Gifts for children – Page 6 – The Review Studio

Just Spices DIY Chocolate Kit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LoveRaw’s Nutty Choc Balls

Birthday Gifts, chocolate, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Lunchbox Fillers, snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

LoveRaw started in 2013 with the crazy idea of founder Rini to create vegan chocolate that tasted like regular chocolate. In the 10+ years since then, the website has grown and the product line has exploded to include all sorts of varieties of chocolate, including the Nutty Choco Balls (milk chocolate) that we were sent this week to try!

LoveRaw chocolate is not only vegan but is completely plant based, has no palm oil and no added artificial ingredients either. LoveRaw product chocolate bars which are similar to commercial treats on the market, and are less about blocks or bars of pure chocolate or they type of chocolate you can cook with. The LoveRaw chocolate bars are the type of treats you’d buy for yourself for lunch, or as snacks for children. The fact that you can buy them in bulk (typically packs of around 16 bars) means you can keep them for lunchboxes or even use for children’s parties where anyone, even though with dairy allergies or who are vegetarian or vegan can eat them.

The Nutty Choc Balls are based on a famous commercial chocolate that the Ambassador would enjoy… each one is individually wrapped and contains a hazelnut surrounded by hazelnut cream, wafer then milk chocolate and finally a coating of hazelnut pieces. Guessed what it is yet? The pieces are easily eaten after dinner, during a meeting or as they were in our house, as a snack in the afternoon when you need just one or two for a quick sweet hit of sugar.

You really can’t tell the difference between the commercial chocolates and the LoveRaw variety. The chocolate still has a smoothness to it and tastes like chocolate should. The added hazelnut pieces and hazelnut cream are still silky and indulgent and the wafer adds the decadent touch we look for in these chocolates. The team at LoveRaw also sent me some Cream Wafer Bars in milk and white chocolate which I have tasted before, and the LoveRaw Peanut Caramel Bar in Milk Choc which is new to me, but I will make room for!

LoveRaw Nutty Choc Balls available from £9.99 here: https://eatloveraw.com/products/m-lk-choc-nutty-choc-balls-box

She Grows Veg Valentines Gifts

Birthday Gifts, Children, eco friendly, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Spring, Valentine's Day Gifts, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

Probably not your first thought for the typical Valentines present, but let me explain She Grows Veg to you and it will start to make sense!

She Grows Veg is an online seed company with a very modern, yet traditional twist. They sell seeds online, but they are heirloom seeds. That means the seeds are cultivated from rare varieties of vegetables, fruits, flowers and trees and are typically not found in your usual garden centres. This means that the varieties often have different looks, taste different and grow differently to what you might be used to. It’s an expanding industry where so many people are now getting into gardening especially growing their own food since lockdown.

She Grows Veg sell singular packets of seeds, but they also sell gift bags, like the two that were sent to us; Chilli Trio and Tomato Lover’s Bundle (£22.50). If you or your other half are gardeners, you’ll know that this is an excellent selection of seeds for someone who loves growing, especially growing and eating!

The Chilli Trio contains 3 different chilli seeds; Biquinho Red, Chocolate Habanero and Machu Pichu. On the back of each pack are the growing instructions and key facts, along with a QR code to find out more on a You Tube video. You can see from the photos on the packets what you’re getting, and helpfully, the instructions on the back tell you what kind of flavour each chilli is and how to use it. The Biquinho Red chillis are from Brazil and take a little longer to geminate but are worth it. I’ve never grown chillis before but the instructions say to start sowing in January or February indoors, so these are perfect as Valentines gifts.

The Tomato Lover’s Bundle contain 5 packets of tomatoes, none of which I’ve ever seen before. There are three hanging varieties; Crazy Cherry (a sweet green tomato), Red Currant (small, early ripening and very sweet) and Hanging Prince (plum shaped and unusually last for months if stored correctly). The other two tomatoes are Black Beauty and Green Doctors, but of which are favourites of Lucy and Kate at She Grows Veg. Each of the gift bundles comes with a gift bag to keep your seeds safe but can also be used to store larger seeds later in the year.

These are lovely gifts for Valentines and if you harvest the fruit right, they produce can go on for weeks in the summer. The fact that these seeds are heirloom and not easy to find anywhere else if at all, makes them all the more special as a gift.

Chilli Trio (£13): https://shegrowsveg.com/product/chilli-trio-with-gift-bag/Tomato Lover’s Bundle (£22.50): https://shegrowsveg.com/product/tomato-lovers-bundle/

Blind Test of the LoveRaw Chocolate vs High Street Brands

Children, chocolate, eco friendly, Family Life, Gifts for children, Home, Lunchbox Fillers, Vegetarian

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

We’ve never really done a proper Blind Test before. That is, officially comparing one brand of a product against another, without knowing which brand is which and not being able to tell them apart. So when LoveRaw Chocolate asked us to test and review their product against other brands, it was quite the coup! Naturally, we love anything that’s a challenge but when it involves chocolate too, we’re all ears…

LoveRaw are a chocolate brand with a difference. They produce chocolate products which are largely vegan (allergens are listed so you can check easily) and they have a whole host of products available which seem to be ever growing and includes white, dark and milk chocolate alternatives.

We were sent a Blind Tasting Pack which had three different LoveRaw products; Nutty Choc Balls, Cream Wafer Bar (milk chocolate) and Cream Wafer Bar (white chocolate. Each of the LoveRaw products was teamed up with the High Street equivalent and all the items were in clear packaging, just marked with their numbers for easy identification. The LoveRaw products are all plant based, contain no palm oil and have no artificials. The High Street versions are not any of those (ie not plant based, contain palm oil and have artificial ingredients.) A sealed black envelope was also included so that after the tasting you can find out which were the real LoveRaw items. How exciting!

