I am in the process of testing out which recipes I am going to use as side dishes for my Christmas Dinner this year and it occurred to me that they would also make very delicious Thanksgiving sides and so I thought I would share this really delicious potato one that I made at the weekend.

 

Do note, that because there are only two of us normally, I have been cutting the dish portion sizes down and making smaller amounts ( and quite successfully too,  I might add) . . . this way I don't have any waste, and yet we get to try them ahead of time.



The first recipe I tried out is this roasted potato dish.  Roast potatoes are a must with pretty much any British Sunday Lunch or Holiday Dinner.  WE do love our roasties!!  Normally they are par-boiled, rolled in some fat and then roasted at a high temperature until they are golden and crispy.



This recipe today dispenses with the par boiling . . . and there is not a lot of fat in it.  Instead it relies on a mixture of an herby salt and fine cornmeal/polenta to give them their crunch.  The herby salt was very easily made.  The original recipe in the BBC Good Food magazine, December issue 2012, called for fresh herbs to be used to make the salt.  I used dry because that is what I had and it really made no difference, except that I can save any extra in my cupboard to use another time without fear of it spoiling.

Fresh herbs would mean that I would have to keep it in the fridge and use it up quickly.

 

These turned out really nice and golden brown with a delicious crunch . . . soft and fluffy in the middle . . . and not at all greasy.



The herbs gave them a really nice flavor, which we both enjoyed a lot!



I loved that there was only one dish to wash!  Instead of the two or three that normal roasted potatoes would use.  Less washing up is always a plus with me!

 

I would say that these are a definite contender!!  I think they would make a fabulous Thanksgiving side as well!  Let me know what you think!!

 

 *Crunchy Potatoes with Herby Salt*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

Adapted from a recipe in BBC Good Food Magazine, December 2012.

1.25kg/2 pounds 12 oz potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 TBS vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil
1 TBS fine polenta or cornmeal

For the Herby Salt
2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 tsp dried sage leaves
3 TBS coarse sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Have a large roasting tin ready.

Make the herby salt by putting everything into a mortal and pestle and grinding hen together until you have a fine salt, with lots of green flecks.  Toss the potatoes into the roasting pan with the oil, 2 TBS of the herby salt, the cornmeal and some black pepper (to taste) until they are coated evenly.

Roast in the heated oven for 30 minutes.  Give them a good shake and roast them for a further 15 to 20 minutes until they cooked through and the edges are nicely crisped.  Serve hot.

This week all of our friends across the pond in America will be gathering together with loved ones to celebrate  their annual Thanksgiving holiday.  We don't do Thanksgiving over here in the UK, but it's a holiday that even the Toddster wishes we would adopt over here in the UK.  An annual day of Thanksgiving would be really nice.  They have a harvest festival in a lot of churches . . . but as a whole . . . I think this country could use a day of Thanksgiving as, despite all that may be wrong in our country . . . we still have a LOT of things right, and to be grateful for.

I thought I would share some of my tips for cooking turkey with you, after all I am the UK Turkey Blogger of the year  (Still pinching myself over that one!)

I like to purchase a top quality bird for my holiday feasts, be it Thanksgiving or Christmas.  This is the one time of the year I will splurge and get a higher cost bird, and it goes without saying that I always choose free range and fresh if I can get it.  I may eat turkey minced, or in bits the rest of the year . . . but it is only this once a year that I cook the whole bird, so it is a real treat for us! (Christmas for us.)

I always remove all of the wrapping from my bird and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours unwrapped to help dry the skin out well.  That makes it a lot easier to rub any butter on and helps for nicely browned skin.  I also take it out at least an hour before cooking, which brings it to room temperature.  A cold bird put into a hot oven is a bit of a shocking experience and tightens up the tissue . . . we don't want a tough bird.  Moist and succulent is the order of the day.

To ensure a nicely moist turkey, I  like to rub a lot of butter into the flesh beneath the skin, and on top of the skin.  Now you can add seasonings and herbs to it, like I have done here today, which also adds extra flavour.  Sometimes I just slip a few sprigs of thyme, some salt, pepper and sage in with the butter, which works well also.  A bit of broth in the roasting tin and a few aromatic veggies and Bob's your Uncle.  Put that tasty bird over top of it all on a rack and start roasting!

