Long time no post right? I’ve got no idea where the last goodness knows how long has gone, but I’m back to share some tasty new treats from German brand Niederegger.
I know Marzipan isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it so long as it’s coated in chocolate. I first discovered this delight on a camping trip to Austria where I all but lived on those Mozart chocolate rounds and since then I’ve been obsessed. By far my favourite brand for marzipan is Niederegger, described as the world’s finest marzipan made in Lubeck in Germany. I’ve worked with chocolates direct in the past so when they offered me some new products from the brand, well, I don’t think I’ve ever replied to an email so quickly.
Marzipan loaves are one of the most iconic products that Niederegger make and I was excited to try this year’s flavour of the year- Hazelnut and Toffee. This is such a class combination, paired with another classic combination- marzipan and dark chocolate. I don’t usually like pieces of nut in my chocolate but the range of textures here works really well. A little bit of this goes a long way as it’s very rich, but totally delicious. I took a pass on the rum variety is I do dislike alcohol in chocolate so I can’t comment on this (but I’m pretty sure it’s delicious if you like that kind of thing) but I am a VERY big fan of the black and white loaf; chocolate marzipan coated in semi-sweet chocolate and studded with chunks of dark and white chocolate. If you’re a fan of chocolate then you’re going to love this!
This is one of the prettiest packaged boxes of chocolate I have seen. The mini bakery desserts praline range is designed to replicate a trip to a New York coffee shop. The flavours here work really well, I’d say my favourite was toffee but I’d happily eat any of them again. Small but perfectly formed, this would make a lovely gift, or indulgent treat.
These banana and chocolate mini loaves were the product I was most excited for- this is the mini loaves flavour of the year and I hope it is made a permanent fixture. I strongly believe there aren’t enough banana flavoured products in the world, it’s one of my favourites. These loaves lived up to all of my expectations and more- the balance of bitter chocolate and sweet banana is spot on, the texture is amazing and well, I just can’t say enough good things about these.
I’m really excited to see what else Niederegger bring out, their flavours are intriguing and delicious. I’d love to see a giant banana loaf in the near future! What are some of your favourite flavour combinations? And are you a marzipan lover or a hater?
Box gifted by Degustabox This is a PR box, this means there will sometimes be additional flavours or products than you’d get as a subscriber, I will highlight this within my post.
Welcome back to the only regular blog post I seem to be able to write! The June 2020 Degustabox had a picnic theme to it, and was packed full of products that I couldn’t wait to try. The boxes seem to be getting better by the month at the minute, and this one was great!
I’d actually tried the Raspberry and Rhubarb sparking water from Le Joli before, lured in by the gorgeous packaging when I was doing the food shop one week. The flavour is very subtle, but there and I really enjoyed it. The Mexican Lime and Mint wasn’t to my taste personally, I’m just not a fan of mint in drinks, but for anyone who does enjoy it then you’ll love this! There is also a Lemon and Mandarin flavour which I’d love to try. Subscribers will get two of the three flavours in their box, cans are £1 each from Tesco, WHSmith, Ocado and Whole Foods.I’m yet to meet a sweet that I haven’t liked, and these Super Fruit Jellies from Maynards Bassetts certainly didn’t break that trend. These have unique flavours like papaya, pomegranate and cranberry, and each six sweet serving contains 15% of your recommended daily intake of vitamins C and E. These have a great, intense flavour and are available from all major supermarkets with an RRP of £1.This is a great portable snack idea for kids and grown-ups at picnics. Attack a Snak chilli heat nachos contains chilli heatwave tortilla chips, a smoke chipotle dip and a cooling sour cream and chive sauce. £1.50 per pack from Morrisons. NINE is a brand I’ve loved for a long time and these new seed bars are a tasty addition to the brand’s product range. I’ve grown to love salted caramel lately so this was an instant winner. A great, healthy treat for refuelling after a long walk- vegan, gluten and wheat free made with 100% plant protein. £1.29 each. These little bags of granola from Lizi’s were Bob’s product of the month. He often takes breakfast to work with him and these were perfectly portioned for this, and healthier than his cheeky take-away bacon rolls. Both the high protein and the low sugar varieties were winners- I prefer my granola with yoghurt whilst he’s very much in the milk camp…where