Family Life – Page 15 – The Review Studio

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise, Colman’s Mustard and Mint Sauce and Marmite

Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Home, Home & Garden, Lunchbox Fillers

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

Remember the Hellmann’s Turkey advert from the 1980s? “Don’t save it for the summer” was the slogan they used to encourage us to eat mayonnaise with Christmas dinner and since then, it’s been a staple in households all over the country along with other favourites such as Colman’s Mint Sauce (great for roast lamb) and Colman’s English Mustard. In fact, I think my first ever taste of mustard was at the Christmas dinner table when I was little, and not ready for the taste that was adorned on my roast at my insistence!

Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise isn’t just for salads. Made with just egg, oil and a dash of vinegar, it’s a time old recipe that is the basis of lots of recipes. With such simple beginnings, it can be used on most meals but at Christmas time, it’s particularly useful with cold meats, especially on Boxing Day. Turkey sandwiches are one of my yuletide memories and they’re usually made with piles of carved turkey and lots and lots of Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise. There’s something about the mixture of the two textures and the cool mayonnaise flavour that make the two go together so well.

If you’re not into mayonnaise, then Colman’s have the taste alternative. Colman’s Mint Sauce and Colman’s Mustard have been in our pantries for decades since the company started in Norwich in 1814. Colman’s Mint Sauce, grown in Norfolk, uses the meat tenderising enzymes found in mint to compliment lamb. Using the sauce cold and eating with a hot lamb joint, the mint brings out the lamb flavour. It’s also particularly good with roast potatoes and adds a completely different angle to home cooked meals.

Colman’s Mustard (English) is a completely different taste. This mustard isn’t as hot as you might think, but still has that peppery taste to it that works so well with beef. You can put this straight on your plate and eat it as an accompaniment to beef, but I have discovered that it works brilliantly if put over your beef joint before going into an air fryer. As the meat cooks in the super hot air, it heats the mustard allowing it to break down the outer fat of the joint and seeping in flavour. I tried it in my air fryer and it created this lovely crust to the outside of the cut, which was super easy and protected the outside from scorching. I also use mustard in my salad dressings, adding a certain hotness to summer lunches which you can’t get anywhere else.

See the Hellmann’s Turkey Sandwich recipe online too: https://www.hellmanns.com/us/en/r/what-shes-having-sandwich.html/255443

Lastly, we would not talking about condiments if we didn’t mention Marmite. Available all over the world now, it is particularly special at Christmas for ex-pats who crave the special taste. If you’ve ever lived abroad or go on holiday where many Brits congregate, you’ll know that Marmite is on all the supermarket shelves. The phrase ‘Love It Or Hate It’ is now part of the English vernacular and recognised as a polarity due to Marmite‘s unique taste. If you’ve never tried it before (and I suggest you do at least give it a go once!) then I can only describe it as a slightly tangy version of beef gravy, only much thicker and spreadable. It goes nicely on toast as most of us will remember from our childhoods, but there are ample recipes available on the Marmite website. There’s a particularly good recipe for Marmite, Ham & Camembert Festive Toasties; perfect for after Christmas dinner or on Boxing Day when you have plenty of leftovers and not many ideas!

Colman’s Mustard (170g) £2.15: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/colmans-original-english-mustard/007650-3584-3585

Colman’s Mint Sauce (165g) £1.80: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/colmans-mint-sauce/738308-589437-589438

Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise £3.00: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/hellmanns-squeezy-real-mayonnaise/393918-55355-55356

Marmite (250g) £3.35: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/marmite-yeast-extract-spread/007834-3717-3718

Joe & Seph’s Popcorn for National Cinema Day

Children, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Home, Summer

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

3 September is National Cinema day in Britain this year. It’s the day when we are all invited to visit the cinema and support the film industry, but this year it’s particularly important as the SAG union strikes are affecting all films made in the US, and most which are scheduled to be made around the world – including the UK.

Joe & Seph’s are big supporters of the movie industry, which is not surprising for a gourmet popcorn company! Joe & Seph’s don’t make just one kind of popcorn though, and it’s not your usual butter coated Saturday Morning Pictures popcorn either!

To celebrate National Cinema Day, and to give you some ideas of their gourmet flavours to try when you get to the cinema, Joe & Seph’s have worked with some big names to get exclusive flavours out there for you. We were sent the flavours; James Bond Dry Martini (popped, not stirred), Dungeon’s & Dragons Chilli Chocolate Caramel (Sweet & Fiery) and Asteroid City Belgian Chocolate & Caramel Asteroids (almost definitely not asteroids, but popcorn!). If those flavours don’t get your mouth watering as you wander into your local cinemas, I don’t know what will!

You’ll notice that each of the flavours is based around a film franchise, which is not surprising given how well popcorn and movies go together. I love both sweet and savoury popcorns, especially if they’re well cooked and the popcorn is soft which it always is with Joe & Seph’s. Starting with the James Bond Dry Martini flavour, it’s more savoury which is what you would expect, but the flavour doesn’t develop until you’ve let it melt in your mouth a little bit. It’s not as overpowering as an actual Martini either, so if you like the taste but not the alcohol, this is very edible! Be warned though, especially if you’re on medication because the flavouring is 5% real gin and vodka! You can also taste the lemon a little bit and the caramel balances the flavour out nicely.

The Dungeons and Dragons Sweet & Fiery is for chilli lovers. Based on the idea of Dungeons & Dragons, the fiery comes from red chilli pepper flavouring, and the sweetness is from caramel and Belgian chocolate. The chocolate isn’t just ordinary chocolate though, Joe & Seph’s only use the best quality Belgian chocolate in any of their popcorn recipes, so you’ll find that this is extra smooth, creamy chocolate and compliments the chilli taste. You’ll love the juxtaposition of the two flavours together, and taking a big handful is not an option unless you’re a really, really big fan of chilli so I would go easy on these until you find your level! It’s a fabulous combination and one that you don’t normally find with popcorn so well worth trying it out.

Lastly, there’s an old favourite. Asteroid City Belgian Chocolate & Caramel. Anyone who loves either chocolate or popcorn will love this flavour, and it’s great for children too. The soft texture of the caramel comes through first, then the chocolate flavour then the sweetness from the caramel. It’s a more subtle flavour than the Sweet & Fiery or Dry Martini but it’s just as enjoyable, if not more so. This Belgian Chocolate & Caramel flavour is also great for adding to ice cream or desserts, and if you’ve never tried Joe & Seph’s before (where have you been?) then I can tell you that the popcorn is robust enough to withstand ice cream sundaes, lashings of whipped cream or even custard without going soggy.

I hope you manage to support the British film industry on 3 September and if you never go to the cinema, this is the one day you’ll not regret making an effort for. Joe & Seph’s are with you all the way, and there’s a flavour for everyone – so see you at the flicks!

Available online from £4 each: https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/popcorn/smooth-caramel-belgian-chocolate-popcorn?product=6_std

Vortx 6L Colour Air Fryer by Tower

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Home, Home & Garden, Tech

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

I have wanted to try an air fryer for ages, having heard a lot about them and seen on Instagram what they can do. Why would I want an air fryer though when I have a perfectly good electric fan assisted oven? Without trying one, I wasn’t going to find out if this would be an easier and perhaps cheaper way of cooking, so when the Tower 6 Litre Vortx Air Fryer arrived, I wasted no time checking it out!

The website gives a lot of information about air fryers in general and how they work, but I was pleased to see that the Vortx technology in this Tower air fryer is even better at circulating the air and heating it up, making it quicker than an oven by up to 30%. This variety is also 6 litres, which is a generous size to be able to cook a family meal or large volume baking, thereby saving energy as well as time.

