Dorset
PLENT Y
Sencha Genmaicha
Tea
Christmas Nougat
Miss Marshmellow, £4 for a bar
If the aim at the Miss Marshmellow
nougat research lab was to create
Christmas in a bar, one bite of this
confirms: mission accomplished! There’s
an intense Christmas cake richness
with vine fruit, citrus peel, almonds,
spices and a warming splash of brandy
all infused with honey sweetness. About
the only Christmassy thing missing is
dropped pine needles. As you’d expect
from a marshmallow master, their
handmade nougat is a perfectly chewy
consistency that won’t trouble older
teeth but the inclusion of booze means
no sharing with the children.
www.missmarshmellow.co.uk
Gilded Teapot, £6.50 for 50g
The fantastic Gilded Teapot in
Dorchester is a temple to tea,
but this Japanese green tea is a
fun present because it includes
toasted brown rice among the
fresh, steamed Sencha blend
leaves. Known as ‘popcorn
tea’ in Japan, it has a sweet,
nutty flavour and is
fantastically good for you with
enough antioxidants to start
repairing your body from the
ravages of Christmas.
www.thegildedteapot.com
Bacon & Sausage
Making Course
Capreolus , £250 for a weekend
Capreolus are very much the
masters of locally-sourced
English charcuterie, with the
acclaim of satisfied chefs and a
stack of awards to prove it. Over
a weekend at their Rampisham
HQ, they’ll teach you how to
make bacon the old fashioned way
and proper sausages using
ethically reared meat and real
flavour. Expect small groups and
equipment you can use in your
own kitchen.
www.shopdorset.co.uk
Cherry Vinegar
Wild Island £7 for 250ml
Why should cranberries get all the attention at this
time of year? Wild Island won a 2015 Great Taste
Award with this Cherry Vinegar. It’s a great
present for foodies who want to add that little touch
of something different to their cooking. Wild Island
suggest deglazing roasting pans to create a jus or
adding it to onion marmalade. Simpler still, for all
those healthy salads that wait in January you can
make a simple, sweet tangy dressing. And that deep
cherry red colour is just waiting to brighten things
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