Here’s new things in my kitchen in October…

Candias Oil and Natur Boutique Tea

I tried some of this Candiasoil Extra Virgin Olive Oil Oi1 Peza. It comes in an attractive olive-green cylinder which makes it a great gift. I’ve often heard olive oils described as grassy but never tried one with this pronounced a flavour. It pairs extremely well with green vegetables and meaty fish. If you’d like to try some, you can get £1 off at Tesco.

I also received Natur boutique’s new Organic Lemongrass & Green Tea. Aromatic teas aren’t really  my thing but I passed them to a connoisseur friend who described it as “healthy, relaxing and tasty, perfect bedtime tea.” You’ll find it in Holland and Barrett stores nationwide and costs £2.99 for a box of twenty individually wrapped tea bags.

School of Wok Dim Sum Class

Thanks to Kavey I swung an invite to the School of Wok to attend one of their Dim Sum classes. Founder of the school Jeremy Pang took teams of bloggers through their paces making different types of dim sum.

We made Kimchi Dumplings in Korean Chilli Sauce, Chicken & Crab Wontons, BBQ Pork Puffs and Chocolate Spring Rolls.

There was lots of fun and tons of good eating too. If you’re looking for Chinese cooking lessons, an unusual office event or just a fun night out, I’d really recommend them – entertaining and educational.

Heston Blumenthal Baking Tools

I received a bunch of Heston-branded baking paraphernalia. I’ve been testing them for quite a while and they’re some of my favourite things in the kitchen:

I use these Precision spatulas daily in my kitchen. Perfect for beating, folding and scraping out the last bits.

This Precision Professional Whisk is the best whisk I’ve used. Big and whacks loads of air into your custard dead smart.

The Salter Aquatronic Electronic Scale is a great example of it’s type: if you haven’t moved to a digital scale you really should. It’s so easy to chuck things in a bowl, hit zero and just keep going. I can’t go back.

Sage by Heston Adjusta Grill and Press

Keeping with the Heston theme, I’ve just received this nifty bit of kit. I’ve only tried a few things with it so look forward to a proper review in the next few weeks.

Sous Chef Mini Maverick Spices

Sous Chef sent me their Mini Maverick spice pack to try. It’s a collection of unusual spices and seasonings. It’s a lot of fun trying to figure out where to use these oddities. They’d make a great stocking filler for the would-be chefs in your life.