As air fryers work by cooking the food with air at high temperatures which is circulated quickly around the food, there is no need for any fat as you have to do with electric or gas ovens. The air convection mechanism uses a lot less energy too, and this Vortx Air Fryer uses 70% less energy for cooking than oven, which with the price of energy is also a bonus.

The machine itself is pretty big; bigger than a bread maker or about as big as a mixer. However, compared to a built-in oven, it’s much smaller and obviously mobile, so taking it away to university would be ideal. I like the fact that it stays on the worktop like a microwave would so all the panels and buttons are at eye level and the drawer can be opened with one hand if needed. It’s not so heavy that you need two hand, and I also like that you don’t need oven gloves to take the drawer out. Much safer with little children around and anyone with a disability and unable to bend down or lift out heavy grills will find this much easier. In fact, the Tower Vortx Air Fryer is designed in a way in which elderly or anyone with a disability can adapt how they use it to be able to lift the drawer and carry food.

The front panel is touch controlled, which lights up when you switch it on with the control panel button, but don’t forget to switch it on at the wall first! It’s easy to set the temperature from 80 Centigrade up to 200 Centigrade. You can also choose some of the pre-sets for easier cooking such as fries, steak and cake.

Once I had worked out the controls panel, it was time to start testing the Vortx Air Fryer! I started with some simple oven chips. As you don’t need any oil, I just piled a layer into the basket and used the pre-set controls for cooking them. After the 15 minutes cooking time, the Vortx Air Fryer emits a sound and you take the drawer out, emptying the fries onto a plate. There’s very little clearing up to do because there’s no oil involved, and the chips are crisp on the outside and still fluffy on the inside!

Once I had mastered fries, it was onto cooking more of a meal! I cooked a piece of beef, being careful to work out the cooking time with regards to the weight. Like any new appliance, it takes a while to get used to the cooking times and how evenly it cooks so I checked on the meat a few times by opening the drawer. The beef was nicely cooked on the outside, along with the layer of mustard I had smothered on top to give it some extra flavour! You can see in the photo how it looked as soon as I took it out of the air fryer and put it on a plate – medium rare, and that was in 20 minutes of cooking.

The Tower Vortx 6l Air Fryer can also be used for cooking vegetables, baking, roasting and even dehydrating such as these pieces of apple which I put on at 80 Centigrade (the lowest temperature possible) for 20 minutes. Most of the moisture was taken out, without any burning and just the flavour of the apple left behind. This will be lovely as part of a salad later in the week and puts to use the windfall apples from the garden this time of year!

Healthier than a microwave and more versatile than an oven, the Tower Vortx Air Fryer is brilliant for going to university and not having to worry about ovens and hot grills.

Available from £79.99 in 6 colours at:

https://www.towerhousewares.co.uk/air-fryers/vortx-6l-colour-air-fryer-midnight-blue-t17127mnb

Due Vittorie Oro Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Gift Box

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, secret santa, Summer

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

Christmas is a time to get out the best of the best, or if you prefer, gift the best to your loved ones. Due Vittorie’s award winning Balsamic Vinegar of Moderna comes in a beautiful gift box this Christmas, ready to send to someone who loves their food as much as Due Vittorie… or will you keep this for yourself over the festive season?

Made with 80% cooked grape must and 20% wine vinegar, this is the best selling premium brand of balsamic vinegar in the whole of Italy. It’s made in the famous Modena, giving it the branded name and contains no other preservatives or additives, just the authentic Italian Modena balsamic vinegar taste. It can be added to salads, on cheese or as part of a dessert – the Italian chefs have no end of uses for it so with a bit of imagination, you’ll discover it’s not just for dipping bread into! The balsamic vinegar spends time in oak barrels to transfer the tannins, and give it a heartier, full bodied taste.

The 250ml bottle is not only beautiful but will last a whole year before you buy your next instalment! I loved trying this with bread and on salads as it’s got a slightly sweet taste and is thicker than usual shop bought balsamic. I can see why it’s one of the best selling as it’s so flavoursome. I would rather use this alone on salads rather than mixing it up to make a dressing, and it’s to die for on its own with bread or on pizza. Even the design of the bottle makes it easy to hold when you’re cooking or dressing a dish and it looks fabulous on the shelf!

Anyone who is interested in food, or specifically authentic Italian food will love this as a gift. If your loved ones prefer ‘practical’ gifts which they can use, the Due Vittorie Oro Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Gift Box is an excellent choice and at £20.00 it’s an affordable luxury – and one that will last meal after meal.

Available online for £20.00 at: https://www.artisanoliveoilcompany.co.uk/products/due-vittorie-oro-balsamic-vinegar-of-modena-gift-box-250ml?_pos=16&_sid=ccfb02aa2&_ss=r

Just Spices Advent Calendar

advent calendar, Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, secret santa

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

Advent calendars are getting more and more exciting these days. No longer do we have the calendars of youth with just an illustration behind a window, or a little snowman shaped chocolate. Instead, every major retailer and even department store has something on offer.

Just Spices have launched their 2023 Advent Calendar again, with the full 24 days to look forward to. If you’re not familiar with their products, Just Spices produce a range of seasonings, toppings and mixes to liven up any mealtime. It’s not just spices though, it’s a mix of spices and salts which add both flavour and nutrients to your dishes.

The Just Spices 2023 Advent Calendar is bursting with samples from their range. There’s pizza topping, curry seasoning, Texas BBQ mix to add to chicken or beef, and a whole host of other products which are for both sweet and savoury dishes. Each sachet is enough for one meal, which you can save for after Christmas. For door number 24, there’s a full sized spice mix which can be added to your store cupboard.

The Just Spices 2023 Advent Calendar differs from other manufacturers because they actually supply 24 days’ worth of gifts – most high end retailers opt for just 12 days now. The cardboard calendar is easy to post or transport and recycle too, and the sachets last for ages. You don’t have to use them on the day you receive them! The full size mix will last you for weeks too, but you’ll probably find it handy to use over the Christmas festivities anyway. I love the range of seasonings available, often for dishes which I would never normally think of adding extra flavour to, like avocado on toast, and the variety of sachets means I get to try the whole product line without having to buy them individually, which can end up pricy and take up a lot of room at home.

The Just Spices Advent Calendar would be great for older teenagers who are learning to cook or who are away at university and could benefit from some extra flavour to their meals, or for those who love cooking and perhaps don’t have the room for a full spice cupboard. Adults will love this calendar due to it not being completely reliant on chocolate, sugar or alcohol and actually something they can, and will, use throughout the rest of the year.

PLAYin CHOC Christmas Collection

Children, Christmas, eco friendly, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Plastic free, Toys, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

Organic Chocolate and Surprise Toy!

Decision making time is here when it comes to Christmas presents! It’s always difficult to find toys and treats for children which are more sustainable, have less additives and preservatives and are hopefully healthier than some items in the shops.

PLAYin CHOC are the modern alternative to Kinder Surprises. They’re boxes of individually wrapped chocolates with a pop-out, make your own toy made of cardboard, and an information card with facts. Aimed at children aged 3+, they provide a treat as well as an educational toy which they put together themselves.

The PLAYin CHOC chocolate is organic, dairy free, nut free, gluten free and the toys and packaging are all plastic free. The chocolate is sweetened with coconut sugar (coconut is not a nut but actually a fruit) and the creaminess of the chocolate comes from creamed coconut. There’s only cacao solids and vanilla pods which make up the rest of the ingredients of the chocolates.

We were sent a selection box of 6 PLAYin CHOC ToyChoc boxes in a collection for Christmas. Each box contains two chocolates of 10grams each, individually wrapped in compostable film. The toy is a 3D puzzle which pops out from the cardboard pressing and is assembled with little hands, and all the toys are on a Christmas theme. There’s also a fact card with each box which relates to the puzzle your child has made, giving them that extra entertainment.

