The Tapas Lunch Company's Blog

I'm sure you're still busy munching your way through last month's goodies, but this Spring we're not giving you a chance to draw breath. Today we're launching another big batch of new products. Here's a quick rundown:

• New regional Cheeses, including the much requested Mahon, Tetilla, San Simon, Idiazabal and more.
• Artisan fruitcakes, including fig and almond, date and almond and apricot and almond.
• Dry and precooked pulses, including new varieties of chickpeas, lentils and beans as well as fantastic precooked beans and chickpeas with vegetables and mushrooms.
• Loads of new Spanish nuts, snacks and nibbles, including new varieties of pipas, torreznos, triskis and mixes.

As always, we're offering a 10% discount on all the new products until the end of the month, so take this oppotunity to try the new range at reduced prices.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish all our customers a happy Easter period, and to let you know that we'll be closed from Thursday this week and will be reopening on Tuesday the following week. Last orders will therefore need to be placed by 2pm on Wednesday in order to be received before the Easter weekend.

Keep an eye on the site, our Facebook page or Twitter stream for the latest news and keep those requests coming in.

All the best.

The Tapas Lunch Company Team

All last year we listened to your requests for new products.  I'm pleased to say that we'll be adding many of these items to the range before Summer.  Today we're announcing 35 new products for March, all of which will be available at a 10% discount until the end of the month.  Here's a rundown of the new products:

Olives and Pickles

• Cracked and marinated olives (small jars and big tins)
• Revuelto' (olives, pickled baby onions and gherkins) (small jars and big tins)
• Gordal olives stuffed with chillies (small jars and big tins)
• Marinated stuffed baby aubergines

Paella Products

• Valencian paella spice mix in sachets
• Seafood paella spice mix in sachets
• Instant seafood paella stock and spice mix
• Paella set including pan, oil, rice, stock and spice

Spices

• Saffron spray
• Garlic chicken spice mix
• Pincho spice mix

Teas and Infusions

• Manzanilla (camomile) - also aniseed and mint varieties
• Poleo Menta (peppermint tea)
• Tila (linden flower)
• Saffron tea

Meats

• Panceta
• Chorizo pamplona sticks and sliced
• Bite-size chorizos, both red and creole
• Compango (fabada meats)
• Cecina slices

Sweets and Drinks

• Nicanores de Bonar (butter pastries)
• Cola Cao with chocolate chips
• Nocilla Original and Duo

Remember, all these products are available now and with a 10% discount during March.   Just use the code 'MARCH12' at the checkout to get your discount.

In April we'll be brining you another huge chunk of Spanish supermarket with more cheeses, nuts and snacks, pulses and fizzy drinks.  It's going to be a super-Spanish Spring this year, so keep an eye on the site, our Facebook page or Twitter stream and keep those requests coming in.

All the best.

The Tapas Lunch Company Team

We're incredibly pleased with our Ibericos - after a long period, in which we tasted literally hundreds of different products, we've selected some superb meats at prices that will not break the bank.  If you're in the market for a whole leg of iberico ham this Christmas, we've two exceptionally priced offerings - bellota and cebo - both of which are included in the offer, which means up to a £30 saving.  If a leg is too much, we've also got boneless pieces and 100g sliced packs.  But it doesn't stop at hams.  We've also got some delicious chorizo and salchichon iberico bellota in both whole pieces and sliced packs - check out the Iberico Meats page for all the products.

This year, our range of Christmas sweets has grown to 20 luxurious products, all of which have gone down in price considerably from last year.  As well as the usual hard and soft turrons, we've got organic, sugar free, gift boxed, toasted egg yolk, chocolate-almond and guirlache.  Plus, we've sourced some fantastic marzipan products and treats such as Chocolate Whiskey Turron and Crema Catalana Flavoured Turron.

Don't forget, all these products have been added to the October 10% offer, so you'll save on what are already low prices, but only until the end of the month.  Oh, and if you haven't tried the new Sobrasada and Morcilla de Burgos which we announced at the beginning of the month, they're still on offer too.

In summary, head over to the New Products page, and used the promo code NEWOCT11 at the checkout.  Happy shopping and, dare I say it, Merry Christmas to come!

