Apple & Sultana Chutney with a Chilli Kick

My basic apple & sultana chutney with a little bit of a 'kick'.  This is great to cook if you need to clear your head.  Remember to put the extractor fan on high though!

1.5kg Cooking Apples, cored and finely diced; no need to peel
750g Light Muscovado sugar
500g Sultanas
1 Medium white onion, finely chopped
1 Medium red onion, finely chopped
10ml Mustard seeds
10ml Ground Ginger
10ml Ground coriander
10ml Garlic powder
10ml dried Chilli flakes
5ml Salt
300ml Cider vinegar
300ml Red Wine Vinegar
150ml Balsamic Vinegar

1. In a large, heavy based pan, combine all the ingredients.

2. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes, stirring frequently until thick & syrup-like.  Remember to keep it moving every minute or so as it gets thicker to prevent it sticking to the pan.

3. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a while.
4. Decant into hot, clean, sterilised jars and seal.

5. Store in a cool, dark place for 2-3 weeks for the flavours to develop fully before enjoying.

Christmas Turkey Leftovers Loaf

Just what do you do with all that turkey & stuffing you've got leftover from Christmas dinner? Why, make a Leftover Loaf of course!

500g Strong white flour

10g Fresh yeast

350g Warm water

10g Cornish sea salt

50g Colman's cranberry sauce

200g Cooked turkey, chopped

100g Stuffing, crumbled/cubed

1. Into a large bowl, place your flour & rub in the yeast to break it down into small breadcrumb sized pieces.

2. Weigh the water into your bowl & sprinkle over the salt.

3. Using a dough scraper. Work the water into your flour until fully combined.

4. Tip the dough onto your table and knead (without adding flour to your table) for 10 minutes until smooth.

5. Lightly oil your bowl and return the dough to it.

6. Cover with a cloth and leave it in a warm, draught free place to rest for 30-60 minutes until risen.

7. Preheat your oven to 240C.

8. Lightly flour your table and tip your dough into it, top side down.

9. Using your hands. Press the dough into a rectangle approx. 60x20cm.

10. Spread the cranberry sauce onto your dough. Leaving a 5cm border on the long edges and a 2cm border on the short sides.

11. Sprinkle the turkey and stuffing evenly over the cranberry sauce.

12. Fold one side of the dough over the filling & press to seal the long edges.

13. Fold the other side over and again press to seal the long edges.

14. Fold  the dough round into a circle and seal the short edges together.

15. Lightly oil a bundt tin and place your ring of dough into the tin.

16. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm, draught free place until doubled in size.

17. Place the tin in the oven & immediately turn the temperature down to 220C

18. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

19. Turn onto a cooling rack and leave to cool for 10 minutes before cutting.

29. Can also be enjoyed cold.

Quick Red Onion Relish

This is a great & quick dish to serve alongside any dish of meat, or even with some cheese & a wedge of bread.  Very versatile indeed!

2 Red onions
25g Butter
1 heaped Tsp Sugar
10ml Balsamic vinegar

1. Slice the onions.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
3. Fry the onions until they soften.
4. Add the sugar and cook for a few minutes until the onions start to break down.
5. Add the balsamic vinegar and continue to cook further for a few minutes until the relish becomes sticky & syrup-like.
6. Serve hot as an accompaniment with a meal or allow to cool and serve with cheese & cold meats.

Mince Pies with a Sweet Cinnamon Pastry

Using the mincemeat I made from mum's vintage recipe book, I made up a batch of sweet cinnamon pastry and turned out some gorgeous tasting mince pies.

200g Plain flour
5ml Ground Cinnamon
Pinch salt
50g Lard
50g Butter
25g Sugar
30ml (approx.) Cold water

1. Place the flour and cinnamon in a large bowl with the salt.
2. Cut the lard and the butter into small cubes and rub the fat into your flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the sugar.
4. Add most of the water and mix together with a table knife until a dough forms.  You will need to adjust the water depending on your mixture.
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and quickly bring it together.
6. Wrap it in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool.
7. Preheat your oven to 220C.
8. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a floured board.
9. Cut round shapes to fit the cake/muffin tin you are using.
10. Place the pastry rounds into your tin, being careful not to puncture the pastry (the mince pies will stick in the tin if you do).
11. Fill the pastry cases 1/2 way up and place a cut out shape of leftover pastry on the top.
12. Cook for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown (the pastry will be slightly darker than normal due to the sugar and cinnamon content.
13. Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool a little.
14. Enjoy with a cup of coffee and perhaps a dollop of my rum butter that will melt through.

