Shortbread House of Edinburgh – All Things Gourmet

Hey Shorty, It’s Your Day!

Next to any day celebrating any form of chocolate (which should be everyday), I would have to say that today is one of my favorite new days to celebrate! Today is National Shortbread Day! Horray! I have loved shortbread since I was a young thing – that buttery taste of bliss – there’s not much that compares to shortbread!

And when I want shortbread I am going to be reaching for the closest tin or box of Shortbread House of Edinburgh that I can grab! And sadly, I have to say, it’s something that goes quickly in my house, if I have it! Between myself and my sons, shortbread doesn’t stand a chance of having a long shelf life in my cupboards! There is good reason why for that – it’s because we can’t get enough of this delectable edible!

When I was first introduced to Shortbread House of Edinburgh, I was able to try some from a box of the Sicilian Lemon flavored shortbread.

Then soon after came the tin… with an even bigger piece of shortbread than the box! I found a tin of shortbread biscuits made with Warming Stem Ginger, and YES! Soooo good! So good with a cup of tea! Or just on its own! There are pieces of ginger in the shortbread and it’s just a perfect ratio of deliciousness! You can even see the ginger pieces in the photos below! I must have been good this past year because Santa had a tin of these in my Christmas stocking!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I can’t even hide these from my kids anymore, my youngest is in love with the Original Recipe biscuits and he keeps asking for more “of those little cookies that taste really good”. Hey, what can I say? I try to make sure my kids get a taste of gourmet luxury when they let me! The Original Recipe is great for any beverage and kids also love the buttery flavor. These biscuits are handmade and you can tell, it’s easy to see and to taste the quality.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

So there you have it, Shorty! It’s your day! National Shortbread Day! Enjoy it! Embrace it! And if you can get your hands on it, get yourself a box or tin of Shortbread House of Edinburgh! Now, I need to get my hands on the Cinnamon & Demerara and the Aromatic Lavender, and then I may just be floating up in the clouds in pure delight!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things…!

Well, finally the snow has fallen in Michigan! And my, what a strange trip this winter has been! Just a week ago my family was up in St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula for the Battle at the Bridge hockey tournament, which is just on the other side of the Mackinac Bridge, and there was NO SNOW and temperatures hovering in the 50’s. We come back to Grand Rapids and the temperature soared to 60’s and wind was blowing so strong! Give it a few hours and BAM! We are sitting at 20-30° F with random lake effect snow from time to time. I would say winter is here! Let’s hope it stays so we have a white and snowy Christmas!

By the way, if you’ve never been to Michigan or you live outside of the United States, please do check out the link about the Mackinac Bridge. You can view updated images of the Mackinac Bridge every minute or so and you can also get some really neat information about our Mighty Mac. If you ever get the chance to visit, the Mighty Mac is fun to drive across, Mackinaw City and St. Ignace are cute little towns. Take a ferry over to Mackinac Island and ride your bike around the only highway in the United States that does not allow motor vehicles! Seriously, there are some awesome places to visit in Michigan if you have never been!

But let’s move on to some other topics of interest, a few of our favorite things you can enjoy this holiday season! Let me tell you my first item of discussion: Shortbread House of Edinburgh. Can I say DELICIOUS! I picked up a tin of the shortbread with warming stem ginger… I am IN LOVE. Seriously. I offered one to my mom and she really liked it, and after I had my shortbread I was kind of sad that I now had one less shortbread to eat, but then… I thought, it’s okay. Now my mom can get some more and maybe next time I’m at her house, I might find some a tin in her pantry and I can raid her stash! HA HA! Just kidding, well… maybe not. (I love you mom, buy me some more Shortbread House of Edinburgh!) These are delicious solo or with a cup of tea or coffee. I absolutely LOVE their packaging. I love this tin – and I can reuse it or let me kids use it for something fun. Their other products come in beautiful packaging as well, but pick yourself up of this shortbread because it’s yummy! Great gift and stocking stuffer!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Next up… and perfect for a stocking stuffer… Messori Cono Snacks! So yummy! These come to our shores of the United States all the way from Italy and they are GMO free. They come in three different flavors: Hazelnut, Carmel Milk and Choco Parties (these have a candy topping). I did highlight these earlier this year with my kiddos, and they still love them and ask for them when we stop into the store. It’s a perfect little chocolate package to give this holiday season: it is wrapped in a cone shape, fits in the stockings that hang on the mantle and they are contained in their own Belgian waffle cone! But don’t take my word for it, go get a Messori Cono Snack for yourself and enjoy the chocolate that is literally filled from top to bottom of the Belgian waffle cone. SO GOOD!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Alrighty. Now time for one more favorite item for today… Bahlsen Holiday Cookies! This package offers 12 different holiday shapes in the following varieties: chocolate, jam and sugar crystals. This is the perfect blend of cookies to have out in December when friends and family are over! There’s a cookie for everyone in this package of treats! With super cute shapes of hearts, gingerbread people, snow-people, trees, and more, a tray of these cookies will help add to your holiday decor on your appetizer or dessert table!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I am not ashamed to say that I feature a lot of cookies within this blog… “Cookie” used to be my nickname growing up, and – sometimes I still get called that to this day. Wether it’s shortbread or a mix of cookies, I am a sucker for them. I love cookies and shortbread and I now may need to find the love of a gym workout to work off all the delicious treats from this holiday season! What are some of your favorite holidays treats – made from scratch or store-bought? Share your favorites with me in the comments! I want to know! Nibble, nibble!

