When I was a child, I was slightly obsessed with containers. A tissue box, when emptied, would be squirrelled away and turned into a caravan for my toy mouse, a chocolate box housed my china whimsy collection (each animal having its own little bed) and a match box was a perfect little bunk bed for a miniature troll.

​In front of the review panel this month, were three separate, brightly coloured tins, christened the “snack caddy” and extremely pleasing to the eye. About the size of a cafetiere, beautifully cylindrical and shiny with nifty little metal clasp to keep the inside airtight, like a kilner jar.

A generous splash of colour adorns the bottom three quarters of the canister, complete with embossed pictures of herbs nuts, olives and chilli crackers, hinting at the goodies inside. And, of course, there is Mr Filbert in his smart green apron and chef’s hat with his trusty saucepan and wooden spoon.  He presides over the tin with his usual air of benevolence!

​Each tin comes with its own little menu card, detailing all the nutritional information of its contents and they come in two different sizes, small and large, to keep it simple. Some tins have three packets inside, some four and others have five.

​Let’s pop the top and see what treats await!

​Each fabulous little snack caddy is stuffed with a choice of pouchy goodness, ranging from fragrant and spicy salami chorizo through to succulent, garliccy olives via a smorgasbord of chilli rice crackers, BBQ crunchy corn or herb sprinkled nuts. There really is something for everyone and our reviewers all found something that hit the sweet spot.

​Here’s a smattering of our panel’s comments on the snacks themselves:

​Large Yellow Snack Caddy holds:

Mr Filbert’s Traditional Beef Biltong
“excellent with red wine“
“beautifully moist with a crisp edge”
“Mouthfuls of aromatic wonder” 

Mr Filbert’s Sweet Chilli Rice Crackers
“small and intense, a glorious orangey colour with a fabulous crunch. Pop a couple in your mouth and the sweet chilli gets the juices flowing then a powerful kick of flavour demands your attention”
“Fabulous explosion on the tongue!!!!”

Mr Filbert’s Spicy Barbecue Crunchy Corn
“Chuck a little handful in your mouth and you let your teeth get to work. Fab snacking”

Mr Filbert’s Simply Sea Salt Crunchy Corn
“I’d take this to the cinema instead of popcorn”

Olive Snack Freshly Marinated Olives with Basil, Garlic and Coriander
“A subtle hint of summer nights”
“the light hint of herbiness across these olives is perfectly balanced”

Large Orange Snack Caddy holds:
​(described on their website as the INDULGENCE caddy)

Mr Filbert’s Café Espresso Coffee Chocolate & Nut Mix
“Fresh AND salty, with a lovely hit of coffee chocolate. I’m smitten”
“This is my perfect drinks companion”

Mr Filbert’s Cherry Berry Chocolate & Nut Mix
“The perfect combo of flavours”

Mr Filbert’s Salted Caramel Chocolate & Nut Mix
“So moreish”
“Perfect combination of sweet and salty.”
“I love the surprise of flavour in each bite, not knowing exactly what you are going to get. I try them with my eyes closed and sneak up on my taste buds.”

​Mr Filbert’s Chocolate Orange Nut Mix
“if this was brought to me with every cup of coffee, I’d be in heaven!”

Large Green Snack Caddy (the TAPAS caddy) holds:

Snack Salami Chorizo
“Fab flavour! Brilliant with a pint”
“Reckon I could bull fight after a couple of these”

Olive Snack Freshly Marinated Olives with Basil, Garlic and Coriander
“perfect for a little one-person accompaniment to a cool beverage”

Mr Filbert’s Spicy Barbecue Crunchy Corn
“When you bite down on the kernel, you get a fabulous crunch”

Mr Filbert’s Sea Salt & Herb Mixed Nuts
“a glorious mixture”
“enough flavour to keep even my husband happy!”

​The real triumph of these snack caddies is the bringing together of excellent choices. Just as an orchestra combines deeply different instruments resulting in a symphony of sound, so does a snack caddy form a delicious medley of yumminess which has the lucky snacker applauding from the front row!

​We, at Fabulous Farm Shops HQ, would suggest that anyone would love to receive one of these little time capsules of taste.

​Next time I’m invited anywhere for a party or dinner or a round of golf, I will be ditching the gold, tinfoil-wrapped, ambassador-favoured, chocolate spheres and reaching instead for a canister of snacks from Mr Filbert.  It would take a hard-hearted hostess not to be impressed by this gift.

Or just treat yourself! A tin would fit into your hiking backpack, your bicycle basket or your picnic hamper and each little pouch will spur you on with your endeavours. And when the last snack is finished, and your tummy is full of glorious treats, just think of all the brilliant uses to which you can put that delightful canister….

If you would like to stock these fabulous little snacks in your shop
​then get in touch with Filbert’s Fine Foods:
by phone 01458 833744
by email sales@filbertsfinefoods.co.uk
or online mrfilberts.com/pages/trade

If you have a product you would like us to review, please contact

theAteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

The Fabulous Farm Shops review panel have a bit of history with those excellent people at Filbert’s Fine Foods and every now and then they ship us a little trio of new snacks for us to crack open and review. It’s always a good day when we open a box to find Mr Filbert peeking out and this time was no exception.

​Like a lucky dip (but without the annoying sawdust), I plunged my hand into the box to see what goodies we were going to try this time.

​Salt and Pepper Cashews (pocket size)

First out the box was a cute little packet of Mr Filbert’s Salt and Pepper cashews, “oven roasted to perfection then tumbled with sea salt and black pepper for a perfect savoury snack”.

Gosh, I love a cashew! I think of it as the perfect nut. To start with, the shape is ergonomically pleasing, as if the creator was really beginning to loosen up and let his imagination run a little riot. And the flavour – never quite what you’re expecting when you pop it in your mouth.  The texture? Slightly oily but solid and reassuring.

Anyway, I love them just the way they are. So, when I realised that the good folk at Mr Filbert’s have dared to play with perfection, I was slightly concerned. I needn’t have worried.  Of course, Mr Filbert, in his dashing black apron with his shock of carroty hair and winning smile, can be trusted to enhance any snack he turns his wooden spoon to.