First up was the Nutty Choc Balls. Looking at them, I couldn’t tell the difference. They look incredibly similar and when I bit into them, the chocolate didn’t give me any clues as to which one was plant based. I guessed that A1 was the High Street variety only because it tasted slightly more processed. A2 had a smoother texture which led me to think it was made with more love. We shall find out the answers at the end of the testing (even I haven’t opened the envelope yet!)

Second was the Cream Wafer Bar in Milk Chocolate. These bars looked different. B1 looks like it’s intricately made by a machine in a factory and the bar is slightly longer. B2 is smoother, and the chocolate looks darker so I suspect that this is the LoveRaw one to look at. Tasting them, B2 has a lighter texture to it and has more layers but the chocolate between the two tastes the same. B1 has more additives, you can tell that from opening the packet and the smell of the chocolate is artificial. In this testing, I think B2 is the LoveRaw product.

Finally, it’s the Cream Wafer Bar with White Chocolate. I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate so this is going to a different type of test. C1 looks like it’s made in a factory because it’s got intricate designs on it whereas C2 looks like it could be handmade and dusted with chocolate flavouring. As for the taste, I started with what I thought was the High Street version (C1). It’s light and wafer-like and I like the texture of it. C2 is densely packed and doesn’t melt as easily but both taste of white chocolate and have some fun sweet flavours going on. I think C2 is the LoveRaw version.

So to recap, before we go to the big finale, this is what I think the products are:

Nutty Choc Balls: A1 is the High Street Competitor; A2 is LoveRaw

Cream Wafer Bar (milk chocolate): B1 is the High Street Competitor; B2 is LoveRaw

Cream Wafer Bar (white chocolate): C1 is the High Street Competitor, C2 is LoveRaw

Let’s scroll down to see the results in the black envelope…

So I was right for the Milk Chocolate Cream Wafer Bar but wrong for the Nutty Choc Balls and White Chocolate Cream Wafer Bar! Goes to prove that you really can’t tell the difference between LoveRaw and the High Street Competitors!

All of the LoveRaw products are found online at their website shop: https://eatloveraw.com/collections/vegan-chocolate

Joe & Seph’s Best Selling Popcorn

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

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

Welcome in the New Year with your new favourite snack – Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn! Made in artisan kitchens, Joe & Seph’s Popcorn uses the highest possible standard ingredients to bring you not just all your usual flavours but some of the more exotic ones as well!

We were sent a selection of favourite flavours to try – Salted Caramel, Double Chocolate Caramel, Coconut & Cacao and one of the Joe & Seph staples – their Milk Chocolate Popcorn Bites. If you’ve never tried these before, then they’re a treat you’re missing out on. They are decadent milk chocolate cups containing one piece of Joe & Seph’s Gourmet Popcorn in Salted Caramel flavour. Each ‘bite’ melts in your mouth with the combined texture of chocolate and popcorn and the added kick of a little bit of salted caramel to give you a chocolate pick-me-up with a difference. These are probably my favourite snacks at Joe & Seph’s and I keep them in the fridge so that I can pop a few whenever I’m at the fridge! The chocolate is the scene stealer here, and the caramel popcorn is stunning dialogue to the best snack ever.

Coconut & Cacao is just as chocolatey but has that slight hint of coconut to it, which adds not just flavour but a bit if texture too. The popcorn is expertly air-popped and coated with this vegan caramel and added coconut and just a pinch of cacao. It has a taste combination that you don’t find anywhere else (but should) and reminds me of when you have both coconut and chocolate ice cream in the same bowl and it brings out the flavour in each.

Salted Caramel is the leader of the pack because everyone loves this taste combination that once used to turn up noses. The ‘salted’ element isn’t that strong but the smoothness of the caramel takes this flavoured air-popped popcorn into gourmet range. This is definitely a snack you can share with other people or even have as a dessert instead of puddings; it’s got a sweetness to it and a texture that’s really decadent and appeals to everyone. I reckon even children would eat this!

Lastly, we have the Double Chocolate Caramel. Yes it has caramel, but it also has DOUBLE CHOCOLATE which frankly is what you’re actually buying this for! The rich chocolate taste is what comes across most in this flavour, with the caramel giving the golden texture. They’re very more-ish, which makes them quite filling, plus they fulfil the chocolate hit you might be craving as a snack or after dinner.

All the Joe & Seph popcorns are a treat, and these favourite flavours are no exception! Available online from £4 at: https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/bestsellers

Hey Doodle Reuseable Silicone Mat – Dinoroar

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Learning, REUSABLE, Stocking Fillers, Toys

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

If you are looking for last minute stocking fillers for younger children then the Hey Doodle reuseable silicone colouring mats sets are a great choice. Containing an A3 silicone mat and 9 colouring pens they are nicely packaged in a resealable pouch, making them it perfect for travelling or for popping in your bag when out and about. They’re also fantastic for keeping children occupied in restaurants and a much better option than resorting to electronic devices. I also find that our mini reviewers chat a lot more when colouring, which is far better than being glued to a screen and ignoring everyone else.

The mat sits firmly on a table and is very easy to colour, the pens glide smoothly without smearing and seem to dry instantly so there is no bleeding when colours are used next to each other. All the colours are bright and vibrant and the mat looks very impressive when finished. The illustrations are fun and the A3 sized mat allows a few people to colour at the same time and as the mat is silicone any mistakes can easily be wiped away with a damp cloth.

There are 6 different mats available, Dinoroar, Aussie Animals, World Countries, Toot Toot Honk, Into the Wild and Sugar & Spice and each one is printed with illustrations that fit the theme along with dotted numbers, 1-10 which can be traced over, helping younger children learn their numbers. We received the Dinoroar mat, which as you have probably guessed is full of different dinosaurs and we’ve had lots of interesting questions about dinosaurs including where they lived, what they ate and why they became extinct so as well as enjoying colouring, we’ve learnt a lot about dinosaurs too!

Once the mat is coloured in it can of course be admired by everyone and then all you need to do is remove the ink with a damp cloth and you’re ready to start again. You do need to rub a little when removing the ink, especially if it has been left for a few days, so you may need to give little ones a little help with this.

