Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Raising a glass of the Royal British Legion Champagne to a Coronational New Era
Decorations are in full swing and the celebrations for the Coronation are starting this week. Most of us have never seen a Coronation, but we have all heard what it was like in 1953 and how the world has changed since then.
The Royal British Legion have released three champagnes in partnership with Eminent Wines to celebrate the King’s Coronation. As the King is the head of the Armed Forces, there is no better time to release the Champagnes with 10% of each bottle sale going towards the charity.
The trio, fit for a King, includes;
Reveille (Brut) – A name inspired by the music which follows The Last Post and Two Minute Silence at Remembrance services. £45.00 per bottle. Recommend accompanying smoked salmon blinis.
Centurion (Blanc de Blanc) – A name, quite simply, in reference to one hundred years of the Royal British Legion. £55.00 per bottle. The top of the range, fit with all coronation food!
We were sent a sample of the third Champagne, a rose named Champs de Fleurs – translates from French to ‘fields of flowers,’ in reference to the fields of poppies that flourished on the Western Front following the First World War, which lead to the red poppy becoming a symbol of Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future. £55.00 per 750ml bottle. Fantastic with strawberries dipped in chocolate! This is a slightly sweeter champagne and suitable for anyone with 12% vol. Produced in France, it is 75% Chardonnay, 12.5% Pinot Noir and 12.5% Pinot Meunier.
The label itself looks lovely on the table with the poppy design and soft blush colours. This would be an amazing addition to the Street Party table, especially with the Royal Legion connection and knowing that there is also a contribution towards the charity to benefit more people.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Continuing with the celebrations around the King’s Coronation, LINDOR have released and excellent Limited Edition Coronation Milk Chocolate Box, fit for a king!
The 200 gram box of pure milk chocolate LINDOR truffle chocolates are found in a Union Jack box, perfect for sharing whilst watching the ceremony, or to adorn your table at your Coronation street party.
LINDOR have been making chocolate since 1845 and pride themselves on making any moment a LINDOR moment. Each chocolate is a shell of finest pure milk chocolate, encapsulating a similar chocolate truffle which upon reaching room temperature, melts ever-so-slightly to create a rich filling. Alternatively, you can keep the LINDOR truffle chocolates in the fridge and create a whole new experience when biting into them! If you’re partial to a LINDOR truffle, then try one of their other flavours including new LINDOR Blood Orange, LINDOR Strawberries & Cream or LINDOR Salted Caramel, all priced at £6.00 for 200 grams and available in shops or online.
I’ve always been a fan of good quality chocolate so trying these LINDOR Limited Edition Coronation truffle chocolates wasn’t a chore. Sure, they are the same milk chocolate truffles you can buy in the shops but they aren’t branded for the Coronation like these ones are! If you’re looking for more to share with your loved ones for the Coronation, then LINDOR also have the Lindt LINDOR Pick & Mix tin with a Union Jack design which is also available online or in shops. At £25.00 for the tin, it contains flavours such as Pistachio, Stracciatella and Raspberry & Cream.
The Lindt LINDOR Limited Edition Coronation Milk Chocolate box is available for a limited time from the end of April for £6.00 from Sainsbury’s, WH Smith, Tesco and www.lindt.co.uk.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
First with the Platinum Jubilee and now the Coronation, there have been lots of Union Jack products around to help us celebrate. For the Coronation this year, Ryman have a whole range of items to both help celebrate and commemorative items to remember this year. We were sent some lovely Coronation decorations and souvenirs to review from the team!
For the big street party, there’s the fabric bunting (£1.99). At 3.6 metres long, it’s enough to tie between two lampposts or adorn to the front of the house. As it’s fabric, it will be more durable in the British weather should you choose to keep it outside for longer than just the Coronation day, and can also go in the wash afterwards for you to use again.
The Union Jack 3 tier Cupcake Stand (£2.99) arrives flat packed but fits together easily. It’s made from cardboard but you can use it again and again for either cupcakes or it would suit sandwiches and scones too if you are going for the full afternoon tea. The Union Jack design makes it very photogenic for the Coronation Street Party, standing 34cm high and 39cm wide. After using it, you can easily dissemble it and pack away for another day.
We were also sent a 1000 piece Charles III jigsaw and water bottle. The Charles III jigsaw (£19.99) depicts His Majesty The King over his lifetime from boy to King, and some of the events of his life such as becoming the Prince of Wales in 1969 and his military uniforms. 1000 pieces is a family sized jigsaw, suitable for adults as well as teenagers, and makes for a fabulous pastime during the long weekend. Don’t forget that there are 3 Bank Holidays in May alone this year so you’ll have plenty of time to play with it!
The final item was the Coronation Water Bottle (£13.99). The 500ml bottle has the official Coronation crest on the front, and you have the option of personalising it for up to 20 characters, just below the logo, or you can leave it blank. The screw top bottle can be kept cold in the fridge although it can’t go in the dishwasher and is hand wash only. It’s a really useful keepsake of the Coronation as well as a lovely present for someone.
The whole Ryman range of Coronation items is available online, with a mixture of decorations, mementoes and lovely items for the street parties like Union Jack paper plates and straws. Most of the items are reusable and environmentally friendly too!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
There’s a new cheese in town! The award winning artisan 1912 Blue Stilton is made by the famous Long Clawson dairy who have released a recipe for a stilton crown to commemorate the King’s Coronation this month. We were sent some stilton to try and the recipe below for a regal Coronation Crown fit for any Royal party, or street party!
Stilton has long been the subject of love vs hate due to the strong taste and slightly gritty texture. The blue mould veins put off a lot of people and children are particularly averse to trying it. However, once you get over the obvious issues, Stilton has a taste like no other, and in combination with other flavours it makes a fantastic ingredient. I still love to eat it on it’s own, straight out of the fridge but then I’m a cheese lover so I always do this!
The 1912 Stilton isn’t as strong as other Long Clawson cheeses but still has the ripe taste of a blue cheese. It’s creamier as well, with less of the ‘grit’ that other cheeses have and I found it crumbled less when cut which makes it easier to handle. Marketed as The Real Deal, 1912 Blue Stilton has been granted DPO, which stands for Designated Protection of Origin, so you know it’s certified as a bone fide blue cheese.
If you’ve never tried blue cheese before or are put off by the taste or aroma, you could do worse than try 1912 Blue Cheese. If you’re not so sure about trying it, start with a recipe that uses 1912 as an ingredient. There are a lot of recipes on their website (the Stilton Pasta looks particularly appetising) or this recipe below is for the 1912 Coronation Crown for King Charles’ Coronation!