This time, he has rifled though his condiments and chosen two beautifully complementary flavours, as old as the hills: salt and pepper. What could go wrong? Nothing! Quite simply a brilliant enhancement. And it wasn’t just me that thought so. Listen to the joy from the panel of Fabulous Farm Shops reviewers:

“Delicious! Salty and extremely tasty. Ideal with drinkies!”

“Oh yes! That little peppery addition. A bit of heat…a bit of vavavoom”

“Salt and pepper…the winning combo, the perfect pairing. Just enough flavour to make you sit up and notice.”

The cashews retain their creamy, satisfying bite. They still sit in your hand like little magic beans, tempting you to put them one by one into your mouth but now they pack a tantalising punch, urging you to have another as soon as the first one is chewed up and swallowed. I didn’t think a cashew needed anything to take it closer to heaven, but Mr Filbert has done just that.

And the snack-pack size must also be mentioned – 40g of nut-tastic joy in an attractive little pouch. Pop one of these in your pocket if you’re hiking up a mountain, kayaking down a river or just taking the dog for a walk. There is enough in there to give you a fabulous, savoury boost of energy, whatever activity you’re undertaking – and you don’t need to share it with anyone.

Salted Caramel Chocolate & Nut Mix

​Next up, this little packet of joy announces that it “combines salted honeyed nuts with chocolate and Cornish caramel fudge to produce a scrumptious sweet and salty snack”. Now on paper that really doesn’t sound like it should work. Where in the world would you put chocolate covered raisins, salted nuts and nuggets of fudge together? 

I want to know how they came up with this one! I like to imagine that two busy executives at Mr Filbert’s were both snacking en route to the boardroom, hurrying down the corridor when they crashed into each other. Executive A spilt his bag of nuts on the floor whilst executive B dropped her fudge and chocolate. In a scramble to pick up all the bits, and get to their meeting in time, the snacks got muddled and EUREKA! the mix to end all mixes was born.

​However it happened, it’s genius.  Everyone who tasted it on our panel of snackers, loved it.

“So moreish!
A perfect combination of sweet and salty.”

“I love the surprise of flavour in each bite, not knowing exactly what you are going to get. I try them with my eyes closed and sneak up on my taste buds.”

Mr Filbert describes them as “deliciously indulgent” and he’s not wrong. There is also a really generous serving in each pouch. Pop a packet of these in your picnic basket or backpack and your snack time will reach new heights or put a bowl of these out for nibbles at your next drinks party to get the conversation going. Better than charades!

Mr Filbert’s Artisanal Salami

Last, but not least, our tasting session ended with a snack-sized packet containing two little sticks of chorizo/salami or “premium tender pork with paprika and spices”. The packet also informs us that “the traditional salami is carefully handcrafted and naturally cured to produce an authentic Iberian snack that is high in protein, low in sugar and totally gluten free.”

​There is also a rather welcome suggestion that they are best enjoyed with a glass of IPA beer or Rioja wine. Well, it would be rude not to follow such a piece of advice, so we cracked open a bottle of red and got down to the nitty gritty.

​The packet contains two sticks of salami each about the size of a Sharpie and considered just the right size for a hit of flavour and substance. My son is a salami snack oficionado, having craved serious, strong flavours from a young age, and when he saw these on my table he fluttered around like a moth to a flame. 

​His eyes lit up when I suggested he gave them a go and one disappeared into his mouth before anyone could shout “what’s for tea?”.  He tore into it like Zorro and declared:

“great texture – dense and satisfying” 

​He chewed for a while and murmured:

“Nice little hit of spice. Who’s the other one for”?

​Well, that went down well! Other reviewers were similarly pleased with these little sticks of Spanish sausage. One wrote:

“Fab flavour! Brilliant with a pint”  

“Reckon I could bull fight after a couple of these” 

​wrote another, who had obviously picked up on the tapas theme (and perhaps enjoyed more than a snifter of Rioja!)

“I would put these in my lunch box or my pocket when going fishing” 

suggested another -rather specifically, but equally helpful!

​I have to add that it was the smell that pleased me the most. I have a nose like a bloodhound and sometimes a really meaty salami can put me off, but this snack has the heavenly scent of paprika, warm and enticing.

So, it was a resounding “Olé” from the Fabulous Farm Shops panel for these savoury delights.

​All in all, another fabulously successful trio of snacks from Filberts Fine Foods. We have yet to try a bad one from these makers and can recommend, hand on heart, stocking a selection of these well-packaged snacks in your farm shop. 

To read previous reviews click here

If you would like to stock these fabulous little snacks in your shop
​then get in touch with Filbert’s Fine Foods:
by phone 01458 833744
by email sales@filbertsfinefoods.co.uk
or online mrfilberts.com/pages/trade

If you have a product you would like us to review, please contact

theAteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

Our Fabulous Farm Shops Review Panel never shy away from the tough jobs so when an intriguing box arrived at HQ, filled with nifty little cans of Gunner cocktails, we breathed in, dug deep and selected a blue one and a red one each, then watched the clock until it was home time.

Back in our respective homes, as soon as the sun went down (somewhere!), favourite glasses were filled with ice, Gunner cans were extracted from the fridge, selected garnishes were chopped and arranged and a collective PFFFSSSS could be heard as cans were opened and poured.

These eye-catching little cans come in two varieties. Choose your weapon depending on your mood or your taste or your dietary requirement. For the drivers, the dry-Januaryers, the over-indulgers and the non-drinkers…make a beeline for the red-stripe or the SAINT or the “classic effervescent mix of ginger, bitters and lime”

For the polite tipplers, the hardened boozers or pretty much everyone I know, get your mitts on a blue-stripe or the SINNER or the “classic effervescent mix of ginger, bitters and lime with a SHOT OF DARK RUM”.

​So are you a Saint or a Sinner?

​Let’s start with the Saints among us…

There’s a pleasing fizz when you pour the contents out of the can and the beautiful amber colour is worth noting. It looks very tempting in a glass…whatever shape you choose to wrap your hand around! ​

​I loaded my fave (and appropriately emblazoned) glass with a tonne of ice, garnished with a wedge of lemon and poured. It looks good and the ice is a recommended addition – not just so you can feel like you’re on a cruise ship as the ice cubes tinkle together– but this drink is best uber-cold.