Although there’s only images on one side of the mat, the reverse side can be used for drawing or games like hangman and noughts and crosses.

As well as being great fun, Hey Doodle colouring mats are better for the environment as you don’t need an endless supply of paper, simply wipe the colour off and start again.

Aimed at children aged 2- 7 these are a great way to keep the children (and adults) entertained this Christmas

RRP £21.99

Harry Potter Waffle Maker

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, kitchen appliances

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

With Christmas only a week away, if you are still struggling for ideas here is a last minute offering that is perfect for Harry Potter fans both young and old.

The Harry Potter Waffle maker is a handy little gadget that enables you to make waffles imprinted with Harry Potter’s famous lightning scar and glasses, adding a touch of fun to a standard waffle.

The waffle maker is incredibly easy to use, I found the instructions straightforward and it was really handy having a recipe for delicious Belgian waffles, meaning I didn’t need to search for a recipe and could try it out straight away. The waffle maker makes one large, round, fluffy waffle which is the perfect size for a tasty breakfast or snack. You can make the batter as you need it but as I have two teenage sons who are always hungry, I find it handy to keep a jug of batter in the fridge so they can make waffles whenever they like.

Mess is a bit of an occupational hazard when making waffles and it did take a few attempts before we got the right amount of batter in the waffle maker – too much and it erupted everywhere and too little and it was a little on the thin side but once we got the hang of it the waffles were delicious. The waffle maker may be a little gimmicky but you can’t fault the waffles, it makes nice thick, tasty waffles that are crunchy on the outside and soft and airy on the inside and a delicious breakfast treat.

Now onto the boring bits – the waffle maker was easy to clean, the non stick plates had very little batter left on them and what little was there was easy to remove with a damp cloth once the plates had cooled down.

Overall we are really impressed with this waffle maker, it got a big thumbs up from my sons and we all agreed it would make a lovely gift this Christmas.

RRP £29.99 available from Amazon

Tom Gates Personalised T-shirt

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Fashion, Gifts for children, Stocking Fillers

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

One of our mini reviewers is a huge fan of the Tom Gates series of books and was thrilled to receive a personalised BEST EVER T-shirt. The grey T-shirt is perfect for both boys and girls and being a neutral colour will go perfectly with jeans or leggings. If you are familiar with the books you’ll know they have a very distinctive hand drawn style which is mirrored in the design of the t-shirt.

Taking it out of the packaging I found it to be lovely and soft and all the seams are stitched nicely with no loose threads. It is made from 100% cotton and can be machine washed at 30 degrees. It’s been washed a few times now and each time it comes up as good as new without any fading or stretching.

The T-shirts are available in range of sizes starting at age 5-6 and going right up to an adult XL, so if you are looking for quirky gifts this Christmas you could get a matching set for all the family! The sizing is spot on and it fits our mini reviewer perfectly, with room for when he has a growth spurt.

As well as the personalised T-shirt there is a whole range of Tom Gates merchandise available on the website, check them out on the Official Brilliant World of Tom Gates Shop. The bespoke range features an exciting mix of clothing, mugs, water bottles, bags, stationery and gifts, including some personalised items and colour-your-own kids t-shirts that can be decorated with their own doodles and designs. All of the products feature Tom’s distinctive hand-drawn style with the stamp of approval from the author and illustrator Liz Pichon.

RRP from £14.99

Kikkerland Hungry Bouncy Balls and Dizzy Monster Spinning Tops

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

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

If you’re looking for last minute inexpensive stocking fillers then I have a couple of ideas from Kikkerland that are suitable for both boys and girls.

Hungry Bouncy Balls are packaged in an animal shaped box with the bouncy ball being the tummy of the creature. The clear bouncy ball is filled with liquid, glitter and three things that the animals like to eat which bob around as the ball moves. We received the Hungry Frog bouncy ball and as well as being fun to bounce around it’s quite fascinating just moving the ball around in your hands and seeing the glitter and ladybirds bob around – our mini reviewers love it! With a choice of Hungry Frog with ladybirds, Hungry Rabbit with carrots and Hungry Monkey with bananas these balls will keep the little ones entertained this Christmas and if you get a couple you can have competitions to see who can bounce the highest!

RRP £6

Traditional toys are a lot of fun and children will love the Dizzy Monster Spinning Tops which are made from cherrywood. There are three monsters to choose from which spin beautifully, twirling and dancing across the floor or table in a colourful show.

RRP £5

Pikachu Pokemon Flat Brass Ornaments

Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Home, REUSABLE, Stocking Fillers

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

I bet you’ve never seen Pikachu ornaments for the Christmas tree before, let alone these gorgeous brass decorations! The Pokemon people have brought out these fabulous flat brass silhouettes of Pikachu to adorn your Christmas tree for years to come. There’s six in a pack and two different designs, already ribboned and ready to go straight on your tree.

These are high quality ornaments which will last much longer than just one year thanks to being metal made and sturdy at that. The brass is highly polished so they catch the light, and especially work with the Christmas tree lights shining through them, like in the photo above. The metallic gold colour works with any colour scheme but even if you’re not a Pokemon or Pikachu fan, they are subtle enough to sit on any tree.

As gifts for children who love their Pokemon, these are brilliant in the run up to Christmas or for children who have their own tree to decorate at home. They’re pricy, but teenagers with an interest in Pokemon will love them! They will last for years too thanks to their outline structure in brass. Regardless of whether you’re a fan of the characters, they’re still beautiful at Christmas time.

Available from £24.99 at:

https://www.pokemoncenter.com/en-gb/product/710-95567/pikachu-pokemon-winter-wonders-flat-brass-ornaments-6-pack

Aladdin – The Grand Theatre Blackpool

Children, Christmas, Days Out, Family Life, Gifts for children, Theatre

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

Panto humour was in full flow last night as we watched Aladdin at The Grand Theatre, Blackpool. Aladdin is one of my favourite pantomimes as it has a strong storyline, giving the cast plenty of opportunities to make it their own. This production had all the usual elements that you expect from a pantomime – goodies, baddies, a princess, bad jokes, the usual local references and of course plenty of audience participation.

