The Sweet Beet - Gift Set

When we get home from work, we not always in the mood to put a lot of effort into our meal prep. That can result in bland, boring dishes. The Amazing Blog lucked out with the discovery of The Sweet Beet. This company’s gourmet jams, jellies, and sauces are made in the UK. All of their five flavours are sure to give a kick to your meal. With her knowledge of the culinary industry, the founder, Lizzy Hodcroft, saw the need for a simple solution to liven up everyday meals. After she was awarded North East Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2017, Lizzie sought to inspire and assist other creative start-ups.

We tried their Gift Set, which comes with four different jars. We found that the Strawberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce (£4.50) combines the sweetness from strawberries with a spicy undertone from the chipotle. According to The Sweet Beets, this sauce is brilliant with salmon and grilled sausages. It can also be used with dessert, like berries, ice-cream, and yoghurt. Their Maple Bacon Jam (£4.95) contains smoked bacon, onions, brown sugar, maple syrup, cider vinegar, garlic, and chilli flakes. This jam is an interesting mixture of salty, sweet, and smokey. As bacon lovers, we gobbled this up! This Great Taste Award 2017 winner is recommended to be enjoyed with pork, burgers, sandwiches, or used as a marinade.

If you have more of a sweet tooth, then we suggest trying the Oak Smoked Apple Butter (£4.95). Its creamy texture makes the apple sweetness and deep smokey flavours that much more decadent. Don’t worry, the Oak Smoked Apple Butter doesn’t contain real butter. Use it over seared scallops or with soft cheeses. Finally, if you consider yourself a beer connoisseur, you’ll love the Texas Beer Jelly (£4.95). This jelly has the savoury hops of an India Pale Ale. Partner it with smoked cheeses or meats.

You can purchase The Sweet Beet Gift Set (four 175g jars) here for £16.95 or individual jars can be purchased here.

Nutty Nibbles from The Nutty Group

How many times have we at TheAmazingBlog reached for the healthy options on the latest dedicated detox, only to be woefully disappointed by our dissatisfied taste buds screaming out for something, anything more? Well, that clever team at Nutty Nibbles have come up with something truly spectacular whilst answering all the demands we can throw at them. Their recipes are 100% organic, vegan compatible, and thoroughly gluten free.

Now a certain cynic typing at this very keyboard blew a bit of a raspberry on researching this lot, but it has to be said, I have not only eaten my words, but also a rather sumptuous feast of delectables from The Nutty Group’s expansive range, alongside fantastic recipe ideas and options to help us all get back to the benefits of pure, wholesome foods. We were only sent a very small taster sample selection which sadly didn’t get around the whole office. However, from these tiny single pots that we did try: Apricot & Chia Seeds, Coconut Blueberry, Mango Coconut Almond, Pumpkin Pie and Cherry Coconut Marshmallow (Nut Krispy).

Clearly these guys have set up a business model to adhere to their ethos of healthy nutrition, but also business practice and sustainability … all very admirable, but do the end results warrant the utopian dreams of The Nutty Revolution? Well in three words … Yes, yes, yes! So, you too can get your hands on some wholesome heaven and relish each delicious treat. For stockists, check out their website or go to their online shop here each variety comes in a small 40g pot x 18 pots all from £10.

Gourmet Chocolate Pizza Company

The best part of our day is treating ourselves to something sweet – especially if it happens to be confectionery! We’re not ashamed to admit our penchant for all things chocolate - after all they say 'a little bit of what you fancy, does you good'. So when we at The Amazing Blog had a delivery of a Gourmet Chocolate Pizza, let’s just say, it didn’t last long…the team devoured it within seconds, and we’re not joking!

Based in Nottingham and started by Helen Ellis in 2007, the Gourmet Chocolate Pizza Company’s sole purpose is providing those with a sweet tooth, like us, with a delectable chocolate treat. The bases of their chocolate pizzas use handmade Belgian chocolate, with an assortment of toppings. Whether you have a fondness for milk, dark or white chocolate, their 21 different flavours will undoubtedly satisfy all of your cravings. To top it off, the pizzas come in a variety of sizes (4”, 7”, 10” and 12”) making them a perfect gift for any occasion. Additionally, you can customise each of the pizzas to suit your preferences: see here. We love the fact that you can design this chocolate gift from scratch. The process is simple, just click and select the chocolate you want, then choose the toppings and the size etc. 

