Category Archives: review

The June (2016) Degustabox Review and Discount Code

01st July 2016
A new month has arrived and with it brings the next round of Degustabox reviews. The June box had a BBQ theme which amused me a little as I write this post- it’s the most un-BBQ weather outside right now and I’m contemplating putting the heating on to take the chill off! But we did enjoy some better weather at the start of the month and I’m hopeful that as we creep in to July the air will once again be filled with the scent of grilling food and smoke.
These biscuits from Destrooper-Olivier are dangerously good. Butter waffle crisps made in Belgium and the perfect companion to a steaming cup of coffee. I made short work of this box but had I have had more self control I think they would have been fantastic served with vanilla ice cream for a crunchy, creamy dessert. Available at Waitrose with an RRP of £1.10.
Who doesn’t love a chocolate brownie? I actually gave this mug brownie by Bakedin to my BFF as she is the queen of brownie eating and I knew she’d be able to tell if this was any good or not. From the stream of texts I got raving about everything from how it looked to how it tasted, and the fact she’s still mentioning it four days later I am pretty sure it’s a winner! Ok so it’s a pure novelty and at £1.50 an indulgent treat, but who doesn’t deserve a bit of indulgence from time to time?
A good selection of condiments is crucial to any BBQ or social gathering and one of the first things I check out anywhere is what sauces and sides are available! I’ve really been enjoying the Haywards pickled onions, which are small and not too acidic as well as the Branston spicy tomato relish- this is perfect on a burger and I’ve also been using it to spice up a toasted sandwich at lunch times!
It was nice to see both an alcoholic and non-alcoholic in the box this month. I’m not a lager drinker myself but this can of King Star from Marstons was enjoyed ice cold by my dad and I kicked back with a glass of cloudy lemonade from Zeo. It’s unusual you’ll find me drinking a soft drink that isn’t a diet cola but I really liked this despite the addition of stevia which typically I can’t stand! Definitely one to stock up on for non-drinkers at a Summer party!
The concept of zero calorie/very low calorie foods breaks my brain a little, and as before when this kind of thing has turned up in a box, I didn’t give them a go as it treads on dangerous ground for me. I did however pay more attention to the Heinz Amoy coconut milk which I am yet to use, I’m currently in the process of searching for the perfect recipe to use it in- do feel free to make suggestions in the comments!
The yoghurt coated popcorn from Butterkist was Degustabox’s product of the month and I think it might be mine too. It’s not an obvious combination but I just love this- the light and airy corn smothered with a smooth and creamy yoghurt coating. It’s one of those things that you need to try to truly get the hype, so if you see this I recommend picking some up! It’s also only 95 calories per serving (if you limit yourself to just one that is!) so a good healthy snack for those with a sweet tooth.
Is there a more perfect and comforting quick dinner than pesto pasta? I think not! These single serving mini pots from Scala have become a staple in my cupboard- no more opening and then not finishing a jar! I will confess I’m yet to use the homemade burger mix from Schwartz as I like my burgers plain (so as not to interfere with the condiments I pile on!) but when we next have people round I shall be whipping this out and creating some American Smokehouse action.
Another real standout product this month for me were these freeze at home fruit ices from Smooze. Made from coconut juice and fresh fruit juice + puree I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy these as much as I did. The combination of mango and coconut is such a winner and these are wonderfully creamy and refreshing. They are also free from all major allergens and suitable for vegans so what’s not to love?
If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim a brilliant £6 off of your first box by entering the code BLDEG15 at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand one and off over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.

Posted in food, review

Permalink 3 Comments

Stylewise Direct

20th June 2016

Today’s outfit post is one with a little bit of a twist to it. You see, it actually features items from a Stylewise Direct who sell women’s wholesale clothing meaning that the items for sale on the site aren’t available to buy as a single unit, they need to be bought in bulk.

So why am I featuring them? Well, because I know that several of my blogger friends have their own blog shops, or might be thinking about starting one and therefore when Stylewise Direct got in touch I thought it would be great to be able to attest to the quality of some of their items for anyone who might be looking for a supplier or taking the plunge in to setting up shop.

Stylewise Direct sent me the floral dress and floral bomber jacket for the purpose of this blog post.

Because I’m not very good at explaining things at the moment I’ve used the Stylewise website to help me out, from their “About Us” section:

“Stylewise Direct aims to fulfil the gap between the suppliers, customers, retailers and warehouses by providing latest trends as soon as they hit the fashion scene at the lowest prices possible without compromising quality. Our main priority is to keep our customers happy and benefited.

