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Caffe Nero’s Festive Menu 2024

Christmas, coffee, Family Life, Food & Drink, Home, Restaurant, snacks

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

Whether you’re at work and wanting to grab something different for the time of year, or out shopping at the weekend and need a break, Caffe Nero have a new menu for Christmas 2024 that includes sandwiches, cakes and drinks that we can all enjoy. We were sent off (happily) for a working lunch to find a few of Caffe Nero’s yummy delights!

All of the items we tested are on Caffe Nero’s Festive Menu. We started with the Pigs Under Blankets Panini and the New Italian Festive Porchetta Focaccia. Both sandwiches are best when heated up, which the Caffe Nero staff are happy to do as they make your hot drink. We liked the Pigs Under Blankets for the festive sausages, bacon and added onion relish and when it’s hot, it’s especially nice! The Italian Porchetta Focaccia has not just the porchetta ham but mozzarella and pesto. This sandwich is sweeter than the Pigs Under Blankets and you can taste the pesto and mozzarella most with the ham and the sweetness of the focaccia bread being second.

We then tried one of the delicious Caffe Nero Classic Mince Pie. Made with shortbread pastry and filled with raisins, currents, sultanas and mixed peel with spices, this was a very sweet mince pie which can be eaten hot or cold. I chose to have it cold with my hot panini sandwich but you could add cream or ice cream to this easily. The mince pie is really sweet, and has a lot of filling and really light pastry to it too. We would have tried a few drinks that day but the coffee machine was broken, but seeing as we still had a lot to try, we went back another day!

Next day we tried the Festive Feast Panini with bacon, chicken, cranberry & apricot stuffing and cranberry sauce in a sourdough panini. This panini was also heated up and tasted of sweet cranberry and chicken with a herb-tasting panini. The New Brie, Bacon & Cranberry Panini was also warmed which allowed the Brie to melt all over again and give the counter-taste to the bacon and cranberry. We also got a cake today, a delicious New Black Forest Chouxnut. If you’re not familiar with a chouxnut, it’s a ring doughnut made with choux pastry which is filled with a Black Forest cream and topped with cherry ganache. The filling is incredibly sweet and the topping makes it very decadent – great for work or a treat and even better if you can share it with someone!

We also tried the New Tiramisu Latte. This latte has a tiramisu syrup flavouring and dusting of chocolate powder, and even has a sponge finger added on top to give it more of the tiramisu dessert flavour! We liked this for the heartiness of the latte and the added tiramisu coffee and chocolate flavouring which made it feel extra Christmassy.

We loved the variety of the sandwiches, cakes and drinks, and there were so many to choose from that we couldn’t try them all. They’re full of flavour and have lots of Christmas spirit to them. All of the Caffe Nero Festive Menu is available to view online (we made our choices before we even left the office!) and are all in store from now on. Vegan and Vegetarian options also available.

https://www.caffenero.com/uk/menu/festive

Vibrating Massage Seat Cushion with Heat

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, health, Home, Tech

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

This is the gift you didn’t know you wanted! Carmen’s Vibrating Massage Seat Cushion (with heat) is a classic gift that will charm your loved ones at first, but then you don’t know what you did without it.

The Carmen Vibrating Massage Seat Cushion can be used on any seat, although I found it easier to put on my armchair. It just needs an electrical socket nearby to power it. There’s an attachment that comes with it to be able to use it in the car. More about that later though!

All you have to do is fix up the power socket to the connector and then find the control which is kept in a Velcro pocket. Turn on the Power (PWR button at the top; blue in colour) and the cushion is set to Auto. If you look at the control, you can see that the Intensity light (INT) is lit already and it will probably start on the first function which is Pulsate. This is where I started to play with all the buttons! There are 5 modes in all; pulsate, tapping, rolling auto and kneading. To change modes, you just press the Mode button and go through the list until you find the one you like, or need! The diagram shows the areas of the body which are being worked on, and the buttons to the right allow you to switch on or off each area. You can have all areas working together (upper back, lower back, hips and thighs) or isolate one area on its own. Finding the combinations and which mode is right for you is part of the fun!

The Carmen Vibrating Massage Seat Cushion has other functions too. The INT button (for intensity) gives four different levels of vibration so that you can adjust it if you are particularly sensitive or have high inflammation. There’s also a HEAT button which as it suggests, adds heat with the vibration. This is great if you need the cushion for certain types of pan management. At the bottom of the controls, there’s also a timer. You can set the cushion to 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour and it will switch itself off after each time, allowing you to go to sleep, or to relax and not have to worry about how long you’ve been there!

The attachment for the car is genius if you get backache in the car, have to travel a long way or have a relative who isn’t great with sitting for long amounts of time especially in the cold. The cushion can be amended to a very low level of vibration in just one area and you just turn the heat on, or you can have any of the vibrating functions and include heat as well. Perfect if you have an injury and find it difficult to drive long distances, or if you just need to have your circulation improved as you drive, especially in winter. It attaches to the cigarette lighter in the car, or if you don’t have a cigarette lighter, you’d have to find an adapter.

I tried it at home and was pleasantly surprised with how powerful it can be, and the versatility of it. It can be used for injuries, inflammation or relaxing and in winter, as an added way to keep warm too!

With a 1 year guarantee and an option for another 2 years.

Available from £29.99 at:

https://carmen-products.co.uk/massagers/massage-vibration-seat-cushion

Carmen 2-In-1 Vanity Case with LED Mirror

beauty, Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Gifts for Her, Gifts for teachers, Home, secret santa, Women

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

The Carmen 2-In-1 Vanity Case is an easy gift for anyone who loves their make-up, skincare or perhaps a traveller who needs a robust make-up bag!

The Carmen Vanity Case is unique as the lid can be detached and turned into an illuminated mirror. That’s right, the lid becomes a stand up mirror for doing hair or make-up, and at the touch of a button it illuminates to make it easier to apply products anywhere. The rigid case is tough enough to withstand hold luggage and protect your make-up from being ruined, and I’d bet that it prevents make-up melting in extreme heat as well, especially as the case is a cool colour and would not absorb sunlight if left on a window ledge. There’s a classy leather strap for a handle too, making it easy to transport around.

The lid has a stand which is 360 degree swivel so you can position the mirror exactly where you want it. It even sits in the case with an attachment inside and actually works really well to illuminate the room even if you’re not using it. Perfect for camping and having no other light at night! To recharge, use the included C-USB lead. The light is designed to be a white light, so as not to distort your colour when trying to apply make-up. The light runs for 3 hours before it needs charging again.

