Simply Nectar goes exotic

As you may know, I am currently undertaking an extremely exciting period of travel.  That's right, I've packed my bag and have hit the road in search of awesome adventures and new experiences.  I'm not only doing it on behalf of myself but also for Simply Nectar and our friends at What On Earth.  I feel my travels can help with research and future ideas.

At the moment I am based in Sydney, Australia, and I have been here for just under a week.  I have another week to go and I'm excited about the prospect of what the next few days here will bring.  Before here I was in Kuching, Borneo, for a week and my time there was unforgettable.  The part of Malaysian Borneo that I saw was magical and I would love to explore more of the area.  I have also had a brief stopover in Singapore, which is a country I will be spending a few more days in next week.  Unfortunately it has rained pretty much everywhere I've been but I'm trying not to let that stop my adventures.

Tropical storm in Singapore

One of the biggest elements of my journey so far has been the food and drink that I've tried.  This gave me inspiration and encouraged me to go in search of new fruits that could be used to make delicious Simply Nectar.  We already have eight exciting flavours but we're always keeping our eyes peeled for more.  There are so many different types of fruit out there after all.

My investigations into different fruits started in Borneo and got off to a brilliant start.  Not only could I admire the fruit and all the colours and smells they offered (the durian fruit not included) I could also taste them.  The kind people at the markets allowed me, a clueless foreigner, to tuck into the fruits they were offering before buying them.  I think this was mainly due to the fact they got a good laugh out of watching me eat these fruits, many of which I had no idea how to eat.  Some had hard skin that needed to be peeled, some had stones in them, some needed to be slurped, some chewed and some sucked.  Eventually, after sampling lots of new types of fruit, I got round to eating the durian fruit.  This is the fruit I was most intrigued about as I saw it many years ago when I travelled through Thailand but never got round to trying it.  I was therefore looking forward to giving it a go.  The durian fruit is an interesting looking fruit - it is hard, green and rough on the outside but once cracked open the middle offers beautiful, bright orange fleshy fruit.  Looks can be deceiving though.  The durian fruit may appear amazing but it gives off a pungent pong.  To put it better, it stinks!  In Singapore the durian fruit is banned from public areas because it smells so bad.  And sadly, for me, the smell overpowered the taste.  The fruit tasted just as bad as it smelt.  It wasn't sweet like people described it, it was more horrible than anything else.  What makes it worse is that the stringy fruit got stuck in my teeth so for hours afterwards all I could taste was the eggy, unsavoury flavour of the durian fruit.  Now, don't get me wrong, many people love eating durian.  It is a bit of a delicacy in Asia but for me it was not an experience I would like to repeat.  I'm glad I did it and am pleased to say I finally got round to tasting durian fruit but would I do it again?  Never!  Maybe I had a bad one, maybe it wasn't ripe....maybe it was just vile!  Either way at least I got to try it and I can safely say we will not be going in for a durian fruit Simply Nectar.  I wouldn't put anybody through it!

As well as the durian fruit, there were lots of other exotic looking fruits through Borneo.  Can you name any of the following?

Send your ideas to laura@whatonearth.co.uk, put them on our Facebook page or tweet them to us on Twitter - @simplynectar.

Simply exotic,

Simply Nectar

Grab yourself a slice of natural love

Valentine’s Day got us in the mood for some lurrrve this week but rather than purchase silly presents or wait in for that delivery of roses (that never did turn up) we thought we’d invest our time in other love related things…aphrodisiacs.  Yes, you read that right.  We did say aphrodisiacs.  We wanted to see what natural aphrodisiacs exist in the world so we did a bit of research, and we were actually pretty darn pleased with our findings.  It turns out that certain fruits, including one particular fruit that comes in the form of a Simply Nectar drink, are aphrodisiacs.  Hurrrah.  Get drinking and get loving, that’s what we say!

To get your natural juices flowing, as it were, you should opt for the Raspberry Simply Nectar.  This is the drink of choice because apparently raspberries are high in vitamin C and “invite love”.  Sounds good to us!

As well as raspberries you can also tuck into bananas and strawberries.  Bananas are obviously rather phallic shaped but they are also rich in potassium and B vitamins, which are necessities for sex hormone production.  Well I never.  Tuck in boys and girls.  We used to do a Banana Simply Nectar and it was delicious.  Why don’t we do this anymore??  I better speak to the boss about this one…



BRING BACK BANANA SIMPLY NECTAR!!



Other treats include:

• Almonds
• Oysters
• Pine Nuts
• Chocolate
• Carrots
• Aniseed
• Coriander
• Vanilla
• Liquorice
• Pineapple
• Asparagus



Coutesy of Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net



• Avocado
• Mustard
• Nutmeg
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Coffee
• Fennel
• Honey
• Figs  



Courtesy of Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net



And last but not least, and our personal favourite ….. wine.

What better excuse to feast upon some of the most delicious ingredients going.  We all know what you’re going to be up to this weekend don’t we ;)

Simply aphrodisiacs.