Well.... I had to have a bite to check they were ok, didn't I?

Mincemeat from mum's 1958 book

This recipe comes from one of the two recipe books my mum has given to me recently.

It was originally gifted to her and dad in 1958.  I aim to try many of these tried and tested recipes in an attempt to bring back good, old fashioned, baking.  As this is a vintage recipe, I've chosen to use imperial measurements first with the metric equivalent bracketed afterwards.

1lb Raisins (450g)

1lb Currants (450g)

1lb Sultanas (450g)

1lb Apples (450g)

1/2lb Candied peel (225g)

1/2lb Suet (225g)

Pinch salt

1/2lb Demerara sugar (225g)

1tsp Cinnamon (5ml)

2 Lemons, rind and juice

2tbs Orange marmalade (30ml)

1/4 pint Rum (125ml)

1. Coarsely chop the dried fruit and place into a large mixing bowl.

2. Peel and core the apples then chop finely. Add to the bowl.

3. Add the candied peel, suet, salt, sugar, cinnamon, rind and juice of the lemons, the marmalade and the rum.

4. Mix thoroughly together.

5. Place into sterilised jars and seal.

6. Store in a cool, dark place.

This recipe will make approx. 6lb of mincemeat and if kept in the right conditions should keep for a year.

Brandy may be used instead of rum.

BBC Good Food Show, Winter 2013

I visited the BBC. good Food winter show last Saturday with 2 wonderful friends, Carmela Hayes & Julie Elliott. We are an awesome trio when we get together and last week was no exception!

Starting on the train to Birmingham with Pain aux Raisin for breakfast, we visited stands laden with cheese, crackers, olives, British oils (Duncan Farrington from Farrington's Mellow Yellow fame), spices, chocolate, coffee, gin (from the lovely guys at Warner Edwards), wine, pickles, chutneys and a myriad of other amazing ingredients.

We had 4th row tickets for the Super Theatre to see Paul Hollywood & Mary Berry demonstrate their recipes and were treated to a rather fabulous looking 'kitchen hand' who not only swept the floor, but also brushed Mary Berry down and tried to wipe the grey from Paul Hollywood's beard.

The kitchen hand was only Gino Di'Campo!!!!!!

At the end of a fabulous day we bumped into the lovely Urvashi Roe who recommended we visit the Barbers cheese stand (how did we miss this?!) I'm so glad we did as I entered a competition to win a hamper of cheese.

Well, blow me down with a feather because look what I won.....!

A HUGE, quality made wooden box.

Which when opened revealed a gorgeous quality apron.

And underneath the insulation and packaging a MASSIVE treasure trove of amazing cheese.  In fact over 3kg of their 24 month matured Vintage Cheddar Cheese.  Now I know this cheese is good stuff as I tasted some at the show, we had 'train snacks' of cheese on the way home and I bought 2 packs of it to bring home for the family to enjoy too.

How lucky am I?  Thank you to the Barber family for my generous prize. The wooden box will be kept for storage to remind me of your generosity.

Colmans Season and Steam Sachets with Crispy Sage & Onion Stuffing

Using some more of the ingredients from the kit I was sent by the Unilever kitchen, I created a whole tasty meal, which I'll share with you here:

CHICKEN

4 chicken breasts, cubed

15ml Rapeseed oil

50g Paxo Sage & Onion Stuffing Mix

50g Flora buttery

4 Cloves garlic

1. Cube the chicken into bite sized pieces.

2. Place into an oven roasting dish.

3. Drizzle with oil.

4. Sprinkle with the stuffing mix and dot over with the flora buttery.

5. Throw in the whole cloves of garlic.

6. Roast at 180C for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile...

POTATOES

500g Potatoes

100ml Water

1 Sachet of Colmans Season and Steam Garden Herb & Potatoes mix

30ml Rapeseed oil

1. Cube the potatoes into even sized pieces.

2. Place the potatoes into the steam bag and sprinkle with the Season Mixture in accordance with the instructions on the back of the sachet.

3. Add the water and use the to tie the top of the steam bag. Shake well to coat the potatoes with the Garden Herb mix.

4. Cook in the microwave on high power for 9 1/2 Minutes, according to the timings provided for your microwave.

5. Remove from the microwave and allow to stand for 1minute, then drain.

6. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the potatoes until nicely browned all over.

