Out & About March 2017

Forget Eat Live Pray – maybe Mum would like to talk, eat, laugh. In fact, Talk Eat Laugh is the name of a private chef company run by Rachel Muse, who has a team of talented chefs at her disposal – and she says having a chef for a dinner party is way cheaper than a catering company. “We do all the work, from the shopping to cooking the food,” says Rachel whose company is based in Salisbury, but covers the Newbury area. “We can do any events, from a buffet lunch for a lot of people, to a small dinner party for four. The chef can be around £120 plus the food so you see how cheap it can be.” Menus are bespoke after consulting with you, says Rachel, and the company specialises in healthy food. For more details call 7442 250 888 or look at www.talkeatlaugh.com.

Another private chef company is Red Hot Chefs, based near Newbury Racecourse. James Hawksworth specialises in race day picnic packages and his exquisitely-presented food is stunning to look at as well as eat. Delicate canapes include stuffed baby tomatoes or a terrine on top of rye bread with a soft quail’s egg yolk. Try his smoked salmon mousse topped with lime jelly or a delicate watermelon, feta and olive salad. Desserts include a rich chocolate mousse with raspberries. For more information contact James on james@redhotchefs.co.uk

The buzzword for 2017 is veganism – everyone who’s not turning vegan is eating vegan food. If your mum is interested perhaps treat her to a vegan festival. The number of vegan food festivals across the UK will double in 2017. With vegan food sales up 1,500 per cent year on year ( London Economist ) VegfestUK have launch their online guide to vegan festivals.

In March, get down to Brighton on the 11th or Oxford on the 25th for the Vegan Festival. On June 24, a larger one for the South East willl be held in Portsmouth. See www.vegfest.co.uk/vegan-festivals-guide-2017

Foodie gifts for mum… M&S are a favourite for gifts on Mother’s Day – we know we would like the cute box of Rose & Violet Creams , dark chocolates with rose and violet flavoured fondant centre, £4. And the Autograph Lilac Days bouquet with a stunning mix of roses, stocks, lisianthus and thistle, £25 is a treat to go with the chocs. Or pick up a cheesecake from M&S – from chocolate to lemon, they are all delicious (prices vary). Still on sweet treats, Niederegger has been called the world’s leading marzipan brand – and you can find boxes of a raspberry pannacotta marzipan wrapped sweet from John Lewis at £4.50 a box. If your mum likes to bake how about these delightful ceramic farmhouse-style letters? (see opposite page) They’re free-standing, 11.5cm high, and 6.5-7.5cm wide. They’re £12.99 and can be ordered through www.hettyandbetty.com.

Or get her one of the lovely retro aprons in blue or yellow at £20 from a website that champions British products and gifts www.victoriaeggs.com .

Keen cooks will adore a home-made curing kit for salmon from Ross&Ross, £21. It comes in a little brown box and contains all you need to make smoky, beetroot and gin cured fish.You just add the salmon and each cure takes around three days so you don’t need to wait long to taste. The kit is currently

a finalist product in the Gift of the Year awards. Visit www.rossandrossfood.co.uk to order.

They say it’s Mother’s Ruin but how can it be when it’s had a huge upsurge in sales recently? So, if you want to buy mum a bottle of gin, what to choose?

One of our favourites is Bloom Gin – as well as a gorgeous floral bouquet it’s distilled by one of the world’s few female Master Distillers, Joanne Moore, who chose the flowers of chamomile and honeysuckle, with the citrus fruit pomelo to make up the three main botanicals for Bloom. Available from Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Ocado and Morrisons at around £24 for 70cl, its bottle is so pretty mum will have a hard time breaking into it we reckon.

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