Snuggle up with a deeply dippy chocolate fondue

Photo: © childsdesign

We tried out the BBQ Chocolate Fondue from Mortimer Chocolate Company over the weekend and before you wonder what us crazy people were doing having a barbecue in the depths of winter, we chose to use the oven method. That's the beauty of this kit as it can be enjoyed any time of the year come rain or shine.

Read full review

If you fancy indulging someone for Valentines why not order a BBQ Chocolate Fondue from Mortimer Chocolate Company.
Visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here where you'll find links to their website/shop.

Dreamy Valentines gifts from Fudge Kitchen

Drinking Fudge 
Valentines Gift Set
Available for a limited time only!
Send a special gift to your loved one with this Drinking Fudge Valentines Gift Set.

All wrapped in special heart themed gift wrap and finished off with a bow, the pack contains:

• Branded Fudge Kitchen travel mug
• Three sachets of gorgeous drinking fudge in Classic Chocolate, Tangy Orange and Winter Spice flavours
• Three generous portions of mini marshmallows

Valentines Fudge Selection
Order your dreamy Valentine fudge now for delivery on the romantic day of the year – the sweetest, dreamiest flavours all lovingly hand made by the Fudge Kitchen fudge experts for your Valentine.



Each slice is wrapped in greaseproof before being placed in a 4 slice box and finished with the beautiful Valentines sleeve.
Add a message or maybe just let them guess!

The box contains the following varieties:

• Eton Mess
• Double Trouble
• Best Traditional Toffee
• Belgian Chocolate Swirl

To place your order, visit the Fudge Kitchen page on The Artisan Food Trail where you'll find links to their website here

5 Good Reasons to Have Breakfast

© The Artisan Food Trail / Lisa Childs

Did you have breakfast today? As it is the most important meal of the day we have found five reasons why you should be eating it.

• Research suggests that breakfast eaters have lower stress levels than people who skip breakfast
• Skipping breakfast is not the way to lose weight! It has been shown that people that start the day with a healthy breakfast are more likely to be within their ideal weight range than those who skip breakfast
• Have breakfast within two hours of waking as this replenishes energy stores after an overnight fast
• Several studies have shown eating breakfast can have a positive impact on concentration levels
• Research has found that people eating breakfast cereals performed better in attention and memory tests than those eating less traditional breakfast foods or nothing at all

www.shakeupyourwakeup.com

Farmhouse Breakfast Week Recipe: Smoked Salmon & Egg Brunch

We chose this recipe from the Farmhouse Breakfast Week website as it would be perfect for a lazy Sunday morning brunch.
At the end of the recipe we give you an ingredient suggestion using produce from one of The Artisan Food Trail's members.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4tsp cornflour
• 300ml semi-skimmed milk
• 2tbsp grainy mustard
• 2tsp caster sugar
• 3tbsp chopped dill or fennel
• 4 large or 8 small slices of wholemeal bread
• 4 eggs
• 200g smoked salmon

Method

1. Blend the cornflour in a small saucepan with a little of the milk until smooth
2. Stir in the remaining milk
3. Cook gently over a moderate heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce is thickened and smooth
4. Stir in the mustard, sugar and dill or fennel and set aside
5. Bring a saucepan of hot water to the boil and poach the eggs
6. Meanwhile toast the bread
7. Spread the toast with a tablespoon of the sauce on 4 warmed serving plates
8. Pile the smoked salmon on top
9. Drain the eggs with a slotted spoon and place an egg on top of the smoked salmon
10. Spoon the remaining sauce over the eggs and serve immediately

TIP: Do not add the mustard to the sauce until it has thickened or the vinegar in the mustard might make the sauce curdle.

Ingredients suggestion
Try using The Artisan Smokehouse's Cold Smoked Scottish Salmon – the salmon is from the cold clear waters off the North West coast of Scotland. It is certified by RSPCA Freedom Food, demonstrating the farmer’s commitment to the welfare and sustainability of their fish. Very low stock densities and experienced hand rearing (using no growth promoters or chemical supplements) ensures happy healthy salmon of exceptional quality. The Artisan Smokehouse dry cures the salmon for up to three days before cold smoking it over maple wood. The final product is an award-winning smoked salmon that has a remarkable taste and texture.


www.shakeupyourwakeup.com

Carrot Cake

Photo: © childsdesign

We hope not too many of you are on post festive diets otherwise this cake recipe might be seen as inappropriate for the moment. However, this is a cake with a difference, and we like to think that it contains enough good ingredients to make it wholesome enough to at least indulge in a little.

We added our own twist to Yare Valley Oils’ recipe (which features on their website). Usually carrot cakes use sunflower oil but this recipe uses the liquid gold that is Yare Valley Oils Extra Virgin Coldpressed Rapeseed Oil. The oil has a wonderfully nutty flavour and is packed with omega 3 and vitamin E, so along with the heap of grated carrots, the cake should be (dare we say) quite good for you!

View recipe

To find out more about more about Yare Valley Oils visit their page on
The Artisan Food Trail here

January Offer: Free delivery from The Artisan Smokehouse

The Artisan Smokehouse has a FREE delivery offer until the end of January 2012 on all orders over £25 when you order through their website – this offer is only available to people in the UK and you’ll need to use the coupon code: @artisansmoker

Choose from a selection of handcrafted smoked goods, including meats, cheeses, fish, garlic and oils.

Visit The Artisan Smokehouse's page on The Artisan Food Trail here to find links to their website where you can place your order.
OFFER ENDED – SORRY

Shake Up Your Wake Up! for Farmhouse Breakfast Week – 22-28 January 2012

Photo: © childsdesign

Despite well-meaning family members and friends telling us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, there are people that still miss the value of breakfast.

When you think about it, it has probably been at least 10-12 hours since you last ate, as soon as the alarm clock bleeps. That's quite a long time to go without food, after all if this amount had passed during the day with an empty stomach, most of us would be famished and flopping about.

Thankfully Farmhouse Breakfast Week is just around the corner and from
22 – 28 January 2012, the awareness event will be endeavouring to change our thinking and get us all into the habit of eating a good breakfast. 'Shake Up Your Wake Up!' is the campaign’s motto.

All stages of the food chain, from farmers to food producers and retailers to consumers are being encouraged to hold events to promote the importance of starting the day with breakfast and to celebrate the wealth of wonderful breakfast produce available around the country.
Over the week, The Artisan Food Trail would like to introduce you to a variety of producers offering some of the greatest British produce which will make your breakfast time something to look forward to.

There's so many things besides boring cereal or dry toast and the campaign website has lots of lovely recipe ideas for exciting daybreak treats. We’ll be featuring some of those recipe ideas on our blog with suggestions of where you can find great ingredients fit for a king.

For more information about Farmhouse Breakfast Week visit www.shakeupyourwakeup.com