do you stand? £0.75 for a 40g pouch or £3.80 for 350g (high protein)/500g (low sugar) available from major supermarket chains.I really liked these fruit twists from Gregory’s Tree. Probably targeted at children more than a 33 year old, but I don’t care! These twists have an intense fruity flavour and a nice, soft texture, it’s almost like eating a sweet rather than a healthy snack. With no added sugar, just naturally great tasting (and gluten free) these cost £0.69 from Amazon, Morrisons and Whole Foods.This Chai Latte marshmallow bar from Baru was a real treat. I love the flavour of chai, and marshmallows, so the two combined with milk chocolate was a real taste sensation. At £1.69 a bar this is a proper luxury, and currently only available from Whole Food Markets and a range of gourmet shops- a shame, but probably just as well for my bank balance and waist line!Olives are such a marmite food. It took me a while but I love them now- I’m all about the salty flavour. These are green olives (with no stones) dressed in basil and garlic marinade. Not a work friendly snack, but a lovely salad topper or picnic addition. More than a little bit addictive. £1.50 from Sainsburys, Amazon, ollysolives.com, Ocado and Musclefood.I love Hippeas! I love all of the flavours and have loved them since they first launched in the UK. Whilst the cheese flavour wouldn’t be my first choice (sweet and smokin’ take that crown) they are still super yummy and a filling snack for something so light thanks to their protein content. I often pick these up for afternoon snacking at work- available in a wide range of retails for around £1 per pack.Now here’s an intriguing product. Noisy Snacks are a corn based snack with twice the amount of flavour of other snacks (8% flavouring v.s. a standard 4%). Each time you shake the bag you release more flavour. Totally fun, very tasty and hopefully to be widely available soon in major supermarkets. Currently you can get these for £1.49 a pack from noisysnacks.com. I can’t wait to try other flavours from this brand.A salad dressing that doubles up as a dip! We’ve had this Newman’s Own Italian dressing before and really like it. We’re saving this for our next family BBQ but it’s worth nothing that all profits go to charity. £1.65 from major supermarket chains.Blossom Hill gin fizz looks gorgeous and tastes it too. I’m so happy I was sent the rhubarb flavour as it’s one of my favourites. This is a bubbly blend of wine infused with water and a dash of gin- perfect for a girly picnic in the sunshine. You’ll find this little delight in major supermarket chains for £9 – there’s a lemon and rosemary one to look out for too. This is probably my new go-to drink for the summer months.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought in the comments, it’s always great to get other people’s thoughts.
If you’re new to Degustabox, it’s a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money. On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.
If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim £3.00 off of your first box (making it just £9.99!) by entering the code XOQGC at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly 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.
Have you ever wondered why some people look just stunning when they wear earnings? Well, it is, in fact, a mix of two things. The first of the quality of the piece of jewellery itself, while the second is that the person that is wearing them knows precisely how to style them properly. The good news is that you can discover how to pick and style earrings to match and enhance the outfit you are wearing. Keep reading for more.
Consider your neckline
First of all, when it comes to choosing jewellery consider the neckline of your clothes. For example, if you are wearing a round neck or turtleneck then longer earrings may not be the best option. Instead, look for button and stud styles that do not extend past the ears.
However, with dresses or tops that have less material around the neck and shoulders, such as halter necks or V neck a longer earring extended down can look very elegant.
In a similar vein the way you style your hair can have a significant impact on how good earring looks too. For example, if you wear your hair down and long studs are the better option. Whereas if you are sporting a more sophisticated updo longer earrings with a drop can work particularly well.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Team simple earrings with patterns and vice versa
If you are a person that adores patterned fabrics in bright colours then it is best to opt for a much more straightforward style of earring. In particular look out for unadorned studs or hoops in silver, or even made from non-traditional material like acrylic. An oversized acrylic earring worn with a patterned dress done right can have kitsch and quirky quality that is quite wonderful.