1912 Coronation Crown
2 x puff pastry rolls
1912 cheese
1 egg
Bunch of red grapes
1 packet of pecans
1 pomegranate
Method
Grate the cheese.
Spread out the puff pastry and sprinkle one half of the party (lengthways) with the grated 1912 cheese. Fold over the pastry (lengthways) and press down so that it is securely stuck together. Cut in half lengthways so you are left with two wide strips and then cut them in half again so you are left with 4 strips. Repeat with the other puff pastry.
Pick up the strips of pastry and rotate from each end until you have a lovely twist all the way down. Repeat for all the strips.
Line a baking tray with some greaseproof paper. Place a large upturned Perspex oven proof bowl onto the lined tray.
Tear 4 large pieces of tin foil. Mould each piece into a ball that can sit on top of the Perspex bowl. You’re creating the base for the pastry to sit on to look as close to a crown as possible.
Cut a small piece of greaseproof to go on top the tinfoil Perspex bowl so the pastry doesn’t stick.
Grab a strip of pastry and lay it over the top of the bowl so either side reaches the bottom of the bowl. You want to create a cross on top, so grab another strip and lay over the top of the other strip. Push down the pastry in the middle where the two pastry strips lay on top of each other.
Get another strip of pastry and lay it around the base of the bowl. Take another strip and lay it on the other side of the bowl so that they two pastry strips meet and you have a circle. Press together so that they join securely. Repeat with another two pastry strips that goes on top, so it’s a double layer. You’ll have a few strips left over, just pop those around the empty space on the tray.
With a whisk egg brush the pastry all over.
Pop the tray with your crown into a preheated oven 180C for 30 minutes or until golden brown and nicely risen.
Once cooked get out the oven and let it cool. Once cool then separate the crown from the bowl.
With your large 1912 cheese place onto a tray or chopping board whatever you have that is big enough and lay your crown of pastry over it!
Now time to adorn your crown with pecans around the base of the crown. Add red grapes on top of the cheese and pomegranate jewels all over the crown. And enjoy!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
The Coronation is the perfect time to bring out the best in treats. If you’re having a street party, or even just a gathering over the Coronation weekend, why not try something different?
The chocolate company FATSO have created the King’s Ransom Chocolate bar for the Coronation in the special flavour of mint, pistachio and cocoa nibs. I’ve never tried that combination before so along with the fact that the Big Bar chocolate is single origin, Columbian 60% dark chocolate this was going to be an education.
I’m not a fan of pistachio so I wasn’t expecting to like this, but actually, the combination of the flavours means you don’t taste the pistachio or mint on their own, and the texture you normally have with pistachio flavoured chocolate is not the same. There are no ‘chunks’ to work your way through, and the flavours are subtle so you won’t be overpowered by the mint, for instance. The main texture and taste that comes through is from the chocolate, which at 150g per bar is dense and very rich, but not bitter like some dark chocolate. If you’re into the more refined chocolates, rather than the traditional ‘candy’ chocolates you used to buy as children, then this is a gourmet variety which adults will enjoy tasting.
It is worth pointing out here that the quality of the chocolate makes a big difference to your experience. You can taste that it’s better excellence of ingredients, especially with the chocolate which is so smooth that you can’t eat more than a mouthful at a time. It’s very satisfying as both a snack and for the flavours that come through as you eat it, making it something which you can enjoy and yet still don’t need much of to get the full effect.
I hadn’t seen FATSO chocolate before, but the website has a range of flavours including Morn’n Glory (cornflake, toast and marmalade), Nan’s Stash (peanut, toffee and Digestive biscuit) and Home Run (salted pretzel, whole almond and honeycomb). There’s also a bundle of bars available, all online!
Available online from £6.50 at: https://sofatso.com/paytheransom/
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Lovingly Artisan produce home delivered sourdough bread, and like the name suggest, the bread is not your run-of-the-mill baker’s lot. Their sourdough loaves are created with organic ingredients near Kendal, in the British Lake District. Their slow fermentation method with heritage flours and unique flavours create some delicious breads which can be posted to your home.
For the King’s Coronation this year, the Dark Chocolate Malt Loaf with Orange. This unique malt loaf is made with Mediterranean orange peel, Belgian Chocolate and chocolate malt. Marbled into a loaf shape, it’s a hybrid of bread and malt loaf with a deep crust and soft, almost gooey centre which is sweet, chocolatey and punctuated with citrus lemon.
I had a one loaf delivered early on Saturday morning, fresh from the Kendal bakery and beautifully presented! Cutting a piece for myself, I could either eat it as it was or slather it in butter, which is my preferred method. Eaten on its own, it tastes more like a cake, but with butter and the thick crust, it makes for a tea-time treat when you add butter. You could add jam as well but I think it would detract from the taste and become too sweet. You can really taste the Belgian chocolate pieces and candied orange peel with each bite and it’s not heavy either. It has a texture more like a patisserie than bread, probably due to the lighter flour used and good quality ingredients.
I don’t usually eat bread and when I do, I make it at home so it’s a treat to have artisan bread delivered that I didn’t have to work for! I would never be so adventurous as to make a sourdough bread with added chocolate and orange but it really works. Even children would love this bread, and with the added advantage of the sourdough being good for tummies, especially with organic, heritage flour used for baking.
If you’ve never seen the Lovingly Artisan website before, have a look at the other sourdough breads including their artisan range, all of which is delivered to your door.
Celebrate the Coronation with the Lovingly Artisan Dark Chocolate Malt Loaf with Orange this May and discover the perfect sourdough you’ve been missing.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Most of us have never seen a Coronation in the UK so this year is special. Joe & Seph have launched a range of limited edition popcorns to commemorate the Coronation in a few weeks, and we’ve been reviewing them to find out what they’re like!
The two flavours which were sent to us are Bakewell Tart and Salted Caramel. Bakewell Tart, the very British dessert cake made from almond and jam is a British classic, notably from Derbyshire originally. As a lover of popcorn as well as desserts, this was an easy win for me to try and I wasn’t disappointed! The popcorn has a slight almond flavour to it, very similar to the Bakewell Tart which also has the slightly sweet, nutty flavour of almonds but without the marzipan power. I’m not a fan of marzipan so this was a fair test of how well the popcorn would favour. There’s also the sweet cherry jam flavour to the coating too, which blends in well as a delicious dessert-like taste.
The second flavour is Salted Caramel. Probably one of the most popular flavours for cakes and desserts these days, this flavour translates well into popcorn. It’s slightly sticky, and the caramel flavour comes through first, followed by the savoury sea salt. This flavour appeals to those who prefer the sweeter tasting popcorn, and this would work really well with salted caramel ice cream or in place of a dessert.
