Spring has arrived at last!

Well the trees are budding, the lawn needs mowing and the inevitable annual cleaning of the barbecue is underway.Actually the weather was so warm and sunny here on the Essex Sunshine Coast in North East Essex that we had our first barbecue over Easter.

The kids loved it, and the grown ups had a pretty good time too!

Not quite time to break out the Pimms but a few lager shandies were enjoyed by all.

So its time to stock up on a few chutneys and relishes from Vineyard Fine Foods to spice up those barbecues and salads.

The wonderful Mango & Coriander Relish is the first one that every man should have to mask the smoky flavour of that ‘well cooked’ meat. Great with chicken and kebabs of all sorts, and keep a jar or two in the house to put out the curry! It also makes a fab sandwich dressing when mixed with mayo.

But now that the sun is with us we will all be healthy and happy and eat lots of salad(won’t we!), so Drayman’s Chutney or Ploughman’s Pickle is a must to serve with ploughman’s salads, cold pies and cold meat platters.

The delicious spicy flavours mixed with vegetables and a dark ale in the case of the Drayman’s chutney make a quintessentially English flavour that can only be enjoyed sitting out in the garden on a sunny Sunday afternoon.