The first sip is good -a little buzzing around the lips as the ginger hits my skin and a little tickle up the nostrils. I want more but I am not tempted to glug it back. I can imagine taking my time over this, standing at a party making conversations and gradually sipping away, enjoying the tingle of the flavours between each anecdote. ​

​Others felt the same:

“Wow! – what a lovely blend of flavours – slightly spicy. Delicious.”

“Ooh! This ginger brings the heat!”

“I would definitely choose this if I was out and was the designated driver. Makes a great change from the usual soft drinks and much more exciting than water. Make mine a Gunners!”

“Tasty..mmmmmmmm! My lips are buzzing!”.”

​It was a resounding thumbs up from the review panel at Fabulous Farm Shops. Stock this in your farm shop and we think you will have a happy band of dedicated followers. You might even see a few of us in there too, stocking up, as one reviewer concluded:

“The Saint is my favourite go-to drink now.  I really need to order another box”

So could the Sinner have the same effect on us all?

​The website description tells us that the Gunner Original Sinner is mixed with a shot and a half of aged dark rum “for a little more punch”. They call it “the Dark & Stormy of the 21st Century, the perfect “sundowner” for an evening on the terrace, or in your favourite place”

​Well, that sounds pretty tempting….

None of us were able to sip our drinks on the terrace as the outdoor temperatures had recently dropped to shrivelling so we made do with a tipple by the fire.

​There is 4.5% alcohol in the can (no added preservatives) just dark rum, which adds a lovely scent to the liquid and the colour is as glorious as the non-alcoholic version. The first sip is warming and wholesome.

“The perfect drink for an autumnal day” 

​wrote one reviewer, and I know exactly what she meant.

“Lovely warming feeling. It builds in my throat and floods through my ears…”  

​I was less in tune with this one but I’m glad he was enjoying it!

​The rum adds a subtle flavour, not too overpowering, but complements the gingeryness of the mixer and, poured over ice, creates a really tasty, thigh-slapping drink.

​I think you could happily sip on a few of these over an evening in your own home, at a bring-your-own party or pop a few in your cooler box if you’re out for a bbq or beach picnic. I have to say I’m tempted to keep one in my handbag for the next kids’ rugby match I have to watch. It might take the edge off my frozen toes.

So, it was a double success for Gunners on the night. The recipe may be from the 1800s but the very modern Fabulous Farm Shops’ team thoroughly enjoyed both the Saint and the Sinner and even a few who were not usually keen on rum were converted. Our red seal of approval was swiftly applied to the bottom of our review, and we all metaphorically clinked our near-empty glasses.

Cheers!

To order your Gunners Cocktail, just get in touch
Call or email Edward on 07516 741817 
​edward@originalgunner.com
www.originalgunner.com

If you have a product you would like us to review, please contact

theAteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

The lovely people at Filbert’s Fine Foods have been down to the Post Office again and sent us another box of snacks to review. I feel like Mr Filbert, with his rainbow selection of aprons (a different colour for each snack packet) is almost part of the family. Certainly, his exciting and varied selection of snacks has been making an appearance in my snack cupboard, the children’s lunchboxes and my weekend picnic basket with notable frequency… but here were three more flavours and textures which were new to the household.. and to the Fabulous Farm Shops Review Panel.  

​Step forward:
Café Espresso Coffee, Chocolate and Nut Mix
Spicy Barbecue Crunchy Corn
Moroccan Spiced Almonds

Café Espresso Coffee, Chocolate and Nut Mix

Mr Filbert’s pride themselves on seeking out new and delicious (and slightly unusual) flavour combos and these little packeted nuggets possibly top that list. Mr Filbert is on the front of this beautiful packet sporting a cappuccino-coloured apron and offering a “luxury trail mix”. 

​Forget boy scouts on a muddy hike, I’m immediately imagining a deluxe safari yurt with a pure white mosquito net draped over my luxurious king-sized bed. In my head, I’m a tad peckish, lounging like a maharaja across said bed, popping decadent snacks in my mouth – just to boost my energy levels before heading out to spot giraffes. 

All this just from the words “luxury trail mix” – that and the beautiful, succulent, glossy photographs of gleaming “mixed nuts, chocolate coated coffee beans and caramel pieces” featuring on the front of the packet. 

Filbert’s Fine Foods do a grand job of titillating photography and the packet would be extremely hard to resist lined up on a farm shop shelf. These snacks get the juices flowing well before the packets are even opened and the contents poured into a bowl.

Can the taste and experience live up to my imaginary scene? Absolutely! There was a resounding “hell, yeah!” from the review panel for this snack.

“Fresh AND salty, with a lovely hit of coffee chocolate. I’m smitten” 

wrote one taster.​

 “The perfect combo of flavours ” 

scribbled another.

“Just what I love to have with a glass of wine! ” 

exclaimed another. ​

“This is my perfect drinks companion ”

 I won’t tell her husband if you don’t!

Spicy Barbecue Crunchy Corn

​So far, so good. That packet of trail mix had been an absolute, unanimous smash. Snack pouches were going on reviewer’s Christmas lists. Could the rave reviews last? 

​Step forward the Spicy Barbecue Crunchy Corn.

The packet looks clean and fresh and enticing with its close-up photos of crunchy corn kernels interspersed with some silver glitter giving it the jazz hands. The description is pretty tempting too…” crunchy corn kernels .. gently fried and tumbled in a spicy bbq sauce to create a gluten free deliciously high fibre snack!”

​The pouch is the perfect size and the volume of kernels is very decent for a roaming snacker. As with all of Mr Filbert’s pouches, they are perfect for picnic or a lunchbox or just to pop in your pocket for a long journey, but they would be equally at home on the beach blanket or at a drinks party. They really have thought it through beautifully.

There was unanimous delight in the texture of the snack. 

“When you bite down on the kernel, you get a fabulous crunch” 

raved one reviewer.

“Chuck a little handful in your mouth and you let your teeth get to work. Fab snacking” 

wrote another. 

“I’d take this to the cinema instead of popcorn”.

​The taste of the kernels, however, somewhat divided opinion.

“Like teeny tiny doritos. I love these” 

wrote one panel member.

“Absolutely delicious – a fabulous, corny, savoury popcorn flavour” 

scribbled one, running out of room for anymore adjectives!

“Didn’t love these. A bit blah!” 

wrote another who is known to indulge in chilli-eating competitions on a night out. She was first in line for the Moroccan spiced almonds.