I really like this design for anyone who wants to transport any precious make-up or skin products as I find it easier to have everything in one case, but most cases are too soft to put into hold luggage and as we know, there’s a limit on hand luggage. The mirror and light are the icing on the cake and will make it much easier for travelling especially if you are on long journeys and know that your bag will get thrown all over the place. Although not waterproof, the Carmen Vanity Case is great for when the bathroom gets too humid or things are thrown around on a cruise ship and water goes everywhere!

I think this might be my favourite gift to send to friends for Christmas too. Who wouldn’t find a use for it?

https://carmen-products.co.uk/mirrors/vanity-case-with-illuminating-led-mirror-blue-c81167bcst

Twilight Hair Dryer Straightener Set

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Fashion, Gifts for Her, Gifts for teachers, Home, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Women

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

There are some products that we all use all year round, and yet we never think of buying them for ourselves. A hairdryer and a set of straighteners are among them! I don’t think I’ve ever bought myself a hairdryer but instead wait for Christmas to either ask for it on my Christmas list (thanks Mum!) or be surprised by it!

The Carmen Twilight Hair Dryer and Straightener Set includes a hair dryer with three heat and two speed settings to give a professional look and making it ideal for all hair types and all types of finish. There’s also a handy mirror in the back of the hair dryer so that you can see what you’re doing. Anyone who has curly or frizzy hair knows that you have to blow dry your hair first, with a straight nozzle, before you can straighten it. Which makes it very handy having both the hair dryer and straighteners in a set!

The Twilight hair straighteners are keratin infused to give a smoother finish and prevent burning, even if your hair is still slightly damp. It heats up to 215 degrees which is comparable to other straighteners on the market. Both the hair dryer and straighteners are part of a set of other Twilight products including tongs, a cosmetic bag and a high grade hair dryer all in the Twilight blue colour.

The Twilight Hair Dryer works brilliantly and is not as noisy as some of the older model hair dyers I’m used to. It’s light weight too and the mirror is really handy! Other models would have some diffuser and interchangeable nozzles to go with this product but if you’re drying straight hair or hair that’s a bit frizzy and needs straightening, this is the nozzle you’d use anyway. The straighteners work really well too and it’s nice to have brand new straighteners with keratin coating that glides through your hair. It left my curly hair nicely straightened and with blunt edges in just a few attempts, leaving my long hair straight all over in a matter of about 15 minutes.

Available for £29.99 at: https://carmen-products.co.uk/gift-sets/twilight-hair-dryer-straightener-set

Carmen Rechargeable Hot Water Bottle

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, health, Home, REUSABLE, secret santa, Winter

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

One present that’s good for Christmas this year is a Rechargeable Hot Water Bottle, ready to stave off the cold as well as relax your loved ones over the winter months. Carmen have a Rechargeable Hot Water Bottle, which doesn’t use water at all and keeps warm for up to 5 hours!

With cost of energy being high and the mantra we all have to, “heat the person not the room,” then it’s advantageous to heat up this hot water bottle and keep toasty. The appliance comes with a charging cable which heats up the water inside, which is completely sealed and therefore can’t leak if you drop it. It doesn’t need refilling either so you won’t scold yourself on the hot water tap.

There’s a plug on the hot water bottle that you use the provided cable to plug in and charge. It takes around 15 minutes for a full charge but if you charge it for less time, there’s still heat from it. The bottle is covered in a fleecy grey cover with a pocket for your hands, so you can sit with it on your lap, or safely use it in bed. It keeps the heat for about 5 hours, or through the night if you’re keeping it under the duvet! It can’t over heat because there’s a thermostat which cuts off as soon as it’s hot enough.

This is a great gift, especially as it’s so safe for anyone to use so children, the elderly or anyone who’s not I the best health can get warm quickly. I also like that it can be charged whilst you’re at work and might be cold, or to charge at work and take in the car on the journey home. Lots of work offices don’t have boiling water any longer so it would be impossible to fill a conventional hot water bottle, but this is a great idea!

Available at £14.99: https://carmen-products.co.uk/hot-water-bottles/spa-rechargeable-hot-water-bottle

Wade Capri Pasta Bowls

Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Home & Garden, Summer

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

Some people prefer completely practical presents for Christmas, and Wade Pottery is an excellent example of a gift you wouldn’t buy for yourself, but would secretly like someone to buy for you at Christmas!

This set of 4 Capri Pasta Bowls from Wade are made in England by Wade Pottery. Measuring 22.5 centimetres in diameter, they are both dishwasher and microwave safe. The bold Mediterranean pattern is based on an original hand decorated Wade design and is part of a larger set by Wade, available online. The Capri bowls are deep coupe shaped and easily stacked Earthenware with glaze, which gives them more durability.

Having used these bowls for weekend pasta night, they are large enough for a main meal or can accommodate a salad, noodles or even cereal if you wanted! They stack nicely, clean quickly under the tap or fit into the dishwasher. The Capri design is a classic which will last for years and one which you can add to, or give as a gift, time after time.

There’s a 1 year guarantee on these bowls with an optional 2 years extra guarantee when you buy.

From £59.99: https://www.wadepottery.co.uk/bowl-sets/capri-pasta-bowl-set

Fold+Rºll Packing Organiser

Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Family Life, Fashion, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, REUSABLE, Stocking Fillers, Sustainable

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

Travellers, holiday makers and even those who enjoy an extreme daytrip, this is one for you! the Fold+Rºll Packing Organiser is designed to pack up an outfit that can be carried on hand luggage safely or even put into hold luggage so that items don’t spill out and get lost. The website even boasts, “Because no one wants to see your pants.” Which is true!

It struck me that the Fold+Rºll is designed for packing to GO on holiday, but it’s actually more practical for when you are coming back. Stopover and need a change of clothes? Fold+Rºll in your hand luggage. Need a pillow on the plane but can’t take any more hand luggage on board? Use Fold+Rºll to create a pill AND keep your change of clothes safe. What about if you need to take pyjamas on a flight for the kids? They’re nice and safe in your handbag in a Fold+Rºll.

The premise of the invention is that the easily foldable contraption keeps your clothes enclosed but with minimum fuss and all you have to do is lay your clothes on the instruction side and fold and roll. The clothes are kept safe and also away from other objects in your bag. The instructions are all printed on one side of the garment bag, and the whole piece can encapsulate an outfit. The photos below show how you place a t-shirt (in this case) in the middle of the sheet, fold over the edges then roll into a Swiss-roll shape, folding over the last edge to keep it tight.

This would work brilliantly if you have slightly damp clothes and want to keep them away from your packed clothes, or if you have dirty clothes that you don’t want to get mixed up with the rest of your luggage. It’s primarily for taking an outfit on as hand luggage if you don’t want to check anything into the hold but the more I use this (and plan my next holiday abroad!) the more uses I can find for it. Hiding jewellery? A rolled-up blanket for a baby on board a flight? Keeping soft toys safe on a flight until it’s time to be unwrapped? The possibilities are endless!