Simply Nectar

Appley chocolate and chocolatey apples

Today is Chocolate Day.  Hurrah.  You know what this means, right?  Yep, you guessed it, everybody is allowed to eat lots of chocolate.  About time too.  What's more, we've just read that eating chocolate cake can help people lose weight.  This is FANTASTIC news.  Chocolate cake for breakfast all round me thinks.  Click on the delightful looking chocolate cake below and visit the Daily Mirror link for more information.

Image taken from www.mirror.co.uk

As well as chocolate, we are also celebrating apples.  Why?  Because it's National Bramley Apple Week of course.  All these national days need to be abided by so I think it only right that we pay our respects to the apple as well.  I thought long and hard about how we could do this best and I think the solution is to combine the apples and the chocolate and have one massive celebration.  We could create appley chocolate or even chocolatey apples!  We could also make some delicious desserts using both ingredients. Granted, the apples may not necessarily be Bramley apples but hey, they're all part of the same family.

Here are some of our suggestions on how you can enjoy both apples and chocolate together:

1. Drink Apple Simply Nectar and munch on an organic chocolate bar such as Go*Do.  Mmmm

2. Tuck into a fabulous What On Earth Organic Chocolate Cheesecake and either top it with apple slices or eat it with some apple sauce. Yum

3. Create some Chocolate-dipped apples - they're a step up from toffee apples!  The image below is taken from Food Network.  Visit the site now for their amazing chocolate-dipped apples recipe.

Courtesy of www.foodnetwork.co.uk

4. Bake a chocolate apple pie.  Like the look of the below?  Then visit the Kayotic Kitchen blogspot for the recipe

Courtesy of http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/

5. Roll your sleeves up and make the below chocolate apple crumble using the recipe from the Satin and Salt Blog.

Courtesy of satinandsalt.blogspot.com

Right, is that enough suggestions?  I hope so.  They will keep you busy for hours so get into that kitchen and see what you can come up with.  We hope you enjoy all the apples and chocolate.  We certainly will!

Simply appley chocolate.

Simply Nectar

Celebrating the Carrot

Today is 3 February. It is also a Friday and it is sunny, plus it is my uncle’s birthday.  But despite these observations today is something quite special for another reason. Oh yes it is.

I imagine that when you looked out the window this morning you were thinking about the day ahead, not actually about what today means and the exciting things it could bring.  Luckily I was thinking about what it could bring so I am now bringing those things to you because today, my friends, we are going to be celebrating that bright orange vegetable, THE CARROT.  That’s right.  Today we are dedicating everything to the carrot.  Why?  Because it’s National Carrot Day of course.

Yes, you heard (or read) correctly.  Today is NATIONAL CARROT DAY!!

Don’t look down on this day as commercial rubbish.  It is a proper day that has a National Anthem and everything.  Check it out:

We also saw this cute (?!) and slightly odd video that is also related to singing carrots. Take a look if singing carrots are your thing!

Also in respect of National Carrot Day we’d like to give you some carrot based facts:

• Carrots are a root vegetable that originated in Afghanistan. They were purple, red, white, and yellow, but never orange
• A 2005 poll revealed that carrots are the third most popular vegetable in Britain (Brussels Sprouts are the least popular) 
• Carrots are about 87% water 
• Eating too many carrots can cause a person's skin to turn yellowish orange, especially on the palms or soles of the feet. This is called carotenemia. It is completely reversible once the consumption of carrots is reduced
• The longest carrot ever recorded was nearly 17 feet long 
• The largest carrot ever recorded weighed 18.985 pound

We didn't make these facts up either.  Oh no, we did our research.  Thanks for www.healthdiaries.com for providing us with the information.

Finally, we’d like to leave you with a picture of a certain carrot cake we know and love.  Why?  well, because it’s DELICIOUS of course...and because it's made by our favourite food company What On Earth.

YUM!

It's a shame we don't make a carrot Simply Nectar really.  Perhaps we should....  If you want some let us know.

Simply Carrots

Simply Nectar

Win a crate of Simply Nectar

We thought we would draw your attention to our latest competition. That's right folks, you can win yourself a WHOLE CRATE of Simply Nectar just by emailing the good people at Zest Magazine.  You don't have to answer any taxing questions or give any smart slogans, you just have to send a little email and hey presto you're entered into the prize draw.

On this occasion we are giving away a crate of Simply Nectar to TWO lucky winners...that's a total of 40 bottles...20 bottles each.  Yes, we did pass our maths GCSE thank you very much!  You can choose from 20 peach or 20 Citron Presse.  Mmm mmmm.

So what are you waiting for??  ENTER NOW!
http://www.zest.co.uk/forum/forummessages.asp?URN=21&UTN=1079&cp=1&SP=&V=9&a=Zest&msg=3#4885

Simply competitions.

Simply Nectar

Worldwide celebrations right on our doorstep

When I woke up on Monday morning with no electricity, heating or hot water I thought it was a sign for the rest of the week ahead. I had a very bad feeling that if the week started on a bad foot it was only going to get worse. It turns out I was wrong. Why? Because when I realised the date I knew I was in for a week of treats.

