Review: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Barbecue Glaze

One of my favourite things about summer is getting the barbecue out, knocking up a few salads and inviting some people round for a feast. It is casual dining at its best. There’s not a lot in life that’s better than relaxing with a glass of something chilled while the men debate about when to put the steaks on the barbecue.

As a veggie my barbecue experience is often a bit meh. I usually have barbecued corn on the cob, a pile of nice salad and a veggie burger, which is fine, but my meal is usually cooked first so they can get on with the important business of burning meat, so I do feel a bit left out of the main scoffing. Moan moan moan!

What I do love is a nice barbecue sauce, I actually prefer a barbecue sauce to a dollop of ketchup. Barbecue sauce seems to have really come on in leaps and bounds these last few years, with lots of new recipes and flavours flooding the market. About 6 years ago I first discovered the Jack Daniel’s Barbecue sauces, at the time I think they only did one, but it was by far the nicest one I’d found. These days there are a lot more sauces on the market, but I was sent the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Barbecue Glaze to try out.

We waited until the sun came out, and by ‘eck the sun came out last week. So we invited some people round. I knocked up some salads and him indoors got busy burning some meat. I casually left the bottle of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Barbecue Glaze on the table next to the ketchups and relishes to see what people thought.

I was first to give it a try, mainly because my food was ready about an hour before everyone else. I liberally dosed my veggie burger with the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Barbecue Glaze and tucked in.

The Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Barbecue Glaze is based on the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey liqueur, which I’m a big fan of, the drink is sweet and smooth so I suspected the sauce would be good too. The glaze is slightly runnier than a traditional barbecue sauce, sweet but not too sweet, with a little gentle barbecue heat. It was so good I poured some more on my plate to dip my burger in.

The barbecue carnivores soon took an interest, when their burgers were ready they tried it too, and did exactly the same thing as me, adding extra to their plate for dipping purposes. Even hubs who doesn’t really like barbecue sauce went back for seconds. This is a sauce which will definitely find its way into our shopping trolley again.

You can marinate chicken or meat in it prior to barbecuing, but we didn’t, not this time. I reckon it’d also be pretty good in a bacon butty or to dip your chips or wedges in. It’s a very definite thumbs up from us!

Note: We were sent a bottle of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Barbecue Glaze free of charge for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

Degustabox June 2015 plus Discount Code

In May we got our very first Degustabox. For those who aren’t in the know, a Degustabox is a monthly food parcel delivery service. Each month you receive a box of new or special edition items from a range of different brands. It costs £12.99 each month and the contents are worth about double that.

The Degustabox June 2015 had a slight picnic theme and contained the following items…
Rekorderlig – Strawberry & Lime
Coconom – Organic Coconut Sugar
Zeo – Zesty Lime and Peach & Grapefruit
Kallo Corn & Rice Snacks – Salt & Vinegar Flavour
Kallo Rice Cake Snacks – Belgian Milk Chocolate with Caramel Pieces
ICYCL – Vodka Icepop
Brioche Pasquier – Chocolate Chip
Brioche Pasquier – Chocolate
Melba Thins – Multigrain
Vybe Coconut Water
Love Chin Chin (biscuity snacks)

This is only our second box, but already we have fallen into the pattern of immediately ripping open and devouring at least one item from the box. In this box it was the Kallo Belgian Chocolate rice cakes. These were the business. Just 65 calories per rice cake, they were smothered in chocolate and liberally sprinkled with crunchy caramel pieces, even the small boy was shouting for more. They really seem like a guilt-minimal treat, I’ll be looking out for these again!

I wasn’t completely in love with the Kallo salt & vinegar rice cakes, but I think that’s because none of us like salt & vinegar. If we’d had a different flavour they would have been fought over I’m sure. They do a tomato and herb one which sounds delicious and I think would be great with some cream cheese.

Both kinds of Brioche Pasquier were eaten for breakfast the over the following few days. We’ve bought these before, they’re a handy little snack to take out with you if you need to. The small boy also loves individually wrapped things, so he enjoyed them, as he usually does. We’ve bought them before and loved them, so we’ll get them again.

