Gorgeous Packaging for this Scotch Whisky which was distilled by

one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland...Balblair...founded in the 1790's

Australia Day!

Fancy a Lamington, mate?

Here's a great recipe with a twist!

A Lamington Cake!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
• 2/3 cup (100g) self-raising flour
• 1 tbs cornflour
• Desiccated coconut, to sprinkle
• 1 cup (250ml) thickened cream
• 1 tbs icing sugar mixture
• 1/4 cup (90g) raspberry jam
• 1 1/2 cups (100g) shredded coconut

• Chocolate icing

• 1 1/2 cups (230g) icing sugar mixture
• 1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder
• 20g butter
• 1/3 cup (80ml) milk

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a 25x30cm swiss roll pan with baking paper, allowing the sides to overhang.

2. Use an electric mixer to whisk eggs until thick and pale. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue whisking until sugar dissolves. Sift flour and cornflour over egg mixture and gently fold until just combined. Pour into prepared pan; smooth surface. Bake for 10 minutes or until sponge is dry to the touch. Place a sheet of baking paper on a clean surface; sprinkle with a little desiccated coconut. Turn hot cake out onto paper. Remove lining; gently roll up sponge from one short end. Roll in a clean tea towel and set aside to cool completely.

3. Use an electric mixer to whisk the cream and icing sugar mixture together until firm peaks form.

4. Unwrap the sponge and spread evenly with jam. Top with the cream, leaving a 3cm border. Re-roll sponge, using the paper as a guide, to enclose the filling. Place on a wire rack over an oven tray.

5. To make the chocolate icing, combine the icing sugar, cocoa powder, butter and milk in a heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water and stir for 3-4 minutes or until icing is smooth and runny. Remove from heat and carefully spoon evenly over the sponge roll. Place the coconut on a large tray. Roll the sponge into the coconut to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes to set. Cut into slices to serve.

Michelin Stars 2011

100 years after the first Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland was released, the region can boast the highest number of stars it has ever been awarded. There were no new stars for Scottish, Welsh, or Irish restaurants in the just-released 2011 edition, and ten establishments lost stars, yet the addition of 12 first stars to restaurants in England brings the total for the region to 143.

There are only four three-star restaurants in all of England — Gordon Ramsay, Alain Ducasse, The Fat Duck and The Waterside Inn — and no new three-stars were added this year. Two stars were awarded to Cornwall-based chef Nathan Outlaw and London lady chef Hélène Darroze.

Despite declaring his indifference to the guide, Rayner does seem more than a little cranky that Gordon Ramsay's "beige" restaurant Petrus got its first star while some of his favorites were skipped over. Guess you can't make all the people happy all the time.

read the full article here

Cupcake Adoration

The Hummingbird Bakery is our food lust!

Follow them on twitter @hummingbirdbakery and on Facebook.

We drool over their cupcakes daily.

Very unique and stylish packaging for Organic Olive Oil

and Balsamic Vinegar

Have you seen this trendy new health drink....???

Gloji superjuice offers two mixes

Gloji Mix - part goji and part pomegranate - for all your antioxidant overdosing

OR

Gloji Gold "100% Pure Premium Power" - wild grown goji berries, ripe harvested from the lower desert of Tibet

start your year off with a GLOJI health bang!!!

Lunch Box Treat!

Children and adults alike love rice crispy treats!

Here's an easy recipe:

5 Bar-one's, chopped

150g butter

100g rice crispies or coco pops

75g chocolate

Grease a 20cm square dish.

Melt the butter and bar-ones in a saucepan over medium heat.

Once melted add the rice crispies and fold until coated in the butter and bar-one mixture.

Pour into the greased dish.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, watching it to ensure it doesnt seize, and drizzle over the top of the crispies.

Leave to set in the fridge before cutting into squares.

Lunch Box

Sweetcorn & Courgette Fritters

It's the time of the year when creating balanced, healthy lunch boxes seems a bit of a chore!

We'll be posting a few ideas this week to get you inspired!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

1 cup milk

2 eggs

2 large corn cobs, kernels removed

Olive oil for shallow frying

1 cup tzatiki for dipping

Method

Sift flour into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Using a fork, whisk milk and eggs together in a jug until combined. Pour over flour. Stir until smooth. Add corn and zucchini. Stir until well combined.

Pour olive oil into a frying pan and over a medium heat, heat until hot. Using 1/4 cup of mixture per fritter, spoon mixture, 3 fritters at a time, into pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side or until golden and firm to touch in the centre. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

• To freeze: Wrap each fritter in plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Remove from freezer in the morning. Place frozen fritters in lunch box with a small container of tzatziki. Fritters will thaw by lunchtime.

Barbecoa

Jamie Oliver's new restaurant in London. A barbecue haven acknowledging the relationship between fire and wood. Looks pretty slick and smart.

See more here

Coca Cola's New Aluminium Concept....quite funky we think!

New Starbucks Logo

What do you think?

Move over cupcakes...here come PIES!

Food Trends predict that 2011 is the year of the pie.

So in keeping with the trend for 2011, try these delicious Aubergine-Feta Phyllo Pies

Ingredients

1 large aubergine, halved lengthwise

Extra virgin olive oil for brushing

Coarse salt and ground black pepper

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup roughly chopped pistachios

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp red-pepper flakes

2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

5 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Lightly brush cut sides of eggplant with oil and season with salt & pepper. Place eggplant, cut side down, on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until tender, 20 minutes, then remove from oven. Reduce heat to 190 degrees celcius. When cool enough to handle, scrape flesh from skin and roughly chop. Transfer eggplant to a medium bowl and add feta, 3 tablespoons pistachios, coriander, red-pepper flakes and mint. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

2. Lighly oil 6 standard muffin cups. Lay 1 sheet phyllo on a work surface and, with a pastry brush, lighly brush with oil. Stack 4 more phyllo sheets on top, brushing each with oil. Cut into 6 squares. Gently press one square into each muffin cup and fill with 1/4 cup eggplant mixture. Gently fold over corners of phyllo to enclose filling. Brush tops with oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon pistachios. Bake until golden, 30 minutes.

Serve warm with lightly dressed greens or assorted vegetables and hummus.