Easter – The Review Studio

Galt Card Craft

Children, Easter, Family Life, Gifts for children, Learning, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

It’s a good job our mini reviewers enjoy crafts, as the weather at the moment is absolutely dreadful and we’re having to spend more time indoors than we normally do in the school holidays. With a couple of family birthdays coming up, a card making session with the Galt Toys Card Craft set kept our mini reviewers occupied and they have made some lovely cards, some of which currently have pride of place on their grandparents mantlepiece!

The set contains 10 cards and envelopes and a variety of patterned and plain papers and stickers, you can either follow the enclosed guide and use their designs or come up with your own creations. Wavy scissors, a heart punch and a couple of stamps allow you to personalise your cards and our mini reviewers especially loved using the heart punch to make lots of mini hearts to put inside the cards which fell like confetti when the envelope was opened, much to the girl’s delight!

The set is aimed at children aged 8+ and our mini reviewers aged 7 and 10 were able to make the cards with minimal assistance. With 10 different cards to make it kept them busy all afternoon and they both really enjoyed making them.

This set is a great introduction to card making and now we have the scissors, heart punch and stamps I’m sure all my family will be getting homemade cards for all future celebrations!

RRP £14.99 available here

Hey Doodle Toot Toot Honk Colouring Mat

Children, Christmas, Easter, eco friendly, Family Life, Gifts for children, REUSABLE, Stocking Fillers, Sustainable, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

We’re half way through the school holidays and it’s never stopped raining! Luckily our mini reviewers love colouring so have spent a good half hour or so each day quietly colouring in the vehicles on the Toot Toot Honk Hey Doodle MiniMat.

The reuseable silicone mat comes with three coloured pens and unlike paper it doesn’t move about when you’re colouring it. The pens are lovely to use, they glide smoothly on the silicone and don’t bleed into one another when the colours are used next to each other. All the colours are nice and bright and when the mat is coloured in it looks quite impressive. If they do make a mistake it doesn’t matter as they are easily erased by wiping them away with a damp cloth.

There are 5 different Minimats available – Toot Toot Honk, Dinoroar, Aussie Animals, Sugar & Spice and Into the Wild and each one is printed with illustrations that fit the theme along with either letters from the alphabet or numbers that can be traced over.

Once the mat has been coloured in the ink is easily removed with a damp cloth and you’re ready to start again. I did find you do need to apply a little pressure when removing the ink, especially if it has been left for a couple of days, so you may need to help younger children do this.

As well as being great fun, Hey Doodle colouring mats are better for the environment as they remove the need for endless sheets of paper that get thrown away afterwards.

Aimed at children aged 2- 7 these are a great way to keep the children (and adults) entertained during the school holidays. They also make great birthday gifts too!

RRP £14.99 available here

Pabobo Mimi Bunny Musical Stars Projector

Baby, Children, Easter, Gifts for children, Toys

If you are looking for a gift for baby’s first Easter then the Mimi Bunny Musical Stars Projector from Pabobo is the perfect choice. As well as being super cute, Mimi Bunny is a great addition to nap or bedtime as she not only plays a gentle lullaby but lie her on her back and she projects a pretty starry sky onto the ceiling which babies and toddlers love to watch, it certainly had the desired effect with our mini reviewer who nodded off in no time at all!

Mimi Bunny can either be set to a single colour of star or can cycle through the 3 colours (green, blue and orange). The light display is quite impressive and certainly captured our mini reviewer’s attention. As well as the light display there is a lullaby button with two different volumes to choose from. The stars and lullaby don’t have to be played together, you can choose projections or lullaby or both together. The lights and sound turn off automatically after 22 minutes which is really handy when settling a baby or toddler as you don’t want to go back in the room and risk waking them!

Mimi Bunny is lovely and soft and perfect for cuddling, close up the lights are more of a soothing glow than a bright light which allows a child to still fall asleep whilst cuddling the bunny. Don’t worry about it getting grubby you can easily remove the projector part and the plush toy can be put in the washing machine on a gentle cycle at 30°.

As Mimi Bunny is the size of a standard cuddly toy she can easily be taken on holiday or when visiting family or friends this Easter, enabling you to keep your bedtime routine even when away from home.

The projector does require 3 x AA batteries which aren’t included.

RRP £36 available from Matalan

MGA’s Mini Verse Make It Sets

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Easter, Gifts for children, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

If you are looking for a non-chocolate Easter gift for an older child or even an adult that enjoys making dolls house accessories, then these MGA’s Mini Verse sets are a great choice.

The range of pocket-sized miniatures are packaged in plastic balls that are cracked open just like an Easter egg. Once opened you discover a selection of miniature ingredients and accessories along with a step by step guide of how to make them. The sets use a resin which makes the items look more realistic and this needs to be set under UV light – if you have a nail lamp you can use this otherwise just leave it in a sunny spot until the resin has hardened. Once finished you can display the items on a shelf or Iike us, you can put them in a dolls house.

Whilst the contents are mini the attention to detail is amazing, from the working appliances to the detailing on the food and even mini wicks to add to the candles.

Whilst we’ve enjoyed making the food and lifestyle items the Mini Appliances range is our favourite as you actually use the plastic appliances to make the mini drinks. Each machine has working features enabling you to dispense coffee from the coffee machine into the mini cups or dispense mini ice cubes from the Soda and Juice mini machines prior to setting the resin under UV light.

Each package is a surprise, so you won’t know which set you have until you open it but with 60+ Make It Mini Lifestyle sets, 70+ Make It Mini Food Sets and 8 Make It Mini Appliances available it’s unlikely you’re going to end up with duplicates any time soon but if you do you can always swap with friends.

The recommended age is 8+ which is about right as some of the sets can be a little fiddly.