These are lovely presents for Christmas – either on the Christmas table to keep children entertained, in the car on long trips or even in crackers. As they’re all compostable and recyclable as well, they fulfil the environmental check list too. These PLAYin CHOC boxes would be great as stocking fillers too, in the knowledge that each box doesn’t contain that much chocolate that it will spoil Christmas lunch, nor will children get hyperactive because there aren’t any additives involved. Christmas morning, making toy puzzles out of cardboard cut outs is much more preferable to the sirens and bells of other toys and games!

Is the chocolate any good? Well, I’ve tried PLAYin CHOC before and even tested the difference between them other High Street chocolates. There is no coconut taste, but PLAYin CHOC is slightly less sweet than other brands, probably because there is no added sugar, just coconut sugar. There’s still the creamy texture of chocolate, and of course, the cocoa makes sure that you still get your chocolate hit!

Gift sets will be available for £13.50 for 6 at: https://playinchoc.com/collections

Sistema’s Ocean Bound Plastic Lunchbox Range

camping, Children, Family Life, Home, Home & Garden, Lunchbox Fillers, Summer

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

Watch any news programme, documentary or read social media about the changes in climate this summer, especially in Europe, and you’ll know that we are heading for self-destruction. Plastic in the ocean is one of the reasons that ocean life is being destroyed and affecting the temperatures, and there’s a lot of plastic out there.

New Zealand company Sistema makes food storage containers from recycled ocean bound plastic. That means that 35% of the plastic used in their products would have been sent to the oceans but are instead recycled and made into new. They’re also BPA free so have less of the nasty chemicals that can leach into food and be harmful when ingested.

We were sent two products to test as part of our Back to School coverage; the Bento Cube to Go (dark blue) and Ribbon Lunch To Go (turquoise). Each of the cute boxes comes with compartments inside which make them easier to use. The Bento Cube has one long (half) compartment and one quarter compartment which sit on top of compartments in the Cube of the same size, making 4 different areas. They are completely removeable so you can make the areas bigger if you don’t need to separate them. There’s also a small screw-lid pot which holds 150ml. The Ribbon Lunch To Go box similarly has compartments but this time the box is separated in two, with the smaller compartment housing another box which is divided into two, therefore making 3 compartments in all. There’s also another 150ml pot which is removeable and can be used for dressings, yoghurt or housing something that might affect the other contents.

All of the pieces for each set are dishwasher safe and the pots can be microwaved up to 100 degrees centigrade. These are a great size to go into a backpack for back to school, especially for older children who need something more generic and might be heating things up in the microwave. Adults will love these too with all the different removable compartments so you can adjust what you’re lunching on – leftovers one day and sandwiches the next. They’re built to last too so you can guarantee they’re still useable by the end of the school year as well as durable!

Available at Amazon, Asda, Tesco, Waitrose and other retailers from £5.62.

https://www.sistemaplastics.com/uk/1-1l-ribbon-lunch-with-mini-bite-recycled

https://www.sistemaplastics.com/uk/1-25l-bento-cube-with-yogurt-pot-recycled

Edifier TWS1 Pro 2 Earbuds

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Home & Garden, Tech

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

Edifier have a huge range of headphone and earbuds available for all budgets, so this Christmas you’re bound to find a pair that are a suitable gift, or perfect for yourself!

The Edifier TWS1 Pro 2 Earbuds are among the cheaper headphones (RRP £69.99) but still have all the features you’re looking for. The in-ear buds are Bluetooth and able to pair with phones, laptops or gaming computers. They’re especially good for gaming (or watching TV) because of the low latency connection between sound source and ears.

That’s not the only feature the Edifier TWS1 Pro 2 Earbuds have. Students will love these for studying or listening to lectures because they have active noise cancellation and environmental noise cancellation. If you’re not used to headphones which cancel out surrounding noise, then it comes a quite a shock when you can’t hear the traffic outside or the TV in another room. The sturdy earbuds are dust and splash proof, so work excellently in the gym or out for a run.

The earbuds come in a presentation box (as seen in the photo) where the charging cable, instructions and different sized spare earpieces are stored. The actual Edifier earbuds are in their own carry case which is where the charging happens. Each earbud ‘click’s into place by magnets in the case and you charge them using the USB cable provided. 10 minutes of charging gives an hour of play on the headphones, and a full charge gives 24 hours of play with the ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) switched off, or 16 hours with ANC turned on. Long enough for a long haul flight or train journey from one end of the country to the other!

Connecting the headphones is easy. There’s a QR code on the back of the packaging or in the Instructions that allows you to download the Connect App to your device, or on my laptop they just connected when taken out the carry case and my laptop Bluetooth mode was switched to “Discover Mode”. The earbuds have a really useful feature whereby they can tell if you are taking them out, they automatically pause what they’re playing, the start again when you put them back in your ears.

Buying the Edifier TWS1 Pro 2 Earbuds won’t break the bank and you don’t need any extras with them such as a case or spare sets of ear pieces. The different size ear pieces make it easy to adapt them to any size ear whether for children or adults. The carry case fits nicely into a pocket so the only problem I would see with these earbuds is if you lose one!

The sound quality is excellent, so it’s surprising that they cost as little as they do, plus they’re on sale at the moment on Amazon for £49.99. As with all Edifier headphones, they’re not just a one trick pony whereby they deliver sound, but they have extra features that make them more comfortable, less frustrating and easily adaptable.

Available online for £69.99 (£49.99 at Amazon on sale):

Teeter Rocker

Children, Family Life, 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.

Children need lots of stimulation and the best way to do this is through play. Rockers are great for children as they encourage children to be active and they also help their balance and movement, especially when they discover that they can rock it by themselves. We’ve had our fair share of rocking toys over the years and the Teeter Rocker has to be the most unusual of them all. Created by the Fat Brain Toy Co the Teeter Rocker is a solid plastic toy and is suitable for children aged 3 to 10 years, with a maximum weight of 50kg. It is nice and solid and measures approximately 28 inches x 11.5 inches with a depth of 7.5inches. The thing that is different with this rocker is it has suckers on the bottom so when you play with it on a hard surface, like a wooden floor or patio, the suction from the suckers grips and releases as the child moves, creating a fun popping sound which our mini reviewers loved. The base is rounded meaning you can move it many different ways – forwards and backwards, side to side and even spin round on it too.

The toy has really captured our mini reviewers attention and they keep going back to it. Whilst it has been wet they have played with it indoors, it pops really well on our tiled kitchen floor and when it stopped raining they have taken it outside to play with on the patio and grass. Our 3 year old is small enough to sit in it and enjoys being gently rocked but is also learning that by moving his body he can rock it himself, it’s great to see his face light up when he spins round in it. Our 7 year old is more adventurous and has been trying keeping his balance whilst standing on it.

I have loved hearing the children playing with it this week, there’s been lots of shrieks and giggles as they discover new ways to play with it and it has been great seeing them play together with it and seeing who can do the most daring trick with it! It’s incredibly sturdy and is a great toy for helping their development and it is already a firm favourite with them.

RRP: £29.99

Stockists include: Happy Puzzle Company, Amazon and Smyths

Audio Pro A10 MKII Wireless Multiroom Speaker

Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home & Garden, Tech

We received the speaker as a review sample but all words and opinions are our own.

Music is important to me, I enjoy sitting down in an evening and listening to a playlist through the stereo in our living room. Most of the time though, I’m listening to music whilst doing other things, working in the office or cooking and eating in the kitchen. In these rooms I’m limited to how to listen, I can wear headphones or just listen to music through the speaker on my phone but it just isn’t the same as listening on a proper sound system. This is where a wireless speaker comes in. The Audio Pro A10 MKII is a high quality speaker that connects to my network and allows me to stream music from anywhere in the house. It is part of the Audio Pro Multiroom system so can be combined and grouped with extra devices to play music across the house. It supports AirPlay2 and Google Cast along with Audio Pro Multiroom.

