In this issue
Recipes of the Month
News:
The Vitality Show
Mimi the Sardine
Laptop Lunches in the Media
Reduced to clear
Thoughts for food - The British love affair with crisps
Recipes of the Month
Feta Greek Salad
Prep: 10 min
Makes 3 portions
- Half a cucumber cut into small cubes
- Half a yellow pepper cut into fine strips
- Half a red pepper cut into fine strips
- 1 small red onion cut into very small strips
- Handfull of black olives
- 12 small cherry tomatoes
- 100g feta chese cut into small cubes
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- salt, pepper
- Fresh or dried herbs to taste eg mint, basil, oregano, coriander
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In a bowl, mix together the cut up vegetables. Add the lemon juice, vinegar olive oil and seasoning. Finally add the cheese. Put in the fridge and serve cool.
Ideal to go in the large lidded container in your lunchbox.
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Quinoa Salad with sunflower seeds and currants
Prep: 10 min
Cooking time : 15 min
Makes 4 portions
- 200g Quinoa
- Olive oil for cooking
- 1 red onion (finely sliced)
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 4tbsp soya sauce
- salt and pepper
- 1 handfull currants
- 1 handfull sunflower seeds
- juice of half a lemon
- zest of a whole lemon
- Toasted sliced almonds (optional)
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Fry the red onion in the olive oil. Add the uncooked quinoa and soya sauce and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add honey, lemon zest and seasoing to taste. Cover with water and simmer for approximately 15 minutes (until cooked). The quinoa will absorb most of the water and will double in volume.
Leave to cool then add the lemon juice, currants and sunflower seeds.
Eat cold.
Can be served in either the lidded or unlidded container of your Laptop lunch box.
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Desserts / Treats
Chocolate Marble Cake
Prep: 20 min
Cooking time : 40 min
Makes 10 slices
- 4 eggs
- 200g self raising flour
- half tsp baking powder
- 6 tbsp sunflower oil
- 120g caster sugar
- 1 small glass of milk (10cl)
- 100g of dark chocolate
- vanilla essence
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Preheat oven to 180°C.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites.
Whisk the yolks and sugar
together until the mixture becomes white and firm then add the oil, milk flour and baking powder and mix until smooth.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until very firm and then gently fold them into the flour and egg yolk mixture.
Melt the chocolate gently over a bain marie (or in the microwave)
Divide the dough mixture into two equal parts and mix the melted chocolate into one part.
In a greased loaf tin add alternate layers of the chocolate and non chocolate dough mixture.
Cook for 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
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News
Vitality 2007
Jomoval had the pleasure of exhibiting at the 2007 Vitality show in the London Olympia. Over a hectic but fun period of 4 days at the end of March we were able to meet many of our existing customers and introduce the benefits of the Laptop Lunch concept to many others.
This was also an excellent opportunity to launch the Mimi the Sardine range of Bags, Aprons and Bibs (see here for more details).
Our next exhibition will be the Good Food Summer festival at the NEC from 13-17 June 2007, Stand MH9 in the picnic section. You will be able to get a good deal on the lunchboxes but also be among the first to see our new product ranges.
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Mimi the Sardine
We are happy to be able to anounce that from early June 2007 we will have a striking addition to our range.
Exclusive in the UK, Mimi the Sardine manufactures a range of water and soil resistant acrylic coated cotton bags, bibs and aprons. The bags and aprons are available in both child and adult sizes.
Availabe in a range of unique and irresistable designs, the fabric is manufactured in Sweden, while the products are designed and made in California.
The full range of products will be available through the Laptop Lunches website.
We will keep you informed as to availability.
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Laptop Lunches in the Media
January, February and March 2007 have seen a lot of media interest in Laptop Lunches with coverage in publications such as She, Lighter Life, Rosemary Conley and Country Living.
To see what the press have to say, please click here
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Reduced to Clear
As we have mentioned above, over the next few months we will be introducing several new ranges of products. In order to make room for these, we have decided to discontinue the Laptop Lunches Stainless steel range. For this reason the drinks bottles and travel flasks have now been reduced to clear.
If you are interested in getting a good deal on any of these items, please visit this page on our site.
As they say, once they are gone they are gone. The Food Flasks are gone already so don't wait too long.
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Thoughts for Food
British Crisp Mania
One of the eating habits that strikes foreigners when they come to England is the love that the British have for crisps.
In England they are commonly eaten as a part of lunch while in France for example, they would be eaten alongside an alcoholic drink for the “aperitif” or as nibbles before the meal is served. They are not thought of as food and would never be eaten on a regular basis by adults and even less by children.
The importance of crisps to the British can be seen by the place given over to them in the supermarket. In Britain, you will find one or even two whole aisles in the central area of the supermarket dedicated to crisps and savoury snacks while in France they will be found in a small section at the end of supermarket just before the alcoholic drinks.
It is among the young where the popularity of crisps is at its peak and more than two thirds of school children have a packet of crisps in their lunchbox everyday. Given that crisps are loaded with fat, salt, sugar, additives and chemical flavourings and have no nutritional value (completely deprived of vitamins and minerals), it seems strange that not only do many parents allow this but as crisps are made from potatoes or corn (wholesome starchy foods), even consider them to be a healthy snack.
It is estimated that the country munches its way through 6000 million bags of crisps every year. Walkers alone manufactures 10 million packets of crisps in the U.K every day. Britain eats more than half of all the crisps and savoury snacks eaten in Europe.
In order to keep this “passion” alive, the manufacturers invest heavily in new product development (all flavours shapes and textures imaginable) and advertising. The latter being primarily targeted towards the young and often making use of sporting heroes or other celebrities to endorse the products.
It should also be of some concern that these snacks would appear to be highly addictive. A 2003 study by Sarah Leibowitz, a Neurobiologist at the Rockefeller University in New York showed that eating fatty foods can cause biochemical changes in the brain which cause the body to crave more fatty food. These changes in the young can lead to obesity later in life.
There is nothing wrong with the occasional consumption of crisps or snacks as part of a balanced diet, but on a day to day basis, why not try swapping this chemical food for the natural, wholesome crunchiness and goodness of fresh food like fruits and vegetables or nuts and seeds.
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