The Fold+Rºll is a great gift for travellers but also families on car journeys. It’s something that you’ll find use for for years to come.

Available from £30: https://www.foldnroll.com

Seep Sleigh The Dishes Christmas Cleaning Bundle

Christmas, eco friendly, Family Life, Home, Plastic free, REUSABLE, Sustainable

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

You may have seen us rave about Seep before, but if not, you’re about to have your head turned by not just cleaning products, but eco cleaning products!

Seep pride themselves on making cleaning items that are plastic free, sustainable, natural and effective. Their Christmas bundle includes Eco Sponge Cloths (zero plastic), Eco Sponge Scourer and Eco Rubber Gloves. Most of the items are sold separately albeit in packs of 3 or more but there are also lots of Cleaning Bundles available on their website.

The Eco Sponge Scourer is brilliantly ecological and made of loofah. That’s right, the same plant that grows to create the back scrubber you have in the bath is also great for your pots and pans! It’s got no plastic as it’s entirely a plant and it’s gentle too so this can be used on coated cookware. It also works great for plates with residue or with washing up. It may not last as long as the Eco Copper Scourer but it does last longer than you think. I use these in conjunction to get the best of both products and to not damage my cookware.

The Eco Rubber Gloves are made of real rubber, which is 100% biodegradable. Available in 3 sizes (small, medium and large) they actually extend over your wrist to make them extra durable. The fingers have textured grip and they’re flock lined for comfort but I feel like the lining also helps with durability and makes them more stable. They fit very well, but I suspect that’s because I have small women’s hands – men may struggle even with the bigger size!

Lastly there’s the Christmas Eco Sponge Cloths which are in the Sleigh The Dishes design. These sponge clothes are plastic free and can be placed in the washing machine or dishwasher (yes, really!) up to 300 times which makes them very long lasting! If you think that you put them through the wash once a week, that means they could last over 5 years. I would recommend treating yourself to some new Seep Eco Sponge Cloths more regularly than that though! These can air dry very quickly so as long as you rinse them out overnight you can use them the next day. They’re great for wiping down surfaces, clearing away drip marks on plates or a quick rinse of cups and plates.

There’s more to see on the theseepcompany.co.uk website and new products are coming in regularly. The Christmas bundles are great for ringing in Christmas, or just as a bundle for a new house, a student or to help out over Christmas.

Mariage Frères Noel Royal Tea

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Stocking Fillers

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

If you’re looking for a gift for the tea lover this Christmas, the Mariage Frères Noel Royal Tea is a safe bet. This loose tea comes in its own gorgeous, air tight tin which can be used again but the Christmassy red packaging is perfect for the Christmas Lunch table, in a stocking or even just on its own.

Mariage Frères Noel Royal Tea is a black tea with fruit pieces added to give a more fragrant, fruity flavour. Consumed without milk but left to brew for 5 minutes (I use a loose tea strainer) it takes approximately 2.5 grams of tea to make a cup. As the tin contains 80 grams in all, that’s 32 cups of tea that can be made from just one tin! One for every day of advent or suitable for the whole family throughout the Christmas period.

The aroma of the tea when you open the packet is overwhelmingly fruity, with its sweet tones and fresh black tea fragrance underneath. It takes all of the 5 minutes to brew the tea as it’s slightly weak with only a minute or two, and I found that even after 5 minutes it didn’t become too strong so I could recommend making a pot of tea with Noel Royal.

At £28 a tin it’s for the tea connoisseurs and lovers of fragrant teas but makes a great gift for Gran or as part of a hamper at Christmas time. Noel Royal is part of the Royal Fairy range by Mariage Frères this Christmas which can be found on their website: https://www.mariagefreres.com/en/tea/tea-collections/royal-fairy-teas.html

Available from £28 at:

https://www.mariagefreres.com/en/noel-royal-te9226-other-tea-jars.html

Unwritten Nala The Frenchie Puppy Candle

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, eco friendly, Fragrance, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Pets

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

French Bulldog owners will love the Unwritten Puppy Candle with Nala the Frenchie being the star of the show! This is a beautiful candle in the shape of a Frenchie (called Nala, naturally) that makes the perfect gift this Christmas.

With intricate design, this candle stands around 16 centimetres (about 5 inches) high and portrays a sitting Frenchie puppy in a white/cream natural wax. The design is exclusive to Unwritten so you won’t find it anywhere else around the world and the wax is blended with a delicious vanilla-like scent that fills your home even if the candle isn’t lit, known as cold scent throw. There are lots of scents to choose from including Lavender & Chamomile, Rose, Jasmine and we were sent Sandalwood & Vanilla. You really get a hit of the scent when you open the box and even though the candle is wrapped up, I can see why they call it cold scent throw! Unwrapping it, the tiny details around Nala’s eyes and nose are visible, just as if it was a fine art painting.

The candle is quite heavy, and it’s not recommended to put it straight onto a polished surface so I used a candle plate in the fireplace. It’s easy to light and burn down, and with lighting, more scent is thrown out to fill the room. You don’t need other scented candles lit at the same time as the fragrance would probably be overpowering but the vanilla essence filled my room like a diffuser. The scent lingers a little too, and the candle itself still throws out scent even when it’s been lit and then extinguished.

Unwritten use a unique blend of their own wax that doesn’t include any genetically modified ingredients, palm oil or paraffin so you won’t get any unnecessary smells and it’s better for the environment too.

The Unwritten website has lots more on offer including tens of other candle puppies, making it an amazing online shop for any dog lovers. You’ll also be surprised by the array of other candles on offer too which would be fabulous on the table at Christmas, or to gift to friends, especially dog lovers!

£48.99: https://www.un-written.co.uk/products/nala-the-frenchie

NOMO Ultimate Choco Advent Calendar

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

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

All kids, whether they can eat dairy, nuts or eggs, will love the NOMO Chocolate Advent Calendar! That’s because NOMO make chocolate with none of those ingredients to create a vegan chocolate that’s also pal oil free and gluten free. What’s not to like?

The NOMO Advent Calendar is filled with 24 days’ worth of NOMO chocolate drops in Creamy Choc flavour, which to you and me is the equivalent of “milk chocolate’ except as these are dairy-free, there is no milk involved! The choc drops are each 3.3 grams in weight and have the same soft texture of the milk chocolate you buy in shops. It’s not gritty either and doesn’t leave an after taste like some Free From chocolates do. There isn’t anything in eating them that makes you think that it’s anything but milk chocolate, so you really don’t feel like you’re missing out.

I particularly like that the NOMO calendars are still giving 24 days’ worth of treats, as advent calendars should, but may manufactures have now gone to just 12 or even 10 days of Christmas treats. Hardly an advent calendar but at least with NOMO you can give this as a gift to children and still maintain the legitimate Christmas Advent Calendar theme.