We are one of the top wholesalers in women’s and ladies clothing in United Kingdom. Located in Manchester and established since 2000, we have been going strong by keeping our existing and new customers happy by giving them the best deals in the industry.

Our main aim is to make our customers grow round the clock by giving them the best deals so they never miss out an opportunity to grow big, which will make our customers different from others.

We have an extensive range of ladies clothing and supplies for group store buyers, bulk buyers, small retailers and wholesalers. We are also suppliers of discounted ex-chain store clothing…”

My main concern over cheap clothing is always about the fit and quality and this is where Stylewise Direct have lived up to their word. Both the dress and the jacket are excellent quality, true to size and well made. The floral jacket is my favourite of the two pieces and given these are currently flying off the rails on the high street would be a very worthy investment, I’ve been living in mine since it’s arrival.

The customer service I received in the process of sorting out my order was also second to none, something I think is especially important if you are making a bulk purchase or are running to a stock deadline.

I might not be brave, or organised enough to set up a blog shop of my own but if I did then Stylewise Direct would be my wholesaler of choice. Is this something you would consider, or do you already have a shop of your own? I’d be really interested in hearing about your experiences.

end

Posted in life stuff, outfits, review, shopping

Permalink 3 Comments

The May (2016) Degustabox + a discount for you!

06th June 2016
A new month has arrived and with it brings the next round of Degustabox reviews. The May box was full of exciting treats, most of which were entirely new to me. I’m never one to turn down the chance of a new food discovery and it’s for this reason I rave about Degustabox month in and month out.
Product of the month was handed over to Brioche Pasquier and their croissants this time round. I go through phases with croissant consumption and luckily was in an “I love them” phase when these arrived. You’ll never be able to beat a freshly baked bakery croissant but these are really good and individually wrapped so perfect for taking out and about. They can be eaten warm or cold- which is your favourite?

Also on the baked good theme was some gluten free Madeleines from Mrs Crimbles. Having never eaten a gluten containing Madeleine I can’t compare but these were really tasty and I’m sure for many a welcome addition to the gluten free snack family.

degusta box pasta
Despite it being so quick and easy to prepare Ben and I don’t eat a lot of pasta for some reason. I was attracted by the shape of this Garofalo packet though, it lends itself perfectly to a pasta bake and I make a pretty mean garlic mushroom one.
Having recently had some rather lovely weather these drinks from Cranes seemed like a timely arrival. With refreshing summer flavours and being 100% natural these are fantastic straight from the fridge and perfect for a BBQ with friends.
I’m not a fruit juice drinker but my Mum willingly took Pomegreat’s pomegranate juice off my hands as she loves the stuff! This certainly looks lovely and refreshing and it gets the thumbs up from her. The date nectar from Beloved Dates was probably the product that caused me the most intrigue. It just begged to be used in baking and I made up a rather lovely batch of flapjacks with this instead of golden syrup. It gave the traditional tray bake a more modern twist with it’s gorgeous caramel flavour, definitely one to try!
It’s BBQ season of course and the shelves seem to be packed full of new marinades and sauces. This Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Glaze isn’t something I would use myself but I’ve handed it over to my Dad who will report back…
Oh hi Mae sneaking in there! Kallo are a brand I often wax lyrical about and I love their range of snacks both savoury and sweet. This month we were sent two new to me products- milk chocolate corn cakes which are dangerously more-ish and a good alternative to a chocolate biscuit with your morning brew. The yoghurt coated rice cakes were my favourite though, I love the unique taste of yoghurt coating and it’s smoothness contrasts nicely with the crunchy rice. Yum!
There were two packets of nuts in this month’s box both from The Wonderful Company. Both the almonds and the pistachios are in brilliant on the go size bags and these found their way in to Ben’s packed lunches where they were munched with enthusiasm. I used to think a nut was a nut but since trying The Wonderful Company some time ago you do realise that some brands do it better!

The Get Fruity strawberry and oat bar was something I very much enjoyed as a healthy mid-afternoon snack. Made with gluten free oats and produced on a nut free site these would be excellent for a child’s packed lunch as much as any adult. Yum! There are six flavours available and I’m keen to try them all!

Last but by no means least come the misfortune cookies from Pechkeks. These are seriously cool cookies that are right up my street. You get a black cookie which tastes better than it looks and a hilarious piece of misfortune inside- a brilliant take on the traditional fortune cookie, you just need to remember to take it with the humour in which it’s intended.