Steve Royle is brilliant as Wishee Washee, involving the audience from the minute he arrives on stage. He is a very talented comedian and is especially great at thinking on his feet, especially when he receives an unexpected response from a child! He has a fantastic rapport with Tom Lister, who plays the villain Abanazar, which came in handy when there was a technical hitch and the pair had to ad lib, making the show even funnier!

Steve and Tom are a fantastic double act, jokes were coming thick and fast from the start and we never stopped laughing through the whole performance. The humour worked on many levels, with lots of jokes that appealed to both young and old alike and there was just the right level of innuendo to get the adults sniggering without it being too much for the children.

The night was filled with music and dance, the dancers from the Barbara Jackson Theatre Arts Centre were great and most of the music was adapted from popular tunes so easy to sing or clap along to. The “Joseph” mix in the first half was our favourite and the musicians led by musical director Sam Coates deserve a special mention. The stage was filled with great scenery and the lighting and sound effects really added to the atmosphere, especially for Aladdin’s flight on the magic carpet.

The wardrobe department certainly excelled with the costumes – Widow Twankey (Ben Harlow) was not only fantastic as a performer, but looked incredible in the outlandish outfits.

We had a fantastic time but at the end of the day, the real judges of how good a pantomime is are the children – and judging by the faces of the children around us this pantomime was a definite hit. This is an absolute must see pantomime for all the family and is a great way to get well and truly in the Christmas spirit.

Aladdin is at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Friday 1 December 2023 to Monday 1 January 2024 with matinee and evening performances. Tickets are available by calling the box office on 01253 290190 or you can book online. Tickets cost from £15

Edurino Coding Skills Starter Kit

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Learning, Mobile Phone, Stocking Fillers, Tech, Toys

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

Edurino create playful learning apps on phones and tablets for children aged 4-8 years old. There’s a variety of different apps, each guided by a cartoon character and cover subjects of learning such as numbers & shapes, word games, plants & wildlife and creativity & design. This Edurino game is for Early Coding Skills – games which stimulate children’s ability to solve puzzles and non-verbal reasoning.

The Early Coding Skills set from Edurino is guided by the character Luca and uses the Luca figuring and Edurino pen which are included in the starter kit. You need your own phone or tablet to download the app (there’s a QR code in the instructions to make it easier) and an adult’s email address for the login. Once the app is downloaded, you put the figurine on the screen so that it reads which starter pack you’re working from, then after entering the login details, you create the character of your child to take part in the story, including their name.

The Edurino Early Coding world takes you on a journey to discover what the Chaos Bugs have done to mess up the factory and along the map, your child solves the puzzles to further the characters along the journey. Some of the puzzles are recognition of shapes and cartoon faces, creating blocks to the right shape in order to fix the wall and simple pattern recognition. The games are all aimed at children aged 4-8 so they’re not super hard, but if your child gets stuck and can’t ask you for help, they can click on Luca onscreen and ask for help. The Edurino Pen is designed to teach children how to hold a pencil properly (there’s even a tutorial onscreen as part of the app) and uses the pen in different ways to challenge their thinking, but also get them used to using the pen, which works on any touchscreen.

Depending on the age and skill of your child, this game could be finished relatively quickly, or you can replay each of the levels to give them more practice. The levels have different skills which are needed to complete them, and build up to a set of skills needed for coding. Even if your child isn’t interested in coding, the games are straightforward and stimulating that they can sit and complete them without much help. If you do need to help, it’s pretty easy to work out what you have to do, and the verbal instructions are really easy to follow.

It did take a while to set up though and you need to be connected to the internet. I couldn’t find a way of playing without creating an account either, so you have to be prepared to give your email address over and be able to verify it so if you’re using this to go on holiday or drive somewhere, make sure you set it up first for children otherwise it will become very frustrating! There’s also places where it directs you to the parent site which is in German, so be prepared to have to re-type to the UK/US version to be able to read in English.

It’s a great way of teaching children the basics of coding and how to problem solve with non-verbal reasoning. The Edurino app is easy to follow for children and safe too with the parental controls which requires the user to be able to read. It’s quite pricy at £44.95 but that includes the price of the Edurino Pen and the figurine too, which children can place over the pen and play with at another time. Even better, they learn a lot too!

https://www.edurino.co.uk

Available from £44.99 at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edurino-Ergonomic-Educational-Recognition-Handwriting/dp/B0CH3TVJD4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=144HGANAAPZV3&keywords=arduino+starter+kit&qid=1701535184&sprefix=edurino+starter+kit%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Joe & Seph’s Christmas Popcorn and Festive Chocolates

Children, chocolate, Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, 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.

Christmas is the time for over indulging, and if you’ve been following us this year with our Joe & Seph’s Popcorn features, then you’ll love what they have sent us to try from their Festive range. This week we had turn up;

Small Star Salted Caramel Gift Box
Milk Chocolate Salted Caramel Truffles
Yule Log Flavoured Popcorn
Festive Popcorn Slab

Quite the Christmas Collection!

Joe & Seph’s are known for their popcorn snacks, and these Christmas additions are no exception. We tried out all of them, but started with the Festive Popcorn Slab. This could be a stocking filler or a Secret Santa but is ideal for sharing as you break off pieces to devour, probably in front of the TV! At 115 grams it’s a good size for a family and includes salted caramel flavoured popcorn covered in milk and white chocolate. You can see the salted caramel on the popcorn and the chocolate drizzles are indulgent and smooth, just like Joe & Seph’s other premium chocolate products!