23 January 2012 marked the start of Chinese New Year and this year they are celebrating the year of the Dragon. The next few weeks will be packed with endless celebrations full of colour, fun and amazing food. I may not be Chinese but I love to join in the celebrations and embrace the country and its cultures/traditions. What’s more, I also love the food, conveniently, so I will make sure I eat a lot of it this week.

Courtesy of Kittikun Atsawintarangkul / freedigitalphotos.net

Two days later, i.e. today, it’s Burns Night. Yep, 25 January sees Scottish people around the globe celebrating the birthday of famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns.  All number of Burns suppers take place on this popular day, which may be both formal and informal. Typically they include haggis, Scotch whisky (hurrah!) and the recitation of Burns’ poetry.

If that isn’t enough, 26 January marks Australia Day. Yet more reason to celebrate culture, tradition and of course food, hooray! Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. 26 January commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788, thus marking British colonisation.

Courtesy of Laura Collins

With all these dates in the diary I thought it only right that this post embraces all three countries mentioned above and all the delicious food that comes out of them. I have therefore put together a list of some of the most loved, traditional celebratory dishes from China, Scotland and Australia in a hope that it may inspire you to tuck in and join the party.

Typical dishes eaten during Chinese New Year

Buddha’s Delight – a lavish vegetarian dish made with a wide variety of ingredients, including arrowhead, bamboo, bean curd, black mushrooms, carrot, noodles, daylily buds, fat choy, Ginkgo nuts, Lotus seeds, Napa cabbage, Peanuts, Snow peas, tofu, water chestnuts, wheat gluten and wood ear.

Sweet and Sour Pork – This dish is popular with families hoping for a lot of grandchildren, as the Cantonese word for "sour" sounds like the word for grandchild.

Yusheng – This raw fish salad is said to bring good luck. This dish is usually eaten on the seventh day of the New Year, but may also be eaten throughout the period.



Courtesy of SundayMorning / freedigitalphotos.net

 Jiaozi – Crescent-shaped Jiaozi are a symbol of wealth and prosperity because of their resemblance to ancient Chinese money.  They are eaten at midnight on New Year's Eve.

Niangao (Year cake or Chinese New Year's cake) – A cake prepared from glutinous rice. It is considered good luck to eat Niángāo during New Year because "nian gao" is a homonym for "higher year." The sticky sweet snack was believed to be an offering to the Kitchen God, with the aim that his mouth will be stuck with the cake so he can't badmouth the giver's family to the God of all Gods.

Typical dishes eaten on Burns Night

Scotch Broth – A thick soup made with carrots, turnips, onions, celery, leek, pearl barley, lamb, peas and kale.

Arbroath smokies – Smoked haddock from the town of Arbroath.

Haggis, neeps and tatties – put simply it’s sheep or calf's offal, swede and potatoes



Courtesy of FreeFoto.com



 

Cranachan – This traditional Scottish pudding is made with whipped cream, whisky, honey, and fresh fruit.

Shortbread and oatcakes –  Quite self explanatory really!

Typical dishes eaten on Australia Day

Aussie pies – Pies filled with meat and potato which are a favourite with Australians the world over

Barbecue Prawns – Any variety of prawns go down well on Australia Day, whether they be plain, cooked in garlic or covered in Piri Piri sauce.  "Slip another shrimp on the barbie."



Courtesy of Sura Nualpradid / freedigitalphotos.net



Beer battered fish and chips – A delicious meal perfect for a lazy afternoon

Anzac Biscuits – A popular biscuit made with oats, desiccated coconut, lemon rind and golden syrup.

Lamingtons – These are a quintessential part of every Australian's childhood. The little sponge cake is dipped in chocolate icing and then rolled in desiccated coconut.

YUM!  So there we have it - a long list of food for a long week of celebrations.  Why not wash it all down with some delicious Simply Nectar too.  Now there's an idea huh?!

Simply celebrations.

Simply Nectar

Jeremy Jaffe hits the news

We are feeling very proud of our boss Jeremy, who is also one of the co-owners of What On Earth.  Jeremy has been in the news quite a bit these past few days so we have therefore pulled together all of his media coverage to show you just how busy he has been.  Jeremy has been getting his five minutes of fame as he has been involved in interviews with several journalists.  The reason for this is because they have caught on to how successful 2011 was for What On Earth.  (We actually blogged about how good last year was in our previous blog post).  The news of the success was published on:

• Fresh Business Thinking
• Retail Times
• Why I Love Organic
• Organic Portal
• Agro Food Planet
• 73 Shelves

The story was also discussed in great depth on the International Business Times.  This piece was a favourite of Jeremy’s because it contained a HUGE photo of him!  You can read the article here: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/

After journalists found out about the company's success, other publications were interested in chatting with Jeremy about the organic food market as a whole – in particular, the popular trade publication, Food Manufacture.  As a result of the interview the following article was published….and it’s one in which Jeremy caused quite a stir! http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/

Finally, our Jeremy was featured in London’s Evening Standard as he posed a business question to Dragon’s Den star and famous entrepreneur, James Caan.  The letter got published and Jeremy’s name was once again in lights.  You can check out his question here:

Simply famous.

Simply Nectar