Time for a quick pre-Christmas round-up of all the things I’ve been up to lately, products I’ve been lucky enough to try and things I’ve cooked…
Pud in a mug
Dr. Oetker Pud in a Mug Sponge Puds are available in Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Tesco and Co-op, Dr. Oetker Pud in a Mug Velvety Desserts are available in Asda now. Both products have an MRRP of £0.79
Coconut chip things
Sutton’s seeds
Great British Bake Off gear
Ben & Jerry’s One Sweet World
The awareness-raising pint is the latest instalment to Ben & Jerry’s One Sweet World campaign, launched in partnership with civil-rights charity HOPE not hate, to bring people together and celebrate our communities at a time of increasing division.
I plonked this on the table in front of a few guests and the pot simply vanished. The coffee flavour is absolutely stunning and the chocolate treats lurking within are super-tasty. Whether you want to support the charity or not, it’s a superb ice-cream!
Proceeds of One Sweet World will also help fund projects that contribute to more inclusive communities.
Haagen-Dazs Honey, Walnut and Cream
It’s available from Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s and Co-op with an RRP of £4.75.
Beef wellington
I pretty much followed the Gordon Ramsay technique from an old F-Word recipe I found on YouTube (remember the F-Word?! “Beef – cook. Pastry – wrap. Beef wellington – DONE.” So dated! But could be due a comeback.) And the technique works really well. Buy a decent piece of beef, leave time between each stage to wrap and shape the final product, and you get a perfect little wrap. I also recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure the beef is cooked through the way you like it (I like 50C for a blushing medium rare).
How did I get on? Check out this video:
The moment of truth: is the beef wellington cooked in the middle?!
A video posted by Gary Fenn (@thebigspud) on
I was chuffed. It was perfectly moist thanks to an excellent piece of beef fillet I bought from Sainsbury’s, I used frozen puff pastry and following the aforementioned video guides it was fairly straightforward. Well worth it.
Christmas ideas
Need some Christmas inspiration? Here’s some things I enjoyed back in July at various suppliers:
Waitrose
A photo posted by Gary Fenn (@thebigspud) on
Sainsbury’s
Aldi
A photo posted by Gary Fenn (@thebigspud) on
Lakeland
A photo posted by Gary Fenn (@thebigspud) on
That’s all for now!