Christmas is Coming

This time next week (17th November) the Christmas Lights will be illuminated on Eton High Street. The festivities commence with a carol service in Eton College Chapel at 6pm (entrance is by ticket only, available at Tastes Delicatessen, Eton Fudge Shop and the Manley Gallery). The service will be followed by a reindeer led procession through the historic high street to Jubilee Square where there will be carols around the Christmas tree and the grand switch on at 7pm. Shops will be open late, there will be mulled wine and mince pies available, along with Santa's grotto, and a chance to meet the reindeer.

Once the lights are on I can start to mention some of the fantastic products we have available this Christmas.

Picnic Platters... the director's cut

Today I made up 18 picnic platters for the members of the Charteris Day Centre to enjoy at the Eton Street Party, celebrating The Queen's 90th Birthday.

I also made a movie. Not exactly Spielberg standard, and the lighting is terrible (but approved by Environmental Health, so we're going with safety over style).  Enjoy...

Pork Pies, Vegetable Quiche, Van Strien Cheese Palmiers, Three Bean Salad, Potato Salad, Piper's Crisps, Snowdonia Black Bomber, Stockan's Oatcakes, Miller's Damsel Charcoal Wafers, Fine Cheese Company Rosemary Crackers, Chocolate Brownies made from Mortimer Chocolate Powder and Lemon Bakewell slices. All accompanied with still water, Luscombe Still Lemonade and Wild Elderflower Bubbly, and just enough sunshine.

Christmas Light Switch On

It feels as though Autumn is making way for Winter now, there is a definite chill in the air and at the end of last week the shop was too cold for short sleeved t-shirts. Just in time really, as the Eton Christmas Light Switch on is on Thursday (19th November). Carols in college chapel from 6pm (restricted space so tickets are required which you can get from shops on the high street, like Tastes Deli), processession to Jubilee Square led by Father Christmas, his faithful reindeer and the children from the Eton Porny Primary School. More carols, mulled wine, mince pies, snow etc etc. The lights will illuminate at 7pm. Here are some photos from last year to get you in the mood.

  

Independents' Day

It's the 4th July, and while the USA celebrate their Independence, in the UK we're celebrating our Independents! Independent Retailers that is.

Across the country, the public are being encouraged to buy at least one item from their local, independent shop to celebrate Independents’ Day 2013. With so many independent retailers in Eton, it won't be difficult to find something wonderful to purchase.

The national campaign, organised by the National Skills Academy for Retail, was started three years ago, to champion the local retailers who make the UK’s villages, towns and cities so special.

With over 160,000 independent retailers making up 92% of all retail businesses in the UK, their importance to local economies as well as their contribution to a location's identity and community is unrivaled.

Jane Rexworthy, Head of the National Skills Academy for Retail said: “We are delighted to lead this campaign to celebrate diversity in retail. Independents’ Day aims to highlight the huge range of skills successful independent retailers need to make our towns and cities such interesting and varied places to visit and shop."

According to the National Skills Academy for Retail:

• Shopping locally boosts your local economy, enabling local businesses to prosper and grow.
• For every £1 you spend in your local independent business, between 50p-70p circulates back into your local economy.
• Shopping locally also supports local traders, their suppliers and the people they depend on to run their business.
• By choosing to shop locally this July, you will make your contribution to keeping your high street, town or village centre ‘open for business’.

Busy Weekend!

There is so much going on in Eton this weekend, I thought I'd put a little schedule together to make sure nothing is missed out. So how about this for a plan...

Start the weekend off with a stroll along Eton's Historic High Street. Delightful, unique shops await you. Browse the Duality exhibition at Jam and find plenty of gift and home inspiration in the numerous galleries and shops.

Buy a picnic lunch from Tastes Deli  and enjoy Eton's fantastic Thames side setting with views of Windsor Castle.

From 2pm the Eton College gardens will be open to the public. Take you time to admire areas not usually kept private (£4 admission charge applies).

Staying at Eton College, the fantastic Natural History Museum will be open until 6pm (free admission).

Choose one of Eton's fabulous restaurants, many with outside dining areas, for dinner, then head to The Henry VI, for live music from 9pm.

Sunday is Father's Day and time for the Toshiba Windsor Triathlon. Competitors will be swimming in the Thames, cycling through Windsor and running down Eton High Street.

At 11:30 David Dragon will be demonstrating the technique he uses to produce his monotypes, as well as talking about his inspiration and influences, at Jam (Note from Jam: please do let us know if you would like to attend so we can arrange chairs and so forth! tel. 01753 622333 or email info@jam-eton.co.uk. A good activity for Father’s day!)

