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Chocolate for Father's Day?

A question I never know exactly how to answer, what does one buy as a gift for a man? Please remember the following ideas are coming from me as a woman! I think that men are starting to enjoy their cooking more and more and many of my customers interested in all the different sauces and condiments are the men folk. They also seem to love fancy sauces to go with meats, burgers, bbq's, on pizza bases or on burgers. This could be the perfect gift! We have Glasseye Creek - Wild Meat Sauce - great...

Cheese, cheese and more cheese!

I have just spent a month overseas and you know what? I think the Dutch make the nicest cheeses in the world, well in my opinion anyway. Isn't it lucky that we import and sell these in our shop in Cambridge? Whether it is the sweet, nutty and creamy Maasdam with it's huge holes, the tangy white Goat cheese or the ever so creamy Gouda style cheese flavoured with garlic, chives and paprika, we have got it all! Ahh.. it is good to be home!...

DUTCH KROKETTEN AND FRIKANDELLEN

Gosh! We were busy yesterday receiving our frozen Dutch croquettes and frikadels! Cartons of them all needed to be stacked neatly across the three freezers we have out the back of our shop. As I was stacking them I had to fondly think back to growing up in the Netherlands where our 'fish and chips' nights are 'croquettes & frikandels with chips nights'. 'Croquettes' are traditionally a creamy beef filling crumbed and deep fried... a yummy and maybe a little bit naughty winter treat! And a...

QUINOA ANYONE?

Quinoa is deemed to be one of many superfoods rediscovered in the last few years. I have never been too fond of this little ancient super grain, but I have fallen in love with Alexandra's Quinoa mix and I am now actually rather partial to this little 'mother of all grains'. Given that Quinoa is naturally gluten free, wheat free and easy to digest, amongst the least allergenic foods available, I am very pleased to have discovered a delicious way of cooking them. Check out Alexandra Fine Foods ...

PANCAKES IN BED FOR MUM THIS MOTHER'S DAY?

I was in a creative mood on Tuesday morning and as my partner cooked me 3 little pancakes in a fry pan, I decided to make a little fancy pancake stack for myself! I never indulge like this, so for me this was very 'fancy' indeed. So, I started with one pancake topped with slices of banana, placing a second pancake on top layered with more slices of banana, a third pancake placed on top layered by more banana still, drizzled generously with Wild Country's delicious Honey and Blueberry Pancake ...

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR POMEGRANATE MOLASSES?

Have you tried using Pomegranate Molasses yet? If not, you really should it's a deliciously versatile condiment. I get asked if we stock Pomegranate Molasses on a daily basis at the moment, and with good reason, so YES we do have plenty of bottles in stock. It's great drizzled on vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Delicious added into a gin & tonic, soda water or Champagne. Divine added to cream cheese icing to jazz up plain cupcakes. Add into a basic vinaigrette to drizzle on a fig and p...

CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE AND MORE CHOCOLATE!

I really do love my job! Valentine's Day has only just been and I have the pure delight of opening up even more CHOCOLATE, for Easter this time. Not only have we received the oh so delicious handmade Devonport Chocolates and the simply divine Schoc Chocolates, but a completely new range to Dante's Fine Foods. 'She Universe' chocolate, these eggs are amazingly stunning, photo's do not do them any justice at all! And even better some of their chocolate is dairy free and sugar free, so now there ...

I LOVE HANDMADE CHOCOLATE, DO YOU?

I am so excited about the delicious handmade chocolates we received in store today from Devonport Chocolates! The chocolates look and taste exquisite, it was such a pleasure creating a 'Valentines Day' table full of these delicious treats. So, what are you going to buy your loved one this Valentines Day? As long as it is CHOCOLATE and something else, you can't go wrong. We also custom make gift baskets, so you can choose a range of sweet treats, crackers, chutneys, dressings, and really spoil...

