Laithwaites wine - browsing italy

For Some Of The Best Wine Buys This Spring – Head To Italy!

Italian wine can be baffling! Most people have heard of Chianti. Lots of you probably enjoy a glass of Pinot Grigio or two, maybe the odd Frascati or Soave every now and then. But when you find wines like Verdicchio, Primitivo and Dolcetto on the wine list, you may be left feeling that a simple Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon is a friendlier option!

But don’t give in – you’ll be missing out on some of the most diverse and exciting wines in the world! Tony Laithwaite – Chairman of Laithwaites, the UK’s leading independent wine merchant – has just got back from a buying trip to Italy, where he and Laithwaites buyer Thomas Woolrych decided they could happily drink nothing but Italian wine for the rest of their days!

"I’ve since calmed down a bit (but only a bit)", says Tony, "but what struck me was the quality of the 2006 vintage – and the dazzling diversity on offer." And Tony’s not alone in heaping praise on the harvest. The Giorno del Vino (Italy’s leading wine journal states that "2006 is unquestionably the best vintage of the last 5 years – in almost all areas of Italy. The best white wines are spectacular – and on a level with their red wine."

From Alpine north to sun-drenched south you can find totally unique wines that are bursting with flavour. Classic grapes like Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot are grown in Italy, but there’s nothing like fresh, limey Cortese of classic Italian white Gavi di Gavi anywhere else in the world – makes a nice change from Chablis!

So if you and your taste buds are prepared to go on a wine discovery voyage, Italy is the country to head to! To see what’s got the people at Laithwaites so excited, have a little look at their current Italian range by visiting our web site.

Why re comfort foods so... comforting

Picture it: you’ve just broken up. Eyes red from crying, you listen to “One is the Loneliest Number” on endless repeat; no matter what the season, every time you step outside it rains. In a daze, you stumble through your kitchen, and inexorably you are drawn to the freezer; to the third drawer down; to the ice cream. Of course the slightly freezer-burnt Mint Chocolate Chip tastes good, it always does, but with every creamy bite, you find yourself thinking—for the moment, at least—that everything is going to be okay.

This all too familiar scenario is tied into a grand human tradition: comfort food. The fact that we seem to gravitate towards certain foods in times of grief is nothing new, of course (in fact, the term “comfort food” gained official recognition from Webster’s in 1972 and we've written an article about them once before), but recent research sheds interesting light on the relationship between grief and that fourth chocolate chip cookie.

Why do we want certain foods when we’re sad? Common wisdom dictates that whatever comforted you as a child makes a quick, soothing fallback when you’re an adult. If mom gave you pickles to help with teething, it’s likely you’ll associate pickles with comfort when you’re in pain. There’s certainly truth to that, but all signs point to the comfort food phenomenon being something more than psychological.

According to one theory advanced by the University of California, we use high-fat, high-sugar foods to balance out our hormones during times of chronic stress. When the body is subjected to stress, adrenal glands release certain hormones called glucocorticoids. In immediate-danger situations (like, say, a car crash or extreme physical pain) the amount of glucocorticoids released can eventually crash our stress-response systems. But during periods of chronic stress, the hormones are released at lower level; instead of shutting us down, they drive us to seek out pleasurable foods and accumulate abdominal fat. By doing so, we send an “a-OK” signal to the brain, which halts the release of any more hormones.

Numerous trials with rats support the theory; chronically stressed rats drank ever-increasing amounts of sugar water until their stress responses died down. It’s not much of a stretch to imagine it working in a similar way for you or me. The researchers concluded that the abdominal fat somehow sent the all clear—possibly to regulate metabolism.

In a different study performed by Sue Zmarzty and others at the Northern General Hospital Trust / Centre for Human Nutrition in UK, participants ate high-fat or high-carb breakfasts, then dunked their hands in ice water; those who enjoyed the fattier pancakes were far more tolerant towards pain. The conclusion: fattier foods may reduce the amount of pain a person feels. How exactly this works remains a mystery, but theories factor in everything from the special hormones released by high-fat ingestion to the palatability of sugar-rich foods.

The point is, our bodies clearly physically respond to comfort food, meaning your craving for Mac n’ Cheese after a funeral isn’t just in your head. People do a lot of unhealthy things trying to cope with pain and loss, from self-harm to drugs; in the grand scheme of things, eating some extra fat can’t be that bad, particularly when your body is telling you to. So when the need arises, don’t sit sadly in the rain or make good friends with a bottle. Instead, head to your freezer, grab that ice cream, and indulge for a while!

Better yet, try one of the following comforting recipes:

Morning Coffee Cake

Although it may not be part of your balanced breakfast, this coffee cake is sweet and gooey – better for dessert than first thing in the morning.

Simple Crab Bisque

An easy and delicious bisque recipe. Try it for an indulgent lunch!

