Top Tips For The Perfect Stuffing

There’s no doubt about it. Whilst the festive period is traditionally perceived as a relaxing family occasion with crisp blankets of snow, roaring fires and mulled wine, it is more often than not, a time where the average adult is whirring about in a mild panic.

The Best Christmas Dinner Ever!

“There the huge sirloin reek’d; hard by plum-porridge stood, and Christmas pie; Nor fail’d old Scotland to produce, At such high tide, her savoury goose.”  – Sir Walter Scott

What makes the perfect Christmas? 

It’s an impossible question to answer, as we all have our own individual idea of a great Christmas. Some of us fantasise about the classic sentiment of a family centred holiday; huddled round a crackling fireplace, nibbling on ginger bread and sipping hot chocolate. For others it’s unwrapping a mountain of presents; or watching your loved ones reaction when they finally set eyes on your long thought out gift. Many still celebrate the original meaning of Christmas by attending midnight carol singing at the local church; or using the season to spread good will and promote charity and giving.

Everyone Wants a Taste of Scotland!

“Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware, that jaups in luggies; But, if ye wish her gratefu’ prayer…. Gie her a haggis!” Robert Burns

Scotland certainly seems to be on a role at the moment – what with 2014 being the ‘Year of Homecoming’, Lonely Planet naming the country as the 3rd top country to visit in the WORLD, hosting next years Commonwealth Games, and of course, the food & drink industry going from strength to strength!

Fat chance! Could sweets in our checkout aisles be causing obesity?

“Stressed spelt backwards is desserts...coincidence?” Anon

We’ve all been caught out by them. We see them in the corner of our eye, glistening away and tempting us in.

They’ve got us exactly where they want us!

But could the days of sweets and sugary goods crowding our supermarket checkouts be coming to an end?

Good food for cold nights

"You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces — just good food from fresh ingredients”- Julia Child

What is your favourite comfort food? You know, either something your mum used to make, or something you’ve discovered and just means ‘home’. For some people, it’s spicy in the form of a favourite curry, for others, it’s laden with carbohydrates such as a well-browned and crispy-on-the-outside macaroni cheese, but for many people in Scotland, it’s mince and tatties.

Awards or Word of Mouth?

“Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.” – Jesse Owens.

Heston Blumenthal, the chef who mixes chemistry and cooking to spectacular effect, has just been awarded his sixth Michelin star.

The accolade is this time for his London restaurant Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, in the latest edition of the annual guide to the best food in the UK and Ireland.

Crazy for Cakes

“My aim really is to get everyone to love baking.” – Mary Berry.

The Great British Bake Off – or GBBO to us fans - has made the country go crazy for cakes.

Whether it’s George Clooney-eque looks of judge Paul Hollywood, the contestants’ longing to please co-judge Mary Berry, the terrible puns of hosts Mel and Sue, the pastel kitchens with every piece of kitchen armoury you could wish for, or simply a competition with an old-fashioned British sense of integrity and comradeship, the formula is certainly a winner.

Best bar none : Brian Sollitt - the chocolatier magician

"In cooking, as in all the arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection." - Curnonsky

Any food manufacturer will tell you that each day they strive for perfection. Many have tried and failed but for others the painstaking days of food trials and tribulations finally bore fruit.

It was sad to read this week that one such man, Brian Sollitt passed away at the age of 74.

Scottish food industry continues with boom

"The secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside" - Mark Twain

Some great news for the industry this week with the suggestion that more than 5,600 extra jobs could be created by expanding food and drink companies in Scotland's booming sector by 2018.

Bank of Scotland carried out research that showed the demand for new workers will increase as companies target new export markets.

Food review sites - friend or foe?

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.” – Oscar Wilde

'The customer is always right' is a saying that any person involved in food is taught to adhere to.

But with so many online outlets allowing consumers to field their food frustrations it can be difficult to sit back and take it all on the chin.

However, one restaurateur may wish he had bit his tongue after an argument with one of his diners caused a viral stir.

The argument began when a food reviewer known as ‘Sinsand’ dined at the Bladebone Inn near Reading and had complained about his portion of beef rib with marrow bone smoked mash.

Is the latest vending machine a chip off the old block?

For years company’s have been trying to replicate the perfect chip for people to eat in their own home.

But none can really beat those plump and tasty treats from your local fish and chip shop or for those partial to a French fry you can’t get better than the thin and crisp chips from your favourite fast food outlet.

Cafe’s biggest flans in five hour standoff over quiche

“It is the food which you furnish to your mind that determines the whole character of your life.” – Emmet Fox

We’ve all had that mad craving for our favourite food, but how far would you go to get your hands on yours?

Two crooks in Northumberland went a step too far when they broke into a cafe to steal some of their much loved quiche.

Could man-made burgers muscle into the market?

The biggest talking point in food this week has undoubtedly been the first man made burger branded by many as the ‘Google’ burger.

If you’re late in getting in on the story, I am of course talking about the world’s very first burger made solely from stem cells in a laboratory.

But the story which has split the views of many professionals of how the burger got to the plate is a somewhat intriguing one.

It all began around three months ago with cows raised on an organic farm.

Have ice cream vans vanished in the sun?

No summer would be complete without the chime of an ice cream van.

The children excitedly queuing up for 99 Flake or a screwball to cool off in the summer sun.

But where have they all gone I hear you ask?

We were amazed to read that the number of ice cream vans on Britains’s roads has dropped from 25,000 in the 1970s to just 5,000 today.

Sing when you’re winning or should that be eating?

“Champagne has the taste of an apple peeled with a steel knife” – Aldous Huxley

No birthday is complete without a tasty piece of cake.