Moroccan Spiced Almonds

A little palate cleansing took place and the review panel moved on to the third and final pouch. It is worth noting how easy these pouches are to open. I have had my fair share of tussles with packaging in the past. I have sliced fingers on tough foil or, like a caveman, resorted to tearing plastic with my teeth. None of this with Mr Filbert’s. The pouches tear open like a dream and open up to pour out their contents with ease. A small point to note but it certainly adds to the whole enjoyment. No-one wants to work up a sweat opening their snack!

​Back to the almonds…. 

​These are one beautiful snack. The glossy nuggets shine in the light, a beautiful colour and shape.

“As soon as I poured them into the bowl, my mouth was watering” 

wrote one reviewer.

I knew what she meant. I was aware that a little happy squeal escaped me when I saw them nestling in their bowl. My neighbour popped in shortly afterwards, possibly alerted by the noise or perhaps the scent of “the warm chilli flavour with a contrast of cool mint” and she pulled up a chair to join in the tasting.

“Wow, these are gorgeous” 

she managed before taking another couple.

 “Not too spicy but just enough of a kick to make you want more” –

which she obviously did because she put her feet up and tucked in!

“Crunchy and fresh in the mouth” 

scribbled another reviewer. I wondered if she’d also had a visit from the neighbours. 

“Perfectly sweet and savoury with a lovely warming feeling from the spices”

“A kick with no heat. Aftertaste lasts. A perfect peppery pick me up”

Looks like the entire review panel, plus neighbours, had found their favourite. These Moroccan Spiced Almonds won a Great Taste Three Star Award last year and the Fabulous Farm Shops review panel are not going to argue with that. Their mouths are too full anyway!

So, if you’re a farm shop wondering whether there’s a space on your shelf for these pouches, we suggest you make a space. They are very hard to resist, look good, taste great and are refreshingly different and, just as it says on the logo, “a dash more delicious”.

If you would like to stock these fabulous little snacks in your farm shop then get in touch with Filbert’s Fine Foods:
by phone 01458 833744
by email sales@filbertsfinefoods.co.uk
or online mrfilberts.com/pages/trade

If you have a product you would like us to review, please contact

theAteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

The office was buzzing (pun intended) when a box of goodies arrived from Neve’s Bees ready for a product review. When the cardboard flap was lifted, it was like a summer meadow had been delivered to our doorstep, with beautiful little recyclable metal containers emblazoned with brightly coloured stickers. Everything in the box looks like it has been designed to bring maximum joy and certainly the review panel were excited to give these little pots a go.

​Personally, I’m not much of a beauty product girl. Having suffered terribly, in the past, with eczema, I am very wary of what I put on my skin and my normal beauty routine comprises a warm flannel and an early night, but I had read up a little bit about Neve’s Bees products and understood that they are 100% natural, made using the purest natural plant oils and butters and beeswax. I didn’t hesitate to chose my trio of cute little pots.

​Neve’s Bees Hand Salve

​The largest of the trio is the Neve’s Bees Hand Salve which comes in six different evocative scents (again all naturally fragranced) or one completely plain and unfragranced. There is even a specific one for men with “a subtle fragrance of zingy grapefruit with woody cedarwood “. Grrrrr!

One reviewer made a beeline (pun intended) for the YlangYlang and Patchouli pot, broke the seal and got stuck in. The scent was fresh and dreamy. Her eyes closed as she inhaled it deeply. She smiled. We witnessed the beginning of a beautiful relationship as she commented on the deeply pleasing appearance of the salve in its little silver pot. It is smooth and tempting and seems a shame to sully the surface, but she couldn’t help but rub a finger across the top. 

​Slightly oily to the touch, one does not need much but it makes an immediate impact.  She rubbed it into the back of her hand and it glistened for a moment and then began to sink into the skin.

“Easily absorbed. My hands felt softer immediately”

she later scribbled on her review sheet.

I couldn’t wait any longer and opened my own little pot of Lemon and Lavender. The scent is subtle but very clean. The lemon keeps it fresh and the lavender is present but not cloying. I was transported back to opening my grandmother’s airing cupboard and admiring her beautifully layered and pressed cotton sheets, a gentle, flowery scent hanging in the air.

​I swirled my finger around the pot and applied it to my thirsty skin. I could almost hear my hands thanking me for finally giving them a little care and attention. 

​Others felt the same. 

“My hands feel young again” scribbled one reviewer. “

A little greasy at first but it soaked in quickly and felt smooth and soft”.

“I’d recommend this to my friends”

wrote another.

“Fantastic smell”

wrote the tester of the Rosey Hand Salve 

“and the scent lasts for a long time”.

​These little pots are the perfect size to slip into your handbag or purse, pocket or backpack and keep handy for daily use. They are made in small batches and without any preservatives, so their use-by-date (about a year) is written on the back of the pot. 

There’s plenty of salve in a pot and a little goes a long way. And you don’t have to just keep it for your hands. I popped a bit on my knobbly old elbows and they definitely look less like walnuts than they have for a while! I can see this hand salve finding a way into my life and, I would go so far as to say, that I might have to add another step to my beauty regime:

1) use Neve’s Bees Hand Salve

​Neve’s Bees Lip Balm

Next on the table was the lip balm and who doesn’t love a lip balm? I am frequently scrabbling around in the bottom of my handbag for something to ease the horrible feeling of a tight, cracked mouth. 

Laid out on the table were the most adorable little tins with cheerful packaging and tempting flavours. We circled our prey, eyeing each other up, whistling the theme tune to a Western. Should we choose the honey vanilla, the buttermint, the lemon & lime, the sweet grapefruit or the rosey? It was more enticing than a trip to the ice cream parlour.

I shot from the hip and picked up the honey vanilla, broke the little paper seal and slid back the tin lid. The scent was lovely – subtle and pleasant – a suggestion of vanilla rather than a full-blown candle shop. The little cake of balm is smooth and attractive and, again, seemed a shame to blemish with a finger, but my lips were in need. I smoothed on a healthy fingerful and rubbed it in.

​This is good balm! It felt wonderful.

​Other reviewers had similar thoughts.

“Beautifully, silky lips”

wrote one.

“Slides on and makes me want to pout”

wrote another.

“The smell lingers just under my nose and my lips feel amazing”.

“This is staying in my handbag”.

