First, this chilli-flavoured chocolate!
Jane won this in a competition hosted by The South Devon Chilli Farm - to whom I say "Thank you very much!". In the pack were five different bars of chocolate - an Original one (plain chocolate and chilli) and then ones that include additional flavourings: coffee; orange, peppermint, and fruit & spice.
The chocolate is really nice. It has a deep rich flavour, and the chilli gives it an interesting kick - a little tingling sensation in the mouth once the chocolate has gone down. Strongly recommended! SDCF is just launching a new type of chilli chocolate, called Extreme Chilli Chocolate, flavoured with the incredibly hot Bhut Jolokia chilli. Not for the faint-hearted, I imagine. The packaging includes a "Government Health Warning" sort of statement, complete with a skull-and-crossbones symbol!
Unfortunately there is a really sad aspect to this tale: Jane has recently been diagnosed as diabetic, so she is not allowed to eat any chocolate :-( Ho Hum, I'll have to eat her share too then - Life is so cruel!
Next I want to show you this (a regular favourite of mine):
This coffee was given to me by my wonderful "yerno" (son-in-law) Juan Fernando, who hails originally from Panama. Every time he visits his home country he brings me some of this fabulous Kotowa coffee. (He knows me pretty well by now!) It comes from the town of Boquete, in the mountainous province of Chiriqui, Panama.
It is genuinely a very delicious coffee, and it actually came 4th in the World Coffee awards in 2006, despite being relatively obscure. I don't think we would be able to buy it anywhere in the UK. The label is lovely: it explains the meaning of "Kotowa" - it means "mountain" [in the language of the local Ngobe indians.]
This final thing I want to show you today is not edible or drinkable, nor is it a prize, but a freebie. It's a very fine oak Garden Lines set, which I'm including here in honour of my chief
I got this when I renewed my subcription to The Kitchen Garden magazine, along with 10 packets of seeds and a pack of plastic plant labels - a very generous freebie, if you ask me. I really like the name of the company that made this item: The Nether Wallop Trading Co! Could this company be based anywhere else but England?? We have such picturesque place names: Little Snoring; Piddletrenthide; Much Hadham on the Hill; Pratt's Bottom, Brown Willy...
Great post with some great pictures of some great stuff..
ReplyDeleteChocolate looks... great! :)
Have a great day, enjoy all the chocolate! :)
Martin
We have Chilli chocolate here too, but I haven't tried it - the combination just sounds weird! BTW I am diabetic too and exercise is key, if you take a brisk walk you can happily cheat on a few blocks of chocolate - sorry Mark, less for you!
ReplyDeleteLucky you. The first time I saw and bought chilli flavoured chocolate was when I was in Sweden. So good to see we can now get some in the U.K.
ReplyDeleteLiking Ali's gift to you - sure is a handy gadget for the veggie gardener.
Ah the Kitchen Garden magazine - I collected 2 -3 years of the magazine, sadly all of them got burned in the allotment fire :(
Well, aren't you the lucky one! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHa ha! I'm sure that plant liner upperer will be well used - not that you need it. And those names!
ReplyDeleteouch, as if being diagnosed with diabetes wasn't enough, now she can't even eat her winnings! ;) (hope the best for your Jane...maybe one day chocolate will be good for her again!)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, you were perfectly right, a very large grin was brought to my face with that last photo. I can't believe how perfectly matched this free gift and receiver are - the planets were truly aligned for you there Mark.
ReplyDeletePossibly by yourself!
I love chili chocolate! I make chili hot chocolate at home sometimes :-)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how lucky Jane is with her competition entries, your house must be filled with prizes. Sorry to hear about the diabetes though, what a shame she doesn't get to eat any of that yummy chocolate. I never use a line when sowing seed and consequently, my plants are higgledy piggledy.
ReplyDeleteHope we get a freebie when we resubscribe to KG
ReplyDeleteMy father made me pull out and re-put in a whole row of . . . bother, can't remember what . . . when I was a teenager because I had set my line parallel with the wrong hedge.
ReplyDeleteEsther
Dad was a fanatic like you with all his veggies in neat lines and he had a string line he made himself. Mmmm! I wonder if it is still hidden in the shed or have one of those other daughters already appropriated it. I must look....not that I will use it with great gusto...I like wiggles.
ReplyDelete