The river Thames will be home to the "Coronation 60th Anniversary" regatta all weekend.  Crews are racing between Prince Albert and Queen Victoria bridges, with spectators (who have pre-booked tickets at £8 per adult) allowed into the normally private grounds of Windsor Castle to watch the action.

If you didn't have time for  Natural History Museum on Saturday, it will be open again on Sunday afternoon (2:30-5pm).

And if you are still around on Monday, pop over the bridge to Windsor to see the knights of the garter.  Then you might as well stay until Royal Ascot starts on Tuesday (you can take another picnic as is National Picnic Week)! Then there is the World Rowing Championships at Dorney next weekend,  the Windsor Dog show the week after ...

There really is always something going on.

Bim's Kitchen Tasting

On Saturday 4th May, Bim will be venturing out of Bim's Kitchen and coming here, to Tastes Delicatessen in Eton with samples of his African inspired sauces and pickles for you to try. If you've never eaten anything with baobab fruit, alligator pepper, melon seeds or cubeb in, now is your chance.

Easter Egg-travaganza

It's been a busy bank holiday weekend here in Eton. The Eton Traders got together to hold an Easter Egg Hunt (with lettered eggs hidden in shop windows which spelt out a secret phrase), the Easter Bunny was out and about giving out vouchers for a free chocolate treat and Ildiko's Chocolates were at Tastes Delicatessen offering samples of their amazing chocolates. The weather wasn't exactly on our side, but it only snowed a little bit, for a little while, and by Monday afternoon the sun was shining.

Despite the bitter cold, everyone was in holiday spirit. The chocolate tasting was a huge success.  Delicious chocolate, beautifully hand decorated with fruits, nuts and flowers. What's not to like? Children were rushing up to the shop window all weekend shouting "B" (the letter on the egg I had hidden as part of the hunt). Adults also took part in the hunt, but were more restrained with their excitement! The Easter Bunny had children squealing in delight and adults clamouring for photographs.  In my role as Bunny's assistant on Monday I even got to see the changing of the guard at Windsor Castle for the first time! Now I know what the visitors see after I give them directions to the castle. My view was slightly obscured by the 6 foot white rabbit, but that made it even more memorable.

I hope everyone who visited Eton this weekend, went home with some lovely memories (along with their free Easter treat!).

Seasonal events are taking place in Eton throughout the year. For more information take a look at the Visit Eton facebook page.

Chocolate Tasting

On Saturday 30th March Ildiko, of the delicious Ildiko's Chocolates, will be coming here, to Tastes Delicatessen in Eton. She'll bring samples of her wonderful chocolate slabs for you to try (free of charge). Ildiko's chocolates (and her chocolate bunnies) make an ideal Easter treat! Hope to see you!

Easter in Eton

Eton's very own Easter Bunny will be greeting people in and around the town on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It’s worth saying hello to him as he is handing out vouchers for a FREE Easter treat to be collected from participating shops (including JaM, Hush, Tastes Delicatessen, ReallyFabCards, roost, The Eton Fudge Shop & Zero 3 Cafe).

Furthermore, an Easter Egg hunt will be running throughout the long weekend (from Good Friday until Bank Holiday Monday). Eggs with letters on them will be hidden in shop windows up and down Eton High Street. Wander the historic high street, spot the eggs and work out the words to enter the competition for a chance to win a £40 food voucher for The Henry VI pub and kitchen.

Hop along to Eton for an egg-cellent weekend!

For further information visit the Visit Eton facebook page.

Coffee Week: How to Choose the Right Coffee

In the third part of our Coffee Week blog series, Edward Grace offers us some tips on how to select the right coffee.

Choosing Coffee Beans

How should one go about choosing coffee beans? Well, tastes differ and this makes it a slightly tricky question to answer, however, as it is often the case, whatever the taste, there are always some basic principles to observe if you are on a quest to find the most delicious coffee.

Your Coffee Must Be Fresh

First and foremost, your coffee must be fresh. If stored properly (see my previous post), roasted coffee beans are at their best for about a month after roasting. Again, if stored properly, the life of roasted coffee can be extended somewhat, but fading of taste and aroma will be increasingly noticeable with every new day. Any respectful speciality roaster puts the roasting date on the bag, if the roasting date cannot be found on the bag - this is usually not a good sign and suggests the roaster prioritises operational efficiencies (afforded by long sell by dates) above the quality of your coffee.