There was a slight debate about which flavour was the best but no conclusion was reached. Some love lavender, others prefer lemon. I was very happy with my honey vanilla. It’s just as well Neve’s Bees have come up with so many options, including unfragranced, for those who like it au naturel.

​Whichever little tin floats your boat, you can rest assured that it is packed with pure, natural balm and, like us, you’ll be very happy with the way it makes your lips feel.

​Pucker up!

​Neve’s Bees Cuticle Butter

Last, but not least, we each helped ourselves to a pot of cuticle butter. Similar funky, joyful packaging, sporting bright oranges on a blue background, covers a small round metal tin. This cuticle butter only comes in lemon & orange and what a smell!

​Everyone’s reaction was the same – beautiful! My nostrils couldn’t get enough and I became slightly light-headed as I inhaled hard. It really is a lovely mix of citrus and worth having in your pocket on a long journey just for the scent alone – to cover up any unpleasantness in your surroundings!

​The panel of reviewers was a mixed bunch, some frequently indulging in manicures, others more at home with their hands in a compost heap than a salon, but everyone knew what to do. They rubbed a little bit of the butter onto their nails and cuticles and sat back to admire them.

​I felt a bit like a 1950’s housewife as I stuck my hand out to admire my shiny nails and watched my glowing skin slowly absorb the waxy butter. Slightly greasy at first, it softens the cuticle and allows you to gently ease them back away from the nail. It was a very pleasant experience – so good, I shared it with my toes!

“I love this stuff. It’s now part of my daily routine”,

wrote one reviewer, adding a little heart to her scribbles.

“I used this before a manicure and it worked brilliantly”

wrote another (no heart but lots of exclamation marks)

“Absolutely LOVE the cuticle butter. Handy little tin, beautiful spa smell and it feels like it is nourishing my cuticles”. 

​Wow – that’s a lot of love!

So, there you have it. It’s unanimous from the panel at Fabulous Farm Shops. These little pots of loveliness are worth giving a go. Buzz on over to the Neve’s Bees website to see all the gorgeous little pots for yourself and get some flower power on your skin.

Neve’s Bees is very keen to grow in the retail sector and offers excellent POS merchandising and generous margins, so if you are a farm shop looking for some flowery magic for your shelves then email Julie to find out more.  

julie@nevesbees.co.uk
nevesbees.co.uk

If you have a product you would like us to review, please contact

theAteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

Interesting to ponder, for a minute, what you expect when someone offers you a snack. Are you imagining a monstrous, cartoon layered scooby-snack, a weighty slice of bread on the bottom balancing a slab of every meat you can think of, a ginormous slice of beef tomato, a hunk of cheese bigger than a small country and a gravity defying top slice keeping it all together? 

​Or are you, like my children, imagining a chocolate-laden Swiss roll – chocolate sponge rolled expertly around chocolate butter icing and all excessively encased in solid chocolate (because two types of chocolate in a snack can only ever be improved by adding a third). 

Or are you, like me, imagining a wrought iron balcony, looking out to the Mediterranean, a warm breeze ruffling your skirt as gentle music plays and a waiter brings you three little dishes of delicious savoury morsels to accompany a glass of cold rose?

​If you’re on my wavelength, and those three little dishes hold a trio of olives, nuts and sweet chilli rice crackers then you too should have Mr Filbert’s Fine Foods on speed-dial.​

Their foil packages of “really interesting snacks” mean that you can experience the delights of snacking absolutely anywhere and that imaginary Mediterranean balcony can be in the layby off the M5 if your handbag holds a snack pack with Mr Filbert on the cover.

​​We, at Fabulous Farm Shops, recently had the good fortune to review three of their snacks (Pitted mixed olives with rosemary & garlic, French rosemary almonds and Traditional beef biltong) and found them quite delightful (read more here). So another box of goodies was sent our way and the gallant review panel, arms twisted, stepped forward with their hands cupped and ready for the next round of tasting.

​On the table this time:
 
Basil, garlic and coriander marinated olives (snack pack)
Sweet chilli rice crackers (sharing pack)
Peanuts and Hazelnuts with Italian herbs (snack pack)

​Well, anyone offering me my own little packet of olives to snack on immediately goes on my Christmas card list so I, for one, was pretty happy to see olives on the menu again. This time they are marinated in basil, garlic and coriander which is a slightly controversial mixture. Some of the review panel members turned their nose up at the thought of coriander. I have recently learnt that one’s delight or revulsion at the taste of coriander is a genetic predisposition rather than a simple taste preference. If coriander tastes like soapy water to you, then it is just the way you were born! 

​Fortunately, Mr Filbert’s use of coriander in his snack pack of olives is very sparing and the light hint of herbiness across these olives is perfectly balanced. There’s a nod to the Mediterranean without an overwhelming perfume or flavour. 

” a subtle hint of summer nights”

…wrote one reviewer. “Soft and scrumptious” crooned another and “Moreish” scribbled a third.

​The word moreish was deliberated over for a while by the review panel. Meaning “so good it leaves you wanting more” it was certainly applicable to this little pack of snack olives. This was not a sharing pack. It was a small handful of the most succulent, gently flavoured green olives. Some were left desperate for more whilst others felt that the volume was perfect for a little one-person accompaniment to a cool beverage. I certainly didn’t want to share mine with anyone. They can have my last rolo but I’m keeping my Filbert’s olives.

​Next in the bowl were the sweet chilli rice crackers. Now if you’re after a bag of goodies to share with your mates, then you’ve come to the right snack. This is a sharing pack and a generous one at that. The packaging is fantastic as the resealable pouch can be easily closed and keeps the rice crackers gloriously fresh for the next bout of the munchies and there weren’t many who could have finished off this pack all by themselves. They pack a serious punch of chilli sweetness which knocks some sense into you.  Often a sharing pack is just an excuse to eat three times more than you know is sensible but here we had a snack you want to take your time over.

​The crackers are small and intense, a glorious orangey colour with a fabulous crunch. Pop a couple in your mouth and the sweet chilli gets the juices flowing then a powerful kick of flavour demands your attention. It was slightly unexpected on the first mouthful, eyes opened wide and a few coughs escaped but everyone, and I mean everyone, came back for more.

“Fabulous explosion on the tongue!!!!”

… was one comment, followed by a liberal sprinkling of exclamation marks. “WoW” shouted another. “Ker POW” added another (who thought he was in a Marvel comic and not writing for an extremely respectable and serious review panel).

