Menu for Hope 6: Europe & United Kingdom
Welcome to this year’s European and UK edition of Menu for Hope 6, where you can make an online bid in an effort to raise money for the United Nations World Programme’s Purchase for Progress program, which assists low-income farmers to raise crops and support their local economies.
This is our sixth year raising money and in the past, we’ve topped $92,000. With your help, in 2009, let’s take it over that mark!
UPDATE: The auction is now closed and we raised nearly $78,000! Please check back on January 18th, 2010, for the announcement of the winners.
There are some truly amazing prizes, gathered from across Europe and the UK, including French and Italian chocolates shipped right to your door, cookbooks, a shiny-new standing mixer, and for those of you visiting Europe this year, or living here, you’ll find wine tastings and culinary tours…and tons more!
For a donation of just $10 per entry, you’ll have a chance to win fabulous bid items from all over the world. You can make as many donations as you wish; the more you enter, the more chances you’ll have of winning.
I’m being assisted this year by Sara, of Ms. Adventures in Italy, and she will be popping in here and on her site with more information and perhaps a few surprises.
The Rules
1. Please read the bid item descriptions carefully. If you have any questions about the items (date of validity, shipping & customs, descriptions), contact the donor at their site directly. Do not contact me about specific items as I am unable to answer questions about them.
2. Because of customs and other regulations, certain bid items may not be shippable to all destinations. Please confirm before bidding on items which might require special handling.
3. If a tour or vacation is offered, there may be a period of validity, and dates when they are and aren’t available. Please contact the donor or visit their site to find out that information.
Note that European dates may be expressed differently than elsewhere, and 12/01/2010 is January 12, 2010 in Europe, whereas in the states, it’s December 1, 2010 so when in doubt, ask the donor at their site.
4. Bid on the items you want at the Menu for Hope 6 donation page.
5. When the results are announced on January 18, 2010 at Chez Pim, it is the responsibility of the donor and winner to contact each other to work out details of delivery.
6. Please see the end of this post for instructions on how to bid on items.
Good luck to all!
Made in Italy Gourmet Chocolate Basket
Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy is offering a bountiful basket of Italian chocolates! 2 kilos (that’s more than 20 bars, folks…) of chocolate from Italy’s gourmet chocolatiers like Amadei, Slitti, T’a and more! You’ll find pistachios, hot pepper, hazelnuts mixed in with luscious dark chocolate and milk chocolate as well as some chocolate you can use to make your own creations! This handpicked selection of 2 kilos of chocolate bars and chocolate candy can be shipped worldwide.
Bid item code: EU01
From Olivier Magny of Ô-Chateau in Paris comes two items to bid on…
“Tour de France” of Wine
During this Tour de France tasting, a multilingual sommelier will take you and a guest through the tastings of 6 French wines, coming from 6 different regions of France. This fascinating two-hour group presentation will help you learn more about how to read a French label, what terroirs and appellations truly are, and how to navigate a wine list.
Bid item code (Tour de France): EU02
Wine and Cheese Lunch
During this Wine & Cheese Lunch, an Ô-Chateau sommelier will take you and a guest through the tastings of 5 French wines and a selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie. During this group presentation, you will learn more about the wines and cheeses of France, along with tips about food, cheese, and wine pairings. General information about French wine will also be given and all questions answered
Bid item code (Wine & Cheese Lunch): EU03
The BloggerAid Cook Book
For Jeanne of Cook Sister!, here’s a chance to get cookin’ with The BloggerAid Cook Book. a collection of 130 tried and tested family recipes contributed by food bloggers from around the world. Tantalise your tastebuds with recipes like breakfast enchiladas; pomegranate tabbouleh salad; tomato & cheese ravioli with aubergine sauce; Serrano ham paella with oyster mushrooms; shrimp biryani curry; beetroot couscous with fried halloumi; sage and sun-dried tomato-stuffed chicken breasts; triple-layer orange-passion fruit tart; cardamom ice-cream; and double Michigan cherry upside down cake .
All recipes have measurements in both Imperial and metric units and there’s gorgeous full-colour photographs. And 100% of the royalties go to the UN World Food Programme! Will ship to the US, Canada, UK and continental Europe.
Bid item code: EU04
Plant-based Cooking Class in Paris
From La Cucina de TerrESa, here’s a chance to take a plant-based cooking class in Paris for two people. During this 2 1/2 hour class, which focuses on vegetable-based cooking, you can choose from a three-course lunch or dinner in Terresa’s French kitchen. After the class, you’ll sit around the table and enjoy your meal with natural wines, perfectly-paired with your meal. Class must be taken before December 15, 2010, and is not available Feb 23-March 18, 2010.
