Make Mother’s Day Special With A Fairtrade Gift March 16, 2009

 Let your Mum know how much you care this Mother’s Day with the finest Fairtrade gift for her and the guarantee of a fair price and additional Fairtrade premium for people in the developing world behind the pressie.
With over 4,500 products that now carry the FAIRTRADE Mark, there’s plenty of gifts to choose from. New for this Mother’s Day, look for heavenly treats from Divine Chocolate or the softest bed linen and towels made from Fairtrade cotton from MUJI, John Lewis and Liv.
Fairtrade is good news for mums in the developing world too – it means that mothers across Africa, Asia and South America who grow the roses, cocoa, vanilla and other products that make the perfect Fairtrade Mother’s Day gift can provide their families with a better future and enjoy a stronger voice in their communities. Through Fairtrade, farmers earn a fair and stable income, taking away worries of putting food on the family table, and allowing them to look forward towards a brighter future for themselves and their children. What many don’t know is that in addition to a fair price, Fairtrade also empowers women to take an active part in their local economy and work as equals alongside men in often male dominated societies. Fairtrade standards encourage women’s representation on worker Joint Bodies or Fairtrade premium committees, requiring proportional representation wherever possible.

Sylvia Ramirez, a banana farmer from the El Guabo Association of Small Banana Producers in Ecuador said: ‘Fairtrade has given us the space to organise as women – to meet and discuss things. For us and our families, for the community and the environment, this is the future; it is the way forward…. The biggest difference with Fairtrade is that before we never had any money. We had to take out loans. Now we can spend on better education for the kids, on better groceries for the family, better clothes. Our children can go to better schools. We always want to get a better education for them’.

Homeware
A range of luxurious Fairtrade cotton bed linen is available from M&S including their beautiful brand new Garden Rose Bedset with duvet cover and two pillow cases (£25 for single and £45 for a double set). Striking stripy bed linen is also available from MUJI and gorgeous crisp white cotton sheets from LIV. For a touch of sophistication opt for Fairtrade towels by John Lewis, available in Amethyst and Pebble.

If your mum’s a dab hand in the kitchen, put a little thought into your present with Sarah Smith’s range of Fairtrade cotton aprons, oven gloves and tea towels, all of which come in vibrant designs including butterflies, chrysanthemum and spots. www.sarah-smith.co.uk

Chocolate
Nothing says ‘I love you’ like the gift of chocolate. Divine’s dark chocolate hearts are heavenly heart-shaped 70% dark chocolate wrapped in bright red foil. At £2.99 a pack they look a million dollars, but won’t break the bank (gold hearts also available in milk chocolate). Divine is 45% owned by the farmers who grow the cocoa, so buying Divine is as good for development as it is for your taste buds. www.divinechocolate.com

For the irresistible temptation that comes with the choice of chocs in a selection box, give her luxury Belgian Fairtrade Chocolates from Plush. Another mmmmm for mums comes in the range of crumbly fudge from Burnt Sugar. www.burntsugar.co.uk

Tea
If your mum’s always got the pot on the boil, treat her to cuppa a little more special than her usual brew. Hampstead tea’s Fairtrade organic peppermint, royal camomile, lemon valerian and rosehip hibiscus teas add a touch of finesse. Dragonfly’s Fairtrade organic Rooibos tea will help sooth and calm and Fairtrade organic detox China green tea from Qi brings health and vitality.

Cooking
Encourage her culinary creativity with the Fairtrade Everyday Cookbook published by Dorling Kindersley and edited by Sophie Grigson. The compilation of delicious recipes from celebrity supporters and chefs as well as competition winners would be a fantastic accompaniment to the gorgeous range of Fairtrade spices now available. Steenbergs Fairtrade organic cinnamon quills and Suma’s Fairtrade organic whole cloves would make a welcome addition to any spice rack as well as Suma’s Fairtrade organic range including ground ginger, cloves and turmeric.

Jams and preserves
It might be a bit mumsy, but that’s the idea, right? Check out Traidcraft’s range of jams including the deliciously simple Fairtrade organic strawberry jam and marmalade. From M&S, and perfect for Mother’s Day, is the Breakfast Larder gift set which includes Fairtrade strawberry conserve and two egg cups with cosies. Equal Exchange Fairtrade organic clear and orange blossom honey really do taste as good as they sound.

Calling all Families! March 12, 2009

Tell us why you have the UK’s best mum and win a
free Mother’s Day meal for two…

Brewers Fayre restaurants across the UK are inviting you to tell them why your mum is the best mum in the world and are offering the perfect way to thank her with a complimentary meal for two* this Mother’s Day, Sunday 22 March.

The local family favourite restaurant is asking you to put pen to paper and explain what sets your mum apart. Maybe she offers constant support to you and your family whilst juggling a busy job, maybe she volunteers for a local cause or helps someone in need without question or complaint? Perhaps she’s not your mum by birth but has assumed that role to help and guide you. Whatever your reason she deserves to be celebrated!