Both flavours are iconic, and popcorn has come a long way from the cinema-type of buckets we had growing up. If you’re a fan of popcorn or know anything about the Joe & Seph then these are lovely flavours to add to your store cupboard, and I think you’ll be impressed with how likeable they are, as well as different to the normal High Street shelf flavours. As ever, they are very addictive though, so stock up on these flavours whilst they’re still available!
The handmade popcorn is gluten free, has no artificial colours or preservatives and is suitable for vegetarians. Popped in London artisan kitchens, the Joe & Seph’s team have toiled to create the best popcorn they possibly can. Check out their website and social media to find out more about the flavours available, and the snacks they have which can be found in a range of stores or online.
These two flavours of popcorn are great snacks or after dinner instead of a dessert. They would be PERFECT for around the Coronation party table though, it’s just a shame that they are limited edition!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Available for Apple iPhones 12 and up, without a case.
Adding extra battery life to your iPhone is a must if you can’t be near a charging socket anywhere. Festival season in particular is a difficult time for charging phones, so any extra help for your iPhone battery is needed!
The iWALK Magnetic Wireless Power Bank is specifically designed for iPhones 12 and up, which have magnetic casings which allow wireless battery charging. The iWALK Magnetic Wireless Power Bank is designed to attach itself via its magnet to the back of your iPhone and add to the battery life. The front of the battery pack shows the percentage charge remaining, so you know how much you have available to charge your phone, and a finger ring at the back to make holding the phone easier and for the removal of the battery pack.
Each full charge of the iWALK Magnetic Wireless Power Bank gives approximately 1 full charge of your iPhone, but this can vary depending on the health of your battery and which model iPhone you have. I found that it gave roughly 1 full charge for my iPhone 12, which in addition to the 24 hours+ charge I have when I plug the phone into the wall, it gave me an extra day that I wouldn’t normally have!
To use the iWALK Magnetic Wireless Power Bank, you need to remove any extra cases on top of the iPhone then attach to the back by the built-in magnets. The battery pack with automatically start charging when you press the power button, which is located on the side. The LED display will show you the amount of charge on the battery pack and the front of the phone shows that it’s being charged. You can remove the battery pack easily and charge it up again using the provided USB cable, which doesn’t take long. You can use the LED display on the front again to see when it’s been fully charged.
It’s slimline, less than 1 inch thick and fits onto the back of your iPhone easily. The finger ring makes removing the battery easier but also works as a handle when using the phone, and as a rest for propping the phone up to read from it or to video hands-free.
As Apple iPhones move towards having magnetic cases, more chargers like the iWALK Magnetic Wireless Power Bank will become available and be handy for charging all appliances, not just iPhones. I also love that it’s available in 5 different colours too (black, white, white, red and mint green) to match your phone casing! It also has an intelligent temperature control so that it doesn’t overheat whilst charging or whilst you’re using it, which is also a safety feature.
The iWALK Magnetic Wireless Power Bank is not just a handy charging gizmo for your iPhone, but an investment for all of your future Apple products which will need magnetic charging sooner than you think.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Any iPhone user will know that their phone battery doesn’t last long at the best of times, but the more you use it and the older the phone, the quicker the battery runs out. That’s not great if you’re on holiday, out at a festival or running around after the kids and you can’t put your phone on charge. iWALK have the solution in a very handy, small and portable battery pack which plugs into your phone and charges, even whilst you’re still using it!
The iWALK Portable Charger Power Bank comes in a range of colours (we were sent the colour pink to review) and is accompanied by a USB cable so that you can charge it from any computer or socket with a USB attachment. The Portable Charger is diminutive in size at approximately 3 inches long and just over 2 inches high, it can fit into pockets, handbags and purses or even be kept attached to your phone. The USB cable is approximately 1 metre long so you can attach to your other devices, or if in travel, to the nearest USB socket. The charging plug is protected with an attached cover, so you can just snap it back and charge straight away, then put the power bank away again without damaging the charger.
The iWALK Portable Charger Power Bank delivers a full battery charge quickly (it depends on your phone battery and how much charge you already have as to how long it takes to fully charge) and can also be used on other Apple appliances which have Lightening plugs such as iPads and Apple Watch. I found that the iWALK Portable Charger Power Bank took a little over an hour to charge my phone fully, but that was when I already had about 18% charge to it. There’s a handy LED display on the front giving you an idea of how much charge the Power Bank has left.
The biggest plus of having the iWALK Portable Charger Power Bank to hand is that it’s so compact and easy to carry around, lightweight and fast too. I didn’t notice it when I went out for the day and knew I would use up all the battery on my phone, and with the charger plugged in, I was still able to use my iPhone as normal. The different colours available will match your phone case colour.
Please note, the iWALK Portable Charger Power Bank is only available for iPhones 6 – 14, including most X models.
I’m more than happy with this iWALK Portable Charger Power Bank which is a company I’d never seen before, but they have a range of products available for iphones, some of which we are reviewing later!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Since 1999, Bensons the Juicers have been making juice drinks, with a range that includes ice lollies, ciders, pressed fruit juices and juice water. This week they sent us some pressed juices and fruit infused still water, which they call, ‘Joosed Fruity Water.’
With pressed juiced flavours Apple, Mango & Apple and Raspberry & Apple, Bensons the Juicers have a range fit for summer. The bottles, incidentally, are screw top glass bottles of 250ml which are not only recyclable, but can be reused for picnics or storing drinks in the fridge at a later date. Other flavours available include Orange, Mulled Apple & Cinnamon and Elderflower & Apple.
The pressed fruit drinks are deliciously authentic with a slight sharpness to them, which would be expected from a mainly apple-derived selection of drinks. There’s a lot of fruit packed into each bottle, and there’s something very British about these drinks which isn’t surprising when most of the fruit is grown on their Cotswolds farm. The apple juice and mixed fruit juices are great for children, store easily in the fridge (they arrive in crates of 6) and can also be enjoyed with adults as mixers for cocktails and spirits!
The cans of fruit water are still water, each of 250ml but arrive in cases of 24. You can either order a whole case of either Apple flavour or Blackcurrant and Apple or a mixed case of both. The water is similar to cordial but with the added bonus of actually being one of your 5-a day! Each of the flavoured waters was quite sweet, so I made sure I had them with a meal and that they had been in the fridge for a while to be cold. On the outside of the can it says ‘shake me, I’m still’ which I did for the first can but I did find that even though it wasn’t carbonated, the drink went everywhere, and left a sticky residue, so I made sure not to shake up the second can!
