New Year’s Giveaway
Posted: January 1, 2019 Filed under: Giveaway 39 Comments
Wotchers!
A giveaway? You spoil us, Mr Ambassador! *inclines head graciously and accepts the adulation*
Before I get too carried away, I just wanted to take this time to express my appreciation of you, my faithful readers, for all of your visits, comments and compliments over the more than seven years since I started this blog.
So I’ve gathered a few bits and bobs together – things that I like and hope you do too.
All you have to do is leave a comment below indicating which prize you would be interested in.
That’s it.
No hoops to jump through, no requirements to sign up, no holding your entry hostage until you have followed the blog or me on Twitter and Facebook (although if you do decide to do that, I will be thrilled!).
Just leave a comment on this post with, and this is very important, a valid email address. Your email will not be published, and if you are a winner, it is how I will contact you for a postal address. It will be used for no other reason.
Disclaimer: There’s no sponsorship or behind-the-scenes deals. I bought these things myself, and will post them myself and bear all the costs.
So what goodies do we have on offer?
Gadgets
Some items I picked up on Wish.com. If you’re unfamiliar with this website, it really is worth a look. For baking items such as silicon moulds, baking tins, sugarwork tools and cutters, it is incredibly reasonable – but this is just a small fraction of the types of goods on offer. The only downside is the (relatively) long delivery times (2-3 weeks) as the items are coming for the most part, direct from China. However, I have found that items frequently get delivered much quicker. Incredibly, some items are even offered free, with the only charge being for shipping.
The cookie cutter set is fantastically space-saving, as the different moulds are stored inside the handle. With 5 different patterns and the cookie cutter itself, it’s just the thing to make your biscuits pop. The two pairs of piping nozzles are what is known as Sultane tips, and are something I have dithered about purchasing for ages. Until now have only seen them priced at £20.00+, which is a bit steep for a single nozzle, methinks. They pipe circular ruffles with a hole in the middle and can be used for creme patissière, whipped cream, meringues – all so pretty.
Edibles
I was in The Netherlands just before Christmas, and swung by a favourite supermarket, Albert Heijn. The Dutch biscuits stroopwafels are well known in the UK, but these stroopkoek are actually my personalfavourite. They’re more like a digestive biscuit, and whilst they are commonly available plain, with the regular caramel inside, for the festive season Albert Heijn had available a whole slew of different flavours, and these four were the most popular. So popular, that there werent any spare left for me to try – so I hope you will recognise the supreme self-control I have been exhibiting in not eating them for over two weeks now!
The final items on offer are two packs of chocolate: salted chocolate almonds, and ruby cocoa bean holly leaves. I’ve not tried the almonds, but they sound delicious. The ruby cocoa chocolate I did try – by buying a second pack and not steaming open this one! 😉 – and it has a very delicate strawberry/raspberry aftertaste – most unusual.
So there we have it – I do hope you’ll participate by leaving a comment, even if it’s only to say what you’d like. Just to clarify, the options are:
- Patterned biscuit cutter set
- Sultane nozzles 1
- Sultane nozzles 2
- Ginger caramel cookies
- Speculoos caramel cookies
- Mocha caramel cookies
- Salted caramel oat cookies
- Salted chocolate almonds
- Ruby cocoa chocolates
Best of luck and a Happy New Year to all!
MAB 😀
Time To Cook - Online 
Hello! I would adore the ruby cocoa chocolates! I’ve never seen anything like them!
ooh brilliant! I’d love the “Dark Roast” stroopkoek! Or the biscuit cutter set… very exciting
What a great way to kick off the New Year! The biscuit cutter set is what my heart is set on. A very happy New Year to all.
I live in Belgium. So It would cost you more to send it than the article itself ❤
Hah, that’s a familiair sight ;-)! Opting out for the give-away, shame to send it all back over the pond. Happy new year to all and enjoy to the lucky winner
Love the nozzles and cookie cutter thingy! Fab-u-Lus!
Hi there- it should I say Wotchers!!😊
The stroopkoeken look brilliant and I’d love some
Having tasted some in Belgium, the craving is still there
Happy 2019 and keep the blogs / recipes going – will you ever bring out another book – the first was a winner
Best wishes
Steve in sussex
Wotchers Steve!
Your wish is my command!
*waves magic wand* Tadaah!
😉
MAB
Thank you!! What do i do now? Address needed etc?
Happy 2019!!
Happy new year.. I would absolutely love a Sultane nozzle. Been looking at them for so long..
Love reading your posts. Such a lovely prize I would love to win the biscuit nozzles 🙂
Hello ! I think your blog is one of the most interesting food blogs. I always make your mince pies and the speculoos biscuits for Christmas! I’d love the specoloos caramel cookies or the biscuit cutters
The cookie cutters look lovely
Oh I would like some nuzzles, or even nozzles as I just started experimenting with them. And please keep writing!
Happy New Year
I do enjoy reading your posts on older recipes, their provenance and so on – methinks you are like a historical Nigella
Anyway I would love the almonds to share with my husband
Looking forward to more of your recipes in 2019.