Regrettably the ICYCL Vodka Icepop burst and leaked over the contents of the box, not sure how it happened, nothing was ruined thankfully, but everything was sticky and I didn’t get to try the icepop, which is a shame because it sounded the kind of thing I might enjoy.

I love baking and I was pleased to be sent a packet of Coconom Organic Coconut Sugar which I’m hoping I’ll be able to have time to bake with soon. I’m not sure what I’m going to make yet, but you’re supposed to be able to use it as a direct replacement for ordinary sugar, but it’s supposed to be better for you. Anyway watch this space, I feel an experimental pineapple upside down cake coming on!

I was interested to try the Love Chin Chin snacks which were cinnamon flavoured biscuits which apparently taste like cake. I wasn’t convinced by these in their original form, but I crushed them and sprinkled them on some ice cream and they were very enjoyable. I think they’d be good added to the biscuit base of a cheesecake too.

Hubs is a big fan of coconut water, I can take it or leave it, so he drank the Vybe Coconut Water and liked it. I do know that coconut water is great to drink in hot weather, keeping you hydrated which is really important. I drank the fruity Zeo drinks over ice, they were cool and refreshing, the zingy zesty lime was my favourite and it’d be nice with a splash of gin.

There’s always so much to try in the Degustabox, it’s a good chance to try new things. I’m definitely be searching out a few of the things which came in the Degustabox June 2015.

If you’d like to give Degustabox a try I have a discount code giving you £3 off your next box, just enter 8MDEO at the checkout, this code is valid until 31st October 2015. You can find out more about Degustabox on their website.

Note: I was sent a Degustabox free of charge for review purposes, all images and opinions are my own.

Father’s Day Breakfast in Bed

Each weekend our little family has a bit of a routine, I’m not great at getting out of bed until my painkillers kick in, so Saturday and Sunday I am usually given breakfast in bed. Whilst it’s not usually anything more than a decent cup of coffee and a plate of scrambled eggs or a veggie sausage sandwich, it is a treat, especially when the small boy joins me and we have a little bed based breakfast picnic.

Hubs is an utterly fantastic Dad. When I was ill a couple of years ago he did everything. He ran his business, ran the household and did everything for the small boy (who at the time was very small indeed) as well as looking after me when I couldn’t even get to the bathroom by myself. He is a star!

He deserves a Father’s Day treat – and what more could a man want for breakfast than a bacon butty and a leisurely breakfast in bed (for a change).

We made him a lovely bacon butty just how he likes it; on thick cut white bread from Roberts Bakery, no butter, just lashings of tomato sauce and crispy bacon. We carefully wrapped it in greaseproof paper and decorated it with sticky letters. A good bacon butty should always be teamed with a good strong mug of tea in his favourite mug. Perfect.

But did he like it? There were only crumbs left, and a big smile, so I’m guessing yes. Bacon butties FTW.

Roberts Bakery have created a Father’s Day Bacon Butty Guide if you need advice or inspiration for a bacony breakfast in bed.

How do you like your bacon butties? What’s your secret to making the best bacon butty?

Note: I was sent a breakfast in bed goodie bag in return for this post, all images and opinions are my own.

My first Degustabox – May 2015

For a while now I’ve been Degustabox-curious, peering at pictures of their contents online and feeling pangs of temptation. For the uninitiated a Degustabox is a monthly food parcel subscription service. Each month you’re sent a box of goodies which are often brand new products, limited editions or just something just a little bit special. It costs £12.99 per month and the contents are usually worth about double that. It is a bit like playing lucky dip, so what did my box contain and what did I think?

My May 2015 “here comes summer” Degustabox contained –
Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce (43g)
Sweet Baby Ray’s Squeezable Honey Barbecue Sauce (510g)
Slim Pasta Lasagne (270g)
Maggi So StirFry Oriental Three Spice Chicken Noodles (185g)
Maggi So StirFry Singapore Curry Chicken Noodles (185g)
Schwartz Grill Meats Marinade in a Bag – Honey & Soy Flavour (200g)
Sarson’s Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (250ml)
Fuel10 24 Protein Boosted Wheat Biscuits Breakfast Cereal
Green Coco Kids Organic Coconut & Banana Juice
9bar Fruity mixed seed energy bar (4 in the box)
Daelmans Stroopwafels (8 per box)

The box had a general barbecue theme which I thought was interesting, they don’t always have themed boxes but I’m a big fan of barbecue flavours so I was very happy. The box was well packed and protected with bubble wrap so the contents arrived in excellent condition. I thought there was a good mix of products in the box, the things I probably wouldn’t eat I know the boys would love.

