Category Archives: brands I love

The Filofax Blogger Challenge

22nd April 2016
There are some brands that I’ve been obsessed with from a very young age and one of those has to be Filofax. I can’t explain what it is about what they do but I’ve always coveted their organisers and accessories so when they invited me to take part in a blogger challenge to celebrate the launch of their new range of tablet cases I couldn’t have been more flattered.
Filofax kindly provided me with a case for my (now practically retro) iPad3 and simply asked me to take it for a walk and snap some photos in an unusual location. Now, where I chose isn’t really that unusual but given that I have this location right on my doorstep and it was a gorgeously sunny day it made perfect sense to head down to the local beach with my best friend and iPad in tow an snap some shots.
I was sent the chic and sophisticated Saffiano Wrap Tablet case in a stunning Aquamarine colour which I just love. Sure, jazzier options are available but for me half the appeal of Filofax is their simplistic and minimal designs- for some reason I feel far more organised and efficient with something like this about my person! The case is great, it has an amazing luxury feel to it and holds my tablet securely with additional space for pens/paper/stylus which is perfect for on the go. I love the Aquamarine colour and how it seems to match in with Clevedon pier behind me. Because this acts as a stand and allows you to rotate the tablet by 360 degrees this has quickly become my go-to case both for at home and for on the go.

If you need me…I’ll be at the beach.

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Posted in brands I love, challenge, life, outfits

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Cake in a Can- it’s a thing!

08th April 2016
It was thanks to the power of twitter (do you follow me?) that I discovered the concept of Cake in a Can. I was having a bad day at the time and the idea of this bought a smile to my face so I was in luck when The Cake Man offered to send me his wares to sample.

Designed to be a unique gift idea Cake in a Can is a fun and quirky way to let someone know you care for any occasion you can think of. All the recipient needs do is “just add water”…it really is that simple!

The cakes come in a choice of flavours including and not limited to lemon and poppyseed, red velvet and good old chocolate. I was sent the cocoa-filled classic as well as a mocha variety which I’m saving for someone special and couldn’t wait to get stuck in!

This is a product that really does do what it says on the tin! Peel off the lid, tip the dry ingredients in to a mug and add some water, pop back in to the (now oiled) tin and bake.

Of course what everyone is wondering is how does it taste? Well, pretty damn good! I think it’s an art to make a product with a novelty appeal that actually tastes great too and Cake in a Can delivers! The cake was moist and chocolatey and light as air and just the right size for one- no sharing here! I suppose it could be split and served with ice cream but then, why not throw caution to the wind and plop a scoop of vanilla on top of your solo sponge?

If you’re looking for a novel way to send good thoughts or give a birthday cake to someone far away than you can do far worse than part with £5.99 (including UK delivery) for one of these. Many thanks to The Cake Man for brightening up my day…what’s your favourite flavour cake? As much as I love chocolate my hands down favourite ever is super squidgy gingerbread.

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Posted in brands I love, food, gifts, review

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Baking Bunny Bums with Dr. Oetker

21st March 2016
Easter is rapidly approaching and to celebrate the occasion Dr. Oetker is celebrating with bums, bunny bums to be more precise. If you’re in London or Manchester you might have noticed the arrival of a 7ft giant bunny bum constructed of over 3,000 bars of Fine Cooks’ chocolate- something I’m pretty upset I missed to be honest. Still, when given the opportunity to create my own mini bunny bum structures I didn’t feel too upset and hopped to it sharpish.
Armed with the Bunny Bum recipe, an envelope full of the key ingredients and instructions to come up with a hack for the recipe it was great to have an excuse to get in to the kitchen and become knee deep in flour once more (and trust me, things did get messy!)
I’ve popped the recipe below, including my little hack so do make sure you let me know if you have a go at making these cheeky cupcakes and if you decided to change things up a bit.
Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
Dr. Oetker Muffin Cases (x12 cases)
125 g Margarine (4 1/2 oz of baking margarine, softened)
125 g Caster Sugar (4 1/2 oz)
Large Eggs (x2)
125 g Plain Flour (4 1/2 oz)
Dr. Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder (x1 sachet or 25g/1oz)
Dr. Oetker Baking Powder Sachets (x2 sachets/10g or 1oz)
1tsp liquorice powder*


To decorate:
200 g Dr. Oetker Fine Cooks’ Milk Chocolate (7oz)
15 g Dr. Oetker White Chocolate Chips (1/2 oz)
130 g Dr. Oetker Liquid Glucose
125 g Unsalted Butter (4 1/2 oz, softened)
225 g Icing Sugar (8oz)
2 ½ ml Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Extract (1/2 tsp)
Dr. Oetker Lime Green Gel Food Colour (x1 tube)

To make:

Preheat the oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan assisted oven, 350˚F, gas mark 4). Put the Muffin Cases in 12 muffin tins. Put the margarine in a mixing bowl, add the caster sugar and eggs. Sift the flour, Cocoa and Baking Powder on top and using an electric whisk on a low speed, gently blend the ingredients together. Increase the mixer speed and whisk for a few more seconds until well mixed.