With a sophisticated dark grey cloth finish and metal controls (also available in light grey) the Scandinavian design fits discreetly in any room of the house and standing 193mm high and 140mm across it isn’t too large to get in the way. It feels high quality and weighs 1.5kg.

Setup of the speaker is easy with an app though although once it’s connected the speaker can be used on its own. There are three ways to connect, a direct connection over wifi is the main one but it’s easy to connect a phone using Bluetooth 5.0 or other music sources through a 3.5mm jack. On the rear of the speaker is a threaded socket allowing the speaker to be wall or ceiling mounted.

I mainly use Spotify for my music and once setup the speaker simply appears in the list of devices. For radio I’m a BBC fan so use their iPlayer app so I can use casting to send the radio onto the speaker. For all its good looks the sound quality is obviously the most important feature of any speaker and the A10 does not disappoint. It easily fills a room with music without a hint of distortion and though you’re never going to shake the foundations with a small speaker it is certainly good enough for me and I’d be happy listening to this anytime.

I mostly use my phone to control the music but there are a number of buttons on the top panel allowing you to play/pause, change the source or volume and four presets. I liked how these work, just start playing a Spotify playlist then hold the button. The playlist can be recalled at any time with just a press of the button. The only obvious missing feature is a skip button but it isn’t a major omission.

Using the app gives access to a few more features including a sleep timer, alarm clock and adjustment of the bass and treble.

Overall, I love the Audio Pro A10 MKII speaker, it is easy to link to my phone and has wonderful sound quality and would be a great addition to any home.

RRP £220 available from Audio Pro

Papersmith Calypso Notebook and Primo Pen

Birthday Gifts, Books, Children, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Learning, Stocking Fillers, Women

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

If you’re like me and relish the thought of a new notebook to start journaling, making to do lists or sorting out your life, then Papersmiths is a brand you’ll love. If you’re returning to school or university, the colour options of both notepad and combination pen work as a lovely gift too.

Papersmiths’ A5 Notebooks are soft covered and come in 9 different colours. Unlike other notebooks, each one has numbered pages, going up to 236 pages in all and the page numbers are coloured as you progress through the book. We were sent a ruled-page version but you can also have plain pages or 5mm dot grid, depending on what you want to use it for. The notepad is bound with a thick 15mm spine and has a double contents page at the front for ease of making notes.

The cover is British made, in the Lake District and the inner pages are made especially for fountain pen ink, although you can use any pen or pencil and it’s bound together in Buckinghamshire, England by a 4^thgeneration binder.

The accompanying ball point pen you can see in the photos is also part of the Papersmith range. The Primo Pen, which is new to the available stock, is aluminium made for hardiness as well as being light to hold and has brass accents. I especially liked that this ballpoint writes really finely, much finer than mass produced ballpoint pens and doesn’t leave heavy ink blobs on the page when you put the nib down to write. There’s a nice flow to your writing when the ink is constant and easy. It may be pricy for a pen, but you can buy refills from the Papersmith website so that your pen can keep going for a lifetime! If however you prefer a different thickness of line, you can swap out the refills from ballpoint to gel and change the style of ink to suit your needs. They’re available in 6 colours to match or compliment your notebook.

Papersmiths also have a range of stationery accessories available, such as pen clips, notebook bands, diaries and desk planners as well as the refills mentioned above. You can also ask for the notebooks to be personalised before it’s sent out, and gift wrapped too!

I shall be using my new Calypso notebook for journaling ideas and using the page numbers to create a content at the front for future reference. Colour coding my notebooks in the future won’t be difficult with the ample amount of colours available on the Papersmith website, and for anyone using the notebooks for school or university, you will find it easy to use these beautiful notebooks.

Notebook (Calypso) available for £22.00:

Calypso Notebook

Primo Pen (Peacock) available for £14.00:

Primo Pen – Peacock Green

TOMY Megasketcher

Children, Christmas, Family Life, 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.

We’re half way through the school holidays and the weather has been absolutely dreadful, with a lot more rainy days than dry ones, meaning we’ve had to spend more time indoors than I would have liked. Luckily our mini reviewers enjoy drawing, so they have been busy creating plenty of masterpieces with the Megasketcher from TOMY.

The Megasketcher measures 35cm x 45cm and has a handle at the top, allowing it to be easily carried around by children. It can be used on a desk, the floor or on their knee allowing them to draw wherever they prefer to be. The great thing about it is you don’t need pens or paper so there’s none of the mess or waste that art sessions in our house normally bring!

With a magnetic pencil (attached to the board with a cord so no chance of losing it) and four shape stampers, the only thing they need is a bit of imagination! They can draw or write on the board and the shapes are great for adding extra detail to the pictures. Once they have finished, simply move the orange knob up to magically erase the picture and then they are ready to start again.

As well as being great fun and encouraging creativity, it has really helped our mini reviewers learn how to hold a pen properly and has helped their hand-eye co ordination.

Megasketcher has been the best in the field of magnetic drawing boards for almost 30 years, I remember having one as a child and it’s just as fascinating using one now as it was all those years ago! I’m not sure who is having the most fun with it – me or them!!

RRP: £18.99

Suitable for ages 3+

Available from Smyths, Argos, Amazon, Very, Littlewoods, John Lewis and Independent Toy Retailers

Readly Subscription

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, Books, camping, Christmas, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Summer, Valentine's Day Gifts, Women

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

It’s holiday time again and we’re off in the motorhome. We love our road trips but living in such a compact space does have its challenges, the most difficult perhaps – clutter! It is so easy to take too much stuff and with limited space you end up constantly moving it from the table to the bed and back again!

We both love reading and before any trip stock up on a few magazines. I like tech and model making but might pick something different just for a change. My wife likes food and gardening magazines, but it does mean that wherever you try to sit there is a magazine in the way!

This time I’m going to avoid this problem entirely by not taking any magazines with me, but I won’t miss out because I have a Readly subscription that allows me to pick from a massive number of different magazines and read them on my tablet or phone.

There is a huge choice, my usual favourites are there but there are also titles that I might not normally choose and they’re all available for one monthly price.

Sometimes we struggle for internet (we do choose so out of the way places to camp) but that’s not a problem either, we can download magazines to the tablet and read them later. Once we’re done, delete the files and start again.

I wasn’t too sure how I’d take to reading on a screen, but I found it to be brilliant, the pages are rendered in a very high quality and if I needed larger text the page zooms easily. I was just as impressed with the app on my phone! Whilst the screen is not a big as my tablet, many magazines use an “Article View” that re-formats each article for better reading on a mobile device. All the content remains the same, but it is presented in a more natural scrolling experience.

With over 7000 titles available it could be easy to get lost, but each publication is categorised and once you find a magazine you like you can add it to your favourites. Not only are the current editions available but many magazines have back issues too, one of the magazines I occasionally dip into is The Magpi, looking at that the back issues are available back to August 2018 which will keep me going for a while!

At £9.99 per month, a Readly subscription isn’t much more than some magazines and allows you to read as many as you like without worrying if you’re going to enjoy them or not, just move on and download another!

There is currently an offer on the website where you can try it for a month free of charge – perfect for summer holiday reading!

Kikkerland Wooden Pinball Game

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Learning, secret santa, Stocking Fillers

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

With Christmas approaching, we’re all looking for the perfect gift for the perfect occasion. Have you thought about the stocking fillers yet though? What about Secret Santa?