I like to start mine off at a high temperature to assist in the browning, but after that I reduce the temperature to as low as it is safe to go and slow roast, basting it every 15 to 20 minutes with broth and more butter, or the pan juices.  (I know . . . but it's Thanksgiving/Christmas!)  If it starts to get too dark, I will tent it with some foil. 

It's really important that once your bird is done you set it aside, keep it warm and allow it to rest, so that all of those tasty juices will be absorbed back into the bird.  If you start to carve it right away, you're going to lose all of that moistness.  It will run out all over your cutting board.  Be patient.  Wait.  You'll be rewarded with an incredibly tasty and moist bird.

 

A lot of people swear by Brining . . . and others by dry brining.  I have tried both . . . and to be honest, I want my  turkey to taste like a turkey.    Dry brining with salt preserves the integrity of the bird . . . and in all honesty it doesn't end up being really salty.  Every wet brined bird I have ever cooked ended up tasting like the brine.  Not my cup of tea.



This is an excellent video which gives some great instructions on dry brining.

You would be right in thinking that this bird I am showing you here today is not a turkey.  It's a chicken.  I'll be cooking my turkey at Christmas, but I did want to share a recipe with you that is fabulous when roasting a turkey, but also equally as delish when used on a chicken.


 (This is a large free range roasting chicken.)

It involves creating a delicious butter rub which you rub into the flesh beneath the turkey breast, beneath the skin . . . flavoured with a balsamic and maple syrups, shallots, thyme, seasoning salt and . . . lotsa butter!  As the turkey cooks that butter melts into the breast meat, flavouring it . . . moistening it, making it all scrummy.



Don't be afraid of butter . . . you're going to skim it off all of the juices anyways . . . and it does help to keep that tasty bird moist and delicious!

 

I don't stuff my birds with stuffing . . . not a chicken nor a turkey.  I like to cook the stuffing separately in a covered dish.  It's too iffy . . . you can never really  tell if it's cooked properly, and it can keep your turkey from cooking properly as well.  Best to be on the safe side and cook it separate.  You can flavour your bird from the inside out with other things . . . in this case some orange and onion.  I have even shoved bunches of herbs inside the bird with great success . . . but not stuffing.  Trust me on this.



However you choose to season your bird . . .  if you follow these few  tips, you are in for a real treat. (Start with a  QUALITY room temperature bird and hot oven,  lotsa butter beneath the skin, sear in the oven on high and then roast on low, baste, baste, baste . . . and let it rest before you cut into it!)  I want to wish all of my American Friends a very Happy Thanksgiving.


 

 *Roasted Turkey with a Balsamic & Maple Rub*
Serves 10 to 14
Printable Recipe
A moist and deliciously different turkey.  This rub works wonderfully  with a roast chicken as well.

one 5-7kg Turkey, rinsed and
patted dry with paper toweling

For the rub:
2 shallots, peeled and minced
3 TBS pure Maple Syrup
1 TBS Balsamic Glaze (a thick mixture created by boilig
Balsamic vinegar until it becomes thick and syrupy.  Use a good
quality.)
1 TBS dark soy sauce
2 tsp dried thyme
1 TBS seasoning salt
4 ounces of butter, at room temperature (1/2 cup)

You will also need:
1 large orange, washed, unpeeled and cut into eighths
3 onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups of chicken or turkey stock (may need more)

Take the turkey from the refrigerator and allow to stand at room temperature for at least an hour before cooking.  (To insure a really dry skin surface, I remove it from the wrapping the night before cooking and pat it dry inside and out with paper towels.)

Make the rub by stirring together all of the ingredients until well blended.  Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

Preheat the oven to 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Have ready a large roasting tin.

Put the carrots and 3/4 of the chopped onions in the bottom of the roasting tin.  Pour the stock over all.

