Prosciutto di San Daniele and Grana Padano Review

One of our favourite meals has to be cheese, meats and wine. When we have a date night at home this is our go to treat. The kids in bed, a movie and quality cheese, meat and wine. Perfect.

So when I was asked if I would like to try some Prosciutto di San Daniele and Grana Padano cheese direct from Italy. I simply could not resist. Italian cuisine is one of our most favourite foods and trying different produce is all part of the fun.

Prosciutto di San Daniele and Grana Padano Cheese have both been recognised by the European Union as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products since 1996. In order to achieve PDO status, products must respect the strict Production Specifications. The PDO logo guarantees that the products are of the highest quality, authenticity and traceability. 

San Daniele del Friuli is a perfect place for curing prosciutto. The breezes of the Adriatic Sea combined with the fresh air from the Alps, the morainic hills curb humidity and the Tagliamento river regulates the temperature. The climate and traditional processing, which has been perfected over the years, gives this prosciutto a delicate taste that literally melts in the mouth. Its aroma grows more persistent as maturing progresses. Prosciutto di San Daniele is natural, Italian and unique as it is made only with selected thighs from Italian pigs, sea salt and the special microclimate of San Daniele del Friuli. No types of additive or preservatives are used. 

Degustabox - September Contents and Recipe

It is that time of the month when I share with you what foodies treat arrived in Septembers Degustabox. As with each month, the box contained a wide variety of products from snacks to drinks, from desserts to lunches. There really is something for everyone each month.

Today I am going to tell you about all of the products that arrived and share a dish that I have made using one of the products that came in the Degustabox.

• Metcalfes - A dark chocolate treat that is both delicious as well as light. The popcorn base has been topped with the finest Italian chocolate.
• Get Fruity - This Tangy Pineapple, Coconut and Lime bar is 100% natural and made from gluten free oats and virgin coconut oil. It contains so refined sugar and is produced on a nut free site.
• Say Yes to No - These toasted bread chips are so moreish! They contain no artificial colours or flavours.
• Hartley's - These little pots of jelly, went down a treat and had disappeared thanks to the kids as soon as they saw them!
• Mrs Crimble's - We have tried Mrs Crimble's products before but have never seen the gluten free pasta before. This is a product that we are excited to try!
• Chia Bia - We love chia seeds and were not disappointed with these ones.
• Miso Tasty - Miso soup is made from 12 month fermented rice and this soup has been paired with wakame and spring onion which comes in separate sachets to retain the true miso flavours.
• Cirio - I have featured Cirio's borlotti beans in today's recipe. These beans are ready to eat and are delicious in a salad.
• Teisseire - This raspberry and cranberry squash contains zero sugar and gives water a lovely refreshing twist! Perfect for this sober October!
• Cape Drinks - Both the sparkling pineapple and passion fruit and the sparkling peach and lychee drinks are made with rooibos tea and a full of anti oxidants. 

As you can see the products are all that little bit different from what you usually find in the supermarket and that is what we like most about Degustabox.

Now let me tell you about how I used the borlotti beans in a quick and easy salad!

This is what I did...

Beetroot, Goats Cheese and Borlotti Bean Salad

Ingredients

75g mixed leaf salad

1 small fresh beetroot, thinly sliced

Goats cheese, cubed

1 x 150g tin of borlotti beans

1tbsp truffle oil

1tbsp balsamic oil

Method

1 - Mix the truffle oil with the balsamic vinegar in a bowl

2 - Place the mixed leaves in a large mixing bowl, add the borlotti beans and pour over the oil

3 - Mix the ingredients thoroughly

4 - Serve the oil coated vegetables on a plate, top with the slices of beetroot and scatter the cubes of goats cheese. I have not added an amount as you can add as much or as little as you wish!

This is such a quick and easy lunch and can easily be packed in a box and taken out. The truffle oil combines perfectly with the balsamic to create an easy yet full of flavour dressing. The beetroot that I have used in this recipe was freshly picked from the garden, but you can use any fresh beetroot.

If you would like to try Degustabox yourself they are offering Hijacked By Twins readers the chance to receive a whopping £7.00 off your first box when you add the promotional code BLDEG15 at the checkout!

Enjoy x

Disclosure: I receive a monthly Degustabox for the purpose of my posts. No cash payment was received. All views and opinions are my own and 100% honest.