Mini Food RRP £7.99

Mini Lifestyle £9.99

Mini Appliances £12.99

Available from Smyths

Baileys Easter Eggs

Easter, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Women

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Easter Eggs aren’t just for children and when I’m choosing eggs for adults, I like to buy something more luxurious like these Baileys Easter eggs which not only look stunning but are scrumptious too.

The Baileys Salted Caramel Easter Egg is a hollow creamy milk chocolate egg that is flavoured with Baileys and crunchy caramel pieces. The chocolate is nice and thick and the salted caramel pieces go really well with the chocolate. The egg comes with 5 salted caramel truffles which are absolutely delicious, the thick chocolate and the Baileys caramel filling are a winning combination – it’s just a shame there’s only 5!

RRP £8 available from Ocado and selected retailers.

The Baileys Strawberries and Cream Easter Egg is made of white chocolate with strawberry pieces and has a lovely speckled appearance. The chocolate is lovely and creamy and the hints of strawberry prevent it from being too sweet and sickly. There are 5 Strawberries and Cream Truffles which have a milk chocolate shell and a soft strawberries and cream centre with a hint of Baileys.

RRP £8 available from Ocado and selected retailers

The Baileys Easter eggs make a great gift or why not treat yourself – I won’t tell!!

Thorntons Easter Eggs

Children, chocolate, Easter, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Whatever type of chocolate you love – be it dark, milk or white you can always rely on Thorntons to have an egg with your name on it! This year they have a fantastic selection of eggs to choose from which are bound to delight both young and old this Easter.

The white chocolate Bunny Easter Egg and Milk Chocolate Unicorn Easter Eggs will go down a treat with the little (and not so little) this year. The hollow 151g eggs are beautifully decorated with a moulded chocolate image, the white chocolate has a super cute bunny on the front whilst the milk chocolate egg has a fantastic pink and white chocolate unicorn. The chocolate tastes delicious, it’s lovely and thick and creamy and simply melts in your mouth.

RRP £4.25 at selected supermarkets and Thorntons.com.

The Happy Bunny (90g) is a great choice for smaller children and is available in both a white chocolate and milk chocolate version. The cute little bunny with white and green chocolate decorations was a big hit with our mini reviewers who despite loving the sweet faces soon demolished them!

RRP £2.74 at selected supermarkets and Thorntons.com.

Adults may prefer the Thorntons Classic Easter Egg (150g) which comes with 5 chocolates from the Classic collection – Gooey Caramel, Triple Chocolate, Strawberries & Cream, Crunchy Praline and Fudge Brownie. There’s a nice assortment of chocolates so everyone should get their favourite. The chocolate is smooth and creamy and this egg was a real winner with the Review Studio team.

RRP £5.48 at selected supermarkets.

If your budget stretches to double figures, then the premium Continental Easter Egg (257g) is the one to go for. Decorated with swirling loops of white and dark chocolate this large egg comes with 8 Continental chocolates – there are two of the Seville Caramel and Viennese Deluxe chocolates (to share or not is the question???) and one each of the Sicilian Mousse, Alpini Praline and Salted Caramel. The egg not only looks impressive, it tastes lovely too and with a mix of white, milk and dark chocolates they have all tastes covered.

RRP £11.77 at selected supermarkets.

Thorntons Easter Egg are a lovely indulgent treat for chocolate lovers young and old and with an egg to suit all budgets they are the perfect choice this Easter – and whilst you’re buying them as gifts treat yourself too – it is Easter after all!

HJ Hall Pro Trek Socks

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Days Out, Easter, Family Life, Fashion, Father's Day, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, health, Mother's Day, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Summer, Winter, Women

Spring is in the air and with the Easter holidays fast approaching it’s the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and explore the countryside. There are many forms of outdoor exercise that you can do but my favourite is hiking, a great all-round exercise that is suitable for everyone and best of all doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment.

If you are planning on starting walking then my advice is to invest in some decent socks, it really is amazing the difference a good pair of walking socks makes, having cushioning in the right places and wicking materials to draw moisture away from your feet is really important, helping to keep feet nice and comfortable and also prevent blisters – every walkers nightmare! I’ve been trying out a couple of pairs of HJ Hall socks over the last month and I’m really impressed, they’ve kept my feet incredibly warm and comfortable (and blister free) and I’m looking forward to covering many miles in them this year.

The Mountain Climb socks are a heavyweight sock with extra padding on the heel, toe and Achilles tendon areas. Made with an ultra durable, moisture wicking, scientific wool blend, the socks offer warmth and long lasting comfort and are the perfect choice for colder days. The socks are lovely and thick and keep your feet nice and toasty when the temperature drops. They are comfortable to wear, the arch support and ankle bracing keep the socks from moving about on your feet and they are a good length, coming up higher than the back of my walking boots. The socks are also long enough to tuck into trousers if you wish. This sock is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a heavy duty hiking sock, especially if you walk a lot in cold weather as they will keep your feet warm in sub zero temperatures.

The Adventure Trek are a middleweight sock, they are thinner than the Mountain Climb socks and are suitable for both boots or shoes. The breathability is excellent thanks to the mesh zones that run across the top of the sock and along with the cushioning underfoot they are very comfortable to wear in both warm and cold weather. The socks hug my feet nicely and I have worn them on both long and short hikes with no discomfort. Whether I’ve been on the fells, the park or a recent trip to London, when we walked an average of 12 miles a day, they’ve never slipped, sagged, or bunched up and my feet have been comfortable all day long.

I would highly recommend the HJ Hall socks for anyone who enjoys walking and hiking, they are good value for money and your feet will certainly thank you for putting them in socks as warm and comfortable as these are. So whether you’re exploring the local fells, conquering mountains or walking the dog make sure you have a pair of HJ Hall socks on your feet. Happy hiking!