Both drinks had their own merits and were totally different. The pressed juices were more for children or to have as mixers with alcoholic drinks as they are richer and more filling. The still waters were great for taking out and about and for adults to have as one of their 5-a-day and to keep hydrated. As summer comes around, these pressed juices and water drinks will be invaluable!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Being a bit behind with the times, I don’t own any Bluetooth headphones. I’m still on the wired earphones which came with my iPod, even though I know I could use wireless headphones on any of my gadgets! Edifier sent us the W820NB Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones from their extensive range for us to try this week, and so far, I’m impressed!
The first thing you notice about the headphones is the noise cancelling. I put them on around the house and the ambient noise from the road outside and the planes overhead was eliminated – they really are noise reducing, even without anything playing on them!
The controls on the headphone are on/off switch, volume up/down and a Bluetooth button. With such simple controls, it was very easy to set them up to sync with my laptop, so much so that I didn’t actually need to read the instructions. All I had to do was turn on the headphones and press the Bluetooth button until the light flashed. My laptop found the headphones within a few seconds of being set to ‘discoverable’ so it didn’t take much effort at all. I was able to play anything from my music online, streaming or YouTube onto them.
The sound quality is excellent. With the headphones also being noise reducing, it was a surprise to hear how good they were with stereo sound and I couldn’t fault them. I had to use a combination of the laptop sound as well as the headphone volume buttons to get the volume as high as I wanted it, but that’s only a matter of practice. The range was also excellent with there being no disconnection on the Bluetooth wherever I was in the house which made a difference. The headphones are nice and lightweight as well so can be taken on holiday (they’re perfect for flights or working out) and have a titanium diaphragm for longevity.
To skip to the next song or ahead in a podcast for instance, you hit the volume button up/down and hold, the Power button is for pausing. The headphones can also be used for taking calls by Bluetooth although I haven’t tested this yet. Using the Multi-function button (with the Bluetooth symbol next to it) you can change between noise cancelling, gaming mode and use it for Bluetooth pairing.
My only gripe with the headphones are that they don’t come with a bag or pouch of some kind so that you can transport them easily or put them in an overhead locker on a flight. There is a cable which comes with them for charging, but you won’t need to charge them very much as there’s a 49 hour playtime on each charge. The cable is a USB connection so will charge from most sockets if not your computer.
The more I play with these Edifier headphones the more I like them, and am surprised by how good they are. I have found several times when I can walk around the house with them connected via Bluetooth and still listen to my laptop, tune into a radio station or eventually be on a call and not lose any of the quality I’m used to with more expensive, wired headphones.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Chocolate Lovers listen up… there’s a new chocolate in town (the Welsh town of Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire) where the team at Wickedly Welsh have created a fabulous chocolate hamper for Father’s Day, which you wont’ be able to resist!
You can be the biggest chocolate lover in the world and still find some joy in this hamper. The starring role goes to the varied chocolate flavours which is what Wickedly Welsh are famous for. Boasting three large slabs of chocolate, two whisky bite sized chocolates and two love spoons, there’s plenty here to keep Dad happy, and saves you putting together a gift hamper of your own!
Starting with the chocolate slabs, the three flavours are Moreish Milk Chocolate, Coffee & Biscuit and Welsh Sea Salt & Caramel, each of about 90grams in weight. If your Dad is Welsh, then he’ll love the Milk Chocolate slab with the Welsh Dragon design, but all of the slabs are one piece, not squares. We suspect this is so that Dad doesn’t have to share them with anyone else! We loved all flavours, but the Sea Salt & Caramel was a particular favourite. The sea salt is actually Halen Mon Sea Salt, a locally sourced ingredient to make it a Welsh taste sensation.
Also in the hamper are two Milk & Dark Love Spoons. Welsh Love Spoons are a symbol of love, and these 40 gram bars are no exception. If you don’t want to tuck into a large slab of chocolate, or want to take a snack with you, these Love Spoons are a brilliant choice.
Lastly, the pack also contains two of Wickedly Welsh’s most popular individual chocolates in a cute presentation box. If you’re new to Welsh chocolate or the way Wickedly Welsh present their wares, you’ll do worse than try these first. They’re stunning, and so moreish I bet you, or Dad, won’t be able to stop at just these two. They’re great tasters for the rest of the range that’s available online, and not just on Father’s Day.
The quality of the chocolate is superb with the ingredients sourced locally and all are 100% natural. Whether or yourself or as a gift for someone else, Wickedly Welsh chocolate is an excellent gift choice.
Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own
Whenever anyone asks me what I’d like for my birthday or Christmas I always struggle to come up with anything. I’m not one for trinkets or jewellery and unlike a lot of people I know I am actually quite happy with something practical like kitchenware. I really enjoy cooking so it is nice to be treated to better versions of the small kitchen appliances that I use regularly. Wahl recently sent me a selection of kitchen appliances from their James Martin range which look super cool in my kitchen and are a welcome upgrade to my existing kitchen gadgets. My food processer is at least 20 years old and well past its prime and my hand mixer is even older so it was really exciting to discover both of these products in the parcel from Wahl.
The 300W electric hand mixer is a substantial and reasonably heavy little mixer. It comes complete with stainless steel beaters, dough hooks and a whisk which all came in useful when I was making lunch on Easter Sunday. The beaters were used for the batter for Yorkshire puddings and for making chocolate brownies, the dough hooks for hot cross buns and the whisk for the whipped cream.
The mixer is a good weight, not too heavy to use, but just heavy enough that it feels solid in your hands. It has a rubberised handle which makes it comfortable to hold and is a huge improvement on my old mixer. The mixer has 5 speeds plus a turbo boost and is a fantastic little gadget. It has a button to press for the quick release of the beaters which saves you getting your hands covered in cake mix, you can just eject them into the washing up bowl or they can go in the dishwasher.
RRP £32.99
I wouldn’t be without a food processor, mine is a real work horse making light of chopping, grating, liquidising and making vast quantities of pastry. With a houseful at Easter the James Martin Compact Processor with Spiralizer Attachment really came into its own and I’ve spent the last few days slicing, mixing and juicing to create a range of culinary treats that went down a storm with my family. Delicious soups, buckets of coleslaw, healthy smoothies, even crushed ice for drinks, this little workhouse was the star of the show making mundane tasks like chopping vegetables and grating cheese a breeze. The spiralizer was an added bonus and any vegetable that went near it was spiralized by my son!! This was an innovative way to encourage him to eat more vegetables!!
The set includes a processor bowl with stainless steel blade, a disc for slicing and grating as well as a spiralizer attachment and a 1.5L blender with filler cap and easy to clean removable blades. The blender is a good size and perfect for making smoothies and liquidising home made soup. The parts are all dishwasher safe which is a huge plus.
The food processor is nice and sturdy and sits nicely on my worktop, it has suckers on the bottom which help it stay firmly in place when in use . I use mine a lot so I keep it on top of the worktop but it will easily fit in a cupboard.
