There is much food news to share from restaurant openings and bakeries winning awards, to inventive ice cream launches, tasty biscuits, tequila cocktails, Star Wars gin, and even a Great British Bakeoff contestant joining forces with a famous rice brand in the name of Charity!

#TeamCoco love the forthcoming season as it’s filled with brighter days, longer nights, and looking at this mini food & drink round-up there’s so much to enjoy food and drink-wise around the UK.

Halo Top Sticks

Halo Top Creamery is thrilled to announce the launch of a brand-new range of snackable ice cream sticks containing just 80-100 calories and 7-10 grams of sugar. The sticks will give fans the same Halo Top® they know and love – only now with 100% more stick.

Halo Top’s newest product will be sold in multi-packs of three and will launch in four flagship flavours, including a brand-new Halo Top® flavour, Strawberry Cheesecake, plus the original Sea Salt Caramel, Peanut Butter Swirl, and Birthday Cake. Each of the new sticks are a source of protein and perfectly portioned for snacking and sharing.

BREAKING NEWS……. For just two days on April 11 and 12, Halo Top will take over one of central London’s most iconic landmarks and turn it into an ice cream wonder, transforming it into a beautiful (and functioning!) freezer. The frozen telephone box will be placed in Russell Square, and filled with Halo Top sticks, giving thousands of fans the chance to get the first exclusive taste for free.

Priced at £5 per box of 3, available from Tesco

Biscuits and Prosecco

Recent studies by world-renowned biscuit brand Elizabeth Shaw have found that Brits would prefer a glass of Prosecco, over tea with their biccies.

There seems to be nothing Brits love more than dunking biccies in a brew. While it comes as no surprise, tea and coffee reign supreme as the nation’s favourite drink for dunking, new research reveals we prefer to pair our favourite tipple with our biscuits. In fact, 1 in 20 women say the perfect combination is a glass of prosecco and a biscuit, while men, increasingly, like to pair their biccie with a beer.

Londoners have crowned themselves as the UK’s biscuit connoisseurs, followed by those who live in York and Leeds. 68% of London’s biscuit lovers believe they can identify every distinct taste and texture combination.

Elizabeth Shaw have over 130 years’ experience transforming the perfect taste and texture combinations into luxuriously tempting confectionery. To celebrate being the UK’s taste and textures combinations experts, they’re launching their very first experiential sampling tour – The Elizabeth Shaw Combinations Tour. The tour is travelling across the UK, inviting the public to sample some of their favourite products, showcasing how Elizabeth Shaw expertly bring together the perfect taste and texture combinations.

You can keep up to date with the tour via Elizabeth Shaw social media channels on Insta, FB and Twitter. To find out more about Elizabeth Shaw visit ElizabethShaw.co.uk

Patrón Tequila Spring Cocktails

In 1939, the first Margarita was claimed to have been made at Tail O’The Cock in Los Angeles and has since come to be one of the most admired cocktails on the menu. Fifty years later in 1989, Patrón Tequila was born, introducing the world to ultra-premium tequila and transforming tequila cocktail culture.

#TeamCoco are loving the Patrón Tequila Golden Hour Margarita created by Natalie Jacob of New York City, US with pineapple and turmeric. We think this cocktail sounds perfect for those fun evenings out with friends, and isn’t turmeric seriously healthy too – win win!

If you are a tequila over then voting for the ‘2019 Margarita Of The Year’ competition is open until 25th April, simply head over to MargaritaOfTheYear.com, or just hashtag your fave margarita cocktail on Insta and Twitter to vote.

The Original Stormtrooper Gin Set

How truly sick are these stormtrooper gin bottles, we are turning all geeky here at #TeamCoco HQ in support of these beaut bottles.

A set of standout classic gins that strike the perfect balance of London Dry Gin, and Sloe Gin. Crafted in West London by an award-wining Micro Distillery, each gin delivers the individual character of specialist botanicals for a smooth, balanced taste.

Priced at £49.99 (2 x 25cl bottles), available from ThumbsUp.com

Homebaked, Liverpool

Homebaked is a community bakery in Anfield, Liverpool (opposite Liverpool Football Club), which recently won 10 medals (one gold, six silver and three bronze) in this year’s British Pie Awards. That’s a serious amount of awards at the industry’s leading awards ceremony.
The bakery is renowned for its savoury pastries and varieties include the ‘Shankly’ pie made with steak, bacon, mushroom and onion, and the ‘Scouse’ pie containing a beef stew and the ‘Blue’ flavoured with steak and cheese.

So, if you’re looking for a pie fix then you surely need to visit Liverpool for these magnificent pies. For more info check out Homebaked.org.uk.

Harry’s Bar, London

The world-famous Harry’s Bar in London has recently launched its Piccolli Dolci menu just in time for Mother’s Day. It’s an Italian take on traditional afternoon tea, made up of five miniature desserts served with a choice of tea or a glass of bubbles. Desserts include: Gelato Cannolini, Chocolate & Pistachio Sundae, Salted Caramel Tiramisu, Peach Doughnut, and Harry’s Toadstool (Mascarpone cream, fresh raspberry, and chocolate brownie). Delish!

Set in glamourous 1950s style surroundings just off Oxford Street, Harry’s Bar offers Italian favourites from dusk until dawn, serving a slice of the ‘Dolce Vita’ in the heart of the West End.
Available now, at Harrys-Bar.co.uk the Piccoli Dolci menu is priced from £18 per person and served daily between 3pm and 6pm.

ERST Restaurant, Manchester

The team behind Manchester’s Trove are pleased to announce the launch of Erst wine bar and restaurant. The restaurant will serve simple, delicious food from the grill and will boast one of Manchester’s most inspired selections of craft beers and natural wines.

The newest addition to the thriving Ancoats area of Manchester, Co-owners Will Sutton, Patrick Withington, Katy Saide and Marcus Saide chose the name ‘Erst’ as reference to time “formerly” or “long ago” leading into the choices of wine, beer and use of fire for cooking.
The wine list showcases vintages selected from small producers from around the world, who care for the fruit and the land it’s grown on, using organic and often biodynamic practices. From the grill comes naturally leavened flatbreads made in house served with whipped lardo, grilled whole mackerel, monk’s beard and wild garlic aioli. The Bar menu includes smoked almonds, wild fennel saucisson, along with anchovy za’atar and Bergamot – perfect with a glass of crisp Augustiner lager.

To find out more visit erst-mcr.co.uk

Bakeoff star Ruby Bhogal

Bake Off star Ruby Bhogal has created a very special recipe working with the United Nation’s World Food Programme and Tilda to ‘Help Mums Together’.

Ruby’s ‘Mama B’s Chicken Biryani’ is inspired by her own mother, her cooking inspiration and the person she thanks for igniting her desire to cook from a young age. The recipe uses limited-edition packs of Tilda Pure Basmati rice – of which every pack sold here in the UK will donate a nutrition-boosting meal to expectant mothers in Bangladesh to help fight malnutrition.

Visit Tilda.com and search for Recipes to find out how to make your very own Mama B’s Chicken Biryani dish.

Author

A veteran in global travel, Rachel also loves to explore hidden gems on home turf. She’s a writing connoisseur of Britain’s best hotels, luxury beauty products, and UK food and drink launches.

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