Valentine’s Chocolates by Hotel Chocolat
What do you do to spoil your other half on St Valentine’s Day? Flowers? Just a card? Nothing? Well that’s ok… we each have our own ways of doing things on what is supposed to be the most loved up day of the year don’t we?
Whatever you think of the day itself, the tradition seems to be that a man should buy their lady at least a box of chocolates. As you might expect, Hotel Chocolat have brought out a range of chocolate gifts to help you spoil your loved one on 14th February. And they very kindly sent me a box of The Sleekster Love Collection to try on your behalf.
This box of chocolates is full of individual bite sized filled chocolate cases in the shape of hearts, lips and spheres – very pretty mix of decorated dark, milk and white chocolate. Inside the cases you find champagne and cherry, blackcurrant and strawberry, caramel, chilli, and many others. You won’t find any bitter coffee in this box, just gorgeous soft centres that melt in the mouth, something for everyone.
I love the look of this box of chocolates – what a lovely use of colour, it really does invite you in. There are two of each of the chocolates so you and your other half can share properly (I know how difficult it is to share a box of chocolates!). I really enjoyed taking photos of the chocolates because they looked quite beautiful.
My husband did comment that he found the chocolate cases a little brittle so if you chose to bite into one (rather than shoving the whole thing in your mouth at once) it might split up and make a mess. Oh well!! But the taste, well we couldn’t fault them. Some were nicer than others, obviously, because different people like different centres. I liked the really fruity ones the best, where Hotel Chocolat had used blackcurrent or cherry or something like that, those ones were really fresh and had a real zing. We had friends over and they “helped us out” with them and they agreed that these tasted good.
I’m not sure these chocolates have persuaded my husband and I to actually mark St Valentine’s Day this year, but they are some of the nicest chocolates of this type I’ve eaten for a very long time and I will be looking to Hotel Chocolat whenever the need for a box of chocolate loveliness arises.
This box costs £22 and for that you get 26 bite sized chocolates. You can find a full range of Valentine’s Day Gifts on the Hotel Chocolat website.
Sarenza Shoe Addict: Chuck Taylor All Star
Not just one but several people sent me the link to this Sarenza blog post this week…
Sarenza, “Your Ultimate Shoe Closet”, are looking for a new Ambassador to receive and review shoes from their site each month. Application is via a blog post about a pair of shoes currently in their online shop, and so this is my entry. I mean, I couldn’t resist could I? I am a shoe addict. It’s a good job I don’t have much spare cash because if I did I would have shoes and boots and trainers coming out of my ears. Some might say I already do, but I really don’t… honest!
After extensive browsing (which, lets face it, I do regularly), I’ve actually gone for something that won’t surprise any of you. A pair of Converse low tops. I’ve written about them enough on Splodz Blogz for you to be able to predict that!
These are the Chuck Taylor All Star European Leather Ox in Brown. And I love them. I need them.
Converse low tops are seriously comfortable. My current grey canvas pair fit just perfectly and are very well worn. I’m desperate for another pair. And in this year of getting outdoors I can think of nothing better than choosing a pair of pumps that I can wear all year round with a massive variety of outfits, in all weathers. These are a casual supple flat shoe, the leather makes them more weather proof than the canvas ones, and the All Star style goes with jeans, trousers, skirts, dresses, everything.
I mean, when I go away for a week on the motorbike I have room to pack just one pair of shoes. Yes – just one. And they have to be petite - not bulky – and not ruin if squished at the bottom of my panniers. These would be just perfect for that job. I’ve no need to be overly smart, but I still want something that is stylish and won’t look out of place. It’s a bit like if you were back packing and had very limited space but needed something for stomping around town and walking coastal paths. Or if you were going on a holiday somewhere hot with just hand luggage (stupid check in baggage prices) and need something in addition to those flip flops for checking out the local castle or relaxing in the pub in the evening.
But these aren’t just suitable for sticking at the bottom of your bag for when your feet aren’t in biking or hiking boots. They are perfect with jeans for every day, with shorts on holiday, with little dresses on summer days. Fabulous all round style and comfort.
So even though I had free rein and could choose any pair of shoes from the Sarenza shop for this post, I chose Converse. Why didn’t I pick some amazing high fashion sky scraper heels or over the top party shoes? Or some stunning knee high boots or even a decent pair of trainers for the gym? Well because when you’re like me you have to pick shoes that you will wear over and over again to warrant an £85 price tag.
If I was lucky enough to become a Sarenza Ambassador then I wouldn’t play it safe every month, of course, but be reassured that the shoes I pick will be me all over.
Sarenza offer free delivery on everything (and free returns, just in case things don’t fit) and have shoes for the whole family on their site. Have a look, and if I’m lucky enough to be chosen for this Ambassador role, come back here for more reviews in the future.
My KitKat Chunky Champion Vote Goes To…
Lots of food posts at the moment (and there’s more to come soon too)… sorry about that!
Have you seen what KitKat are doing over on their facebook page?
