A Taste of Sunshine with Island Cuisine

The sun is shining across the UK and we are basking in positively tropical temperatures.  So it seems fitting to enjoy the taste of sunshine in our meals too.  Drawing on the influences of Asia, Africa and France, Island Cuisine sauces add a flavour of Seychellois to your cooking.

The range of four tasty sauces are free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives and are veggie friendly.  The flavours are:  Yellow Creole Curry, Green Creole Curry, Red Creole Curry and Sweet and Spicy Creole.

We were sent a Red Creole Curry Sauce to try out.  It is a blend of tomatoes, chillies and onions with specially blended herbs for a well rounded, medium hot dish.

The jar suggests making a fish based curry, but as we are vegetarians we went for Black Eye Beans and vegetables as a base for our meal.

Instead of serving it with rice, I mixed the rice into the sauce to make a one pot meal.  It worked really well and was very tasty indeed!  It was not too spicy and all the children enjoyed it.

Island Cuisine is available in the North and the Midlands at Tesco and in Sainsbury's stores in London. RRP £1.99.

For further information visit www.islandcuisine.co.uk

Lovepickle if You Like it HOT!!

When it comes to spicy food, the hotter the better is Ian's motto.  So how could I resist letting him try this authentic Indian pickle made from premium ingredients.  Lovepickle is made from fresh tomato, chilli and a selection of quality spices to give a deliciously spicy kick to everyday dishes or to accompany an Indian meal.

Is it available in Mild, Medium, Hot and Extra Hot.  I went for Hot so that I could try some too.  Extra Hot with 50% extra chillies would have been just too much for me!  (In fact I'm probably more of a Mild girl these days!)

The flavour is rich, tangy and distinctive and not completely overpowered by the heat (although it does come with a very fiery kick!)  It is perfect with poppadoms but also is great in a sandwich.  Ian is adding some full-on oomph to his cheese sarnies at lunchtime and assures me that it is delicious.

The real beauty of Love Pickle is that it is very versatile.  It is an authentic condiment with Indian food, but it isn't out of place served as an alternative to ketchup or chutney with any meal.  If you like a bit of heat, Lovepickle will add a whole new dimension of flavour to your dinners.  With four different heat varieties, there will be a Lovepickle that will be just right to spice up your life!

Lovepickle Mild, Medium, Hot and Extra Hot is priced at £2.95 per jar. The full range is available to purchase directly from the website www.love-pickle.com and can be found in specialty food stores, delis as well as fine food shops and markets across the UK.

The product is made in the UK and does not contain any added colours, flavours or preservatives.

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