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Monthly Archives: August 2014
Posted in riddle
July Degustabox and discount
I wasn’t expecting a Degustabox last month so I was super excited when one turned up (it’s the little things in life!). For July things were done a little bit differently, with two boxes going out; one containing alcohol and the other without alcohol. For the purpose of review I was sent a box containing the combined contents of the two boxes. I think it’s a really good idea to have two different options as not every one is a drinker although at present this isn’t something that is going to be on offer every month so there are no guarantees of an alcohol free box.
As ever the box contained a fabulous array of goodies far exceeding the £12.99 cost of the box (inc. delivery). New customers can get even more of a bargain by claiming £3.00 discount when registering using the code HCQRG
The first product I pulled out of the box was three bags of popcorn by Portlebay. I’m a HUGE popcorn fan and have seen these popping up in my local Tesco (rrp 79p per bag). The flavours are a little bit odd, but in spirit of adveture I got stuck in and really enjoyed the crispy bacon and maple syrup one…I’m going to pass on the chilli and lime though, it’s just not my thing.
Next out of the box was some more snack fuel in the form of chocolate! I’m not usually a lover of lemon flavoured things but Green & Black’s lemon bar is a winner (rrp £2.99) and the contrast between the dark chocolate and zingy citrus was divine. In the non-alcoholic box there was also a blueberry snack bar from Frank (rrp 85p). I’ve heard of these but never actually managed to track them down to try, blueberry isn’t my favourite flavour, I would have preferred something like orange but it was still a tasty snack and as an added bonus contained no gluten, nuts (yay!), dairy or refined sugar. The bars are also vegan friendly.
My baking cupboard is stuffed with Dr. Oetker goodies at the moment, although there are no complaints here as I really do need to get back in to baking. Watch this space for what I create with the Violet Crystals (£1.29) and Eton Mess (£1.99).
On to the drinks- I’ll preface by saying I haven’t tried most of these, I’m not a drinks kind of girl, preferring diet coke or tea/coffee over anything else so I’ve put them in the fridge for other people to enjoy. I do appreciate the look and flavours of the drinks though and think all of them are brilliant, just not something I personally would enjoy- you can’t please every one though! The Zeo drinks (£1.29 each or £4.29 for a four pack) look so sophisticated in their tall, narrow bottles. The flavours are perfect for Summer- peach and grapefruit BURST, citrus CRUSH and lime ZEST…I think Mum has her eye on these! Dad on the other hand has his eye on the Hornsby’s blueberry cider which came in the alcoholic box (£1.25 each). A sin for a west-country girl but I don’t actually like cider so he’s free to enjoy it- I have too many memories of downing pints of home brewed scrumpy in my youth! For the no alcohol box the drink addition was something I loved- tea from The Berry Company (£1.49). I had a somewhat battered carton of black tea with elder flower and it was just gorgeous, something I’ll be seeking out when I am next at Waitrose or Holland and Barrett.
Last but by no means least was six sachets from Maggi with a value of between £5.44 and £5.54 depending on which selection you got. I love sachets like this as it makes home cooking a breeze- I don’t have the time of patience for creating complicated and fancy dishes when I still struggle with my relationship with food at times. These are just great for creating something quick and easy that doesn’t come straight from the freeze r and actually tastes good! The Oriental Soy & Garlic chicken pack is going straight on my cupboard staples list.
I Believe In Me
Oh dungarees, how did I cope without you in my life? This seems to be a pretty standard weekend outfit for me at the moment as it’s just so easy to wear- a basic tee, my trusty dungarees and some slip on sandals…perfect.
Necklace c/o Lola and Grace | Tee: New Look | Dungarees c/o Long Tall Sally | Shoes: Marks and Spencer
The necklace above was a surprise gift from Lola and Grace which couldn’t have had a more timely arrival. Fresh from their new Say it with Symbols collection this cute cross necklace represents faith, courage and confidence- all of which I could really do with right now as I’m feeling a little bit stressed and struggling a bit with a work/life balance and my recovery too.
