SPROUTS AND CHESTNUTS AND 10% OFF THIS WEEKEND
This morning I did my last christmas fair, and I am now back at home thinking of all the cards I have to write, and all the presents I have to wrap but the christmas tree is up and the carols are on so it is feeling festive! It is always a relief to get to this point - since mid September we have done 50 days of fairs - but I have been really lucky to have my gorgeous son Ben helping this year which has been fantastic - thank you Benj!
This is my twelfth year of christmas fairs. I can't deny that every September I do have a slight sense of dread at the impending shifting, lifting and chasing around the country (the boxes are definitely getting heavier!) but as soon as I get going that feeling disappears very quickly. It's always great catching up with my lovely stall holder friends, and of course it's always really nice seeing so many customers coming back to restock. I want to say a huge thank you to all of you for supporting me - as a small business all my customers mean so much to me.
I feel very touched by many of you who tell me how much you enjoy the recipes I send out, in fact some of you have gone so far as to say I ought to do a book of the recipes - maybe a project for 2019! For now here's a really delicious, and appropriately festive recipe courtesy of Ben - perhaps you can use it on christmas day. It makes a great side dish but alternatively you could add some extra bacon (or some christmas ham) and it could be a complete meal. The addition of the white balsamic makes it really special.
FESTIVE SPROUTS WITH CHESTNUTS AND BACON
250g brussel sprouts, 4 slices bacon chopped, 1 orange (a satsuma is fine), 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp butter, small white onion, 2 cloves garlic, 50g chopped chestnuts (you could use walnuts or pine nuts), 2 tsps white balsamic, salt and pepper
Firstly finely slice the sprouts, and zest and juice the orange. Then warm the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped bacon and cook for 3 or 4 mins until slightly crispy. Once cooked set aside. Meanwhile chop the onion and garlic and saute in the butter. After a couple of minutes add in the sliced sprouts, stirring so they too are coated in the butter. Then add the orange zest and juice and simmer over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally until the sprouts are tender - this should take about 5 minutes. Once the sprouts are cooked through stir in the chestnuts and the white balsamic, and season. Then add the bacon pieces and serve. Scrummy!
If you still have some christmas shopping to do (don't forget to have something extra just in case someone unexpected turns up) then there are a number of gift options available on the website (www.finooliveoil.co.uk) and just for this weekend there is 10% off everything (excluding the tins) - just enter SPROUTS as the discount code. The last day for orders for christmas delivery is Wednesday 19th December, and if possible, to avoid disappointment, do please add an instruction as to where the package can be left if you are out.
Wishing you a very happy christmas and enjoy the sprouts
Susie x