There has been a lot of discussion recently regarding the novel coronavirus outbreak, now labelled as COVID-19.  There is also a lot of misinformation circulating about how to protect yourself and remain healthy.  Best practice tells us to follow good hygiene such as thoroughly washing hands, not touching your face, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue,  isolating yourself if unwell and then seeking medical advice. 

According to medical experts there are things, however, that you can do to also strengthen your immunity and boost your body's response to viral infections.
Among the things listed are:
Nutrition - improve your nutrition.  Give your body the things it needs to repair, enhance and recover.  See our nutritional products and research pages for immune boosting ideas.
Exercise - moderate exercise strengthens the body, kick starts the immune system, improves circulation and general well being.
Sleep - get enough of it by reducing distractions such as screens and devices towards the end of the evening.  Practise good sleep hygiene, it is important.
Stress Management - work out your stress triggers and actively reduce them.  Stress lowers our immunity and opens the door to physiological and psychological disorders. 

Another year is nearly gone, and we wish everyone a very happy Christmas holiday time.  It is traditionally the time of year to indulge so here is a list of what people across the world will typically be enjoying.
Australia
- often consists of cold ham and turkey, seafood, salads, trifle and pavlova to suit the summer warmth. This feast is served up on Christmas Day. To snack on, Aussies love nothing more than a delicious mince pie. Other treats include rum balls, gingerbread and Christmas pudding.

Peru
- on Christmas Eve, the extended family join together for roast turkey stuffed with ground beef and peanuts and decorated with fresh slices of pineapple and cherries. The turkey is served with roast potatoes and apple sauce. After dinner Peruvians will get stuck into panettone and a cup of thick hot chocolate.
UK
- Christmas dinner in the UK is usually served around 3pm and consists of roast turkey, roast potatoes, brussel sprouts, pigs in blankets (chipolatas wrapped in bacon), stuffing and cranberry sauce. The meal is finished with plum pudding and brandy butter, in which a lucky penny can be found. When cooking the pudding, it is also customary for every member of the family to stir the mixture clockwise while making a wish.
USA
- since Turkey is the mainstay for Thanksgiving dinner, many American’s choose to serve ham or roast beef instead at Christmas time. Sides generally include corn, pumpkin and green beans. For dessert, a pumpkin pie is usually served along with sugar cookies and mince pies. In regions with strong cultural heritage there are some variations.
Greenland
- there are plenty of local delicacies to be had at Christmas in Greenland including ‘mattak’, whale skin with a strip of blubber inside, and ‘kiviak’, raw flesh of auks (an arctic bird) which have been decomposing while buried in seal skin for several months. More palatable options include ‘suaasat’ (soup), barbecued caribou, fish, and Danish pastries. It is tradition for men to serve food to women on Christmas night, even stirring their meals for them.
Italy
In Southern Italy and Italian-American regions, Christmas Eve is associated with the “Feast of the Seven Fishes”. A typical seafood feast will include anchovies, whiting, lobster, sardines, dried salt cod, squid and mussels. This is served with pasta, vegetables, fried kale patties and homemade wine.
Source: giftfoodcard.com.au

Ice cream's origins are known to reach back as far as the second century B.C., although no specific date of origin nor inventor has been actually credited with its discovery. We know that Alexander the Great enjoyed snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar.
Biblical references also show that King Solomon was fond of iced drinks during harvesting. During the Roman Empire, Nero Claudius Caesar (A.D. 54-86) frequently sent runners into the mountains for snow, which was then flavored with fruits and juices.

Over a thousand years later, Marco Polo returned to Italy from the Far East with a recipe that closely resembled what is now called sherbet. Historians estimate that this recipe evolved into ice cream sometime in the 16th century. England seems to have discovered ice cream at the same time, or perhaps even earlier than the Italians. "Cream Ice," as it was called, appeared regularly at the table of Charles I during the 17th century. France was introduced to similar frozen desserts in 1553 by the Italian Catherine de Medici when she became the wife of Henry II of France. It wasn't until 1660 that ice cream was made available to the general public. The Sicilian Procopio introduced a recipe blending milk, cream, butter and eggs at Café Procope, the first café in Paris.
source: International Dairy Foods Assn

Normally reserved for Asian tastebuds, matcha products are making their way into Western consciousness and cuisine more and more.  Matcha powder comes from the tea plant Camellia Sinensis.  Its leaves can be dried to use as tea - in tea bags or just loose - but when ground into a fine powder it becomes matcha.  And that's all there is to it - 100% tea powder.   The health benefits of matcha are widely believed to include  aiding with heart disease, weight loss and some would even claim fight cancer.  We believe it is best to do your own research on this although there are some quality studies out there showing some of these claims may have merit. 

It certainly makes a fine addition to soft serve, in the form of a flavouring, a thickshake with float topping, or as a latte float.  Our Goldenfarm product carries this flavour exceptionally well and has been extremely successful throughout Asia.  It's the ultimate East meets West experience, and in our opinion well worth trying.

No matter where you are in the world, nothing beats a warm sunny day with a refreshing soft serve ice cream, or a frozen yoghurt.  In Brisbane, Australia we don't get many really cold days over winter, and our cold season only lasts a few months. But parts of Australia can get quite chilly, with snow and low temperatures right through until September.  It really is a land of extremes.  If you're down under and reading this stay warm until spring!

New Zealand is known for its sheep, but have you ever wondered how many cows there are as well?  As we source our dairy from both New Zealand and Australia it certainly is of interest to us.  We want to know that we are getting the best product from fully audited farms and compliant facilities.  New Zealand is beautiful place, clean and green for both cows and people - we highly recommend a visit to see for yourself.

With cooler weather beginning to take hold down under, there is nothing nicer than being able to get yourself a great winter warmer.  For comfort food you can't go past a cheesey fondue.  Our cheese sauce mix makes a wonderful fondue base.  Add a dash of white wine, a little paprika or some herbs, and you have the perfect night in or out.  Great for entertaining friends or something more cosy. 

When it comes to great tastes we think Asia is a great place for inspiration.  We are head over heels in love with our new Milk Tea soft serve ice cream flavour. Just the thing to keep the heat away, and treat yourself at the same time.

There's nothing like a long, ice-cold drink on a steaming hot day.  Here in Brisbane, Australia we know all about long, hot summers, and this one has been a scorcher so far. 

Did you know that our soft serve ice-cream and frozen yoghurt powder can be used to create thick shakes and flurries?  And that's fine if you have an ice cream machine.  But if you don't it can still be used as a base to make iced coffees and chocolates, slushies and all manner of great summer cool downs.  Ask us how today!

We want to give a big shout out to the wonderful team at Bloom Asia who train and empower girls to break free from the past, and have hope for the future.

We are proud to be supporters of their wonderful work and hope you will look them up some time to encourage them in their work, at bloomasia.org/.