It has a powerful 500 watt motor with two speeds and a pulse setting and the compact size means it is doesn’t get in the way when it is sat on the worktop not being used.
RRP £74.99
The James Martin by Wahl Grind and Chop is such a handy little gadget and I don’t know how I have managed to overlook this piece of kitchen equipment. It’s one of those products that once you start using one you don’t know how you managed without it – especially good with a houseful of guests!
Stylish and powerful it has a 70g capacity and is perfect for grinding coffee beans and making curry paste with a simple press of the lid. With a 200W motor it makes short work of smaller jobs – instead of throwing away bread that is past its best, I use this to make breadcrumbs which I can pop in the freezer for my next recipe.
Use the grinder for dry ingredients and the chopper for wet or oily ones, no need to worry about working out which cup is which as they are both marked up. It comes with a handy recipe book with spice mixes to grind and accompanying recipes. The Spicy Tandoori mix was a favourite with my family.
There is no fiddling with this gadget as the blades are fixed in the cups and all you need to do is sit it on the base, pop the top on and press it down to start chopping. I like how easy it is to use – it can be operated with just one hand. Once you’ve finished chopping you simply lift the top off and use your ingredients.
The Grind and Chop machine looks very smart on the worktop, the brushed stainless finish being very on trend right now. To carry out basic chopping and grinding with no fuss you really can’t beat this gadget.
RRP £36.99
Whan you have a houseful of guests extra cooking facilities are a big boost and the James Martin Healthy Table Top Grill has been invaluable to help feed all the hungry mouths. With a variable temperature control and ridged and flat cooking areas it sits nicely on the work surface and has been used most of all for bacon butties at various times of the day as well as grilling chicken and meats for sandwiches and buffets.
It has a good sized cooking area and can easily cook enough food for a family in one go. It has a drip tray for excess oil and non-stick removable grill plates and it makes cooking easy and healthy.
Cleaning up afterwards was effortless thanks to there being less burnt-on grease on the non stick plates and the fact that the grill plate can be removed so it can be washed in hot soapy water by hand.
I can see this being an incredibly useful gadget and it will be great to take away in the caravan this summer so we can cook healthy meals outdoors.
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!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
I’m a big fan of cereal bars. They’re great for snacks at home, or in your bag to go to work and children love them. KIND have a variety of cereal bars of different flavours, but all of them are high in fibre, high in protein and have no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. They’re gluten free too!
The team at KIND send us a box of their new Caramelised Biscuit Nut flavoured KIND bars to try, which have the same high fibre, high quality ingredients. The main food factor in these Caramelised Biscuit Nut KIND bars is nuts making up 81% of the bar overall. They actually contain peanuts, almonds and cashews with added spice biscuit and caramel. The result is a sweet, slightly sticky cereal bar with a honey coating and nutmeg and cinnamon flavouring. Despite the cinnamon, they don’t taste ‘Christmassy’ at all, more like the coffee biscuits you get in cafes when you order a latte.
I really enjoyed the KIND Caramelised Biscuit Nut bars and found them really filling as either a snack or part of a lunch. They have the added bonus of being high in fibre and have all the nutrients you find in nuts but with all of the flavour. The bars are great for protein too, although at 226 calories it’s not really a health bar, but will pack in the energy if you need a sugar rush in the afternoon.
As with all KIND bars, these became addictive! Everyone in the office loved them for both their flavour and texture, which is more for adults than children due to containing nuts. If you’re a fan of KIND bars, you’ll love these too!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Dandruff and dry scalp shampoos used to be medicated and foul fragranced concoctions, only available over the pharmacy counter. Nowadays, there are alternatives including the Ayluna Shampoo for Dandruff & Dry Scalp.
Ayluna, although effective at beating dandruff and moisturising a dry scalp actually contains organic rosemary and juniper wood oil which banishes the dandruff and dry skin. The combination of herbs adds a more delicate, but strong scent to the shampoo which lathers up beautifully in the shower. Surprisingly, the Ayluna Shampoo doesn’t contain silicone or paraffin, no synthetic colourants, nor artificial scents or preservatives. The smokey, aniseed fragrance is completely natural from the herbal ingredients.
When used in the shower to wash my hair, it was very potent and filled the room with the scent of the oils, but struck me as not being overly feminine, so it could be used by anyone in the family. You don’t need much shampoo to lather up either, and I felt that afterwards, the dark colouring of the mixture enhanced my dark coloured hair as well as leaving it with the herbal fragrance.
I don’t have particularly bad dandruff but occasionally, when I’m stressed, it flares up. At the moment though, my hair is very clear from using the Ayluna Shampoo and making sure it rinses out thoroughly and leaving my hair squeaky clean.
Ayluna Shampoo for Dandruff & Dry Scalp is a perfect alternative to the over-the-counter medicated shampoos that really put me off with their fragrance and harsh chemicals. Ayluna does the job just as well but has a much more friendly after-scent.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Anyone looking for chocolate gifts will love the PLAYin CHOC organic chocolate range. Made from Peruvian Cacao it has no dairy, no gluten, no nuts and is totally vegan. The business was started by Maya back in 2016 when she wanted to create dairy-free chocolate using the simplest ingredients; cacao, coconut and vanilla. Maya also wanted to promote awareness about the planet’s biodiversity and offer an ethical alternative, so all of the PLAYin CHOC products are plastic free.
Beyond how award winning this chocolate is (It has won the Great Taste Award in 2022 for both their dark and milk chocolates, among other accolades), the range is something to behold in terms of fun. Just a quick look at their website and you can see the chocolate gift boxes available, all of which include their winning chocolate, but also have models which children can build based on the theme of the gift box. There’s Endangered Animals, Woodland Animals, Dinosaurs, Rabbits and a Christmas box. There’s some lovely 12 and 24 day advent calendars available at Christmas time too!
For the adults, PLAYin CHOC also have 60gram tablets of 6 pieces of chocolate. We were sent the Peruvian Cacao Milk Chocolate and Peruvian Cacao Dark Chocolate to try. Each chocolate is wrapped in compostable material (it looks like plastic but it’s not) so you can store them easily or even add them to a lunchbox for a quick chocolate treat.
My favourite was the Dark Chocolates. You can really taste the cacao in them, and there’s a strong flavour from the coconut as well. I really enjoyed the fact that there were no added extras to the chocolate, it’s a chocolate lover’s worse nightmare to be deterred from the real chocolate by additives, preservatives and unnecessary flavourings. The dark chocolate has a stronger chocolate flavour,, but the milk chocolate is milder if you’re not a big fan of dark.