VEGETABLES:

150g Courgettes, sliced 1cm thick

1 Medium red onion, diced

120g Red pepper, cubed

130g Vine ripened tomatoes, quartered

Colmans Season and Steam Mediterranean Vegetables mix

1. Prepare the vegetables as above and place into the steam bag.

2. Sprinkle the season mixture over the vegetables and use the tie to seal the bag, in accordance with   packet instructions.

3. Shake the bag to coat evenly.

4. Microwave on high for 5 1/2 minutes according to the timings provided for your microwave.

5. Remove from the microwave and allow to stand for 1 minute.

Serve

Bread making the Bertinet way

Bread making tips:

* Always use strong flour.

* Do not add more flour than the recipe tells you to.

* Water should be body temperature. When you put your finger in, it should feel neither hot or cold, but should feel 'wet'!

* Fresh yeast gives a much better flavour. If you can't get fresh, then it's fine to use dried 'easy blend' yeast but halve the quantity that the recipe suggests or follow the packet instructions.

* If you don't have a baker's stone, then use an upturned baking tray in your oven when you preheat it to ensure your bread starts to cook from the underneath immediately when you put your dough into the oven.

* Do not allow your bread to be in a draught when proving. If necessary, place the bowl in your microwave (switched off) with the door closed or in a closed cupboard.

* Have a spray bottle of fresh water handy beside your oven to mist the oven immediately prior to putting the bread in. This will help the crust.

* Have the oven door open for the shortest time you can when misting & putting your bread dough in to preserve as much heat as possible. 

I was lucky enough to attend a bread making demonstration recently at the Meile Cookery School in Oxfordshire with Richard Bertinet. Having seen his method of working the dough rather than kneading it, I was keen to try it out & I did so the following day with spectacular results. I was so impressed with this method that I can't ever see me going back to the old way of kneading that I'd always used.  Since that Saturday I've now made many loaves using Richard's, method all with success.

So, bearing that in mind and with a huge thank you to Richard for opening my eyes to a new way of working my bread dough, lets "Show the Dough Who's Boss!!!" 

Richard's basic bread recipe:

500g Strong white flour

10g Sea salt

10g Fresh yeast

350g Water (at body temperature).

If you are using a baker's stone, you should put your oven on now to 210°C with the stone in it to make sure that its fully hot ready for your proven bread to go in.  If you don't have a baker's stone, you can leave pre-heating it until you have worked your dough.

1. Weigh your flour into a large bowl.

2. On one side of your bowl, weigh the salt and on the other side weigh the yeast. Ensure you keep them apart.

3. Rub the yeast into the flour until it forms small crumbs.

4. Weigh the water into your bowl.

5. Using a plastic dough scraper, mix the dough together in the bowl ensuring you have all of the flour combined.

6. Tip your dough onto a clean Worktop/table. It will be sticky, but DO NOT FLOUR THE SURFACE OF YOUR TABLE!

7. Using your hands with your fingers outstretched & your thumbs parallel to your fingers, LIFT the dough from the table.

8. FLICK the bottom of the dough away from you..

9. As the bottom of the dough starts to swing back towards you, SLAP it down onto the table.

10. STRETCH the top of the dough up vertically.

11. THROW the top of the dough over the bottom. This will trap air into your dough to help make it light & to work the gluten.

12. Each time you go to lift, insert your fingers a 1/8 turn.

13. Continue this lift, flick, slap, stretch & throw about 10 times, keeping the top surface of the dough on top. DO NOT TURN YOUR DOUGH UPSIDE DOWN.

14. Use your scraper to 'take your dough for a walk' along the table & back again. Remember not to turn it upside down but to use the scraper to ease it from underneath & almost turn it round sideways. This helps to make sure that you are working all of the dough and that none of it remains stuck to the table.

15. Continue to work the dough & to 'walk' it every 10 cycles until you have a smooth dough that springs back when you press it with your finger.

16. LIGHTLY flour your table then turn your dough upside down so your smooth side is now against the floured table. Fold the outside edges of your dough into the centre & press down gently, then give a little turn & repeat until you have a smooth ball.