Mountain Climb Socks RRP £16.50 available in sizes 4-7, 6-11 and 11-13

Adventure Trek Socks RRP £15 available in sizes 4-7 and 6-11

The Ned Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Fleur de Lise Rose Wine

alcoholic drinks, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Drinks and Mixers, Easter, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Mother's Day, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Summer, Valentine's Day Gifts, Women

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

If you’re wondering what wines to buy for the Easter weekend then we have a couple of suggestions that are bound to go down a treat, either as gifts or enjoyed with a meal with friends and family.

Rosé fans will love the Fleur de Lise 2022 rosé from the Saint Mont region of France. In a distinctive tall bottle with attractive label the fruity dry rosé has notes of raspberry and redcurrant and is lovely and crisp on the palate. Best served chilled, the wine is great as with grilled meat, fish and salads. It also goes surprisingly well with chocolate – it is Easter after all!!.

ABV 12% RRP £9 available from Ocado

The Ned Marllborough is a Sauvignon Blanc wine from the Marisco Vineyards in the Southern Valleys region of New Zealand. We enjoyed a glass with our roast chicken dinner, but it will go just as well with seafood. The wine is lovely and crisp with hints of lime, herbs and gooseberry and we found it to be nice and refreshing to drink. I’m hoping the weather warms up a bit by Easter as it will be nice to enjoy a glass or two with friends in the garden whilst the children are doing their Easter Egg hunt!

ABV 13% RRP £11.99 available from Waitrose

Thumper Soft Plush Toy

Baby, Birthday Gifts, Children, Easter, Gifts for children, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Easter is just around the corner and our mini reviewers are going to love going on Easter Egg Hunts with their own Easter Bunny – this adorable plush Thumper the rabbit, from the popular Disney film Bambi.

Measuring 25 cm tall, the soft toy looks just like the animated film character, with those huge eyes and floppy ears and is so soft and tactile that you can’t help but stroke and cuddle him. He is the perfect size for little hands to hold and will make a great companion for little ones this Easter.

The toy is suitable from birth and when I examined the stitching it’s faultless so there’s no need to worry about curious little fingers playing with this toy.

Easter is the perfect time to buy a cuddly bunny as bunnies and Easter go hand in hand and is a nice alternative to chocolate eggs.

RRP £14.99 available from John Lewis

Honey Bun Jamaican Easter Bun

Easter, Family Life, Food & Drink, Spring

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Widen your Easter horizons with the Jamaican Easter Bun from Honey Bun. Never heard of it? It’s a traditional bread from Jamaica, made of flour and enriched with spices and fruits such as raisins, papaya fruit, honeydew melon and pineapple. It’s very similar to a hot cross bun but a bit denser, plus it has different fruit is a bit sweeter. There’s a trace of rum too, but you can’t taste alcohol in the mixture. The Honey Bun Jamaican Spiced Bun is authentically Jamaican too, made in Jamaica to a traditional recipe.

Glazed with honey to give an extra sweetness, it can be eaten on its own, with butter or jam or even toasted. As a traditional Jamaican dish that is imported through Wanis, the UK’s largest world food wholesaler, the size of this bread is enormous as the photos show! It weighs in at 28 oz or 795 grams so it will feed the whole family on Easter Sunday morning or can keep you going for a week! I preferred this with some thick butter, but you can eat the slices on their own because of the flavours. Traditionally, it is eaten at Easter with cheese though. If it does start to go a bit stale, make a bread and butter pudding from it. The rich fruits will bring out the flavour of the dish and you can add cinnamon or spices to the batter to help marinate the flavours as it cooks.

The Honey Bun Jamaican Easter Bun makes a nice change from a hot cross bun, even though they’re related, and uses a mixture of Caribbean spices and candied fruit to give Easter a more tropical feel. It’s delicious too, with so many versatile ways of eating it. Will you try it with some cheese this year though?

Available from £4.65 at: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/277551240

Easter Eggs and Treats from NOMO

Children, chocolate, Easter, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gluten Free, Lunchbox Fillers, Vegan, Vegetarian

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

NOMO want to ensure that Easter this year is available to everyone, so with their mantra, “No Missing Out” they are ready for anything! The NOMO range this year incudes chocolate which is dairy-free, gluten-free and egg-free plus plant based so there’s no excuses to buy something for everyone. We were sent a yummy selection to test before the big Easter Weekend… did we find something we all liked?

The NOMO Creamy Choc Egg and Mini Bars is a conventional Easter Egg with four mini bars of NOMO chocolates in flavours Choco Orange Crunch, Caramel, Mint and Caramel Sea Salt. All of them are usual flavours of NOMO chocolate and found in shops, but together they make a package of chocolate and eggs for Easter. The mini bars are just like the creamy chocolate (which is comparable to milk chocolate just without the dairy!) in that they all taste like you expect chocolate to taste, but without the dairy, gluten, nuts or egg and are plant-powered. They’re also all vegan too!

Next we tried the NOMO Choco Fudge Egg & Bunny. This is probably for older children or even dairy-free adults as the chocolate is much richer, more fudge filled and has tiny fudge pieces in it. The accompanying bunny is also a treat and filled of fudge too! Like the Creamy Choc egg, this too is dairy, gluten, nut and egg free with no palm oil and yes, it’s also vegan. Can you see where the theme, “No Missing Out” comes into play? No matter what you might be intolerable to or what you can’t eat, there’s a flavour of NOMO chocolate waiting for you.

Finally, the snack of grown-ups is the individually wrapped Choc Fudge Bunny. It’s part of the aforementioned Easter Egg combination but for 90 pence you can buy these on their own and enjoy a creamy chocolate hit. The outside chocolate is creamy choc with a filling of a rich fudge flavoured centre. At only 30 grams they are a sweet afternoon treat, or something to add to lunch to give you the chocolate hit but without the environmental guilt or having to think about what it might contain. Also great for friends if you want to get them something for Easter but not something they might be allergic to, or if you’re unsure if they are vegan or vegetarian!

