October 2015 Foodie Penpal reveal

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This month, I sent my parcel off to Alice in London, and in turn, I got my parcel from Rachel in Liverpool.  It’s probably one of my first all-British swaps in a long time.

Rachel was assigned to me as her very first foodie penpal experience.  I started thinking back to a couple of years ago when it was my first time.  I remember it being very nerve-racking, and in hindsight, knowing what I know now, I’d love to do the first couple of people again.  However Rachel seems to have skirted the ‘nerves’ issue, and she produced a most wonderful box of goodies for her first time out of the gate.

In honour of Halloween, I received a pumpkin orange parcel.

Square pumpkin?

Square pumpkin?

Of course it was just a Sainsbury’s plastic carrier bag (other supermarket bags are available) protecting the box, and I did ask if she wanted me to refund her 5p for the bag, but she declined my offer.  But I thought how appropriate it was to have a Halloween orange box this week.

So after carefully peeling the pumpkin box, I reached layer number two.

Pink polka dots

Pink polka dots

This was looking interestinger and interestinger.  And like the most exciting game of ‘Pass the Parcel’, I peeled off this pink film to find . . .

Blue polka dots

Blue polka dots

I finally got to the prize!  But it was so fun to have layers to get through first.

The box revealed

The box revealed

And this is what greeted me when I took the polka-lid off.  My heart started racing immediately.  See that magical looking red ‘f’ there in the middle of the box?  I KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT!  And if I had a heart condition, it I would have been in trouble as I also spotted some familiar cookies in the box, too.  But more on that later.

Marshmallow fluff

Marshmallow fluff

Of course my hands went straight for the fluff.  For those of you who have never experienced a fluffernutter, you don’t know what you’re missing.   I’ve already decided to make fudge with this.  Marshmallow fluff makes the most delicious fudge. I seriously encourage you to explore this opportunity (after you make a fluffernutter, of course).

And because the human mind always goes to the familiar first, I reached for these next.

Oreos

Oreos

I so rarely buy these here, so I was delighted to have them provided to me without any effort.  Before I open these though, I need to buy more milk.  You just can’t have Oreo cookies without a lot of very cold milk.  It’s the best.

I next reached for this large box of tea.

Chocolate tea

Chocolate tea

So I have this theory in my head that trendy ‘green tea’ that is sooooooo good for you, will taste awful, as most things that are ‘good for you’ do.  But how on earth can a tea named “Fudge Melts” taste bad, I ask you?  I am really looking forward to brewing this up.  I am picturing it enveloping the entire house in a blanket of chocolate scent.  What could be better?

I next spied a familiar logo.  Rachel had included a package of Guinness mini caramels, wrapped in chocolate, and they taste like Guinness.

Guinness caramels

Guinness caramels

Now’s the time that I confess that even after living in this country for almost 30 years, I have never tasted Guinness.  I love the way it looks.  But I really want it to taste like a root beer float.  And I suspect it’s not going to.  So as not to dispel my imagery, I have avoided tasting it.  However, I feel mixing it with chocolate and caramel would be fine.  It would be like tasting it, without having to compare it to a root beer float.  Those will be open tonight after dinner, I think.

Ahhh . .  and finally something I can claim has a ‘healthy’ label . . .

Perkier bar

Perk!er bar

I have had Perk!er bars, but haven’t tried this one.  However, I love quinoa AND goji berries and cranberries.  So it’s a winner all ’round, right?  This looks packed full of goodness.

Next, I found these two packages.

Garlic seasoning

Garlic seasoning

and

Chilli seasoning

Chilli seasoning

I cook with fresh chilli and fresh garlic ALL the time, so I was very excited to see these.  What a great way to always have these things on hand, especially if you’ve just run out of the fresh stuff.

And finally, the last pouch I pulled out was one of my favourite flavours of all time.    I love Nandos chicken, and now I can do it at home without having to put up with having to go up to the counter to order my food.  I even have (pretty much) unlimited soft drinks here, too!

 

Nandos sauce

Nandos sauce

So Rachel – your first parcel was outstanding.  I hope yours was as spectacular as this one was.  You really couldn’t have picked out better things for me, and I thank you for that.  Well done, Rachel.  A gold star for your first time!