A definite hit.

​Our third and final treat for the day was another smaller snack pack containing a pleasing mixture of peanuts and hazelnuts with Italian herbs.  Everyone noted the packet and were in favour of the realistic and attractive picture on the front. Knowing how hard it is to photograph food and make it look enticing, the consensus was that Mr Filbert’s have got it just right. The packaging gives you a good indication of what your senses are about to experience. Light and colourful but with a cleanness to the presentation which only makes you want to snack more. Excellent work.

​Now for the taste test. Again, eager hands were held out for a good sprinkling of nut magic. And no one was disappointed. An even distribution of herby flavouring was noted and the taste was a “just right” on the Goldilocks’ scale of appreciation.

​“ooh, a real change from the norm” 

…wrote one nut-lover.  “Perky” suggested another and the word “moreish” was rolled out again by various reviewers. One wrote a full essay on the pleasures of enjoying Mr Filbert’s peanuts and hazelnuts whilst watching a game of cricket with a cold beer. It was an excellent essay despite the awful handwriting and the unsightly beer stains on the paper but the message was clear… 

​“I will be buying these snacks in the future”
​ 
​- accompanied by a very good doodle of a wicket keeper. 

​See! – snacks beyond expectation.

If you would like to stock these fabulous little snacks in your farm shop then get in touch with Filbert’s Fine Foods:
by phone 01458 833744
by email sales@filbertsfinefoods.co.uk
or online mrfilberts.com/pages/trade

If you have a product you would like us to review, please contact

theAteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

“Work Hard, Snack Often” could be our office motto here at Fabulous Farm Shops HQ so when a box of goodies arrived from Mr Filbert’s, bearing their wonderful strapline “REALLY INTERESTING SNACKS”, there were some mild palpitations amongst those lucky enough to be on the review panel.

​Up for review were three different snack pouches holding an exotic assortment of yummies:

Pitted mixed olives with rosemary & garlic
French rosemary almonds
Traditional beef biltong

​And the first thing to mention is the concept. These fabulous little pouches are crying out to be poked into the side of a picnic basket or a lunch box or a cooler bag. Imagine packing a picnic for a day at the beach and all you need to do is chill the wine, make a thermos of coffee and open the cupboard to an array of pouches. Hmmm today I’ll have almonds lightly dusted in rosemary!

​Where were these pouches when I was struggling to find interesting snacks for my children’s lunch boxes (is a box of raisins ok for the fifth day in a row, darling?). My son would have been very excited to have a packet of biltong in his lunch box instead of another solid and stinking peperami!

The packaging is lovely too. Fresh and enticing pictures of the product adorn the front of the pouches with a cute little colourful drawing of Mr Filbert in his apron all beautifully coordinated with the title on the packet. I know one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, or a snack by its packet, but if the picture on the front sets one’s juices flowing then it needs a mention. Good packet, good expectations and farm shop customers are much more likely to pop one in their basket. Hoorah!

So let’s get down to business and tell you what we thought of the pitted mixed olives with rosemary & garlic!

​Well, personally I’m an olive fiend. Having spent the first 25 years of my life doing whatever I could to avoid the little blighters, something flicked a switch in me whilst on my travels, I welcomed olives into my life and have spent the next 25 years trying to make up for lost time. To find a pouch of olives which is RESEALABLE (thank you Mr Filbert for thinking of everything), lightly bathed in rosemary and garlic and created without excessive oil… well Hallelulah!

​The packet tells us that this is…

Easy snacking:
No stones, no oil, no mess

​And they are right about that. These olives are well-behaved and could accompany you anywhere. Equally at home on a bohemian beach blanket or a starched white table-clothed dinner table… they are deliciously UNmessy. You could stick these in your backpack, nibble on them whilst traversing the Camino de Santiago and still shake hands with the pilgrims on arrival – without making them greasy.

​The general consensus from our review panel was that there was just the right amount of flavouring. The garlic and rosemary are present without being overpowering and add a smattering of interest whilst letting the olive be the star of the show.

​The only question that divided opinion was of the texture of the olive. Some loved the slightly soft consistency of the pitted olives and couldn’t get enough of them whilst others wished for something a lot harder which requires proper robust nibbling!  

​Almost all reviewers could imagine themselves on a foreign balcony, with a glass of something cold in one hand, a handful of Mr Filbert’s olives in the other and the warmth of a Mediterranean sun warming their skin. Now THAT is a good snack!

​​Next to be poured into our little hors d’oeuvres bowls were the French rosemary almonds and they made quite an entrance.  These are very pretty nuts! Not a phrase I have written before, but a large proportion of the review panel mentioned the glaze on these almonds and how good they looked before they made it into any mouths.

​Words like “enticing” and “gorgeous” and “attractive” were being banded about and they weren’t talking about me!  One reviewer went so far as to scribble “tempting little brown nuggets of nuttiness” which makes me happy just to type!

​The smell of the almonds was also celebrated. A slight dusting of rosemary had one reviewer turning poetic and imagining themselves “brushing through a herb garden” and another “smelling sunshine”.

​But it was the glorious act of snacking on these beautiful nuts which brought the most accolades. The “perfect combination” whispered someone in hushed and reverential tones. “Beautifully moreish – I never want to stop,” said another. “Dangerous” scribbled someone else, as they reached for another. “I would SO buy these”.

The firm crunch is just right, the dusting of herbs is perfect and the sugar/salt ratio is bang on. This little “light aromatic snack” is a unanimous hit with the Fabulous Farm Shops Review Panel and we can see why the packet is the proud bearer of a Great Taste award rosette.

​These almonds were always going to be a hard act to follow and the Traditional beef biltong was going to struggle to compete in these conditions. A little palette cleanse was called for, a walk around the block and a taste reset.

​The field was divided into biltong eaters and non-eaters which always makes the process slightly trickier. Some were self-proclaimed aficionados whilst others were biltong virgins and the results were equally extreme.  For some, the biltong was a bit too “interesting“, a step too far, but then a rallying cry could be heard from the back of the room. “This would be lovely with red wine“ chirped someone….”beautifully moist with a crisp edge” chimed another. “Mouthfuls of aromatic wonder” mused the poet. 