The Joe & Seph’s Yule Log flavoured gourmet popcorn combines their famous, high quality chocolate with cream cheese frosting to give the yule log flavour we are all familiar with. The coating is rich and chocolatey with a lovely sweetness to it. It’s great for sharing in the grab bag and as ever, Joe & Seph’s popcorn has no kernels left at the bottom to throw away nor does it have any misshapen pieces which nobody can eat!

Onto the Salted Caramel Truffles. The tube contains 100 grams of sweets (roughly 10 in all) which are soft salted caramel in the middle with Joe & Seph’s award winning chocolate coating. They’re like lava cakes, with their melting inners which you only discover when you bite into the shell. Or do you melt them in your mouth until you can taste the caramel? I don’t have the patience for that, so I just crunch them until the sweet caramel taste oozes through my teeth. The milk chocolate outer is sprinkled with cocoa powder to give it more decadence and now you have another Christmas treat to share.

Finally, we have my favourite of the bunch. Joe & Seph’s Salted Caramel Popcorn in a star gift box. With 32 grams of fun here, the gift box is brilliant for Secret Santa in the office or for adding to a stocking. The popcorn is their classic, award winning salted caramel flavour. Smooth caramel meets a pinch of salt with each popcorn bite and the resulting taste is music to the taste buds! These won’t last long though, so if you know you are going to be looking for more, try the bigger 105 gram size!

Popcorn lovers will adore the Joe & Seph’s range this Christmas, but even if you’re not a popcorn-fiend, you’ll find something in their Christmas collection you’ll enjoy: https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/christmas

All items available online at the link above and varying prices. Some items are currently available in the Black Friday sale.

Edifier W820NB Plus Noise Cancelling Headphones

Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Tech

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

Imagine it’s Christmas in the year 2000. The Millennium Bug is behind us, but the iPod still hasn’t been invented yet (that was in 2001) and the iPhone is just a pipe dream, not on the market until 2007. Most of us still have that stereo stack in our houses, you know the one with a turntable, double cassettes and a CD player with two big speakers attached which you probably designed the layout of your living room around when you furnished it. Somewhere on that massive stereo stack is a headphone jack. Headphones you had to plug in, which would have cost a lot extra on top of that stereo stack and then you had to buy a convertor jack as well so that they could play on any of your devices. Don’t get me started on using headphones on a Walkman!

Nowadays all our music is on our phone. You might want to hear music over your computer too, and the choice of music isn’t just what you have downloaded but there are streaming services like YouTube, replay TV apps and pretty much anything else you want to find on the internet. All that content, and now, you don’t need to plug in any headphones because like the Edifier W820NB Plus, they are all Bluetooth.

The Edifier W820NB Plus headphones connect seamlessly with any device which is Bluetooth enabled. There’s no need to download anything, especially no apps or programmes which need configuring and you don’t even need to plug them into your computer to pair them let alone connect them in any way. The Bluetooth search option on your computer (or phone or any device really) automatically ‘sees’ the headphones, asks you if you want to connect then you can listen straight away. The only time you need to plug in your Edifier headphones is when they need charging, and the total charge time for the Edifier W820NB Plus headphones is 49 hours, so you won’t need to do that very often!

Unlike in Y2K, the Edifier W820NB Plus headphones have added features. These are noise cancelling headphones, which if you’ve never tried them before means that you can’t hear much of the ‘outside world’ when you have them on. As the music is playing, other noises are drowned out so that all you can hear is the music. Even when there isn’t music playing, there is the noise cancelling effect so that other noises are voided. Traffic, for instance is lessened even without anything playing on the headphones which makes for more peaceful travel, whether you’re a passenger in a car or on a flight and want to block out the white noise. Perfect for sleeping!

You have the option too of Ambient Sound. This allows for some outside noises to be heard, usually voices, so that you’re not completely isolated. This is great for when you’re at work or working from home and have to be aware of people trying to communicate with you not through the PC or sound system. It prevents you being easily startled and keeps you slightly more in the world than if you had noise cancelling switched on.

The Edifier W820NB Plus also work great whilst travelling because of the Zero Pressure Patent Earcups. The ultra-comfy earpads are made of memory foam and create zero pressure on your ears to make them more comfortable. When travelling on a plane, this is super handy because the changes in pressure in the cabin don’t affect the fit of the headphones if you’re wearing them for long periods of time.

All of the controls for the headphones are on the right ear piece. There’s the on/off switch and a volume up and down. You can hold down the volume keys to switch back and forth between tracks too. The ‘M’ button you can see in the photo is for connecting to Bluetooth and turning on and off the ambient sound and noise cancelling features. With each change in feature, a woman’s voice tells you what’s happening (“ambient sound ON”) with the exception of skipping tracks that would only interrupt what you were listening to anyway.

The Edifier range is known for their quality and ease of use and the Edifier W820NB Plus is no exception. They’re great for work, travel or for the kids and the long battery life and 7 hours of play from 10 minutes of charge is the Christmas icing on the cake.

Available from £79.99 (but currently on sale at £55.99):

Edifier WH500

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Tech

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

If you’re looking for gift ideas this Christmas you should consider these headphones from Edifier. The WH500 on-ear headphones are a lightweight set of bluetooth headphones in a choice of three colours – light blue, black and white. They’re a compact design with earcups that sit on the ear rather than over, but are quite comfortable and can be worn for long periods. With a foldable design they’re great for travel and as they have a 40 hour battery life you don’t need to worry about running out of charge on a weekend away. When they do need charging (with the included USB-C cable) a 10 minute charge gives an impressive 6 hour boost!

Controls are mounted on the right ear and give access to the most common functions allowing track skip, play / pause, call controls and volume to be adjusted. An extra button allows switching between music mode and game mode – that’s not something I’m too bothered about but I’m told by my teenage son that it reduces the latency which is important for gaming.

Although it isn’t necessary to use the headphones, installing the Edifier Connect app allows other features to be accessed. The prompt volume can be adjusted, a sleep timer set and the headphones can also be reset. Also available is a graphic equaliser and a way to limit the maximum volume – perfect for concerned parents.

