I'm the kind of coffee drinker who would rather go without and brave a thumping headache, then drink a bad cup. What's a bad cup? Well, that would differ from person to person but it's pretty simple for me; tar-thick sludge is a big no-no, especially if it comes with little actual coffee flavour. Sour coffee is another turnoff - a little acidity, even more than a bit is fine, as long as it's part of the inherent character of the coffee, not a result of brewed coffee standing around on a heate...

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My mum almost started foaming at the mouth when she saw a stack of these in a Marks and Spencer branch in Orchard Road today. When I said I wanted to buy a pack and try them, she shoved some mint humbugs into my hands as well, whilst pushing me towards the cashier. "Well, go on then, pay up and let me have one of those red and yellow ones" Mint humbugs I've had countless times but rhubarb and custard boiled sweets, not so much, in fact, not ever. I do know they're a terribly British flavour c...
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I've loved Nutella (that gooey, sickly sweet cocoa and hazelnut spread) since I was about 6 and while I was recently trawling the shops at Changi Airport, killing time before boarding, I saw this very handsome package of midnight-blue-foil wrapped chocolate nuggets that had me at, well.... "Hello". What sealed the deal was the insane (I am now breathing in  lungfuls of the remnants of that ravaged package) chocolate and hazelnut aroma that managed to escape the packaging and the fact that it ...

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Oh, how I love these gold foil packed nuggets of pure chocolate pleasure! What's to love about Whittaker's chocolates? They're made from cocoa beans imported from Ghana, acknowledged to produce some of the world's best cocoa beans. Whittaker's, a New Zealnd company, handles the roasting and processing of the beans themselves. There are flavours like coconut, ginger and kiwi, but my favourite is the single serve (45 g) chunky bar absolutely crammed with diminutive and perfectly roasted almonds...

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Coconut vinegar is a bit of a misnomer as it is actually the fermented sap of nipah palm flower clusters. The flavour is wonderfully refreshing without the usual face puckering sourness of most vinegars and it is much more subtle than regular distilled white vinegar, malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar. It's very complementary to fish, chicken and fruit like semi-ripe papaya and mangoes and if you're throat feels sore of if a bout of the sniffles is coming on, a couple of table...

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I have what almost amounts to a fetish for dainty sugar crusted rose petals and will put them on cheesecakes, mousses, cupcakes, tarted up layered cakes, syrup soaked pancakes, ice cream desserts and just about anything sweet that doesn't put up a fight. I make them myself, when time permits and my pots of roses are particularly productive. For those not similarly disposed, India Tree makes lovely crystallised flower petals that reportedly taste as good as they look. If your computer res...

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Bickford's is an Australian institution and their range of cordials is delicious in every sense of the word. The gently curving bottle, the beautifully rendered label and even the gold tone on the cap all ooze old world charm. Looks aside, I cannot sufficiently describe how wonderful a tall, icy glass of this tastes on a day like today, when the tap water comes out hot enough to make instant coffee, even with the heater off, and laundry dries almost brittle crisp in two hours. They carry a st...

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The best black loose leaf tea I have ever tasted. Dilmah prides itself on many things. I think they should be proudest of the fact that their tea outshines many other 'premium' teas, at a fraction of the cost of these 'premium' brands. There is a very distinctly bright and fresh character to their tea, unequalled by anything else I've so far tried. Even their range of tea-bags, the bane of tea connoisseurs, makes tea that tastes very, very good. This particular one is my absolute favourite of...

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Sweet Brazil was created in 1986 when Paula de Lima Azevedo left her job in advertising to concentrate full-time on making fine chocolate.Presently there are two stores in São Paulo and Sweet Brazil is known for its creatively and beautifully designed chocolate made from a blend of terroir cocoa, and most of all, for its elaborate Easter eggs and Christmas offerings.Sweet Brazil makes fine chocolate all year round in an arresting array of appetizing shapes - bars, bonbons, clusters, spheres ...

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