Bid item code: EU05
A “Sweet” Collection from a French Candy Store
With these sweets from Abra of French Letters, you’ll feel like a kid in a candy store – a French candy store, that is! It’s a
sumptuous collection of candy containing a wooden box of the iconic glazed chestnuts Marrons Glacés with Cognac, soft almond Nougat de Montélimar, a Lindt Connaisseur’s Collection of classic chocolate bonbons, the famous candied orange peels coated in dark chocolate known as Orangettes, mint flavored dark chocolate Sarments du Médoc in the shape of beautiful little twigs, and a set of liqueur-filled bonbons with Cognac, Framboise, Marc de Champagne, Poire Williams, Chartreuse, Grand Marnier, and Kirsch. Shipped to you anywhere in the world.
Bid item code: EU06
From Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini comes four items to bid on…
Signed copies of Chocolate & Zucchini and Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris
Item 1 is Bundle of Clotilde’s Two Books: Chocolate & Zucchini, her collection of stories and recipes, and Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris, her book on Paris restaurants and food shops. You can decide which edition of the cookbook you’d like (American, British, or French) and she will sign both books in the name(s) of your choosing. This item ships worldwide.
Bid item (books): code EU07
Dough Whisk and Sample of Clotilde’s Natural Starter
Item 2 is a dough whisk and a sample of Clotilde’s natural starter. Make your own Parisian sourdough bread thanks to Philémon, the natural starter that Clotilde keeps in her Paris kitchen, and a top-quality Danish dough whisk, the ideal tool to mix bread dough (as well as pâte à choux and other thick batters). The starter will be sent to you in dried form, with instructions, ready to be rehydrated and used for your own bread baking adventures. This item ships worldwide.
Bid item (dough & whisk) code: EU08
Taza Chocolate Tasting Set
Item 3 is a Taza Chocolate tasting set: from the Massachusetts-based, bean-to-bar chocolate company comes this fantastic assortment of chocolate goods, all made from sustainably grown, organic, stone-ground cacao beans. The boxed tasting set includes 4 chocolate disks to make Mexican-style hot chocolate (in chili, cinnamon, vanilla or salted almond flavor), 3 bars of dark chocolate (60%, 70% and 80% cacao content), a bag of chocolate-covered cacao nibs, and a tub of plain roasted cacao nibs for your salads and baked goods. This item ships worldwide.
Bid item code (chocolate): EU09
Extensive Set of Reusable Bags from Flip & Tumble
item 4 is an extensive set of reusable bags from Flip & Tumble: the California design studio has widened their range of handy reusable shopping bags with all-new colors, fabulous prints, and lovely produce bags. This item includes 10 solid color bags (1 in each color), 5 print bags (1 in each design) and 4 sets of produce bags, each set consisting in 5 mesh bags with color-coded tags. Keep some for your own needs and give the others away as green gifts to your friends and family, to encourage them to swear off plastic bags, too. These items ships worldwide.
Bid item code (bags): EU10
Real Turkish Delights (lokum) from Cemilzade in Istanbul
From Cenk of Cafe Fernando, direct from Istanbul is a box of real Turkish Delights (lokum) from Cemilzade, one of his favorite confectionery shops in Istanbul, which has been operating since 1883. Encased in a pretty wooden box are three extraordinary flavors, for a total of one pound: Hazelnut, mastic and double-roasted pistachios. Will ship worldwide.
Bid item code: EU11
Taste of Italy for Hope
At Ma Che Ti Sei Mangiato, Rori is offering a “Taste of Italy for Hope” a selection of typical Italian products that everyone should taste at least once in their life. In this collection, you’ll find coffee & choco-coffee beans, Torrone, Amaretti, Modica Chocolate, sun-dried tomatoes, orange tasting tagliatelle, spice-mix for Bucatini all’Amatriciana, and preserves for cheese. These products cover almost all Italy, starting from Piedmont and ending in Sicily. This item can only be shipped to EU countries because of customs limitations.
Bid item code: EU12
A Year of Home Baked Goods
Rosy from Rosy Lips & Lavender is offering a box of home baked goods delivered to you every month for a year! Yes, that’s 12 batches of delicious home made cakes and treats, chosen by you, delivered to you every month for one whole year! She’ll even pop in the recipes so you can recreate them. It can either be 12 regular deliveries or it could be grouped into fewer, larger deliveries if you prefer. She will personally deliver the items if you live in London and will entrust them to the Post Office for the UK and the rest of Europe. Choice of items will vary depending on location, due to perishability and postability!
Bid item code: EU13
Dinner for Two at Hidden Kitchen in Paris
Here’s a chance to have dinner for two at Paris’ Hidden Kitchen, a private supper club run by two American expats out of their Parisian apartment. Dinners are served on weekend nights at a communal table filled with 16 visitors to Paris and local Parisians. Meals at Hidden Kitchen start with an aperitif and are followed by a seasonal 10 course tasting menu and paired wines. More information can be found at the Hidden Kitchen website. Dinner must be taken by December 14, 2010 during dates available.