However if you tend towards more solid colours and structured pieces then you do have the opportunity to embrace a little more excitement with your earning choice. With a simple monochrome outfit, an adornment such as these large diamond hoop earrings can give you just enough additional pizzazz to pop. Yet not so much that they throw your outfit off of kilter.
Photo by SEASHELL IN LOVE – Kristin on Unsplash
Tones and colours
Lastly, do not forget that it’s not just the colours and hues we wear that we need to carefully consider when choosing earrings, but also our skin tone as well.
For those of us with cooler undertones aerating in metal such as silver, white gold and platinum will work best. Gems on the other hand should be in anything with a blue hue or undertone, including toned blue reds and purples, pinks and greens.
However, for those of us with warmer undertones yellow gold, rose gold and copper are the better choices. While gem colours need orange undertones including yellow, red, orange and pink.
Of course lucky ones with more neutral undertones have a choice between both types. Also earrings with clear stones such as diamonds will work with most metals and most skin tones too. Just as long as you consider, the other factors discussed above.
Dress: Wednesday’s Girl at ASOS (aff. link) | Shoes: c/o Ego shoes a couple of years ago
It’s been a funny couple of weeks, like a lot of people I haven’t really been feeling like myself and I think that finally the impact of Covid-19, lockdown and finding a work-life balance has taken hold. From disturbed sleep to general anxiety and irritability, it’s been a stressful time trying to pinpoint what’s wrong- after a while I gave up trying to work out why and just focused on getting through. Bob and I took these photos just before the dip in my mood happened, taking a Saturday morning stroll to our new favourite photo spot (and when I say new favourite, I mean our only photo spot right now!) and I thought it would be good to share both the photos and five things that are making me smile right now- because taking stock of what’s important and what makes you happy is one of the biggest boosts you can give yourself.
Wedding! As of today I have been engaged to Bob for an entire year and wedding excitement is building. It’s 475 days until we say “I do” and I’m so impatient. Wedding planning is taking shape- we’ve got the venue, the photographer, a vague idea of colour scheme and I’ve just booked some appointments to try on dresses in September- I have no idea what I want but I’m looking forward to dressing up! I honestly cannot wait to marry Bob, although I may be driving him slightly mad with all the wedding chat.
Sunshine: I always find everything easier to deal with when the sun is shining and thankfully over the last couple of weeks we have had some glorious days. Bob and I have spent a lot of time outside getting our garden in shape and I’m loving having an outside space to relax. We’ve got some runner beans and cucumbers growing and I really hope to get a good haul from both (but I seem to have green thumbs so we’ll see!)
Baking: Baking is my therapy and like many others during lockdown I’ve fully embraced it. Cookies seem to be my current “thing” and I’ve made some absolute winners. It’s got to the point now where people are asking me NOT to bake as they are all trying to lose the lockdown weight gain, but I will not be deterred.
Pablo: Our little furry fiend certainly keeps us on our toes with his talent for falling off of window sills in the early hours and his particular quirks around food (he will only eat out of a certain blue bowl!) He has grown up to be such a mummy’s boy and loves to cuddle especially when I get home from work, it’s the best remedy to a stressful day.
Seeing People: After weeks and weeks of not being able to see family and friends it’s such a relief to now be able to spend time with them, even if it is from a 2 metre distance. Yesterday we spent a glorious hour with my parents in their garden, and I’ve enjoyed some visits to my Grandad too when I have dropped off his shopping. I’m super excited for a socially distanced catch up with my best friend this coming week… there’s nothing like time with loved ones to lift your spirits.
Has anyone else found things a bit tricky over the last few weeks? Feel free to list your own reasons to smile in the comments, it helps, trust me!
Box gifted by Degustabox This is a PR box, this means there will sometimes be additional flavours or products than you’d get as a subscriber, I will highlight this within my post.