Kikkerland have masses of items available for Christmas this year including these Wooden Pinball Games. Each hand-held game works in the same way as the traditional pinball machines, with 5 ball bearings, a spring shooter and points to be made. Children will love being able to pull back the spring and count up the points they earn, or if they don’t have the dexterity yet, they can wobble the game so that the balls end up in the right goals. It’s great for children under 7 to get their fine motor skills honed and allow them to learn about physics, gravity and keep them occupied. This would be great for the car or on plane journeys as it’s small (only 13.7cm by 9cm) and very hardy because it’s made of plywood with a plastic front.

They’re not just for children either. What about buying one as a Secret Santa? Or for a teenager with the obligatory notes of money attached to it? They’re easy to post as well so will fit into an envelope and be sent off overseas as a parcel.

It’s pretty addictive too! Trying to get all the silver ball bearings into the goals is really difficult without tipping the game one way or the other, and once they are in, you have to kept it dead still so that they don’t roll out again!

There are 3 games to collect; owl, bear and frog, each with a different pattern of goals and distractors. Can your household get maximum points scored in each of the games – and keep them that way?

Acailable from £13 online at: https://kikkerlandeu.com/products/wooden-pinball?_pos=1&_sid=57f627a94&_ss=r

Zero Ready-Read Water Filter Jug

Children, Family Life, Food & Drink, health, Home, Home & Garden

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

Zero Water have a new water filter jug available which not only filters out all of the dissolved solids in your tap water, but this filter is both a pourable jug and has a dispensing spigot.

What’s a spigot? It’s that attachment you find on office water coolers where you lift the lever and dispense the water straight into your cup or water bottle. Makes life much easier with little ones around!

The Zero Ready-Read Water Filter holds 2.8 litres in all, which is 12 cups and the pack comes with a filter included and a handy TSD meter. The TSD meter reads. The Total Dissolved Solids in parts per million, giving you an indication of how un-pure your tap water really is. The Zero Ready-Read filters out a guaranteed 100% of the dissolved solids in your water. The meter allows you to test your water before and after filtration to see the difference, and it’s also handy to see when your Zero filter cartridge needs changing – as soon as there is a reading above ‘zero’ on the meter, you need to change the cartridge!

The cartridge has 5 stages of filtration. Fine sediments are taken out at the top of the cartridge, then suspended solids. Organic contaminants are then filtered out, which helps prevent bacteria from forming. Inorganic compounds, metals and non-metals are then removed and lastly the ultra-fine sediments are taken out to leave pure water. If you’re doing the dissolved solids test with the TSD meter, you’ll learn quickly what the difference is between your tap water and the Zero filtered water if you just taste before and after. There’s a marked difference between the two and it takes a while to get used to the taste difference.

The other differences are on your kettle and when making tea or coffee. The kettle doesn’t fur up with limescale anywhere near as quickly, if at all, when you live an extremely hard water area like I do. Tea tastes different because you haven’t got the added minerals and it leaves no film on top when you make the tea. Coffee also filters really quickly because you’re not adding any other minerals to the coffee filtering through and again, it leaves a different taste.

The Zero cartridges aren’t small, so if you’re thinking of buying one of these I would make sure you have room for not just the filter (which can fit in the door of most fridges) but also have room for the spare cartridges. You can buy the spare cartridges through the Zero Water website and other online retailers, and the website has a subscription service as the filters last on average a month at a time, depending on how much you use the filters. Test with the TSD meter before you replace them though and then you’ll get the maximum value from your subscription.

I’ve tried other filters in the past, and the Zero Water filters are the only ones which remove ALL of the dissolved solids from the water and have the capacity to filter out larger volumes of water, like the Zero Ready-Read Water Filter can.

Available online from £44.99 at:

ZeroWater 12 Cup / 2.8L Ready-Read™ Jug

Higgidy Snacking and Picnic Food

Children, Family Life, Food & Drink, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

We did intend to bring you lots of products to showcase an amazing summer, picnics outside and BBQ season, but given the weather, we’re sitting indoors comfort eating instead!

Despite the weather, Higgidy have a massive range of foods for sharing, snacking, picnics and to cater for vegan and vegetarian friends. Their handy sharing sizes and snacking mini quiches make them ideal for any time of year, not just summer, and can be for lunch or dinner too. We were sent a selection of items to try out, including;

Smoked Salmon & Spinach Quiche
Bang Bang Cauliflower Dinky Vegan Rolls
Sunblush Tomato & Cheddar Mini Muffins
Cheddar & Spinach Mini Muffins
Spinach, Feta & Red Pepper Little Lattices

Quite the variety! The snacks we were sent were vegetarian, not vegan, with the exception of the Smoked Salmon & Spinach Quiche. I had tried one or two of the Higgidy foods before but never any of this variety, so picnic I did… albeit indoors!

All of the foods can be eaten straight from the box cold, or heated up. I preferred to have them heated but it depends how you like the eat them. As part of a packed lunch, they’re perfect because they’re already prepared, there’s nothing that needs adding to them and you can eat a selection at a time or a whole quiche for instance. The sharing boxes are designed to pack easily for picnics or taking out with children. The boxes are also great for hands to dip into and share!

I loved the Smoked Salmon & Spinach Quiche with its light fluffy texture and ultra thin crust. I warmed it in the oven and it’s very easy to eat just with a fork. The Spinach, Feta & Red Pepper Little Lattices are like little pockets where you can’t taste either the feta or the vegetables but they are there, and combined create a lovely ensemble. The Sunblush Tomato & Cheddar Mini Muffins and Cheddar & Spinach Mini Muffins were each delicious when warmed in the oven, with my favourite being the Cheddar & Spinach Mini Muffins. They’re really filling but very soft, especially when warmed and each of them has a lovely flavour of Cheddar Cheese to them. The Bang Bang Cauliflower Dinky Vegan roles were a hit in my house because of their lovely spicy flavour to them, but all vegan so there’s some healthy veg in there too!

Higgidy have ample more food on their website and selected supermarkets store a whole range of their sharing nibbles and snacks, including Waitrose and Ocado:

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/shop/search?&searchTerm=higgidy

Blue Goose Eco Coffee Pod Advent Calendar

advent calendar, Christmas, coffee, eco friendly, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Home & Garden, Plastic free, Sustainable

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

Every advent, what could you buy your other half that you know they would truly love, and need, without breaking the bank? The Blue Goose Coffee Pod Advent Calendar!

Before you rush out and get the calendars for the kids, have a look at this grown-up calendar. With all 24 days of advent, there are Nespresso compatible, organic coffee pods behind every door. They’re also compostable too!

There are 8 different flavours behind the windows, each with different colouring so that you can tell which is which. From Award-Winning Peruvian, Ethiopian Forest Coffee and even Swiss Water Decaff, there’s something for everyone. Plus, you get to try some coffee blends you wouldn’t normally buy, just without the price tag!

At just under £25 at the moment (Blue Goose have a sale on) it means that each pod is a little over £1 each – much cheaper than Nespresso and these pods are able to be made in the regular Nespresso machines. The recommended shot volume is 35ml with a maximum of 65ml. There’s a nice variety of flavours in this calendar, so you don’t get bored but you don’t feel like there are too many to choose from. The menu on the back makes it easy to work out which flavour you are brewing by the letters behind the windows.

Although made by Blue Goose, these pods are all Nespresso and Calendar machine compatible, but as you can imagine, at a lower price. The pods are all home-compostable and are both plastic and aluminium free. As a Carbon Neutral company, they also pride themselves on being community conscious and provide employment to local Devon people with disabilities. Blue Goose have also recently won a BOOM award from the Soil Association for being able to demonstrate their support for the organic industry.

