Tag: Croatia

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Saying Goodbye to 2017 and welcoming in 2018, a reflection of joy.

It truly is a truly special time of year, and after all 2017 has brought, we welcome in 2018 with warm open arms.
This time gives us the opportunity to appreciate all we have, and be surrounded by loved ones, eating good food, drinking good wine, sharing in joy filled spirits – it truly is the season to indulge in life.
In 2017 we celebrated our 7th year trading at Borough Market, and we are so pleased with how far we’ve come!
In our Taste Croatia store, we’ve had some wonderful happenings, and thought we’d recap a few for you, as well as let you know about what’s to come for 2018!
Firstly, all our lovely new products!
We introduced some of our gorgeous new wines being stocked in store and online, with a fabulous wine tasting event. After many requests, in 2018 we will be bringing back some of our old favourites from some of the best wine makers in Croatia.
We also brought some new Istrian charcuterie of wild boar salami, wild boar prosciutto and venison prosciutto.
And not just meat treats, we brought in new honeys and jams, a fragrant organic orange and ginger, and organic fig and ginger. As well, there was our lavender and apple honey alongside our seasonal favourite spread of chestnut puree.
 

We’ve had some phenomenal guests visit our revamped store, from HRH the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, HRH Prince Harry, and actor Colin Salmon too.

We won some Great Taste awards this year with the fig and lavender jam, and roasted cold pressed pumpkin seed oil, and we hope to have more awards to shout about in 2018!
We’ve got some very exciting plans for our arrival of our Street Food Brand, Chevapi in 2018, hitting the streets of Soho at the beginning of 2018, we can’t wait. Chevapi is a brand new Croatian Street Food to the UK, with all the ingredients sourced from Borough Market, and our Taste Croatia store – this truffle oil is used, but we’re not saying how just yet….!
Although let’s not forget, this year has been one to reflect, after the attack in June, which shocked and brought sadness into this amazing place, we’re proud to say Borough Market is thriving full of life, and stronger than ever. You only have to look around at all the international customers enjoying this place to know, London is strong, resilient, diverse and most of all, alive.
In lovely news, Istria, where our beautiful olive oils are from, proudly won best region in the world for a second year in a row in the international olive oil bible Flos Olei.

We got the pleasure of catering at some wonderful events too, including the Dubrovnik Tourist board Christmas party at the Croatian Embassy, and The Mall Galleries art launch, and we’re excited to cater more in 2018 with our brand new canapes, and Chevapi too!
2017 also saw us open a brand new stall at Partridges food market, Duke of York Square on the Kings Road, and we will be back there once the new refurbished full Market is reopened in February.
 What a year! We want to wish all our customers, suppliers , business partners and staff a happy and prosperous New Year, excited to see you all in 2018!
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Perfect Time For A Picnic!

In Croatian culture, spending time with friends and family eating good food is so crucial to daily lives and we love this time of year, filled with sunshine, eating outdoors, either on the beach, in the garden, or wherever we can basque in the rays!

Having a picnic or bbq in Croatia, the main showstopper on the table is the meat and fish! Nothing too fancy, just good quality, tasty sized portions of fresh, succulent and most of all grilled to perfection.

If you want to create a Croatian inspired picnic yourself, we’ve created some tips and recipe inspiration for something truly tasty and a bit unique:

1. Add a splash of zing to your fish with lemon olive oil before placing on the BBQ to ensure the skin is extra crispy and has a fresh flavour!

2. Love pizza? how about some delicious truffle salami as a topping on any home made pizza! Yet want to add even more taste? Truffle cheese! Once you’ve tried it you’ll wonder what you ever did without it.

3. Vegetarians, try our truffle honey, dripped over cheese and crusty bread, that sweet salty delight. Or why not grab some truffle pate,spread on tartines, or dipping in crudites, it’s a fragrant delicious taste

4. Charcuterie, grab some sliced meat – Kulin Galovic, an easy crowd pleaser to nibble on, by itself or in some fresh bread of your choice, it’s divine with truffle tapenade too! 

