It’s official… Autumn is here! It’s another season that we love at NJJ – OK, so perhaps not quite as much as the Summer when we can enjoy those long lazy days and cooling cocktails or Winter when it’s crisp and cold and Christmas! But Autumn definitely has its plus points.

When Autumn arrives, you can start to dream of digging out your snuggly jumpers and boots, as well as scarves, gloves and hats. But just as it’s time to change your wardrobe with the change of seasons, it’s also time to change your menu! Lots of hearty soups and stews, warm crusty bread and our favourite, Baked Camembert – the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of the colder weather (make sure you check out our Camembert Baker top tips). Top it all off with an equally-warming tipple… set off beautifully in a clear glass like our stylish Anton Studio Design Manhattan tumblers or for a more formal look, try our Dornberger Dorchester 24% cut crystal DOF tumblers. Just add ice!

What we especially love about those Autumnal evenings though is the perfect excuse to start planning for the high point in the entertaining calendar, Christmas! If you’re having friends round over the festive period, family to stay, or you’re off visiting, it’s never too early to start planning the drinks menu – and trying out a few signature cocktails!

There is so much information and inspiration on offer now. So let NJJ take you on a journey, with a few refined glassware choices from our line-up to accompany you!

Wines

Spend some time during your next few shopping trips checking out what your local supermarket has on offer. If you’re lucky enough to have an independent wine merchant near you, pop in and have a chat. Or look for recommendations online from wine writers and TV shows. There has never been a better time to explore the world of wine!

NJJ recommends: “Elegant and contemporary” Anton Studio Designs Empire Set of 2 White Wine; “a beautiful swirl of colours in every piece” Anton Studio Designs Speckle Set of 4 Wine Glasses, set of 4; “right balance between subtlety and elegance” Artland Bloom set of 2 wine glasses

Gin

Where do you start with gin?! It has taken on a whole new lease of life and doesn’t show any sign of waning. From rhubarb and pink grapefruit to blood orange and spiced gin… or good old-fashioned London Dry! Gin has even given inspiration to the creative industries with ‘let the fun be-gin’ found on anything from t-shirts to posters. We love it! Ever since we launched our oversized gin glasses, this has been the NJJ mantra: “You need a big gin glass for the perfect G&T… it’s pretty much a legal requirement. Big gin glass, a good hand full of ice, a wedge of lime (not “slice”, “wedge”), a generous pouring of gin, followed by a couple of light additional splashes (just to make sure), and then filled to the brim with tonic. Repeat as necessary / prescribed!!”

NJJ recommends: Any of our large selection of gin glasses, from one of our original designs, Artland Peacock Gin Glasses to our latest delicate Anton Studio Designs Skye Gin Glasses

Mocktails and Cocktails

Make sure you cater for the drivers or non-drinkers with a series of mocktails like these from BBC Good Food – we love the look of the Faux Fizz or Negroni Mocktail! There is always something new on offer for boozy cocktails too so keep an eye out. According to The Sunday Times Style THE cocktail on the rise in Autumn 2022 is the ‘Mexican Jumping Bean’ cocktail! Tequila, espresso coffee and agave syrup – hasta la vista!

NJJ recommends: “an effortless celestial beauty” Artland Set of 2 Galaxy Champagne Saucers; “a superb and stylish statement” Anton Studio Designs Set of 2 Manhattan Cocktail Glasses

Spirits, shots, long drinks and the rest!

There is a drink for everyone – and a glass to go with it. At NJJ, we are super proud that we can pretty much cater for any drink as well as offer the glassware extras – from jugs & carafes, decanters, ice buckets and wine coolers. Come on in!

Cin cin!

Love,

Team NJJ

Let’s face it, we are a bit Goldilocks when it comes to the weather! No one likes it too cold, and no one likes it too hot! We all like it just right.

Well, here at NJJ HQ, we have the fans and flip-flops on, the local ice cream van on speed dial and our MD poised to do his version of Club Tropicana (he remembers the 80s). Definitely not cool!

So we thought we’d share our products and top tips to stay cool in the heat outside (or inside!)

As a treat, why not have that ice cream now while you read on… we’ve got the white wine on stand-by in an Artland Sommelier White Wine Cooling Carafe!

It’s all about the ice!

Take any of our generous sized gin glasses like Manhattan, Peacock, Speckle, Neon or Fizz, fill them full of ice cubes and listen to the satisfying crackle as you pour over juice or cordial. Then add in water (still or fizz) for another good old crackle and the piece de resistance, a vigorous rattle of ice cube on glass and you’re ready! When it’s gin o’clock, you can swap the juice for your favourite g&t. Drink. Rattle. Repeat.

We have some fantastic products to help you keep cool like our Artland Sommelier White Wine Cooling Carafe work brilliantly (the ice cubes are in a special compartment so you can chill your wine without diluting it), we have loads of gorgeous designs which look amazing when the light catches them!

Our fave is still Peacock as that’s one of the first ones we brought in, with the mirror interior and beautiful blues and green feather design. But we’re pretty proud of all our Artland lovelies. Bloom is one of the latest.

