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Rachel’s

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On Tuesday, I handed in my final year project report and today, the poster and website to go with it! After months of work it feels weird that it’s all done (and scary, it’s worth quite a lot of my degree!). You’d think I’d be out celebrating but no, I’ve got more coursework due in tomorrow!  I’ve literally had no time recently to buy/use/review anything exciting but a few weeks ago I was sent a load of products from Rachel’s to try out, so even if I didn’t have time to shop, I did have time to eat!
There was way too much for me to eat on my own so the girls I live with helped me out and we’re all in agreement, we love Rachel’s! I’m not going to review each product separately as there’s only so much you can say about yogurt but we were really surprised by lots of the flavours. I wasn’t at all sure about the coconut yogurts but they actually have a perfect balance of coconut and fruit so are really tasty. The breakfast yogurts are good for mornings when you are in a rush and they are also quite filling because of the granola.

The big tubs are a good size for sharing but seeing as we had so much, and I had a cake craving, I decided to attempt to make yogurt cupcakes. They turned out quite well but I haven’t got any photos because I didn’t ice them (no time!) so they didn’t look like anything special. I used the Apple and Elderflower yogurt which gave the cakes a sweet, delicate flavour. I reckon they are also much better for you than normal cake as there is hardly any butter and the yogurt is low fat. You could use any of the yogurt flavours (I might try some blackcurrant ones with the leftover blackcurrant yogurt next, I love the colour!) and some of them are fat free so would be even healthier! Here’s the recipe in case you want to try them….
Ingredients

  • 250g self raising flour
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 225ml Rachel’s Apple and Elderflower Yoghurt
  • 50 g butter
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Mix the butter and sugar to a breadcrumb consistency. Beat in the yogurt. Then fold in the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Split into cupcake cases and bake for around 15 minutes. (I ended up with loads of cakes – 11 normal sized ones and about 12 mini ones).


Out of all the products I was sent, my favourite would have to be the rice puddings. They are the nicest, creamiest, non homemade rice puddings I’ve ever had in the world!

Rachel’s products are all made using locally sourced organic ingredients and are available in supermarkets throughout the country.

Blend Collective Unwinding Candle

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I think this might just be one of the nicest smelling candles I’ve ever owned!  It is from the Unwinding range by Blend Collective and is a mixture of sandalwood, frankincense, cedarwood and neroli.

The scent is quite strong which is good as I like to be able to actually smell my scented candles.  The candle has an estimated burn time of 30 hours, is made from 100% pure essential oils and no petroleum, paraffin wax or synthetic fragrances.  The candle costs £25 and is available online.  It is quite expensive but is definitely worth it for a little bit of luxury!

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

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In case you didn’t know, Mother’s Day is on the 18th of March this year!  I’ve put together a few ideas for you……

1. Paperblanks sell a range of gorgeous notebooks which are way prettier than your average Staples notepad!  This flowery design costs £10.99 and, I think, would make a wonderful gift.

2. I’ve stumbled across some really lovely National Trust beauty products.  The packaging is smart and the scents are unique – I love Countryside: Cowslip & Meadowsweet and Coast: Rock, Samphire and Driftwood which have nice fresh, not overpowering smells and remind me of summer!  I’m very surprised at how good the products I’ve tried are and I think they’d make a great Mother’s Day gift.

Coast Hand & Body Wash, £7.50

Countryside Hand & Body Lotion, 9.50

3. Blue Nun sparkling wine with pieces of 22-caret gold leaf!  At £9.59 a bottle I think this would make a really fun gift!

4. St Ives products are always brilliant and this Apricot Invigorating Scrub is no different! £5.10

5. Aromatherapy Associates have lots of luxurious products.  I’m in love with this mini set of bath oils, but be warned, it’s not cheap at £28.50.  (Worth it though!)

6. Love Hearts, £1.39 – A quirky little gift!

7. You’ll always be able to find something in Thorntons!  TheseI Love Mum Cups, £2.50 are cute and I love the idea of getting a bouquet of flowers at the same time as a box of chocolates!

Valentine’s Day Yumminess!

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We don’t usually do much for Valentine’s Day other than cook a nice meal – the past few years that hasn’t even been on Valentine’s Day itself what with us being in uni in different places!  Here are a few things I’ve found which would be perfect for Valentine’s Day……

1. Guylian chocolates – how can you not love these!

2. Fudges hampers.  There are a few different sizes with different things inside.  I’ve tried some of the crackers and biscuits before and they are really good so I think these would be a great idea for foodies.

3. The Mercers Chocolate Sauce & Salted Caramel Sauce.  These taste amazing and are just £2 each!

4. Firefly Love Potion – makes a change from the usual Valentine’s Day champagne!  This tastes nice on its own but can also be mixed for cocktails.

5. Olives et Al’s Chilli Harissa.  This is nice and garlicky and tastes really good with lamb.

6. Jamie Oliver’s chocolate bars.  I like the packaging and they’re fair trade as well.

Munio Candela Relaxation

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When I noticed that MyPure sold candles I just had to try one.  The Munio Candela candles are soy fragranced with 100% essential oils.  I went for the Relaxation candle which is poured in a paint pot.  Soy candles are don’t produce the soot that normal candles give off so are much better for you and they also burn for 50% longer.