Rather than spend this Christmas on the big names, Blue Goose is the alternative that’s more environmentally friendly, organic and yet still has delicious coffee!

Available on sale at £24.99 (regular price £29.99) at: https://bluegoose.coffee/products/advent-calendar

Bold Bean Co Jars of Beans

Family Life, Food & Drink, health, Sustainable, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

Here’s a world you didn’t know existed – jars of beans! And we don’t mean baked beans; no these Bold Beans Co beans come in huge 700 gram jars of all sorts of beans to add to recipes, make fajitas, create sauces with and even ear raw if you want to!

Why are beans becoming such an important piece of our diets nowadays? Along with the vegan and vegetarian update since lockdown, beans are the unsung heroes of farming. Did you know that legumes are natural fertilizers? The nitrogen nodules produced by the roots of beans actually put nutrients back into the soil without any work being put into them. This benefits future crops and other food being grown around them. Beans are also an easy, cheap source of protein and fibre plus they can keep you full for longer thereby making meals go further. The versatility of the bean means it can be added to lots of dishes, mashed up and used as a base or even turned into snacks.

The shear variety of beans available out there probably passes you by unless you are an avid bean gardener. Think about all the different dishes available and cuisines from around the world; you probably know of more beans than you realise! Do you actively cook with these superfoods though?

Bold Bean Company have a range of beans available so sent us a selection of their bestselling beans which is also available online as part of their ‘Taste the Range’. The 6 jars that were sent to us were;

Queen Red Beans

Queen Black Beans

Queen Chickpeas

Queen Butter Beans

Organic White Beans

Organic Chickpeas

I’d heard of most of them but didn’t really know anything about them nor how to cook with them. Thankfully, there are recipes available on the Bold Bean Co website, but we decided to try the Queen Butter Beans in this mince casserole (along with olives and a tomato sauce) and to roast the Queen Chickpeas in the oven with some oil and spices to make a snack.

The first thing I should note in reviewing these jars are that they are BIG! If you aren’t used to storing big jars or don’t have a fridge big enough, then I would suggest with the smaller varieties. I had to rearrange my fridge shelves for the opened jars and find a space for the unopened ones to use later. Secondly, some of the jar lids were very, very tight and required a trip to my neighbours’ house for them to open!

Each of the bean varieties have been sourced for their flavour. Once they are slow cooked to bring out the natural taste and preserve the nutrients as best as possible, they are seasoned and jarred. They’re not suspended in water though – this is bean stock, created so that the beans can marinate in a proper legume stock to keep in the flavour, nutrients and ensure the beans remain soft and don’t dry out. The bean stock can be used in soups or stews after the jar is finished with, saving you time but probably adding nutrients and flavour to a dish you wouldn’t normally use.

I added the Queen Butter Beans to a mince meat stew I had stored in the freezer in order to make a quick meal. Adding the beans along with some olives made it not only healthier but tasty too. The Queen Butter Beans (which won a Great Taste Award in 2021) are surprisingly not like butter beans you’re used to on the salad counter. These giant sized beans are creamier, but not mushy and have a slightly sweeter taste to them than canned beans that have been saturated for too long. There’s a proper taste to them, and adding them to another dish means they soak up the flavours whilst adding a texture all of their own. These Queen Butter Beans would be great for babies who are weaning onto solid food. They’re easily mashed!

The second beans I tried were the Queen Chickpeas. Bigger than the jar of Organic Chickpeas (which are great for salads, soups, broths etc) I chose these because of how I wanted to cook them. Forking a handful off onto kitchen paper, I dried them out slightly, put them in an oven dish with some oil and sprinkled them lightly with chilli. As I was already cooking the mince meat stew, at the same temperature (180C) I roasted the chickpeas as a snack that can be eaten later. 35 minutes in the oven and they were lightly roasted, but not mushy at all, and had soaked up the oil and the chilli. Careful not to use too much chilli though because it goes a lot further than you think!

As there are 500 grams of beans in the whole jar (200 grams of the bean broth makes up the full amount of 700 grams) then I will be pacing myself on using the rest of the beans. The Queen Black Beans will be brilliant for fajitas (my favourite dish!) and tacos; the Organic Chickpeas for salads when I will be able to use them cold and the Queen Red and Queen White Beans can be used in stews and casseroles where I don’t normally use them, and give some lovely colour.

I’ve only had one meal and one snack from the beans so far… I suspect the giant 700 gram jars are a ploy to get me addicted to each of the beans slowly so that I become reliant on them in my every day cooking and the easy of just opening the jar and taking what I want but so far, I’ve enjoyed what I’ve tried and been nicely surprised by the texture, taste and quality of them.

I think once more people cotton onto the properties of beans and how healthy they are, Bold Bean Co will become a favourite for everyone!

Bold Bean Co have recently won a BOOM award from the Soil Association for being able to demonstrate their support for the organic industry.

Taste the Range set of beans available for £25 at:

Taste the Range

Cherry Blossom Shoe Polish and Sneaker Cleaner

Autumn, Children, Family Life, Fashion, Home, Home & Garden, Summer

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

Back to school means new uniform, maybe a whole new school and for most children, new school shoes as well. It’s not just the neatly polished black lace-ups which they will need, but the sports shoes or plimsoles as well as sneakers to change into a break time for the most important of playground football matches.

Maybe new shoes aren’t needed? What if you can buff up their last pair enough to make them last another term? Cherry Blossom, the only remaining British manufacturer of shoe polish, have a range of shoe polishes in different colours, plus a handy Midsole Reviver Kit for cleaning midsole trainers. We were sent the kit and polish, along with a Sneaker Shield spray to try out before school starts. Yes, I realise it’s only just August but stay with me on this!

The photo above is a pair of my white, summer plimsoles and my black, winter ankle boots. The ankle boots really should have been ditched years ago because of the discolouration of walking in the rain with them on and not keeping them buff but they’re so well made and so comfy that I can’t part with them. Cherry Blossom to the test! Using the Cherry Blossom Black Shoe Polish, the instructions say to work the polish into the leather and leave before shining the polish off with a soft brush. Using an old sock, I worked ample polish into each boot, including the heels, and left for a couple of hours. Once the polish had dried, I used a soft shoe brush to shine up the leather. It takes a little while and some effort to remove the loose polish and bring the leather up to standard, and I probably could have done more, but I’m pretty happy with the transformation I got, and only in few hours! The leather was nourished and not cracking or discoloured with watermarks any longer, making them look newer than they are and ready to be seen out in public again, which you can see in the second photo.

The Cherry Blossom Midsole Revival Kit is for keeping your trainers clean, especially the fashionable white ones! The kit comprises of the Foam Cleaner, a small application brush and cloth. Pumping the foam onto dry trainers (they can be wet but it’s not essential) then brushing in the solution to work out any of the stains and mud. With a quick, light rinse, you might need to apply again with really stubborn stains.

My white plimsoles took a while to dry and several applications of the foam to get rid some of the mud stains and ground in dirt from walking around dusty cities. As an added tip, leave white clothes and shoes in the summer sun and this will help the products bleach out any stains, especially organic stains.

The white shoes came up very well after a second application of the cleaning foam, but they did need rinsing a few times which left them wet and it’s not easy to see the effect until they’re dry! They’re definitely cleaner though.

Finish off your trainers with the Sneaker Shield from Cherry Blossom to fight off the rain and stains that inevitably come from getting wet. Great for the walk to and from school or autumnal breaktimes when kicking a ball about in the wet leaves at school!