​“You can’t please all the people all of the time” scribbled the scribe and made a mental note of how successful marmite has become despite half the world being less than supportive!

​So there you have it… three of Mr Filbert’s fabulous snacks and our humble opinions. There are other flavours and other products available on their website at mrfilberts.com and some wonderful combination snacking selections from “indulgent” to “vegan” to “tapas” to “for him” collections.

​All the snacks are created in Somerset with carefully foraged ingredients with an emphasis on healthier and delicious snacks which are, as their advertising suggests, truly
​“beyond expectation”.

If you would like to stock these fabulous little snacks in your farm shop then get in touch with Filbert’s Fine Foods:
by phone 01458 833744
by email sales@filbertsfinefoods.co.uk
or online mrfilberts.com/pages/trade

If you have a product you would like us to review, please contact

theAteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

Our review panel like to think they know a thing or two about jam. Several of them make their own every summer and, not wishing to brag, wonder if there is anything out there that could equal or even top their homemade pots of love.

​Step forward Boddington’s Berries. A large box of jars arrived at the Fabulous Farm Shops HQ with a smorgasbord of offerings. Strawberry, raspberry, blackberry jams, marmalade, red onion relish, apple chutney and strawberry vinegar. Mouths started to water.

​We take our product reviews seriously here at HQ. A frenetic bout of photography was followed by some earnest sourcing of tasting accompaniments. Our wonderful local bakery, Lavender Blue (www.lavenderbluebakery.co.uk) was happy to supply us with some scrumptious scones, of the savoury variety to accompany the chutneys and some delicious plain ones for jams (more on that later!) and the excellent Trewithen Dairy   www.trewithendairy.co.uk/shop) couriered us some clotted cream. We could only allow genuine Cornish clotted cream to grace the top of Cornish jam.

​Just on the outskirts of the beautiful fishing village of Mevagissey, Boddington’s Berries have been growing strawberries for over 75 years and making preserves for the last 20. This part of England has the perfect climate for sweet, plump strawberries as the fruit ripens gradually, allowing the sugar content to increase as much as possible.

​But… the proof is in the pudding, as they say, so we settled in to an afternoon of tasting. A reverential hush descended on the room as we warmed the scones, applied the strawberry jam (jam before cream, of course, this IS Cornish jam and cream) and dolloped on the cream. Eyes rolled in heads, crumbs fell, small noises of pleasure escaped from various corners of the room. Heaven had come to earth.

​The scones were incredible, seriously delicious, and the cream was thick and dreamy and the jam, oh the jam! This was strawberriness personified. This was summer in your mouth. This was fruity sweetness at its most alluring.

​The smell of the jam took me back to my childhood and picking strawberries at our local farm with juicy fingers and itchy legs and the glorious juice of the stollen berries bursting into your mouth. It has a good body to it as you sink the spoon into the jar but gloopy enough to drop with gravity onto your toast. 

​The feedback was unanimous. Incredible strawberry jam!

“A taste of summer on a cold February mid-week evening – I can almost hear the birds singing, and ‘almost’ feel the sun on my face!”

“It is loaded with strawberries. “

“Consume within 1 month of opening it says. Who are they kidding? This will be finished within a couple of days. I’m spooning it straight from the jar into my mouth”

​The jam-makers amongst the review panel were particularly vocal. And several had even scribbled down “I’D BUY THIS” which was all they really needed to say. It is homemade, made in small batches with no preservatives, just sugar and lemon juice added to the many, many berries. And it tastes just like that. Home-made but without the palaver. No-one was surprised when it was revealed that it has won awards (Taste of the West gold winner 2022). It certainly gets the Fabulous Farm Shops seal of approval!

​Loosening our belt buckles, we moved on. Could the raspberry jam and blackberry jam be this good? 

​Both have an exceptionally high fruit content and are made in the traditional way with no added setting agents. The raspberry jam is simply berries and sugar. The blackberry jam has the addition of lemon juice. And let me tell you, both are delicious.

​The raspberry jam is pure fruity fabulousness, tasting the way a raspberry does when it is picked straight from the cane and popped into your mouth, a slight tang but then the sugar – a wonderful viscous burst of joy!
It conjured up visions of staying in a beautiful B&B by the seaside, coming down from a blissful night’s sleep to a table in a bay window, with white cotton table cloths and a toast rack…and Boddington’s Berries raspberry jam, decanted in a little cut glass jam pot. But I digress…

​Hard to believe but the blackberry jam was my favourite, just inching ahead by a nose. Perhaps that’s because I’m the one who loses herself in the hedgerows in Autumn, fingers purple and smudged, reaching for those plump, dark fruits amongst the brambles. There was a definite hint of the lemon juice to the flavour, which I loved, and the colour of the jam as I spooned it onto my bread and butter was jewel-like and regal. 

“Divine”

“It’s going in my basket”

“Freaking amazing”

…were amongst the scribbled comments from other panel members. Another winner!

​Could we take much more? Fearless reviewers, we plunged on. This time into a pot of marmalade.  Described as “fine to medium shred” and again made only with the purest ingredients and no suspicious additives. This is simply oranges, sugar and lemon juice.

​The colour is magnificent. Think stained glass window with the sun shining through or golden syrup topping vanilla ice-cream.  And the taste is tangy and sweet all rolled into one delicious, tongue-twisting mouthful. It’s quite runny – you have to have your wits about you when getting it onto your bread and butter – but that makes you get it into your mouth quicker. The marmalade I currently have in my fridge is set so hard, I almost need a chisel in the mornings, so this made a welcome change.

“reminded me of my grandma – she’d have put this in her cakes”

“mmmmmmmmmmmmm”

“not usually a marmalade fan but I actually really enjoyed this”

…were some of the sticky scribbled notes I received to collate. Another success!

​Time for some savoury treats. The cheese scones from Lavender Blue were warmed and cut (light and fluffy with a delicious texture), a selection of cheddar was sliced and we cleansed our palettes with water before settling in for some chutneys.

​The apple chutney was first up. The jar tells us it’s light and fruity and not overly spiced and bingo! – that’s exactly right. It has a subtle hint of spices which complements its accompaniments rather than over-powering them like so many chutneys.

“I could have just kept spooning the apple chutney long after the scone had gone!”

​One panel member often finds relish too sweet but found this one a perfect pitch of spice and sweetness. Another often finds relish too scented but, again, this one hit the spot. The Goldilocks of chutneys…just right!

