To Market, To Market, July 2010

Dear Lovelies! It has been a little while since I had a To Market To Market but have I got a grand selection for you! The lovely people at these companies agreed to send out a pack of these items to some lucky Not Quite Nigella readers so that you too can sample their goodies instead of just reading about them!

Just leave a comment at the end of the story telling me which product you’d like to try and why. I’m very sorry overseas lovelies but these can only be posted within Australia. The giveaway ends at Midnight AEST on the 1st of August

Toblerone

OK I know that Father's Day sneaks up on us so I have you sorted! Or if you don't want to give this enormous block of Toberlone to your dad and feel like it should be yours, I promise I won't breathe a word ;) Toblerone was my first favourite chocolate when I was a child-it was Swiss and I thought that it was the kind of chocolate that Heidi would have eaten (the book character, not the one half of Speidi) ;)

Thanks to  Toblerone, six lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a 400g block of Toblerone for you (or your dad! ;) )

The Essential Ingredient "Classic Jus"

OK so you make your own stock. But have you ever made your own jus? OK I know now that I ask a load of people will say yes but I am one to admit I've never made one, only having bought them. Somehow the idea of spending 12-24 hours making a jus hasn't quite made it into my repertoire. The Essential Ingredient (where my credit card goes for a workout) has a jus that is rich, flavoursome and restaurant quality but available to home cooks. They come in 150g and 300g jars at $12.45 and $18.95 respectively.

Thanks to The Essential Ingredient, twelve lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a 300g jar of Classic Jus!

Kopi Luwak experience

I'm sure as avid foodie connoisseurs, you may have heard of Kopi Luwak. This is made from the droppings of the Asian palm civet (a cat like creature) and can only be found in coffee regions of Indonesia. Olio in St Leonards is the first place in Sydney to serve this rare coffee. Olio also holds tastings for this coveted coffee known as one of the world's delicacies along with a half hour personalised tour with the roaster, Sam Gabrielian and owner, Nicholas Aspros.

Thanks to Olio, one lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a Kopi Luwak experience for two including breakfast worth $50! This can be redeemed at their St Leonards location Monday to Friday.

Simply Wize Gluten Free Bread Mix

I know I am not a gluten free eater but I have many readers that are and as such I am always on the lookout for good gluten free goodies. I was sent some Crusty Bread Mix by Simply Wize and I followed the instructions, quite honestly not hoping for much as I had heard mixed reviews for gluten free bread. I was surprised to try the bread as it was lovely and soft. It wasn't so much crusty as a sourdough but it was good. And the ultimate compliment? Mr NQN liked it better than regular non gluten free bread!

Thanks to Simply Wize, six  lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a box of the crusty bread mix and a box of the French stick mix!

Blistop

OK I have a funny story about this product and how I figured out that it worked. It took me ages to get the chance to test it out as I don't often get blisters on my feet. Anyway I packed this away with me on holidays and when we went through LAX my feet were killing me as my boots were too tight from the swelling thing (how unglamorous!). Anyway after passing through the X-ray scan I took out the little canister and sprayed my left foot with it only then realising that it was an aerosol! Mr NQN saw it and panicked, told me to put it away before I got arrested by homeland security or cavity searched. Anyway, the pain went away on my left foot but my right one that remain unsprayed still hurt. And that's how I know that it works. And I didn't get arrested :P

Thanks to Blistop, five lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a canister of Blistop!

Muesli Mixer

****Sometimes you just have an inkling that a product will be good and this was the case with Muesli Mixer. They are a service that allows you to mix up your own muesli based on your favourite ingredients. I got so excited making mine and I called it what else but "Not Quite Nigella"! I put in all sorts of goodies and within days I received a packet of my very own bespoke muesli. Yes bespoke muesli! Life doesn't get much better than customised muesli does it? See life as P. Diddy sees it (I'm sure he has his own personalised muesli too ;) ).

Thanks to Muesli Mixer, two lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a gift voucher of $20 to use at their store!

Waterthins

I took these two new flavours of Waterthins chocolates to my parent's house and we tried them after dinner. They were crispy, fresh and coated in premium chocolate - what's not to like? My father and Mr NQN liked the wafers whereas my mother and I liked the Creme delights. Have fun scoffing these babies while guessing who prefers what flavour!

Thanks to Waterthins, three lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a box of the Creme Delights and Wafer Straws!