Take your turkey and carefully loosen the skin around the main body cavity, sliding your fingers carefully inside to loosen it all over the breast.  Take care not to tear the skin.  Take the rub and push 3/4 of it under the skin, massaging it into the meat as best as you can.  I sometimes find this is easier to do by putting the butter under the skin and then massaging it down the breast from the outside of the skin.  Rub the remainder of the mixture on the outside of the turkey.  Place the remainder of the onion and the orange wedges inside the cavity of the turkey along with some salt and pepper.  Tuck the wings underneath as best as you can and tie the drumsticks together over the opening with some kitchen twine.  Place the bird on  a rack over top of the vegetables in the roasting pan, breast side up.

Roast in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes.   Reduce the oven temperature to 160*C/325*F/gas  mark 4 and roast for a further 4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices..  When it is done the juices should run clear when the bird is pricked between the thigh and breast.  You may need to tent the turkey with foil if it begins to get too dark.  You may also need to add more stock if the pan becomes too dry.  When it is done, transfer the turkey to a large carving board and tent with foil.  Allow to rest for at least 20 to 25 minutes before carving.

Strain the pan juices, discarding any vegetables.  Use these juices to make your gravy.

Note - to cook a chicken in this manner, rub with the balsamic and maple mixture in the same manner on a 2kg chicken and roast at 225*c/425*f/ gas mark 7 for 20 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3 for a further 45 to 60 minutes until done and the juices run clear, basting every 15 minutes or so.  I don't bother with a rack in this case. I just roast the chicken right on top of the vegetables.

I sure miss having children around the house. When my kids were growing up this time of year was so busy for us as I would be baking up all sorts of Christmas Baking  for the upcoming holidays and for their parties at school, etc.  There would be cakes and cookies and tarts, and all sorts.

Now that there is only Todd and myself, my baking is of course cut way back.  Two people can only eat so much food . . . I do love to make a tasty Christmas Cake Recipe every year . . . as well as a delicious Christmas Pudding Recipe.

 

 Today I found the cutest Snowman Cupcakes on the Baking Mad Site.  I thought they were really cute and they looked like something children would really enjoy.  I sure wish that my grandchildren lived closer to me . . . I would sure love to spoil them with something like this.  I think they are quite adorable . . .

Alas once I had the cupcakes in the oven baking . . . I realized that I didn't have everything that I needed to decorate them, and the Toddster had just settled into watching one of his cowboy films, Mitzie was not feeling well . . . and I didn't feel like I could ask him to go to the shops.  Truth be told, he never comes back with what I want anyways . . . it boggles my mind sometimes how he can get it so wrong!  ☺



So what you are seeing here today . . . is my adaptation of the recipe on the Baking Mad Page.  I didn't have the ready roll icing in white . . . so I made a simple fondant that I spooned over top and let set.  I didn't have black and red designer icings either, so I cut up bits of licorice to  use as eyes and smiles . . .



I rouged their cheeks with a little bit of watered down red food coloring and a paint brush . . .  and I dusted their noses with a bit of orange.



This one is called MUMBLES because he was born without a mouth.  (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!)



I didn't have the proper things for the scarves either . . . but I did have some turquoise blue ready roll icing and so I just made their scarves out of that.  Not perfect but . . . I guess they turned out OK.  When needs must and all that!

 

They do look rather cute lined up in a row, like a lot of little soldiers don't you think??  My grandsons would just adore  a treat like this . . .

Maybe one year I will get lucky and be able to bake something like this for them!  In the meantime I can just dream about it.  The thought of it makes me smile . . . just like one of these silly looking snowmen!



 *Christmas Snowmen Cupcakes*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Cute, easy to make and quite, quite delicious!  (Adapted from the Bakingmad.com site.)

150g of butter (scant 2/3 cup)
150g of golden caster sugar (generous 3/4 cup superfine sugar)
3 large free range eggs, beaten
150g of self raising flour (1 cup + 2TBS)
1/2 tsp baking powder
few drops pure vanilla extract

To decorate:
225g of white ready to roll icing (1 pound)
4 TBS Apricot jam
1 TBS hot water
12 White Marshmallows
1 TBS dessicated coconut
silver balls
red candy strawberry belts
black designer icing
red designer icing

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. 

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.  Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla, making sure it is well amalgamated.  If your eggs begin to curdle add a tbs of the flour.  Whisk together the flour and baking powder.  Stir this into the creamed mixture along with the vanilla until smooth.  Divide the mixture equally amongst the muffin cups.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen, golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched.  Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before proceeding.