The most important feature of course is the sound quality and I was really impressed with the performance of the 30mm drivers, I did try different equaliser settings but preferred the standard setting. Whilst the headphones do not feature active noise cancellation, the cups are well insulated meaning that when I am wearing them I can’t hear background noise.

These are a great pair of lightweight headphones and would be a good buy at the RRP of £40 but I noticed these are currently on a Black Friday offer at Amazon for just £20, making them a real bargain.

LoveRaw Advent Calendar

advent calendar, Children, chocolate, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

LoveRaw have produced their first ever vegan advent calendar for 2023 on the back of their meteoric rise to chocolate heaven since 2013. LoveRaw have sent us one of their new advent calendars to review and the back story of how the LoveRaw team came about.

Back in 2013, Rini and Manar had what they called a ‘crazy idea’ to create vegan chocolate, but for it to also not taste vegan at all. This included using unconventional products (for the time) and trying to get the attention of lots of buyers. Along the past 10+ years, they have rejected Dragon’s Den offers, developed tons more products and probably become sick of the sight of chocolate to come to this point where they are able to sell vegan chocolate to the masses.

LoveRaw’s chocolate is made with no palm oil and no artificial ingredients. All of the base ingredients are plant based (such as chickpea protein concentrate) and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. In fact, they say that it’s suitable for everyone, including ‘Unvegans’ who aren’t vegan at all but happy to eat something that has been produced in the vegan way. Their chocolate contains sugar, but beyond that there are no other ingredients which you might want to. Stay away from. There’s a whole list of ingredients on the back that you’ll recognise.

The LoveRaw Advent Calendar is. The usual 24 windows we are familiar with hide medallions of LoveRaw vegan chocolate behind a foil covering which keeps them fresh as well as increasing the anticipation as you open them! LoveRaw isn’t aimed specifically at children, but the chocolate pieces are decorated with Christmas themes, just like the ones we had as children. The pieces are only about the size of a 2 pence coin (3.3grams per piece) so there isn’t an indulgent amount that will spoil dinner but still gives you the chocolate hit.

What was the chocolate like? I took it upon myself to try several pieces and I can confidently say that it does indeed taste like chocolate! The advent calendar is milk chocolate flavoured (we know there is no actual milk in it though) but the flavour is slightly more of a darker chocolate flavour, but not at all bitter. I think because there is added sugar, the LoveRaw chocolate tastes sweeter. There is no bitter aftertaste with it though, like some vegan chocolates have.

Whether for an adult or children, the LoveRaw advent calendar ticks all the boxes and no one will notice the difference between vegan and ‘unvegan’!

RRP £6.99

The LOGO Board Game – 2nd edition

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

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

My family love playing board games and Santa always leaves a new one under the tree for us to play once we’ve eaten Christmas lunch. We’ve always enjoyed playing LOGO so I was really pleased to find out there is a 2^nd edition of the popular board game from Drumond Park. The new version from is just like the original but comes with a set of 396 new question cards. The game is for 2-6 players and can also be played in teams, making it a great game to play at Christmas with all the family.

The game is simple to set up, each player or team chooses a coloured cone and places it on the Go! space on the board. When playing for the first time it is important to shuffle the cards and once you have placed them in the box you are ready to go. There are three types of question cards, each with four questions; Picture Cards that have pictures relating to questions on the cards, Theme Cards that have questions relating to a common theme and Pot Luck which have random/ general knowledge questions. Players move around the board by answering questions that are the same colour as the place you are on the board. A correct answer allows you to move to the next space of the same colour and you continue answering the questions on the card until you either get one wrong or have answered them all.

Players take it in turns to be the question master which helps keep everyone involved and the winner is the first player/team to reach the winning zone where you need to answer two questions correctly or a get a red question correct.

There are a good variety of questions and as it is all logos and brands it puts everyone on a pretty equal footing. It’s a great game for families to play together and will keep everyone entertained over the Christmas period.

RRP: £32.99

Suitable for ages: 12yrs+

Stockists include: Independent toy shops and Smyths, Amazon, Argos

Critically Endangered Socks – Elephant Speckle

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, eco friendly, Fashion, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, 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.

Who would have thought that socks could save wildlife? Critically Endangered Socks have made it their mission to do just that, and your tootsies could be the reason that an elephant survives in the future; but how?

The profit from the Critically Endangered Socks is donated to charities such as WWF who benefit from 10% of direct sales. The socks are embroidered with some of the animals the charities save including pandas, cheetahs, orangutans and tigers plus these stylish elephant socks in gorgeous pink. All of the socks on sale are 85% GOTS certified organic cotton and include 5% Spandex (to make them last longer!) plus 10% Polyester for hard wearing. The little elephant on this pair aren’t over the top, just giving you a glimpse of the animals at the ankle.

The socks themselves are super soft! The elephant pink tie-die are very unique and go well with snazzy trainers. They’re certainly a statement piece and I was able to wear these with my trainers to the gym because of how stretchy they are and the high content of cotton makes them fabulous for working out.

For Christmas this year, there are also baby socks, pyjamas, jumpers, baby rompers and muslins available online. Critically Endangered Socks make excellent presents for the person who has everything as well as animal lovers who want to know they are doing something for the greater good, and who doesn’t always need socks?

Available from £12.00 at:

Elephant Speckle

Dog Keychain from Kikkerland

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Pets, 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.

Dog lovers, this one is for you!

The Kikkerland dog keychain is exactly what it says it is – a keyring that’s in the shape of a dog! No more losing your keys on the long dog walks across the fields or into the woods, this sturdy keychain can hold all of your keys and more.

Made of zinc alloy, it’s durable, doesn’t rust and won’t bend out of shape and is lightweight too. The screw closure ensures that all your keys are safe and the hollow outline of the dog face means you’ll be able to add more keyrings or keys to the chain. The unique shape also means you’ll be able to put your hand in your pocket and find your dog keyring easily. At just £9 it’s great for Secret Santa or as a gift which can be posted as it’s flat and so light.