Divide the mixture equally between the cases and smooth over the tops. Bake for about 25 minutes until risen and just firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

To decorate, break up the Milk Chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, and leave to melt. Remove from the water and stir in 125g (4 ½ oz) Liquid Glucose to form a thick paste. Scrape on to a piece of baking parchment and leave to cool – the mixture will become firm and pliable when cold. Avoid prolonged chilling as the paste will become too hard to mould.

Set aside 12 White Chocolate Chips. Put the rest of the Chips in a small heatproof bowl and melt as above. Mix in 5 g (1 tsp) Liquid Glucose. Leave to cool as above.

Meanwhile, put the butter in a bowl and beat until smooth and glossy. Gradually sift and beat in all the icing sugar until creamy and soft and add Vanilla Extract. Mix in the whole tube of Green Gel Food Colour. Thickly spread the icing on top of each cup cake, right to the edge.

Divide the Milk Chocolate paste into 13 equal pieces, and form 12 portions into balls. Place a ball on top of each iced cake. Use the remaining portion of paste to make 12 pairs of bunny feet and leave aside on baking parchment.

Divide the White Chocolate paste into 12 equal portions. Use to make 12 pairs of foot pads and press gently onto the feet. Score bunny toes with a small knife, then gently press onto the sides of the bunny bodies. Top each bunny body with one of the reserved White Chocolate Chips as a tail. Your cupcakes are now ready to serve and enjoy!

Note: if the moulding paste becomes too hard to work with, you can pop it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds to soften it up again.

Now my hack might not sound like much but the addition of liquorice powder to a chocolate sponge is something of a revelation. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a huge fan of liquorice, it doesn’t add a really strong flavour, more of a subtle kick that enhances the flavour and stops the super sweet icing being too overpowering. You’ll just have to trust me on this one (and do ask about the blackcurrant and liquorice cake I made recently!).

As for the end result, well, I’m no artist and I did find the chocolate paste a little hard to work with- I think because my kitchen gets really hot it didn’t set as well as it should and I kind of ended up with puddle like bunny bums, but I salvaged the best three to show you the general idea…

Ah well, looks aren’t everything right?

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Posted in baking, brands I love, recipes

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TTYA x LTS SS16

16th March 2016
Ok, so every time a new collection from TTYA x Long Tall Sally drops I declare it to be the best yet and this post is going to be no exception. The SS16 range dropped online just a couple of days ago and it’s a feel good, adventure ready range perfect for festival season (which really is just around the corner right?
It always delights me when something exclusive to tall girls launches as I know there will be no knicker flashing or ankle swinging going on and luckily for me I was allowed to take my pick of one of the outfits from the collection to style up and call my own…
I was instantly drawn to the wide legged dungarees (£80) over everything else. That’s kind of a slight lie, but as I’m not destined to head to any festivals, or even on holiday this year I wanted to pick out something that I could incorporate in to a more day to day feel. It was a toss up between this outfit and the red wrap dress but in the end the denim won over and styled with the bobble trim cropped top (£30) this is my favourite outfit that I’ve worn in a very long time…slightly more fashion forward than my recent wearings but at the same time it isn’t too in your face and try hard. I’m in love, essentially and it’s not often you’ll find me saying that kind of thing about my own sense of style.

Should I happen to get any invites to a festival or get jetted off for a break in the sun I’ll be coveting the rest of this fantastic collaboration as my capsule luggage contents, it’s an easy, breezy free spirited collection that has totally won me over.

Which is your favourite piece? I can’t wait to pair up these dungarees with other things and pop on the cropped top with a high waisted denim skirt when the weather hots up.

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Posted in brands I love, life, outfits

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Mae reviews: Purrfect Box

26th February 2016
One of the major things I miss about having moved out of my parents’ (other than my parents themselves) is having my delinquent little Mae on hand to keep me entertained. Thankfully I haven’t moved far and still pop in regularly to say hi to Mum and Dad, scrounge a cup of tea and some food and catch up with my feline fiend. I was delighted when Purrfect Box once again offered to send me out a box for Mae to enjoy, the perfect way to show her I still care and indulge in a photo taking session of her pretty face!
The Purrfect Box is a monthly subscription which costs £19.90 a month, or £15.90 per month if you take out a years subscription. The contents of the box are guaranteed to be worth at least £30 with 4-6 premium products inside so it’s a pretty sweet deal, especially as each box is catered to your feline’s needs and preferences. Let me know if you decide to treat your feline friend to a box; I’ll be picking up a few on a one off basis throughout the year, I can’t afford it on a monthly basis but as an every so often treat I think it’s wonderful.
As ever there was a fantastic mix of toy, treats and useful bits and bobs in the box which Mae really enjoyed exploring. On the toy front I’d say this box has been the biggest hit to date with the catnip filled dolphin being a particular favourite.

As you can see Mae was somewhat bemused by the idea of Cat Caviar and tried to eat it as it came rather than waiting for it to be crumbled over her food as suggested. I think this was a hit though and certainly a unique concept in feline dining.

Once again this box was pretty much a complete hit from Purrfect Box, anything that captures my fussy friend’s attention for more than thirty seconds is pretty rare and so far we’ve lost hours playing with these toys and chasing around for treats.

Have you tried Purrfect box (or any other pet subscription boxes) for your pets? I’d love to know your thoughts.

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Posted in brands I love, life, Mae, review

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