Regular readers know I’m a devotee of Tracklements, the Wiltshire-based family company, which creates quality food, using simple, honest ingredients, hand-made in small batches. Their food is amazing, and now they have a collaboration with Yumello, who make sustainable nut butters using all-natural ingredients, including from Targanine, a cooperative in the Atlas Mountains which empowers rural Berber women. Not only is this a collaboration of giants, but they’ve merged Tracklement Chilli Jam with Yumello Smooth Peanut Butter – what chance has my waistline?

I hoped beyond hope that it would taste ‘OK’ but not great, so I’d have some possibility of resisting eating far too much of this amazing-sounding delicacy. Sadly there was little chance of this, because of course it is simply heavenly.

I’m guessing the inspiration was from the peanut butter and jelly snack, loved by American children, but wow have they taken it up a notch?

Tracklement Chilli Jam is delicious on its own, made with Raw Cane Sugar, Red Peppers, Cider Vinegar, Onions, Red Chillies (a full 9%), Lemon Juice, Garlic Purée and Sea Salt. The rather special Yumello Smooth Peanut Butter is made with only hi-oleic peanuts and sea salt – that’s it – no palm oil, no refined sugar, no unnecessary additives. Hi-oleic peanuts are naturally sweeter and have around 30% more monounsaturated (healthy) fats than other peanuts. You can imagine, the combination of the sweetness and chilli-bite of the jam with the smooth nuttiness of the peanut butter just sets your tastebuds into freefall. I am still enjoying the memory of that perfect merger of flavours and textures. Thank you Tracklements and Yumello, you’ve made my life complete.

Just £4.99 for a 215g jar, it’s available from the Tracklement and Yumello websites and also fine food delis and farm shops nationwide. You simply must try it, you owe it to yourself.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Before we know it, the clocks will turn back, and those long dark evenings will be upon us. This is the perfect time for getting together with friends and sharing food, and Pizza is instantly called to mind. The only thing that spoils this image according to my wife, is the sight of me hacking slices out of what had once been a perfectly round pizza.

The stylish NEW Microplane Professional Pizza Wheel with Dough Docker is designed for performance and versatility, by featuring a large, ultra-sharp, double-bevelled stainless steel blade – perfectly balanced for precision cutting and long-lasting durability.

Its ergonomic weight and shape naturally guide your hand forward (even mine), creating a smooth, intuitive slicing motion. The generous blade diameter glides effortlessly through more than just pizza – it’s equally adept at slicing tortillas, flatbreads, quesadillas, brownies, quiche, and even crafting delicate pastry lattices for pies. Use the dough docker to prick pastry for quiche and flans. The ergonomic, non-slip, soft-touch handle – which can be used equally well with either hand – includes a smart finger guard between the handle and blade for safety and comfort when directing the wheel.

The pizza wheel is finely balanced with a pleasing weight, fellow keen cooks will know what I mean, and in my case the utensil that I reach for first. The blade’s long-lasting sharpness effortlessly and precisely cuts through even molten mozzarella and other toppings such as salami, Parma ham, pepperoni and mushrooms, without ripping or tearing, for the perfect slice, every time.

This would make the perfect Christmas or birthday gift for the chef in your life but as we enter the perfect season for sharing Pizza, why wait?

Microplane Professional Pizza Wheel with dough docker RRP £29.95 from Selfridges

With the arrival of Autumn comes cooler temperatures, darker evenings, and my wife starts looking at the central heating, but there is another seasonal thing to look forward to, and that is the programme of the London Philharmonic Orchestra that takes place at the Festival Hall in London.

Clearly, I was not alone in thinking like this, as the hall was almost filled to capacity, and there was a palpable sense of anticipation, as the lights were dimmed and the conductor, Edward Gardner took to the stage.

The first piece, called ‘Ringed by a Flat Horizon’, a complex piece written in 1980, was composed by the Festival Hall’s Composer in residence, Sir George Benjamin, and was inspired by lines taken from T S Eliot’s epic poem, the Waste Land. The fifth and final section, ‘What the Thunder Said’. I have to confess that it was not to my taste, I found it a little jarring, but what do I know? I am an old fuddy duddy, and musical history is littered with critics eating their words a few years later.

The highlight of the evening had to be Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, and we were treated to the playing of acclaimed pianist, Yefim Bronfman, and what a treat it was. From the opening notes it was clear that we were in good hands, and the London Philharmonic were on top form.

The piano grabbed our attention and didn’t let go, we were in the presence of a master, the music both joyous and divine. The Adagio was simply glorious, calming and swept the audience away.

I wondered if the LPO had missed us as much as we missed them?

As if the Emperor Concerto wasn’t enough and following unceasing applause the audience were given an encore, where Bronfman gave us a virtuosa solo performance that held us entranced. The audience responded with applause that threatened never to end. What an evening, and we still had the second half to come. Truly LPO you are spoiling us.

After the interval we resumed our seats happily sated from what we had heard, and we settled down to listen to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 5 in E Minor, Op 64.

Four movements, each thrilling, this was a piece that I was not familiar with, although there is something about Tchaikovsky that is unmistakeable from the ballets that have used his music.

In the first movement, sombre gravitas at the outset becoming more joyful, with building urgency, then lulled, then building again to a crescendo, the massed strings magnificent under Gardner’s taut conducting. The second movement, brooding and haunting pierced by the woodwind held us spellbound in our seats with its melancholy and tenderness, then building and building until the music filled the auditorium. Surely this was what the Festival Hall was built for? The third, movement felt like the music of the ballroom, tripping, as the piercing notes of the violins and the rich deep sounds of the viola combined in haunting melody.