Bid item code: EU14
Signed Copy of Hungry for Paris
Alexander Lobrano is offering a signed copy of his book, Hungry for Paris. Publisher’s Weekly calls it “A Paris vacation in book form, this volume travels from the glittering restaurants of the Boulevard St.-Germain to the grittier haunts of Belleville and Clichy, offering insights into classic bistros, new favorites and even a smattering of ethnic cheapies (the sorts of dining establishments that Parisians themselves have only just started getting used to).”
Alec was the European correspondent for Gourmet magazine, and his guide is packed with stories to delight the armchair traveler, as well as those en route to Paris looking for the best addresses in town for dining. The book can be shipped anywhere in the world.
Bid item code: EU15
France, Italy, Turkey or US Walking Tour
Context Travel if offering two spaces in any of their group city walks where they give tours: Paris, London, Istanbul, Rome, Naples, Florence, Venice, London, New York, or Philadelphia. You can choose from any of their group walks with a specialist, which include cuisine tours in Paris, market walks in Italy, Sephardic cooking in Istanbul, and ethnic foods in New York. Voucher can also be transferable as a US$150 credit towards any private walk.
Bid item code: EU16
Walking Tour of Paris Aligré Market
You’ll being your day at the lively Marché d’Aligre in Paris with a croissant and expresso before discovering the fantastic colorful market. Anne of A Foodie Froggy, a local, will introduce you to the friendly stall keepers and bring you to wonderful gourmet shops around the market: a pâtisserie, a North African bakery, a wine cave, and shops specializing in chocolates, cheese, and Alsatian specialties where you will sample the tastiest items. Then you will head to rue Paul Bert, to check out its famous restaurants and gourmet bookstore. Tour is good for up to four people and is in English or French, available Tuesday through Friday, anytime except french school holidays. (Last two weeks of December, plus July and August). Tour lasts from 9 am to 12 pm. Expiration date: End of January 2011.
Bid item code: EU17
Gourmet Tour of London
Visiting London? Love food? Krista, the London restaurant blogger behind Londonelicious, will take you and up to three of your friends on your own private and customized gourmet tour of London. The agenda and neighborhoods will be tailored to your interests (and favorite foods), but imagine experiencing a traditional gastropub and some real ale, some of London’s best curry, perhaps a patisserie or two, some oysters, great local sparkling wine, and more. (In a non-indigestion-inducing order, of course!) Duration three to four hours. Weekends only, and bring comfortable shoes! Tour must be taken by December 31, 2010.
Bid item code: EU18
Personalized One-day Paris Itinerary
Rosa Jackson, a restaurant critic, food writer and blogger who runs the long-established company Edible Paris, will design a personalized one-day Paris itinerary for you and your guests, based on your food tastes and wishes. The item will include a written itinerary with accompanying maps and restaurant recommendations for that day from Rosa, editor of TimeOut Paris Eating & Drinking guide. Expires December 31, 2010.
Bid item code: EU19
A Taste of Sussex: Jams, Pickles, Honey
Too Many Chefs is happy to offer a Taste of Sussex in the form of jams, pickles and honey. The winner of this item will receive: a jar of apple butter and a jar of pear butter (recipes courtesy of Elise’s Simply Recipes), a jar of spiced apple sauce, a large jar of spicy pickled onions and a large jar of vegetarian mincemeat, a jar of spicy salsa, marinated roasted red peppers (again courtesy of Elise), a small jar of unpasteurized, unfiltered and utterly delicious honey from a local farm and a jar of ginger and rhubarb jam, also from a Sussex farm.
To top it off, they are throwing in a tea towel illustrated with the cultural sites of Plumpton, East Sussex. Aside from the honey and rhubarb jam, the jars were all lovingly prepared by Meg of Too Many Chef’s this can be shipped anywhere.
Bid item code: EU20
Paris Gourmet Tour
Barbara Pasquet James, Paris-based author of USA Today’s Paris city guide (“Where To Eat”…), is donating one of her exclusive half day (3-hour) private Gourmet Food Tours in Paris for your group of up to five people at Paris Talks. A visit to a colorful locals’ market and specialty shops will be combined with an in-depth look at French pastries, breads, chocolates, cheeses, salts, oils, coffees, teas plus a talk on how the French eat —and more. This donation is good for up to two (2) years, up to December 25, 2011, and is valid for 1 to 5 persons.
Bid item code: EU21
Italian Cooking Apron, Shopping Bag & Recipe Notepad
From Sandra of Un Tocco di Zenzero, here’s a chance to win a kitchen apron, which you can wear to roll out your pasta frolla or layer up a Tiramisù. And so you don’t forget ingredients when shopping, using your eco