If this has piqued your interest in foodie penpals, please, please RUN – do not walk – to this website below to sign up for Foodie Penpals. Go to http://thisisrocksalt.com/foodie-penpals

September 2015 Foodie Penpal reveal

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September brought me a ‘newbie’ penpal.  My name was given to Jana in Germany, and I pretty much gave her free rein to send what she wanted to.  She jumped straight on it, and within a week, she emailed to say her parcel was on its way, which really put me to shame as I only had to send mine to Birmingham, and I still hadn’t been shopping.

A few days later, this HUGE box appeared on my doorstep.

Huge Box

Huge Box

I put a small, 10 ml bottle of essential oils on the box so you’d get perspective.  This is definitely the largest parcel I’ve received yet! I suspect Jana had to take out a second mortgage just to post it here.

You will also get bonus points for guessing the shadow puppet on the box above.

The start of the reveal!

The start of the reveal!

It was absolutely stuffed full of things – I couldn’t wait to get everything unwrapped.

Contents unwrapped

Contents unwrapped

So this is a snapshot of what I got. What a fabulous array.

Clearly the bottle is what I reached for first.  I love getting bottles.

Dry white wine

Dry white wine

Before going any deeper into the box, this bottle went straight to the fridge where, like good pastry, it rested until consumed not long after.  It was delicious and was the perfect accompaniment to the next item that caught my eye.

Chili and Lime Nuts

Chili and Lime Nut

These peanuts were fantastic. You got the subtle hint of citrus first, and then a hit of heat.   They were extremely more-ish, and we couldn’t stop eating them until they were gone.  Good choice, Jana!

Next I pulled out this container of Muesli.

Honey and Coconut Muesli

Honey and Coconut Muesli

The brilliant thing about this is it’s a single serving, and it leaves room for you to add your favourite yogurt.  I added my favourite greek yogurt, and the bottom of the container came much too soon.   Just a touch of sweetness from the honey and coconut, but not that you actually tasted either.  It was delicious.

Then, something else caught my eye.  Something homemade.

Homemade pear pineapple jam

Homemade pear pineapple jam

I think there is something very special in sending something homemade.  It shows a lot of class and thoughtfulness.  It suggests that someone thought enough about you to actually make something for you.  I tried this first as a marinade for a couple of pork chops.  I just rubbed a bit on both sides, and melted a bit in the juices for a lovely  sauce.  It was delicious.  Jana – this was such an inspired item to send.  I really liked it.

And it didn’t take much persuading to get this bag of chocolates out.

Mini chocolates

Mini chocolates

Such a variety of types of chocolates here filled with things like nougat, marzipan, hazel nuts, etc.  There’s something here for every chocolate lover.  And each one is a nice bite-size, so you can try them all without feeling guilty.

And what do you have with chocolates?

Apple Fig Tea

Apple Fig Tea

Well, TEA, of course!  I drink a lot of tea, but have never tasted apple and fig before.  It is delightfully refreshing, and it makes the kitchen smell absolutely divine.  This really goes with everything.

And this jar came out next.

Vanilla Tomato

Vanilla Tomato

This is really interesting.  It’s a vanilla tomato chutney, and we’ve had it with cheese and biscuits.  It was a surprisingly good combination, and something we’ve never tried before.  This is definitely worth investigating, if you have the chance.

This was followed by a grinder.

Lemon Pepper

Lemon Pepper

This is a brilliant season tool for so many things.  It’s fresh ground pepper, but it has the addition of lemon zest as well.  It really gives things added zing.  I started using this sparingly, but now it’s the first thing I reach for. It seasons everything from eggs to steaks.  I love the freshness of freshly ground anything.  Another good choice.

And finally, spaetzle.  I just discovered a recipe for meatballs in a cream sauce, and I think this will go beautifully on top of these egg noodles.

Spaetzle

Spaetzle

A bit of boiling salt water and the contents of this bag, and I’ve got a great meal.  I can’t wait to try these.

So – as you can see, this was truly a fabulous parcel from Jana in Germany.  I have tasted so many unusual things, got some homemade things, and was able to have a drink at the same time.  Well done, Jana.  You’ve made your first venture into the Foodie penpal club a memorable one.  I hope your parcel was as good as the one you sent me.