If you’ve never tried PLAYin CHOC, have a look at their website for chocolate for both chocolate for the kids, as well as yourself!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Mother’s Day is soon upon us and treating Mum is always high on our priority list. There may be plenty of items available out there but finding the right one, which is good quality and timeless, can take time.
Gatwards of Hitchin have a range of jewellery items available for Mother’s Day, and beyond, which are perfect choices. On offer are necklaces, pendants, rings, bracelets, earrings, silver photo frames and keyrings. Don’t worry about jewellery being too expensive as there’s a variety of prices from the £25 Silver Crossover Ring to the beautiful £49 Ti Sento CZ Stud Claw Set Earrings. If you really want to push the boat out though, there are several high-ticket items such as the 18ct Yellow Gold Memoire Round Brilliant Cut Diamond Bridal Eternity Ring for £1050.00 or Platinum Skye Round Cut Diamond Eternity Ring for a cool £3935.00!
Gatwards have sent us this gorgeous Silver Sterling Heart Locket Pendant to review for Mother’s Day. At £28 it’s very affordable but the design makes it versatile and easy to wear. Lockets have long been a way of mourning a loss, or keeping someone close to you with the position of the locket always being close to the heart.
The Gatwards Silver Sterling Locket is a plain heart locket, made in Sterling Sliver with a hinged mechanism that allows you to open the locket and add not just a photo but anything from a lock of hair or even put in a special note to Mum. The locket is smooth on both sides with minimal decoration so you could also have it engraved or embellished. It’s very delicate without being breakable and I actually found it easy to open and close again. Small children will love giving this to Mummy with its tactile face and the hinge that opens to reveal the surprise inside!
The locket arrives in a beautiful presentation box and with a gift wrap bag from Gatwards and gold wrapping paper. There isn’t a chain included, but this can be bought separately.
The Silver Sterling Heart Locket is such an all-round piece of jewellery which can be worn with almost any style and will last forever, and at £28.00 it makes the perfect gift for Mother’s Day from anyone in the family.
Small Silver Sterling Heart Necklace available for £28.00:
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Edifier are known for their high quality speakers, I already own a couple of their products and like them so was pleased to be asked to try the MP100 bluetooth speaker which Edifier suggests is a “great outdoor companion”.
With a rugged waterproof construction the MP100 is ideal for use outside. It is covered in a dust proof fabric and has an IPX7 rating which means the speaker can be 1 metre underwater for 30 minutes without getting damaged – so there isn’t the same urgency to put it somewhere dry when it starts raining – as often happens in this country!
It is available in a choice of three colours, Forest Green, Lake Green and Black and has a single button to control calls. There is a large loop which can be used to hang the speaker up and I found it to be quite easy to hold whilst wearing gloves. It isn’t a small device, it has a 95mm diameter and is 50mm thick, and with a weight of 185g it weighs around the same as a mobile phone. On the bottom of the speaker is a circular rubber base which helps keep the speaker from sliding around on whatever surface it is put on. The USB-C charging port, which is covered with a small rubber flap, is on the bottom half of the speaker along with the control buttons.
Setting up the speaker is easy, turn it on by pressing the power button for a few seconds, until the blue light comes on, then search for Edifier MP100 Plus in the Bluetooth settings of your device. The speaker makes an audible sound when connected and then you can use it to listen to music/audio from your device.
Built around a 5W 43mm full-range speaker the sound is great and with a claimed battery life of 9 hours is good for a whole day in the great outdoors. Now, I have to say that I’m no fan of people who play music whilst out hiking – I much prefer the peace and quiet – but for other outdoor activities, like camping or a day at the beach, it would be great. I spend a lot of time in the garden and enjoy listening to music or podcasts whilst I’m working and in the past have worried about damaging my speaker – with the Edifier MP100 Plus I no longer need to worry, I just hang it up, relax and enjoy!
Should you wish to use it for calls it has a built-in microphone and I found the sound was very clear, with noise suppression to remove unwanted background noise.
So whether you are camping, caravanning, relaxing in the garden or hitting the beach this summer make sure you have the Edifier MP100 Plus in your bag.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Innoteck are the kitchen pros with all sorts of appliances such as air fryers, coffee makers, sandwich makers and kettles. Along with their appliance range they also have small kitchen items like bamboo chopping boards, baking trays and even photo frames. We were sent the Innoteck 1.7 litre electric kettle as a Mother’s Day gift to review to see how we liked it. We did!
The kettle comes in 4 different colours – green, white, grey and the version we were sent is black and each colour has a corresponding toaster too. The outside of the kettle is textured which makes the black body more interesting and far more stylish than the old-fashioned plastic kettles that used to adorn the worktops of kitchen but added no aesthetic.
The Innoteck Kitchen Pro stands apart from other kettles, not just because of its stylish, timeless design but because because it’s BPA-free and therefore not toxic. The main body of the inside of the kettle is made of metal with stainless steel accents and for anyone who is following the plight of plastics in the ocean, you’ll know that it’s not only the fish and wildlife who are suffering from ingesting plastic but also the human effect of eating small plastic particles when they enter the food chain. Heating water to high temperatures with plastic kettles is one of the ways microscopic plastic particles end up in our bodies.
With that information, you can see why more and more appliance makers are turning to stainless steel machines, as well as making them more recyclable.
The Innoteck Kitchen Pro kettle takes hardly any time to boil, at less than 2 minutes for a full kettle. The instructions ask that you don’t put less than 0.5 litres of water in to protect the element but the kettle can take 1.7 litres of water in all. It’s also got a circular base, which makes it easier for people like me who are left handed and need to move the kettle around to get to. The electric lead is around 50cm long too, and conveniently the element has an overheating guard if you don’t manage to fill the kettle with enough water before you switch it on and will switch it off without sufficient water.
This is a nice gift for anyone and will be used for a very long time on a daily basis in most households. Mum, or Gran, will love it for Mother’s Day.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
If you’re unable to eat chocolate due to being lactose intolerant, have an allergy to nuts or are vegan, you used to struggle to find chocolate on the High Street. Nowadays, there are a lot more options available to you though including NOMO chocolate. No More Missing Out? That’s their slogan. Does their chocolate live up to it though?
We were sent a selection of different flavoured chocolate Easter Eggs and Easter character chocolates. Although not necessarily aimed at children, anyone can enjoy them but we are also treated to an Egg & Lolly character egg for very young children. All of the chocolate are vegan and free from egg, nut, dairy and gluten.