17. Sprinkle a light dusting of flour into your bowl and place your dough 'seam side' down/smooth side on top, into it. Cover the bowl with cling film & leave to prove & rest for 20-60 mins, depending on the temperature of your room. It needs to have doubled in size.

18. As soon as you have put your dough to prove, put your oven on to preheat to 210C (if you haven't already because you have a baker's stone). Placing an upturned baking sheet on the shelf will help the bread start to bake from underneath from the moment you put your bread in to cook.

19. Get yourself a water spray (like a plant spray) & fill it with water. Place this close to your oven ready for when you need to put your bread in.

20. Dust a flat baking sheet (or bakers peel) with flour/semolina & put to one side.

21. When your dough has rested & risen, LIGHTLY flour your table & turn your dough out, (top side down) and flatten it out gently with your hands.

22. Fold the edges in to the centre, as before, until you have a smooth round ball.

23. Turn your dough over and on to your dusted baking sheet. Slash the top with a very sharp knife/blade. This controls where the loaf will 'burst' so you can make a pattern if you're feeling arty!

24. NOW YOU HAVE TO DO THIS NEXT BIT QUICKLY AND WITHOUT BURNING YOURSELF IN THE PROCESS. Open the oven door & spray 12-15 times with water. Quickly slide the dough from your baking sheet onto the upturned baking tray that's in your oven. Apply another few sprays & close the door. Ideally this should only take a few seconds as you need to preserve the heat in your oven.

25. Bake your bread for 30-35 mins until nicely browned & it sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped.

26. Remove to a cooking rack & allow to cool before slicing & eating. 

Huge thanks go to Richard Bertinet (herein known to me as the Dough Daddy!) for opening my eyes to a new & much better way of working my bread dough and for allowing me to share his method with you.  He has also given me permission to create a small video which I'll upload to YouTube showing his technique of working the dough.

It also goes to the Miele Cookery School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire for the opportunity to see Richard's demonstration.

Slow cooked Cumberland Sausage Casserole

I was recently sent a fantastic hamper of goodies from the Unilever Kitchen with which to create or re-visit a tried and tested, well loved, recipe for a wonderful autumnal/winter dish.  I chose to alter my favourite sausage casserole to use some of the ingredients contained within the hamper.

When creating your casserole, remember it's cooking not baking so it's not a precise science; add or take away ingredients that you do or don't like, even alter the proportions to suit your taste if you want.

500ml Boiling water

1 Knorr Chicken stock pot
1 HEAPED tbs (20ml) Plain flour
1 HEAPED tbs (20ml) Tomato puree
1 HEAPED tbs (20ml) Maille wholegrain mustard
2tsp mixed herbs
1 can 400g chopped tomatoes
1 pack Cumberland sausages
1 medium swede, diced.
3 medium carrots, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium parsnips, diced
1 red pepper, diced

This is the perfect recipe to make in your slow cooker so you can come home to the amazing smell of your hearty, warming dinner.

1. Make your stock using the Knorr Stock pot with the boiling water.
2. In the crock pot of your slow cooker, put your flour, tomato puree, mustard, herbs, chopped tomatoes and the stock then mix thoroughly.
3. Add the chopped vegetables and stir through.
4. Cut each sausage into 3 and add them to the crock pot (I don't bother to brown mine as it's a slow cooked recipe). You MAY need to add some more water at this stage. You want it to submerge the majority of your veg but not all.
5. Place the lid on and cook on medium for 6-8 hours.  The fantastic thing about a slow cooker is that it's difficult to over-cook your food and you certainly don't have to watch it cook either.
6. If you want to thicken your casserole up a bit more, remove the lid and turn the dial up to high for the final 30 minutes.
7.  Serve with boiled potatoes, mashed with some Flora Buttery and some lovely steamed Savoy cabbage.

Perfect for a cold Autumn or Winter's evening.

Now you've seen just how EASY it is to make your own casserole sauce, why not have a go for yourself the.Come back and tell me how you got on.

Rosie
x

Thank you to the Unilever Kitchen for sending me the hamper containing items I've used to make this recipe.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

A cake with a crunchy, zingy top; perfect with a cup of tea.

100g Butter

175g Caster sugar

175g Self Raising Flour

5ml Baking powder

5ml Vanilla extract

2 eggs

30ml Milk

1 Lemon rind & juice

Topping:

1 Lemon juice

100g Granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 160C.