The Choc Fudge Easter Egg and the Bunny are probably my favourite because I love richer chocolate and the fudge makes a nice change. You really can’t tell if they’re conventional chocolate or free-from chocolate because they’re so well made and have all the flavour and sweetness of High Street chocolate.

No matter who you’re buying Easter Eggs for, this year you have a lovely choice from NOMO and no matter what someone’s need, or taste in chocolate, there is no reason for anyone to miss out.

NOMO Creamy Choc Eggs and Mini Bars (154 grams) MRRP £6.50:

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/nomo-creamy-choc-egg-mini-bars-154g

NOMO Choc Fudge Bunny (30 grams) MRRP 90p:

NOMO Choc Fudge Bunny 20 x 30g

NOMO Choc Fudge Egg & Bunny (160 grams) MRRP £6.50:

NOMO Choc Fudge Egg & Bunny

Joe & Seph’s Easter Popcorn Treats

Children, Easter, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, snacks, Vegetarian

Hot Cross Bun Gourmet Popcorn, Chocolate Popcorn Mini Eggs and Hot Cross Bun Caramel Spread

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Joe & Seph’s are known for their gourmet popcorn, but as these Easter treats show, they are branching out into more yummy treats year round. We were sent some Joe &Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn in Hot Cross Bun flavour to try, and the team added the delicious Chocolate Popcorn Mini Eggs and Joe & Seph’s Hot Cross Bun Caramel Spread. Can you tell it was an arduous week of testing this bunch?!

Starting with the Chocolate Popcorn Mini Eggs, we broke into the pretty egg-shaped packaging to find the treats inside. The packaging is in the form of an Easter egg which can be used as a decoration with a ribbon look at the top. They would make great grand prizes for Easter egg hunts on Easter Sunday! Inside there’s a packet of popcorn bites weighing 42 grams. Each Bite is half an Easter egg of chocolate with two pieces of salted caramel popcorn sitting inside. They make great bite-sized treats especially as the popcorn is part of the Joe &Seph’s gourmet range and one of their most popular flavours. Each popcorn piece is air popped and coated in salted caramel sauce and then placed in the milk chocolate cup to set, giving these delicious treats.

Next, we have their famous gourmet popcorn in Hot Cross Bun flavour. The popcorn is their usual air-popped (not fried) variety, which if you’ve ever tasted it before you’ll know it’s made in their London kitchens to the highest standard with no un-popped kernels or inedible pieces at the bottom! The flavouring on this variety is caramel with added sweet fruit and mixed spices flavours to replicate the hot cross bun which is so closely associated with Easter. The flavours really develop and give that tangy citrus aroma which you find in the best hot cross buns. It’s not too sweet though so you’ll find it easy to get carried away with this flavour! It’s also suitable for vegetarians, gluten free and has no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.

Lastly, we tried the Hot Cross Bun Caramel Spread. This caramel spread is flavoured like a hot cross bun but it doesn’t mean that you have to spread it on one! This works perfectly on toast, or as part of a cake or even on scones if you’re not partial to the Easter treat. It’s made of natural ingredients but is very sweet, so probably something that you will want at weekends and not during the day. This would work perfectly on porridge though and the more you think about it, the more the possibilities of how you use it are endless. The sauce contains sultanas, zest peel and lots of spring spices to give a real Easter feel to it. It is very rich though, so I would test it out before giving it to small children!

Just when you think you have seen all the popcorn you possibly could from Joe & Seph’s, they bring out this delicious Easter range, complete with ingredients which will last long into the summer! We can’t wait to see what the coming months will bring…

Joe & Seph’s Hot Cross Bun Gourmet Popcorn (£4): https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/popcorn/hot-cross-bun-popcorn?product=167_std

Joe & Seph’s Hot Cross Bun Caramel Spread (jar 230g, £4.99): https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/caramels/hot-cross-bun-caramel-spread

Joe & Seph’s Chocolate Popcorn Mini Eggs (£5): https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/gifts/chocolate-popcorn-mini-eggs-gift

Ant & Dec’s Limitless Win Board Game

Birthday Gifts, Children, Easter, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Home, Toys

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

I know Ant & Dec are on our screens more often than not, but for a fan like me, their humour makes game shows and talent shows all the more entertaining. Their latest show, Limitless Win on ITV is already making the news for the amount of money they give away each week. The premise of the game is to answer number based questions as accurately as possible. If you are under the correct answer, you lose lives up to the correct answer and climb the ladder of money. If you are over the correct answer, you lose!

For example, using one of the questions from the game, can you answer:

How many countries have a land border with Germany?

Answer: 36 (surprisingly!)

If you guessed 10 then you would still be in the game but would lose 16 lives (36-10) but if you guessed 37 your game would be over. If you guessed 36 correctly though, you would climb the ladder of money and be able to walk away with the sum of money on the board (because you had a correct answer) or you could go on and win more money if you had enough lives – and you can win a limitless amount of money at that!

The board game works in a similar way. There are two teams, each team has a score dial and a score tracker. Place them opposite the money ladder at the gold starting space. There is also a gold cash out button which is placed between the two teams.

You can play with or without the internet – with the internet uses the QR code included with the game otherwise the lifeline question cards are included. The Limitless Win question cards are divided into 3 piles depending on the number of rounds – it is suggested that you play in 3 rounds using all three colours of cards. As each card is played, the teams race up the money ladder until a team runs out of lives or gives an answer that is more than the exact answer. There is more to the rules which are explained really well with the board game but you get the idea.