The NOMO Creamy Choc Drops Advent Calendar is a great gift for adults or children, and even better, it’s really universal so even if you’re not sure if they can or can’t eat an ingredient, NOMO has you covered.

Available from shops and online for £6

Tower VL60 NimbleVac Cordless Vacuum

Family Life, Home, Home & Garden, kitchen appliances, Tech

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

This vacuum cleaner is seriously impressive! We were sent the Tower VL60 Cordless Vacuum to try out as part of their Black Friday sale and I wasn’t expecting much for a cheaper vacuum cleaner but I was pleasantly surprised by the power, ease of use and efficiency of it. Even better, it’s part of the Tower Black Friday sale so it’s cheaper than normal too!

The Tower VL60 NimbleVac Cordless Vacuum is delivered in pieces but doesn’t need much explanation to put it together. The accessories include the charging plug, which is small enough to sit in a drawer between charges, and there’s a bracket for the wall if you need it mounted. The other accessories include a nozzle, sofa brush and velvet brush roller as well as the everyday single brush roller. They’re pretty much the same accessories as you would find with a mains powered vacuum cleaner so there’s no need to have both with this cleaner.

Putting together the vacuum cleaner is just clicking it together and you’re ready to go. There are two speeds to the motor for cleaning; regular and max, both of which are on the handle. I used the regular speed for just testing out the vacuum, and I was surprised at how well it picked up on my hallway carpet. I was also impressed with how unbelievably quiet it is! You can easily talk over the noise of the motor and it’s less likely to frighten pets. I would go as far as saying that it wouldn’t disturb a sleeping child either, which can only be a bonus! There’s a really handy light on the front to show where you’re heading and the whole brush head swivels really easily and is light to use. In fact, I can pick up the whole cordless vacuum easily with just one hand.

The VL60 is lighter than my other make of cordless vacuum and I can store it easier because it comes apart with just a click, and is smaller too. There’s a light on the handle to show how much charge you have and it lights up as you charge it too. I haven’t been able to use it long enough to see how quickly the charge runs out, but the literature says the regular speed cleaning lasts 35 minutes and the max speed is 15 minutes. Speaking of the max speed, I tried it out but I didn’t have a need to use it because the regular speed kept up with the cleaning I needed to do.

There is no bag on this vacuum cleaner, just a dust tank which holds 300ml. I vacuumed my whole house, including the hard floors and it wasn’t full, so I assume there is more than enough room for most households to clean comfortably. The HEPA filter removes 99.95% of fine particles down to 0.3 microns, and whilst using it, I realised the dust doesn’t come back into the room but stays there in the tank until you remove it. This is great for allergies especially in the spring and summer when pollen can easily get into the house and needs removing from the air and soft furnishings.

I’m really impressed with this vacuum especially given the price and the physical size of it. It works great around the house but I also think it would work well in a caravan due to it’s size and weight and the accessories that mean it can be hand held. Fabulous for long car journeys too when you have to clean up after the children!

Available on special offer for Black Friday at £74.99 (usual price £99.99):

https://www.towerhousewares.co.uk/cordless-vacuum-cleaners/vl60-nimblevac-cordless-vacuum-1

Contigo West Loop Mini Travel Mug

Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Days Out, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, hiking, Home, REUSABLE, secret santa

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

Let’s take a moment to appreciate all of those friends and family who buy us Christmas gifts which are both stylish and practical. With the Contigo West Loop Mini travel mug, you could be one of those gift-givers because Contigo have come up with this excellent design of travel mug that will make anyone happy!

The Contigo West Loop Mini travel mug is designed to fit into outdoor pockets or be able to be carried snugly thanks to its curvy design. It keeps drinks hot for p to 4 hours or cold drinks are cold for up to 14 hours due to a clever design with BPA-free stainless steel. It’s dishwasher safe as well, including the lid which twists off and reveals 470ml of drinking space – the size of most coffee mugs.

The most ingenious design of the Contigo West Loop Mini is the 100% leak-proof seal. If you play around with the lid, you find that there’s a spring release autoseal (marked ‘AUTOSEAL’) which when pressed, release the sip cover so that you can drink. When it isn’t pressed, the West Loop Mini is completely sealed so that it doesn’t spill anywhere. That means you can use it in the car, put it in a bag or rucksack and not only will it keep the heat of the drink but it will not leak at all. You can see by the sturdy design of the lid and the inner spring that it’s really effective and when I tested taking it out into the garden, there was indeed no spill no matter how much I threw it around! This would be great for when you’re out with the children or if you’re into real outdoor pursuits in all weathers.

The team at Contigo were also generous enough to send me what I consider a luxury – a proper tea infuser! For those of us who appreciate loose tea, this is a fabulous addition you don’t normally find in travel mugs. Once the loose tea is put inside the stainless steel strainer, the infuser fits inside the lid before you affix the lid in place. Perfect for having the West Loop Mini full of boiling water, then you can add the already filled infuser to the mug and allow the tea to brew. No more stewed tea when you go out!

Contigo have thought of everything with this travel mug, and there are other products in the Contigo range such as the water bottle which has similar clever designs. The Contigo West Loop Mini comes in 5 different colours (the one featured here is the liquorice design) and sizes.

Available on sale from £24.99 at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Contigo-Autoseal-Stainless-Leakproof-Easy-Clean/dp/B07TRG2RGH/ref=sr_1_5?crid=10N00O7XWBK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ogA6XhsejKBbFGmkCasxzOXzSCx29RM-0uVZYE8lOLFz7qAzDuDzdktzKHqhIp3r9qmIxhzLB7E-ry8Yg9FHPTxXNAzqcAJeyeviFR8CZch-QogxE_O5yyfIAQfFlHb1gGXRpZEbTm6NdFmJdGXHQCPGhIKTbt6hA3NAaznjAz-vODrevzmiXzj3NyQPduKjoL-f2BFd1J3RMmITfKlELJ4vBUEMoWoJ8_DOprMcMcRNKGE1voWwPKlRVfQqoQG6YRItmMv2USIWdP5p_H-yvi3dulsawpgipU6sfXMGvjE.I9HFuC3mx6yte5i-trYQXRlOZJFFsiZunzc7tUooUNo&dib_tag=se&keywords=contigo&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1730636284&s=sports&sprefix=contigo%2Csports%2C74&sr=1-5