Lots of our glassware is robust enough to take out on the patio or balcony too – no need for plastic equivalents, especially designs like Marine, Highgate and Loire.

How to cool down a room

Fans. We’re big fans (see what we did there?) but if you haven’t dusted off the one you bought last time we had an unexpected heatwave, the chances are you won’t get one for love or money! Good luck, everyone loves a trier!

Air conditioning units. These can be pricy and with energy costs meandering their way to second mortgage territory, probably not on everyone’s tips to keep cool list. Apart from ours. Just cos.

Ice ice baby! Oh yes, a 90s smash this time! But also rather useful to keep you cool (we bet you didn’t know that!) Here’s a nifty trick – fill a bowl with ice cubes and place it in front of an oscillating fan for a stream of chilled air. Replenish the ice cubes as they melt. Or just use the ice cubes for a few cocktails and mocktails. Ooh, Manhattan anyone?

How to cool down quickly in bed

Sheet meets fan. You what? It’s like blowing up a big paper bag and climbing in it. We’ll let the lovely wikiHow explain https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Fan-Fort.

How to cool down – in general?

Loose-fitting clothes (dig out your linen!), lighter colours and those flip-flops or slides. Add some super cool glassware into the mix (maybe sunkissed Tropical Leaves or tutti-frutti Swirl?) and you’re all set.

Thanks for your company! We hope you’ve enjoyed our tips to keep cool. We’re off to build a fan fort till the boss says it’s wine o’clock!

Laters!

Love
Team NJJ

Baking Camembert has really become quite popular in pubs and restaurants, and there are lots of different ways you can do this at home, but it does largely depend on your individual tastes.

Most people interested in baking Camembert have tasted something delightful from an eatery, and then look for a recipe they like (possibly to replicate what they experienced), and once they have achieved success, they repeat their tried and tested method over and over again, and also showcase their culinary skills to their friends and family.

If you are interested in finding out more about our Camembert Baker, please scroll down to the bottom of this article where we have included the product.

Don’t forget to finish reading this article first which could help you when you next plan on baking a Camembert.

Camembert: Do’s and don’ts

One of the more common mistakes made when baking Camembert from a recipe you may have seen online, is to get the wrong kind of Camembert. Basically you need to purchase unpasteurised cheese or it will curdle. We have noticed that quite a few people make this mistake, and despite their best efforts to follow the recipe to a tee, their end product is a curdled mess, which not only looks completely unappetising, it doesn’t taste particularly nice either! So make sure you buy unpasteurised cheese when you go shopping.

Another common mistake made by people who try baking Camembert without the assistance of a recipe, is that they bake it for too long!

You should preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4, and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. Some people have the mind-set that the longer you bake Camembert for, the softer and gooier it will be. Wrong!

What actually happens is that after the optimum cooking time of 15-20 mins, the cheese goes from a state of being nice and gooey, to hardening back up again. So for those of you that have experienced this, we feel your pain, because if you take the Camembert out of the oven after 35-40, once you are convinced it will be nice and soft, and it is not, you then automatically think it needs to stay in longer. You can potentially end up wasting nearly an hour, and your Camembert cheese is never going to get back to its soft and mouth-watering state, unfortunately you have dried it out, and it most likely needs to go in the bin!

Unless you follow a recipe of some kind, you may not know that you need to slice the top rind before baking Camembert. Why must you do this? If you leave the rind intact, then the cheese ends up drying out and often expands with no way for any air to escape. Two options for overcoming this is to either completely cut off the top rind, and you will see this suggested in some recipes, or carefully score a cross in the top rind, which will allow you to infuse such things as fresh rosemary or garlic, but it will also make your cheese that much softer after 15-20 minutes of baking.

Whether you slit the top rind or completely take it off is your choice, but some people think that the rind makes the cheese, and want to keep as much of it around the cheese as they can. Others prefer to just go for the gooey centre, and leave the rind behind, it’s really up to you!

When baking Camembert you can use the wooden box it came in, providing you remove the paper wrapper, but not all Camembert cheese comes in a wooden box, and you cannot bake it in a cardboard box. You should not just place Camembert on a baking tray with nothing around it; it will just spread out and become one big mess.

Let us introduce you to the “award winning” Camembert Baker made by BIA! Created from the highest quality porcelain, this ingenious Camembert Baker has been designed to be both the perfect way of storing Camembert, and baking one in the oven with mouth-watering results!

Good luck baking your next Camembert!

Summer is well and truly here!

The temperature is rising, and I know you’re thinking about that tropical summer getaway. But until you’re there hopefully we can help tide you over with a couple of tropic summer cocktail recipes – perfect to enjoy in the sun!
We have been mixing and tasting here at the Not Just Jugs HQ to find the perfect drink for your summer parties.

Don’t forget to dress your drinks for the party; the look of the right glassware will help create the vibe and ambience. Show that you care just as much about the presentation as you do about the creation.
Here are some of our favourite punch recipes using fresh summer ingredients.

