Interflora Merry Christmas Tray
£ 29.99

‘Send friends, family or colleagues something special for Christmas with this tasty collection of festive treats including two fine wines, mince pies, handmade fudge and fruit cake – all beautifully presented in a festive gift tray.’

Contents:

• Healthy Ideas Luxury Fruit & Nut Mix 160g
• The Old Chapel Bakery Luxury Hand Made Mince Pies X 3
• Maxwell & Franks 5″ Iced Fruit Cake
• Franks Luxury Biscuits Choc Chunk & Orange Mini Oat Biscuits 50g
• Elizabeth Shaw Amaretto Flutes 105g
• Kitchen Recipe Hand Made Vanilla Fudge 125g
• Cotes de Luberon Blanc Appellation Luberon Controlee 2008 37.5cl
• Cotes de Luberon Rouge Appellation Luberon Controlee 2008 37.5cl
• Presented in a Red Wicker Tray

As we cranked up the high-energy taste accelerator and prepared to bombard each component of the hamper with supersymmetry gustation beams (That’s enough clumsy Hadron Collider references – Ed) we were joined in the bunker by bon vivant and guest reviewer ‘Potkicker T’. We were excited. Our hair stood on end with anticipation and static electricity as we commenced the first historic tasting.

Cotes de Luberon Blanc Appellation Luberon Controlee 2008

Important things first, let’s crack open the booze. It’s good to see Interflora have sourced French wine rather than something heavier from the Southern Hemisphere and as a result have come up with a fine example of a light, fresh and very quaffable wine. We liked this.

Cotes de Luberon Rouge Appellation Luberon Controlee 2008

A quick search on the internet came up with a review which described this wine as ‘Fresh and forward, with solid plum and black currant fruit mingling with hints of garrigue and warm stone.’ Now I’ve no idea what a garrigue is and am struggling to conjure up the taste of warm stone, but I am in complete agreement with the reviewers conclusion of ‘Tasty. Drink now’ We liked this too.

Kitchen Recipe Hand Made Vanilla Fudge

Our guest reviewer happens to be one of the world’s leading experts in fudge, having devoured specimens of every hue and flavour in all five corners of the uncivilised world. So when she licks her thin cold lips and declares a fudge to be good, you can rest assured it is worthy of praise. Those lips were licked and that declaration was made… Interflora gives good fudge.

Elizabeth Shaw Amaretto Flutes

Bathing in the afterglow of a fudge rush our guest reviewer pointed out that not being hollow, these weren’t technically flutes and would more accurately be called Elizabeth Shaw Amaretto Sticks. This characteristic pedantry aside, all three us found this confection to be both smoothly chocolatey and generously flavoured of Amaretto. These were very tasty indeed and would make a welcome addition to anyone’s Christmas calorie intake.

Healthy Ideas Luxury Fruit & Nut Mix 160g

At the time of writing we have yet to open the fruit’n'nuts, however I don’t suspect these will be too controversial.

The Old Chapel Bakery Luxury Hand Made Mince Pies

Yumblog Towers hosts an annual mince pie and mulled wine party with Blogger-D’s mince pies being the talk of Bethnal Green Village, so any rival mince pie which claims to be hand made is bound to come under particular scrutiny. These pies were generous of filling and sweet of pastry with said pastry being just the right density thereby avoiding the perennial problem of pastry dominating filling which can afflict many a shop-bought pie. Pies aloft.

Maxwell and Franks 5″ Iced Fruit Cake

In a word – dry. In three words – dry and bland. In 54 words – despite looking lush and moist, this cake was dry and far too ‘cakey’ as it lacked both fruit and in particular ‘booze’. The marzipan didn’t have an almond punch and the icing tasted of little but lemon. It was by no means a disaster, just very disappointing considering the quality of everything we had tasted thus far. Blogger-D subsequently took this cake to work and put it before an undiscriminating 23-year-old intern with a very sweet tooth … a slice was eaten, but the rest was left in favour of a tin of Quality Street.

Franks Luxury Biscuits Choc Chunk and Orange Mini Oat Biscuits

And so to the one truly nasty item in the hamper. These little horrors were genuinely unpleasant and left us all with a greasy bitter aftertaste of margerine … not unsuprising considering this was a major ingredient.

Come on Frank, butter=luxury, margerine=budget.

Red Wicker Tray

The red wicker tray was a substantial structure which looked far too useful to throw away with the rest of the packaging. It could of course had been used to hold anything (probably not tropical fish though) and if left emptily lying around would quickly make itself useful by filling with bank statements, receipts, keys, loose change and the general detritus of modern life. At the time of reviewing, Yumblog Towers was having the Grand Entrance and Vaulted Hallway renovated and decorated, so ours conveniently became a handy DIY utility tray and combined storage solution.