They have brought out four special flavours of KitKat Chunky and are asking us to decide which one stays.
The race to be crowned the Kit Kat Chunky Champion is on and you get to decide the winner! Every time you vote for your favourite you’ll be entered into a daily draw for a chance to win £100 (€120). You can vote up to 4 times a day, so which flavour will you choose?
I got one of each of the four KitKat Chunky bars to try (I won them from the facebook page) and thought I’d share my verdict… in reverse order:
4th) Double Chocolate
A traditional chocolate KitKat Chunky but with a soft chocolate section running through the top. Nice but a little dull. My least favourite of the selection.
3rd) White Chocolate
Just a massive KitKat with white chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Really tasty – a little like Milky Bar chocolate which I love – and I was expecting this to win for me. But it’s down in third because the two above are just so yummy. I think White Chocolate KitKat Chunky should be a regular product anyway.
2nd) Orange
The taste of orange going through this KitKat Chunky is just yummy. Chocolate and orange is a match made in heaven. It took me a long time to decide this was my second choice, it was very close.
1st) Peanut Butter
The winner for me. Like the double chocolate one there is a soft section running through (like in a KitKat Chunky Caramel) – this time it’s salty peanut butter. So good. Is reminiscent of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but with a crunch of wafer. Definitely gets my vote.
Whilst I vote for the Peanut Butter one I also love the White Chocolate and Orange ones too… I reckon they should bring out those three and get rid of the Double Chocolate.
Which one would you like to see on the shelves permanently?
Walkers Crisps: What’s That Flavour?
Earlier in the week I blogged about some new Walkers crisps.
Well it turns out all isn’t going to be revealed after all… you’re all gonna have to join in.
Look what arrived:
Mystery Flavour A is the “Dairy”, B is the “Meaty” and C is the “Spicy”. Have a taste (packs now widely available) and say what you think each one is on the Walkers Crisps website.
Baking Mad’s Healthy Baking Challenge
Lots of people I know bake. I don’t. Mainly because I really don’t have the time for yet another hobby, but also because I’m really never sure where to start. Now flapjacks and biscuits I can do, but not cakes.
So why did I sign up for Baking Mad’s Healthy Baking Challenge then? Because I can’t resist a challenge of course! I chose to try the Low Calorie Fruity Butterfly Cakes… the idea is that you can still enjoy your favourite sweet treats but don’t have to fill your body with pointless calories. Baking Mad sent me the sugar and flour I needed, oh and the recipe:
Recipe
- 55g low fat spread
- 55g Half Spoon Granulated Sugar
- 1 egg
- 85g Self Raising Flour (I used Allinson Nature Friendly)
- 2 tbsp unsweetened apple puree (home made, see below)
- Creme Fraiche
- Raspberries
- For the apple puree: Peel, core and thinly slice 500g eating apples (I used Braeburn) and place the slices in a saucepan. Toss with lemon juice to avoid browning. Add about 50ml apple juice or water and place the pan over a medium heat. Bring slowly to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the apples are reduced to a pulp. (Use leftover apple puree in yoghurt or on breakfast cereal.)
- For the cakes: Sit 6 paper cases into a muffin tin. Preheat the oven to 180 C (fan oven 160 C, 350 F, gas mark 4)
- Beat together the low fat spread and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until combined. Fold in the flour and apple puree.
- Spoon the batter into the cases and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
- When cooled, use a sharp knife to slice off the top part of each cake. Fill the hole in the cake with the creme fraiche and raspberries, cut the sliced off cake in two, and arrange in the cream.
My Experience
As a non baker I was really careful I measured the ingredients and followed the recipe to the letter. The recipe (thankfully) was easy to follow and understand. I also had twitter to hand though, and I did check if it was fairy cake of muffin cases I should be using – fairy cake cases was the answer. I also checked with a friend how I knew if they were cooked – going golden brown on top and spring back when touched.
The whole point of doing this baking was to test the idea of low calorie cakes. There are a few things that make these butterfly cakes better for you than traditional ones. The main reason is using Half Spoon granulated sugar instead of normal sugar. Half Spoon is made by Silver Spoon – it is granulated sugar with a touch of sweetener; it’s twice as sweet so you only need half as much as regular sugar. Half Spoon is great for low calorie baking as you can still get the taste and texture that regular sugar brings, but with fewer calories. Bonus.
The “fruity” bit of these cakes comes from adding apple purée to the cake batter and topping the cakes with raspberries. The apple purée is home made and something you can also use in other baking and on breakfasts, as a desert topping or even on pork chops – it couldn’t have been simpler to make and will keep in the fridge a few days. The addition of fruit to a butterfly cake was an excellent idea, although there wasn’t so much it was the only taste.
