The list goes on

Still plenty of Great Taste Awards to mention....

Our new supplier Bim's Kitchen received a Gold Star for each of their African Bean & Nut Curry Sauce, Baobab Chilli Jam and Spicy African Ketchup. Mike's smokehouse's brand new smoked tomatoes were also awarded a gold star.

Bessant and Drury were given gold awards for both their lemon and strawberry frozen desserts, when blind tasted with dairy ice creams. An amazing achievement for a dairy free ice-cream.

Susie's Preserves' Raspberry Jam, Henshelwoods' Raspberry and Orange Jam, and seville marmalade with whiskey won gold stars.

Teapigs were awarded a collection of stars, including one each for Darjeeling Earl Grey, Jasmine Pearl Green Tea, Mao Feng Green Tea and Chamomile Flowers. Yogi Tea's Choco Tea also won an award. As did a number of teas from Pukka Herbs, and Campbell's Perfect Tea, again! The coffee award winners included another coffee from Grumpy Mule (who also won a three star award and about half a dozen two stars!).

Gold star were also give to Oliflix Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Anila's Hot Mango Pickle, Stokes Real Tomato Ketchup, Tracklements apricot & ginger chutney, and their fabulous onion marmalade.

Pipers Crisps were awarded a gold star for both their sea salt crisps and sweet chilli crisps. Olives Et Al also won awards for lots of their olives and their Dukkah.

A collection of awards went to local chocolateir L' Auberge du Chocolat and local flour mill Wessex Mill.

Our roast ham from Dorset Farms Ham received a gold star. As did Midfields Granola and Chocolate Peppermint Creams from Summerdown.

Lewis & Cooper's Handmade Luxury Fruit Cake again won a gold star, and again will be stocked by us at Christmas. As will the Copas Sage and Onion stuffing which also won an award (to accompany their 3 star winning turkeys)

I think that is everyone, if I've missed you out, do let me know. This year's list of winners didn't include the product names, so its been a lengthy process checking producer names and product descriptions to try to work out what has won. Please forgive any errors or omissions.

Onion Update

Our guess the number of onions competition has now closed. Thanks to everyone for their interest and participation.

There were 22 onions in the giant jar of Tracklements Onion Marmalade. We had guesses ranging from 6 to 562 and lots in between. For those of you interested in these sort of things; the most common answer was 38, the middle answer was 48 (with half the entrants thinking there were more than 48 and half thinking there were less). But most importantly, one person was exactly right with 22.

HOW Many???

This month we are running a little competition.

It is 10 years since Tracklements started making their divine, award winning, onion marmalade. And to celebrate, a limited set of 350 GIANT jars have been produced, with labels beautifully illustrated by Tim Bulmer. The lovely people at Tracklements have let me have one and rather than eating it all up (which, I can assure you, was quite tempting) we are using it as a competition prize. So now everyone else has a chance of eating it (and I don't).

And the question is "How many onions are in the jar?".

Anyone who enters is asked to make a £1 donation to the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance.

If you would like to enter, pop into Tastes Delicatessen, number 92 High Street, Eton, have a look at the giant jar, put your answer on an entry form and pop £1 in the collect bucket.

Closing date is 6pm on Saturday 19th December and the winner will be contacted on Monday 21st.

Good Luck!

Onion Marmalde - available in Eton for 2 years!

It was June 2007 before we started stocking an old favourite of mine: Onion Marmalade. I don't know why it took so long, but seem to remember being in a rush to get my first order as I had run out at home!

Tracklements have been making outstanding products in Wiltshire since 1970 and took their name from the term used to describe condiments other than salt and pepper. They aim to be the best on the market, as good as the very best home-made products and use only natural ingredients and traditional methods.

Their Onion Marmalade is deliciously sweet and sticky. It's quite impossible to have just a small amount. Each jar is just crammed with long thin, slivers of onion, and no matter how small a spoon you intend to take, once you’ve dipped in, it just keeps on coming.

I tend to use Onion Marmalade for "dolloping"; in a sandwich with some farmhouse cheddar, on a crispbread with some chicken liver pate or on the side of a plate of egg and chips (once you've tried it there is no going back to ketchup). The people at Tracklements suggest putting it on sausages for their last 5 minutes in the oven and have now produced a recipe card showing how to turn it into gravy. Mmmmm

Great Taste Awards 2008

I nearly forgot to tell you all about the winners of this year’s Great Taste Awards. I didn’t have time to spend a day as a judge this year so haven’t a sneak preview of the delights that were entered. But it didn’t matter as we stock a lot of the winners right here in the shop.