My eye was instantly drawn to the Daelmans Stroopwafels which are lovely waffles with caramel in the middle, if you rest them on top of a hot drink the caramel is meant to soften and be all extra delicious. Regrettably I opened the box in front of two hungry boys and very quickly all 8 of them waffles disappeared, we will be buying those again! I also really liked the barbecue sauces and the 9bar fruity seed bars which are great for throwing in your bag when you’re out and about.

What I especially liked was that it genuinely was like a lucky dip. If you’re a bit bored of cooking the same meals for your family week in and week out, then subscribing to Degustabox is a really good way of mixing things up and making you try new things. There are a number of things in this box we’ll be looking out for in the future.

If you’d like to give Degustabox a try I have a discount code giving you £3 off your first box, just enter JQAMO at the checkout. You can find out more about Degustabox on their website.

Note: I was sent a Degustabox free of charge for review purposes, all images and opinions are my own.

Review: The Bamford Arms, Stockport

As a child growing up in the 1980’s we regularly dined out in style at our local Beefeater restaurant. They had a reputation for great steak and back then kids ate for just 99p, plus pudding was always a giant ice cream sundae. I have very fond memories of Beefeater restaurants, so I was looking forward to visiting the Bamford Arms in Stockport to see if the steaks were still good and the ice cream sundaes still giant!

The Bamford Arms has recently been refurbished and the interior is light and bright with lots of interesting features, it is decked out in calm neutrals and if you peek through the bar you can still see the chefs grilling in the kitchen.

We were shown to our table by Gemma, a lovely cheery waitress who gave the small boy a Mr Men activity book and crayons and a matching Mr Men menu. The activity book kept him occupied throughout the meal, something which is pretty unheard of.

We ordered our food, to start we decided to share the Whole Baked Camembert, priced at £5.59. It is a 45g Camenbert drizzled in garlic and parsley butter, served with onion marmalade and ciabatta. It was impressive looking and delicious. The onion marmalade worked well with the cheese, my only small complaint was it only came with four pieces of ciabatta and it could’ve done with another couple of pieces, but it was an excellent start to the meal.

The main courses soon arrived. I’m a veggie so I ordered the “Veg Out Burger” (£7.99) which was a huge Quorn burger topped with Monterey Jack cheese, a chargrilled red pepper, ranch dressing and smoky tomato sauce, served with your choice of fries and some chunky coleslaw. It was an excellent burger, because it was Quorn it held together and didn’t collapse into my lap after the first bite. It was served with my choice of fries, because you could choose from plain, smokey spiced or chilli and lime spice. Gemma brought me both kinds to try as fries are unlimited (yep, eat as many fries as you can, is that a challenge?).

Hubs was hungry, so he opted for the 10oz Rib-Eye steak (£16.99), served with a tarragon bearnaise sauce (99p), chunky chips and salad. He asked for it medium and it arrived perfectly cooked. It looked beautiful and it cut like butter, I snaffled a couple of his chips and they were excellent, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. He couldn’t fault it and left a clean plate!

The boy had sausage and mash which came with its own little jug of gravy (give a northerner a jug of gravy and they’re in heaven). He happily ploughed through his meal, the sausages and gravy vanished quickly, he ate about half of his mash and peas, which is pretty good going for him. I would say that I thought the mash was a little on the salty side for little ones, we’re always being encouraged to minimise their salt intake so a little less seasoning would be good.

Although we were full we decided we *needed* to try the puddings. Hubs went for the plum tarte tatin (£5.49), I opted for the giant (hurrah) Caramel and Popcorn Sundae (£4.09) and the small boy had jelly and ice cream.