Dust the counter top with icing sugar and roll out the ready to roll icing 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out 12 circles which are slightly smaller than the tops of the cupcakes.  Mix together the apricot jam and the water.  Brush some on the top of each cupcake and then top with the circles of icing.  Brush some jam on one flat side of each marshmallow and stick one on top of each icing circle slightly off centre.  Roll the scraps of icing into 12 small balls for the noses.  Roll in apricot jam and then in the coconut.  Attach to the faces using a little dab of jam.  Pipe a bit of black on for the eyes and red for the smiles.  Using a dab of apricot jam stick on the silver balls for buttons.  Wrap the strawberry belts around the marshmallows for scarves.

Store in an airtight container.

 

Not only does MUMBLES find himself unable to speak . ..  but he is quite, quite unable to follow directions either . . . as you can see he's somehow found himself standing out of line . . .



He was the first to fall . . .  poor little MUMBLES . . . I bet he wished he'd been a bit better at following directions.  *tee *hee*

 

You can blame this all on my sister.  My mother had a doughnut pan sitting on top of her kitchen cupboards, gathering dust for years and years . . . she finally sent it to my sister because she had expressed that she had always wanted to have one.  For some reason the idea of a baked doughnut had never really appealed to me . . .



I happened to be talking to my sister on MSN one day after the doughnut pan had arrived and she shared with me several of the recipes she was going to try out for baked doughnuts.  They looked fabulous and, before you could say Jiminy Cricket,  I was ordering myself a doughnut pan from Amazon!  So . . . it's her fault really.

 

Since then I have been trying to come up with as many tasty and unusual types of baked doughnuts as I can . Last week it was Chai Spiced ones . . .  and they were just gorgeous,  if I don't say so myself!!



 Today I did Honey Glazed Granola Doughnuts!  I always make my own homemade granola and, I have to say . . . I really love it.  It's wholesome and hearty, filled with fruit, low in fat and lacking in chemicals and preservatives.   I thought it would be perfect in a doughnut . . . especially for a breakfast doughnut.

 

Oh . . . and you can't have a doughnut without a glaze can you???  I think it's actually against the law or something!  Doughnuts must be glazed, or sugared . . . or otherwise adorned in some delicious way.  It just makes the scrummy . . . well . . . ermm . . . scrummier!!!

 

These turned out beautiful . . . the best yet!!   There was just a light spice from the cinnamon and the merest hint of orange . . . with a light moist texture (from the buttermilk in the batter) . . . and quite wholesomely  filled with that moreish homemade granola.  (DO feel free to use any store bought granola if that is all you have!)

 

The scattering of granola on the top before baking added just a nice bit of crunch . . . but that glaze . . . wowsa!!  That glaze just adds that extra special touch that lets anyone you bake these for feel like they are just the most important person in the world to you . . . so important that you would bake them something as gorgeously delicious as these doughnuts, and then top them with icing!!

 

These make the perfect holiday treat too,  because you can bake them ahead of time and then freeze them without glazing them. Once frozen all you have to do when you want to serve them, or when company drops by, or when you come in from the cold all frigid and famished after carol singing . . . is to warm them slightly to thaw, then glaze.  You then  have a quick and tasty treat for the whole fam damily!  (and your friends!)

 

The glaze whips up in literally no time at all and just like magic you have a fabulous treat for everyone!  I promise you they will end up thinking you are the most cleverest of people ever! I guarantee!!

 

 *Baked Granola Doughnuts with a Honey Glaze*
Makes 24
Printable Recipe

This makes a lot, but you can freeze them without glazing and have them at the ready anytime.  Just warm a bit and then glaze when you are ready to eat them.  They are really, really good.


200g plain flour (2 cups)
201g of soft light Muscovado sugar (1 cup packed)
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
80g of prepared granola (1 cup)
78ml of vegetable oil (1/3 cup)
375ml of buttermilk (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
(There are no eggs in this recipe)
extra granola for sprinkling

For the Glaze:
260g of sifted icing sugar (2 cups)
2 TBS runny honey
hot water

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter several large doughnut pans really well. 

Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and granola together in a bowl.  Whisk the oil, buttermilk, vanilla and orange together in a beaker.  Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients.  Mix only to moisten.  Spoon 2 TBS into each doughnut section in the pan.  Top each with a sprinkle of dry granola. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until nicely risen and browned.  Let sit in the pan for a few minutes before dumping out onto a wire rack.  (Repeat as necessary until you have used up all of your batter.  It will be necessary to wipe the pan out and re-butter in between bakings.)

Whisk your glaze ingredients together until smooth, using only enough hot water to give you a glaze of a drizzle consistency.  I like to dip my doughnuts into the glaze on the granola side, but you can do it according to whatever is your preference.  Let the glaze set before serving.  Store any uneaten doughnuts in an airtight container.

Note - If you don't have a doughnut pan, you can bake this as muffins. It will make 12 medium muffins.  Glaze or not as you desire.

 

I am enjoying this doughnut experience so much that I am actually going to buy myself another pan so I can do double duty.  I predict that baked doughnuts are going to be the NEXT cupcakes, or whoopie pies.  If I'm not absolutely right about that . . . I'll eat my hat!  (along with the doughnuts!)  *burp*  Pardon me.

Blame it on sis . . . she quite simply created a monster!

I have to admit it . . . I hold my hand up.  I have a thing for Boursin Cheese.    It's not something which I had actually ever tasted before I moved over here to the UK, but it is something which I very quickly fell in love with my very first taste.

That's why I gladly accepted the recent offer to try out their new Fig & Nut flavour, which is out just in time for the holidays.

From their page:  A captivating combination of bitter and sweet, soft and hard. The creamy texture of the cheese gives way to the contrasting soft chewy texture of the fig and the harder crunch of the nut pieces. 

I have always been a big fan of their Garlic & Herb and the Black Pepper Variety . . . as well as their Boursin Light.  They taste wonderful and have such a lovely creamy texture.



We could not resist digging in to it and just indulging ourselves with it spread onto some Italian Crackers which I had in the cupboard.  It was fabulous . . .  just what you would expect from Boursin.  Each bite had  a depth of sweetness from the figs, a bit of crunch from the nuts . . . and that creamy Boursin tang which we both love!  It was half gone before we knew it!  *smack!*

I also love to use my Boursin for cooking with.  Seriously.  It's great in sauces, for on pasta and in gravies. It makes the most fabulous mash.  Just stir a package of it into your mash and allow it to melt . . . the Herb & Garlic is especially nice this way, but so is the Black Pepper.

I decided to try something out with this lovely Fig and Nut mixture . . . the whole time I was munching on it I was thinking . . . this would be fabulous in a Sweet Potato Mash!



And guess what!!  It was just wonderful!!  When I worked at the Manor down South, American Thanksgiving was a really big deal every year.  I would work really hard for days before the Holiday and then be on my feet for at least 15 hours on the actual day preparing all of the dishes that were required of me . . . one being this gross Sweet Potato Souffle that they just loved, which to me seemed more like dessert than a side dish . . . it was good, but not really my cup of tea.  I think it was all those marshmallows on top that I didn't like very much . . .

 

There's no marshmallows in this delicious Sweet Potato Casserole!  Just roasted sweet potatoes and some of that lovely Fig and Nut Boursin Cheese . . .

It's very, very good . . . I think I found us a brand new favourite.  Move over Marshmallow Sweet Potato Souffle . . . this tasty dish is the tops!



*Sweet Potato, Fig and Nut Casserole*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Don't knock it til you try it.  This works fabulously together.

4 large sweet potatoes, washed and unpeeled
1 package (150g) of Boursin Fig & Nut Soft cheese,
 at room temperature
buttered bread crumbs (optional)

Preheat your oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.

Place your washed sweet potatoes onto a baking tray and pop them into the preheated oven.  Bake them for about an hour, until they are very soft and a fork inserted into one, slips in very easily.  Remove them from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, until you can just handle them.

Cut a bit off the end of each and just let the cooked sweet potato slip out of it's skin into a large bowl.  Mash well with a fork, adding the softened cheese and stirring it though.  Spoon this mixture into a buttered shallow casserole dish.  Top with the buttered crumbs if using.

Return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes or so or until the top is beginning to caramelize a bit and the crumbs are browned.