Conclusion

All three of us were impressed and agreed that the ‘Interflora Merry Christmas Tray’ was well sourced, would make a welcome festive gift to anyone with a sweet tooth and at £29.99 represented very good value for money.

If Interflora improved the Christmas cake and ditched Frank and his bloody awful biscuits, this hamper would be near perfect.

… and it was good. Strong and flavoursome with a soft, almost creamy texture. Forget Cathedral City, Godminster is the place to visit.

Lemon salmon with minted crushed peas

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Skill level: easy
Serves: 2
Recipe: Way’ro website

Ingredients
For the Lemon Salmon:

• 2 skinless Abel & Cole organic salmon fillets (other brands of salmon are available) – 375g
• 6 slices of lemon
• olive oil

For the Minted Crushed Peas:

• frozen peas – thawed – 250g
• 2 spring onions – chopped
• vegetable stock – 125ml
• mint leaves – roughly chopped – generous handful
• caster sugar – ½ tsp
• Parmesan – grated – 40g
• olive oil

Our two salmon fillets arrived in the now familiar A&C ice box which kept them cool despite sitting under my desk at work for most of the day. The fish was obviously very fresh as it didn’t give off the usual waft of stale fishy air when I pierced the cellophane. Both fillets were generously thick and ample enough for two hungry/greedy people. But enough of this advertorial spiel – on with the recipe:

To make the minted peas, heat some oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the spring onions and cook for a minute.

Increase the heat, add the peas, stock, sugar and mint and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 40 ml of the stock mixture which you add back to the peas, before roughly mashing with a fork. Stir in the cheese, check for seasoning, cover and set aside.

Place the lemon, slightly overlapping, on top of both of the fillets.

Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan over a high heat. Add the salmon fillets lemon-side down and cook for 3 minutes until the lemons are starting to caramelise.

Carefully flip over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve the fish on top of the peas.

Verdict: The salmon didn’t die in vain as it was plump, moist, firm and tasty – must be all that swimming against the tide. The minted peas were a very good and amiable companion.

Drink: After a weekend of drinking cans of over-priced Red Stripe, a booze-free evening.

Entertainment: The final episode of ‘Getting On’ on the iPlayer – I can’t think of a better comedy on TV this year. Who could fail to laugh at the idea of Jo Brand playing a character called Kim Wilde?

Jo Brand

Roasted Tomato and Gorgonzola Tarts with Balsamic Vinegar Caramel

Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 3 hours drying
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Skill level: easy
Serves: 4 as a starter or 2 as a main
Recipe: Way’ro website

Ingredients

• 8 plum tomatoes – halved lengthways
• Abel & Cole Gorgonzola Dolce (other brands available) – crumbled or sliced – 125g
• wild rocket – 25g
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• puff pastry – 375g
• granulated sugar – 75g
• balsamic vinegar – 3 tbsp
• black olives – roughly chopped and pitted – 25g
• extra virgin olive oil – 2 tbsp

Pre-heat the oven to 140 C / gas mark 1.

Put the tomatoes cut side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper, season and sprinkle with the rosemary needles.

Leave in the oven for 3 hours until semi-dried – this can be done the day before.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.

Roll and cut the pastry into 13cm/5″ circles. Place these on a baking tray lined with baking paper and then cover with more baking paper.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile, put the sugar in a small pan along with 3 tbsp of water and heat until dissolved. Bring to the boil and cook to a deep golden colour. Take off the heat and add the vinegar along with another 2 tbsp of cold water. Return to the heat and stir until the caramel is smooth.

Next divide the tomatoes onto the pastry, scatter with the olives and Gorgonzola, and return to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Remove from the oven, scatter with the rocket and drizzle with the olive oil followed by the balsamic caramel mixture.

Serve.

Verdict: Wow, what a difference a good bit of cheese and some slooooooooow cooked tomatoes makes. A very tasty dinner, melty blue cheese with flavour without overpowering the toms, yum, these did not last long.

Drink: A crisp white of Spanish origin from the shop, the Spanish wine fixation continues apace.

Entertainment: The new series of Shooting Stars, it makes us laugh. The sight of Gregg Wallace in tights with dangling sticky balls will stay with us, possibly for too long.

Preheat the oven to 230 C. Smother the chicken in butter. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken and place the juiced shells in the cavity of the chicken along with a couple of finely chopped cloves of garlic and a handful of thyme.

Season with salt and pepper and place in the hot oven for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes, remove and baste thoroughly then lower the heat to 190 C and return to the oven for another 35-45 minutes.

Remove when crisp and golden and leave to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Resist the temptation to immediately strip it bare of its salty crackly skin.

Verdict: Oh my gosh Roberta, very tasty indeed. Definitely one of the most delicious chickens I’ve ever had, honestly, the herbs and lemon and garlic came through perfectly and the flesh was superbly moist. And as for that skin, well I found it necessary to eat all of that while the chicken was warm. YUM.