If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim a brilliant £6 off of your first box by entering the code BLDEG15 at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand one and off over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.

end

Posted in food, review

Permalink 2 Comments

Tobias Tests out Tabcat

01st June 2016
So by now we’re all familar with Mae’s regular appearances on the blog but I thought that this time I’d hand over the reins to Ben’s cat (well, our cat) as we were recently sent out a new pet tracking device to try out and well, trying to get Mae to co-operate in this kind of road test was going to involve the loss of at least one finger if not an entire hand.

The device in question is called Tabcat and is essentially a little disc you fit to your cat’s collar which enables you to locate them when they are out and about. As we’ve not long started letting Tobias outside our flat we were keen to give this a go as really, we do get a bit anxious about where he gets to and liked the idea of being able to locate him and let him know it’s time to come inside.

We were sent the kit by Tabcat is exchange for a blog review but please be assured these are genuine opinions and we had actually been discussing buying something like this for Tobias but didn’t know where to start! Setting up was easy, you just need to register the disc to the remote, pop it in a silicon cover and slide it on to your cat’s collar.

I was a little worried that Tobias would find the disc intrusive but it honestly doesn’t bother him in the slightest and he’s been wearing it over a week now with no problems.

Tabcat works by activating the remote to pick up a signal from the disc. Once in range you are guided by a series of beeps and lights to locate your cat. The range that Tabcat covers is extensive and because both the remote and the disc on the collar lets off sound it really is so easy to find your feline. We’ve also been training Tobias to take the beeping from his disc as a cue to come home. This has worked brilliantly as now when we stand in the doorway to our flat and press the button he comes running home (this process did involve rather a few treats!)

I feel like I’m not doing a very good job at explaining how Tabcat works so do make sure you check out the website for a more comprehensive run through! Hopefully what you will gather from this post is that both us humans and Tobias really like how this works and at £69.99 for the starter pack which allows you to track up to two cats (you can purchase more discs and track up to four) it’s a worthy investment and far more affordable than the GPS trackers we had been looking at. It’s also a small price to pay for peace of mind- Tobias has a habit of hiding in the bushes in various neighbours gardens for hours at a time which has left us panicked on numerous occasions!

Have you ever tried something like this with your pet? I’d love to know how you got on if you did.

end

Posted in gadgets, review

Permalink 4 Comments

Teagime- not another “teatox”

27th May 2016
Over the last year there is been a wave of so called “teatoxes” hitting the scene. I’ve given them a wide berth as really I’m not interesting in losing weight, suppressing my appetite or drinking a laxative (essentially that’s what some of them are, glam!) and so when Teagime dropped me an e-mail I very nearly clicked delete without even giving it a read.

Luckily for me I did decide to take a closer look and I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. Teagime isn’t just another detox, it’s actually a custom blend of teas designed to help you achieve exactly what YOU want to improve with your health. There’s no one size fits all approach here, instead you fill in a detailed questionnaire filled with questions about lifestyle, health concerns and tea preferences then blend you up a two week supply of three different teas; one for the morning, one for the afternoon and one for before bed.

Teagime very kindly offered me a two week trial of my own custom blend to see what made them different. I found the process of question answering very quick and easy and then regular updates were given as to when my blends would arrive.

Upon arrival I was delighted to see they had also popped in two free tea infusers, handy if you don’t happen to have any lying around the place (which I actually do, I just don’t know where!). The teas are prettily packaged in brown paper pouches that can be re-sealed and the blends that Teagime had “prescribed” me sounded perfect for my needs.

My morning blend was called “No More Cold Feet” and contained strawberry, honey red tea and hawthorn berry to help improve my circulation. I’ve always suffered with cold hands and feet and didn’t expect much to change but after two weeks having a cup of this first thing in the morning I did find my extremities weren’t as quick to turn blueish the second the temperature drops.

The afternoon blend was “Balm for the Soul” and was made up of lemon balm, blackcurrant and oolong tea. I found this incredibly soothing and taste wise this was my favourite of the bunch. It’s fair to say I’ve been a bit stressed and on edge lately so to take time out to drink this around the time of day when my mind is busiest was a little pocket of peace- psychological or not I really benefitted from this blend.

My evening mix was “Breathe Easy” and contained peppermint, roobios and lemon peel. My digestive system, immune system and skin have taken a battering lately so having a blend designed to help heal these specific areas was a nice touch and was a pretty tasty and calming way to end my day.

Overall I’m really pleased I gave Teagime a shot, at £29.99 for a fortnight’s supply it isn’t a cheap option but for a little boost from time to time it is something I’d be keen to invest in. As I tea lover in general I really appreciated the variety of blends and teas- what’s your favourite brew?

end

Posted in review

Permalink 4 Comments