Brunch Punch

• 200 ml Lemonade
• 150 ml Orange Juice
• 100 ml Pineapple Juice
• 100 ml Vodka
• 450 ml Prosecco
• Mint Sprigs
• Sliced Strawberries
• Sliced Orange
• Raspberries
• Sugar for rim

Add plenty of ice and pour lemonade, orange juice, pineapple juice, vodka and Prosecco.

Combine the fruit and fresh mint into the jug. Stir well.

Decorate the glass rim with sugar before serving the punch, then finish with a mint leaf garnish.

Pimm’s Summer Punch

• 50 ml Pimm’s No 1
• 650 ml Lemonade
• Sliced Cucumber
• Mint Sprigs
• Sliced Oranges
• Sliced Strawberries
• Lemon slices

Fill a jug with plenty of ice and pour over the Pimm’s and lemonade, give it a good stir.

Add the mint, cucumber and fruit into the mix.

Serve fresh and cold, and garnish with mint.

Summer Squash

• 250 ml Apple Juice
• 250 ml Cranberry Juice
• 500 ml Prosecco
• Mint Sprigs
• Sliced Oranges
• Sliced Lemon
• Raspberries

Fill jug with ice, then pour lemonade, apple juice, cranberry juice and Prosecco.

Add fruit and fresh mint into the jug.

Serve fresh and garnish with mint.

So there it is! You did it. Go frolic in the sun with these in hand and escape into the sun.

You won’t even need to worry about running out of any liquidity-goodness as they’are such easy recipes to make again, and again, and again.

Share tips and photos of your creations using your favourite glassware from NJJ on Facebook or Instagram and hashtag #NJJLoves #Summerpunch #MixandShare.

Scroll down to see products featured in this blog.

Tomato and Basil, French Onion, Broccoli and Stilton, Mushroom, Leek and Potato, we all have our favourite soup. But irrespective what yours is, I think we can all agree the best way to drink it – curled up in the corner of the sofa, covered over with a blanket (or, for those of you who are willing to go the extra mile, duvet), tv on, and slowly slurping on that large mug of soup gently warming your hands.

These things are wonderful! Not only are they beautifully decorated by the UK artist, Clare Mackie (quite likely you might have seen her work elsewhere, defiantly worth checking out!), but as there are 10 different designs covering all the most popular soups, you’d be unlucky not to find one you fall for too!

On top of this, they are the perfect shape to wrap your hands around – they’re wide and not too deep…. oh, and they’re massive! If you wanted to set yourself a challenge between the kitchen and the sofa and filled it up to the very top, it would hold about 650ml. Over half a litre of soup! Think of all the croutons you could pour in there!!!

Each one comes in its own award winning gift box, decorated to look like a soup can – ring pull and all!
Plus, they all come with a recipe leaflet on how to make the corresponding soup.

We’ve added a couple of our favourite ones below to share with you:

Broccoli & Stilton Soup

10 minutes to prepare   –   25 minutes to cook   –   4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 40g Butter
• 3 Medium potatoes (peeled, washed & chopped)
• 1 Large onion (chopped)
• 1 Large head of Broccoli (washed & chopped), use all including stalk
• 1 Vegetable stock cube 1 chicken stock cube (dissolved in 1 pint of water).
• 3/4 pint of milk
• Stilton cheese.
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. Melt butter in large pan, add the chopped potatoes & mix until coated in butter in butter, then add & coat the onions & finally the same with the broccoli (add more butter if necessary).
2. Add the stock & milk then simmer until potatoes, onion & broccoli soften (approximately 15 minutes).
3. Ladle into a blender and whizz till smooth or whizz up in pot with a stick blender (if using non-stick pan do make sure your stick blender has a plastic base or will damage surface).
4. Crumble & mix in Stilton cheese to taste
5. Season with salt & pepper if necessary
6. Then serve in your decorated Broccoli and Stilton Soup Mug!

Country Vegetable Soup

20 minutes to prepare   –   60 minutes to cook   –   4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps of olive oil
• 1 tin (400g) haricot beans
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 leeks, roughly sliced
• Half a small Savoy cabbage, shredded
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsps of dried basil
• Ground Salt & Pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. Add the olive oil into the pan and add in the vegetables, haricot beans, garlic and bay leaf. Cover and gently fry for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Add in the stock and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Remove the bay leaf and strain the soup, reserving the liquid.
4. Blend half of the vegetables and then add all of the vegetables back into the liquid. Mix in the basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Then serve in your decorated Country Vegetable Soup Mug!

Tomato & Basil Soup

10 minutes to prepare   –   20 minutes to cook   –   4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps of olive oil
• 1 garlic bulb (finely sliced)
• ½ banana shallot (finely sliced)
• 2x 400g tins of chopped plum tomatoes
• 80g tomato puree
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsps of fresh basil (about 18 leaves), roughly chopped, but reserve a handful
• Ground Salt & Pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

1. Add the olive oil into a pan, and then sauté the garlic and shallots until softened and transparent.
2. Stir in the tinned tomatoes, the tomato puree, the chopped basil and the sugar. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste and decorate with a sprig of basil.
4. Then serve in your decorated Tomato and Basil Soup Mug!
5. Serving Tip: Swirl in double cream just before serving for a creamier taste, and to further heighten your presentation!