Tea Infuser £15.99 At: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Contigo-Infuser-strainer-stainless-dishwasher/dp/B084C25JMQ/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2BWY8VOYMITXI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SCRFxTLti8pkQw7yg8bFVAlfG4qU32VNabvQjZjyTx3pFvmNSKQE7IdNQfuZzVV432WZc1nks_BhQEJlXeq1flfHLg4Gldudz0gMEZ63sOk7x5TeZ_MD_d9YZRc9v5foD4rWDYMFzaXMzE_IlYJapkmaTjD9OGxpGD_nM6IZIznyiBc8z3kByLO7Zxp49Pha0cQeQ7JdGfsOIWrtRN9Hrr8nzNHpyMQcrmNjmgAZ8oLdZlhlhAK4XzZEVBIu8mAhM8Eee0UOGtAzLMZnYYq6h20wAQxg5xQSC4e6K3ksyIE.T6hoMdPPp0fa-inAPsOEa2Uc_lDoYEr350cK0fo8nQ8&dib_tag=se&keywords=contigo+infuser&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1730636581&sprefix=contigo+infuser%2Caps%2C60&sr=8-5

Clean Living Kitchen Cleaner and Degreaser Starter Kit

Christmas, eco friendly, Family Life, health, Home, Sustainable

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

We have all heard about how plastic products are bad for the environment but it is only just becoming common knowledge that a lot of the cleaning products we use in the home are toxic to both humans and animals. Clean Living was started in 2018 as a company who explored cleaning products which were kinder within the home, and a convenient side quest has been the lack of plastic their products use, thereby helping the environment too.

We were sent the Clean Living Kitchen Cleaner and Degreaser Starter Kit. Comprising of:

1 x 300ml reusable aluminium container
1 x Living Areas Glass Microfibre Cloth
1 x 30ml Kitchen Cleaner and Degreaser concentrate sachets

The premise of the kit is to give you one aluminium container full of kitchen cleaner product, diluted down to product 300ml, then once this containerful is finished, you purchase another sachet as part of their range or subscription and save on plastic products.

The Kitchen Cleaner and Degreaser formula is for heavy duty kitchen work, both cutting through grease and cleaning usual kitchen mess. It’s odourless too, and a clear liquid which leaves no mess behind. The Starter Kit contains a microfibre cloth too, so there’s no excuse!

To create the full aluminium containerful, all you have to do is empty the sachet into the aluminium container and fill up with water. The sachet is a bit difficult to empty without going everywhere but you just fill up the rest of the volume with tap water. The solution kills 99% of bacteria using friendly bacteria and lasts longer than harsh chemicals.

I’ve been using the Clean Living Kitchen Cleaner and Degreaser for a few days and it does indeed cut through the grease, plus keeps surfaces clean and shiny. I know I’m doing my bit for the planet as well as keeping my household safe from toxic chemicals too.

Available from £12.40 at:

Eco Friendly Kitchen Cleaner & Degreaser Starter Kit

The Beirut Box Luxury Food Hamper from Lebnani

Christmas, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home

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

Foodies will love this selection of Lebanese food in the Lebani Beirut Box! The mix of different ingredients make a welcome change to the Christmas puddings, mince pies and jars of tea that are so common and instead, inspire you to cook different foods based on Lebanese recipes.

Inside the Beirut Box you’ll find:

Jar of Lebnani Sumac
Jar of Lebnani Zaatar spice mix
250ml Bottle of Zet Zeytoun Lebanese Extra Virgin Olive Oil
250ml Bottle of Chtoura Pomegranate Molasses
Jar of Mrabba fig jam with roasted sesame seeds
Jar of pickled wild cucumbers
Pistachio Backlawa
Recipe card from Chef Jad Youssef
250ml bottle of Chtaura Orange Blossom Water

All of the ingredients keep in the cupboard for ages, but you’ll find the recipe card has a mixture of included ingredients and some fresh that you’ll need to buy. You can of course, use the ingredients however you wish!

The Sumac and Zaatar spices are particularly good to experiment with as they’re not found in supermarkets easily. Sumac has a slightly tangy flavour and is used in meat dishes and hummus but can also be added to salads and other savoury dishes. Zaatar is a mix of spices, including sumac and is used in dishes such as roast chicken or as a seasoning for baked sweet potato or salads.

Most of the Lebanese recipes which include the spices and seasonings also include the Zet Zeytoun Lebanese Extra Virgin Olive Oil. These olives are picked from the Lebanese mountains by hand it is known to be rich in texture and buttery, with a cut-grass-like aroma. I am particularly partial to the Mrabba fig jam too. Figs are not only my favourite fruit but fig jam is great with any scone or on toast and can be added to recipes such as brownies or cookies to give both texture and sweetness. I didn’t realise that Lebanese fig jam is in another league though! The Mrabba fig is not the garden fig variety we have in the UK so this was a pleasant surprise to find how fruity and sweet it was.

Chtoura Pomegranate Molasses is used in Mediterranean cuisine to add fruitiness to savoury dishes, much like sumac and zaatar. There’s a running theme in this box that the ingredients add not just some sweetness to recipes but a real flavour of the Mediterranean to everyday cooking. Pomegranate molasses is no exception and with the sweetness of the sauce, you get a great mixture of flavours to add to any humble dish like a salad, which is also one of the recipes included in the recipe card from Chef Jad Youssef – the Tatbila Salad including onions, tomatoes sumac and the pomegranate molasses.

The picked wild cucumbers are suspiciously like the gherkins we have in UK supermarkets but these are smaller and no less tasty! Adding zing to your salad or as a side dish they’re deliciously juicy. The Orange Blossom Water from Chtaura was a surprise which I didn’t know what to do with. Its water distilled with orange blossom petals to give another sweet addition to many dishes, both savoury and sweet. I think this one would be perfect for adding to sweet desserts instead of a sugary essence like vanilla or making a custard a little bit more exciting.

Finally, the last and most delicious piece in the Beirut Box is the Pistachio Backlawa. I’m not normally a fan of backlawa but this was an education thanks to the 3 pieces included in the food box! The cake-like sweets are dense and sweet with layers and layers of flakey pastry filled with the pistachio sweet filling. There’s no nutty flavour to it but a slight texture and oh my goodness – it was delicious! I’m sure other backlawa I’ve tried before isn’t this satisfying but I really felt like this was a wholesome, filling treat in the afternoon with a cup of coffee and is a dessert or treat which brings about joy! The box alone is worth it just for the backlawa and I could easily have eaten all 3 pieces in one go. (don’t worry, I didn’t!)

Anyone with an interest in Lebanese or Mediterranean cuisine will love this box. If you’re a food lover and want to experiment with different flavours and textures, then this is a great introduction and the recipe card is a great way of getting involved and trying out some of their ideas. The mixture of ingredients also ensures that you’re covered for both savoury and sweet meals and the spices, olive oil and orange blossom water especially will last a long time.

It’s been great fun trying out the ingredients and thinking about different ways to use them!

