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Making Christmas Party Food at Leith’s

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Going out for the night to make your own dinner isn’t something you’d normally do but that’s what a group of bloggers and online writers did last night.

Leiths Cookery School

Let loose in the kitchens at renowned school of culinary perfection Leith’s, we made our own dinner from a selection of Asda Extra Special products that have been tried and tested by the cookery school’s kitchens in time for Christmas.

We chopped, we stirred, we even baked chocolate roulade in the professional copper saucepan decked kitchens. Katie and Becky were busy making starters and canapes here. Kavey and Gail are lurking somewhere in the back. Each group of four made their own dinner and presented the canapes and desserts how they wished. The Leith’s crew were in charge of plating up which was probably a good thing….

chopping tomatoes goat's cheese crostini

copper saucepans Leith's making chocolate roulade at Leith's

It’s easy to look over competitively priced brands usually associated with the lower end of the market but I make my decisions on taste/value rather than what’s fashionable to praise or decry. The Christmas project is the start of a long term process which will see Leith’s overhaul the entire Extra Special range of food.

A whole range of Christmas goodies from stollen to florentines and chutneys to cheese have been put through their paces by the institution that trained names such as Gizzi Erskine, Lorraine Pascale and Lulu Grimes.

If what we ate last night is a taste of what we can look forward to, this range is not only going to live up to its name but be fantastic value too.

Goat’s cheese crostini with walnut and drizzled blossom honey.

Peppered salmon and cream cheese canapes

Peppered salmon and cream cheese canapes

Sausages with mango chutney and greek yogurt dip

Sausages with mango chutney and greek yogurt dip

Roast squash and tomatoes with broccoli and garlic and chilli dressing

Roast squash and tomatoes with broccoli and garlic and chilli dressing

Rack of venison with sprout and chorizo stir fry

Rack of venison with sprout and chorizo stir fry

Chocolate roulade

Show stopper dessert – Helen of Fuss Free Flavours presents chocolate roulade.

All this gorgeous food (too much too much, sadly we could barely face the cheese and mince pies afterwards!) was made using items from Asda’s Extra Special range. I was struck by easy it was to combine items from the range to come up with interesting dishes – the salmon crostini being made from their smoked salmon, cream cheese and horseradish sauce with nothing more than a squirt of lemon.

We all came away fantasising about doing the professional chef’s course at Leith’s. Oh and in the interests of disclosure a heap of Asda products to feed our visitors over Christmas and a copy of the whopping Leith’s Cookery Bible.

Would you like to try some of the range out for yourself? Why not enter today’s giveaway…

With thanks to Asda and Leith’s

Giveaway #33: Win an Asda Extra Special Christmas Hamper

 

What’s inside?
  • Extra Special Xmas pudding
  • Extra Special All -Butter Mini mince pies
  • Extra Special Roasted Hazelnut & Fruit Stollen
  • Extra Special Yule Log
  • Extra Special Roast Pork and Crackling Hand Cooked Crisps
  • Extra Special Forest Fruit Butter Crumbles
  • Extra Special Applewood Smoked Cheddar and winter chutney Hand Cooked Crisps
  • Extra Special Fairtrade Columbian Roast and Ground Coffee
  • Extra Special Artisan Biscuits for Cheese
  • Extra Special Florentines
  • Extra Special Black olive Breadsticks
  • Extra Special Continental Delicacies
  • Extra Special Gruyere and poppy seed twists
  • Extra Special All butter – Sundried Tomato and cheese Crumbles
  • Extra Special Cava
  • Extra Special Cranberry Sauce
  • Extra Special Caramelised Onion Chutney
  • Extra Special Goosefat

This prize sponsored by Asda

HOW TO ENTER

  • Complete the Rafflecopter form below to confirm your entries made via blog comments, Twitter, Facebook etc.
  • This giveaway is set to run until Sunday 18th December 2011.
  • Do read the rules below.
  • Winners are announced on the Rafflecopter form after claiming prizes.

First timers: How Rafflecopter works (video clip)

  • No form showing? Hit refresh and it should appear
  • Complete the form – or your entries will not go into the draw
  • Mandatory entries to be completed first; i.e. leave a blog comment
  • Want more chances to win? Come back daily to confirm bonus entries via Twitter
  • Viewing this by email? You need to click through to enter.

Good luck!