Ground coffee loses its freshness incredibly fast. Coarsely ground coffee (say ground for cafetiere) will lose most of its freshness in about three days. Fine ground coffee (e.g. ground for espresso) will lose half of its freshness in about 15 minutes! Whatever brewing method you choose, we recommend grinding coffee immediately before brewing. Even using the cheapest of blade grinders is immensely better than using ground coffee, however, if you are serious about your coffee, we recommend getting a burr grinder (my earlier post, how to brew the perfect cup of coffee, includes some inexpensive burr grinder recommendations). Burr grinders are designed to grinds coffee into particles that are significantly more uniform in shape and size than those achieved with a blade grinder – this in turn allows uniform extraction of coffee preventing excessive bitterness and allowing consistent control of brewing times.

Coffee is an agricultural product and as such its freshness is not limited by how recent the roasting date is. The green coffee used by the roaster should be seasonally fresh. Once harvested and processed, depending on the quality of processing and the method of storage green coffee is at its best for a period of up to nine months. It is the responsibility of the roaster to ensure that the coffee they roast is fresh. Very unfortunately some roasters often use green coffees that are well past their seasonal glory, usually hiding the unpleasant signs of green coffee age behind the darkness of its roast. It is much harder to hide the age of coffee in a lighter roast, so, generally, if you like your coffee and it is roasted in the light to medium-dark range, the chances are it is seasonally fresh.

Pay Attention to Varietals, Origin and Processing

There are dozens of varietals of Arabica coffee and, complemented by environmental and climatic factors, they all have different taste. In addition to varietals and environmental factors, the processing of coffee has a major impact on its taste. Washed coffees tend to have very clean taste, whilst natural processed coffees are often more earthy, sometimes gamey, sometimes overtly fruity or slightly (and sometimes not so slightly) fermented. Nothing beats tasting when choosing a coffee, but once you have paid attention to the cultivars, origin, altitudes and processing, you will find it immensely easier to select coffees that you really like.

Coffee Strength

Finally, what about your coffee strength? To be honest, "coffee strength" is as misleading a term as a sell by date. Coffee strength refers to the degree of roast, i.e. "stronger" coffee is a darker coffee. However, the darkness of coffee has nothing to do with how strong (in terms of coffee flavours or caffeine extraction) your beverage is. It is simply a reference to body resultant from the progressively increasing (with a degree of roast) presence of roasty flavours. Generally, a darker roast hides the subtleties present in the lighter roasts and this is precisely why the majority of most delicate and exquisite coffees are roasted light. This is not to say that a dark roast is necessarily bad; some coffees take a darker roast well, preserving their acidity and taking on a very interesting character, but most coffees, unless they have too many defects or show signs of age that need to be hidden, do better as a lighter roast.

Darker coffee does not contain more caffeine. The process of roasting does not add or remove caffeine from the coffee beans. True, as coffee is being roasted darker, everything else being equal, it loses more of its moisture content and by weight darker coffee will have slightly more caffeine, but this effect is marginal and generally it is negated by a plethora of other variables such as varietals, elevation (higher grown coffees are denser and lose less weight through roasting than lower grown ones) and so on.

Extraction of coffee, expressed as percentage of the final brew, is probably the only way to measure correctly how strong your coffee is. However, coffee, unlike tea, has a very narrow sweet spot – it does not taste great if it is under or over-extracted. This is precisely why most of the speciality coffee associations, and there are quite a few of them on both sides of the Atlantic, including SCAA (Speciality Coffee Association of America based in the US) and SCAE (Speciality Coffee Association of Europe based in the UK), recommend almost identical extraction ratios for brewed coffee. It really does not matter how light or dark your coffee is, to get the best taste of your coffee you need to consistently extract about 20% of coffee to achieve about 1.35% concentration of coffee in your ready brew. Needless to say, this is easier said than done and this is why coffee brewing is often considered to be nearly as much of a science as coffee roasting.

Don't forget - Coffee Tasting with The Beanberry Coffee Company - at Tastes Delicatessen, 92 High Street, Eton - on Sunday 9th December - between 11am and 3pm.

Coffee Week

This week, at Tastes, it's .....
         ...coffee week.
Admittedly, not National Coffee Week or anything like that, just something I made up as an excuse to celebrate brilliant coffee. Throughout the week Edward Grace from The Beanberry Coffee Company (that's him in the photo) will be writing guest posts on our blog, and on Sunday Edward will be in the shop offering tasters of his amazing coffees, answering your questions and generally talking about coffee. I hope you enjoy Edward's lessons in coffee (I'm hoping some of his knowledge infuses into me) and can come and meet him at the end of the week.

Coffee Tasting with The Beanberry Coffee Company - at Tastes Delicatessen, 92 High Street, Eton - on Sunday 9th December - between 11am and 3pm.

