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A Stylish Christmas table in under 10 minutes with Homesense

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Have you ever been into a Homesense store? It’s like a toy shop for adults. I have spent many hours oohing and ahhing and just generally drooling in there since my local store opened and I’ve found some real treasures. You can find everything from baking goods to home furnishings to toys and of course at the moment the most beautiful festive finds.

I generally spend most of my time in the candle, food or book aisles but we recent updated our bathroom with some gorgeous new bits and bobs too! I was even in the store on the day I was admitted to hospital with labour pains:

Me posing in one of the Homesense mirrors for a final bump shot..

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I heart candles!

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Me and Chloe on her first shopping trip at 2weeks old:

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The lovely people at Homesense have put together a really simple 10 tip guide to the perfect Christmas table in under 10 minutes. I’m definitely using some of these tip especially number 6!

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If you haven’t finished your shopping yet or just want to pretty up your dining table for the big day I recommend you head there ASAP – with 28 stores across the UK hopefully there will be one local to you but be prepared you may become hooked like me.

*This post was written in collaboration with Homesense

Save pounds this Christmas.. Poundland review

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I love to shop. Who doesn’t? I also love a bargain. I am the one who actively searches online for the cheapest products..the one grabbing all the yellow sticker products in the supermarket.

When Poundland offered to send me some vouchers to spend on Festive bits I was quite excited to see what I could get for my money and well here is what I got:

Foxes biscuit assortment X 2

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Disney cookie tins X 2

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Nordic print table runner

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Baileys Truffle Bar

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Maxwell House Lattes

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I also bought.. A diary as a stocking filler for my OH.
*Boxes of raisins for Izzys stocking
*Batteries for toys
*Pom bears – just because Izzy loves them!
*Cranberry sauce – for the turkey!
*Carton of custard – for making trifle
*Christmas colouring book & Stickers to keep Izzy busy.
*Crackers – for cheese
*A wooden Star with a holly decoration entwined for my window display.
* Tree decorations
* Nobbys sweet chilli nuts
* A toy construction vehicle for my car/truck loving daughter
* Toaster pockets – as a novelty stocking filler for my OH as he loves toasties!

All this for £20! Bargain.

If I hadn’t already purchased my Christmas decs I could easily have bought a lot more as they had some really cute pieces – also some gorgeous party items if you are having guests over the festive period.

I was really happy with the wide selection of festive goodies so I would recommend a trip to your local store for your last minute shopping needs. Can’t wish to dig into the Baileys choc!

* I was given a voucher to spend at my local store in exchange for an honest review.

Crafting at Christmas – Hobbycraft review

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When I was asked if I wanted to review some hobbycraft goodies it couldn’t have come at a better time. I was heavily pregnant when the items arrived and looking for fun activities to do with my toddler that didn’t require masses of energy.

We were sent a Make your own Felt Penguin decoration kit

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and A baby card making kit

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The Felt Penguin kit is really cute although perhaps not really suitable for Izzys age group haha. We had lots of fun with it but it didn’t really work for us but again the fun was in the attempt. Definitely be fun for children of about 4years and upwards maybe even make extras as gifts for grandparents.

The card making kit which contains 5 cards is something I am going to attempt by myself as I have lots of friends with babies due in the next few months but Izzy and her dad are going to make one for me and new baby Chloe this weekend so I will share a pic then of the finished product.

I’m also going to order this Owl doorstop as Izzy is currently obsessed with owls.

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There are lots more decoration crafty kits..something to suit everyone really. Click here to see the full range.

* I was sent these items for free in exchange for an honest review.

Hotel Chocolat Christmas Goody Bag

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Do you know when you taste something so good that you think all other similar items will be ruined for you? That was how I felt when I bit into a treacle tart from my Hotel Chocolate Christmas Goody bag…woweeeeee.

I’m quite fussy with Chocolates and often I prefer a good old double decker to any kind of posh choc but when I had an email from Hotel Chocolat last week the day after giving birth the offer of some lovely treats was too hard to resist and I’m so glad I said yes. I’ve never tried Hotel Chocolat products before but I think there is little question that I will again.

I was sent this:

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A Christmas Goody Bag

It contains:

Chocolate goodies specially selected for Christmas – bagged and bowed and ready for you to unwrap, including a 50% Cookie & Caramel Wreath, 6 Christmas Mess Chocolates, 6 Treacle Tart Chocolates and a trio of milk chocolate Santas.

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My favourite so far is the Treacle Tart..it was like biting into silky chocolate heaven. Everything else is pretty delicious too and this would be such a lovely gift for someone special or you know you could just order one for yourself 😉

I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing this chocolate.. My only problem now is how do I go back to the normal stuff?

* this item was received for free in exchange for a review.