Lasagna

Serve this one to family or friends and your reputation as a gourmet is sealed.

Hearty Mac and Cheese Strata with Bacon

This dish combines the elegance of a strata with the everyday appeal of mac 'n cheese.

Grandmother’s Chewy Fudge Brownies

Grandmother's cure for a sick child!! This recipe is at least 50 years old.

Shortbread Bars

These are no ordinary shortbread cookies – layered with melted sugar and chocolate, they are to die for.

Starbucks iced coffee recipe versus all other iced coffee

- Are All Recipes The Same?

If you like iced coffee then I expect as you are probably a serious coffee lover you love the starbucks iced coffee recipe. If you are reading this article then you have tasted and know what iced coffee is and you will certainly have tried a starbucks iced coffee recipe. But iced coffee is not what you are thinking it is. You do not make a cup of hot coffee and wait for it to cool down or chill it in the freezer to make a glass of iced coffee. You could not be more wrong! Yes of course iced coffee is a variety of a hot brewed coffee, but there is a method to make it, a method that is different from the way a hot coffee is brewed and the starbucks iced coffee recipe is just gorgeous.

Making Iced Coffee - Tips And Tricks

Hot coffees are hot-brewed, but if you want to make iced coffee the way it was made when it was started, then you have to cold-brew the coffee. Yes, you read that right – You do not need to heat coffee if you want to make an iced coffee. All you need is a special pot, cold water, and coarsely grounded coffee beans! Or if you prefer try the starbucks iced coffee recipe below and you can be the judge.

• Pour the cold water in the pot.

• Put in the coarsely grounded coffee beans.

Other Ideas for you to try:

• Put some of the coffee you’ve made in the freezer and make ice cubes out of it.

• Try adding a bit of sugar syrup and a little chocolate flavoring.

• Top off your iced coffee with a generous helping of whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and a flake to really impress your friends - they will think you are an iced coffee expert or an employee of starbucks coffee house!

What will happen is that the cold water will extract the coffee flavors but will not extract the bitter compounds and the fatty oils that are present in the beans. This means that the iced coffee, which is made, will have less acid content than what it would have had if it were hot-brewed. Coffee made using this method was originally called iced coffee. This method was invented in 1962 by a chemical engineer, Todd Simpson, and his company is still around today (It’s called Toddy Products).

If you choose to make iced coffee using the hot-brew method, then you must get the coffee into the refrigerator once it reaches room temperature. If you allow it to get colder than that, then it may lose its flavor.

Starbucks Iced Coffee Recipe:

Starbucks Frappuccino

• 2 shots (3 oz.) espresso

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk

• 1 Tbls. pectin OR 1 tsp. pectin + 1 tsp. arrowroot

1. Stir sugar into espresso. Cool mixture.

2. Stir milk and pectin into espresso mixture until pectin is dissolved.

3. Fill a glass with ice and either serve mixture over ice, or pour glass contents into blender and blend for 30-45 seconds. Enjoy!

The role of the tea room and the tea supplier

The growth in demand for high quality loose leaf tea is spectacular and all indications are that the trend will continue for the foreseeable future. As more loose leaf tea enthusiasts consume greater quantities of tea, the relationship between tea suppliers and the tea room increases in importance.

Tea rooms are critically important to suppliers of loose leaf tea because the tea room bundles high quality loose leaf tea with other food products, services and an ambiance that create a very pleasurable tea experience. This addition of value is essential to the growth of the loose leaf tea market in the United States

Many high quality tea rooms create an intimate and attractive experience for the drinking of tea outside of the home. Historically tea has represented a total experience with social, cultural, and even spiritual aspects and high quality tea rooms offer a broad choice of loose leaf teas, complimentary food products like sandwiches, fruit, and pure water beverages in a pleasant, warm environment.

The basic element in the relationship between the tea supplier and the tea room however, is quality loose leaf tea.

Loose leaf tea is all about quality and service. The owner of the tea room makes a substantial investment of time and resources including the choice of an attractive location, high quality furnishings and staff in order to create a quality brand. In order to maintain the integrity of the tea room brand the basic tea offering must be broad and one of consistent high quality.

Quality tea rooms often look to increase the quality of tea and then maintain the consistency of the tea offering. In addition a broad product line of teas offered by the supplier offer the tea room’s customers choices and the excitement of new blends and flavors. Many tea rooms are constantly on the look out for new vendors of loose leaf tea because new tea lines are easily integrated into their tea offering.

Generally speaking, the commercial relationship between tea importer suppliers and the tea room is a wholesale one with discounts off of retail provided based on volume of tea purchases. Where the supplier provides marketing and customer support the relationship tends to be close and very profitable for both parties.

What Should Tea Rooms Look for in A Tea Supplier?