The tarte tatin was good, the pastry wasn’t as puffy and billowy as I would’ve liked, but it was tasty and had a generous amount of plums, the custard was obviously good as I had to step in to stop Hubs drinking it straight out of the jug. My Caramel and Popcorn Sundae was huge, with a quivering tower of popcorn on top. I was slightly expecting the soft whip ice cream I remember from 1983, not the vanilla seed flecked considerably posher ice cream of 2015, but I did enjoy it, especially as I worked my way down through the sundae I’d find little pockets of popcorn or sauce.

The small boy loved his jelly so much, he sat so quietly while he concentrated on scooping the wobbly jelly onto his spoon and into his mouth. It was a joy to watch.

As we went for lunch we all drank soft drinks which had free refills, so the drinks bill was pretty inexpensive. When the bill for the meal came I had to double check that it was correct, it came to just £46.64 (kids eat free every Saturday from 12-5pm) which is remarkable value for what was a really delicious and enjoyable family meal. It was so good Hubs wants to go back again next week!

Note: We were invited guests of the Bamford Arms Stockport, all images and opinions are our own.

Review: Taste of Nature Snack Bars

I was recently sent a selection of Taste of Nature snack bars to try, I’m a bit of a snack bar addict, they’re really handy for me as I tend to be out and about a lot and it’s not always easy to find something reasonably healthy to eat when you’re out. Taste of Nature snack bars are made with 100% organic ingredients and come in flavours such as Apple, Persian Pomegranate Garden, Cranberry,Goji, Coconut, Almond, Brazil Nut, Blueberry and Peanut.

Taste of Nature snack bars are a good source of energy, fibre, protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and trace elements and are great for throwing in your bag when you’re out and about or for during those mid-afternoon belly rumbles we all get.

Over a few days we all tried the Taste of Nature snack bars we were sent, my stand out favourite was the peanut which was so delicious, yummy peanuts set in something a bit like a hard but not brittle caramel, it was a real treat. The small boy liked the fruity ones best, with the apple being his favourite and Hubs liked the coconut one. They were all tasty, really filling and felt healthy and nutritious to eat.

The bars are contain blends of nuts, seeds and dried fruit and are a nice firm texture. Taste of Nature snack bars are certified organic and are gluten free, suitable for vegetarians and vegans, free from GMOs and each bar costs just £1.39. You can find out more about the Taste of Nature snack bars on their website.

These hunger busting, energy packed bars are brilliant for busy, active people and they’re quite delicious too!

Note: We were sent the Taste of Nature snack bars free of charge for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

Recipe: Easy Peanut Butter Butterfly Cakes

I’ve been doing a lot of baking recently which can only mean one thing, I’m happy. I’m not sure why I’ve been blessed with the gift of temporary inner peace but I’m going with it and enjoying the cakey results. Yesterday on a whim I whipped up an experimental batch of Peanut Butter Cakes. They turned out to be pretty darn good, so I’m sharing the recipe. It’s really easy, if I can bake it then so can you.

Easy Peanut Butter Butterfly Cakes (makes approx 20)

Ingredients:
8oz Butter or margarine (I used stork)
8oz sugar
4 large eggs
2oz peanut hottie powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
6oz self raising flour

For the icing:
2 big scoops of Betty Crocker vanilla buttercream style icing
2 heaped dessert spoons of Chocolate Peanut butter hottie

Method:
1. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy and the stir in the eggs.
2. Carefully fold through the peanut hottie powder, baking soda and self raising flour until combined.
3. Dollop into cake cases, there should be enough to make about 20 buns.
4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180c for 15 minutes. Once cooked leave to cool.
5. To make the icing (yes this is cheaty, but you can make your own buttercream if you want), beat the buttercream until soft and thoroughly mix in the chocolate peanut hottie powder, add a drop of hot water if it feels too stiff.
6. Carefully cut a circle out of the top of each of your cooled cakes, cut the circle in two, dollop a teaspoon of buttercream into the hole and top with the halves to make them look like butterfly wings.

Resist the temptation to eat them all in one go.

So there you have it, really, really easy peanut butter cakes, they’re something that would be great to bake with children, or just by yourself if you’re in your happy place like me.

