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!

 

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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.

 

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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!

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Buttery Bliss.

The holiday season is here! With it comes time with family, loved ones, friends and maybe even the opportunity to meet new acquaintances. Sometimes these events and gatherings take place in the morning, maybe later in the day or evening. But one thing I can say that can be enjoyed any time of day or night is this: shortbread. Great as a dunking partner with your morning cup of Joe or with your afternoon tea, or perhaps as a side dessert item with a cordial after dinner, shortbread goes well with just about anything.

We’ve talked about a lot of different cookies, butter cookies and shortbread, and again, we have another variety to bring to you attention! Walkers Shortbread has got some awesome shortbread cookies and other baked delights. As do many of the products featured here at Gourmet Nibbles, Walkers reminds me of days growing up and visiting my grandparents house and seeing these baked treasures out on the table. They weren’t always out, they only made an appearance for special occasions.

What I love best about Walkers Shortbread is the packed butter flavor, with a dense, yet flaky finish that leaves you wanting more bites of cookie bliss even before you’ve finished your first cookie. They come in all different shapes and sizes. For instance, the package size you are seeing with Santa, the two pack, is perfect for grabbing on the go when you can’t sit down at home and enjoy a quick nibble or perfect for stocking stuffers this Christmas!

Speaking of Christmas and the holidays, giving the gift of shortbread, I think, is better than giving candy or other sugary sweets and treats. Shortbread is just a classic item to have in your house, it goes with just about anything. Shortbread is perfect for before or after any meal. Set it out with snacks or appetizers, or serve it with dessert and post-dinner beverages.

Exporting shortbread from Scotland since the 1970s to over 60 countries, Walkers used the original recipe of Joseph Walker who set out on his ambitious baking adventure to bake “The World’s Finest Shortbread”. As times have changed and new factories built, the company produces a new range of shortbread and biscuits on the following conditions: They would have to continue to use the finest ingredients of plump fruits, aromatic spices, chunks of real chocolate and wholesome nuts. (Source: Walkers Website “Our History”)

For any time of the day, for any occasion, Walkers shortbread will be perfect for just about any event. Go out and grab some and discover the rich, buttery bliss that this product has. You will not be disappointed! They also have a variety of cute holiday shapes, packaging and more! If you ever find the Scottie shaped shortbread from Walkers, that shape is one of my favorites!

By the time this post is even published, you bet those shortbread in front of my coffee mug this morning are LONG GONE! Nibble, nibble!

Add a Little Fruit Flavor!

So let’s talk about rosehip. I’ve never had it before, it’s something new to me, and I’m here to tell you it’s a little bundle of mild flavor to spread upon your next slice of toast or English muffin. I was honestly a bit afraid to try it, I’m not a huge fan of super crazy new fruit flavors, but I was pleasantly surprised that rosehip is a pretty mellow fellow. I also want to try this rosehip fruit spread on something like a sugar cookie – like one of those cookies with jam or jelly on them? I bet it would taste delicious!

 

So, what am I talking about here? Well, I cracked open a jar of Maintal Rosehip Fruit Spread. Maintal is a brand from Germany that started its journey in 1886. Maintal is one of the oldest and most traditional preserve companies in Germany that has been managed by the fourth generation since 1999. Maintal produces organic preserves, fine jellies and first class preserves. I’ll be writing about Maintal’s organic line in future posts, so be sure to stay tuned for that! Maintal claims to be “Bavaria’s sweetest side of life” where treats such as “Krapfen” (similar to a doughnut that is filled with preserves), croissants, and other desserts all over Bavaria are “refined with Maintal products”. Maintal has a variety of fruit flavors from apricot, cranberry, strawberry, plum, blueberry, quince, elderberry and much more!

I was browsing Maintal’s website and their recipes, there are several great ideas out there, but some of them seem like they may be time-consuming and/or may need some additional prep work. And there’s the whole conversion of the ingredient lists into amounts that I can appropriately measure! But I’ll keep looking in there to find something we can whip up with their products!

Oh! And what about this rosehip I introduced to you all? Well, I did a little research and this is what I found out:

A rose hip is the fruit of a rose. Also known as rose haw or rose hep. The wild dog rose is the type of rose most often cultivated for their hips. This plant grows up to ten feet tall and bears a white, very fragrant flower. Once the flower has bloomed, and all the petals have fallen off, the hip is picked and used in a variety of preparations.
-Information From Herbwisdom.com

There are many health benefits from rosehip as well. Rosehip can be beneficial to aid the immune system, act as a diuretic and/or laxative, it has antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties and has been known to be helpful with skin ailments. According to Herbwisdom.com, rosehips contain 50% more vitamin C than oranges! No wonder it’s used as an immune booster! I may need to enjoy more rosehip in the form of fruit spread and tea! I never knew this! That’s pretty neat!

 

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So next time you’re at the store and you see Maintal products, look and see if they have rosehip fruit spread! Now that I know some of the potential health benefits of rosehip, I am thinking I may be changing what I put on my toast, bagels or English muffins! As you can see from some of the photos where I hold the fruit spread with the knife, it’s very smooth and luxurious as it leaves the jar. It sounds really weird, I don’t have a better way to describe it, but it spreads so well and the consistency is wonderful. This fruit spread is worthy of Nibble, Nibble!

“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!

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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!

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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!