The taste test, which let’s face it is the most important bit of baking, went well. I thought so anyway. In reality the reviews amongst those who tried these were mixed. I knew what was in the cakes and what I should expect, and really enjoyed them. The little cakes had a slight apple flavour which was nice, and the crème fraiche was fresh and added some nice moisture to the top. Others, who didn’t know the reasons behind the bake, found the cake was a little more dense than a traditional butterfly cake – due to the addition of the apple purée no doubt. And I’m sorry to say the topping just wasn’t sweet enough for some – the raspberries gave a nice sharp fruitiness, but it wasn’t the same as butter cream. I do agree with the butter cream comment – the creme fraiche just isn’t the same – but I was quite happy with my “slightly healthier” butterfly cakes.
Next time I would be tempted to use the same cake batter (with the apple purée in, I felt it added a nice flavour to the cake), but would be tempted to make a butter cream for the top – I could probably use the Half Spoon sugar to make that slightly better than normal.
Go on, give these a go, and have a look at Baking Mad for more low calorie recipe ideas using Half Spoon sugar and fruit.
I’d Make an Awesome Blue Peter Presenter
Have you seen the amazing achievement by Helen Skelton getting to the South Pole entirely under her own steam, carrying everything she needed herself? It’s the coldest and windiest place on earth (temperatures down to -50 degrees celcius), and she walked, kite skied and even cycled parts of the 500 mile route. What a fantastic thing to have done.
Helen is one of the current Blue Peter presenters… her day job is being on kids telly. But Blue Peter isn’t just any kids TV programme is it? The presenters have to be up for pretty much anything, not just presenting live television, but also testing themselves with challenges, feats of physical endurance, and working with both children and animals.
Ever since I was tiny my “what I want to be when I grow up” dream has been to be a Blue Peter presenter. I know, come on Zoe, you’re 31 now, that dream has long passed by. Er no it hasn’t – I still wanna be a Blue Peter presenter!
I was chatting to @RubellesMoon (her blog) over on Twitter earlier and it appears I’m not the only one. She made me remember my dream (hers is the same), and informed me that one of the current presenters is in fact 31 years old. Woohoo I’m not too old!
I mean, Blue Peter presenters get to go on trips, learning about the culture and taking part in sports and activities from extreme sports to school lessons in foreign countries. They get to meet and interview loads of interesting people – genuine heroes and celebrities. They do loads of work for charity and get to encourage kids to be creative. They get to learn new skills and achieve amazing things, and take part in World Record attempts like hula hooping and mattress dominoes! And the fact is quite simple. I want a go!
Don’t you think I could do that? I’d love to have a pile of Guinness World Records to my name. I could prance about the place trying new things, cover things in sticky back plastic, make an advent wreath out of wire coat hangers, even sit on a sofa and tell a serious story if I was asked to. I even baked butterfly cakes on Friday!
So where/when do I audition?
In the mean time (before I take up my position as the next Blue Peter presenter…), I’ll continue to set myself challenges and try new things for my own enjoyment. Ah well!
Update: Look… Blue Peter have a four week work placement opportunity in April!
Heat Holders
I’m sat here catching up on Masterchef with these blue socks on my feet. They are cosy and fluffy and definitely warm.
Heat Holders sent me a pair of their 2.3 tog socks to try out. I’m not sure I’ve ever worn socks with a tog rating before, but I like the idea of a sock that is rated in the same way as a duvet!
Tagged as “the ultimate thermal sock”, it is the extra heavy bulky yarn, long pile cushioning and intense brushing process which all add comfort and warmth. Tog ratings are used to measure the potential warmth of a product; the higher the rating, the warmer the product should be. A high tog rating is achieved by holding as much warm air in the fabric as possible, which is by Heat Holders are brushed on the inside – not just for a fluffy comfy cosy sock but also for a very warm sock.
To put it in context, the 2.3 tog rating compares to the apparent 0.4 tog of an average cotton sock. Much warmer and much more suited to the winter months.
So how do they feel? Well I’ve already alluded to the fact that they are cost and fluffy and warm. Not a “pretty” sock in that they are thick and add bulk to the foot and ankle, but that’s not what these are about. They are definitely comfortable and that is obvious from the second you pull them on, and that brushed pile on the inside is so lovely on my soles.
I have worn these socks a lot since they arrived. Apart from just slobbing in them in front of the telly, I’ve had them on with shoes and boots to go for walks. With all footwear I found I needed to loosen the laces (quite considerably on trainers) because of the thickness of the socks, and I’d be wary of wearing these with certain pairs of shoes as I wouldn’t want to stretch them. But with walking shoes and walking boots, both of which I wear with thick socks (or two pairs) anyway, there was no problem. When I took them off I was expecting a mass of blue fluff all over my feet, but while I did have a bit of fluff between my toes it was nowhere near as much as I was expecting, and a lot less the second wear. I guess you get toe fluff with every new pair of socks, and I don’t think there was any more than I normally find. Fluff aside, these socks absolutely kept my feet warm. Happy feet!
They are thick socks – definitely casual wear to pair with boots or shoes for a walk, although I was more than happy wandering around my house in these – I reckon they are warmer than my slippers.
Heat Holders are available from The Sock Shop priced at £6 a pair. They are available in a variety of colours. There is also a long version of the sock, and a wellington boot version, both of which I think I need.