(download)

Click here to download:

presenting-sobrasada-and-morcilla-de-burgos-mlwibsGhBbcmDvrGxpgu.zip (329 KB)

Two of the most requested products ever, Sobrasada and Morcilla de Burgos, are finally here and ready for purchase at the online store.

And to mark the launch of these great products, we're offering a 10% discount throughout October on both ranges.  Just use the promotion code 'NEWOCT11' to get the discount at the checkout and grab your opportunity to save on what are already low prices.

We've pulled out all stops to bring you the most authentic and more importantly, tasty, products available.  It wasn't easy, and we had to do a hell of a lot of tasting, but in the end, I think we've selected the absolute best in class.

The morcilla is from a Burgos family-run company that have been making it for more than 100 years.  It stood out from all others we tasted in both flavour and texture, with a strong, slightly spicy flavour and a good amount of rice.  As well as the 300g morcillas, we've also picked up the company's innovative 'pate de morcilla de burgos' for you to try.

The sobrasada comes direct to you from Mallorca, where again, our selected supplier has been making it for generations.  The texture is buttery and unctuous with a rich flavour.  As well as the classic 'Sobrasada Selecta' in traditional sausage format, we're also stocking sobrasada spread in tubs and convenient 80g sliced packs.  Add to that the company's flagship product, sobrasada coated with cracked black pepper, and we believe we've got the finest sobrasada range available in the UK today.

So, head over to the New Products page to see both ranges, and remember to use the promo code 'NEWOCT11' to get your discount (valid until the end of October).  And please do let us know what you think of the new products.

We've been sampling products for a few weeks now and quite honestly, I'm sick of the sight of the stuff about now.  I have, however, noticed something pretty interesting which contrasts perfectly in these two sets of products, and I thought I'd share it with you.  It's confirmed to me that the age-old saying "You get what you pay for" is a load of rubbish.

Once you've tried products from ten or twenty different suppliers, you get a pretty good idea of the spread of prices and qaulity, and it just so happens that these two types of products exhibit completely different characterstics.

The market for Iberico meats is extremely competitive in Spain, with a lot of manufacturers fighting for a reduced customer base.  The spread of prices, then, is pretty narrow - with the top end perhaps only 10-20% above the lower end.  The spread of quality, on the other hand, is incredible and the difference in taste and texture from one manufacturer to the next is astonishing.  What this goes to show is that with careful selection, you can obtain an outstanding product for virtually no difference in price to a bog standard one.  For the consumer, that's problematic.  Price doesn't offer a good indication of quality and without trying them all, there's not a lot you can do to make sure you're getting a great product.  Luckily, that's where we come in.  I've tasted a tonne of meats over the last few weeks and can honestly say that we've identified an absolutely superb product, that will cost more or less the same as the vast majority of the other, blander, poorer products.

With the turron, the reverse is true.  Again, I've tasted a lot of this stuff, and can honestly say that there is very little taste or texture difference between brands.  Mashed almond and honey, in percentages fixed by the regulator, just seems to taste the same whichever way you package it (OK, there might be small differences in taste, but these are probably only noticeable to the trained palette).  The spread of prices, however, is insane, with the top end up to 6 times the price of the cheaper products.  So, we've tryed to identify a manufacturer that offers this 'standard' quality at the most reasonable price possible.  After all, if you can't tell the difference between a £4 turron and a £10 turron, why bother?

Yesterday afternoon we announced the winner of our first ever Facebook prize draw.  The winner, Margaret, will be the lucky recipient of a 'Taste of Spain' selection pack including Valencian Horchata, fresh Padron peppers, award winning chorizo, idiot-proof paella, a deluxe meat selection pack and some fantastic Manchego cheese.

Margaret was delighted with the news that she had won, saying "I could not believe it when I received an email from Jonathan saying that I was the August prize draw winner - me really, but I never win anything! Really can't wait to try out my prize and will let you know how I get on - thank you so much."

Thanks to everyone who entered, and don't despair, we'll be launching more competitions shortly!

Read the rest of this post »

Read the rest of this post »

• Red peppers with anchovies. The first in a hat trick of tempting & tasty tapas recipes #