The game can take as little as 25-30 minutes if all is running smoothly and you can just two people playing (one on each team) or even up to 3 people on a team is manageable. There’s over 600 questions and an extra QR code on the box to access more lifeline questions and soundtracks. It is for ages 8+ years but adults will find this really entertaining and easy to play especially if you’ve seen the show. We really enjoyed having a go at the questions and trying to get the exact answers but with a time limit, it’s just as nerve wrecking as it looks on TV!

Available from £24.99 at: https://www.gingerfox.co.uk/products/ant-decs-limitless-win-board-game

Just Spices DIY Chocolate Kit

Birthday Gifts, Children, chocolate, Easter, Family Life, Gifts for children

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Easter is now synonymous with chocolate, or at least it is in our house! It’s also the end of Lent, which often is a time for giving up chocolate in most households. This Easter, you can indulge in chocolate as well as keep the children happy during the holidays with this alternative to an Easter Egg – the Just Spices DIY Chocolate Kit.

The kit contains two chocolate silicone moulds, clear wrappers and cardboard packaging, a booklet on how to make chocolate bars and 11 spice sachets. The spice sachets, which Just Spices are famous for, include Peppermint, Pink Pepper, Ceylon Cinnamon and more unusual flavours like carrot and Anise. If you’re into gourmet chocolate, you’ll know that all the big chocolate houses are now doing flavoured chocolate bars as well as boxes of your favourite flavours, so these spices will go down a treat with the whole family!

The handy booklet that’s contained in the kit talks you through everything that’s needed and how to make the chocolate. It’s worth noting at this point though, that the kit doesn’t have the chocolate included – you have to purchase that yourself. You also need a saucepan and heat-proof bowl, kitchen scales, a spatula and a kitchen thermometer. The booklet calls it ‘The Ultimate Guide’ to getting started making chocolate and takes you on easy to follow steps through the process. The first step is to heat the chocolate you’ve bought and make sure that it doesn’t overheat otherwise it spoils! Taking the chocolate to the right temperature is crucial and make sure that that the chocolate doesn’t come in contact with the water.

Once you read up about getting the temperature right (I had no idea that was an art in itself!) then you can add the spices. There is an art to this as well, making sure that the spices are added before the chocolate gets too cold and placing it in the silicone mould. It needs to harden at room temperature before it goes into the fridge to set completely. The chocolate is best eaten at room temperature but you can keep it in the fridge or a pantry cupboard.

The whole process takes an hour or so if you’re following the instructions and can be completed by children, especially young teenagers who are supervised around the hot saucepan. Smaller children will need to be brought in at a later stage when the heating is done, but they will enjoy mixing in the spices and smoothing off with a spatula. It will depend on your children’s patience as to how long they are willing to wait for the chocolate to set, but you can guarantee they will love licking the chocolate off of their fingers when they’re finished!

The silicone mould can be used again and again and the spices are available on the Just Spices website if you need more. The packaging is a nice edition but you don’t need it for every time you make the chocolate, only if you’re giving the bars as a gift.

This is a nice way to spend an afternoon with the family or as a give to a family at Easter. Those who are particularly good at crafting will enjoy this starter kit and how the chocolate process works, especially if you go on to make more varieties of flavoured chocolates in the future using the Just Spices ingredients!

£29.99 at: https://www.justspices.co.uk/diy-chocolate-kit.html

Lola’s Cupcakes Valentine’s Postal Cake

Birthday Gifts, chocolate, Easter, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day Gifts

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Love is in the air and The Review Studio team have been spoilt rotten by our loved ones today. As well as the usual chocolates and flowers we’ve had a very special delivery from Lola’s Cupcakes who make the most amazing cakes. Their stores are mainly in London, but they do offer a nationwide delivery service, meaning everyone can enjoy their delicious bakes.

When sending cakes through the post they need to be well packaged to ensure they arrive in perfect condition and I was really impressed with the care that goes into the packaging. The cake sits in a carboard box with a protective layer of cardboard on the top and there is a cool block and thermal liner to ensure they arrive in tip top condition. Once opened the cake should be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container and is best eaten within 48 hours. It can be kept in the fridge for another 2 days – ours didn’t last that long!! The thermal liner and ice pack can also be returned to Lola’s Cupcakes and they will be cleaned and reused which is a great idea and to make it even easier there is a prepaid label so it doesn’t cost you a penny.

So, onto the important bit – the cake – the Valentine’s Postal Cake not only looks amazing but tastes fantastic too. The delicious chocolate sponge is beautifully decorated with pink vanilla buttercream with “Happy Valentines” iced in the middle. It won’t come as a surprise to hear that it is adorned with hearts – a couple even have “Love” written on them and there are plenty of Valentines sprinkles and a few rose petals to complete the Valentines theme. The cake has a nice thick layer of pink buttercream sandwiched between the two moist chocolate sponges and once we had cut into it, we discovered that the cake was light and fluffy, nice and chocolatey and incredibly tasty.

We were all really impressed with this cake, it has travelled a few hundred miles yet still looks like it has just been picked up fresh from the bakery. Lola’s Cupcakes make all their cakes daily by hand and from scratch, using only the very best ingredients and have a fantastic selection of cakes, cupcakes and brownies available on their website. The cakes make lovely gifts so next time you need a birthday, anniversary, get well soon, Mother’s Day, Easter or even a “Just Because” gift for a loved one then Lola’s Cupcakes is the place to go and I guarantee they will be well received by the recipient!

Small (serves 8) £25

Large (serves 14) £40

Play in Choc Rabbits

Children, Easter, eco friendly, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gluten Free, Plastic free, Vegan

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

It can be hard to find delicious tasting chocolate that is suitable for children and adults with different nutritional needs so we were really pleased when @playinchoc sent a couple of their Rabbit ToyChoc boxes which are perfect as an Easter treat

These cute little boxes contain 2 allergen-free organic chocolates, a collectable rabbit 3D puzzle and a “fun facts” card about rabbits.