Cheese and Meat Platter from Aldi

Every Friday the hubby and I enjoy our weekly date night. It is a night for just the two of us. Once the twinnies are in bed and J is upstairs playing or watching television the hubby and I tuck into some delicious food, paired with a glass of wine and watch a movie. One of our favourite foods to enjoy has to be cheese, cold meats and wine. Sometimes knowing which cheeses to choose can be difficult so today I thought that I would share with you my top cheese and cold meat selections from Aldi. Cheeses can sometimes be expensive, depending on the type of cheese you enjoy, but in true Aldi style, they offer the best cheeses at unbeatable prices.

Here are my top cheese and meat selections from Aldi...

The Cheesemakers Choice - Make Your Own Cheese!

As a family we love cheese. It is such a fantastic ingredient to add to dishes and to eat on its own. So when I was asked if I would like to try making my own cheese at home I could not wait to find out more!

Cheese is something which I have never thought of making myself so this really is a new experience. The Cheese Makers Choice supply kits that contain everything that you need to make your own cheese at home. You can choose from three kits, Mediterranean cheeses, Italian  Trio or Goats Cheese.

So, why make cheese?

Homemade cheese is naturally fresher and contains less unknown ingredients. You know that in the cheese that you have made there are no artificial flavours and no artificial preservative! But making your own cheese is also a fun and a lot easier than you would expect. You do not need any fancy equipment and it really is a simple thing to make. The kits from The Cheese Makers Choice makes this possible. The kits have been designed to give you the basic equipment and some knowledge making it easy to follow the step by step instructions and making your own delicious cheese. They are a fantastic way to get children understanding how soft cheeses are made. I love my children to understand where their foods come from and these kits are the perfect way to show them the process of transforming milk into cheese!

I decided to try the Italian Trio kit. The kit that I received contains everything I need to make 12 batches of cheese! With the Italian Trio kit you can choose whether to make Mozzarella, Ricotta or Mascarpone! Deciding which one to make first was the hard choice, I love all three cheeses and they all make delicious additions to meals.

Cheesey Courgette Fritters with Cathedral City Cheddar

I will hold my hands up, I am a cheese lover!

I simply adore a good cheese and love how cheese can transform a meal in minutes and, with my children, when cheese is added they will eat anything!

Cathedral City, the nations favourite cheese, have recently started their "Love Cheese? Join the Club" campaign. The campaign features adverts that state the rules of cheese. Here is an example of just one rule...

Being a family of cheese lovers we often have arguments over who gets the nacho with the most cheese! Cathedral City have come up with a list of cheese rules. I thought I would share some of them with you along with my cheesey confessions...

• The bit of cheese that is too awkward to grate must be eaten - This is one that I always follow!
• Crispy bits are irresistible, absolutely no effort should be made to resist - I will admit to often pinching those bits before serving dinner!
• You might feel guilty after multiple visits to the cheeseboard, don't! - I never feel guilty for enjoying a good cheeseboard and enjoy it even more with a glass of wine!

For me and my family cheese is an essential product that is always found in our fridge. Adding distinctive, smooth and creamy Cathedral City to a dish is the perfect way to get reluctant children eating a a meal. It is amazing what some melted cheese can do! Whether it is grated on top of a cottage pie, added to fajitas or melted onto a pasta bake, cheese adds something special to a meal.

Today I am going to share a quick and easy dish that is perfect for a light lunch or to serve with jacket potatoes and salad for an evening meal.

This is what I did...

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake with Coconut Oil Chocolate Biscuit Base

Cheesecake is a perfect dessert now that summer is on the horizon. It is time to move from the warm, comfort puddings and on to refreshing summer ones. Today I am sharing with you one of my favourite summer desserts. I have changed the base to give it more of a summer taste to it and also some healthy fats that are good for your body.

As this cheesecake is a no bake cheesecake it can be made in advance if you are making it for guests or prepare it in the morning, enjoy the day in the garden then have a delicious dessert for the evening. It is so simple and easy to make, there is no excuse!

This is what I did...

Cheese Posties Review

If you love cheese toasties, you are going to love this new, postal, lunch concept!

As the name states the box contains all of the ingredients that you will need to make a cheese toastie. This is a weekly meal subscription and every week they will send you a different cheese toastie. But these cheese toasties are not you average run of the mill, slices of bread and cheese toasted! Imagine delicious dishes such as vegetable lasagna, Italian ravioli and even chocolate cheesecake transformed into a toastie!

That is exactly what Cheese Posties are!

Wow was my initial reaction too!

I love a good cheese toastie but Cheese Postie take toasties to another level. They have created 21 different cheese toasties that are all based around both savoury and sweet dishes. You can even order gluten free bread!

So when I was asked if I would like to try some of what Cheese Posties has to offer I really could not refuse.

This is how I got on...