Smoked salmon leaps ahead

Photo: © childsdesign

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After having been impressed with J Lawrie & Sons (Jaffy’s) kippers we looked forward to tasting their Oak Smoked Salmon.
Even though smoked salmon can be found just about everywhere in the large stores, these days, it is still no less a luxury. There are cheaper versions but paying a little extra is definitely worth it to enjoy a better product.

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We are pleased to award J Lawrie & Son (Jaffy's) our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Oak Smoked Salmon.

To find out more about J Lawrie & Sons (Jaffy's) visit their page on 
The Artisan Food Trail here.

A taste of Mallaig – kippers win AFT approval

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Jaffy’s Mallaig Kippers have already won a raft of food accolades and now it is their chance to be put through The Artisan Food Trail approval process.

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We are pleased to award J Lawrie & Son (Jaffy's) our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Mallaig Kippers.

To find out more about J Lawrie & Sons (Jaffy's) visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

Not all olive oils are the same

© Max Olive Oil

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Much like wine, olive oil has different characteristics depending upon where the fruit is grown, the olive variety and how the raw ingredients are treated to achieve the end product.

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We are pleased to award Max Olive Oil our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Donna Lucia Riserva Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

and Donna Lucia Etichetta Nera Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

To find out more about Max Olive Oil visit their page on 
The Artisan Food Trail here.

Traditional Taste: Turkey on test

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Christmas can be stressful enough for most of us, what with all the presents to find and wrap, not forgetting someone on the card list and then there's the food preparations to be made.

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We are pleased to award Morton's Traditional Taste our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status 

for their Free Range Bronze Turkey.

To find out more about Morton's Traditional Taste visit their page 
on The Artisan Food Trail here.

Hibiscus Lily jellies for juicy lamb

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Even the best grilled meat needs a good accompaniment either to enhance, counterbalance or complement it. Sweet, spicy and tangy flavours are always a welcome addition, particularly the jellies from Hibiscus Lily.

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We are pleased to award Hibiscus Lily our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for 

their Pomegranate Jelly with Rose Petals and 

Hot Chilli Jam.

To find out more about Hibiscus Lily visit their page on 
The Artisan Food Trail here.

Hibiscus Lily's superb spicy, sticky, tangy chutney

Photo: © Hibiscus Lily

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A good dollop of chutney is always an essential companion to cheeses and meats, hot or cold. A piquant tang of sweet and sour will enliven many foods as well as rev up the taste buds.

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We are pleased to award Hibiscus Lily our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Hot and Spicy Date & Tamarind Chutney.

To find out more about Hibiscus Lily visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here where you’ll find a link to their website for further information.

A refreshing change: Tg hot green teas

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A short while ago we tested out Tg Green Teas Iced Teas which won our approval and now it’s time to put the kettle on and brew up their hot teas.

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We are pleased to award Tg Green Teas our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Green Tea, Green Tea with Ginger & Lemon Zest and Green Tea with Jujube & Osmanthus.

To find out more about Tg Green Teas visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here where you’ll find a link to their website for further information.

Ready-to-drink green tea with all the good stuff

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A refreshing cup of tea in the afternoon is very much part of our daily ‘ritual’ and more often than not, a day without tea does not seem ‘quite right’. Although, when the weather is sweltering, a hot drink is not always so appealing.
Tg Green Teas has the answer – a ready-to-drink chilled tea which comes in three varieties in a handy bottle which is perfect to take anywhere.

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We are pleased to award Tg Green Teas our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Iced Green Tea with Ginseng, Iced Green Tea with Jujube & Ginseng and Iced Green Tea with Mandarin & Ginseng.

To find out more about Tg Green Teas visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here where you’ll find a link to their website for further information.

Venison and pork perfect chorizo partners

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Last month we announced a new product from Great Glen Charcuterie – Venison & Pork Chorizo.
Eager to get the word out and our opinion on their recent addition, Anja Baak made sure we received a pack to be put to the test.

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We are pleased to award Great Glen Charcuterie our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Venison & Pork Chorizo.

To find out more about Great Glen Charcuterie visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

Smooth smoky oil slips into the AFT Approved list

Over the past few years we've become big fans of cold pressed rapeseed oil and it has become an important staple in the kitchen.

Many British farmers have seen the benefit of growing the crop not only for animal feed but also as a gourmet ingredient for human consumption.

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We are pleased to award Yare Valley Oils our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for 

their Oak Smoked Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil .

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

Yare Valley Oils dressings are not just for salads

Photo: © Yare Valley Oils

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Yare Valley Oils  have combined their delicious Norfolk extra virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil with a variety of different, herbs, spices and seasonings to produce a range of dressings.
Currently there are three to choose from, all quite different, to complement a wide range of foods; Norfolk Honey & Mustard, Chilli and Norfolk Vinaigrette.
Yare Valley Oils' wonderfully golden rapeseed oil has a nutty taste with a particularly floral character which makes a pleasing base flavour.

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We are pleased to award Yare Valley Oils our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Norfolk Honey & Mustard Dressing, Chilli Dressing and Norfolk Vinaigrette.

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

Mixing it up with Mexican Sweet Chilli

Photo: © childsdesign

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Nuts are the perfect snack or accompaniment to a drink and as much as we like good old roasted peanuts, they can be quite boring.
That's where Mr Filbert’s comes in to perk up the taste buds with something more exciting. Those peanuts were feeling a little lonely so some cashews and almonds have joined them at the party with a dash of spice to liven things up.