Jamie Oliver Epic Hot Chocolate

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I first saw this recipe on one of Jamie Oliver’s Christmas cookery shows a few years ago. The Jamie Oliver Epic Hot Chocolate Mix. I decided to give it a whirl and was so impressed I swore to make it up into jars for gifts for friends and family. I didn’t end up doing it until last Christmas when I made small jars to place in my Christmas hampers and everyone loved it.

I’ve made this on the stovetop and it’s a thick gooey indulgent cross between a hot chocolate and a chocolate dip.

Anyway without further waffling ( Oh did I mention it is really good served with waffles? )  I promised to share the recipe so here we go:

Jamie Oliver Epic Hot Choc

You will need:

2 tablespoons Horlicks/malted milk powder
2 tablespoons cornflour
3 tablespoons icing sugar
4 tablespoons quality organic cocoa
100 g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely grated – Chill your chocolate first to make it easier to grate
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch sea salt

*Ingredients can be multiplied depending on how big your jars and how generous you feel.

Combine all ingredients and place into a small jar. Tie a piece of pretty ribbon around the rim and give to someone you love.

Here is the method to making the hot choc:

To make two pints, place 2 pints of semi skimmed (or full fat for ultimate indulgence) milk in a saucepan and bring almost to the boil before adding 10 tbsp of your mix, whisk in quickly and leave to bubble for a few min before serving. Your mixture should be thick and luxurious.

*Write the instructions on a small piece of brown card and attach to your jars.

You could serve with toasted marshmallows or waffles/churros to dip in 😀

jamie oliver epic hot chocolate

 

A Christmas Hamper Review

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Sometimes as a food blogger you get some pretty cool review opportunities. A few weeks ago I was offered a Christmas hamper to review … Um YES please.

So this showed up last week:

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It contains:

Cabernet Sauvignon Klippenkop Coastal Region South Africa 2012 37.5cl
Chenin Blanc Klippenkop Robertson South Africa 2012 37.5cl
The Original Cake Company 2″ Square Top Iced Christmas Cake
Matthew Walker Classic Christmas Pudding 100g
Just Chocolates Divine Chocolate Selection 65g
Crunch Craving Roasted & Salted Cashews 55g
Four Anjels Classic Shortbread Biscuits 100g

So far I may have munched my way through the shortbread – ”twas divine.

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I’ve crunched my way through the cashews and I reluctantly shared the chocolate selection with my other half. I’m saving the pud and Chrismas cake for the weekend and unfortunately the wine has to wait a few more weeks until baby 2 arrives.

Would make a nice present for the inlaws or a good friend 🙂

The hamper retails for £35.99 and I’d say that’s a pretty reasonable price. I’m quite frugal by nature so I am more likely to make a hamper normally than buy one but for convenience and to save all the hassle of wrapping it up etc this is ideal. I especially like the pretty basket – a lot of hampers these days seem to come in cardboard boxes which I think spoils the overall effect.

One big plus point for me was the information leaflet that came with it explaining how everything could be recycled.

You can order this hamper or look lust after lots of others by clicking here

* I was sent this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

Making a list..checking it twice.

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This may sound crazy to you.. it does even to me actually. I’ve pretty much completed my Christmas shopping. I am so disorganised normally that I generally still feel panicky on Christmas Eve but this year I knew that with a relatively small newborn ish baby at that time I needed to be prepared. Baby 2 is due on Nov 15th..so if I go overdue ( which currently seems VERY unlikely) she could be just a few weeks old on Christmas day.

So I began planning..and shopping a few months back. I have a LOT of people to buy for. Aside from my little family ( OH, Iz and new baby) I have a lot of siblings and their partners..12 nieces and nephews, my OH’s family and extended family and friends. Arrrrggh.

I decided to make things easier on myself.

For 8 of my nieces and nephews I have bought cinema vouchers. They take up a teeny amount of space in my Christmas chest and I know they can all go together one day and have a fun day out.

For the younger remaining ones I have small gifts which I’ve picked up on sale and the older one I have some cool smellies.

For inlaws and extended family I’ve stocked up at the local Bookers on booze and picked up special food items at Food festivals earlier in the year. I had every intention of making hampers again but I can’t see it happening.

Iz gets a lot of presents from extended family so I’m taking advantage of the fact that she is too young to nag for a big present and giving her lots of little things such a sticker books and fun crafty things to keep her occupied when I’m feeding baby 2. I also had lots of cool things from Britmums goodie bags which I’ve hoarded way. We do plan to buy her a bike/trike in the January sales.

Baby 2 has some snuggly toy items and that’s about it.

Friends and my older siblings will have wine/chocs and be grateful for it.

My younger siblings have some cool fat face stuff which I got on sale..agessss ago and the older ones have some fab cocktail mixes etc which I bought when reduced a while back.

My OH has yet to choose his gift so he will either have money or things I can buy online. Simple.

