Good morning! Before the coronavirus surfaced, we had a fairly slow and steady increase in the number of new subscribers to the newsletter. But the number has since exploded and we have hundreds of new people getting this email now. So for those of you who are new to the Tuesday newsletter: welcome aboard! This is where we take the opportunity to tell you about new products, events, contests and the general goings-on at Pepper's Foods. And we try to do it with a bit of humour and with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Who knows, you might even learn a thing or two along the way. So without furthur adieu, let's get it on!
Hopefully your Easter was spent close to home with a few of your favourite people, gorging on chocolate bunnies and on the ever-shrinking Cadbury Creme Eggs. Seriously, pretty soon they're going to be the size of M&Ms! It was, however, a beautiful weekend here in Victoria and we hope that you had a great holiday wherever you spent it.
Yesterday marked the beginning of a new chapter here at Pepper's as we went to an all delivery/pick-up shopping model. Customers can also come to the store with a detailed list and let us shop it for them right then and there. We're calling it Concierge Shopping. And we're doing this to keep everyone safe. So stay home and relax and let us take care of the shopping.
Now onto the new items. First up is GoGo Quinoa Organic Lasagna Noodles. These oven-ready noodles are made with rice and quinoa, are high in protein, are dairy-free, egg-free, are kosher and are certified gluten-free. On the website they say "all you need is sauce for the perfect dinner recipe." We're pretty sure you need more than just noodles and sauce to make a decent lasagna. Typically there's some ricotta in there, some ground meat, maybe some diced tomatoes. Of course you can substitute all of that with vegan options. Perhaps you'll want to top it off with Emborg Vegan Plant-based Mozzarella or Cheddar, available in Slices or Shredded. These dairy-free cheeses melt just like real cheese and are free of soy, palm-oil and gluten!
Sherry is a fortified wine (fortified with brandy) that is a popular cooking ingredient. However, it doesn't last long at all once it's been opened. That's where cooking sherry comes in. Salt has been added to preserve it and make it last longer. It doesn't require refrigeration. So if you love to cook with sherry then Chateau Thierry Cooking Wine Sherry is now available at Pepper's! Add a sweet and nutty flavour to your meat, seafood and poultry dishes!
A little while ago, we started carrying Salt Spring Gaia Foods Spicy Japanese Chili Oil and it sold like crazy! Now we've added Salt Spring Chimichurri and Salt Spring Apple (grown on Salt Spring Island) Chimichurri! The label description states, "Chimichurri is a traditional condiment and an essential part of Argentinian cuisine. Fresh flavours come togethwer in this versatile sauce that goes well with almost anything. Use as a marinade, or drizzle on your favourite dish and be transported to South America!" Handmade in small batches on Salt Spring Island.
Chips and dip go together like robins and springtime. But what if the dip's in the chip? That's the case with El Sabroso Guacachips! These are corn tortilla chips flavoured with delicious guacamole! That's not to say that you still can't dip 'em in your favourite salsa or guacamole. But they're also just fine straight out of the bag.
If you love the taste of cheese then Cheez-It Crunch Baked Snack Crackers are exactly what you need for these boring days and long nights spent in quarantine watching tv. Available in three flavours: Zesty Cheddar Ranch, Aged White Cheddar and Hot & Spicy, there's real cheese baked right into each yummy cracker! Michelle says, "So crispy and cheesy good!" Layton exclaims, "Five out of five stars!" And Rinaldo claims, "Without question, the finest cheese-flavoured cracker I've had the good fortune of tasting. Simply wonderful!"
Boursin is an herbed French cream cheese of the Gournay variety. And people LOVE it! So if you're one of them then you'll want to check out new Boursin Portions Garlic and Fine Herbs! It comes in a package of six snack-sized portions which is great for solo snacking! Bring out the regular Boursin for your party guests (whenever parties are allowed again) but keep the Boursin Portions just for you!
And finally this week we have a new line of salamis from Mastro which has been making fine Italian deli meats for over 40 years. Choose from Regular Genoa, Hot Genoa, Spicy Calabrese, Sopressata and Salami with Prosciutto. These dry-cured salamis are slow-aged to achieve a traditional old country flavour and will make a great charcuterie platter!
Thank you so much for having a look and for sticking by us during these challenging times. We are committed to bringing you exceptional service even as we wade through this new normal. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make changes that we believe are in everyone's best interests. Until next week, take good care.
Pepper's Foods