The final movement provided a magnificent finish that was met by the audience, cheering, clapping and stamping their feet. What an evening it had been.

If you are looking for a gift for the music lover in your life, I can recommend an evening at the Royal Festival Hall.

Let’s look at the kindle edition: The Carlswick Affair S L Beaumont – it is the first of the Carlswick Mysteries – a series full of intrigue, secrets and suspense – of lost masterpieces and buried truths: when Stephanie Cooper investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding her great aunt’s death, she discovers a painting thought stolen by the Nazis and destroyed during WWII, hanging in the home of the intriguing James Knox, guitarist with indie band, The Fury.

As Stephanie delves deeper into this mystery she begins to uncover the secrets and deceptions of a previous generation. Gossip in Carlswick village about a tragic wartime romance is mingled with whispers of clandestine visitors, art smuggling and perhaps, collaboration with the Nazis. But as she closes in on the truth of what happened all those years earlier, Stephanie realises that someone does not want her to discover the truth about her family’s past and that someone may kill to stop her.

Available here @ £0.99 for a limited time.

Past Rites by Claire Stibbe Volume 3 Kindle Edition (The Detective Temeke Crime Series) is another whopper.

Lies can bury the past. But some secrets refuse to stay dead. Four years after the suicide (or was it?) of Alice Delgado, daughter of one of Albuquerque’s top racing drivers, her younger sister Lily vanishes. When two of Lily’s classmates are found dead, our super dooper Detectives David Temeke and Malin Santiago are pulled into a chilling case that leads them to an elite boarding school on the banks of the Rio Grande

There, behind a façade of privilege and silence, they uncover whispers of occult rituals and a mysterious ancient book – clues that ignite a disturbing chain of events and unravel long-buried truths. As tensions mount within the department and the body count rises, Temeke and Santiago must race to stop a killer before another young life is lost. Another page turner.

Available here: @ £1.99 for a limited period.

Heavens the excitement keeps building. Now for…

The Vatican Secret: A totally gripping and explosive action thriller (A Marco Venetti Thriller) by Peter Hogenkamp Kindle Edition.There is a nuclear weapon in the hands of the Vatican City’s deadliest enemy. And time is running out to stop the attack …

Marco Venetti, the only man the Pope trusts, is on the hunt for a traitor. He is willing to do anything to protect the church, and the man at its heart. Even if it means getting blood on his hands … But when Marco finds him, the traitor reveals terrifying new information: the name of a Russian mafioso with a grudge against the Vatican and possession of a nuclear bomb. If Marco doesn’t work with him, the consequences will be deadly.

To prevent it, Marco must enter a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that will take him across the continent on land and by sea. With time running out, he will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. Because the secrets inside the Vatican may be the deadliest threat of all. And only Marco can restore honour to the church, by any means necessary… And yes, another page turner. We’re being spoiled.

Available here: @ £0.99 for a limited time – go for it. Well, at these limited time prices buy them all.

I remember when I was a girl (back in the ‘olden days’ according to my grandkids), my lovely Mum would stand for ages over the hob making fudge. It was a long process, as the simple pure ingredients – condensed milk, sugar and butter – had to be stirred continuously until the mixture reached the correct temperature for the fudge to form. And then she had to keep stirring until a little of the mixture, when dropped into iced water, created a soft ball, meaning that the fudge was ready. At that point she’d remove the pan from the heat and beat the mixture for five to ten minutes, to make a fabulous crumbly fudge. After all that stirring and beating her hard work was almost done. She just had to pour the mixture into a container to set and then guard the (still very hot) fudge from small people sneaking into the kitchen trying to steal the heavenly sweet before it had cooled. We risked burnt tongues but we didn’t care. Finally the whole family would sit by the open fire (yes I am that old) and watch the black and white television and tuck into far too much indescribably delicious home-made fudge.

So many of these simple pleasures and good food, made with love have disappeared, so I was thrilled to discover Fudge Kitchen.

Fudge Kitchen started life in the 1980s, when Sian Holt accepted a challenge from an American fudge-maker called Jim. He’d been told that Blackpool, England was a perfect place to sell fudge. He couldn’t leave America himself, so he asked Sian if she’d set up a shop. He shipped a complete fudge shop by container, along with a man to teach her how to make it. Sian caught a train to Blackpool and her future as a fudge-maker began. Forty years later her team are still making unique fudge in small batches using mainly natural ingredients, locally-sourced where possible.

It has fallen on me to taste three of their fudges on your behalf (you’re welcome) – Sea Salted Caramel, Specaloos and Chocolate Orange. I’m a sucker for salted caramel at the best of times and this fudge is simply delicious – slightly crumbly, just like my mother’s, with subtle caramel vibes, presented attractively with small chocolate decorations. Specaloos (named after Belgian spiced shortbread – I didn’t know either) was another crumbly fudge but enhanced with warm spices – this was probably my favourite. Finally Chocolate Orange – a creamy consistency chocolate fudge blended with orange – what’s not to like?

With Christmas hurtling towards us I must direct you to Fudge Kitchen’s attractive range of gifts – your friends and family will love you forever.

From the Christmas Trio Fudges Slider – beautifully packaged, with one of each of the above fudges at just £3.90 to Festive Fudge Selection 9 Piece (from £12.50), to their Signature Selection 25 Piece (from £30 for someone really special), there really is a gift to thrill anyone on your Christmas list. Final order dates are 22nd December.

And of course, don’t forget to treat yourself too. Merry Christmas to me.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.