The chocolate is not only scrummy but is also vegan, organic, dairy free, nut free, and gluten free and it also has 1/3 less sugar than other leading chocolate brands. The delicious, creamy chocolate is made with a combination of 3 natural and organic ingredients – cacao, vanilla and coconut and is wrapped in a compostable wrapper. The chocolate is nice and smooth and doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste like some dairy free brands have and it got a big thumbs up from our mini reviewers who munched on it whist building the rabbit models.

Once the puzzle pieces have been popped out of the thick cardboard and been assembled the carboard can also be used as templates for drawing cute bunnies and carrots, keeping the little ones entertained over the Easter holidays!

RRP £2.25

Tomy Toomies Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs

Baby, Children, Easter, Gifts for children, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

Easter treats don’t need to be made of chocolate and the Toomies Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs from Tomy will make an eggcellent gift and delight younger children this Easter.

The five brightly coloured eggs (blue, green, pink, purple & orange) sit in a plastic incubator and to hatch the eggs you simply take the lid off the incubator and press the yellow button to make the eggs spin, the faster you press the quicker it goes until it pops and the shells go flying. Inside the eggs you will find 5 cute dinosaurs – Stegosaurus, T-rex, Triceratops, Pterandon and Raptor which rattle when you shake them, adding to the excitement.

There is so much to learn with this toy, the plastic eggs are bright, vibrant and bold and are a great way for children to learn their colours as well as helping with logic and fine motor skills. Our mini reviewers loved watching the eggs spin and hatch and we also spent time learning the names of the dinosaurs. The eggs are also perfect for Easter egg hunts – our mini reviewers enjoyed hiding them all over the house!

The Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs are a nice Easter themed gift which will provide hours of entertainment this Easter and for many years to come.

Suitable for children aged 12 months to 4 years

RRP £14.99 available from Amazon,Argos, The Entertainer, John Lewis, Next Online, The Range, Selfridges, Toymaster, Tesco, The Works and other independent toy shops

Sponge Easter Chocolate Cake

Birthday Gifts, Easter, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gluten Free, Vegan, Women

Disclaimer: We received this cake free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

It’s Easter Sunday this weekend meaning there are plenty of Easter treats to look forward to and I can guarantee that no Easter bunnies are going to be able to resist a slice of the Easter Chocolate cake from Sponge !

The rich and indulgent chocolate sponge cake has a nice thick layer of chocolate buttercream and is topped with flakes of chocolate and Cadbury’s Mini eggs. Moist and tasty, it is lovely hot or cold with a pouring of cream or ice cream. It is light and fluffy and chocolatey enough for the children yet sophisticated enough for adults too! It would make a lovely showstopper on the table of any Easter celebration and children and chocoholics alike are bound to love it.

The cakes are well packaged in a cardboard box with bio-degradable film and mine arrived in perfect condition. Once opened the cake should be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container and if you do have any left it can be frozen – although I can guarantee there’s not much chance of that!!!

Sponge Cakes cater for all types of dietary requirements, and the Easter Chocolate cake is also available as a gluten free, so no one has to miss out this Easter. They make all their cakes from scratch, using only high quality ingredients and deliver all over the UK.

There is still time to order one of Sponge’s show-stopping Easter cakes – so what are you waiting for??? I have my eye on the Mini Egg Pinata cake next!!

RRP £16.75 (serves 8)

Read our other Sponge reviews here – Mother’s Day hamper and Valentine’s Gift Bo x

Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn Easter Selection Box

Birthday Gifts, Children, Easter, Family Life, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Home & Garden, Spring, Summer

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Whilst enjoying the Joe & Seph’s Easter Selection Box this week, my family turned to me and said, “When you write this up, can you describe this as ‘yummy’?” If that’s not an endorsement of their gourmet popcorn, I don’t know what is!

Joe & Seph’s have one 82 Great Taste Awards (and counting) for their range of gourmet popcorn over the past 13 years. Their snacks are made with the finest ingredients, under the supervision of Joe in their London kitchens. Their brand reaches past just popcorn too, with a Belgian Chocolate Rocky Road bar, popcorn bars and vegan chocolate caramel sauce, among other items. Winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise has helped Joe & Seph’s gain notoriety for their brand but mostly are known for their ‘yummy’ snacks!

We were sent an Easter Selection Box to try this week. A replacement for anyone who doesn’t want a chocolate Easter egg, and for adults who might want to share Easter offerings, the popcorn comes in a posted presentation box. There are two packets of three varieties of Joe & Seph’s popcorn; Trio of Chocolate, Belgian Chocolate & Hazelnut, and Gingerbread. The Trio of Chocolate is actually pieces of popcorn covered in white chocolate, milk chocolate and cookies & cream.

Opening the gold printed presentation box, which is an ideal size to wrap as a gift, you can see the Easter selection presented in the see-through box. It could also be broken up into smaller gifts as there are two of each variety, each individually wrapped. It’s a lovely present for anyone who doesn’t like chocolate Easter eggs!

Joe & Seph’s popcorn is healthier than cinema popcorn as it’s air-popped and coated in butter, like the American version, whereas here in the UK we are used to oil and sugar popcorn. Using 100% natural ingredients and a range of flavours to coat the popcorn, including both sweet and savoury seasonings.

It wasn’t just my family who were excited when the Joe & Seph’s Easter Selection Box arrived this week. Having tried some of the popcorn a few weeks ago for the first time, it was a real treat to be trying another set of flavours. I look forward to seeing what other popcorn-inspired snacks they have in the future, but in the meantime, this Easter Selection Box will keep us in TV snacks for a long while, and in turn, keep everyone happy.