RULES:

1. Open to UK residents over the age of 18.

2. The prize is an Asda Extra Special Christmas Hamper as described above. Exact contents may vary.

3. Instructions form part of the terms and conditions.

4. No fibs: each winner’s tweet entries and subscriptions etc are cross checked, cheats will have ALL entries disqualified.

5. This giveaway is hosted on behalf of prize sponsor Asda who will deliver the prize(s) following confirmation of winners’ contact details.

6. The prize sponsor’s decision is final and binding on entrants; no further correspondence will be entered into.

7. There is no cash or alternative to the prize stated.

8. The prize is selected in good faith, however the prize sponsor may substitute with one similar value/type if original one is unavailable.

9.Winners are picked by Rafflecopter using random.org and the site owner contacts them by the email.

10. Failure to claim prizes within 7 days will result in a replacement winner being chosen.

Come back soon – I’m going to be giving away a Bosch Tassimo Coffee Machine

Other Maison Cupcake giveaways to enter

About Sarah Trivuncic

Sarah Trivuncic has published recipes, restaurant and travel reviews on Maison Cupcake since 2009. She lives in Walthamstow, East London with her husband and teenager.
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Comments

  1. Nelly says

    Oh my goodness! Yet another fantastic giveaway! I haven’t bought anything from the Extra Special range before, I’d be interested to see what it is like! 🙂 xx

  2. Zoe Price says

    Great giveaway! The item I would most like to find in a foodie hamper has to be a caramelised onion chutney with cheese and crackers 🙂

  4. Jane Willis says

    I’d like to find some smoked salmon – nobody else in the family likes it so I never think of buying it just for me!

  7. Gill Bland says

    Cheese, cheese cheese and nuts. I don’t eat that much cheese the rest of the year because I can’t really justify the cost of good stuff, but at Christmas, yes please!

  9. Janice (Farmersgirl) says

    Wow, I’d love to find lots of fishy seafood things in my hamper, smoked salmon, smoked trout, pickled herrings and then for afters some lovely sweet things, dulce de leche, jams and cake and some delicious choccies – greedy, moi! Just call me Miss Piggy mwhha ha ha!

  10. Choclette says

    A winning lottery ticket lying at the bottom of the hamper after all the goodies had been oohed and ahhed over. Failing that a feast of artisan chocolates!

    Looks like you had some fun cooking up that meal. I can even recognise a few faces now.

  11. Kim Carberry says

    Anything with chocolate would be great in a hamper 🙂
    Great giveaway!! Good Luck all x

  14. Red Rose Mummy says

    I’d love to find a fantastic sushi platter in my hamper, I know it isn’t traditionally Christmas but it is my favourite food and I always want to try more.

  15. Jen says

    Magic fairies to make everything just so would be nice. But that’s not very practical now is it. And I am against the grain with most, as I hate chocolate, but Turkish delight would be rather fabulous.

  17. Dom says

    now that cookery school day out is something i’m seriously envious of… why do I not get invited out on days like this eh?… I guess winning a hamper would help some…

  18. anne says

    Looks like a really good event! Everything looks fab!

    I would like most to find in my hamper Gary Barlow, but in the interest of keeping it foodie then I will settle for a very big box of florentines!

  25. Brenda corbett says

    I’d like to find some smoked salmon – nobody else in the family likes it so I never think of buying it just for me!

  29. Anna Emslie says

    Wow, how amazing does that hamper look? There’s a yule log in there too, I’m a sucker for yule log 🙂

  31. Tanya Elliott says

    What an amazing hamper! I’m really excited about Extra Special Roasted Hazelnut & Fruit Stollen.Yum Yum

  33. Arabella Bazley says

    Where do I start, boned and rolled quail, smoked salmon, caviar, cheese crackers, pate, good cheese, fruits preserved in alcohol….. xxx

  37. Jamie-Lee Norris says

    Id love to find a Christmas Cake – yum yum. Christmas just is not Christmas without the Cake 🙂

  41. Tracy Nixon says

    Fresh smoked Salmon, a ham shank, a fresh turkey, Christmas podding with a Brandy Sauce, a Yule Log, a Christmas cake, a jar of pickles and a jar of beetroot, sugared almonds, fresh sage for making sage and onion stuffing, fresh cranberries for the sauce, mine pies…… oooh the list goes on! Basically I would love traditional Christmas treats!

