Diwali in July

We have been busy this week at UK Shallot HQ sending a mailer out to lots of lovely journalists about our brand new Diwali-inspired Indian pickle featuring UK Shallots, Pink Lady Apple and mango.

The smell of fresh mint has flooded the office, the floor is covered in pink wood wool and 70 boxes have been packed by colleagues including Heather, Owen, Ellie and Melita. Each box contains a precious cargo of UK Shallots, Pink Lady apples, fresh mint, naan breads and a jar of our delicious pickle made by the very skilled and now very tired hands of food stylist extrordinaire, Alison Clarkson.

Alison peeled and chopped 12 kg of the finest British shallots, diced a few branches worth of Pink Lady apples and juiced 70 limes in her marathon chutney making session yesterday. And why?

July is the time of year when many of the magazines both on and offline start planning their Christmas editions and this year, for a change, we decided to celebrate Diwali on October 26th this year. Diwali is a five day festival that represents the start of the Hindu New Year. It honours the victory of good over evil, and brightness over darkness. It also marks the start of winter.

Shallots feature in a selection of the 2011 campaign healthy Indian recipes devised by Manju Malhi (Twitter @TheRealManju) as well as in the chutney devised by Alison Clarkson (Twitter @tiny_teapot).

The delicious chutney wouldn't be complete without the perfect sweet/sharp flavour and crisp texture of Pink Lady apples.

The plan is to target those people who write about and discuss food online and in printed media - food editors, writers, bloggers, the Twitterati and influential foodies and reinforce the benefits and delights of cooking with UK Shallots.

We hope the lucky recipients of our Diwali box enjoy their goodies!

Update from Rachel Green

At UK Shallot HQ we pride ourselves on working with some of the best chefs in the industry to produce the finest recipes featuring UK Shallots.

One chef we have worked with over the years and who is a massive fan of shallots is Rachel Green. Rachel is not only a wonderful chef but an accomplished author, caterer, experienced food demonstrator and campaigner. She has several TV series under her belt including ITV Yorkshire's Flying Cook and World on a Plate series, BBC3's Kill it! Cook it! Eat it! and Farm of Fussy Eaters on UK TV Style.

We're delighted that Rachel has agreed to be our guest blogger and so without further ado, over to her!

Rachel says: "Some say that I'm the 'Lady of Shallot' because there isn't a day that goes by without me using at least eight of the little beauties in my cooking, they never disappoint me.

"Shallots manage to sprinkle a certain fairy dust to the flavour and texture of my dishes, this is why they are in such demand with chefs and cooks alike.

"Shallots are a great ingredient to use all year round. Don't just use them for hearty winter dishes such as Daube of Beef. Shallots are a great complement to lighter summer dishes too, the fresh clean taste is perfect to use in a Thai Beef Salad. Shallots are such a versatile ingredient, they can be used raw, cooked or pickled.

"I've just prepared shallots and garlic in cream, these will accompany my slow cooked honeyed shoulder of new lamb, a great alternative to potatoes dauphinoise.

"I can't possibly finish my blog without saying: that's 'shallot' for now!"

Love Rachel Green x

UK Shallots - the choice for top chefs

Nothing is more exciting for us here at UK Shallot HQ than working with some of the best chefs in the country.

That's why we were thrilled when Andrew Nutter agreed to come up with some delicious new recipes for this year's shallot campaign.

Andrew is the chef at his family restaurant, Nutters in Rochdale, the North West of England's favourite restaurant according to the 2010 Good Food Guide.

Andrew has had a remarkable career to date including: a finalist in the Daily Mail Cook of the Year, working under Anton Edelmann at the Savoy Hotel, London as well as Gary Rhodes at The Greenhouse, London.

He's had numerous TV appearances on Ready Steady Cook, This Morning and has even fronted his own TV show, 'Utter Nutter' for Channel 5.

Andrew has created the following amazing dishes featuring UK Shallots:

• BBQ fillet of hake with caramelised shallots, roast beets and a garden pea dressing - who said barbecues were boring? Forget the burgers and bangers! Amaze and inspire your family and friends with Andrew's mouth-watering barbecued fillet of hake.


• Sticky shallot and bacon tart with Welsh rarebit topping - delicious served with a mixed leaves salad and a simple vinaigrette this works well as a light summer lunch in the sunshine


• Crispy shallot, goats' cheese and basil fritters - perfect for al fresco entertaining - works as a starter served with rocket leaves or a stunning canape!

We hope you'll agree Andrew Nutter's UK Shallots recipes are simply brilliant, why not give them a try and let us know what you think?

Deborah, UK Shallots team

Beat the blues!

Are you, like us, still feeling the chill in the air and wish that some warmer spring weather would hurry up and get a move on?

If the still nippy temperatures are getting to you and you feel as though you’ve got the ‘winter blues’, you’re not alone. 

According to reports, over two million Britons suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

However, all is not lost. Medical experts advise that eating a healthy, well-balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables can combat the winter blues.

 In fact, antioxidant-rich vegetables such as shallots support the immune system, boost energy and repair cell damage – which is all the more reason to start cooking with them.

Nothing beats good old-fashioned rustic cooking to perk you up on a cold day and if you are looking for recipes for deliciously chunky winter casseroles, satisfying stews, comforting bowls of soup or hearty, traditional pies we have just the thing on our website.

So, put another log on the fire and get cooking with shallots!

Deborah, UK Shallots team

Welcome to our new blog

We thought it was about time we joined the blogosphere to post news about up and coming events and demonstrations, interesting articles, recipes and facts about shallots.

You can follow us here and we’re also on Twitter and we’d love to hear from you with your comments, views, and recipe suggestions.

Deborah, UK Shallot team