Available for £14.99 at: https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/gifts/easter-gourmet-popcorn-selection-box

Bedsure Sherpa Fleece Throw

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, camping, Easter, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Home & Garden, Mother's Day, Winter, Women

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for our honest review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

It might be April tomorrow but it’s still quite chilly up in the North of England and a cosy blanket is just the thing to keep you warm and toasty when you’re trying to minimise the amount of time the heating is on. A throw blanket is incredibly practical and versatile, not only will it keep you warm it also adds a touch of luxury to any room. Keep one on the sofa where it is perfect for snuggling up in to watch a movie or have one at the foot of your bed to add a bit of extra warmth on cold nights.

We have been road testing the Bedsure Sherpa Fleece Throw Single Blanket which measures 130 x 150cm and is large enough for a couple of people to share on the sofa. The blanket is available in 26 different colours so there is bound to be one that suits your colour scheme and is reversible – one side has 220 GSM velvety flannel and the other is a beautifully soft and cosy Sherpa.

The blanket is lightweight but keeps me toasty warm, I tend to feel the cold, so this throw allows me to stay warm without needing to put the heating on. I’ve been using it while watching TV and as an extra layer on the bed at night. It will also be coming with me when we go camping this year as it’s a great way to stay warm and will be perfect when we are sat outside in the evening, chatting with friends.

The blanket is machine washable between 30°C to 60°C, although they suggest the best temperature to wash it at is 40°C. The blanket can be tumble dried on a low heat which will help keep it soft after washes.

I am sure this cosy blanket is going to be the first of many in our house, I already have my eye on the Forest Green one which will match our bedding perfectly.

RRP £23.99 available from Amazon

Geomag

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Easter, Games, Gifts for children, Learning, Toys

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

It’s not long until the Easter holidays and I have been thinking of ideas to keep my children occupied and to keep them off electronic gadgets. They love construction toys so I was really pleased to receive a couple of sets from Geomag which will certainly keep them out of mischief this Easter. Geomag is a popular construction toy which uses the power of magnets to build amazing structures using metal rods, spheres and plastic panels and it is so easy (and addictive) to do – the only limitation is your imagination!

Geomag is a great toy as the sets not only encourage hand-eye co-ordination and fine motor skills but are a fantastic way to encourage creativity and spark imagination, helping to form a love of science, puzzles and construction.

The E-Motion set has all the parts needed to create a spinner – metal rods, spheres and square, pentagon and triangular shaped panels. The instructions are simple to follow, and it didn’t take long to assemble the spinner. I was quite surprised at how long they spun for and we had great fun seeing whose design would spin for the longest. It was really easy to incorporate our existing Geomag sets with this to create different styles of spinners which really got the boys thinking about design and how to create the ultimate spinner. This is a great STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) toy as it combines harnessing the power of magnets in construction alongside the concept of movement.

RRP £22

For little ones the Magic Cube Shapes Recycled Wheels set is the perfect construction toy. Consisting of magnetic shapes that are easy for little hands to hold, they attach to each other on all six sides. By using the invisible and magical properties of magnetism, children can create amazing models – one day we made dinosaurs, another day it was tractors and tomorrow will be something completely different!

RRP £22.49

The Mechanics Gravity Loops & Turns is for older children and fits numerous STEM elements. The set contains 130 pieces that connect together enabling you to make a circuit for the spheres to be propelled around. The set uses the power of magnetism and gravity to move the spheres around the circuit and helps children learn about science. It took my 10 year old around an hour to build with a little bit of help from Dad and was surprisingly sturdy when finished. There are no batteries which is always a bonus!

There are other circuits in the range so if you have a budding engineer in your midst then I can highly recommend this range.

£34.99

As well as being great toys I also love that everything is made from 100% recycled plastic. It’s great to see a big toy company being environmentally friendly.

Joe & Seph’s Popcorn Ultimate Night In Gift Box

Birthday Gifts, Children, Easter, Family Life, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Home & Garden, Lunchbox Fillers, Mother's Day

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Whenever I buy Joe & Seph’s Popcorn, my friend Lisa always asks me, “Have you got any more of that posh popcorn?” so when we were offered the Joe & Seph’s Ultimate Night In Gift Box, I knew we had to review it!

The box is priced at £12.50 with three different flavours of popcorn; Salted Caramel, Caramel & Belgian Chocolate Popcorn and the slightly different Milk Chocolate Popcorn Bites. The Bites are different because they are cups of chocolate with a piece of popcorn set in them. These were particularly nice because the chocolate and popcorn worked together well, and we had them in the fridge as little snacks to eat throughout the day! The chocolate was particularly good quality too which made them more of a treat.

The Salted Caramel and Caramel & Belgium Chocolate Popcorn were for us to enjoy after dinner on a Friday. Both of the flavours are favourites of mine so I was keen to try them. The Salted Caramel is not as ‘salted’ as you might think, but more caramel. I love Joe & Seph’s popcorn because it’s not sticky at all, and the Salted Caramel flavour is no exception. You can pick it up and hold the popcorn without it melting in your hand or feeling sticky which makes it much easier to handle as well as easier to share. The quality of the popcorn itself is much better than your cinema popcorn because there are minimal kernels and unbaked pieces of corn. In fact, there’s no un-popped corn pieces at the bottom of the bag, so all you get is proper, fluffy popcorn!

The Caramel & Belgium Chocolate Popcorn was my favourite of all the flavours. Layered in a light coat of chocolate, you can taste the Belgium chocolate straight away, and the second flavour is the delicate caramel. The see-through grab bags are easy to share, but just as easily pour into a bowl due to the shape of the bag.

The Joe & Seph’s Popcorn Ultimate Night In Gift Box arrives in a presentation box to your doorstep, after being handmade and packed in London, but the boxes can be sent to anywhere in the country. Ordering on the website, you can also add a 60 character message, which makes it a great gift for anyone who loves popcorn, chocolate or snacks in general. I think this Ultimate Night In Gift Box works as either a Girls’ night in with some Prosecco, a movie and a bit of gossip, or as a gift for a teenager’s birthday, along with the Amazon gift card they all crave!