A spokesperson for Brewers Fayre said: “We know there are many incredible mums out there and we want to recognise and celebrate them on this special day. Every mum deserves to put their feet up and let someone else do the cooking on Mother’s Day. We want to help families all over the region say thank you.”

Entry forms can be found at all Brewers Fayre restaurants and the closing date is Friday 13th March. The winning entries will be announced in store on Saturday 14th March and all winners not present will be notified by phone.

If you aren’t lucky enough to win, you can still treat your mum to a special Mother’s Day lunch or dinner, as Brewers Fayre will be running a three course Sunday Roast set menu for just £11 or two courses for £9, with plenty of delicious dishes to choose from.

Brewers Fayre will be also be launching a new Spring and Summer Menu on 31st March with even more great pub food to choose from.

The new breaded Camembert bites are deliciously creamy and served with fruity chutney they make the perfect starter or sharing plate. Or for a truly seasonal dish, try the mouth-watering Minted Lamb loin, served with a red wine and rosemary sauce and mashed potatoes.

Pub food lovers will not be disappointed with the return of classic favourites including traditional Cottage pie, succulent slow cooked ham hock in parsley sauce, or the hearty liver and onions served in a giant Yorkshire pudding.

To find your local Brewers Fayre restaurant please go to:
http://www.brewersfayre.co.uk/restaurants/

*Meal for 2 includes a 3 course Sunday Roast set meal for £11 and a selected glass of wine.

Treat your mum to her own personalised muesli this Mother’s Day March 11, 2009

Treat your mum to her own personalised muesli this Mother’s Day. Forget sending a bunch of flowers, go for something far more tasty. Create a delicious customised muesli, granola or porridge blend at www.muddycook.co.uk. Choose from over 100 organic, preservative and additive free ingredients… then name it with an appropriate ‘thank-you’ message.

Muddy Cook offers many guilt-free nutritious ingredients including roasted hazelnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, cranberries, goji berries, hunza apricots and grape slices all designed to keep your Mum in the best of health as well as a few more luxurious indulgences for that extra special muesli such as blueberries, pecans, baby figs and raw cacao nibs.

Muddy Cook selects ingredients of the highest quality, many are hand-chopped to create the perfect size. The final blend is mixed by hand and it is this artisan approach that ensures that each blend offers the yummy factor. Almost all of the ingredients are organic, though with over one hundred ingredients, there are still a few that aren’t yet organic. Similarly, there are a high proportion of UK grown or Fair Trade ingredients. All of the oats, barley, wheat and rye are UK grown.

www.muddycook.co.uk

Treat Mum To A Sparkling Siesta On Mother’s Day March 10, 2009

Tapas in a Box hands families a way to impress Mum on a plate. Crack open the free bottle of Cava we’re including with Mother’s Day orders, place the superb artisan Spanish meats on a tray, the organic roasted almonds and marinated olives in bowls, put our tasty authentic tapas in the oven, and get the armchair ready for Mum to enjoy a little siesta after her family tapas treat. Be everyone’s Amigo for the day !

The fusion of food from small family producers in Andalusia, Cataluña and La Rioja with hand-made tapas prepared to much-loved family recipes in Warwickshire, creates an unusual and easily-prepared Mother’s Day option which can be ordered online for next-day delivery nationwide.

With prices ranging from £9 to £12 per person, Tapas in a Box is a great value for money option for home entertaining with a difference. Customers ordering a Large or Party Box will get a free bottle of Cava with each order – Olé !

www.tapasinabox.com

Serve Mum Something Special This Mother’s Day March 10, 2009

Show Mum how much you care this Mother’s Day (22nd March) with innovative, individual, gourmet gifts from MyDish.co.uk, the social networking site that joins families together for their favourite foods and favourite food moments.

With a wide range of personalised gift options from bespoke books, to memorable mouth watering recipes, whisk up a treat this Mothering Sunday and make something special to show how much you care.

MyDish.co.uk’s personalised CookBook offers the perfect gift for the perfect mum with a bespoke recipe book (soft or hardback, starting from £9.99) complete with her favourite recipes along with photos of the family and anecdotes on the heritage or story behind the dish to make her smile with delight.

For a truly personal publication, simply, browse the MyDish collection of cookbooks and choose whatever your mum likes from soups & stews, desserts, cakes and sweets, to vegetarian recipes…the choice is yours. You can even change one or several of the recipes, adding your own much-loved family pictures and even create your own cover.

Add a personal message (as cheeky as you like!). It’s so easy and something your Mum can cherish forever….

Alternatively, why not get busy in the kitchen and surprise your Mum with a homemade treat from the MyDish collection of family favourite recipes. For ideas from breakfast in bed to a home cooked supper, cook up something special from the hundreds of delicious recipes that have been tried and tested by MyDish community.