I’ve even started stocking up on Christmas snacks and chocs.. Unfortunately unlike the wine I can eat these now so the stock is depleting but Asda/Morrisons will always be around.

Have you done all your shopping?

Thrifty Homemade Christmas Gifts – Part 1

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Last year I made a lot of the gifts that I gave to friends and family. It saved me a fortune and everyone seemed to like them. This year the intention was to make all my gifts. It’s not going to happen. I would however like to share over the next few weeks things I made last year so you can try them out for your Christmas presents. Some of these ideas are mine, others I have blatantly stolen from Nigella, Jamie and co or from images I’ve spotted on Pinterest.

This week I want to tell you about flavoured sugars and shortbread.

First up Vanilla Sugar.

This is so easy peasy that you don’t really need an explanation but here it goes.

You will need large jars, golden caster sugar and vanilla pods.

The quantities you use don’t matter, you want to layer caster sugar and vanilla pods cut in half in large jars. Seal for a minimum of a month or for up to a year. If you are gifting these try using pretty jars such as Kilner jars, making your own labels and tying with pretty festive ribbon.

As well as for gifts you should have a jar of this at home in your store cupboard at all times, use it in place of standard caster sugar in all recipes for extra flavour, as you use it simply top up with more sugar and pods.

I buy my vanilla pods from food sellers on eBay as far cheaper and in bulk.

This idea is from the Nigella Christmas book. Which is awesome by the way.

You will use the vanilla sugar in my next gift idea:

Superb Simple Shortbread

You will need:

125g Plain Flour
90g salted butter
40g Vanilla sugar plus extra for dusting

Blend your flour and sugar together before rubbing in your butter until completely combined and forming a dough. Roll into a rectangular piece of dough and cut into 8 lengths. Using a fork prick them several times and bake in a preheated oven on a greased tray for 20-25 minutes. Immediately on removing from the oven sprinkle with vanilla sugar and leave to cool on a a wire rack.

Most recipes ask for unsalted butter but I like the salty/sweet shortbread taste you get when using salted butter.

Gift in a pretty box. These are best made the night before giving as a gift. These quantities are the perfect amount for a gift for one person/or couple.

I made these today with my (almost) 2 year old and we had lots of fun making and eating them!

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Coming up next week:

Jamie’s epic hot chocolate and peppermint creams.

Cooking at Christmas time

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Has Christmas Day really come and gone already? It seems like we prepare for an absolute age and then it’s gone in a flash! I hope all your wishes came true and your dinners were delicious.

I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family so I didn’t get a chance to cook which I missed! Yesterday I just relaxed and spent time playing with Izzy or watching tv with my OH but today I really wanted to get back in the kitchen. I was spoilt this year, spoilt by the wonderful time I got to spend with my family and the fabulous food I had to eat and once again spoilt with perfect presents from my OH and Izzy.

I won’t list all my presents but I will tell you that I will be experimenting with new recipes, cooking methods and playing with kitchen gadgets for quite some time!

Some of my books:

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Already bookmarked around 30 MUST TRY recipes.

I was also lucky enough …after numerous hints to get a new waffle maker so it would have been rude to not try that out. It’s very different to my old waffle maker (my mums) so my first attempt looked like this:

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I blame the waffle maker instructions. It said use 1 tablespoon of mixture .. Clearly not enough so I doubled it for attempt 2 which was a major improvement :

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Both tasted delicious. For those interested the recipe I use for waffles is here and I often add extra ingredients such as vanilla or cinnamon… Or even chocolate chips.

Waffle making was not enough I needed to make something delicious for dinner so I tried a recipe which I have heard fave reviews about. Ham in coca cola. Sounds weird, tastes dreamy.
I used Nigellas recipe which you can find here I made a few small adjustments. Instead of using molasses followed by mustard powder and sugar I simply rubbed in a tablespoon of English mustard after I had placed my cloves in the scored fat and then followed by rubbing in 2 tablespoons of molasses. Worked well for me and the end result was so good I was amazed.

Here are some pics :

Bubbling hot hot hot

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Just ready to go in the oven

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Begging to be eaten but best leave it cool…

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Worth waiting for

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And one more just because it looked so pretty

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If you have a ham lurking in your fridge you must try this, if not then well there are lots of hams in the shops at the moment. Buy one, try this. You will not be disappointed.

My kitchen addiction only seems to be growing so expect more and more recipes very soon.

I am aiming for healthier recipes in January. Until then enjoy.

P.S thanks for the feedback from you lovely people who tried my sprout recipe on Christmas Day. So glad you loved it too!

Merry Christmas

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A very quick thank you to all you have followed, commented, liked or read my blog this year. My blog is only 6 months old but I have thoroughly enjoyed writing it and I really hope you have enjoyed reading.

Merry Christmas to you all, I hope you get everything you wish for!

Xxx