Joe & Seph’s Ultimate Night In Gift Box costs £12.50: https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/gifts/gift-box-ultimate-night-in

Caorunn Blood Orange Gin

alcoholic drinks, Birthday Gifts, Drinks and Mixers, Easter, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Mother's Day

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Here at The Review Studio we are big fans of gin, and hasn’t gin been popular lately? There are small distilleries in nearly all major towns and right out in the countryside, they are popping up all over the place.

Caorunn Gin is no exception. Hand crafted in small batches at the Balmenach Distillery in the Speyside region of the Scottish Highlands, it has been distilled there since 2009. Scotland has a wealth of natural resources which not only lends itself to whiskey (which is what Scotland is famous for) but for the botanicals needed for gin. What sets apart Caorunn Gin from all the others is the distilling process takes place in a working copper berry chamber. It sets them apart from other gins, and is, what they have named, Gin Genius!

The handpicked Scottish botanicals which go into their gins include heather, rowan berry, dandelion, coul blush apple (the most northerly grown verity of apple in the UK), and the lesser known bog myrtle. I’m reliably informed it is to add sweetness to the aroma, but it’s not a plant I’m familiar with! The combination of all the botanicals brought together gives Caorunn it’s distinct flavour.

We were sent a bottle of Blood Orange Caorunn to try. Caorunn Gin, but with the sweet taste of blood orange to give the dryness of the gin a special edge, this is the newest gin to the range at Caorunn. The result is a citrussy taste with a dash of chilli to make it even more invigorating. As we go into spring and summer, Blood Orange Caorunn is a natural taste to drink either with ice and tonic water, or for adding to cocktails. The Caorunn website has some cocktail recipes for Orange Lady, Caorunnita and Bitter Citrus cocktails, all of which slide us effortlessly into summer.

If you’ve never tasted gin with a blood orange flavour, not only is it the hottest new flavour to try this year, but it makes a big difference to drinking gin in the sunshine, starting at Easter and right through to the autumn. I can’t wait for gin season to start again, and hopefully we’ll have a summer as sunny as Caorunn’s Blood Orange Gin.

Caorunn’s Blood Orange Gin is 41.8% volume.

Available for £29.00 at: https://www.caorunngin.com/our-gins/40-blood-orange

Crayola Colours of Kindness

Birthday Gifts, Children, Easter, Family Life, Gifts for children, Learning, Spring, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

With Easter coming up I have been thinking about how to keep my children occupied in the school holidays. They really enjoy drawing and colouring so they will love these new Colours of Kindness products from Crayola.

The Colours of Kindness range are designed to inspire kindness, creativity and memories – each one has inspirational words on the barrel, perfect for the little personalities who are holding them.

The coloured pencils come in a box of 12 and the words of kindness are written in gold on the side of the pencil, the words include “Hello Sunshine” and “A Warm Hug” and are great for any budding artist. The pencils are excellent quality, and they colour in very evenly, the leads seem nice and strong so perfect for heavier handed children.

The washable markers have a fine tip and the ink flows beautifully, without being too wet, so they don’t bleed when colouring. There are 10 markers in the set in a lovely selection of spring colours, Crayola always have such lovely names for their colours and I love the green “Granny Smith Apple” and the purple “Wisteria”

The special edition 24 pack of crayons contains a fantastic array of colours which are perfect for any budding artist. Crayola always have lots of fantastic colours and there is a lovely selection of oranges, purples, pinks, greens and blues in this box.

The Colours of Kindness Colouring book is packed full of inspiring words and pictures to colour. I especially liked how the book has perforations so you can easily remove the picture, either to colour or to display once the picture is finished.

I really love the positive messages on these products, my eldest’s new favourite colour is powder blue with “sky’s the limit” whilst the youngest who loves purple is drawn to orchid with the “nurture nature” message

Colouring in is always a fantastic rainy day activity and Crayola have made it even better by embossing these wonderful and positive messages on the side of the pens, pencils and crayons. The children are loving them and they are the perfect way to keep them occupied in the Easter holidays

Sylvanian Families Easter Celebration Set

Birthday Gifts, Children, Easter, Gifts for children, Spring, Toys

Disclaimer: we received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Our mini reviewers had an early Easter treat this week when we received the Easter Celebration Set from Sylvanian Families. Presented in a beautiful Easter themed pastel coloured box the set includes two bunnies called Serena & Romeo Marguerite who are both dressed in beautiful Easter outfits complete with matching marguerite brooches and Easter bonnets. The set also includes a selection of Easter accessories, eggs and sweets so the bunnies can have a festive Easter egg hunt.

Serena is wearing a beautiful yellow and green dress and pink hat and Romeo is wearing a purple suit with a matching hat. The clothes are well made and can easily be removed and our mini reviewers, who already have a collection of Sylvanian family figures, loved swapping the outfits around with their other figures. They also enjoyed having an Easter egg hunt with the bunnies, one would go out of the room whilst the other put the sweets in the three mini Easter eggs and then come back in and look for them.

As a parent, the thing I love about Sylvanian Families is that the toys encourage children to use their imagination and it is lovely watching and hearing the escapades the figures get up to!! I used to love collecting and playing with my Sylvanian Family figures (which I still have ) and it is lovely to see my children enjoying them too.

Our mini reviewers loved this set and gave it a huge thumbs up! It is a great addition to their ever growing Sylvanian families collection and will provide hours of entertainment for them over the Easter holidays.

Aimed at children aged 3 and above this set would make a lovely Easter gift. It is available from the Sylvanian Familes website here

RRP £21.99