This is a great Secret Santa for dog lovers or collectors of keyrings, looks stylish and like all Kikkerland products, will last for ages!

Available from £9.00 at:

Dog Keychain

Kikkerland Make Your Own Tea Kit

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, eco friendly, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Sustainable, Winter

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

For the tea lover who has everything, they will always need more tea! Kikkerland have this gorgeous Make Your Own Tea Kit tin which has everything you need to brew your own.

Whether you’re a loose tea lover who wants to make your own blend or simply take loose tea with you out and about, or if you love making whole new blends of herbal teas, perhaps from your own dried flowers and fruits from the garden, this is for you. The tin contains a bamboo tea spoon, 5 reusable teabags, 2 mesh envelopes and a booklet on how to make and blend tea.

The mesh envelopes are for collecting your herbs, flowers or berries from the garden and helping them dry so that you can make your infusion later. The mesh bags are sewn on three sides to make it easier to collect and store natural items easily and allow the air to dry them naturally. Each of the teabags is drawstring and can be washed in a normal washing machine cycle after use. The bags have ample room for brewing tea, and not just herbal teas but loose tea works well too. There’s a lovely bamboo spoon which allows you to dolly-up the mixture into each bag, or even stir the infusion once the teabag is in your cup. The handy green tin also doubles up as an air-tight container to keep your teabags in once you’ve made them up but not yet used them!

The Kikkerland Make Your Own Tea Kit is a lovely kit for Secret Santa or a friend who loves making their own tea. Teenagers who are learning to make their own infusions will love the practicality of this make-your-own craft kit.

Available online for £13.00 at: https://kikkerlandeu.com/products/make-your-own-tea-kit?_pos=1&_sid=b07c6d0a5&_ss=r

Kidoki Teeter Totter Shapes Wooden Balance Game

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Games, Gifts for children, Home, secret santa

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

Amidst all the techie toys out there, multiple screens and the commercial money-makers, Christmas toys is a minefield for getting the balance between educational and wholesome. Kidoki have a range of toys which are suitable for children but without the screen time, or the added expense of having to buy an app, batteries, additional converters etc. Harping back to a time of simpler toys, this Teeter Totter Shapes Wooden Balance Game looks like it’s come straight from the Elf Factory!

The Kikkerland box contains 11 wooden shapes, all brightly coloured and some with faces and patterns painted on them. They’re all completely different shapes too. The main piece is a blue ‘boat’ shape with a convex base. The idea of the game is to balance all 10 other pieces on top of the boat without it toppling over. There isn’t one way in which they all fit, so it’s a game of balance for little hands to try and build a structure that will not only balance but stay stable long enough for all the pieces to fit on top. There’s also the added difficulty of not all the pieces having straight edges – so how do you fit them all together?

For fine motor skills, problem solving and general fun, the Teeter Totter Shapes Wooden Balance Game has a lot to offer. As an adult, I found it difficult at first to work out how the pieces are meant to stack. Once you realise they aren’t meant to, and there are multiple ways in which they can stack, it becomes a race against time to get them into an order where they will all stay in once place! Yes, the boat rocks and you have to work out how to distribute the weight of each piece so that it doesn’t topple over. The shapes are all different heights as well, and different weights so it’s not obvious how you complete the tasks.

For children, this is a great game to challenge them, and it doesn’t involve screens or modern technology. The painted faces and patterns also mean that children can use the blocks in a manner of different ways, including creating new games, or using along with other shapes from other games. They might also find them useful for learning the names of shapes and colours and using them in their imagination games.

We found that the Teeter Totter game was not just for children though! The size and robustness of the blocks meant it was great fun for adults to have a go in the evening, sitting around the coffee table with a drink and the TV on, each trying to work out how to fit everything together without it falling over! Make a game of it by timing how long it takes someone to balance all 11 blocks – the winner is the quickest!

Available online for £25 at: https://kikkerlandeu.com/products/teetertottershape-wood-balance-game?_pos=2&_sid=ac6edaecd&_ss=r

Flip a Zoo Mushmillows

Birthday Gifts, camping, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Stocking Fillers, Toys

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

When I was a child my auntie made me a Topsy Turvy Doll which was my absolute favourite toy and went everywhere with me. One head had a smiley face and flowery summer dress and when you flipped the skirt there was an identical head but this time the doll was in a nightgown, so it was like having two different dolls in one.

FlipaZoo™ are the same idea but instead of dolls they are animals, ours is the cat and dog but there are plenty of other combinations including giraffe/elephant, shark/dolphin, polar bear/ husky and unicorn. The 38cm cuddly toy has gorgeous big eyes and magically transforms from one animal to another and is suitable for children aged 1 year upwards. It’s really easy to switch from one animal to another and our mini reviewers soon got the hang of it! Simply fold the body part of the animal over the head to reveal a different animal.

The toys are lovely and soft and once the ear tag had been cut off was quickly grabbed for cuddles with our mini reviewer. As well as being a lovely toy FlipaZoo™ doubles up as a pillow for nap time and I can see this being invaluable when travelling with children as something familiar that they associate with nap time will help them sleep when they have a change to their normal routine.

The toy has been a great hit with our mini reviewers and for me the standout feature is the softness, it is so soft and tactile which makes it extremely cuddly. The stuffing is just the right balance between firmness and squishiness and it bounced back into shape after being sat on and used as a pillow! Looking at the stitching, it is very well-made and I didn’t spot any small holes in the seams that little fingers can poke in, so it should last a very long time. Whilst I haven’t washed it yet it is good to know that it can be washed when the need arises.

If you are searching for inspiration for gifts for little ones then a FlipaZoo™ toy comes highly recommended by our mini reviewers and will make a wonderful gift for little ones this Christmas which will be loved and cherished for years to come.