2. Grease & line an 18cm/7" deep round tin.

3. Beat all the ingredients for the cake together for 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer.

4. Pour into your prepared tin & level the top.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

6. Whilst the cake is baking, mix together the lemon juice and sugar for the topping.

7. As soon at the cake comes out of the oven, spread the topping mixture evenly over it whilst it's still hot.

8. Leave the cake in the tin to cool completely.

9. Turn out on to a serving plate.

Stir up Sunday to make your Christmas Pudding

Stir Up Sunday is the traditional time to make your Christmas Pudding.  It's an Anglican tradition which takes place annually on the last Sunday before advent; a time when families would gather round to make their Christmas Pudding and each take a turn at stirring the mixture whilst making a wish.  This year it's today, 24th November.  Tradition also dictates that a 'silver sixpence' should be put into the mixture for one lucky recipient to find.  Finding the coin would bring them health, wealth & happiness.  In accordance with the Gospel, to represent Christ & the disciples, at least 13 ingredients would be used to make the pudding.

I was invited to take part in Tate & Lyle's "Bake, Eat & be Mary" Christmas campaign to encourage people to make their own Christmas puddings and to spread the word of Stir Up Sunday, as statistics now tell us that over 70% of people now buy them rather than make their own.  I went to London for the photo shoot, which I can only say was pretty surreal; to hear the name Mary called out and 12 women who all have Mary as their name or in their name respond, was, to say the least, quite strange.  New friendships were made over bubbles & nibbles and everyone had such a fantastic time creating our own individual photographs as well as our table of Mischief you can see below.

If you pop over to the Tate & Lyle website you will find the links to 10 of the Mary Christmases' recipes and stories (including mine). Just click on our pictures to open up the recipes.

This recipe I used is from my mother's 1958 Household Encyclopaedia.  It makes 6 decent sized puddings, which, if kept properly, will not only see you through the festive period with a couple to wrap & give away as gifts, but will also provide a tasty pudding for a few months to come.

2lb Currants

2lb Raisins

1lb Sultanas

1lb Soft brown sugar

4oz Candied Peel

2 Lemons, juice & rind

4oz Brandy (dark alcohol, I use rum)

4oz Port

1 Nutmeg, grated

4oz Almonds, chopped

1/2oz Mixed spice

1/4tsp salt

10 Eggs, medium sized

1lb Plain flour

1lb Bread crumbs

2lb Suet

Milk to mix

Butter for greasing the bowls

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of your fruit, sugar, peel, lemon juice & rind and alcohol.

2. Cover with cling film and leave to infuse overnight.

3. Next day, add the grated nutmeg, chopped almonds, mixed spice, salt and eggs, along with the flour, bread crumbs and suet.

4. Stir well to combine all the ingredients.  Add some milk if the mixture is too stiff.  It shouldn't be a wet batter but should hold its own shape.

5. Grease the inside of your pudding bowls well with butter & place a disc of parchment paper in the base to ease removal.

6. Pack the pudding mixture into the bowl, leaving about 1/2" (1cm) space.

7. Pleat a circle of parchment paper into a double fold, as pictured, and place on top of the bowl. The pleat will allow the pudding to expand & rise a little during steaming.

8. Pleat a piece of foil and place over the top of the parchment.

9. Tie the parchment and foil in place firmly with string, using the string to make a looped handle to enable you to lift the pudding more easily into and out of the steamer.

10. Bring a pan of water to the boil.

11. Place the pudding basin into your steamer basket and put this on top of your pan of boiling water.

12. Place the lid on top and steam for 9 hours. Keep an eye on the water level and top up the saucepan as necessary with boiling water from the kettle. (Alternatively, to use a slow cooker, place your pudding basin in the crock pot, fill up to 2/3 of the way up the basin with boiling water, place the lid on and cook on HIGH for 10-12 hours or overnight.  Cooking this way has the advantage of having much less evaporation of the cooking water so you can go to bed/get on with your day whilst it cooks itself).

13. When cooked, remove from the steamer and leave until cold.

14. Remove the string, foil and parchment and pour over some more alcohol of your choice and cover with a fresh piece of parchment and then a foil covering.  I tie this on to keep out the air and therefore prevent the puddings drying out.

15. 'Feed' the pudding weekly with alcohol until Christmas Day, each time replacing the parchment with fresh.