Breakfast with Nestlé Cereals

Breakfast, especially at the weekends is a pretty big deal in our house. I like the boys to go out and face the day with something in their bellies and I like the simple act of sitting down as a family and starting the day together. Admittedly this doesn’t happen that often during the week, the boys tend to shove a bowl of cereals down themselves before dashing out of the house, leaving me to stack the dishwasher with their dirty pots. Weekends are a very different thing indeed, with pots of coffee, nice juice and something a bit special.

Monday to Friday the boys tend to eat Cheerios, I like Cheerios because I think they provide a pretty balanced breakfast, with some complex carbohydrates and added vitamins, it’s a good start to the day. At weekends we like to mix things up and try new things. We were sent a selection on Nestlé Cereals to try, so we planned a buffet breakfast of cereals. Which one would we like best?

We tried the following Nestlé Cereals:

Nestlé Cheerios
Nestlé Shreddies
Nestlé Cookie Crisp
Nestlé Shredded Wheat
Nestlé Curiously Cinnamon

We began our Nestlé Cereal Challenge by each selecting a cereal and pouring a small bowl (we had five different cereals to sample, we didn’t want to overdo things). The small boy thought he’d like the Nestlé Cookie Crisp the best (with it being wholegrain cereal disguised as little chocolate chip cookies), but ended up choosing the Nestlé Shreddies. I really liked the Curiously Cinnamon, but ultimately plumped for the Shreddies as my most favourite, whilst hubs enjoyed the simplicity of the Shredded Wheat but fell for the charms of the Curiously Cinnamon.

The Curiously Cinnamon is a bit different and a really great cereal if you like cinnamon, which can be a bit of a love/hate flavour. I tend to eat my cereals as a late night snack so these really hit the spot when you need something a tiny bit sweet but filling.

Nestlé Cereals contain essential whole grains and are fortified with vitamins and minerals designed to help get your day off to a good and nutritious start.

It was a really lovely way to start the day, and helped turn breakfast into a fun little challenge. It’s a good way to try new things and find new favourites. I know we’ll be adding the Curiously Cinnamon to our shopping list and I’ve rediscovered my love of Shreddies, so they are well and truly back on the menu. Thank you Nestlé for spurring us on to try new things. I think a buffet breakfast challenge will be on the cards again one weekend soon!

Note: We were sent a selection of Nestlé Cereals free of charge for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

Review: CLIF Bar

As a busy working Mum I often forget to eat properly, grabbing bits of toast here and there as I remember I’m hungry. We often have cereal bars or energy bars in the house just to grab and munch on the go if I need to. I’m a sucker for an oaty energy bar, so I was excited to try the CLIF Bar, a new energy bar from America.

CLIF Bars are made from organic rolled oats and are a source of protein and fibre. They’re intended to be eaten before, during and after exercise and they come in a range of six different flavours…

Chocolate chip
Crunchy Peanut Butter
Oatmeal Raisin Walnut
Blueberry Crisp
Chocolate Almond Fudge
White Chocolate Macadamia

The bars themselves look like and have the texture of a dense flapjack, with fruity pieces, nuts or chocolate chips, depending on which one you’re munching. They come in at around 250 calories each. I was surprised that they weren’t really sweet, I thought they would be, but they don’t contain any artificial sweeteners or corn syrups and are as natural as they can be.

My favourite flavour was the Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, whereas hubs preferred the Chocolate chip. I liked them all but I especially liked the Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Crunchy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Almond Fudge.

I’m currently giving the 5:2 diet a go and as the bars are quite filling and just 250 calories, it occured to me that I could cut one into chunks and nibble on them throughout the day and then have a meal in the evening. I think I’ll try that.

I love the packaging too, it’s very retro and eye catching and the bars are something you can just sling in your bag for when you’re out and about. Their texture means they won’t crumble like biscuits would, so they’re ideal for languishing in the bottom of your bag waiting for a hunger emergency or an energy dip.

Clif Barsare available from a variety of UK stockists, you can find the full list and more information on the CLIF Bar website.