RRP £22.99 available from The Entertainer

NOMO Christmas Chocolates

Children, chocolate, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gluten Free, Stocking Fillers, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

NOMO (No More Missing Out) have brought out a lovely range of Christmas chocolates for 2023, aimed at anyone who is allergic to the main allergens (dairy, gluten, egg and nuts) or lives a plant based life. We were sent some of the selection to review, and frankly, it’s the best part of our job when we have to force ourselves to eat chocolate!

The selection of NOMO Sharing Boxes contain 140 grams of chocolates, each individually wrapped and there’s about 12 chocolates in each box. There are three flavours of the sharing boxes; Choc Orange Crunch, Caramel and Mint. All of the sharing boxes are vegan chocolate, plant based and free from eggs, dairy nuts and gluten so are suitable for the whole family.

If you’re familiar with the ‘big brand’ chocolates then you’ll recognise what type of confectionary these flavours are based on. The Caramel flavour is milk chocolate with a soft caramel filling. They’re arranged as two squares for each of the sweets, so you can take your time over eating them and the chocolate is surprisingly thick. The Choc Orange Crunch isn’t a fondant filling but more of an enriched chocolate filling with piece of – you guessed it – crunchy flavoured orange pieces. The last box is the Mint flavour which was my favourite. Again, there was generous chocolate but also a lot of the mint fondant filling which was soft at room temperature and reminded me of another famous brand.

We were also sent the NOMO Reindeers in Choc Fudge and Cookie Dough flavours. These individually wrapped chocolates weigh 33 grams and 30 grams respectively and are also vegan and free from eggs, nuts, gluten and dairy. They’re perfect for adding to children’s stockings or for Christmas parties where you don’t know if the kids are all able to tolerate conventional milk chocolate. The Cookie Dough flavour is soft with slightly crunchy pieces covered in NOMO milk chocolate. The child in me insisted on eating the reindeer ears first but there’s no obligation! The Choc Fudge flavour was my favourite though as it was rich, deep fudge that was slightly gooey and very indulgent. It’s a real chocolate lover’s treat.

The sharing boxes are an excellent idea no matter what time of year and are just the right portion size to be eaten after dinner over the Christmas period. They’re also great for school lunchboxes or for anyone who’s never tried plant-based chocolates before. For those of us who are always scrambling for last minute gifts for the neighbours, these NOMO sharing boxes mean you don’t have to worry about offending anyone with an allergy by giving them something they can’t enjoy! The NOMO Reindeers are a great pick-me-up for the supermarket too, or to enjoy on car journeys throughout the festive period.

NOMO are continuing to make great fun chocolate that’s appealing to everyone and more importantly, more accessible. There is indeed No Missing Out anymore when it comes to chocolate.

Joe & Seph’s Halloween Popcorn

Autumn, Children, chocolate, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gluten Free, Halloween, Vegetarian, Winter

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

There’s no tricks just treats at our house this Halloween and I’m looking forward to curling up in front of the fire with these delicious treats from Joe & Seph’s.

Known for their amazing selection of flavoured gourmet popcorn, Joe & Seph’s make their popcorn in small batches using only the finest, natural ingredients which means all their popcorn is packed full of flavour. I’m gradually working my way through the flavours and as it is almost Halloween the Toffee Apple and Cinnamon and the Pumpkin Spice popcorn seemed the obvious ones to try next!

The Toffee Apple & Cinnamon gourmet popcorn is coated in smooth buttery caramel and tastes absolutely delicious. After the initial caramel you get the apple coming through followed by the cinnamon. It’s all the flavour of a toffee apple without the mess! The combination of autumnal flavours works incredibly well and is a perfect treat for witches, ghouls and monsters young and old.

The pumpkin spice air popped popcorn is darker in colour than the toffee apple & cinnamon one and just as moreish – think pumpkin pie in popcorn form. This deliciously aromatic popcorn is satisfyingly crunchy and is one of Joe & Seph’s tastiest creations yet –winning a 1-Star Gold 2020 Great Taste Award before even launching!

The Chocolate Popcorn Pumpkins are perfect for any chocoholic – delicious Pumpkin Spice flavoured popcorn is encased in a creamy milk chocolate pumpkin – complete with pumpkin faces! The creaminess of the chocolate combined with the tasty popcorn makes it a real decadent treat and despite having 4 servings in the 63g bag this is one treat I won’t be sharing!!

RRP Toffee Apple & Cinnamon and Pumpkin Spice Gourmet Popcorn £4

Chocolate Popcorn Pumpkins £3.50

NOMO Chocolate Advent Calendar

advent calendar, Children, chocolate, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, 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’ve never heard of NOMO, then this Christmas you will certainly see the brand in the shops and especially on the advent calendar section of supermarkets. NOMO stands for No Missing Out and relates to the fact that their chocolate is vegan and free from dairy, gluten egg and nuts. So no one who has any of those major intolerances will miss out on chocolate this Christmas.

The same size as most advent calendars, the NOMO chocolate advent calendar has 24 windows to cover the whole of advent. Behind each windows is a scrumptious creamy chocolate drop made with Rainforest Alliance cocoa and is entirely plant based, hence there aren’t the allergens that other chocolates contain. The chocolate instead contains rice powder, shea oil, sea salt and flavourings with a dash of sugar too.

You really can’t taste that the NOMO chocolate is any different to traditional chocolate. It’s still smooth and creamy, still has the milk chocolate taste and no after taste.

At £5 for the calendar it compares to other brands too. If you’re giving this as a gift to someone you don’t know very well, it works perfectly because anyone can eat it no matter their intolerances or allergies! Children will love the chocolate behind each window but adults will love it just as much as the packaging isn’t just for children. Father Christmas is dressed in blue though – like the NOMO logo colours!

You can find not just advent calendars by NOMO this Christmas but lots of other chocolate sweets which we’ll be reviewing later this week. You can find NOMO in supermarkets such as Waitrose, Co-Op, Morrison, Holland & Barratt, Nisa, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Available from £5 at: https://nomochoc.com/products/advent-calendar-2