  42. Michaela Williams says

    I would love to find some Belgian chocolate in foodie hamper 🙂
    I’m the biggest chocoholic in UK!

  54. Trish says

    A box of expensive chocolates that I wouldn’t be able to afford normally (and that the rest of the family couldn’t see so I could scoff the lot!)

  55. jennifer thorpe says

    what I’d most like to find in a christmas hamper is a bottle of fizz, some smoked salmon and a really nice blue cheese 🙂

  74. JAN says

    A BIG box of chocolates because you can treat yourself to LOTS of chocolate at Christmas and not feel guilty! 🙂

  77. Ileana F says

    I seem to have a very savoury tooth at the moment so I would most like to find a huge hunk of cheese and some sort of jam as well (be it strawberry or red onion!!) its just a perfect christmas combo xxx

  82. Sean Brady says

    Turkey, bacon, stuffing, sprouts, potatoes and peas.

    If veggie: all the above, replacing turkey and bacon with nut roast.

    Also, Xmas pud and mince pies.

  85. Rachael Lines says

    Nuts! Especially walnuts, brazils and hazelnuts, we buy them unshelled so the children can gather round and watch!

  96. Lorraine Bishop says

    Champagne would be lovely, I would drink it early Christmas morning to start the day with a fizz

  99. Helen says

    Shortbread, I love it and, although you can buy it year round, I only buy it at Christmas time for a real treat

  108. Jay says

    Canapes! I love to bake, and make my own Christmas cake, but I’m always too busy at Christmas to make nibbles!

  110. Louise Comb says

    Cheesecake, my hublet can’t stand cheesecake, so it would be all mine – mwa-ha-ha! Otherwise, something with cheese and something with chocolate, I guess I’d share it, grudgingly ;o)

  125. ali thorpe says

    I would most like the find a selection of beautiful cheeses, with chutneys and biscuits to accompany them! x

  129. Olivia B says

    This is a gorgeous Christmas hamper.. would love to win this to share with family and friends…

  136. Enid Hart says

    I,d love to find Brad Pitt coated in chocolate…HEY a girl can dream and they do say dreams come true at Christmas time!!!!

  140. Sandie Bernor says

    I would like to find some lovely handmade chutney to go with the cold turkey on Boxing Day!

    Just came across your site…I’ll be returning regularly I think :o)

  145. Hazel Wright says

    I’d most like to find cheeses, my favourite Wensleydale with Cranberrys, but also something I’ve not tried before!

  152. Molly says

    I’d love to find Helen’s chocolate roulade in my Christmas hamper – it looks delish! But failing that, a bottle of the new Baileys Biscotti flavour would be nice. Only drink Baileys at Christmas, so would be a perfect addition 🙂

  159. Sheila Reeves says

    A small home-made Christmas cake – I’m the only one in my family that likes it so if I make one I end up eating it all!

  165. sophie williams says

    some really unusual ingredients to experiment with and make all the leftovers a bit more exciting

  195. miranda whittingham says

    chocolate because ive been on a diet for 2 months and cant wait for a xmas treat (or treats lol).

  196. K KAUR says

    I would most like to see a delicious chocolate log, decorated with Christmas designs as I have a sweet tooth!

  201. Caroline says

    I’d love a hamper of desserts other than mince pies/xmas cake/xmas pud (yuk) – what is wrong with a nice chocolate cake!

  222. Karen Barrett says

    I love to find a special liquour that can be used throughout the year, the best one I ever received was a vodka based blackberry liquour – gorgeous!

  227. Tracey Boswell says

    Have to be Dundee cake I wont buy it because im the only one that likes it but I do love it x

  230. lucy Robinson says

    I love all cheeses. Hamper looks fab. Its my first time to host this year, would be a fab prize to win.

  241. Lora says

    I’d like to find Ecclefechan Tarts, Sainsburys have started doing them and they’re just heaven, I prefer them over mince pies!

  246. Cheryll H says

    If anyone doesn’t love to find chocolate in a foodie hamper I’m Santa Claus! 😛 @pipersky1 🙂

  253. G Grant says

    I’d like to find soft cheeses to spread on crackers as an antidote to all the sweet stuff at Christmas.

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  1. […] supermarkets also feature with bloggers making Christmas Dinners for Tesco, giveaways from the Asda Extra Special Range and some bloggers testing out Christmas cake baking kits, including one from the Sainsbury’s […]

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