Available online for £38 plus delivery of £6.95 per hamper at: https://lebnani.co.uk/eventsbookings/the-beirut-box

Pearhead Clay Pawprint Desk Frame

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, cruelty-free, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Pets

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

When working away from the home office, or indeed if you like to have photos of your loved ones around you in the house, this Pawprint Desk Frame is a great Christmas gift for pet lovers.

One side of the wooden frame holds a 4×6 inch photo whilst the other side is a box frame for a paw print. The frame can be desk mounted or hung on a wall but the star of the show is the keepsake clay pawprint which occupies the second of the two frames.

The clay is included in the kit as is the frame, complete with glass. Preparation is minimal with the non-toxic clay rolled out onto aluminium foil (a rolling pin is included but the foil isn’t) and then with a bit of persuasion, the paw of your cat or dog (or both if they fit!) needs to be impressed onto the clay. The clay is then left to dry for 48 hours before it can be put in the frame but you don’t need to bake it or heat it at all.

There’s no reason why you need to stop at a cat or dog. Hamster or guinea pig feet could just as easily be imprinted, or the feather of a bird could be pressed into the clay. Other items like a collar tag could be embedded as well, as long as it wasn’t too heavy. The Pearhead Clay Pawprint Desk Frame can be a wonderful keepsake for a pet’s memory or even for a new puppy or kitten’s first Christmas.

Available from £19.99 at: https://www.pearhead.co.uk/collections/pet-frames/products/clay-pawprints-desk-frame-copy

StylPro Make Up Brush Cleaner and Dryer

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Gifts for Her, Gifts for teachers, Home, Women

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

Here’s a lovely present for anyone who loves their make-up! The StylPro Make-Up Cleaner and Dryer from Boots is an extra element we don’t think about in our daily life when thinking about make-up. How often do you clean your make up brushes, and how do you do it? It’s something I never really think about, only giving my brushes a quick rinse every so often but experts say that we should clean our make-up brushes every week.

The StylPro Make-Up Brush Cleaner and Dryer makes it easy to clean brushes. The set comes with a bowl and 8 attachments for different size brushes. There’s cleaning fluid (for foundation brushes) and the StylPro device itself, which even comes with 2x AAA batteries. The attachments are all kept safe in an aerated bag to help prevent bacteria multiplying.

It’s simple enough to clean your brushes; add a small amount of cleaning fluid (or use soap for non-foundation brushes) and some water in the base of the bowl. Choose which attachment fits the handle of the first brush you’re going to clean and attach it to the device. Dip the brush into the soapy solution for about 5 seconds so that it absorbs some of the cleaning fluid then hit the button on the device to spin the brush. Leave it in the shallow water for about 10 seconds then raise above the water level and spin for another 10 seconds. This spins off the excess water and you’ll see how much make up is left in the water afterwards!

The brushes are still a bit damp so you need to take them out of the device and let them dry somewhere that’s well ventilated and won’t let any water pool. The brushes look a bit bedraggled at this point because they’re still damp but they do dry off quite quickly if near a radiator. I would try the StylPro with an old brush first as it takes a while to get used to the depth of water needed and then where in the height of the bowl to hold the brush so that it gets clean but also doesn’t hit the bottom and damage the fibres. You have to be mindful of spinning as well as too much spin makes some of the fibres on bigger brushes splay out and tangle a bit. There’s a knack of being able to spin off enough water but also not damage the brush. The colour of the water after the spin session was all I needed to see to know that the StylPro works!

Available for £29.99 at: https://www.boots.com/stylpro-makeup-brush-cleaner-and-dryer-10224940?CAWELAID=620000410000293710&cm_mmc=bmm-buk-bing-ppc-_-PLAs-_-Beauty_Cosmetic-_-UK_Smart_Shopping_Beauty_Cosmetic&gclid=a7e0340bff7b1d41071052b4f08129d1&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=a7e0340bff7b1d41071052b4f08129d1&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=UK_Smart_Shopping_Beauty_Cosmetic&utm_term=4575686381129242&utm_content=Beauty_Cosmetic

Amonax Ab Roller Home Workout Set

Birthday Gifts, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, health, Home, Women

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

Not that we’re thinking ahead to New Year, but there are definite pros to getting exercise equipment before Christmas! The Amonax Ab Roller Workout Set is designed to help cardio and ab fitness from home with the help of an Ab Roller, skipping rope and press-up handles. We were sent the set to try as a gift idea for Christmas, but I think I’ll be using this for a long while afterwards!

The skipping rope is 3.1 metres and long enough for an adult to use. If you find it’s too long though, you can always adjust it by cutting, as explained in the instructions. It’s good quality, with foam handles and the rope is non-tangle, unlike the string we had on the skipping ropes we used as a child. Skipping ropes are brilliant for on-the-spot cardio workouts and can be used by adults and children alike. Brilliant for travelling if you don’t know if there will be a gym or not, or for keeping children entertained, it is a really good addition to a home gym and gets the heart beat going really quickly!

The push-up bars are made of steel but with foam grips for comfort. They’re set at a 15 degree angle too, so that you hold on ‘up hill’ and it makes for an easier grip. Push-up bars are great for body strength work but also for working on the abs in push ups, planks etc and especially shoulder work. The non-slip mat that comes with them is also useful if you don’t have a suitable floor surface to work on.

Finally, the star of the show is the Ab Roller. This nifty contraption can be either one or both wheels and each wheel can be placed a different width apart depending on your level of difficulty. If you’ve never used them before, then have a look at some You Tube videos, the basic concept is that you kneel, with your weight on the wheel out in front of you with straight arms and roll the Ab Roller away from you and crucially, you wheel it back again towards you. This engages the abdominal muscles in a way in which your back is still supported but it works the muscles beautifully. It’s an upper and lower ab workout but be warned, you will definitely feel it the next day! This is the exercise that will get you a more sculpted torso, but it will take a while and a lot of repetitions!

The Amonax kit is called the Ab Roller Home Workout Set but it can be used for more than just the abs which is why it’s so versatile. The cardio and strength elements (skipping rope and pus-up bars) can be used along with the Ab Roller to give a really good overall workout and I especially like that this kit is quite small, can be taken apart and is very light. If you’re tight for space, travelling or just want to use one element of the set at a time then it’s really easy to adapt the apparatus to the workout you want. It’s a really good beginners set as well if someone isn’t sure about going to the gym yet and the Ab Roller on its own is a brilliant piece which even top athletes use.

For the price of £20.99 too, this is an excellent idea as a gift for anyone!

Available from £20.99 at: Ab Roller Home Workout Set

Doodlebone Dog Leads

Autumn, Christmas, Family Life, Home, Pets, Winter

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

Why did no one think of this before? A dog lead with lights on it!