Jubilee

The businesses and residents of Eton have been cleaning and decorating frantically for the past couple of weeks. The Windsor and Eton Facelift project encouraged us all to smarten up at the same time. The incessant rain in April postponed lots of the planned external painting but the jubilee deadline wasn't going to move. So "wet paint" signs have adorned most of the buildings for the past two weeks and now it is all coming together. Flags are being erected, plants planted, bunting strung across the street and everything looking spick and span for the jubilee weekend. Its great to see the community pulling together.

Street Party

Photographs from Eton's Street Party made the national press this week. In The Sun's Royal Wedding coverage, Eton is shown in the 6th photograph (titled "Party ... good times are had by all"). Tastes is the three storey white building on the right.

Eton was also the first photograph in the Windsor People coverage.

What a picturesque street it is!

(The photo to the right here is my view of the union bunting which adorned the street).

Chan Cham Come to Town

St George's Day, fantastic sunshine, and a tasting with the family behind chan cham. What more could you want? Made locally, with Sri Lankan and Caribbean influences, the cooking sauces are designed to provide great tasting meals, without hours of preparation. The range includes sauces suitable for meats, fish and vegetables and they can be used as marinades for grilling, roasting, frying or as the base for a curry. Great for marinating meat and vegetables for a BBQ. They flew off the shelves, especially the Tamarind & 3 Spice Cooking Sauce.

Thanks Jane for permission to show Tony's legs online!

Coffee Tasting

This Friday (14th May), Adrian from azorieblue will be spending the day at Tastes Delicatessen offering samples of the azorieblue coffee (and maybe a special offer as well!).

Laithwaites Wine Festival

It is that time of year again, when we at Tastes join the lovely people at Laithwaites for their Spring Wine Festival. More than 30 wines from around the world to try and lots of the wine producers to meet, plus some of my current favourite cheeses to sample, what more could you want on a Friday evening?

This year the festival is taking place at Beaumont House in Old Windsor, on Friday 14th May 2010 from 7-9pm. Tickets are available from the Windsor and Virginia Water Laithwaites shops or online and cost £15 per person. The first 5 people to email me will be given a free ticket.

UPDATE: This offer is now closed.

Purple Love Week

Purple Love Week takes place this year from 13th – 21st February. Purple Love Week is now in its fifth year and it celebrates shops, large and small, that offer great food. Purple Love Week was founded by Dorset food company Olives Et Al and this year we are organised enough to get involved as well!

Olives Et Al are the lovely people who supply us with most of our loose olives. And during Purple Love Week we will be increasing the range of Olives Et Al products we sell. We will be trying two new salad dressings, a chilli jelly and some more of their roasted nuts. We're also going to be stocking some of their lovely olives in jars. So now you can keep a jar in the cupboard for emergency olive indulgence when the shop isn't open. We have recipe cards with ideas using all of the Olives Et Al products we stock and will be offering tastings throughout Purple Love Week.

We are starting the sampling with Siena Nuts & Seeds: Peanuts, Almonds, Cashews, Pumpkin & Sunflower seeds tossed in rosemary & chilli.

Cheese & Wine – Very Fine

On the 15th May you will find me at the Laithwaites wine festival in Savil Gardens. There will be lots and lots of wines available to taste and wine producers there to talk to, and also a stall of cheeses to try (and buy). The event starts at 6pm and is open to everyone, although tickets are limited due to the space available. Contact Laithwaites in Windsor for tickets (01753 866 192).

On to better things…

This Sunday we went to an autumn food festival at RHS Wisley. It was incredibly popular with queues blocking the A3 and people everywhere. The food festival was fairly small, but the gardens were huge and there were plenty of apples to try. I came away with a bag of cobnuts (which I am contemplating stocking), a bag of apples, a small shrub (its hard to resist!), and plenty of enthusiasm to try harder with stocking more apples next year.

Royal Berkshire Show

This weekend was my first visit to the Royal Berkshire Show, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I intended to just pop along to see the local food producers, but ended up staying far longer than I expected. I met Mike Cooper who was launching his cold pressed rapeseed oil, and saw a number of other producers whose products I already stock: Anila’s Authentic Sauces were as popular as ever, as were Susie’s preserves and the bread from GW Shepherd & Son. I did see a few new producers whose goods I may stock in the future. But I also ventured out of the food tents and saw amazing horticultural displays, beekeepers, falconry, garden furniture and the occasional horse and dog. I had a really enjoyable day and came away with tired feet and slightly more plants than it was possible to carry!