But did you know that the serenade of out of tune happy birthdays you get each year can actually make that jam sponge taste even better!

Could new plans spell the end to the packed lunch?

“I wouldn’t say that processed food, ready meals and even takeaways aren’t relevant to modern life, it’s just that over the past 40 years there are three generations of people who have come out of school and gone through their home life without ever being shown how to cook properly.” -  Jamie Oliver

The days of the infamous Turkey Twizzler are a thing of the past thanks to Jamie Oliver’s campaign on school dinners back in 2005.

But how much has changed in the past eight years?

Well just last week plans were put forward to ban packed lunches and pupils barred from leaving school during breaks to buy junk food under a government plan to increase the take-up of school meals.

The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

‘The best thing since sliced bread’ is a phrase that many will be familiar with.

But where does it actually come from?

Well this week marks the 85^th anniversary since the invention by Otto Frederick Rohwedder which put an end to shoddily hacked up pieces of bread and hours of sweat and tears.

Clothes made out of food? You're taking the biscuit.

For many of us out there nice food is a guilty pleasure and for others it’s spending our hard earned cash on the latest designer gear.

But if you could combine the two would that be a match made in heaven or plain madness?

We take a look at five of the top wackiest clothes items crafted entirely from food.

Will new labels help to tighten the waistline?

“Dieting is the only game where you win when you lose!” - Karl Lagerfeld

We’ve all been there, standing on the scales trying to convince ourselves that it ‘must be broken’ and that we’re ‘surely not that heavy.’

The days of long listed diet plans seem a thing of the past, with calorie counting apps being snapped up from the App Store, as people look to pinpoint exactly what they’re putting into their body.

Could food on shelves dissappear after poor weather?

“Do you know what breakfast cereal is made of? It's made of all those little curly wooden shavings you find in pencil sharpeners!” – Roald Dahl

We spoke recently about the impact the coldest spring for 50 years has had on our supply chain.

The met office revealed the average temperature from March to May was just 43F.

We had to re-evaluate the price we charged for our products due to our oatmeal prices rising 50%, our beef dripping by 75% an muntok white pepper, which soared by an incredible 350%.

Further news arose this week of the effects it’s having on food production as a whole.

Does the price of food leave a bad taste in your mouth?

Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurement. – Marcel Boulestin

Ensuring your products trade at a competitive price is essential for any company, not least those in the food and drinks sector.

But if you were in the fortunate position of dominating the market would you resist the temptation of greed?

News broke today that authorities in Canada have charged food giants Nestle and Mars along with a network of independent wholesale distributors for fixing the price of chocolates.

Are fast food joints open to change?

“You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by his way of eating jellybeans.” – Ronald Reagan

Scotland is a very proud nation. Whether it’s promoting the picturesque scenery or showing off the finest food and drink the nation has to offer.

But would that passion be enough to persuade an American food giant to consider adopting that into their menus.

Unearthing one of the world's most closely guarded recipes

We've all been there. Trying to stay healthy but being caught off guard by that one treat you just can't resist. 

Whether it’s spying your favourite sweet or crisps as you queue to pay your petrol or the picture of a Big Mac luring you in as you drive down the motorway.

Waiter waiter there's a hair in my soup...

“Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive.” – George Bernard Shaw.

Here at Speyside Specialities we are proud to know exactly what goes into our products.

But if you thought the recent horse meat scandal was a step too far then you might be shocked by the hidden ingredients in some of your favourite foods.

Waiter waiter there’s a hair in my soup.

Tasty food is more than meets the eye....

“So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.” – Frank Kafka.

We all have our likes and dislikes when it comes to food, but have you ever wondered what makes eating so satisfying?

It’s more than meets the eye according to Professor Barry Smith at the London University Centre for the Study of the Senses.

Tea for two or two for Tea

We’ve all been sat in a restaurant puzzled as we stare at the extensive wine list trying to plot which one will go nicely with the chef’s culinary delights.

The non wine connoisseurs amongst us we would get away with hoping the play safe white goes well with fish and a red will deliver with our meat, but a new drink is setting a trend and it’s one you might least expect.

Chillies turning the heat up in UK

"The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat.” – Albert Einstein.

When you walk down the fruit and vegetable isles in your local supermarket the choice is almost endless.

Is agriculture set for a bleak summer

“Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people.” – Elizabeth Berry.

With the winter seemingly never ending, it’s nice to hear that warmer weather is finally on the way.

But while most of us pack away our winter coats for another year those in the farming, horticultural and food industries can take little comfort in the given the damage they have suffered.

Have you ever worried about getting an injury from food?

“We may find in the long run that tinned food is a deadlier weapon than the machine-gun.” – George Orwell.

We all know the enjoyment and pleasure food can give us. But did you ever consider food as a dangerous weapon?

An Essex school just last week banned triangular shaped flap jacks after they caused injury to a pupil.

A boy was hit in the face by a flapjack resulting in the school leading a review into the texture and shape of the flap jacks.

Understandably health and safety executives deemed the decision as absurd stating that the issue was the fact pupils were throwing food at each other not the shape of the flapjack.

How the loss of wild bees and other pollinators could affect our food

“It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” – Lewis Grizzard

You might be forgiven for wondering what impact the decline of wild bees could have on food produced at the Speyside Specialities plant in Buckie.

But the role of the six legged insect in the food chain is of far more importance than you could ever imagine.

Without their pivotal role in the pollination of crops many of the ingredients we need to create our produce would be lost.

Welcome to Speyside Specialities

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”

To quote the late Luciano Pavarotti, there truly is nothing better than devoting time, love and care to food.

Everyone at Speyside Specialities is passionate about making sure the products you buy from us bring you an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.