Product News

Make My Pie: The Winner

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We are very pleased to announce the long awaited winner of our Make My Pie competition - Nadia Arbach stole the show with over a third of the votes for her sunshine filled Primavera Pie, beating off Charlie Goldblatt’s innovative Squtternut Bosch Pie and Lansley and Martyn Ware’s spice filled ChiChoChi Pie, which took second and third places.

We counted over 500 votes for the eight shortlisted recipes, but it was Nadia’s creation that caught our customers’ eye, with its delicious fresh green beans, petit pois, cherry tomatoes, crispy bacon and hard boiled eggs in a parsley and saffron infused sauce, peaking out from under a lattice work top.

Nadia told us when she heard of her win; “I’m thrilled that my Primavera Pie has been chosen! I can hardly wait to see what the Melrose and Morgan chefs will do with the recipe. I hope that the fresh and tasty flavours will inject a ray of sunshine into this otherwise rainy season.”

Nadia’s pie has in fact been such a hit with the Melrose and Morgan team that we have decided to bring the launch forward, so our customers can enjoy her lovely fresh ingredients while they are in season and at their best. So look out for Primavera Pie in store at Melrose and Morgan from this August.

Thank you to everyone who entered and voted and congratulations to Nadia on her brilliant win.

UK Coffee Week

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Next week, 23-29 April, is UK Coffee Week, the nations biggest celebration of coffee, raising money for the Project Waterfall charitable initiative delivering clean water supplies to Africa’s coffee-producing countries.

In support of this excellent cause, our baristas will be serving delicious espresso and filter coffees from our new friends and master roasters from Broadway Market, Climpson and Sons. After our huge success with Climpson Estate in our shop coffee machines, we’ve added a select range of Climpson and Sons ground and whole coffee beans for you to try at home too.

It’s hard to choose between their exceptional coffees, however, our general manager Josh has developed a favourite in the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, which our head barista Roee recommends using as a filter coffee. It has a sweetness and lingering chocolatey finish without the expected bitterness, which means even the sweet toothed can leave out sugar and still enjoy the pure, clean coffee flavours.

Whole bean and ground Climpsons Estate and Brazil Daterra Estate, both £7.50, and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Swiss water Decaffeinated Brazil, both £8.00, are available at both our stores.

Coffee over ice

If you prefer your coffee a little more on the chilled side, then Jimmy’s Iced Coffee has made its spring/summer debut in the 330ml cartons – perfect for a little pick-me-up or picnic next time the sun decides to show its face.

Jimmy’s Ice Coffee Original and Skinny Love are available at both our stores at £2.40 a carton.

Coffee and chocolate

For those who definitely like it sweet, then there is no better partner than coffee and chocolate. Our Valrhona chocolate tart is infused with coffee for added depth and rich undertones. £2.95 each / £12.95 for a 6 portion tart.

For a serious coffee-chocolate hit, Rococo’s Chicchi di Caffe chocolate covered coffee beans are also back in stock at £9.50 for a 200g bag.

 

Orange Scented Fog

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The Melrose and Morgan kitchen is literally a fog of orange scented fumes - which can only mean one thing - the Seville’s are in and our annual marmalade making has started.

Seville oranges are with for us such a short time, their season being only December to February, that a particular frenzy is attached to their arrival. Huge pans come crashing out of their hiding places and a certain reverence is placed over the careful pealing and juicing of the fruit that follows.

These smaller, harder oranges are definitely not ‘eaters’, but their fabulous sourness and complex bitterness lends itself wonderfully to preserving, and their juice makes a very interesting addition to salad dressings and marinades. Try a squeeze of juice with pink peppercorns and smoked paprika next time you marinade a piece of meat - not only do they add an incredible aroma and mouthwatering sharpness, but their acidity is a brilliant tenderiser too.

The lovely Seville’s we get through Organic Republic make the most fabulous (and award winning I might add!) marmalade. Having won a highly coveted silver at last year’s World’s Original Marmalade Awards for our hand shredded Seville Orange Marmalade, we are hoping to brew up another winning batch this year too.

Home marmalade makers take a look at our blog from last January for recipes, hints and tips. You can buy Seville’s at both our stores at £4/kg.

As I write, the kitchen is a foggy orange inpass - absolutely delightful and well worth the year long wait for!