16. On Christmas Day, you can steam the puddings as before for 2 hours.  Alternatively, you can fill the  slow cooker to 2/3 of the way up the side of the pudding basin and cook for 3 hours on HIGH.  If you really want a 'quick fix' you could always microwave it in 2 min bursts until heated through, then allow to rest for 1 min before serving.

Thanks to Mischief PR for inviting me to be one of Tate & Lyle's Mary Christmases - I had a fun filled & wonderful day. Thanks to the staff at Mischief PR and also to our fab photographer, Nathan Pask for encouraging us to be silly in front of your camera lens and then showing the 'world' just how daft we were! Laura Sawyer created a beautiful, festive set for us and even found some properly cheesy Christmas jumpers for us to wear, whilst Sandra Bermingham primped and preened our hair and faces.

Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano was one of the first products to be awarded a PDO, or Protected Denomination of Origin product, which basically means it can only be produced from milk obtained from, and then manufactured, in it's place of origin, namely the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emelia, Modena, Bologna to the west of the Reno River and to Mantua to the east of the Po River.

The history of the cheese dates back over 800 years to 1200AD. So renowned in quality in fact, that during the Great Fire of London, Samuel Pepys mentioned it as one of the items to save! Today only around 430 Artisan dairies craft this amazing product for us to enjoy.

It's a nutritious and easy cheese to digest, so can be enjoyed by young and old alike, whether it's served simply on its own with a good quality balsamic vinegar or as in ingredient in a wide variety of dishes. 

Standard maturing times are from 18 months, to 24 months and finally through to 36 months. Each matured 'wheel' of cheese has its own distinct flavour and characteristics. The 18 month is perfect served in chunks with an aperitif or a dry white wine. The 24 month is mild but full flavoured and has a crumbly, grainy texture; good with red wines or fruit salads, figs or prunes.  The mature 36 month cheese is extra strong and is the most nutritious, whilst the texture is drier, more crumbly and grainy. Perfect with full bodies red wines, aged balsamic vinegar and honey.

Unlike cheaper alternatives that you can buy pre-grated in tubs (which can sometimes have a rather unpleasant odour when sprinkled over hot food) , Parmigiano Reggiano cheese has both an amazing aroma as well as taste and is best grated fresh from the block.  We've always been a lover of good quality food in this house and I must admit I do find it difficult to economise on good quality ingredients; Parmigiano Reggiano cheese being one of those that I buy most weeks.

I was recently lucky enough to receive two complimentary recipe books with some truly delicious sounding recipes (sweet and savoury) featuring Parmigiano Reggiano.  The recipe that has so far stood out and was thoroughly enjoyed by all the family was for Chicken Breasts with Pesto and Parmigiano Reggiano.  We used a sundried tomato pesto sauce as opposed to a green pesto and served it with olive oil drizzled  roasted vine tomatoes, peppers, courgettes & shallots which we sprinkled with rosemary and served up with some cous cous. I can't wait to try some more of the recipes now.

I think I need to buy myself a wheel of cheese at this rate as the little packs just aren't lasting!

Thanks to The Dialogue Agency PR for the books; I can see these are going to be well used & the food thoroughly enjoyed!

Do you Frumoo?

What a lovely surprise I came home from work to recently. There was a white polystyrene cool box in my kitchen that I wasn't expecting.  Inside, I found these 4 bottles of Frumoo; a fresh, chilled, 100% British milk combined with fresh fruit in strawberry & blackberry and raspberry & blueberry combinations from The Lake District Dairy Co.

Too eager to wait to try them, my husband and I opened one bottle each, whilst putting the other two bottles in the fridge to cool down further. I chose the raspberry & blueberry, while he chose the strawberry & blackberry.

You can taste the freshness of the 100% British milk and the natural fruit that it's combined with.  There are no artificial colours or flavours & certainly no bits either.  Each bottle is a generous 230ml, which is just under 1/2 a pint, so a real healthy thirst quenching size.  Great for lunch boxes for you or the kids and perfect for a treat on the go.

My husband loved his bottle, but personally for me they're a little on the sweet side.  This was easily rectified though as I poured it into a glass and diluted it with the same quantity of milk. (Extra large drink for me then!). They're available in the chilled milk aisle of your supermarket and have an RRP of £1.30 per bottle.

Further information can be found on their website: www.frumoo.com

These were sent to me free of charge from The Lake District Dairy Company's PR. I was under no obligation to write a review.  The review above is my honest opinion of the product sent to me.