Thank you for all your posts these past years, here and on Deja food! They are so educational and entertaining at the same time. And I also love your writing style!
Your Thor Cake and Luxury Mince Pies with Guilt-free Mincemeat have become my annual staple. The Pecorino Half Pound Cake and Snow Cake were a revelation. And that quick-puff-pastry-that’s-not-rough-puff is still the most ingenious thing I’ve ever encountered — why hasn’t anyone else thought of that? Honestly, every time you post something, I just want to try it! You should count the number of lines that start with “MAB’s” in my to-bake/to-cook list! Your recipes have not let me down yet (so far!)
I should probably also mention that you’re still my favourite Bake Off contestant of all time (nobody else has come anywhere close yet!) I’ve enjoyed learning from you, and I wish I have the luxury of studying food history as much as you do!
(Ok, enough sucking up from the lurker fanboy. Now give me my ruby cocoa chocolates and all those stroopkoeks! =D)
Any prize would be very welcome here in Vancouver, Canada (although the cookie cutter set would be awesome!). Always enjoy reading your blog.
Happy New Year to you too! I’ve loved following along this year, and I’m excited for more in 2019! I’d love to try the stroopkoek if they’re going!
Hello Mary-Anne, happy New Year to you and yours. I love all of the giveaways and would be happy to be chosen to be a recipient of any of the items. However my particular favourite is Salted Caramel Oat Cookies, all my favourite flavours in one cookies.
Any item would be most appreciated!
Watchers. Happy new Year to you all.
Love this site, I made the no bake Christmas cake this year and it was a huge hit.
Thanks for the inspiration
Would love the cookie cutter or the nozzles, but no food thank you.
Happy New Year!
I only discovered your blog not long ago and I absolutely adore it! Definitely my favorite written-form food blog I’ve discovered. As someone also interested in the history of cooking (although my chief interest area is the 1950s and 60s right now) I love your concept.
I’ve made a couple recipes so far because some of the ideas are so inventive, but I also plan on some of the more traditional ones to remind me of the period as a child I spent in the UK!
I would love to play around with a sultane nozzle!
Oooooh! Cookie cutters, please, if you’re willing to send to the States! 😊
Happy New Year, Mary-Anne. I like the sultane nozzles but the best thing is looking forward to posts from MAB.
Hello Marry-Anne
I can’t believe it’s been 7 years since you were on the GBBO, this is when I started to become interested un following your blogs, Twitter and cookbook.
I would like the cookie cutter set please.
Thank you for all your wonderful posts. Many have entered into my recipe book.
If possible I’d like the cookie cutters
Keep up the work.
happy new year! i would love the speculoos stroopwafels! keep up the great work on this blog! 🙂
Oooooo didn’t realise there was a fb page, great will take a look. I would love either the biscuit cutters, speculoos cookies or mocha caramel cookies please. Thanks and Happy New Year x
I’d be most grateful for any of the prizes, but particularly the nozzles or any of the stroopkoek flavours.
Thank you for such a generous offer of prizes!
Oh dear, I’m possibly a little late, but if not cookie cutters would be fabulous!
Happy New Year MAB and keep up the great work! x
Hi Mary Ann! I would love the biscuit cutter set as I have a toddler who loves to bake, and a tiny kitchen! Thank you for the blog and please keep writing in 2019!
Hi Mary-Anne
i am also one of your many followers from the Real GBBO days. Thank you for your many blogs and the information, I have successfully made quite a few recipes from them recently the Beef and parsnip pie which fed helpless males while I had a few day in hospital.
I wish you and your family good health and prosperity and much happiness for 2019 please do not “stop cooking!”
If possible i would like a set of sultane tips, and look forward to enjoying using them.
Many thanks
Zoe
Happy New Year and thanks for reason to finally comment (personal gain is a great motivator!). What a great blog and first book – (the second is on my mental wish list). Thanks for the old recipes and (separately) deja food. Also for the Depression Era Buttercream and the one where you baked no-knead bread with various flours. Also all the very complicated cakes of the World that I will never attempt.
Cheap postage to Yorkshire and my family would most appreciate the apparently very popular biscuit cutters – or the Speculoos caramel cookies as we are as happy to eat biscuits as make them. Or anything that no-one else has expressed interest in.
Thanks again, Mary-Anne!
Oh wow, this is so kind! I would love anything, except the mocha!
I would be beyond delighted with any of the cookies – all the flavours sound delicious (throws january diet plans away and crosses fingers)
I can’t see a cut off for the giveaway….hope I’m not too late as I read it in the car yesterday which made me feel too green around the gills to respond
What a wonderful way to start the new year! I think that I would most enjoy the Mocha Caramel Cookies! I have only recently discovered how delicious the combination of coffee and chocolate can be, and I can only imagine that including caramel would be out of this world!
Happy New Year Mary-Anne! I love the blog and am a big fan!x I am looking forward to more blog posts in 2019!xx
Entry for the giveaway is now closed.
Thanks to everyone who entered.
I’ll be making the draw tomorrow.
Good luck all
MAB 😀