90.
Sharing packs are available from Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Waitrose, Boots and Ocado for RRP £1.69. 

"Oloves" -Olives is new alternative range of healthy snacks.They come in three contemporary flavours Chili , Lemon and Garlic and Basil. They have less than 50 calories per 30gm pack. They don't need to be kept in a refrigeration so they are perfect for picnics, lunch boxes and snacks on the go. They also and have an 18 month shelf life. The product is very versatile and is ideal as an accompaniment to a glass of wine or healthy beverage. We particularly favoured the chilli flavour.

I would like to thank all these companies for sending me these samples to try.All views and opinions in his post are my own and unbiased.