5. Drizzle some fig vinegar on your salad to get that healthy hit of calcium, as well as tasty sweet and sour sauce

6. Sweet Tooth? Our chocolate spread over fresh fruit salad, a true crowd pleaser! Choose from one of our three tasty flavours

7. Wine? We have lots of options, we’d recommend Skrlet as it’s tastiest in the sunshine!

8. Or why not grab some truffle tapenade – black & white truffle with cream cheese, ‘The posh Philadelphia!’  spread on tartines, or dipping in crudites with some delicious smoked salmon on the side!

9. Our outstanding cold pressed olive oil from Istria voted best region in the world for olive oil ( ‘Flos Oli 2016, 2017). Drizzle over some burata and tomatoes for the perfect summer salad.
10. Most importantly, have fun! The best part of picnics is the joy!
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Croatian Christmas Time!

Christmas is slowly creeping upon us, and we’ve got some gift hampers to spoil you at this precious time of year, available for purchase both in store and online!

Do you have that one person who you never know what to buy for, a family where they really deserve to know they matter, or you just fancy indulging yourself with a truly spectacular bundle of deliciousness? Our Truffle hamper has everything you could ever need to make a feast for a truffle fan, and our Luxury Christmas hamper is full of Croatian cuisine, to leave you feeling particularly festive. The perfect gifts to make Christmas that little easier, and avoid the ‘ARGH CHRISTMAS SHOPPING’ frenzy that sometimes strikes!

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RRP£50-150

So, what does a Croatian Luxury Christmas hamper have in it? Be prepared to be blown away! There’s truffle cheese, truffle honey, truffle oil, black AND white truffle pate, fig jam, fig cake, Dinaski cheese, salami, chocolate spread, olive oil, chestnut cream spread, candied chocolate coated orange peel and then even more…!

AND THAT’S A LOT! So, if you’re more of a truffle fan then we have our truffle hamper with truffle cheese, truffle salami, white truffle oil, black AND white truffle pate, white truffle honey, truffle salt and sliced black truffle. YUM!

Our hampers come wrapped up beautifully with a bright red bow to finish them off too!

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Now, what’s so special about Croatian Christmas is that there’s a lovely tradition called Badnjak, it refers to a log brought into the house and placed on the fire on the evening of Christmas Eve, and this log keeps burning throughout the day and night announcing the arrival of Christmas and Jesus. Although, some homes have turned to a symbolic log some families still keep this wonderful tradition to its origins.

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We love bringing a little of that spirit to our London store, so why not pop in and check out how we’ve decked the place out!

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Come grab a hamper to get a taste of Christmas in Croatian style; we’re bringing a variety of products to the store and online that are perfect presents, big and small, so watch this space to find out which markets near you are going to be filled with Croatian’s finest Christmas goodies.

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Chocolate by Marinko Biskic : Nadalina

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The Croatian crown of chocolate is worn by our very own chocolate producer Marinko Biskic, the man famed for making the largest chocolate bar in the world, and if you haven’t tried our chocolate spread flavours yet, then you’re in for a DELICIOUS treat!

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Last year, in the imperial square Peristil at Diocletian’s Palace,  the oldest living Roman palace in the world, the team at Nadalina showcased a phenomenal Guinness world record, with the biggest slab of chocolate ever: 101 square meters with a length of 16 meters, a width of 6.5 meters and thickness of one inch.

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So, these guys know a thing or two about chocolate, and not only do they make their stuff to an impressive scale, they also have an eco-friendly approach to chocolate creation using old-fashioned techniques, eco cocoa beans, eco sugar, and special equipment that Marinko invented himself.

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Taking over 50 hours to make in a weather dependant manner, you’d think that’d be enough of a challenge, yet in true Croatian style these guys decided to be even more creative, and have made a record out of chocolate that plays music. Watch the video and prepare to be impressed by these over a quarter century year old artisans.

And, in exciting news, you don’t have to go all the way to Croatia to try some of their stuff; we’re bringing a variety of products to London very soon, so watch this space to find out which markets near you are going to be filled with Croatian’s finest chocolate.

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