CHRISTMAS GIFT BASKETS

Did you know we custom make gift baskets? and we are already taking orders for Christmas?? Maybe the perfect solution for your staff or family? You can either come in store and choose your own selection of products, you can let us know the dollar value and we can put something together for you, or we can make up the basket together. P.S. you can also just order online!...

EVERY CHILD DESERVES A TREAT!

So come in and try the Molly Woppy range! All the little kids I know just love these handmade classic gingerbread's. I don't think they should be limited just to kids though, I do love them too, especially the Kiwi Bird smothered in delicious chocolate!...

ANY PEANUT BUTTER NUTTERS OUT THERE??!

If you love peanut butter, then you must try the Small Batch Peanut Butter hand made in Mt Maunganui. Included in their delicious range is an amazingly decadent 'Chocolate Peanut Butter' and a 'Cinnamon and Raisin Peanut Butter'! Even I am converted, I have never before in my life eaten peanut butter but these two go down quite nicely just by the spoonful! Oh, and we do have samples in store for you to try before you buy!...

CULLEY'S AMAZING HOT CONDIMENTS

This delicious range of 'chilli' inspired products are available at Dante's Fine Foods now! I am in love with their chipotle salt, their amazing panko breadcrumbs, and then there are all their sauces. From Hickory, Habanero, Chipotle to Sweet Chilli, Green Chilli and a Chiptole Ketchup. Simply delicious on meats, added into homemade burgers or added to just about everything! For the real 'HOT' lovers try the REAPER, this is an extremely hot condiment, sure to challenge the toughest of taste b...

BEES BLESSING

I have just re-stocked my favourite hot winter drink. Bees Blessing makes a range of delicious cordials made with real ingredients and without any added sugar. Finally a cordial that doesn't list 'sugar' as their first and main ingredient! Instead Bees Blessing uses NZ honey, organically grown produce from New Zealand wherever possible and is brewed in small batches with NO additives, preservatives or 'fillers' (like water) - so each bottle contains deep, concentrated flavour that goes wayyy ...

HANDMADE CHOCOLATES, WHO DOESN'T LOVE THEM?

I just wanted to remind you all that we stock delicious ranges of handmade chocolates. In this picture are the scrumptious Devonport Chocolates chocolate cups. We also sell Van Heiningen chocolates from Christchurch including their oh so popular salted caramel chocolate and the all time favourite Schoc chocolate tablets. New to the range at Devonport Chocolates are their silky and smooth hot drinking chocolates, definitely a good way to finish the day!...

KRISTY'S ALL NATURAL RICE CAKES

We can solve your problem! I have just sampled a range of rice cakes made by 'Kristy' and they just tasted so incredibly fresh, crunchy and delicious that I ordered a whole lot on the spot! The range includes a deliciously nutritious blend of; mixed grain cakes (white rice, brown rice, quinoa, sesame seed, fennel, stevia and sea salt), a nutritious combination of quinoa cakes (brown rice, quinoa and linseed), corn cakes (100% corn), brown rice cakes (100% brown rice) and a white rice cakes (100...

MANDYS HORSERADISH SAUCE

I personally consume huge amounts of Mandy's Horseradish Sauce in the summer time as it is my #1 go to condiment with meat and sausages at our ongoing summer BBQ's. I have only recently discovered that this delicious condiment can be used in sooo many more ways: Delicious with salmon, trout, beef, lamb corned beef and venison. Add a spoonful of Mandys Horseradish Sauce to give your Bloody Mary an extra kick! Mix Mandys Horseradish Sauce with sour cream, a little bit of chopped dill, combine...

Impress your guests at your next BBQ!

Look at these delicious colourful treats perfect for your next BBQ! Black charcoal crackers from England topped with Red Pesto Cheese, Green Pesto Cheese or White Goat Cheese. The black charcoal crackers were initially created in the mid 19th Century to aid digestion, now we just see them as stylish crackers that taste delicious! The cheeses are all imported from the Netherlands. Red Pesto Cheese is flavoured with sundried tomatoes and basil, it tastes just like Italian Pizza, the Green Pesto...