Drink: Water.

Entertainment: Some Superman remake with a few good bits but which went on too long. The baddies in Kevin Spacey and Parker Posey were eminently more interesting than the uber-bland Lois Lane.

Details: 1 organic chicken, whole, with giblets (2.1kg avg) – £12.41.

Aside from perhaps the more deranged and rabid of Daily Mail readers, few people are going to deny the benefits and convenience of having a box of organic fruit’n'veg delivered straight to their front door. However what interests us is does it taste any better than its non-organic counterpart, and in these bleak times, does it represent value for money.

When the box arrived (mixed organic fruit & veg, recommended for 2 or 3 people, £15.95) we were impressed and surprised by both the quantity and variety of the contents. The subsequent thorough and slightly autistic audit revealed these to consist of:

• apples (5) – 650g
• carrots (7) – 500g
• cherry tomatoes (didn’t count) – 270g
• courgettes (3) – 460g
• cucumber (1) – 440g
• green pointed cabbage (2) – 560g
• melon (1) – 520g
• oranges (5) – 620g
• potatoes (9) – 1.2kg
• white onions (7) – 510g

…or exactly as you see below:

Everything was fresh and in good condition.

The tomatoes were given an immediate taste test with 2 other varieties we had knocking about in the kitchen – a rather special miniature plum tomato from our local market and a spectacularly miserable and woolly specimen reluctantly purchased at a Tesco Express. The A&C came a close second behind the plum, with the Tesco’s limping home in a tasteless and distant third place.

Next up a cabbage, carrot and onion were finely chopped and mixed with a yoghurt and mayonnaise combo to make a superb coleslaw. As well as being pointed, the cabbage was mild and sweet.

Blogger D has a slightly fetishistic thing going with melons, so I left her alone to cut it up and take to work. An elevenses timed email reported: ‘Nice melon. If I’d left it a couple more days it would have been juicier, but it was tasty nonetheless‘.

I took some apples to work and they were very good indeed … a proper ‘English’ apple … a juicy, not too sharp, crispy bite.

The oranges were as nature intended – thin-skinned, small, imperfect and slightly blemished. They were sweet, juicy and not too pithy or pippy.

The next evening the courgettes were cut into 1″ slices and fried cut-sides-down in plenty of olive oil, garlic and chilli until both sides were caramelised and almost burnt. A generous squeeze of lemon, plenty of seasoning and a handful of torn basil leaves were added. Meanwhile spaghetti had been cooked, drained and then added to the courgettes. A quick stir to get all the flavours mixed and then served with roasted pine nuts and grated Parmesan. All washed down with a heavily branded white.

The following day the potatoes were spiced up to make a very tasty Patatas Bravas, the onions were cooked with tomato purée, sultanas and raisins to make sweet Moroccan relish, and the remaining carrots were made into a Tunisian salad by par-boiling and then simmered in wine vinegar with cumin and cayenne.

All that was left was a lonely pointed cabbage which was finely chopped, lightly cooked in plenty of butter and mixed with caramelized onions. This formed a bed onto which was laid a succulent piece of roasted cod.

Box empty.

Fin.

Verdict: As mentioned at the beginning, the contents of our VegBox were plentiful, varied and fresh. Overall I would say that although the taste and quality was comparable with anything bought at a good greengrocers, it was superior to the uniform blandness of your neighbourhood Tesco and far better than anything you’re likely to find mouldering in your local CostCutter.

Obviously added to this you have the fact that everything is organic, although how important this is is entirely dependent on your personal point of view. For me, it is a bonus but by no means essential.

Personally (and speaking as Ye Olde Socialist) what attracts me to A&C is the fair and decent way they treat their farmers, suppliers and employees. In these troubled times when politics is veering ever rightwards and companies are owned by anonymous Hedge Funds, this is something which should be applauded and supported. The slight premium you might be paying when you put in order is a small price to pay when you realise it is enabling farmers and specialist food producers to earn a crust without having to compromise standards or dance to the tune of supermarket bean counters…

…and they give any unwanted fruit and veg to the neighbourhood gorillas.

Drink: Day 1 – far too much, day 2 – none, day 3 – a bottle of white, day 4 – some pints, day 5 – prosecco and red, day 6 – some fine ales, day 7 – none.

Entertainment: In the week this box arrived we started watching the first season of ‘The Shield’ – that Vic Mackey is a bit naughty. Had a slap up feed at St John‘s in Smithfield – we ate from nose to tail via fin. Voted in the European elections – automatically and reluctantly for Labour. Watched the first of the new Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall series – ethical veal and relentless punnery. Started a punishing new exercise regime – that Gregg Wallace goes to my gym. Had a weekend in Wiltshire – it rained a lot. And generally waited with almost unbearable anticipation for the new series of ‘Celebrity Masterchef’.