Category Archives: review

The Miracle Working foot product

10th June 2015
I hate feet, I especially hate my feet. I inwardly groan when the warmer weather arrives and it’s time for bare feet and sandals because try as I might I’ve never been able to get my feet looking good. I was recently sent a product from Scholl- the Dry Skin Instant Recovery Cream, which I hoped might help but I didn’t expect anything groundbreaking from it as other products have tried and failed in the past and still haven’t managed to get my toes looking tip-top.
If you’ve read my blog for any length of time you’ll know I’m not one to rave or get excited about this kind of product so it really has made quite an impression. This quite plain looking tube houses a rich and non-greasy cream that even from the first use (well, it is called Instant Recovery) made a drastic difference to my feet. I wish I could share a before and after with you but I can’t, because I can’t bring myself to photograph my own feet nor plaster them on the internet so you’ll just have to trust me on this one. No more dry skin, no more rough patches or sore spots…just smooth, soft, better than normal looking feet.

The cream also has a lovely fresh fragrance and doesn’t take more than a few seconds to sink in making it perfect to pop on in the morning or just before bed (once a day has been enough for me). If you’re looking to get your perfect pedicure this Summer then I strongly suggest adding this product to your army.

The rate I’m going there might even be some close ups of my shoes and sandals this Summer, no longer ashamed to get a bit more up close and personal!

What products have you been really impressed by lately? You can find the Dry Skin Instant Recovery Cream in Boots and Superdrug among other places priced at £5.99.

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Posted in beauty, review

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Degusta Box- The May Edition

05th June 2015
This month my Degustabox arrived a little earlier than usual. Timed to fit in with the most recent Bank Holiday it took on a BBQ theme. For once the sun did shine although our BBQ didn’t make it out of the shed, but still I’ve sampled most things from the box and have put together my thoughts below.

I’m sure that by now you’re all familiar with what the box is about, but just in case you’re not, it’s a monthly food subscription box that delivers a selection of new and surprise products to your door for the cost of £12.99 per one off box or £11.99 per month when you take out a bi-annual subscription. I’ve been reviewing the boxes over the last year and they never fail to impress me and get me eating outside of my comfort zone.

The first product I pulled out of the box was some lasagne sheets from the folks at Slim Pasta (£2.49). Now I haven’t tried these as the idea doesn’t hold a lot of appeal for me but I can see how these would be really handy for people on things such as the 5:2 diet. I’m trying to convince my Dad that he ought to try them as I don’t really think it’s appropriate for me to at the moment when I’m trying to reverse weight loss…I’ll report back with his thoughts if he does and would love to know what other people’s experiences have been.

More up my street were some blocks of stir-fry noodles from Maggi (£1.49 each). I love noodles and these are the perfect base for a quick and easy meal. The oriental chicken noodles were really tasty, just add in some fresh ingredients and you have dinner in minutes!

9 Bars (£2) are a product I’ve known and loved for years, perfect for a substantial snack on the go. These were packed full of dried fruits and seeds, topped with carob and are really, really tasty.

Less healthy but undeniably still delicious are the Daelmans Stroopwafels (£2). Growing up with Dutch family means I already knew just how wonderful these are, but these are some of the best I have tasted and brilliant warmed up over a cup of coffee. The only downside to these is just how addictive they are- one is not enough!

On the BBQ theme front there were some really exciting looking products, although as mentioned above, I am yet to get my grill on. BBQ is my favourite sauce to add to food, aside from ketchup so the Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ sauce (£2.49) just sounds amazing. This is going to be added to some chicken asap for the ultimate summer feast. I also really like the look of the Schwartz marinade packs. Pop your meat, fish or veg in to the packet for 30 minutes and you have perfectly delicious food with no mess. I was sent the Honey and Soy flavour (£2.19) which I can’t wait to combine with some salmon and a huge salad…if I was less lazy I’d be on my way to the supermarket right now for supplies.

I love a good salad in the Summer so the addition of balsamic vinegar to the Sarsons family has been welcomed with open arms. This is really tasty and only £2.00 per bottle…this is a must have for the summer store-cupboard.

Drinks wise, well I haven’t tried the Green Coco juice with bananas as previous experience tells me not to even go there (personal taste only, I just can’t stomach this kind of drink!). The flavour combination sounds lovely though and would be perfect on a hot summer day- 80p per carton.

Last but by no means least come the Protibricks from Fuel10k (£2.69) a brand I have seen a lot about. I’m a huge breakfast lover and these have made a great change from my usual porridge and toast- I always worry about being hungry after an hour if I break away from my normal breakfast but there was no problem with these and they are pretty good for you all round, made from 100% wholegrain with fibre, low sugar and low fats.

If you received the box this month I’d love to read your thoughts- feel free to link to your posts below. If I’ve persuaded you that you might want to sign up then you can grab a cool £3.00 discount when you sign up using the code BQXK9

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Posted in food, review

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Matcha May with Teapigs

23rd May 2015
As I’ve got older I’ve moved away from my habit of chain drinking cups of coffee and gravitate towards tea most of the time (although pre-8am during the week I’ll be three coffees in and bouncing off the walls). My favourite tea is good old English Breakfast but I do enjoy herbal teas more exotic blends from time to time, one of my favourites of which is green tea, particularly with Jasmine or Ginger.

Teapigs got in touch back in April to tell me about their “Matcha May”, bascially an excuse to shout about all the wonderful benefits that Matcha green tea boasts. Ever looking to find a new brew and to improve my health and wellbeing I was keen to know more!