These dog leads are not only functional but they’re super stylish with their practical lights on them and different colours. They charge up with a USB lead which is included (it’s only about 20 centimetres long though) which you plug into your computer and then charge the lead with it. The button is near the collar and once you press it, the led lights keep flashing. There are several settings though, from fast flash, slow flash and then on continuously. Depending on which lead you purchase, the lights are either white or coloured lights – so you can tell which dog is which in the dark just by the leads!

The leads are rechargeable in less than a hour and the lights continue on for around 8 hours. You have to switch them off yourself though with the button on the control. They look really stylish in low light and are essential when it’s really dark, which is quite often in winter when you’re in a park or woodland that isn’t lit at all.

The leads come in 2 colours (black and red) and there are various sizes. You have to measure the girth and breast of your dog and the website calculates which size you need. The leads are all 25 millimetres but the lengths are different. We were sent a length of 130 centimetres which was ample for a medium sized dog. The lead is made of a wipe-clean material and even though it has lights included, it’s water resistant (although not waterproof so not good if your dog likes a swim!) and the USB charging point has a close on it to stop mud or water getting into the socket.

Make your mind up if this is a gift for you or for your dog but either way, it’s a brilliantly fun plus safety conscious idea!

Available online from £25 at: https://doodlebone.co.uk/led-lead

It’s Halal Chilli Pattern Chopping Board

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

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

For the chef in your life, a chopping board is essential as part of the kitchen during meal preparation, and is always a great option as a gift at Christmas. It’s Halal produce a range of meal subscription boxes, all of which are Halal focused but they also produce a range of other kitchen products including this Chilli Chopping Board.

Measuring approximately 40 centimetres by 30 Centimetres, this clear board is adorned with red chillies but is mostly clear, so it can be cleaned easily but being clear, it means you can hide a recipe underneath to protect it, and still be able to read through the board as you prepare the meal. It’s made of lightweight Perspex and can be put in the dishwasher, perfect for children to use or for anyone who doesn’t like carrying a heavy wooden chopping board or is frightened of it breaking if dropped.

This month, It’s Halal are having a sale on their chopping boards but whilst you’re over there, have a look at the Halal subscription boxes. Meal prep for every day of the week and a changing menu you’ll want to try again and again!

Currently on sale for £10.99 at: https://itshalal.co.uk/product/chilli-pattern-chopping-board/

TokyoTreat Halloween Sweets

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, Children, Family Life, Gifts for children, Halloween, Home, Lunchbox Fillers, snacks, Subscription Boxes

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

With Halloween round the corner, TokyoTreat have the perfect ‘Halloween in a box’ for you! The snack box subscription company have their Halloween sweet selection for the month of October if you sign up now, and you’ll find Japan’s favourite snacks all in one box.

For anyone who loves Japanese chocolates and sweets, or if you want to snack on something novel for a Halloween horror movie, we found the TokyoTreat box perfect. Inside there are loads of snacks, most of which are nothing like what you’d find in the UK. The exception being the Kit Kat selection – but in Apple Pie flavour! There’s snacks in the box from all of Japan’s top brands including Hi-Chew, Pocky and Calbee. Yes, they’re all in Japanese and mostly difficult to read but… that’s the fun of working out what the snacks are! I must say, it’s a delicious way to spend movie night or if you’re feeling adventurous, then Halloween Trick or Treaters will have a blast with these snacks, especially when they try to work out what they are!

TokyoTreat subscriptions start at US$32.50 per month for a 12 month subscription. See their website for more: https://tokyotreat.com/subscribe

The Hoy Coffee from Artisan Coffee Co

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, coffee, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home

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

Nobody likes bland coffee, so when The Artisan Coffee Co sent us a new blend of coffee to try, we were all for it! Not only was this a new artisan blend, but it was developed with Sir Chris Hoy, Olympic champion.

Sir Chris discovered artisan coffee during his Olympic training in Melbourne, Australia and has since joined forced with Artisan Coffee Co to create The Hoy No 6 blend. With a combination of Arabica beans from Sidamo in Ethiopia, Brazil and El Salvador, the distinct flavour is strong, with a smoothness you’ll appreciate as a coffee lover but with a sweetness that makes it ideal for after dinner. The luxury of this Hoy No 6 from Artisan Coffee Co means it’s ideal for Christmas Day, or for relaxing on Boxing Day without being too strong.

The Hoy No 6 is a limited-edition coffee, designed especially as a flat white, which incidentally is how Chris likes to drink his coffee! The coffee is a tribute to Hoy’s sporting achievements and as a celebration to the 2024 Olympic season.

The Hoy No 6 Artisan Coffee Co blend is available in whole bean bags of 240 grams. £1.50 of every bag sold will be donated to The Christie Charity, which supports the work of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in providing world-class cancer care.

Available online for £12.25 at: https://www.artisancoffeeco.com/products/the-hoy-whole-bean-coffee?_pos=1&_sid=b8df84670&_ss=r

Swan Slow Cooker

Autumn, camping, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, kitchen appliances, Tech

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

Take note, winter, we are ready for you! As the evenings draw on it’s time for a different kind of dinner and those in the know use a slow cooker. It’s not just that you can cook food for longer and get a better texture to meat and vegetables, but if you time the slow cooking properly, you can either come in from work or when you are out of the evening and the whole house smells amazing, plus dinner is ready! Swan have sent us a slow cooker from their Nordic Range to try out, and we couldn’t wait.

If you’ve never used a slow cooker before then it’s great for beginners. There’s a ceramic bowl in the middle, a lid on top (to keep the heat and the steam in) and it’s all surrounded by the slow cooker itself which heats the whole ceramic pot to one of 3 temperatures; low, high or on auto. With the ceramic pot in place, add the food (more on that later) and anything else like vegetables, herbs, spices etc and the lid as well. If you don’t add the lid then the pot and therefore the food doesn’t heat up enough to cook. You’ll notice that the lid isn’t the best fit. This is to allow tiny gaps for the steam to escape. Once the food is cooked, you can lift the ceramic bowl from the cooker or as I do, I just take the food out and let the rest of the cooker cool down before I wash it up.

What are the temperature settings?

Low Setting – this is typically around 75C-80C and is great for vegetables or reheating. Food rarely burns at this temperature so if you’re not sure how long you’re going to be out for, this is your safest bet. If you do cook meat at this setting though, you’ll need to brown it off first.

High Setting – everything else is cooked at this temperature, which is around 85C-90C and therefore there can be times when there is a touch of boiling, and the steam will need to escape. This temperature is great for baking and for meats.

Auto Setting – this is a great alternative to both previous setting as it starts cooking on the higher temperature, then switches to low for the remained of the cooking time.

What about the timing though? Slow cookers don’t have timers on them, they’re designed to cook food slowly over 6-9 hours. The secret to cooking the food well is learning about the timings needed. Like with all new ovens, you have to learn how it works to be able to judge what time you need, but as a general rule, if something takes 15-30 minutes to cook then try it on 4-6 hours on low. If the traditional cooking time is 60 minutes, then 6-8 hours on low or auto setting.

