Mashfest 2013- A Delightfully Potatoey Afternoon Courtesy of Mash Direct

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Just before Christmas I developed a bit of an embarrassing addiction to Mash Direct Green Cabbage. I'm talking about a pack a day, sometimes more. Then in late December they produced these beautifully sweet Brussel Sprouts with bacon, and I got myself a sprouts habit too.

Being a nosy sort, I thought to myself, 'I must start pestering www.MashDirect.com via social media, and see if I can get a little tour of the farm, to see where my vegetable vice comes from'.
Luckily, Jack who's job at Mash Direct partially includes the Twitter side of things, didn't write me off as a nosy pants, and invited a selection of food bloggers from all over Ireland, and myself, to visit the family farm in Comber, not too far from where I live, here in Northern Ireland.

We were well fed, with lots of freshly prepared dishes from the Mash Direct range. I also am now a sort of mash expert, after learning all about the history of the family business from Tracy, Jack & Clare.


Started nine years ago by Martin & Tracy Hamilton and their neighbour Tony Reid, they started producing fresh champ to sell at St. George's Market in Belfast. The business has grown and grown, with Mash Direct now available all over Ireland, the UK and as far flung as New York and Dubai, but always fresh of course.

We got to test out some new recipes for their wonderful Mash Pots. These microwaveable, preservative-free pots are a hot and more appealing lunch time choice than sandwiches or wraps. My favourite from the current range available in Tesco etc. is the bacon and carrot pot.

The Mash Pots are up for an Innovation Award at the end of this month, but it won't be the first time Mash Direct have been foodie champions. They have so many awards they've literally run out of wall space to hang them, making them the Mo Farah of mash potatoes, winning any competition you enter them in. Deservedly too, Mash Direct is different from other pre prepared brands in that there are no added preservatives or fake flavours. The mash is mash, the turnip is turnip. It's so natural it can be used for weaning babies. They use a seed that originates from the seventies to get the best tasting potatoes for their mash (RETRO POTATOES- see, very World of Kitsch relevant).


My own son loves the Carrot & Parsnip and requested it for dinner when I returned home with my hamper (this is the foodie equivalent of a London Fashion Week goodie bag, fashion bloggers).

Although he was equally excited by the blue hairnet I brought home from the top secret factory tour, and also hijacked my Mash Direct 'kitchen dress' for himself pretty sharpish.

Thank you to Tracy, Jack and Clare for the lovely day, and I have to share with you the cake Leah from www.cakesandbakesni.wordpress.com made for the occasion, it's amazing.

Finally, if you see Mash Direct on your supermarket shelves this week, please do give them a try. I promise you won't be disappointed, and you'll soon be a mash fan girl or boy like me.


If you are already a Mash addict, you can chat to Jack & let him know your favourites on Twitter www.Twitter.com/MashDirect03 or Facebook www.Facebook.com/mashdirect

Easy Peasy Cakepops

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I wish I had these silicone cake pop moulds when I had my cake pop phase a few months ago.

If you are 'baking impaired' like myself, these will save you the struggle of cake falling off sticks, decorations pulling the bun off etc.

Simply full with your cupcake mix, bake, remove, clean. Done. Different shapes available too, if you're feeling very cake cocky.

Prices start at £6.59 search for Premier Housewares on Amazon.

Moe's Donuts *Homer Drool Noise*

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We don't have Krispy Kreme in Northern Ireland. Maybe thats the reason we are always fighting each other. It certainly is the reason I always leave Stansted Airport with a dozen box stuffed into my already full hand luggage.

I love a dirty, great big, American style doughnut, or 'donut' as they spell it. Any flavour, all flavours, and the weirder the better. Apple cinnamon, lemon meringue, strawberry shortcake or caramel.


To fill the American Doughnut shaped hole in Norn Iron, www.MoesDonuts.com have stepped up to the plate, with that authentic sugary sweet baking we are missing from our lives.

Located in Belfast, they currently take commission orders, but will soon be stocking cafes across the city. To keep up to date where you can try Moe's out first, add their Facebook Page www.Facebook.com/MoesDonuts

What surely will become their 'signature donut' is a mash-up of the traditional glazed finger, with crispy bacon topping, straight from a good, old Ulster Fry. Absolutely bloody delicious. Thanks, fellas.