© Mr Filbert's

These Mexican Sweet Chilli Mixed Nuts are the business where flavour and texture is concerned. With three different types of nuts, there are varying levels of crunch as well as taste.
Mr Filbert's have come up with the exact balance of salt and sweet, a whiff of garlic and warm smoky tones of chipotle chilli to make the nuts really special.

No need to worry about any strange additives as the flavours are all completely real and natural
which also makes this snack dairy and gluten free too.

We are pleased to award Mr Filbert's our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Mexican Sweet Chilli Mixed Nuts.

To find out more about Filbert's Fine Foods visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

Mr Filbert’s French Rosemary Almonds Approved

Photo: © childsdesign

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Of all the garden herbs, rosemary has to be one of our favourites with its heady fragrance and wonderful aromatic flavour. There’s nothing like a good sniff of rosemary to lift the spirits and clear the head.
It complements lots of different foods too especially lamb but is equally good with chicken, roasted vegetables or even fish. It only takes a little sprig of rosemary to infuse a dish because the leaves are so full of oils.

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We are pleased to award Mr Filbert's our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their French Rosemary Almonds.

To find out more about Filbert's Fine Foods visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

Approved: Womersley’s Orange & Mace Vinegar

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Sometimes we wonder what we did before we had the pleasure of using flavoured vinegars in our cooking. Working with several producers on The Artisan Food Trail has introduced us to some interesting fruit infused vinegars all of which are individual in their own right.

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We are pleased to award Womersley Fruit & Herb Vinegars our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Orange & Mace Vinegar.

To find out more about Womersley Fruit & Herb Vinegars visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

Really interesting snacks from Mr Filbert’s

Photo: © childsdesign

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Mr Filbert’s is going through a rebrand of their products at the moment.
The package design has changed to be more reflective of the high quality product within, as we found out when Mr Filbert’s sent us some of their nuts to try.

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We are pleased to award Mr Filbert's our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Italian Herb Peanuts & Hazelnuts and Moroccan Spiced Almonds.

To find out more about Filbert's Fine Foods visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here.

  We’re nutty about facts so here are some to ponder…                

• Rich in Vitamin E, a handful (30g, about 20 nuts) of almonds provides 85% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for Vitamin E. Originating in the Middle East almonds are now found growing in Southern Europe, California, Africa and Australia.
• Hazelnuts are also known as cobnuts, and filberts and contain significant amounts of B group vitamins They have the highest in fibre and lowest in fat content of all the nuts. Hazelnuts have been eaten by humans since the Stone Age period, as they are abundant in hedgerows throughout Great Britain and the rest of Europe.
• Also known as monkey nuts or groundnuts, peanuts are true legumes. They are grown throughout South and North America and the tropics, forming a staple food of tropical cuisine. Peanuts are a rich source of protein, iron and zinc.

Alan Coxon’s Ale-Gar™ approved

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Rich and dark in colour with flavour delivering hints of chocolate,
cinnamon and roasted malt, Ale-Gar™ is quite unique.

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We are pleased to give Alan Coxon ‘Artisan Food Trail Approved’ status for his Ale-Gar™ 

For more information about Alan Coxon visit his page on The Artisan Food Trail here

Grouse earns fame for The Blackface Meat Company

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Eating game may no longer just be the privilege of the aristocracy, but as it is such a seasonal meat, it certainly feels like a privilege to enjoy it and with grouse, especially so. The grouse season is short, starting in August and finishing just 16 weeks later (read our article about The Glorious Twelfth).

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We are pleased to award The Blackface Meat Company our ‘Artisan Food Trail Approved’ status for their Grouse.

To take advantage of the grouse season and to experience a gastronomic delight, we suggest you get you order in now!
You can find links to the Blackface Meat Company website on 
The Artisan Food Trail here.

The past is brought to life in Alan Coxon's historic vinegars

Photo: © childsdesign

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With twinkling eyes and a disarming smile, Alan Coxon is a man brimming with enthusiasm and a head full of interesting food and history facts. Some would say he is the Stephen Fry of the culinary world.
We have ‘known’ him since the 90s when he was on many television cooking programmes. We finally got to meet Alan giving one of his informative and engaging cookery demonstrations last year at Woburn Food & Crafts Festival.

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We are pleased to give Alan Coxon ‘Artisan Food Trail Approved’ status for his Roman Vinaigre™ and Ancient Greek Vinaigre™

For more information about Alan Coxon see his page on 
The Artisan Food Trail here

More pies pass the taste test from Bray's Cottage

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You may or may not know that Bray's Cottage Pork Pies make a variety of porky fillings for their delicious pies and we had the opportunity to test two more.

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We are pleased to award both pies our 

Artisan Food Trail Approved status!

For more information about Bray's Cottage Pork Pies visit their page on The Artisan Food Trail here

Photo: © childsdesign

Breckland Orchard introduces Posh Squash

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In addition to Breckland Orchard's fine range of Posh Pop a new line of Posh Squash has been added for more cooling refreshment this summer.

The three new cordials come in Plum & Cherry, Lemon & Mint and Rhubarb & Ginger flavours.
Each 330ml bottle contains a highly concentrated cordial needing just one part Posh Squash to eight parts water.

The Artisan Food Trail has been currently sipping the Plum & Cherry and Lemon & Mint varieties mixed with sparkling mineral water over ice. We like both of them as they are not over-sweet and taste very good.


There's so much you could do with Breckland Orchard's Posh Squash – mixing them into cocktails would make an exciting grown-up drink.
We have a few of our own ideas for other things too…

We are pleased to award Breckland Orchard our 'Artisan Food Trail Approved' status for their Lemon & Mint Posh Squash.

To find out more about Breckland Orchard visit their page on 
The Artisan Food Trail here