My Blog

Cochrane Cottage Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar

05/18/2012 14:46:00

Kirsty Orr

Hello! This week John told me to have a good look around the shop and pick a product I'd think would be good for a review. So after a long and difficult decision making process (there's just so much to choose from!) I chose Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar.

Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar

The reason I chose this product is because if I was a customer I'd pick this up because it's interesting and not something I'd normally see. Then I'd maybe put it back down again because I wouldn't know how to use it or what to serve it with and promptly opt for a safer option and purchase some run of the mill, yet still delicious, Balsamic Vinegar. But this blog entry will hopefully give you some ideas as to how to use this product.

Serve it with oil & bread

One of the easiest ways to serve Raspberry balsamic is with sliced freshly baked bread and olive oil. The Raspberry Balsamic is a refreshing change to normal balsamic. It has a lighter, slightly fruity taste that compliments ciabatta beautifully. Perfect for a nice twist to a starter, side dish or even to have as a snack.

Fabulous as a recipe ingredient

Today I'm going to show you how I made honey, raspberry and rosemary sticky chicken with asparagus.
First mix two parts balsamic to one part honey in a bowl. If your honey is crystalised then don't worry, it's just because it's a natural product, gently heat the honey over a pot of hot water until it runs smooth.

Then take your chicken.

Wash and slicing your chicken breast into strips.

Brush, brush,brush!

You then get a brush and evenly coat the chicken strips.

Asparagus!

English is best!

Cooking...

Place the coated chicken in a pan with some oil and place some fresh rosemary and sprinkle some ground black pepper on top.

Meanwhile...

As the chicken is cooking, bring a pot of water to the boil. Wash your asparagus then place into the boiling water for 3 minutes then drain.

Looking good!

Cook on a medium heat until golden brown.

Good enough to eat!

Arrange the chicken and asparagus on a plate, add a knob of butter to your asparagus and voila!

Nom, nom, nom!

Its such a quick and easy meal to make, and Cochrane Cottage promises that their products are 100% fat free so it's good for your conscience too. Raspberry Balsamic would also go perfectly drizzled over slices of melon draped with parma ham for an Italian feel, drizzled over a fresh fruit salad to add extra delicious sweetness or if you're feeling adventurous you could even use raspberry balsamic in a parfait.

I personally love this product. It's fresh, exciting and very versatile.

P.S.

Is there anything in store that you've picked up and thought "How do I use this?" Or "What would this go well with?". Let me know and I can do my best to show you some tasty ways to make the most of your product.

Easter 2012

04/04/2012 11:58:00

EASTER!

Hello! This week I’m here to tell you about Easter at Kimble’s. If you’re looking for something that extra bit special then I’d seriously recommend coming in store this week to check out their Easter range!

The girls in the chocolate shop have been hard at work for a couple of weeks now creating, decorating and packaging Kimble’s wide range of chocolate eggs. Available in delicious milk, creamy white and rich dark chocolate or if you can’t decide – you can get a half and half egg, genius!

And the Easter treats don’t stop there! If you’re looking for something that little bit different we have gold chocolate rabbits, extremely cute mini chocolate spring animals, chocolate in the shape of a rubber duck! - that’s right, in the shape of a rubber duck, how cool! - and lots more.

Don’t worry if chocolate isn’t what you’re looking for Kimble’s has a wide range of Easter sugar animals, Easter lollypops and various other delicious sweet treats. There’s too many to count! And any of them can be gift wrapped in an amazing range of cardboard Easter Eggs!

A Kimble’s customer is truly spoiled for choices. The saying is true “there’s something for everyone at Kimble’s”

So, if the delicious chocolate, darling Easter sweets, great prices and excellent service isn’t enough to get you to Kimble’s then this definitely will – a 4kg chocolate egg. 4KG! Imagine how long that’d take to eat! Sheer, 100%, absolute chocolate heaven…oh my goodness it’s just been sold…someone’s going to be lucky! :)

Stevia, the new sugar free!

03/02/2012 14:01:00

Hello! I'm Kirsty.