Birch & Waite

Do you remember the scene from Pulp Fiction where Vincent (John Travolta) dismissed the idea of mayonnaise on chips? Well he lost me then - I am a certified mayonnaise freak and I always have a rapidly diminishing jar of it in my fridge. Birch & Waite are a company of sauce makers that have been making sauces for places like Tetsuya's for many years. They've now released some retail products and amongst the new range are a whole egg mayonnaise and whole egg aioli.

Thanks to Birch & Waite, five lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a jar of Birch & Waite Whole Egg Mayonnaise and Garlic Aioli Mayonnaise. Due to the fact that these need to be refrigerated, winners need to be within 20 kms of the Sydney CBD.

Rooibos

Everyone may know Rooibos tea but did you know that you could cook with it? Rooibos is a South African tea (pronounced roy-bos) or red tea. Vital have an organic range of Rooibos tea that is high in antioxidants, good for skin, pregnancy and babies (for colic). Plus you can cook with it and they will send the lucky winners through some recipes along with the tea.

Thanks to Vital, three lucky Not Quite Nigella readers will receive a box of Organic Rooibos tea with recipes!

Vani-T

I love my makeup. In fact if I didn't blog about food, I would be blogging about makeup. I am one of those people that can spend hours in front of the mirror playing with different colours. I was sent the Vani-T eye crystals in Athena which are a sparkly, shimmery brown. They are are ultra-fine with 100 per cent pure pigment and they are silky to go on. Their eye crayon was also very soft and easy to apply (don't you hate it when they poke your precious peepers?).

Thanks to Vani-T, one lucky Not Quite Nigella reader will receive a Vani-T Colour Crystals eyeshadow in either Storm, Starlight Gold, 24 Karat Gold or Sparkle Rose and an Eye Crayon in Platinum worth $59.95 for both!

Beerenberg

Beerenberg's new Winter range is full of classic goodies that your pantry always needs and your tastebuds always appreciate. There are six new products in the Winter range which consists of apricot jam, Taka Tala Sauce and marinade (we love this), strawberry jam, Huey's Asian dressing, tomato chutney and tomato sauce. Eagle eyed readers will notice that the tomato sauce is missing from the above picture. In my clumsiness I accidentally knocked it off the kitchen benchtop and it hit the ground :( Spilled milk is one thing but spilled tomato sauce is a sadder thing indeed.

Thanks to Beerenberg, one lucky Not Quite Nigella reader will receive a box with their six Winter range products above!

McCormick

Well we all know that slow cookers are very much in evidence this Winter. McCormick sent me their seven new Slow Cooker mixes to use. I like the soup recipe bases as there weren't many additives in those and they were rather tasty. The new flavours include: Moroccan lamb casserole, beef chilli con carne, chunky beef stroganoff, chicken bacon & potato, Italian chicken, tomato and vegetable soup and Morrocan chicken and pumpkin soup.

Thanks to McCormick, one lucky Not Quite Nigella reader will receive the seven new sachets!

So readers, leave a comment as to which item you’d like to try and why and you could be receiving it in the mail! Thanks again to these generous brands Toblerone, The Essential Ingredient, Kopi Luwak, Simply Wize, Waterthins, Blistop, Muesli Mixer, Birch & Waite, Rooibos, Vani-T, Beerenberg and McCormick for providing prizes.

The winners are:

Toberlone: Kate P, Kirsty S, Diana N, Kelley H, Michelle D, Pauline B.

Kopi Luwak: Margaret D

Essential Ingredient: Kirsty S, Lesley W, Joanne F, Alyson R, David G, Jonathan C, Natasha J, Roz K, Lisa Q, Rhiannon K, Angela H-H, Maggie H

Simply Wize: Holly M, Katrina S, Sonia S, Claire A, Stephanie L, Bronwyn M

Blistop: Joanne T, Michelle L, Lauren W, Rebecca W, Anne F

Muesli Mixer: Fiona B, Clarissa S

Waterthins: Isla K, Bree A, Jennifer W

Birch & Waite: Marisa B, Mariangela S, Kay P, Peter C, Evina L

Rooibos: Lauren V, Alex G, Marisa C

Vani T: Adilah I

Beerenberg: Anna Mc

McCormicks: Nazira B.

Best of luck and enjoy!

Lots of love,

NQN

xxx