The adult Easter egg flavours included Cookie Dough, Orange Crunch and Caramelised biscuit. Each Egg weighs 160 grams and has an extra Bunny included in the egg. The chocolate is listed as ‘an alternative to milk chocolate’ which is slightly darker than conventional milk chocolate but not bitter like dark chocolate is. We particularly enjoyed the Orange Crunch chocolate which had a distinct flavour of orange with a slight texture to it which added an interest to the confectionary. The Cookie Dough flavour is similarly textured and very sweet whilst the caramelised biscuit is as grown-up as it sounds with crunchy biscuit pieces and the sweetness of the caramel. The added bunnies (a character chocolate, each one weighing 30 grams) are similar milk chocolate substitutes but just as tasty!
The Egg & Lolly character Easter Eggs are also vegan and free from egg, nut, dairy and gluten. The 92 grams cute little eggs are perfect for younger children who won’t know the difference between milk chocolate and these free from eggs. Inside the egg there’s a chocolate lolly to enjoy, as well as some fun activities for children to do over the Easter holidays.
You can also buy the NOMO Easter Bunny separately. At 30 grams, the chocolate bunnies are also vegan, dairy free, gluten free etc and are filled with flavoured truffle in either Orange Crunch or Cookie Dough like the Easter Eggs.
Dairy free, Gluten free and egg free chocolate has come a long way in the last few years, and for anyone who needs a ‘free from’ diet, NOMO Chocolate Easter Eggs and Bunnies are so similar to the real thing, you won’t know the difference!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
I love sushi, but I have never made it at home before. I’ve eaten it as take-away lunch at work, at a restaurant for dinner and I’m a fan of the raw fish too but I’ve never thought of making it for myself.
The team at Kelly Loves asked if we’d like to sample their Sushi Atelier kit for our Mother’s Day Gift Guide and even added some extra treats for me to be able to start my sushi journey. Well, when the kit arrived, I was in for a treat! The box contains a double bento box (for keeping the sushi fresh when out and about), sushi rice, wasabi, picked ginger, a bamboo sushi mat, spicy mayonnaise, a packet of 7 nori seaweed sheets, sushi vinegar and fried onions. There wasn’t much missing from the kit apart from the fresh ingredients of course!
The kit includes a postcard with a QR code to access lots of recipes of Japanese and Korean food, including different sushi rolls you can make. Using the code and a bit of knowledge of sushi, I started with the rice which thankfully has instructions on the side. It isn’t as simple as just boiling up the rice; you also have to add the sushi vinegar to flavour once the rice has been cooked and cooled. I also used the spicy mayonnaise to affix the fried onion but you can fix the onion by wetting the seaweed first too. The mayonnaise added more flavour but was very messy to use.
The instructions tell you how to cut the nori seaweed sheets in half and fill them with the rice and fillings (I chose smoked salmon, cucumber and avocado) and then roll them using the roll mat. You will need a sharp pair of scissors to cut the seaweed and a very sharp knife to cut the sushi once it’s rolled, which meant I had to sharpen my knives several times otherwise it tears through the seaweed and leave the roll in a heap!
Once the sushi is cut, you can arrange it any way you like and add the pickled ginger, wasabi and we were also sent soy sauce to dress the sushi with. When it came to serving, if you’ve never had wasabi before, it would be worth trying the tiniest (and I mean tiniest!) amount as it’s extremely hot. If you’re used to sushi with wasabi though, it’s great added with the pickled ginger, which is a generous amount in the jar provided with the pack.
Nothing beats freshly made sushi which is completely different to most shop bought varieties. I made up only half of the rice in the pack, which is just as well because as you can see from the photos, this was only half of what was available, and with the other ingredients only half being used, there is plenty left for another meal. I think this amount could feed 4 people, depending on what fillings you use.
The sushi tasted AMAZING and now that I know how to make it and how easy it is, I will be making it more often, topping up the items in the box with what I need and perfecting my rolling technique! Everything from the rice to the fried onion is of high quality and has the authentic sushi taste, all of which adds to the overall effect.
As a gift, this is a super great idea for anyone and especially any foodies, and as for Mother’s Day, it will make a fabulous present for Mum, especially if you make it for her!
Kelly Loves also has some other sushi products online including a ramune carbonated drink, which is much like lemonade. They also have spare ingredients online like the fried onion, pickled ginger and sushi vinegar. There’s also roasted sesame seeds, cabbage kimchi (delicious!) and a variety of different soy sauces online if you want to add to the gift to Mum on Mothering Sunday.
I loved this kit, not just for the quality of the ingredients but because it was all there and so easy to use but resulted in a delicious meal which my Mum really enjoyed. Despite it being the first time I made the sushi and it being a bit of a mess (see photos!) I loved making it and Mum actually commented that it was like the sushi you eat in a restaurant, which was a nice compliment. I can highly recommend Kelly Loves sushi kits for Mother’s Day gifts, and to start a love of homemade sushi for all the family!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
It’s Spring time again, and that means it’s finally warm enough to have all the furniture turned upside down, the kitchen cupboards cleared out and everything spring cleaned. It’s a never ending task to keep the house clean, especially if you have children or pets at home and some of the tasks seem to fall through the net unless you make a special effort.
Take descaling the kettle for one. How often do you actually do it? In my area, which is extremely hard water, it feels like I should do it once a week and that’s with a water filter! The kettle furs up so quickly, and it’s not like you can pop it in the dishwasher to get clean. It’s not just the kettle though, the hard water affects glasses and mugs, the iron, the pipework in the house and even my stainless steel sink.
Oust Descaler can descale, well, almost anything. Starting with the kettle, the treatment sachets can descale irons, coffee machines and even showerheads. There are instructions on each of the packets on how to descale each item until all of the limescale is gone and all you need is some boiling water and a bit of time, which in most cases is no more than 6-8 minutes. I started by descaling my kettle. The instructions stage you need to boil half a kettle of water first, then leave it to cool down for 10 minutes and adding one of the Oust sachets. There’s no scrubbing to do and no hard work involved, you just leave the solution for 6 minutes to do its job, or 8 minutes if the limescale is particularly bad.
After the kettle was descaled, I emptied the contents (which were still hot) into the stainless steel sink and let Oust do its magic again. This time it took a little longer (about 10 minutes) but without and scrubbing again, and I did a bit more work on the kettle by standing it upside down in the filled sink to get to the limescale around the top of the spout. It worked a treat!
Out All Purpose Descaler comes in a bottle or as I was sent, three sachets. One box of 3 sachets costs around £1.65.
Dylon Colour Catcher Sheets are another product you hope you won’t need to use, but usually do. Colour Catcher Sheets are for laundry loads where one of the (usually bright) coloured clothes is new, or hasn’t had the colour set right before you wash it. This can be particularly bad with new pairs of jeans where the indigo isn’t washed out yet, and yes, it colours everything else in the wash, especially a hot wash.