The Gourmet Chocolate Pizza Company sent us their Strawberry Sensation, a delicious pop of fruit flavour on a creamy base. As we devoured the slices, the chocolate melted and the fizzing popping candy awakening our taste buds! The Strawberry Sensation is made from smooth Belgian milk chocolate, topped with chocolate curls, freeze-dried strawberries and white chocolate rice balls. We highly recommend this chocolate pizza - it was truly moreish. If you’re now suitably hungry, you can purchase one here: 7” for £10.50, 10” for £14.50, or 12” for £17.50.

Whether it's a birthday, anniversary or to wish someone congratulations for a job well done - we think these Gourmet Chocolate Pizzas are rather a novel way to say 'I'm thinking of you'.

Ludlow Food Centre Blood Orange & Gin Marmalade

If the caffeine hit of an espresso doesn’t quite hit the spot, then perhaps a layer of Ludlow’s Blood Orange & Gin Marmalade spread over a chunky slice of granary toast may do the trick! This delicious pairing is sure to become a staple ingredient to The Amazing Blog’s breakfast table, giving us the juicy sweetness of blood oranges, alongside the tangy decadence of an innocent morning tot of gin! 

This Award winning Blood Orange & Gin Marmalade was created by Darren Marsh and Tess Slater, a pair who have been perfecting marmalades, pickles, jams and preserves together since 2008. The team at The Ludlow Food Centre are justly proud of their new product, which won the top slot in the Best Sweet Preserve/Sauce Category at The Great British Food Awards. These awards celebrate the very best in British Farm Produce and are judged by a panel of celebrity and culinary head honchos with a particular focus on the provenance of each individual ingredient. The Ludlow Food Centre squeeze the blood oranges and grapefruit by hand and produce the marmalade only when the fruit is in season. Chase GB Gin, sourced from a local supplier, is added, and the marmalade is produced in small batches of approximately 30 jars. The marmalade works well in sponge puddings, and also works well to form a syrup for cocktails – Marmalade Martini’s anyone?
 
At £3.99 a jar, this isn’t the least expensive pot on the market, but it is certainly one of the tastiest, and can be ordered from Ludlow Food Centre’s Online Shop. They offer a delivery service Monday through Thursday, or of course, you can collect from their store. All details can be found on their website here.

Love Cocoa - Chocolate Bars

We're all chocolate lovers at The Amazing Blog, and for those of you who join us in the pursuit for delicious new treats, Love Cocoa will be a fitting choice. The problem with most chocolate brands is that they contain irritating allergens and poorly-sourced ingredients. This is where Love Cocoa differs, they are gluten and soy-free and are founded on the basis of creating ethical products.

Love Cocoa is a British brand launched in 2016 by its creator James Cadbury, who has an unsurpassed chocolate heritage. His great-great-great grandfather John Cadbury, the Quaker philanthropist, started the iconic Cadbury's chocolate brand in 1831. As such, Love Cocoa strives to not only recreate luscious chocolate classics but also aims to remain an ethically driven company. Working with British producers, Love Cocoa's products are free from refined sugars, gluten, soy, and palm oil. Producing both dark and milk chocolate, there is something for everyone. Their dark chocolate is single-origin, organic, fairly-traded from Ecuador.  Their milk chocolate is single-origin, organic, and fairly-traded from the Dominican Republic with a swirling of milk. Delicious!

We tried Love Cocoa’s Sea Salt 70% Organic Dark Chocolate bar for £3.85 and loved the burst of flavour the sea salt flakes brought into the mix from Maldon Sea Salt. Love Cocoa recommends that you pair this bar with a medium-bodied red wine to bring out its notes of fruit. Next, we broke off a piece of the Gin & Tonic 70% Organic Dark Chocolate bar at £3.85. We didn’t know what to expect from this flavour and were very pleasantly surprised by the subtle hint of juniper berries, lemon and lime. Love Cocoa have taken their inspiration of flavours from one of favourite drinks and transformed it into a delicious treat... All we needed was a crisp G&T in hand.

Moving on from the dark chocolates, we nibbled on two milk chocolate bars, the first being the Crushed Coffee 37% Milk Chocolate bar for £3.85. Why not combine your mid-morning coffee with your after dinner treat? The result is a crunchy square of heaven. Love Cocoa recommends that it is paired with a smooth stout, sweet rosé, or an energising espresso. Finally, we made room for the Honeycomb & Honey 37% Milk chocolate bar at £3.85, and it was so worth it. This sticky, sweet treat is studded with glorious crunchy pieces of honeycomb all source from Barnes & Webb, a team of beekeepers who install and maintain urban beehives around London.

So put on the kettle and let these chocolates melt in your mouth! All Love Cocoa chocolates can be purchased separately or in sets here. Prices vary, there is free shipping on orders over £20.