If you're familiar with Kimble’s Facebook page you may have heard of me before - I'm the newest addition to the weekday team and the girl with the big camera. I'm taking over from where Jessie left off and have the great pleasure of trying out Kimble’s wide range of delicious products.

This week John has handed me a bag of Cavalier Belgian Chocolate - Yum! I'm not going to lie, I hadn't heard of Cavalier before but after a quick Google search I found out a lot about their interesting company. Specialising in non-sugar based chocolate their most recent chocolate range features a revolutionary ingredient called 'Stevia'.

Stevia (full name Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni) is a small green plant that originates from the borderland between Paraguay and Brazil. The small leaves contain stevioside, a potent sweetener which is 300 times sweeter than ordinary sugar. Stevia also contains no calories or carbohydrates- score! So it adds nothing to your sugar intake but helps give the chocolate that sweet taste we all crave. Stevia also contains twice the amount of fibre than sugar or sweeteners, which is good for digestion and means Stevia adds vitamin E, magnesium, zinc and iron.

So, enough of the formalities, let’s get down to business - taste! The milk chocolate bar is deliciously smooth, with a beautifully high cocoa content. From the clear snap of the chocolate to the final crumb it truly satisfies your chocolate craving. Slightly more bitter than your average chocolate but the rich tones of Cavalier are incomparable.

The coconut bar was equally as lovely. Creamy white chocolate with a heavenly soft, smooth coconut fondant center - unlike anything I've tasted before. A real treat, and in a handy little size - perfect to store in your bag for a sweet fix during the day. Lastly I tried the caramel milk log. A surprising crunch as you bite into the uniquely decorated log. Again, an utterly unique taste. Definitely my favourite of the three bars. Unlike other caramel bars on the market this bar isn't sickly sweet – a perfect balance of chocolate and caramel.

I would highly recommend coming into Kimble's and buying Cavalier Belgian chocolate to try for yourself. Believe me you won’t regret it! A chocolate that you can enjoy guilt free and part of a healthy diet? Nearly too good to be true!

Christmas 2011 Night out at Arta

12/08/2011 15:29:00

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Marshmallow Fluff for Christmas!

11/19/2011 09:10:00

Marshmallow Fluff

We love this stuff...and so does Santa's little helper!

Marshmallow Fluff

In fact she loves it so much she went the extra mile and even wore a pot of it as a dress!

Marshmallow Fluff

It's is a pot full of sweet, sticky awesomeness and we are sampling it today!

SHONA!!!

A sweet girl with a sweet tooth!

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CHRISTMAS 2011

11/10/2011 19:45:00

CHRISTMAS IS HERE!

The beautiful Louise (of Louise's Chocolate fame) has been decorating our tree with lots of continental Christmas treats.

Halloween at Kimbles

10/16/2011 12:36:00

Guess who's working in Kimble's Chocolate Shop today?

Now, ask yourself who would need a hat that big to hide their hair under?

Still hiding...

White chocolate pumpkins for eyes, but that smile is all her own.

Inside looking out...

Could it be, could it be...

Window inspection.

...could it possibly be...

...Siobhan Waddell!!!

Yes you're right, it's the one and only SW modelling a Halloween Hamper.

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KRAKATOA aka Cremola Foam!

10/01/2011 10:55:00

Oh wow, the fizzylicious Krakatoa Foam aka Cremola Foam is now in fabby new packaging. For a limited period only we are giving away a lemon & lime tub with every 3 packets purchased. Cheers Vanessa!

Kimble's Cupcakes

09/09/2011 12:26:00

It's Cupcake weekend at Kimble's!
All baked fresh in our kitchen using free range eggs we have some amazing cupcakes for you to enjoy in the Cafe or to gift pack and take home. Lemon & Poppy Seed, Chocolate & Orange, Sticky Ginger, Salted Caramel, Strawberry & Coconut or Rocky Road. Which will be the your favourite this weekend?! :)

Cherry Healey BBC 1

08/31/2011 12:22:00

The very lovely Cherry Healey was in the shop today filming for "Britian's Favourite Food" (BBC1 November?).

Guess that must be chocolate!