If you have a new item of clothing, or something like a new pair of jeans which you know are probably going to run, just pop one of the colour catcher sheets in with the load of laundry, as if they are an extra piece of clothing. Much like the Oust Descaler, you don’t have to do anything, just let the washing machine do its job and clean the clothes as normal. The Colour Catcher works on any temperature of washing, so you can use it with everyday items, towels, clothes or even bedding.
Once the load is finished, you can see the Colour Catcher, if it’s needed, has absorbed the coloured dye of the garment. If you didn’t need the Colour Catcher, then the sheet stays white but sometimes picks up subtle colour runs from other garments. It’s a life saver!
Dylon Colour Catcher Sheets (24) available for £2.40 at:
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
I’m a lover of afternoon tea. I also love Indian food, so when they mentioned Indian afternoon tea, there was no way I wasn’t going to try it!
Colonel Saab, located at the Holborn Old Town Hall at 193-197 High Holborn, London WC1 was only opened in October 2021 but is already winning awards. Just walking through the door, you can see all the accolades, including the Forbes top 40 Indian restaurants in London.
Inside, the 134 covers restaurant is situated over the ground floor and a cut-o mezzanine floor. As soon as you pass the bar, it’s the giant multitude of rose glass Indian chandeliers which leave you fascinated with the décor. Photos of owner Roop Partap Choudhary’s family, antique paintings and at the back, a photo each of his parents, Colonel Choudhary and his wife, Binny Choudhary. The restaurant is named after Colonel Choudhary and is a love letter to their relationship since their marriage more than 40 years ago.
We were there to review the Indian Afternoon Tea, a specialty of Colonel Saab which takes a bit of explaining as India isn’t known for their own Afternoon Teas. Firstly, Champagne was brought out to each of us before the tea arrived. You don’t have to have the typical English Breakfast Tea to accompany your meal, so I tried the Massala Chai tea whilst my guest had a latte coffee. Massala Chai is a special blended tea, with milk, which has spices such as cinnamon and a touch of sugar to give a full bodied, slightly sweet tea that challenges the usual English Breakfast. I ordered a second pot of Massala tea in the end as it was so delicious!
The beautiful afternoon tea cage was brought over to our table with the familiar three tiers, but with an Indian twist. The first tier of sandwiches were cucumber and yoghurt, and dhokla fingers. If you’re not familiar with dhokla, it is an Indian cake-like fermented batter that is savoury but flavoured through the middle. The middle layer had the familiar scones with cream and jam, but their added Indian twist here was a vegetable samosa!
The final layer at the top were the cakes! Carrot cake, Lemon Meringue, two different flavours of macaron and a chocolate truffle each. If, like us, you were particularly full by this time, you can always ask for the cakes to be boxed for you to take away. However, they are so delicious, it’s easier to just have another cup of tea and work your way through them!
With the delicious afternoon tea finished, I was given a tour of Colonel Saab to show where the idea came from and the facilities beyond just the restaurant floor. The bar, on the ground floor, is available at any time and doesn’t need booking. Around the corner are the family photos of Roop Partap Choudhary [the founder] and love letters between his parents. Behind the front door, there are the private dining rooms, which were beyond magnificent! One large room, or a divider makes them two smaller rooms, the area is dominated by a huge canopied fireplace. You can’t miss the enormous mobile bar though – which although made by Aspreys of London, belonged to Colonel Choudhary and travelled around with him whilst on campaign. It is stunning, and still looks as if it could serve drinks today.
Going upstairs, there’s more tables, all of which have different styles. At the far end of the mezzanine there is a quiet ‘nook’ area of a canopied table for four. A perfect hideaway and position to watch the restaurant downstairs!
I was also told to walk downstairs to the bathrooms as this is one of the most ‘Instagramable’ areas of the restaurant. Dark red walls festooned with family photos and even more of the beautiful rose glass chandeliers. The bathroom itself was also very beautiful with carefully designed soft furnishings and retro sinks.
Don’t forget the two portraits of Binny and Colonel Choudhary in the main restaurant, with so many decorative plates around them, and the 6th centuries old painting between them that is an Indian traditional and takes literally years to paint.
By the time we had finished, we had been there nearly two hours and didn’t want to leave. The atmosphere of the restaurant and the friendliness of the staff, all of whom said hello to us whilst we were there made this a hidden treasure. Just outside of Covent Garden but not quite in theatre land, it’s easier to get to than you think and as well as the fantastic food, it’s fascinating to visit.
Afternoon tea is £25 per person or £48 for two. Champagne afternoon tea starts at £41 per person.
Disclaimer – We received this book free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
The spirit world and the physical world are closer than you think. Many people don’t ‘believe’ in Spirit (Spirit in this context meaning the all-encompassing concept of life after life) and dismiss the healing powers of Spirit without even giving it a second thought. Others though, not only know about the powers of Spirit, but live a life guided by the other world.
Author Wendy Sheffield has not spent her whole lifetime working with Spirit. Her spiritual journey started with a dream 12 years ago and since then she has been working as a medium to communicate on behalf of loved ones who have passed over to the Spirit World, and likewise send back messages from those who wish to teach us.
Her second book, Pure Spirit, was communicated to her as both the title and the short chapters that make up the book. The passages, which are scribed in italics, are direct messages from Spirit with the aim of teaching each of us something new about ourselves, or our world. The passages are introduced by Wendy too, with a short summary of what the passage is about or who it is for, and sometimes how she came to communicate the subject.
Each passage is only a page or so long so they’re not heavy reading. The vocabulary isn’t difficult to comprehend and each chapter is direct and to the point. For example, the chapter titled Reflection In the Water is about using your reflection in the water to see what others see, and explaining that what others see, might not be apparent to you until much later.
Each of the 27 chapters has something to communicate, and some of the subjects (such as death and Fear of the Unknown) are heavy subjects, but handled delicately. Wendy writes with soft prose as well as we an understanding, and hopefully as a reader you will pick up on her concern as well as the philosophy she is conveying.
It wouldn’t matter if you are Spiritualist, merely interested in mediumship and the Spirit World or even if you are a complete non-believer, there is something in this book for everyone. Not all of the chapters are about the Spirit World or mediumship but you will learn a lot about the Spiritualist movement and teachings by reading the book cover-to-cover. For anyone needing any kind of guidance or support, such as in grieving or loss, Pure Spirit is a good place to start without getting too involved and hemmed in with technicalities. The book lends itself, with short chapters, to being able to be picked up and put down easily, whilst being absorbed in short sprints.
Wendy Sheffield clearly loves what she does and has found her clear life path, a spiritual path, and enjoys communicating from the Spirit World to our own.
The Review Studio 