When it comes to adding food, you can prepare it in the ceramic pot the night before, store in the fridge then transfer to the slow cooker the next day and start cooking. Alternatively, preparing dinner around lunchtime and throwing in all your favourite vegetables with whichever meat you choose, you can create a masterpiece with whatever you have in the fridge. You don’t need to stir the food and lifting the slow cooker lid means the whole cooker loses temperature and puts back the cooking time. What you do need though, is some kind of liquid. It’s usually half of what you would use in a traditional recipe though, but it really helps the cooking if you have some kind of sauce, gravy or stock with the meat. It’s at this point that you can add the spices and herbs that add all the flavour to the meat you’re cooking.

Using the Swan Slow Cooker couldn’t be easier and it’s great for anyone who is new to cooking, students or if you’re busy with family life. It’s an alternative to the oven, air fryer or BBQ too, giving a different texture and a different flavour to anything you cook. There’s only 1 control on the front with the temperature settings and as long as you can plug it into electricity, there isn’t much else needed. When we were young, my Mum used to take a slow cooker on holiday with us in our caravan and it was fabulous coming in from a day out and being able to eat straight away. Like with a BBQ, the same food cooks differently than in an oven so you get a completely different experience.

I’ve loved experimenting with the Swan Slow Cooker and trying out beef, stew, sausages and even baking. There’s so much you can use it for, that’s half the fun!

Swan Nordic Slow Cooker currently on sale at £28.99 online: https://shop.swan-brand.co.uk/collections/slow-cookers/products/swan-35l-nordic-slow-cooker

Swan Retro DAB Radio

Birthday Gifts, camping, Children, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home

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

For those who are difficult to buy for, function and style are two aspects which are really appreciated and the Swan Retro SRA43010 DAB radio has both.

As a DAB Bluetooth radio, there are 20 pre-set stations available on this model with 10 available on DAB and 10 available for FM radio. It also connects by Bluetooth and has a headphone jack in the back and can be powered by a 5V electric cable (which is provided) or 4x AA batteries. The buttons on the top are easy to use and helpfully labelled so you can work out how to turn it on and use it without having to worry about reading the instructions! There’s a dial for volume and it doubles up for the select/snooze/play/pause too. Don’t forget that this has an aerial – it is retro after all!

When operating for the first time, you need to add AA batteries (not provided) or I prefer using the adaptor which is provided and makes it easier to use as you don’t need to change the batteries every so often. It does depend on where you want to use it though as taking it on a camping trip obviously means you have to use batteries but if this is at home, you can use either power method, which is a huge plus when it’s a gift too.

When you turn it on with the Power button, as this is a digital radio it will automatically find the signal and set the date and time for you. The radio scans for you to find all the available stations in your area and tells you how many stations it’s found. Unlike analogue radios, it will start playing the alphabetically first station on the list, so not necessarily the first one on the dial like other radios would. To find another station, click the +/- buttons to cycle through the available DAB stations then press the dial to fine tune to radio into the station shown on the display. There are options to do a full, detailed DAB scan which will erase all the stored stations but you can also manually tune to a station of your choice.

Some of the nifty features of the Swan DAB radio include DRC or Dynamic Range Compression. This is something that some DAB stations use which enables the audio to be amplified if they are lower or raising if they are quieter such as if the signal isn’t so strong or there is a variety of noise levels throughout. There’s also the FM function which allows you to change from DAB to FM radio to get the stations which aren’t yet digital. If you really need to, you can use the manual tuning into the FM station instead of the scan function, so there are choices there for you to be able to find whichever station you need. The Bluetooth mode automatically pairs to a device such as your phone when you’re out and about. Perfect for when you don’t want to listen to the radio and bring your own playlist instead!

There are other fun gadgets on the Swan DAB Retro Radio such as an alarm, a Time Out (to set the duration of play before it cuts out) various ways of dimming the display if you don’t want to see what it says or have less light pollution. There is a sound equaliser as well and different settings such as classic, jazz, pop and speech. The sound quality is excellent and really puts the old analogue radios to shame with how sharp they are and how good the signal is, which is invaluable when you live in an area that doesn’t get a great radio signal.

The Swan DAB Retro Radio is great for anyone who loves the radio, or just as a functioning digital radio at home or on the move. Children will love this as it has all the gadgets on it which allows them to reach any kind of station and they can even use it as an alarm to wake up to every morning. Older generations will enjoy the retro aspect, or if you’re design conscious and like the ‘old fashioned’ look at home, this fits right in! It’s the perfect gift for someone who has everything!

Swan DAB Retro Radio currently on sale for £55.99 at: https://shop.swan-brand.co.uk/products/swan-retro-dab-radio?variant=43512585978047

Fruit Snacks from Whitworths

Autumn, Children, Days Out, Family Life, health, Home, Lunchbox Fillers, snacks

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

It’s back to school in a few weeks and the dreaded lunchbox needs filling! Whitworths has some lovely snack ideas of dried fruits, perfect for the lunchbox, after school or for yourself at any time!

The Whitworths Sunny Raisins come in a pack of 6, each of 42.5 grams. One pack counts towards your child’s 5-a-day quota for fruit and vegetables so this is a brilliant way of getting nutrition into them especially as raisins are so tasty which is always the challenge with children’s food. These Whitworths raisins aren’t dried up at all, but have a very sweet taste and juicy too. One pack is enough for me to have with a sandwich at lunchtime and makes it feel like I’ve had something sweet instead of a chocolate bar or cake!

Whitworths also have the Sunny Snacks of Fruit Mix-Ups; Strawberries & Sultanas and Apricots & Mango. The packs are smaller at 18 grams each so don’t fill you up as much but they do give a hit of dried fruit. The Apricots & Mango have no added sugar, but both are very sweet without anything added. The tiny pieces make these good for cooking too if you’re adding dried fruit to a cake mix or for tiny hands to decorate cupcakes with you in the kitchen. These are great snacks for a lunchbox or taking on days out as they’re easily transported too and it doesn’t matter if they get hot.

The second sunny Fruit Mix-Ups flavour is Strawberries & Sultanas. These are no added sugar too and have loads of flavour. The dried strawberries are particularly tasty as you get the burst of strawberry flavour as you bite into them, then the texture of all the seeds! These are great for toddlers and smaller children who don’t like fruit as they’re super sweet but without the sugar.

It’s never been easier to get more healthy options into children’s diets with snacks like Whitworths’ Sunny Fruit Mix-Ups and Sunny Raisins, but always a good idea to test them yourself before they go back to school…

Fruit Mix-Ups £1.25 for 4: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/308099031

Raisins £2.40 for 6: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/258141777