Good morning! The National Hockey League was formed on this day in Montreal, QC, 1917. Speaking of Montreal, Habs fans will be feeling the sting of a blown 4 goal lead (at home) to the N.Y. Rangers this past Saturday. But that's just the way it goes sometimes. You win some, you lose some. But Thursday's Customer Appreciation Day was a definite win-win for everyone! It was amazing to see so many familiar faces throughout the aisles! Thanks again for supporting local!
Can you believe that Christmas is less than a month away? That means our seasonal items are on full display and many of them are sweet! So let's get busy and start learning about what's new and exciting this week at Pepper's!
Fondue is back in style (it's Fun-due!) and the great thing about it is that you can have it savoury or sweet. If the latter is what you seek, and you want to "the best chocolate in the world" then Montreal's Galerie Au Chocolat Fondue Chocolate is exactly what you're looking for! This is fine Belgian Milk and Dark Chocolate available in a ready to heat plastic container and it's going to make your next dinner, party or dinner party spectacular!
Marzipan is an essential ingredient in making holiday treats and we have it back from The Dutch Bakery in either half pound or one pound bricks. Look for it in the cold deli case at the front of the store.
Another popular baking item that has been unavailable at Pepper's for awhile is Lyle's Golden Syrup. Also known as light treacle, it's created by refining sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar. Dark treacle is known as molasses. And if you stop and look at the image on the can, you'll notice that it's a rotting carcass of a lion (see the cloud of bees?) with the caption "Out of the strong came forth sweetness." It's not known exactly why this was chosen, but in 2006 the Guiness World Records declared it the oldest branding and packaging. Pretty cool!
Another UK based business that makes other sweet sauces is LillyPuds. Brandy Butter is the perfect blend of butter, sugar and brandy that makes the best accompaniment to traditional Christmas pudding! And Sticky Toffee Sauce is butter, sugar and cream flavoured with natural vanilla. Both are nut, gluten and additive free! And both are going to sweeten your holidays immensely!
Our Deli Dept. has some new sweets just waiting for you to try! French Macarons are colourful, yummy and perfect for your holiday entertaining or gift-giving. We have them in Candy Cane, Cranberry Icewine, Pink Grapefruit and Hazelnut Milk Chocolate flavours! Or we have Chuckanut Bay Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Bites in Espresso, Pumpkin and Peppermint! Made with real creamcheese, real butter and real ingredients these little beauties are hand decorated and real good!
Let's shift gears from sweet to savoury and talk about a brand spanking new snack from GoGo Quinoa! We've got GoGo Quinoa Puffs Sriracha and GoGo Quinoa Puffs Pink Salt & Vinegar! But these aren't your average run-of-the-mill snacks! On the contrary, these are snacks high in protein and fibre and are the first plant-based puffs in Canada! Now you can have a great tasting snack without the guilt! We have a feeling these are going to be a hit with, well, anyone who tries them!
As long as we're on the topic of protein, we'd love to tell you about a great new protein bar from Rock Coast. You're already familiar with the exquisite Rock Coast Toffee Bark that is a popular go-to treat for our shoppers. But now you can buy Rock Coast Whey Protein Bars in Chocolate, Mint Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate and Caramel Chocolate. Very high in protein (19g per bar) but with no sugar alcohols, no Isomalto-Oligosaccharides (a common sweetener in protein bars) and no gelatin or hydrolyzed collagen you get a high-quality, natural and delicious protein bar made right here in Victoria, BC!
We've talked about the wildly popular drink kombucha in past newsletters but it appears that the demand for this beverage just keeps growing. With that in mind, we've added new Tofino Kombucha in Apricot & Rose, Jasmine & Hibiscus and Ginger & Lemon! If sipping on a premium organic fermented, flavourful and fragrant (and possibly new favourite) beverage is your thing then look for these in the cold drink cooler at the front of the store. And when you get home, crack a kombucha and go to www.tofinokombucha.com for more on this awesome, new company!
But fermentation isn't just for the drinkers! No, this process is alive and well in new Alive & Rise Breads, available at Pepper's in Organic Ancient Grain and Organic Italian Style Sesame! Taken from their website: Our bread is a revival of the fermentation process — rich nutritious qualities that preserve the germ and support digestive health, inspire lower sugar levels and create a delicious taste. Fermentation is a natural, metabolic process that converts sugar to acids and gases. In short, this means our bread is more alive, closer to freshness of the earth and simply better for you. They use a 24 hour, slow craft natural fermentation to make their tasty breads. So when you finally taste it, slow down and savour not just the flavour, but the tiny moment of joy that you're experiencing!
Thanks for taking a few moments to read this newsletter. Hopefully it brought a tiny bit of joy to you. It sure brings us A LOT of koy bringing it to you! So take good care until next week!
Pepper's Foods