MyDish Founder Carol Savage said, “A truly personal gift says so much more at Mother’s Day so why not serve up something special and give Mum a break from the kitchen. Or give a gift that captures Mum’s favourite family times and the dishes enjoyed for a memorable coffee table book”

www.mydish.co.uk

Mums Are Spoilt For Choice At The Living Room W1 This Mother’s Day… March 10, 2009

Mums are spoilt for choice at The Living Room W1 this Mother’s Day with a sensational menu selection especially prepared by Head Chef Raymond Fulton Corrie.

2 courses £25 per person
3 courses £30 per person

MENU:

Goat’s cheese & red onion tart with a soya bean, shallot and lambs lettuce salad

Daily Soup (V)

Prawn Cocktail Salad

~~~

Roast leg of lamb with mint sauce

Roast Chicken with bread sauce

Berkshire pork loin with Bramley apple puree

Roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding and horseradish

Roast Gammon with mustard cream sauce

Veal cutlets with peppercorn sauce

Confit Gressingham duck leg with a raisin and cracked black pepper jus

(All served with a selection of seasonal vegetables and roast potatoes)

Ricotta and butternut lasagne with char-grilled vegetables and a parmesan sabyon (V)

~~~

Sticky toffee pudding

Warm treacle tart with vanilla ice-cream

Chocolate brownie with maple and walnut ice-cream

For bookings please call 020 7292 0570 or email thelivingroomW1@relishhh.com

Spoil Mum With Fudges Florentine Hearts This Mother’s Day March 10, 2009

Fudges, the expert biscuit makers, have lovingly created an exclusive, limited edition, gift-bag of Fudges Belgian Chocolate Florentine Hearts perfect for this Mother’s Day.

Taking exquisite ingredients including almonds, stem ginger, sultanas and mixed peel, they have tenderly blended them together, delicately pressed the mixture into little hearts and then hand-dipped each heart individually in rich Belgian chocolate. Each pack contains three dark and two white chocolate hearts, so indulge in what takes your fancy.

Take a break from traditional chocolates and flowers this year and show how much you care with these superlative chewy treats perfect with a cup of tea.

Pick up Fudges Belgian Dark and White Chocolate Florentine Hearts in selected farm shops, delis and independent stores. A gift-bag of these beautiful biscuits costs only £4.99.

Alternatively, for an all year round treat, Fudges Dark Chocolate Florentines are available at Tesco, Booths, Waitrose and independent stores nationwide priced at £3.25 for 150g box.

For more information on the award-winning range of savoury and sweet biscuits and luxury cakes visit www.fudges.co.uk

Spoil Your Mum This Mothers’ Day With Hampstead Tea March 10, 2009

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, Hampstead Tea’s English Breakfast leaf tea makes the perfect gift for tea lovers.

Mums will always appreciate a homemade present, so why not bake a cake, brew a cup of delicious organic and Fairtrade tea and sit down for afternoon tea.

Available from Wholefoods and Planet Organic stores and online at www.hampsteadtea.com

What’s all the fuss? Unlike other popular brands, Hampstead Teas are made of the highest quality biodynamic tea leaves and produce complex, fragrant, flavourful brews. We are passionate about offering teas with true, distinct flavours and as a testament to this our products have received numerous great taste awards over the years.

Hampstead Tea’s range of herbal infusions, green, black and oolong teas are available as sachets or loose leaf in natural and fine foods retailers, delis and cafes as well as several online stores.

Stockists include: Wholefoods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Planet Organic, also available online at www.hampsteadtea.com.

A novel twist on the traditional bunch of flowers! March 10, 2009

Decidedly different!

A novel twist on the traditional bunch of flowers, PassionLeaf bouquets feature fabulous fruit creatively arranged into an eye-catching display – and they’re hand delivered to the door.

 

Two presents in one!

Practical as well as pretty! PassionLeaf’s arrangements are the perfect pressie to send and receive – they provide a great talking point as a centerpiece – with the added bonus that they are edible too!

 

Sculpted from combinations of the freshest pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, grapes, melon there’s a PassionLeaf bouquet that’s sure to tickle your tastebuds!

 

Plus you can always add some chocolate-dipped strawberries or champagne if the pure fruit option seems a little too healthy!

 

To share or not to share?

PassionLeaf now have two mini bouquets which are perfect for one or two – so they’re the perfect tasty treat without overdosing on the fruit factor!

 

PassionLeaf is:-

100% Natural

100% Vegetarian/Vegan

100% Fresh

100% part of your 5-a-day

100% Passion.

 

To view the entire range of PassionLeaf fruit bouquets visit www.passionleaf.com

Call 020 3209 2000 to place an order. Orders are aimed to be delivered within 24 hours. Prices now from £25.00 plus delivery charge. Delivery, in refrigerated vans, is currently available across the south-east in and around

the M25.

LittleMissFoodie’s Notes: Sending one of of these bouquets would make a great alternative to real flowers, especially for those with allergies or the ones who always say ‘you shouldn’t have wasted your money on flowers.’ I would be thrilled if someone sent me one of these!! What are you waiting for?