There are a number of tea suppliers in the marketplace but not all are the same. Some of the characteristics of the best tea suppliers from a tea room perspective are:

• High quality loose leaf tea recognized in the marketplace

• A commitment to the tea room industry

• A commitment to quality that is evidenced by tea cupping of each bulk shipment import

• A broad product offering that includes varietals, blends and flavored teas

• An e-commerce site with features that provide easy ordering, flexibility of delivery and good prices

• Marketing support including information about tea and tea commerce

• Open lines of communication that solicit feedback from tea room customers

• The highest quality customer service and a dedication to tea room customer satisfaction

The relationship between tea rooms and tea suppliers is one of the mainstays of the loose leaf tea industry. Relationships that are based upon the highest tea quality and premium customer support and service will be valuable to both parties in the transaction.

Using antioxidant food for health

Fighting against diseases such as cancer – and maintaining a healthy lifestyle – has become something of a pastime among those who are tuned in to continuing research. And what research has shown is an ever-present connection between diet and the sustenance of the body’s health. Antioxidants – the buzz word of modern health talk – have garnered quite a bit of attention as of late, as has those foods that contain them. Antioxidant food varies in is form but provides consistent results – to help protect the body against illness.

Antioxidant food contains nutrients that work to combat free radicals – those molecules in the body that attack healthy cells. Free radicals develop from molecules that become unstable due to poor diet as well as environmental factors such as smoking. Molecules are considered unstable when they begin attacking healthy cells to find their missing electrons. These rebel molecules have been linked to many different types of cancer.

Those nutrients found in antioxidant food work to stabilize these rabid molecules. Included in antioxidant food are such things as fresh fruits and vegetables - fruits such as apricots, watermelon, and tomatoes and tomato products, all of which contain lycopene; green leafy vegetables such as spinach which contain the antioxidant lutein; vegetables rich in beta-carotene such as carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes; and foods rich in Vitamins A (eggs and milk), C (fruits and vegetables), and E (nuts and broccoli) that have also been shown to be high in antioxidants. On the more enjoyable side – dark chocolate and even red wine have been shown to be acceptable antioxidant food.

Finding antioxidant food that satisfies health requirements as well as meeting your specific enjoyment requirements, can take a little time. Work with your doctor to identify antioxidant food that you can implement into your lifestyle. Your effort will be rewarded with a healthier body and a life of ongoing vitality.

Why should you join a wine club

Not sure what wines to buy? Always buy the same thing? Looking for a regular supply of wines direct to your door? If the answer is yes to any of the above, then you should consider joining a wine club. Wine clubs have become increasingly popular in recent years and offer a number of benefits when it comes to buying wine.

The main advantage of joining a wine club is that you get to enjoy a regular supply (monthly or quarterly depending on the wine club) of expertly selected wines. Unlike a supermarket or wine shop when you are faced with rows and rows of wines and unsure what to buy, with a wine club all the research is done for you. You get to taste a whole host of award winning wines, customer favourites, pre-releases and undiscovered gems that you otherwise may not have chosen. What’s more, you’ll be sure to have a bottle of wine to hand, perfect for every occasion.

Another advantage of joining a wine club is that you will receive detailed information about each of the wines. This can help when it comes to picking out wines in the future (particularly if you are new to wine), as you get to learn more about what you are drinking and the winemakers who produce the wines. Some wine clubs encourage you to rate or comment on the wine. This can be useful as you get to remember your favourites and you also get to see what other customers think of the wines before you taste them.

Joining a wine club is one of the easiest ways of buying wine. As you sit back and enjoy your wines, you can rest assured that the hard work is being done to prepare your next wine club case for you. And with delivery direct to door, you don’t have to lift a finger.

Some wine clubs offer an incentive to encourage you to join, such as a price reduction or free gift. Once you’ve joined, you’ll also probably benefit from other savings such as discounted cases or exclusive promotions. Virgin Wines’ online wine club goes the extra mile and offers a money back guarantee, so if you find that you don’t like a wine that has been selected for you, you can get your money back.

In addition, as a member of a wine club, you may receive invitations to tasting sessions or events. These can be a great way of meeting other people interested in wine, chatting to the experts who select your wines and trying new ranges.

Finally, with many wine clubs to choose from, it’s worth picking one that offers you freedom and flexibility. So if you decide that you want to skip a case or modify the selection where you don’t like a wine, this shouldn’t be a problem.

A wine club is a great option if you are looking to learn more about wine and they are a really convenient way of keeping stocked up with wine. Wine clubs do vary from one to another, so it’s best to check the details and terms first to ensure that you choose the best one for you. To find out about Virgin Wines’ Discovery Wine Club, which specialises in bringing you boutique wines from up and coming winemakers, and which offers all of the benefits mentioned above plus more, visit virginwines (dot) com.