Pashmak Persian fairy floss

As one of those people who no sooner sees a weird dish or ingredient than has to try it I was never going to be able to resist the offer of Pariya Pashmak Persian fairy floss on the menu of Riverstation in Bristol this week.

As the name suggests it's a bit like candyfloss but not as wiry or sugary - more like the texture and appearance of a soft toy or cushion filling to be honest. It comes in several flavours including pistachio, chocolate, vanilla and rose and you can buy it by the bag from Harvey Nicks and branches of Ottolenghi. (And Selfridges, which stocks a saffron flavoured one, so I'm told.)


What on earth does it taste like? Well the vanilla one wasn't wildly vanilla-y but the chocolate one was rather nice - like a whipped up Galaxy or a milky mug of Cadbury's chocolate.

I can imagine making a fabulously kitsch Valentine's dessert - a sundae topped with a sprinkling of rose pashmak, perhaps, or a pavlova with a furry topping like a mad Ascot hat. You could have a lot of fun with this.

Nigel Slater's seasalt chocolate snaps

One of the things I like to do when I'm unwell (nothing serious, just a heavy cold) is catch up with all the food programmes I've missed on iPlayer. I didn't even realise Nigel Slater had a new series but I've just been watching him make some incredibly pretty chocolate discs topped with caramelised almonds, chopped pistachios, crushed crystallised rose petals and rubbed flakes of seasalt. Like all Nigel's recipes it's an inspired combination of ingredients and incredibly easy.

It would make a show stopping end to a dinner party, with perhaps a glass of off-dry pink sparkling wine (champagne is too dry) or - admittedly slightly kitsch - a glass of very cold pink port. You can find the recipe here.

Although I don't think Nigel is a TV natural like (unexpectedly) Simon Hopkinson he always makes food I want to eat and the idea of basing a series on complementary tastes and flavours is a great one. (The first episode was on sweet and sour, this one on surf and turf (though not quite sure how chocolate fits into that) and the next spicy and cool. There must be a book in this.

Ivory Coast Chocolate

I've written before about my predeliction for plain chocolate bars (about my only concession to chocoholism) and here's my latest find which comes - astonishingly - from Tesco.

It's a 74% bar from the Ivory Coast and costs just 82p which is an absolute steal. It's dark, rich and mellow with a slightly fudgy texture, much less smooth than a bar like Lindt Excellence. Normally I don't like bars that are higher than 70% but it wears its extra cocoa solids lightly. I found in the small print on the back it was produced in France.

Will this appeal as much to those of you are chocolate obsessives? Maybe it won't be sweet or smooth enough but at this price you can afford to find out. I suspect it would make an amazing chocolate mousse.

PS I wondered whether to write about this here or on my Frugal Cook blog which you might like to visit if you're in search of bargains or suggestions of what to do with them

Emergency - and non-emergency - chocolate

Weird though it may sound to most of you I don't spend a lot of time looking at or thinking about chocolate so I may well be passing on a discovery that's totally old hat but I love the witty series of chocolate bars produced by a New Zealand-based firm called Bloomsberry.

The best, I think is Emergency Chocolate "for immediate relief of Chocolate Cravings, Lovesickness, Exam Pressure, Mild Anxiety and Extreme Hunger." The directions for use are fun too: "Tear open wrapper, break off desired dosage and consume. Alternatively massage into the affected area. Repeat dosage as required until finished. If symptoms persist consult your local confectioner."

There are other bars in the same vein as you can see if you log on to the company website www.bloomsberry.com: I particularly like Mother's Little Helper, Bochox and No Weight Gain Chocolate (I wish) but unfortunately it doesn't show the brilliant Flat Pack Easter Egg bars which I shall be buying for members of my family this Easter.

You can get them in Harvey Nichols and probably places like Selfridges. Oh, and the chocolate, which is actually made in Switzerland, is pretty good too.