Cherry Blossom Polish, £2.00: https://cherryblossom.co.uk/products/shoe-polish?_pos=1&_sid=eeb168a60&_ss=r

Cherry Blossom Midsole Revival Kit, £11.45: https://cherryblossom.co.uk/products/midsole-reviver-kit

Cherry Blossom Sneaker Shield, £7.45: https://cherryblossom.co.uk/products/sneaker-shield

Audio Pro T3+ Peter Eugén Bluetooth Speaker

camping, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Home & Garden, Tech

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

Gear yourself up for the Christmas gift buying season by familiarising yourself with the latest gadgets out there. You won’t be disappointed by all that Bluetooth speakers can do nowadays, and I bet there’s at least someone in your life who could benefit from one!

Audio Pro are the Swedish speaker company who have been in operation for over 40 years. Their website shows the full range of different speakers they have on offer including multiroom speakers, Tv speakers, speakers which connect with smart apps and Bluetooth speakers like the Audio Pro T3+ which we have been reviewing.

In conjunction with self-taught artist and designer Peter Eugén, Audio Pro have created the Addon T3+ Bluetooth speaker. The collaboration is made even more special by the fact that the Addon T3+ is a special edition created by Peter who is best known for his rock music portraits and recent watercolours. So with these two artistic worlds meeting to make cutting edge technology, what can you expect?

The Audio Pro T3+ Bluetooth speaker has 1 woofer and 2 tweeters in a sand coloured frame with brass accessories. The buttons on the top are for on/standby, Bluetooth pairing, BT/AUX source selection and volume. At the back, there’s a USB charging port, power connection and AUX, with cables provided in the box. You’ll spot in the photos that this limited edition also has a “Peter Eugén” edition plate too, so you know you’re the owner of a select few!

Although the T3+ can connect with AUX to any appliance, this is after all a Bluetooth 4.0 speaker so that’s how I initially set it up. There’s instructions both in the box and online but if you’re like me and want to play with the gadgets first, you’ll find it easy to get started. Simply turn the speaker on, click the Pair button and your laptop, phone or anything Bluetooth compatible will be able to find it. Pair up and it’s as easy as that – just start playing the music.

The Audio Pro T3+ supports various sound systems including Apple, MP3, WMA and FLAC. It also supports whatever you play on your device so I went onto YouTube and played a movie soundtrack through the speaker with ease. The battery lasts for up to 12 hours on full volume if fully charged, and 30 hours on half volume. Speaking of the volume, I was pleasantly surprised at how loud this speaker could go, far greater than any of my devices but also louder than what I could attain with other Bluetooth speakers.

The quality of the sound is very good, given that it only has one woofer. The balance is excellent with no dead spots around the speaker where there isn’t a balance. For the price of this speaker, I would say the quality of the sound is superb and the ese of use makes it excellent value for money.

The colour of the casing might put off some of the teenagers who are undoubtedly the target audience for the price range. However, for the grown ups, who appreciate the design and who Peter Eugén is, the speaker makes a big impact and can be used for anything including taking outdoors or as a speaker in the office during the day. The ease of carrying it around and setting up are the main plus points.

I look forward to seeing what else the innovative Audio Pro come up with next in their speaker range but in the meantime, I’ll keep playing The Stones on my T3+.

Available from £180 at: https://www.audiopro.com/en/product/addon-t3/#black

Yankee Candle Autumn Daydream

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Home, Home & Garden, Women

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

Hardcore fans of Yankee Candle know that the new range of Daydreaming of Autumn candles are out now, perfect for planning your autumn indoors. Who can tell what the weather will do from now on?

The collection includes 4 new candles; Autumn Daydream, Pumpkin Maple Crème Caramel, Mulled Sangria, and Evening Riverwalk. We were sent Autumn Daydream to review for you our readers and to give you a taste of what the rest of the collection has in store.

All of the scented candles have a rich, woody fragrance to compliment the season as the nights become longer and the weather (probably) turns cooler. Part of the Signature Large Jar collection, this candle has a subtle, clove scent, warm with the colours of autumn and with the rich hue of clove to go with it. There’s also lavender, balsam and eucalyptus added into the blend to give a more rounded feel to the burning candle. I can also smell rhubarb in the mix too, which is evocative of autumn for me as we always grew it at home when I was growing up. The forest feeling lingers with the eucalyptus and lavender which are also calming and reminiscent of the summer being over and winter soon approaching.

The candle weighs 567 grams and is available in large (as seen in this photo), medium and 5-wick tumbler. It has a burn time of 60-90 hours so will last a long time on those long evenings before Christmas, and the two wicks means it burns evenly. The jar and lid make it easy to store when not using and I particularly like being able to extinguish the candle by just placing the lid on top to stop the oxygen getting in.

The scent stays consistently the same throughout the whole burn time thanks to the high quality ingredients and the soy wax blend that prevents the colour and scents from separating out when burning.

Whether for yourself or as a gift this autumn, there are ample choices at Yankee Candle for that atmospheric, relaxing home candle.

Autumn Daydream is available for £29.99 at: https://www.yankeecandle.co.uk/yankee-candle/candles/shop-by-type/signature-large-jar-candles/autumn-daydream/ORCL_1743378E.html

Clearspring Organic Seaveg Crispies

Children, Family Life, Food & Drink, 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.

I’m a huge lover of sushi and even make it at home for my family so when we were offered these Clearspring Seaveg Crispies, there was no hesitation, especially when we heard that Clearspring won a BOOM Award from The Soil Association!

If you’ve never tried seaweed on its own before, it’s an incredibly light, thin snack with a taste of heavy greens. It’s a lot like a lighter version of kale that’s been roasted and dried, but the Clearspring Seaveg Crispies are more than just flattened ocean vegetation – they’re organic and flavoured with either Chilli, Turmeric or ginger as well as the original flavour. Seaweed is packed with all sorts of nutrients including iron, and as an added bonus, it’s better for the environment because it’s grown in the sea and doesn’t take up landmass needed for other essential food groups. Seaveg Crispies are also Soil Association certified, meaning it’s certified to be of a high standard of organic food production.

Each pack is only 23 calories, which isn’t surprising when you realise there’s only 4 grams in each pack. However, each pack of Seaveg is gluten free, high in fibre, vegan and has no additives or preservatives. There’s only some sunflower oil, sea salt and whichever added flavouring you choose. I started with the Chilli which is actually pretty hot, so not one for children! I really enjoyed them though and the handy packs and how light they are mean they can be taken to work or out on picnics with you. They may be thin and light but they are big in both taste and personality!

The other flavours are just as strong and variety is a good thing when you need a different kind of snack. Organic and healthy snacks are so often full of additives and over processed that they’re not as healthy as you would think. Clearspring Organic Seaveg Crispies have so little processing and additional ingredients that there isn’t any danger of you feeling frustrated with them and the iron content is great when you need a pick-me-up. Talk about a varied diet – I bet you can’t say you’ve eaten anything like it this week, can you?

The Original Seaveg Crispies flavour is great for children to take to school in lunchboxes or if you need to get some fibre or iron into babies too, as it’s easily mashable into something like avocado or even an evening meal. I wouldn’t be surprised if the leaves of Seaveg would fit into a child’s size portion of lasagne too, replacing the pasta to make a healthy alternative.

From £1.29 available at Ocado and online at: https://www.clearspring.co.uk/collections/products/products/organic-seaveg-crispies-chilli-crispy-seaweed-thins

GRIND Coffee and Henry Holland

Birthday Gifts, coffee, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Home & Garden, Plastic free, Subscription Boxes

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

Coffee lovers everywhere are aware of GRIND, the Shoreditch based independent coffee company who have gone astronomical in the last few years. If you’re not aware of them, then where have you been?

GRIND pride themselves on being, “The planet’s favourite coffee” after opening a Shoreditch coffee shop, then having fresh roasted coffee delivered to your door. No doubt the pandemic helped with the popularity of home delivered coffee but since then, GRIND have launched a Nespresso compatible pod which biodegrade in a matter of weeks, launched a charity (The Better Coffee Foundation) and now have a collaboration with artists, including Henry Holland.