I like BBQs and I love snacking so the May Degustabox felt like an instant winner as soon as I saw the information leaflet. On the whole this was definitely one of my favourite boxes- and Bob’s favourite too. He gets almost as excited as I do when we get notification that it’s delivery day, and reviews are now a team effort.
Ok, so first up we have a Lindor milk bar from Lindt– all the delicious of their iconic Lindt balls in a handy bar format. I love Lindt chocolate (especially their gold bunnies) so this wasn’t ever going to let me down. Also available in orange and mint flavours, you’ll find this bar in all major supermarkets for around 85p. Not quite as indulgent, but I also really enjoyed this hazelnut and nougat protein bar from Barebells. It’s not a flavour I’d pick if I saw it on the shelf, but this hit the spot as a treat as well as a protein boost. I wasn’t familiar with the Barebells brand before this month’s box but they are now one I’ll be seeking to explore further. £2.50 per bar (available in several flavours), available at Sainsbury’s and on Amazon.
We both loved these mini tortilla wraps from Mission. We have frozen the plain ones for a later (taco) date, but kept the chilli and lime ones ready for our next chilli night. We often do chilli with wraps instead of rice and these were a zingy change from our usual. Also perfect for picnics and BBQs- £1.20 per pack from Morrisons and Sainsbury’s (after 27/5 for the latter).
I still can’t get my head around jelly in a pouch but I can see why these appeal to children and adults alike. Juicy Jelly pouches from Hartley’s are perfect for packing on a picnic, or for any easy, low mess dessert for little one’s at a gathering (when they are allowed again!). £2.79 for a four pack, in a variety of flavours, all under 100 calories and made with real fruit juice. Find them in all major supermarket chains.
There needs to be more banana flavour snacks in the world, there really does. I loved these Yes! snack bars- dark chocolate, banana and pecan is a flavour match made in heaven and these are a great, healthier snack option for on the go. Subscribers will get one of two flavours in their box (the other being dark chocolate, sea-salt and almond). RRP £2.99 per three-pack from Asda or Morrisons.
My palette isn’t sophisticated enough for red-wine. I like my drinks sweet, and I’m not a wine fan in general. Bob however loves a glass of red so I handed over this Rioja Crianza from Beronia to him. He said this was super fruity and smooth and would 100% re-purchase. It costs £2.99 for a 18.75cl bottle or £11.79 for a 75cl bottle (more than we’d usually spend on a bottle of wine but good for a special occasion) and it’s available from Waitrose and Ocado- the smaller bottle is also available at Tesco. The Skinny Tonics were much more to my taste! The Indian tonic had a good citrus hit in it, whilst the Mediterranean was more herby. It’s good to see more variety in the skinny tonic world and these both impressed me. They cost 75p per can and are available from Booths, Amazon and online.
This Bull’s-Eye BBQ sauce is the one product we haven’t tried yet, we’re waiting until the weather is good enough to fire up the BBQ, ideally post lock-down when we can have family over to share the goods. It’s a good looking product though and we’ve rated the brand highly in the past. £2.49 per bottle from all major supermarket chains.
I’m a big energy drink fan- sometimes you just need that extra boost! XITE are a new brand to me and I loved them! I’m not sure what the difference in the flavours really was as they both tasted similar, and they are certainly very sweet (great for me!). They contain zero sugar, very few calories and are a healthier alternative to other energy drinks on the market. At £1.49 a can they are comparably priced to other leading brands and are available from Holland & Barrett and WHSmiths.
It’s salad season! Mostly I use ketchup as my dressing (I know, I know!) but occasionally I like to branch out with something more normal. I wasn’t a fan of the classic house dressing, I found it too heavy for me, but Bob loved it. I am a big fan of the fat free vinaigrette however and will certainly re-purchase- definitely more socially acceptable for my work lunches! Both are from Hellmann’s and cost £1.65 per bottle from all major supermarket chains.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought in the comments, it’s always great to get other people’s thoughts.
If you’re new to Degustabox, it’s a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money. On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.
If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim £3.00 off of your first box (making it just £9.99!) by entering the code XOQGC at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly 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.