Cookie Assortment!

It’s time to recap the delicious, tasty, yummy assortment of cookies I’ve shared thus far, because it’s National Cookie Day! So today’s post is dedicated to the many cookies we love to nibble on! What is your favorite cookie? Share with us your favorites! There are more cookies to come, but for now, enjoy the ones below! Some of these are just in time for the holidays and perfect for gift giving and sharing! Below are links to the cookie posts and then beyond that – let your eyes wonder at the tasty cookies in the galleries!

Wicklein Burggraf Lebkuchen with nuts.

Lebkuchen Cookie.

Inside of Lebkuchen Cookie.

Wicklein Pfeffernüsse Cookie.

Inside of Pfeffernusse Cookie.

Pfeffernusse Cookie.

Wicklein Chocolate Covered Eilsen-Gingerbread.

Chocolate Covered Eilsen-Gingerbread.

Inside of Elisen-Gingerbread.

Shortbread House of Edinburgh.

Bahlsen Hit Sandwich Cookies.

Bahlsen Hit.

Bahlsen Hit.

Ambrosiana Ferri Di Cavallo Shortbread with Dark Chocolate

Ambrosiana Ferri Di Cavallo Shortbread with Dark Chocolate.

Ambrosiana Fior Di Neve Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Shortbread.

Ambrosiana Pralinati Hazelnut Cream Shortbread.

Jacobsens Butter Cookies.

“Shortbread Without Shortcuts”

We are excited to have Shortbread House of Edinburgh as one of our newer product lines for our retailers! To give you an idea behind the title of today’s post, Shortbread House of Edinburgh prides itself in creating handmade shortbread products, they create “Shortbread Without Shortcuts”. There is no mass production of shortbread within their facilities. These shortbread are served in the best hotels, sold in some of the finest shops and are enjoyed from boardrooms to tea tables. These biscuits are also found and served within the actual House of Lords! We taste tested the Sicilian Lemon flavored shortbread and found they pack a ton of flavor!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

You can watch some of the behind the scenes action in this short video produced by Shortbread House of Edinburgh that was posted on YouTube. Dough is made from scratch, biscuits are hand cut, and baked to perfection. They are beautifully made and baked and can I mention, the packaging is just gorgeous! I cannot wait to get my hands on a tin of these biscuits! The YouTube video appears to be a little dated, as the packaging has been recently redesigned, and it’s lovely! They have beautifully packaged holiday tins and packaging as well! Great gift ideas! Check out the slide show below for some of the holiday packaging! So adorable!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The man behind Shortbread House of Edinburgh is Anthony Laing, one of Lord Laing of Dunphail‘s three sons. Lord Laing was known for the being the chairman of United Biscuits, long considered a baking dynasty. Anthony, along with his wife Fiona, purchased a one-woman business based in historic Edinburgh, decided to make the business their own. Anthony and Fiona’s two boys, Christopher and Rupert, also take part in the family company and now have joined the family business full-time.

In 2014, the Duchess of Cornwall visited the company’s factory and made the news across Europe. Camilla sat upon Anthony’s knee for a company photo! You’ll have to read the article from The Telegraph to see how the story and photo came about, it has a little history with his son Rupert’s charity events for the military!