Essentially Matcha is a green powdered tea that packs a powerful punch. Chock-full of antioxidants, great for boosting the metabolism and to beat sluggish feelings as well as working wonders for hair, skin and nails this was one product I couldn’t wait to meet.

I’m going to be honest, straight up Matcha isn’t ever going to become my brew of choice, not straight up anyway. A splash of almond milk goes a long way to improve the taste, removing the undertones of plant that put me off slightly. I couldn’t face it straight up as a shot, but whisked in to warm milk or served quite simply with a splash of milk and sugar and this is something you’ll find by my side on a daily basis. I’m not quite sure that drinking it like that preserves all of the health benefits but you can’t win them all! The beauty of Matcha is that it’s incredibly versatile, I added it in to my morning porridge and it would work equally well as a power boost to a smoothie for breakfast on the go. In true Laura style I also managed to make a “superfood” in to something as supremely unhealthy as possible, in the form of cupcakes slathered with vanilla buttercream icing.
These couldn’t be easier to make, just whip up a basic sponge mixture (I used a basic 4oz butter, flour and sugar recipe with 2 eggs) and stir in Matcha powder to taste, I used 1tsp and made 12 cupcakes and the flavours and colour were spot on.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes at 160*c then allow to cool before taking the biggest bowl (or in the case of me, pre-made tub, oops!) of vanilla butter cream and slather it on top before chucking on whatever sugary embellishments you can find!

The overall effect was simple but a big hit! The green colour of the cakes envoked intrigue among my colleagues and the Matcha combined with traditional sweet and spongey goodness was the perfect compliment to the mound of icing. I’ve still got about half of my Matcha left and have plans to experiment more in the baking department- let me know if you’d like me to share recipes.

What’s your favourite way to enjoy Matcha? Never tried it before? Stock up here.

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Teapigs kindly sent me this kit to enable this post to happen. Even Mae was impressed.

Posted in baking, food, life, life stuff, review

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Tastes of the British Isles with Marks and Spencer

20th May 2015
You can count on Marks and Spencer for some truly tasty food and when I first heard of their Tastes of the British Isles collection a couple of months ago I knew we were in for something special. I’m a true fan of British food, from the fabulous fruits to the earthy flavours there’s something so satisfying and wholesome about it all. Less wholesome were the sweet treats that Marks and Spencer kindly arranged for me to sample- but sweets are yet another thing that Britain does best!
I was super-duper excited when I saw liquorice catherine wheels in my bag of goodies as they always have been and probably always will be a favourite of mine. The manager in my nearest M&S said he preferred these to the original barratt’s ones and I would be tempted to agree- perfection! Also erring on the traditional side the fruity swirl lollipop put a smile on my face- who can resist the bright and beautiful lure of pure sugar?

On the less traditional side there were some new and exciting discoveries to be made. Strawberries and clotted cream fudge took me straight back to childhood holidays in Devon and the Rhubarb & Custard (made with freeze dried rhubarb, wheat crispies and custard flavoured white chocolate) might just be the greatest thing I’ve tasted this year. The Elderflower Raspberries were almost too pretty to eat but the sweet white chocolate and the sharpness of the freeze dried raspberries balanced beautifully with the delicate Elderflower flavour. The British Pudding sweets also deserve a special mention- lemon meringue and cherry bakewell flavoured sweets encase a cracknell centre that bring about all sorts of retro fabulous feelings.

I admit to being skeptical when I heard that Marks and Spencer had launched a rival to my beloved Marmite. Long time readers will know how devoted I am to the brown goo. Thankfully they end up being two entirely different products thanks to M&S’s addition of fruity notes to balance out the savoury overload so I can happily announce I love this product (created in collaboration with London Based Greenwich Meantime Brewery) without being disloyal to my first love.
Have you tried any of these products, what else do I need from the Tastes of the British Isles range? There’s so much more to it than what I’ve featured and I have no idea where to start…

Also, are you a lover or a hater? I’m not sure we can be friends if you can’t stand Marmite.

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Posted in food, M&S, review

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KiK the habit?

13th May 2015
I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m a smoker on the blog, I’m well aware it’s a disgusting and dangerous habit to have and over the last couple of years I’ve started to hate it more and more. Hating it is all well and good, but alone it’s hasn’t been enough to get me ditching the habit for good. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried and failed despite trying various methods and strategies. Inspired by Corinne’s post and a timely email from the team at Kik I’ve gone in to a new territory on my mission to be cigarette free- the Vape Kit.
I was sent this kit to try out as well as a selection of the liquids to add. The flavours of the liquids are all really appealing and I like how there are different strengths of nicotine available so you can start off higher (as I plan to) and wean down.

The Vape Stick itself is quite sleek looking but not as subtle as I might have hoped. It’s fine to use at home but I’m a bit hesitant to use it in public. To combat this I need to make sure I buy no cigarettes so I can’t have a crafty one whilst walking home from work, or get braver at using the Vape Stick. At home it’s been brilliant. Currently I am still smoking regular cigarettes too but the number of these has dropped and I am ready to reduce this further.

I’m not advocating “vape-ing” as something cool to do, or for a non-smoker to pick up but I can see how it might be the strategy I need to quit the cigarettes and the wean off of the nicotine addiction. For me, I find the hand to mouth action and the inhalation the most addictive part of smoking so being able to have a nicotine free alternative appeals hugely.

Has anyone else successfully quit with one of these? I’d love to know.

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