CHRISTMAS GIFT BASKETS

Did you know we custom make gift baskets? and we are already taking orders for Christmas?? Maybe the perfect solution for your staff or family?  You can either come in store and choose your own selection of products, you can let us know the dollar value and we can put something together for you, or we can make up the basket together.  P.S. you can also just order online! ...

Star Anise VS Anise Seeds

Did you know that even though Star Anise and Anise Seed have the same name, they are in fact completely different spices?? ... so NO anise seeds are not the seeds picked out of the Star Anise!!  Anise is a herb from the parsley family that produces small seeds with a strong liquorice like flavour.  Whereas Star Anise is the star-shaped fruit of a tree - a member of the magnolia family - native to warmer climate areas in southern China and Indochina. These unrelated ...

Cinnamon? Cassia?

Ceylon Cinnamon on the left and Indonesian cinnamon on the right, what a difference!! Then there is also 'cassia' which is cinnamon grown in China! and then there is 'Saigon' cinnamon from Vietnam!!  Who knew that there were so many different types of cinnamon? You actually want to make a point of checking you buy the 'true' Ceylon cinnamon from Sri Lanka, this cinnamon is much more aromatic and subtle in flavour, finer, and more crumbly in texture, can easily be ground to a powde...

Tamarind Time!

Tamarind is essential to Malaysian, Indonesian and Thai cooking, first discovered as a perfect lemon substitute during seasons where fresh lemons where unavailable to still give food a sweet-tart flavour.  Tamarind is delicious as a grilling glaze, barbecue sauce and in curries.The tamarind pods are opened to dry in the sun and the tart pulp and shiny seeds are scraped out, and pressed into a pliant brick.  We stock 'wet tamarind' paste, so you simply need to break off a...

Have you tried COYO yet?

I am very impressed - thankfully so are my customers, with this new range 'CoYo', a dairy free Greek style alternative yoghurt made from the creamy milk of the coconut and cultured with plant fed probiotic cultures.  This delicious product is available in 4 flavours, passionfruit, mango, mixed berry and natural.  The natural coconut yoghurt is a great dairy free substitute anytime a recipe calls for 'cream' or 'yoghurt'!! The flavoured coconut yoghurts make a great dessert, s...

We stock real Parmigiano Reggiano!

The huge wheel sits on our counter top as we custom cut chunks of this amazing 40kg wheel of cheese. Parmigiano Reggiano is known as the ‘King’ of parmesan cheese and is made with milk from cows that have only been ‘grazed’ in the ‘Parma’ region (as opposed to Grano Padano which is made from milk from cows that have been fed silage). This means that a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese only contains milk, rennet and salt!! (as opposed to Grano Padano, which contains preservatives to p...

Cheesecake Anyone??

What a good way to start the week! My dear sister made the team at Dante's Fine Foods a delicious Lemon Flavoured Cheesecake, I am just not really sure whether you can call it a 'traditional' cheesecake, but it sure did taste amazing!  Why don't you give it a go?  Simply crush 2/3's of a packet of Dutch Windmill biscuits (speculaasjes) and mix with 100gm of butter, push this into a cake tin to form the base.  Whip 500ml of cream and mix with 250gm cream cheese add a generous amoun...

Featured Product

My favourite at the moment SAMBAL BRANDAL - this is a hot fried chili paste with a tantalising flavour.  A great way to spice up any stir fried vegetables, it even goes with brussel sprouts! Cook the Brussels sprouts in approx. 8 min. in water with salt until al dente. Heat some olive oil in a fry pan and fry 2 cloves of garlic over low heat for 5 min. Add 1Tbsp of sambal and 1 bunch of finely chopped spring onions. Drain the sprouts and add to fry pa...