Review: Sunday lunch at The Pig on the Hill

We are regular visitors to North Devon and we’re always looking for new places to eat while we’re down there. I’d heard that The Pig on the Hill in Westward Ho! was worth a visit, so while we were down over February half term we popped in for lunch following a happy morning pottering about on the beach. We were so impressed that we immediately booked again for Sunday lunch.

The Pig on the Hill is a pub and restaurant just off the A39 near Westward Ho!, it has a clean, modern look with the odd quirky touch. It has a well stocked bar, a decent wine list and a menu which boasts so few food miles most of the things on it could walk to the kitchen themselves. There’s plenty of parking, an outdoor play area for kids and a selection of farm animals milling around an enclosed paddock. It is pretty idyllic, more so in the sunshine I imagine.

We arrived for Sunday lunch and as we’d been warned when we (thankfully) booked, it was heaving. As we were driving home to Manchester straight after we decided not to have a starter and just dive straight in and have a roast. Despite being a vegetarian I do enjoy a veggie roast dinner, if I’m honest I was disappointed that a veggie roast wasn’t available. There were a couple of veggie options (an open vegetable lasagne or arrancini with mushrooms and blue cheese) so feeling a little disappointed I chose the lasagne.

The boys went for the local ale and treacle braised brisket (£9.95) and the baby roast brisket (£5.95) all served with duck fat potatoes, seasonal veg, Yorkshire puddings and gravy. My open lasagne contained chantenay carrots, red onion, wild mushrooms, apple-wood smoked cheddar, served with a green salad and garlic bread (£13.25).

The roast dinners arrived quickly, the plates dominated by huge, puffy Yorkshire puddings, being northern we are often disappointed by flaccid southern Yorkshires, but these were beauties. Husband declared the duck fat potatoes to be almost as good as mine, which is praise indeed. The generous portion of beef brisket was soft, tender and yielding, just how brisket should be. There was plenty on the plate and both the boys were very satisfied with their meal, declaring it the best roast dinner they’d eaten in a restaurant.

The vegetables were perfect, decent sized portions of cauliflower cheese, braised red cabbage, broccoli and perfectly seasoned carrot and swede mash. I managed to try a little of each before they were gobbled up by my two hungry boys and they were all excellent.

As for my lasagne, I’m happy to say my initial disappointment quickly evaporated once I tucked in. It was an excellent lasagne, with all the vegetables perfectly cooked and flavoursome. Served with a well dressed green salad which served to cut through the dense richness of the lasagne. It was a huge, greedy portion of pasta which I didn’t manage to finish, preferring to leave a little room for pudding instead.

When we’d stopped by for lunch earlier in the week we couldn’t resist trying a pudding. I’d had the seasonal crumble which was perfectly poached pink rhubarb and apple, a pud which though simple completely blew me away. With a recent record of perfection etched in our memory, pudding-wise The Pig on the Hill had its own big shoes to fill.

Husband opted for the “Piggy Mess” which was layers of meringue, seasonal fruits, brownie and lemon curd (£6.45) and I once again went for the seasonal crumble served with custard (£5.95).

This time the seasonal crumble was rhubarb and pear, which despite not looking as prettily pink as I’d hoped, was almost, almost as good as the first time. Generously topped with a ridge of warm, toasted rubbley crumble and served with a little jug of piping hot vanilla flecked custard, it was pretty close to pudding perfection for me.

Husband ended up sharing his “Piggy Mess” with the boy. I managed to snaffle a little of the meringue, which was crisp on the outside, but with a satisfying chew on the inside. Each spoonful contained different surprises, chunks of hidden brownie or popping candy on the lemon curd. For me there was a little too much happening on the plate, but the boys loved it.

With lunch over, we paid the bill and hopped in the car for the long (very long) drive back to Manchester. As we visit Westward Ho! and North Devon on a regular basis, we’ll definitely be popping back to The Pig on the Hill next time we’re down there. Their menu changes all the time and the Sunday lunches are different each week. We were incredibly impressed with The Pig on the Hill, it’s not often you stumble across a restaurant of that quality, especially one down a windy road, seemingly in the middle of not a lot. We’ll be back!Note: We were not invited by or asked to review The Pig on the Hill, we paid our bill in full (which included several soft drinks and excellent coffee), which came to a grand total of £46.75.