I love everything about this new collection from Lola and Grace, already a firm favourite brand of mine before this. The necklaces retail at £24.90 and make for the perfect meaningful gift. I’ve been wearing mine non-stop, and although it may not contain magical powers (that I’m aware of) it has been a visual reminder to believe in myself and not give up.
I kind of feel like this is a bit of a half-arsed outfit to be sharing on the blog, but sometimes I think it’s good to show what I slob about it as well as when I’ve made an effort. I love blogging, I’ve been doing it for six or so years and I have made some amazing friends and worked with some of my favourite brands but I am SO guilty of comparing myself to others, or putting immense pressure on myself to post daily, be around on social media and have something interesting to say. How do you cope with that kind of pressure on yourself? I’ve long been aware I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to expectations of myself…the next few months, for me as I prepare to move out on my own will be about learning to relax and actually take a bit of down time…if that means not posting every day (but having something worthy to say when I do) then so be it.
It’s time to get my focus back let go of the nagging self doubt that often dominates. Anorexia, anxiety and depression ruled for too long, right now it’s about learning to believe in my own ability and worth. Thank you Lola and Grace for the constant little reminder.
Baking with Dr. Oetker
Wow, when did I actually do a baking post on the blog? It’s been a good long while eh? I just don’t seem to get the time any more( or I tell myself I don’t have the time) but actually it doesn’t have to be a lengthy and involved process, and sometimes the simple recipes are just as good as one that takes up four pages of a cook book.
The folks at Dr. Oetker recently sent me a huge envelope filled with some of their latest cake decorating products so I decided it was perfect time to whip up something sweet- no need for anything fancy, I just used a basic cupcake recipe I have stored in my head and added Ben’s favourite glacé cherries and a hefty dose of desiccated coconut.
The new products all look so good and I have ideas for all of them so watch this space for some more baking posts! For these cakes I made a basic vanilla buttercream and decorated half with Zebra Chocolate Triangles and some more desiccated coconut for a more grown up finish. The other half got a touch of Ocean Pearls as I didn’t want to add any clashing flavours and these are just so pretty I was dying to use them!
I baked the cakes in the new Edible Wafter Cases which are genius! You only get six in a pack so they work out quite pricey for every day baking but for a special occasion they are perfect and there’s no mess because you eat the case too.
Next on my list is chocolate cookies studded with Rainbow Popping Candy for a bit of fun…then I’ll be thinking up ideas for the rest of the range.
What have you been baking lately?
Sunday I’m in love- Anya Hindmarch
It’s not often you’ll find me straying from the high street brands fashion sites in favour of something a little bit more luxurious, but that’s exactly what happened yesterday morning when despite my planned lie-in I found myself awake at 6am (with a nose stud in my mouth, of all places!). A flick through the latest iPad edition of Marie CLaire magazine led me to discovering the most amazing clutch bag from Anya Hindmarch, so off I trotted to the website only to find a whole array of amazing clutch bags- so far out of my reach thanks to the £895-£995 price tag (makes my Mulberry seem good value!) but still, a girl can dream. I’ve never been a clutch bag girl but suddenly I’m obsessed and these are doing nothing to quell that obsession.
Images all from the Anya Hindmarch website.
Aren’t these just amazing? I pretty much ignored the trend for novelty food related accessories when they hit the A/W catwalks but they are really growing on me. My addiction to biscuits probably isn’t helping here and the Rich Tea Clutch is really calling my name…
I can currently think of two solutions to my “want but can’t afford” dilemma, the first is to empty a pack of rich tea biscuits out and stick the wrapper around an old baked bean tin and fashion some kind of lid and strap. The second is to buy a family sized biscuit barrel assortment and comfort eat my sorrow away.
Which designers are giving you serious cravings at the moment?
It’s Sunday morning and I’m off to find some Rich Teas for breakfast!
Posted in wish list