You can also get in touch with Moe's kitchen by following them on www.Twitter.com/MoesDonuts

WIN an Easiyo Yoghurt Maker from Yoghurt Direct with The World of Kitsch

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Yoghurt Direct are the go-to site for the widest range of Easiyo flavours & varieties. Their current offer has a starter kit for only £9.99 so if you are new to home yoghurt making, now is a good time to try.

 

The benefits of making your own yoghurt are economic, it's far cheaper than buying packs in store, plus you know exactly what's going into the mix.

 

 

Yoghurt Direct also sell the luxury mixes, many flavours of Easiyo drinking yoghurt and best of all, Easiyo ice cream kits.

 

 

 

TO WIN an Easiyo Yoghurt Maker & flavour of your choice, simply email me at kitschandink@me.com with your name and the answer to,

"Which delicious Easiyo Flavour would you like to try if you win the yoghurt maker?"

You can find the full list of flavours to choose from at Yoghurt Direct.

 

 

As always, your email will not be used for any mailing lists, and will only be used to get in contact with you should you win.

 

Yoghurt prep at home is simple with the Easiyo 3 step system, and there are a wealth of recipes online to make sauces, dips, meals, soups, desserts and more.

 

The Swan Vintage Teasmade- Mine at Last

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It's handy that you all know I'm a weirdo already, because I'm about to confide in you a childhood desire that definitely wasn't normal.

When I was about seven, eight and upwards, I was drawn to the white goods section of the Argos catalogue, to the teasmades. I didn't drink a tremendous amount of tea as a preteen or anything, but I was fascinated by the clock, kettle, often picture frame, mash-up gadget and the idea of having one in my own bedroom came with very grown-up aspirations. My parents, being good, non-boiling-water-giving-to-child parents, never ticked the Swan Teasmade off my Santa list, but it's one product that's always tickled my fancy to this day.

Now Teasmades are seen as vintage, and one of their original manufacturers, Swan, know that there are Nesspressos & fancy podded coffee do-dahs out there, but there are folks like me who still want a part alarm clock, part kettle gadget. So they brought back the Teasmade in 2009 after an absence of a number of years, to great success. There are a number of models available though www.JohnLewis.com and www.Swan-Brand.co.uk fulfilled my lifetime dream of Teasmade ownership and sent me their crisp white model.

It's my very own non-weaponised Transformer- half alarm clock, half tea pot. Brew-a-tron!
And it works a treat. Makes enough tea for two cups & is self cleaning as only water goes inside the machine. I have M.E. and often have to sleep part of the early afternoon to have the energy for my son coming home from school, so now when I do I can set my Teasmade to wake me twenty minutes before the school run with a lovely pot of Suki Tea.


Then and Now. Many more vintage photos on the www.Facebook.com/Teasmade page

Horse in Your Burger? Cheer Yourself Up with these Unicorns in your Cake

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News came out last night that Tesco Everyday Burgers sampled in a lab contained 29% horse DNA. Delicious.
People are outraged, the same people who pay £4.50 for a kangaroo burger at the Continental Market. I suppose the real problem is you aren't sure how the horse meat is sourced, or prepared. If Heston Blumenthal served you a horse burger you'd lap it up, but a surprise horse burger is perhaps a bit of a PR nightmare for our biggest supermarket chain.

Anyway, here are some cakes made from unicorn, which we all known taste delicious.

And my blog birthday cake from Cakes and Bakes had its own little unicorn, check it out on Leah's site here

WIN a Selection of Luxury Byron Bay Cookies

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My son must have thought he was dreaming when I picked him up from school & announced he had a hamper of delicious cookies to taste test for my blog. Lucky boy!


www.ByronBayCookies.co.uk asked us to try their luxury selection of cookies, including Lemon & Macadamia Nut Shortbread, Triple Choc Fudge and Ginger & Walnut.

Byron Bay Cookies are thick, chunky, crunchy and superior to run of the mill biccies. You'll find them in the finest independent cafes next to the pastries.

They also bake an impressive selection of gluten free flavours, so everyone in the family can enjoy a Byron Bay moment. Their gluten free mini cookie bites are available in larger branches of Sainsburys in the Free From section.

The World of Kitsch has two boxes of these delicious treats to give away, courtesy of Byron Bay.
To win, simply email your name to kitschandink@me.com before 11pm on 24th January 2013. Your email address will only be used should you win, and will not be added to any mailing lists. UK readers only for this comp, thanks.


In the meantime, I'm off to let them know my favourites-
www.facebook.com/ByronBayCookies
www.Twitter.com/ByronBayCookie