 

Like I said I love, LOVE to cook with Boursin.  I often stir it into mash . . . and use it as a topper for my Shepherds or Cottage Pies!  But the thing I love to do with it the most is to make these fabulous Boursin Souffled Baked Potatoes!

 

These are so, So, SO good!!  The cheese is melted all through the potato, giving it a fabulous flavour . . . and the whole mixture souffle's up when it's baked . . . so you get that crisp lightly browned exterior . . . but the inside are soft and fluffy and oh so moreishly good!



*Boursin Souffled  Baked Potatoes*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

The tastiest, easiest stuffed baked potatoes you could ever want to eat.

4 medium sized baking potatoes
1 (150g) package of Garlic & Herb Boursin Cheese, at room temperature
2 TBS butter
a bit of milk

Preheat your oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Wash your baking potatoes well, dry and then prick each of  them with a fork in several places.  Place the clean and dry potatoes in the oven, right on the oven rack.  (Don't worry, it's ok!)

Roast for about an hour  to one hour and fifteen minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and yield when softly pressed.  (Don't press too hard, or they might explode!)  Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool just until you can handle them.  Cut a thin slice from off the top of each and discard.  Carefully scoop out all of the insides of each potato into a bowl, taking care not to tear the skin.  Mash very well with the butter, cheese and milk, until you have a smooth mixture.  You only need enough milk to help make it a bit fluffy.  Taste and adjust seasoning with some salt and pepper if desired.  Spoon the mash back into the potatoes, place them into a baking dish and return them to the oven.  Bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the filling souffles up and begins to brown.  Serve immediately.

And . . . just when you thought I had nothing else to share . . . look at this!

 

Win a Cooler Bag Of Boursin Products

 To celebrate the launch of Boursin’s delicious new Special Edition Fig & Nut flavour this Christmas, we’re offering one lucky winner the chance to win a cooler bag full of Boursin products to enjoy. Boursin’s new seasonal variety is an aromatic blend of sweet succulent figs and crunchy mixed nuts, combined with its signature creamy, crumbly soft cheese. Savour the flavour as part of your cheese board this Christmas or spread on ciabatta, drizzle with olive oil and top with prosciutto to create a fig and parma ham bruschetta - perfect served as a stylish appetiser during the festive party season. The cooler bag will include a variety of the Boursin range, including Boursin Garlic & Herb, Black Pepper and Boursin tomato, onion & chive flavour.

For more information about Boursin, head to www.boursin.co.uk. 

Unfortunately I can only offer this giveaway to residents of mainland UK.  But if you are a resident of the UK and want to be included, please leave a comment below, adding a notation to say that you are a mainland UK resident.  I will be picking one lucky winner on Monday, November 19th.  I wish I could give one to each of you, but alas . . . I cannot. 

CONTEST CLOSED - winner will be announced tommorrow!

 


I was recently contacted by Experience Days and asked if I would like to host a  Chocolate Making Experience Day Giveaway for them!  They didn't need to ask me twice. I just love being able to share little things like this with my readers.

Experience Days is a unique way of gifting a loved one or a friend with the experience of a lifetime.  They have a wide variety of experiences to choose from . . . with everything from pampering days to hot air ballooning . . . to, well  . . . Chocolate making!

 

The Chocolate Making Experience Day is the perfect day for anyone who loves chocolate and is interested in learning how to make their own chocolates.  You will spend the whole day with an expert instructor in the art of making chocolates, who will teach you all that you need to know about making your own chocolates with quality instruction, practical demonstrations and hands on experience!  (I'm sure there will be plenty of tasting as well!)



This makes the perfect gift for the chocoholic or chocolate lover in your life and one of you will be given the chance to experience this class for yourself.  There are 10 different locations here in the UK, where you can take the class, and the good news is that this giveaway is not limited to people in the UK, as they also have an American branch called  Xperience Days



 

To be included in this sweet giveaway you only need to leave a comment at the end of this post.  This giveaway will remain open until Monday the 19th of November.  What a fab way to kick off your holiday season!

To learn more about this company and all of the interesting gift experiences they offer hop on over to Experience Days UK or in America, Xperience Days!

Remember you got to be in it to win it!  Good luck one and all!