​The red onion relish did it for me. I loaded it on in a most un-ladylike manner and became quite gluttonous for a few minutes there. No-one was allowed to talk to me whilst I savoured the experience and it was tough to leave the jar at HQ and not snaffle it up my sleeve or “accidently” drop it into my bag.

​Others agreed with me.

“does just what it says on the label – Delicious and Versatile”

“I dream of it spread over cheese, cold meats, bubble and squeak, sausages (mmmmm with sausages), and even on toast, pork pies, sausage rolls the list goes on.”

“Beautifully spiced and not at all vinegary, a wonderful accompaniment” 

​..and that’s from the lady who makes her own.

​Boddington’s Berries – we salute you. You have done things with berries that most of us only dream of and preserved things in jars that our grandmothers would have been proud of. Thank you for sharing these delicious pots with us and with the general public.

​If you have room on your farm shop shelves, then stock these beauties…and if you don’t, then make room! You won’t regret it.

Get in touch with Boddington’s Berries online at
www.boddingtonsberries.co.uk
www.boddingtonsberries.co.uk/trade-enquiries

If you have a product you would like us to review, please contact

theAteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk

The review team here at Fabulous Farm Shops takes its job seriously but when a new product arrives in HQ exclamations of “ooh” and “aaah” , even squeals of “eeeek” and, on one occasion, a little Irish jig have been witnessed at the unboxing stage.  This is particularly so when  an innovative product arrives, something none of us have ever seen before and, may we say, something we did not know that any of our lives were missing….but, ooh aah and eek, things change.

The good folk at Sizzll love their sausages and have been pondering for years how to stop a banger rolling about on its tray, wallowing in its own grease.  We know what they mean – that annoying sausage which will not turn over and cook its undercarriage no matter how nicely you try and coax it over with your tongs.

And after you have cooked, eaten, rubbed your belly with satisfaction, you then have the pain of washing up the grill pan or tray and scraping off the baked on grease in a sink which is rarely big enough to accommodate the pan. 

If these things have been putting you off your Sunday breakfast, then may we introduce you to the Sizzll.

Unboxing the trays from their packaging, we were struck by their ergonomic beauty. Perhaps that’s a funny thing to say about a tray to cook sausages in but they are hard to resist. “Strokable” was a word that emerged from one member of the team. “Ooh shiny” was another response (she does have rather magpie-esque tendencies!)

Coming in four choices of finish, there is one for every kitchen and just on looks alone, we would recommend them as a fabulous gift for the cook who thinks they have everything! Shiny stainless steel for the minimalists out there and three different coloured enamel finishes for the country kitchen enthusiasts among you (cream, racing green or black).

Pre Christmas and yet to fill up on turkey and pigs in blankets, we chose our weapons and each took a Sizzll home with us to try out.

One of our wonderful local farm shops, Kimbers’ Farm Shop in Charlton Musgrove, Somerset, had provided us with some of their delicious, free-range pork sausages for us to use in the Sizzll pans, so we were all set to ready, steady, cook.

There is room in the tray for eight sausages and each one sits in its own perfectly formed little bed. The shallow grooves hold the sausage in place and make it exceptionally easy to turn them once whilst cooking. These little built in walls are shallow to allow even cooking and the sausages are held slightly higher than the rest of the basin so that the fat from the sausage (should your sausage have a high fat content) sits in the depressions and is held away from the meat, making the sausage healthier. “More fun. Less fat” is the first half of Sizzll’s slogan!

In our separate kitchens across the South West, we all stared through the glass of our ovens (you can use a grill too!) and watched our sausages sizzle on their Sizzlls. And we all, unanimously, thoroughly enjoyed turning them over half way through their cooking time. A quick flick-over was simple. Not a single stubborn sausage rolled back and refused to turn, not a single expletive was uttered, not a single sigh heard. The Sizzll certainly solves the rolling sausage issue.

When the cooking time was up, the sausages lifted easily out of the pan. Again there was a unanimous verdict that nothing stuck to the tray, not a sausage (do you see what I did there?!)  One reviewer went so far as to say:

“After being quite sceptical about the Sizzll tin, I was really pleasantly surprised and, can I say, almost excited by the outcome.  The sausages looked beautifully plump, and nicely browned; most importantly they weren’t sat in their own fat, and didn’t stick to the tin, pulling off the all important crisped skin.  The sausages looked like very smart uniformed soldiers, all lined up in the very attractive Sizzll tin”

It’s a tough job but we managed to eat the sausages up (thanks again to Kimbers’ for our delicious teas) so that we could test the Sizzlls for their third and final claim…Less faff. Washing up time!

Washing up the grill pan is one of those jobs that everyone in my house fights over…fights over avoiding. “Sorry mum, I have so much homework tonight.”  “Sorry mum. My fingers are really sore from watching tik tok”. “Sorry darling. I’m rushing out to…do anything that’s not washing up”.
Excuses, excuses.
​Well, this pan is a joy to clean. Let me tell you that this could be the new THING…staying in to wash up your Sizzll could be the new going out.

Every member of the review panel said how incredibly easy it was to wash the pan. The grease pours away easily and then a bit of a soak and a brush and the grease lifts away from the tray leaving it completely, and I mean completely, clean… none of that baked on brown stuff that seems to linger on anything else I put in the oven. Beautiful!  Obviously, they also go in the dishwasher too but, trust me, you might actually choose to do it by hand, it’s so good! A great example of British-made quality. Hoorah.

SO there you have it. More fun. Less fat. Less faff.

We are living proof that the slogan is correct. These innovative pans make cooking your sausages a very, very pleasant experience and they look good in your kitchen. They are also suitable for one pan cooking so you could throw in your mushrooms, tomatoes, parsnips and carrots with your sausages to cook together and save time and washing up.

They have a fairly substantial price tag (retailing between £24 and £35, depending on the finish you choose) but 95% of the reviewers said they would absolutely love to receive one as a gift (even the vegetarian!) and the other 5% doesn’t like sausages and never does the washing up!

To take a look at the Sizzll website click here
You can order your own Sizzll pan direct here
​or get in touch here if you would like to stock Sizzll pans in your own shop

If you have a product you would like us to review, please contact

theAteam@fabulousfarmshops.co.uk