We were sent a lovely sample of their House Blend straight from their Shoreditch office, and along with it, one of the Henry Holland special edition coffee tin. There are other homeware items available too, and there will be more in the future which compliment your coffee tastes and kitchen together.

The Home Roast flavour of coffee is what Cheddar is to cheese – if you’re a lover of the stuff, you’ll go for the best available out there and ignore the cheap imitations whilst at the same time you can’t not like it. The Home Roast is a rich flavour without any of the bells and whistles often added (or claimed to have) from other roaster. It’s just good, honest coffee anyone can enjoy with the versatility to be used in any type of latte, cappuccino or anything else you want to try. Actually, this would be a good coffee for an awesome tiramisu wouldn’t it?

The Henry Holland Coffee tin is not only handy but beautiful. Before today, in our house we only kept the opened coffee in their resealable packets, leaving them open to the moisture in the air. Now, we have the perfect sealed tin to keep coffee fresh and it’s got all the feels of a trendy kitchen too! Able to store the GRIND bag of coffee (225 grams worth) it fits nicely in the mug cupboard or behind the kettle for daily use.

Henry Holland also produces a limited edition coffee mug, which is currently out of stock. I’m sure there will be more products and more collaborations in the future though!

GRIND Coffee and Henry Holland Tin (you can choose your coffee) available for £14.00 at: https://grind.co.uk/products/henry-holland-whole-bean-and-ground

Lo Bros Kombucha Cola

Drinks and Mixers, Family Life, Fitness, Food & Drink, Lunchbox Fillers, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

If you’re looking for a healthier drink this summer, or something that’s just that bit different compared to what you normally summer on, then have a look at the Lo Bros Kombucha Cola and drinks. Kombucha is fermented tea (green tea and black tea fermented with sugar) to produce a drink with live cultures. Lo Bros have taken this a step further and produced a canned drink with a cola taste and just as much fizz and bubble as you would assume. Oh, and they’ve produced two other versions that they’ve sent us to try too! Meet Ginger & Lemon and Passion Fruit too!

Each of the drinks are made with natural ingredients and are naturally low in sugar. The 250ml cans replace plastic bottles too, so you’re doing your bit for the environment as well as using the most efficient way of keeping the fizz in with the carbonated drinks. It’s low in calories too – just 6 calories per can.

What do they taste like though? I was surprised that the Lo Bros Kombucha Cola tasted like cola. It has that slightly sweet taste but isn’t too effervescent nor overly sticky in taste. The can was just the right amount for a glass to have with lunch and certainly doesn’t feel like a ‘health drink’ because it’s not heavy nor is it really synthetic.

The Ginger & Lemon was very refreshing! It’s like a fizzy cordial without the sugary taste, just the energising citrus and spicy ginger taste. It works well with ice and is probably best when straight out of the fridge. I also liked the Passion Fruit flavour, which like the other flavours is low in sugar, natural and has live cultures. It’s more of a fruity taste, with a slight sweetness to it. I think it would appeal to children more than the other drinks and can be drunk either cold from the fridge or slightly warmer and in a lunchbox.

Over time, the effects of the kombucha are more beneficial than the sugary shop-bought cans we are used to seeing advertised everywhere so I hope that these Lo Bros Kombucha drinks become more popular and appeal to a wide variety of people who prefer these flavours and reach for the kombucha rather than the brands!

Available from 42 pence a can (£5 for 12) at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lo-Bros-Kombucha-Sugar-250ml/dp/B0BNND9CCY?ref_=ast_sto_dp

Marshall Middleton Bluetooth Speaker

Birthday Gifts, camping, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Home & Garden, Mobile Phone, Summer

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

“Play, pause and crank up the volume…”

I was so excited to be receiving a Marshall Bluetooth speak to review, but until it arrived, I had no idea that Marshall speakers were as legendary as their amps, nor did I know why.

Impressive isn’t the word. This isn’t just a speaker but a whole solution for anyone who loves music. Let’s start with what it can do as a speaker first.

Setting up on Bluetooth is so easy I didn’t need instructions. Just turn on the Marshall speaker with the brass button and after the introduction sound, press the Bluetooth button on the top of the unit to make it discoverable. My laptop Bluetooth found it immediately and connected. Easy as that, and I just played my music from my desktop straight onto the speaker. There’s a Bass and Treble control on the Marshall too, so you can adjust how you want to hear your favourite music. The main button allows you to skip, pause or rewind a tune as well and there’s an LED to tell you the battery level. On the back, it connects with AUX or a power cable which is included in the box and how you power it up, giving 20 hours overall.

“Middleton sound… built for the road.”

Marshall are one of those classic brands which last forever in folklore and until you own one, you don’t see the benefit. Much like how Apple users and Tesla drivers were mocked back in the day, once you start using the Marshall products you don’t ever want to switch back. Instead, you just find fault with all the other Bluetooth speakers out there and compare them to ‘your’ Marshall to anyone who is near you, whether they want to know about it or not!

The speaker boasts, two 3/5” tweeters, two 3” woofers and two passive radiators. In all, these are all speakers placed on each side of the Middleton speaker to create 360 degree sound. It’s not just the speaker surround sound which leads to its versatility, but other ‘nice to haves’ are in there too. For example, it can be used indoors and outdoors thanks to the water resistant casing and can last 30 minutes under water. It’s dust resident too, so it’s perfect for the beach, but if you have kids around in the summer, the odd splash, tipped over drink or falling in the dirt isn’t going to harm your Middleton. In fact, with the extra tough casing, not much is going to damage it at all. The casing is made of 55% post- consumer plastic, so it’s not all materials and it’s 100% PVC free.

Are you sold yet?

It’s perfect for festivals too. The battery holds 20 hours of charge but takes only 4.5 hours to fully charge. However, with only 20 minutes of charge you get 2 hours of solid music time – perfect if you need to charge in the car quickly before you go out. It can work as a battery pack as well, allowing you to charge up your phone or appliances using the USB-C cable. It has the most up-to-date Bluetooth 5.1 too, so you can play music from 10 metres (that’s 30 feet) with no problem. So charge your phone in the car, and you can still play your music on your Marshall. It weighs just 1.8 kilograms (that’s 4lbs) so you can carry it on as hand luggage too if you really want… but makes it great and compact for the car too.

Multi host functionality allows you to connect to two devices at once. I didn’t know what this meant, so playing around with the controls and reading the instructions I realised it meant you can connect the speaker to two different devices at once. This means it can be connected to another speaker, phone or Bluetooth device to be able to share the music. If you’re worried about plugging it in to get updates, then don’t fear as the speaker does this remotely over-the-air or you can use the Marshall app on your phone to control the music and updates.

It had never occurred to me to have more than one speaker, but for festivals, this is a great feature. You can literally play the same music across as many Marshall speakers as you like, using a multi-speaker Stack session. It’s like looking at a wall of Marshall amps across a festival stage but in miniature form!

I’m sure once you use it several times and find out how easy the controls are, there are lots of different uses for it. How about Bluetooth-ing the soundtrack to movies on your tablet? Or keeping the children playing in the other room whilst controlling the music from your office as you work? It may seem pricy for one speaker, but with everything it can do and it’s durability, it’s an investment, especially if you love your music.

As time goes on, the Middleton is built for longevity as the updates and app will include new ways of using the Marshall speaker and the craftmanship of the speaker means it will last for a very long time. The only reason you’ll need a new speaker is to stack one in every room!

Available from £269.99 at: https://www.johnlewis.com/marshall-middleton-portable-bluetooth-speaker/p110199441