Bumper Bags: Less Money More Candy

Christmas is all done and dusted once again. Now it's time to pay the piper, cough up the dosh, clear the cards and get the budget back on track.

Still, no need for scrimping and saving. The big candy manufacturers are on your side - well sort of. You see, if they can cut the cost of all the fancy packaging that normally comes with their product they can sell their candy for less.

That's where bumper bags come into the picture. The candymen sell their wares in bulk; retailers spend the time to package them in simple cellophane packs for resale to candy lovers.

Why face another four months of miserable weather alone? Come and fill yer boots with cheap treats and laugh all the way to spring. Blighty's Bumper Bags cost significantly less than premium brand packaged candies. Lots to choose from - a whole aisle of the store in fact and more on the way!

Your choice, one price: $2.99.

Recipe: Sweet Dressed Pork Ribs with British Flair

Do you love to tuck into a big plate of succulent, mouth-watering pork ribs? Who doesn't! Well, here is a way to make your ribs absolutely irresistible with a rich, sweet flavoured coating made from original British ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 rack of good quality pork ribs
• 1 can Lyles Black Treacle
• 1 pack Tate & Lyle Demerara sugar

Preparation
Ribs:

• Cut the ribs into portions each containing two bones
• Boil the cut ribs in a large stock pot until the bones protrude from the meat
• Drain and cool

Dressing:

• In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil
• Stir in 3 tablespoons Lyles Black Treacle
• Add a half cup of Tate & Lyle Demerara sugar
• Boil for a couple of minutes then remove from the heat

Final Preparation:

• Coat each portion of ribs in flour then dip into the dressing
• Bake at 375F until the dressing cooks around the ribs
• Brush on a little fresh dressing before serving

The Lyles Black Treacle and the Tate & Lyle Demerara sugar are available at Blighty's but you'll have to chase a pig around the farmyard to get your ribs.

Recipe: Don't Drink that Orange Squash

Don't drink that Robinsons Orange Squash you bought at Blighty's - well at least not all of it anyway.

Here is another great way to use it in a delicious salad dressing.

Dressing Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Robinsons Orange Squash (undiluted)

Dressing Preparation

• Blend the ingredients together until smooth and thoroughly mixed - a high speed blender works best.

Salad Ingredients

• 2 apples
• 3 sticks celery
• 1 small red onion

Salad Preparation

• Thinly dice the ingredients into a salad bowl, add the orange dressing and leave in the fridge for at least an hour before serving

This recipe makes a delicious, light and fruity salad that really perks up your taste buds before your main course. Robinsons Orange Squash is available in regular or no-added sugar versions at Blighty's for just $3.99 a bottle. It is intended to be diluted with water for a refreshing drink - very useful when winter's dry air  leaves you dehydrated. Drink lots of it to keep your skin and airways from drying out and you will be more resistant to winter illnesses.

What a Relief!

When the Going Gets Tough
It takes stamina to celebrate all twelve days of Christmas ... and sometimes a little help too. You know that feeling; the feeling that you ate too much, or maybe those snacks you grabbed at the party had something in them that disagreed with you.

Tossin' and Turnin'
Anyway, its bedtime and you can't relax, your belly is telling you something is wrong and you ain't-a-gonna sleep 'til you fix it.

Pretty Bubbles in the Air
That's when Andrews comes in handy. A couple of teaspoons in a glass of water, stir it up and watch if froth like a tiny volcano, then gulp it down while those furious little bubbles still have lots of energy.

Zzzz
Within a few minutes you'll be feeling better and ready for a good night's sleep. In the morning you can go at it again until Christmas is over. Then there's always New Years, then Burns Night, then ....

Great British Meal Idea - Chilli British Style

Here a fabulous new way to make Chilli (with inspiration from Jamie Oliver). Leave your Canadian recipes in the drawer, keep an open mind and give this one a try.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 2 red peppers
• 400g tin chick peas
• 400g tin red kidney beans
• 2x400g tins chopped tomatoes
• Half a kilo ground beef
• 1 pack Colman's Chilli Con Carne mix

Preparation:

• Peel and chop the fresh veggies and lightly fry in olive oil until softened
• Brown the ground beef then add to the cooked veggies
• Add 1 cup water and the tinned ingredients to the pot
• Sprinkle in the Colman's Chilli Con Carne mix
• Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer for one hour

Serving Suggestion:
Serve with Basmati rice, a baked potato or even just big chunks of crusty bread.

The Colman's Chilli Con Carne mix is available at Blighty's for just $2.99.

Buy One Get One FREE Deals

Plenty of great end-of-Christmas deals to be had at Blighty's. All our leftover Christmas stock is being cleared out on a "Buy One Get One FREE" basis.

Candy tubes? Gotta love 'em. Smarties, Minstrels, Cadbury Dairy Milk miniatures, Chocolate Fingers, Buttons, Rolo, Magic Stars, Pastilles, Love Hearts ... Limited quantities of some selections remain.

Selection Boxes! A few left, plus a few Cadbury and Milkybar selection packs

Plus more in store ... come and take a look!

Downtown Abbey - What's in Store?

• What exciting new things are going to happen in Downton Abbey series 3?
• Doctor Who's new assistant
• Coronation Street's own alien
• Ricky Gervais - an idiot?
• Richard Hammond's Crash Course

... plus lots more in the January issue of the all-new "Totally British" magazine on sale now at Blighty's - only $4.99 for hours of great reading and fab pix!

Limited number of copies available, please shop early.