Buys – Food For The Good Of All

On Enjoying Tea
If one cannot indulge in the libation of fermented grapes, then find happy recourse in that of fermented leaves. But do so at the height of elegance, and reject the mediocrity of inferior tagged and stringed specimens ubiquitously boxed in quantity. Not just the leaves but the accoutrements must also necessarily be fine to engender any satisfying degree of felicity. A good variety of blends will further enhance the enjoyment of libation.

Consider the Pink Garden Tea ($188) set by TWG Teas. In the box are a 100g tin of Pink Garden Tea, an artisan blend of delicate green tea with fragrant notes of Provencal cherry and accented with regal garden roses and two Glamour tea bowls, handmade in Limoges, France of the finest bone china in French Rose and luxuriously lined with luminescent mother-of-pearl inlay. Each bowl is painstakingly shaped to resemble the silhouette of a flower, and offers a streamlined contour designed to follow the curve of one’s mouth. The mother-of-pearl inlay ensures that the interior of the tea bowl remains a light, neutral colour, allowing one to visually appreciate the unique liquor of the particular tea infusion one is savouring.

Makes a good gift unto oneself or to one’s Mother on the occasion of Mother’s Day.

TWG Tea Salon & Boutique
9 Raffles Place
#01-22, Republic Plaza

Basement 2
Takashimaya Departmental Store
391 Orchard Road

Drink and Make the World a Better Place

More on beverages…go forth and save the world one step at a time. Apart from turning off your lights when you leave the room, and buying your CNG car, there’s more you can do now to make the world a better place. You can buy Boncafe’s 'Colombian' and ‘Master’ blend Fairtrade coffees - the company’s first Fairtrade products - for your morning brew.

Fairtrade is defined as “a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalised producers and workers. Fairtrade products are produced and traded in accordance with these principles — wherever possible verified by credible, independent assurance systems”.

The Boncafé ‘Colombian’ coffee is a single origin coffee from South America, roasted for a heady aroma, rich flavour and balance of acidity and body. The ‘Master’ blend has a combination of South American and African beans, darkly roasted to complement the bitter-sweet and sour taste profiles of both.

Prices range from $6.90 to $7.20 and available in good supermarkets.

Hampers of Taste
Do we not cringe at the sight of mediocre food hampers, stacked in towering, cellophane-enrobed pyramids and bearing less than desirable packages of inferior peanuts, caramelized popcorn and other cloying, almost-expired confections? It is a sight to cringe at.

Thankfully, there are increasingly more tasteful and thoughtful hampers emerging. The latest to come are those from online grocer Greengrocer.com.sg. Launching in May, the Greengrocer Gourmet Food Hamper is packed for the foodie.

To start, there will be four different hampers to choose from, packaged with gourmet items, wines and champagnes. These include chocolates with white truffles, white truffle oils, assorted pasta like squid ink linguine, tomato basil garlic fettucine and smoked capsicum linguine, cream of balsamic vinegar, pasta sauces as well as a $50 green grocer voucher. What’s more each item is tagged with a description and even recipe suggestions.

Launching in May in time for Mother’s Day, Greengrocer.com.sg has included a set of complimentary gifts for all hampers ordered for this occasion, including an specially designer Greengrocer apron, flowers and recipe book. The online grocer plans to launch more varieties of hampers in the coming months so keep your eyes peeled.

Hampers currently range from $130 - $200.
Log onto www.greengrocer.com.sg