Teapigs had a very good night with two gold stars for their Jasmine Pearls and Mao Feng Green Tea, and one star for their Tung Ting Oolong Tea and Peppermint Leaves. Williamsons our black tea producer also won some awards. As did Pukka herbs.

Luscombe won a gold star for their organic Sicilian lemonade. Mother’s Garden, the olive oil from Spain which was mentioned by Delia Smith won a gold star as did Vallecoppa’s divine lemon infused extra virgin olive oil. Stratta entered their newest flavoured vinegars this year and won gold award for both the Sweet Black Mulberry and Sweet Damson.

Jules and Sharpie were awarded another star to add to their collection from last year. This time for hot mint jelly. And Tracklements also added to their collection with a star for their apple and sage jelly, strong horseradish & cream, apricot and ginger chutney, farmhouse pickle and onion marmalade.

Atkins & Potts won a gold star for their inventive Purple Basil Jam. Olives et al entered their Dukka in the "any other ingredient" category and it too won a gold star.

Piper’s Anglesey Sea Salt and Sea Salt & Somerset Cider Vinegar Crisps both won gold stars (as did another two of the flavours they produce).

Mike’s Smokehouse was awarded a gold star for heir smoked salmon pate, and for their hot-roast smoked salmon and smoked trout. The Ortiz anchovies also won a gold star.

Great Taste Awards 2007

The judging for the Great Taste Awards has been completed and this year's winners have been announced. More than 4500 foods were entered. Each one was blind tasted (some by me!) and judged on its own merits. Fewer awards have been given than in previous years, so it is especially nice to see so many familiar names among the award winners. My local preservers did very well! This was the first time Suzanne had entered and she won awards for both her Hot Banana Chutney and Red Onion Marmalade! And Susie added to the award she won for her Mango Chutney last year, with an award for her very popular Fig Chutney. And the other Susie, won awards for her crumbly vanilla fudge, very cherry fudge and brown sugar maple pecan fudge (I didn't even know she had entered!). John and Mary's Sweet Redcurrant Vinegar was also awarded.

Jules and Sharpie, who have collected numerous awards over the past few years, won some more this year: for their Hot Redcurrant Jelly, Hot Pear Chutney and Hot mmmmarmalade. Tracklements also added to their collection with awards for their Thai Jelly, Spiced Honey Mustard, Horseraddish & Cream, and my favourite, their Onion Marmalade. Stokes, makers of fantastic mayonnaise won an award for their Herb Mayonnaise. Shropshire Fine Herbs won awards for their oatmeal biscuits for cheese and Piper's won awards for both Anglesey sea salt and Sea salt and Somerset cider vinegar crisps. Pukka Teas won awards for their revitalise, refresh, relax and clarity herbal teas and Luscombe for their Organic Sicilian Lemonade. The Nunez de Prado Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain also won an award, as did many other Spanish foods including the Date and Walnut bars, 1000 flower mountain honey and creamy Marcona almonds. RJ’s natural licorice was the only winner in the liquorice category.

Even the chilled and frozen foods were judged at the Great Taste Awards and many of our producers excelled. Alder Tree for their Christmas ice cream (which isn't a flavour I stock, but will certainly try now as everything I've tasted of theirs has been fantastic). The Dairy House won two awards for their yoghurts, Trioni for their Strawberry milkshake and Patchwork for their handmade pates. Mike's Smokehouse won another award for their Hot Roast Salmon.

Anila did amazingly well and won two of only forty-six 3 star awards; for her spicy mild and spicy korma curry sauces. Honeybuns won another of the 3 star awards for their deliciously Moorish Almondi cookie.

The regional, national, international and 2007 Supreme Champion will all be announced in September. Here's hoping some of the wonderful producers we stock collect some more prizes.

Proper Preserves

When I am not covered in dirt and paint I do spend quite a lot of time thinking about food and trying to find really special things to stock in the deli. Recently I met Suzanne, who lives not too far from me, and makes Proper Preserves at home. She brought me a selection of her wares to sample and I enjoyed them all. My particular favourite was the Red Onion Marmalade which Suzanne very kindly left me a jar of. And before she had driven round the corner I was back raiding the jar and dolloping it on crackers. I did save some to enjoy with some goats cheese, but sadly, the jar is now empty. Fortunately for me, my first order for the deli will arrive very soon. If we don't get the shop open soon I shall I have to eat them all myself.