When I ordered the candle, I was expecting it to have maybe a lavender scent but when it arrived, to be honest, I was slightly put off by the smell (don’t ask me what it smells of – I can’t work it out!).  I was also surprised by the wick which is oddly shaped and made from wood.

Even though I wasn’t overly keen on the smell, I wasn’t about to waste £23 worth of candle, so I lit it anyway.  I seriously can’t work out what it smells like but it seems to smell entirely different once it’s lit!  I really love this candle and I think it’s worth spending a bit more on soy candles.  This one looks really unique as well and should burn for around 50 hours.

Yumi Dresses

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A few days ago I ordered two dresses from a website called Yumi Direct.  I’d never heard of them before but as both dresses were reduced to just £10, I couldn’t resist ordering!  Since I was offered a graduate job a few weeks ago, I have been on the lookout for some suitable work clothes and I thought this dress would be perfect.  I actually wore it out for a meal with Nick last night but I think it will still work when I’m in an office if I wear it with plain tights and a smart jacket.

(Sorry about the fuzzy photo – I got Nick to take it and he was starving so didn’t really do a great job as he was in such a rush to leave the house!)  I was surprised by the texture of the dress when it arrived as it looked completely plain in the online photo but I actually quite like it.

The second dress I ordered didn’t fit but the website do free returns so it was easy enough to send it back.  I can’t seem to find the dresses I ordered online any more but they were in the sale so I guess they sold out.  I’m definitely going to look at Yumi every now and again for more clothes!

House of Marley Headphones

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My last pair of headphones died a few weeks ago so I’ve been looking for a new pair since then.  I’ve finally found some and I’m very happy with them!  I’ve gone for a pair of noise isolating ones from the Marley Jammin’ Collection called People Get Ready.

I love how colourful they are and that they are eco-friendly.  They are made from recyclable aluminium, recycled plastic and wood.  They come with three different sized ear cushions as well which I think is a really good idea as sometimes I find headphones quite sore – I must have small ears!

You also get a little carry case with the headphones which I’m not sure I’ll actually use but might be handy for some people.  Obviously, it’s not just what they look like that is important, but don’t worry; the sound quality is brilliant as well!

These headphones cost £29.99 and you can buy them from Amazon.  I actually found these while I was looking for Valentine’s Day gift ideas which are different to the usual heart shaped chocolates.  They have lots of different colours to choose from and a range of prices so might  be worth thinking about!

Sainsbury’s Pots & Pans – Le Creuset Style

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This might seem like a slightly odd post but I wanted to tell you about the new casserole dish and griddle pan I had for Christmas!  I enjoy cooking and ever since John Lewis opened in Cardiff a few years ago I’ve wanted one of the cast iron Le Creuset casserole dishes which come in some lovely colours.  They are really expensive though, with the smallest size £85.  Even in the Amazon sale they are still super expensive!

For Christmas, my mum got me a similar casserole dish from Sainsbury’s.  It is cast iron, a gorgeous teal colour and the only physical difference from the Le Creuset one is the lid.  The main difference between the two pots is the price.  My 3 litre pot cost £30!  So as long as you don’t care about having the brand name on the lid of your pot, you really may as well buy the Sainsbury’s version.  The range of colours isn’t quite as big but there is a big enough range to suit most kitchens.

My nan got me a matching Sainsbury’s griddle pan (also cast iron) which cost £20 instead of the £69 Le Creuset charge.  Both of the pans come with a 10 year guarantee as well!

Has anyone else got the pans from Sainsbury’s?  What do you think of them?

Celtic Sheepskin

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Celtic Sheepskin have some really lovely wintery clothes, shoes and accessories but you need to be quick to order in time for Christmas.  As long as your order is placed by 2pm today you’ll be guaranteed delivery for Christmas.

1. Classic Sheepskin Boots, £140

2. Longline Cable Tunic, £120

3. Verbier Hat, £98

4. Jacquard Wristwarmers, £23

5. Donegal Crew Neck Jumper, £70

6. Baby Booties, £15

As you can see, the stuff sold by Celtic Sheepskin is quite expensive but it’s good quality and sheepskin is very warm and cosy!

TreatHer or TreatHim

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Here are two websites with lots of Christmas ideas!

TreatHer, as you would probably expect from the name, has gifts for women and TreatHim has gifts for men.  There are so many different sorts of gift it’s hard to know where to start!  You can get chocolates, jewellery, experiences, beauty products, Christmas hampers and more.  There is also a massive range of prices from £5 going all the way up to nearly £700.  You might think that with so much stuff for sale it would be hard to find anything but the websites are actually really well laid out and you are able to search by occasion, recipient and price to name a few.  This helps you quickly narrow down your search.  Both websites follow the same format so once you’ve found your way around one you’ll be able to use the other in exactly the same way.

1. Cinderella Chocolate Stiletto, £9.99

2. True Love Heart Necklace, £37.99

3. Scottie Dog Hot Water Bottle Cover, £12.99

4. Vera Wang Love and Devotion Hamper, £239.99!

5. Mensa Pack – Genius Test, £11.99

6. Born to Gold, Forced to Work Coaster, £7.95

7. Union Jack Frying Pan, £9.99

I actually think that you could probably get something for almost everyone you know just from these two sites so it’s well worth a look.  There is also free delivery at the moment on orders over £40.

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