Category Archives: gifts

Foodie Find- Jealous Sweets

22nd August 2016
Have I ever mentioned my sweet tooth and love of sugar on the blog? Oh, only twenty million times by now I’m sure! If there’s one thing I love (and have always loved throughout every stage of my life so far) it’s sweets. Any kind of sweet will do the trick but my real achilles heal is the gummy variety. So, when an e-mail from Jealous Sweets popped in to my inbox offering me a selection of their wares to sample it was really a no brainer as far as I was concerned…expanding my snacking horizons? It was game on!
For those who are yet to come across Jealous Sweets (we’ve had brief encounters in the past) I’ll share a little history. Essentially these are sweets designed for EVERYONE to enjoy- they are 100% vegetarian, gluten free, packed full of natural juices and free from artificial colours and flavours. At least some of their varieties are Vegan too meaning they make the perfect gift for when flowers or chocolate just won’t cut it. I received four different 50g boxes from the range- each of these retail at £2.50 each and are ideal as a little pick me up present (to me, from me of course) or as part of a bigger gift. You can also pick up 200g mixed boxes for £8.99.
As you can see, they are an attractive bunch, if you can look past the fact I might have dropped a couple of the boxes and thus somewhat ruining the effect. Obviously looks aren’t everything and what everyone is dying to know is how they taste, so without further ado…

I really, really like these sweets. Like, REALLY. The Tropical Wonder box held my favourite selection of flavours (mango, pineapple and raspberry) whereas the Fizzy Friends were my overall favourite as I’m a sucker for anything sour. The sour beans made a fun alternative to other brands of jelly beans that don’t tick all of the dietary boxes that Jealous Sweets do- the mango/pineapple flavour of these is incredible! If I had to single out a favourite sweet across all four boxes though it would be the banana flavour gummy in the Fruitilicious box- banana is a seriously underrated flavour for sweets and I’m kind of hoping these may exist in a box all of their own one day.

Jealous Sweets has a variety of stockists which you can find on their website and you can also order online. I’d definitely recommend these both as a gift or a treat for yourself and I’m going to treat myself to a few more boxes (Tangy Worms and Grizzly Bears) come pay day!

Let me know if you’ve tried Jealous Sweets before and what you thought. Also let’s talk sweets in general- what’s your favourite?

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*sweets sent to me for consideration, I genuinely loved them so much I had to go off on a mad ramble about them!*

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Father’s Day Inspiration with Look Mate

24th May 2016
I’m on a bit of a role with my Father’s Day gift ideas this year having previously barely touched on the subject due to lack of inspiration. Today I’m introducing perhaps THE funkiest sock brand I’m yet to come across, Look Mate.

It might be a bit of a cliche or even seen as a bit of a cop out but I happen to think that socks make an excellent gift, especially when they are super quirky and fun (and let’s face it, who doesn’t need more socks?)

Each pair of Look Mate socks costs £10 (and don’t worry, they cater for us ladies too!) or you can sign up for the monthly sock subscription at a cost of £9.00 for one month, £8.50 per month for three months or £8.00 per month for six months. I think the idea of a sock subscription as a gift is a great idea and something I’ve bookmarked for future present purchasing!

I’m a bit of a sock fiend, I can never resist something bright and bold. I’m not quite sure my Dad shares my extremely bright tastes but socks always seem to go down well with him and I have high hopes for these!

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Father’s Day Inspiration with House of Fraser*

19th May 2016
With Father’s Day looming (19th June FYI) I thought it only right and fair that I do my best to provide inspiration on how to spoil the main man in your life as I always seem to be coming up with female orientated gift guides. There’s a reason for this in that shopping for my Mum is just so easy. We have very similar tastes and it’s rare that I go on any shopping trip without coming back with a little something to stash away for her. My Dad on the other hand is a different story and over the years I’ve become known for my off the wall thinking when it comes to my gifts to him- the policeman mole figurine and 50th Birthday Ant Farm are two that spring to mind as successes in the past. Still, focusing on something a little more traditional I’ve popped together some top ideas from House of Fraser’s selection of men’s accessories which will hopefully help point you in the right direction.

Will I be going down the more traditional route this year? Not likely, but I do know that when my stash of quirky ideas runs out my Dad would be more than happy to receive any of these gifts instead.

On the surface these might all look like quite run of the mill ideas, but with a huge range of quality brands (my Dad for example would love the Paul Smith cufflinks or Ted Baker iPad case) and something to suit all budgets- from £4.00 socks to watches costing hundreds there is something for all tastes and all budgets.

Now I’ve just got to work out if my lovingly handmade gift is going to cut it or if I need to be heading to the shops instead!

Which parent do you find easiest to shop for? I know my best friend is in the opposite situation to me and has a nightmare of a time trying to pick out a present for her Mum!

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Posted in family, gifts, inspiration, shopping

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Lolly’s Sweet Treats

16th May 2016
Have I ever mentioned how much I love sweets? To be fair I probably haven’t dropped it in to conversation as my relationship with food has somewhat deteriorated lately but now that’s all changing and I’m pleased to say that sweet sugary goodness is firmly back on the menu! So it was quite timely really that Lolly’s Sweet Treats got in touch and offered to send me some samples of their wares. I’d have been foolish not to take up this chance, especially from a company that stocks retro favourites and packages them in seriously lovely glass jars!
Two jars were delivered to the door and packed full of some of my favourite confections. I have a real thing for liquorice so the heart shaped jar stuffed with giant liquorice comfits was pretty much heaven. Honestly if I could only eat one type of sweet for the rest of my life it would be liquorice, it probably comes from being spoilt when I was younger with all types of the black stuff by my Dutch relatives but yeah, I have a serious addiction.
The second item was possibly even more exciting. A giant bottle stuffed full of sweeties that remind me of going to the corner shop on the way home from school for a 10p mix up (showing my age here!). The bottle was literally rammed with sweets and chocolates and included some all time favourites like coconut mushrooms, icy cups, foam bananas and flying saucers- to name but a few!

Both jars came beautifully packaged and also well protected from the hands of the postal system and I’d love to receive one of these as a gift at any time! Products aren’t just limited to jars either so be sure to take a look at what else is on offer. Lolly’s Sweet Treats is supported by The Princes Trust and is certainly a shop to keep your eye (and sweet tooth) on with lots of exciting products soon to launch. I know for certain I’ll be placing several orders in the future…liqourice catherine wheels and some foam mushrooms are calling out to me as I type.

What’s your favourite retro sweet? Liquorice aside I don’t think I could narrow it down there are just so many I love (she says as the jar in front of her is rapidly going down)…

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Posted in food, gifts, life, life stuff, review

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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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