We thought we would start December off with 5 days of festive finds to get you in the Christmas spirit. Today is day one and what better way to start than with food. It’s December, which means it’s nearly Christmas, which also means it’s time… It’s time to stuff our faces with everything and anything edible and bad for us in sight. Here at The Amazing Blog, we are very considerate of our readers so forced ourselves to test out flavoured marshmallows, creative chocolates, and biscuits, just for you. Ok, I’m lying, we very much enjoyed trying out all these wonderful treats and have found a bunch of great foods that you should definitely have around this Christmas. It’s fine because calories don’t count during the Christmas holidays, do they?
The Marshmallowists are challenging our traditional views of marshmallows as in the past they haven’t had a reputation for being full of flavour. However, that is soon to change as The Marshmallowists have flavours like Turkey and Cranberry, Christmas Pudding and Mulled Wine. These Christmas inspired ingredients are probably more appealing to the adult population, I know when I was little I wouldn’t have been brave enough to try them. At first glance they may look a little strange but they really aren’t. They are interesting which is something a lot of people tend to look for with food because we are always able to eat the same old flavours, so why not mix it up a little? You can enjoy them by the fire on a cold, wintery evening and team them with a hot drink. They have plenty of flavours if these Christmassy ones don’t look too appetising to you, and you can browse them here. They are £6 for a box and certainly worth a try. They would be a great, quirky little gift to intrigue your friends and family this year as they are interesting and great for sharing.
Chocolate is the one thing most of us can’t say no to this month. There are temptations everywhere. Advent calendars in the kitchen to make us think of chocolate as soon as we wake up and gifts at work, there's no escape. We might as well give in and enjoy some of the tastiest chocolate around and Kingdom has a flavoursome collection of melt in the mouth chocolate for you to get your teeth into. Try and have a read of these delectable flavours without getting chocolate cravings, there is Double Choc Dark Mousse, Dark Chocolate & Orange with a Marmalade Centre, Milk Choc & Cappuccino, Milk Choc & Peanut Butter Centre, Dark Choc with Lemon & Lime and then the Milk Choc Rhubarb & Vanilla Centre. We genuinely took no longer than a day to demolish the lot in the office. The inviting and unique flavours made it so difficult to decide which to open first, so obviously we concluded that the fairest thing to do was open them all at once. We just won’t step on the weighing scales for a while… They are all delicious, definitely a stocking filler that won’t disappoint. They are available in store or online at www.waitrose.com, you can even find them on Amazon.
If white chocolate is more your thing then don’t worry, we have found something for you as well. The Montezuma White Chocolate Snowmen are packaged in a sweet little box which would look great as a stocking gift or under the tree to add a little extra excitement for Christmas morning. These Snowmen are delicious and the perfect size to nibble at throughout the holidays without making yourself sick. With these there are the Montezuma White Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls, yes, they do exist and yes they are as incredible as they sound. You may have noticed I am very fond of peanut butter chocolate, but it’s not just me, we all are, so they are bound to be popular with your family. They are described as ‘milk chocolate salted peanut butter truffle wrapped in a white chocolate shell’, that’s all I need to say… If you want to trick your subconscious into thinking that you’re having a healthy Christmas then try the Montezuma Christmas Mixed Fruitswhich are filled with flavour. We found them so tasty that they soon became the ultimate procrastination food in the office, with lots of ‘oh what flavour have you got there?’ and ‘That sounds nice, maybe I’ll try one’. You can find their prices and lots of other tasty things here.
Our last chocolate favourites are from Demarquette and we are very excited to introduce you to their festive collection this year as they never disappoint. The festive chocolates are plentiful and there’s no shortage of mouth-watering selection boxes to share around the house or buy as gifts for friends and family. They are packaged beautifully and with care so again they would be great presents. One of my personal favourites is the Chocolate Christmas Tree Gift Set, for £25 you can purchase this chocolaty and colourful treat. It comes with a chocolate tree and flavoured caramel baubles. To make this even more of a pleasant experience, some of the baubles are Cornish Sea Salt Caramel which is a scrumptious addition to the flavour.
The East India Company is the perfect 'go to' this Christmas if your looking for entertainment snacks. If we aren’t spoiling our taste buds rotten with chocolate then you will find us munching on biscuits elsewhere. Biscuits are great to have around in December as you never know who will be popping round to wish you a merry one. These can be to nibble on in the evening after a gigantic roast, or to have as party treats for all to enjoy. Interesting biscuits are bound to be a crowd pleaser and the East India Company has some really brilliant flavours. The Cherry, Choc Chip & Chilli flavour is delicious, an infusion of exciting seasonings will no doubt impress your guests. Similarly with the Sea Salt & Caramel, which we absolutely devoured. Last but not least, something to satisfy our British food cravings is the English Stilton Cheese filled biscuits. Cheese and biscuits come out every Christmas, and these have to be in the mix, they are delightfully creamy and bursting with flavour. There are dozens of different biscuits, each as stimulating for our taste buds as the next. Take a look on their website where you can purchase them also, prices starting from £4.95. They all have a huge range of other delicious products so take a look.
Finally we have something a little different, still on the topic of food but not edible itself. For £10 you can get hold of this Meri Meri Jingle All The Way Cupcake Kit from Cotswold Trading. This is a very sweet little kit, ideal for the little ones (and adults as I’m definitely getting one of these) this Christmas. It comes with cupcake holders, and Christmassy decorations filled with glitter and fun. Just seeing the box has made my excitement for this festive month step up a notch. I love cupcakes and decorations, it’s the perfect combination. It is just the kit, so no ingredients involved, but that means you can pick whichever cupcakes are a success in your household and decorate those. They look great on a cupcake tower in the kitchen, even if they are only there for 5 minutes before being devoured. It’s time to put on some Christmas music, get the kids in the kitchen and get creative.
Tomorrow we will have some presents to treat your four-legged friends this Christmas.
Fortnum & Mason