May 2012 was the second month in which I took part in the Foodie Penpals scheme – a great idea that originated from the US and was brought to the UK by blogger Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt. Every month, food bloggers who have signed up receive a box of goodies from another food lover somewhere in the UK, to the value of around £10.
Sending a parcel to me this month was the lovely London-based Christine, who did a fantastic job of choosing things that I loved!
My parcel contained:
– A set of what were described as “canape moulds” on the box – but they’re massive! These’ll be useful for making various creations for friends…you can never have too many kitchen items!
– Sweet potato crackers. One of Christine’s favourite Korean snacks, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I opened the packet. These are unlike anything I’ve ever tried before…hints of savoury flavours from the sweet potato and sesame, but with a predominantly sugary taste – I really don’t know how to describe them! Delicious, though – these were finished in no time at all!
– Pomegranate and vanilla cashews. These were Starbucks-branded, and bought (I assume?) from the States. It’s a shame that they’re not available in the UK! Sweet and chewy chunks of pomegranate combine with just a hint of vanilla to make a novel snack. I like.
– Dried rose petals. Thank you, Christine, for feeding my addiction even more! I’ve not used these much as yet – only to decorate a rose and cardamom cake that North West Nosh gave me the recipe for in her parcel to me last month.
Finally, a box of wonderful homemade Almond Rosewater Cookies. Aware that I have more of a savoury than a sweet tooth, but also love rose, Christine baked these because “they’re rose-flavoured and not very sweet”. And she’s right. The hint of rose came through nicely in these cookies, which are sugar-free but have just the right amount of sweetness thanks to the addition of maple syrup. I’m going to have to try and steal the recipe from her!
Massive thanks to Christine for a great Foodie Penpals package! If you’re interested in joining the Foodie Penpals scheme for yourself (you don’t need to be a blogger…), have a look here for details…
If you want to see Surrey-based Juls’ reaction to the parcel I sent her, have a look at her blog here!
sweet potato crackers?! need!
Those pomegranate cashews are awesome sounding!
Thank you so much for the amazingly exciting parcel you sent me! Whilst the chocolate and tea has already gone into the depths of my tummy, the oak chips are being smoked through at a rate of knots and I don't sense it'll be long before I'm looking at a sad, empty bottle of chipotle sauce!
You're very welcome, Juls! Glad you enjoyed everything! Loved the recipe you posted on your blog – I'm going to have to give it a go! 🙂
Yum – everything in your parcel looks great! I love rose flavoured things too, must try to get my hands on some rose petals and stat experimenting.