Family, food, travel, gin and a touch of hysteria…
Currently Browsing: REVIEWS
Posted by
English Mum |
Jan 30th, 2012
Review: Vax Voice consumer testing: the Vax Air Total Home cylinder cleaner
So as you’ll know if you read the last review, I’m part of the Vax Voice team. Basically I get to try out Vax products and give honest feedback about them. This time I let English Grandma have a go (I was going to tell her it was her Christmas present, but she’d already read about me being a Vax Voice reviewer – dammit).
Grandma got to try out the new Vax Air Total Home cylinder...
Posted by
English Mum |
Jan 19th, 2012
Review: hellofresh.co.uk
Did you watch the Sport Relief version of the Great British Bakeoff? I was actually quite struck by how, if you don’t cook much, it’s actually quite difficult to get your head around it (case in point: Arlene Phillips not knowing that you had to line a pastry-filled tart tin before pouring in the baking beans). The same goes for healthy eating, really – if you want to move away from chucking...
Posted by
English Mum |
Jan 12th, 2012
Review: Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes
This review did not start well.
When Hotter first contacted me and offered me a pair of boots to review, my initial reaction was ‘erm… aren’t they a bit, well, aren’t they for… erm… older people?’
I looked on the website and honestly didn’t see too many styles that I thought would suit me.
Anyhoo. I kept my opinions to myself (unlike me, to be honest, generally...
Posted by
English Mum |
Jan 5th, 2012
My first snapshot of the year: a KS Goddess Therapy facial with Katie Hill.
So my lovely friend, Jane (of Diary of a Desperate Exmoor Woman fame) has written a gazillion books (check out her page on Amazon for the full list) all about stuff like detoxing, Ayurveda, energy and loads of alternative therapies, amongst other things. She’s been helping me sort my head out recently, getting me in the right mindset to start the year fit and healthy (or at least working towards it)....
Posted by
English Mum |
Dec 17th, 2011
Dear Santa… a Christmas foodie review
Dear Santa
I’ve been trying a few bits and pieces over the last few weeks, and if it’s not too late, I’ve finished my list:
First, I’d like a bottle of No. 3 London Dry Gin from Berry Bros and Rudd. I do love a gin and this one is FANTASTIC! It’s a traditional gin with a real juniper flavour. If you can run to two bottles, so much the better…
And then I’d like...
Posted by
English Mum |
Dec 15th, 2011
My top ten gorgeous books for under the tree
I think cookbooks are sometimes overlooked as Christmas presents. Maybe it’s the ‘domestic’ element of it? I’m not sure. I remember when the brevren were small, English Dad bought me a breadmaker for Christmas. At the time I was devastated and offended and saw it as insulting that he’d bought me something so ‘homey’ and boring. I don’t know what was...
Posted by
English Mum |
Dec 4th, 2011
Review: grown up Disney! The beautiful Imagination Winter range
So straight on with the Christmas Countdown, then… this time I’ve got some gorgeous, and distinctly grown-up gifts from Disney. The Imagination Winter range is a scrummy set of products to scent your home. And, even though I’m the biggest Disney fan EVER, there’s not a Mickey in sight. The candles and spray contain festive cinnamon bark, nutmeg and clove and I love that...
Posted by
English Mum |
Nov 23rd, 2011
Win a Tassimo coffee machine!
We are, dearest reader, a household divided. Nothing new there, you might think – we’re already divided into the pasta haters vs pasta lovers (that’s us three against English Dad), the creamy sauce lovers vs the creamy sauce haters (yup, that’s us three against English Dad too)… hmmm, there seems to be a pattern emerging.
Anyway, we’re two for two on the tea/coffee...
Posted by
English Mum |
Nov 22nd, 2011
Roast figs with brown sugar and cinnamon, inspired by Diana Henry
I absolutely love Diana Henry. Her book ‘Food from Plenty’ is one of my absolute favourites, so I was delighted to be offered a copy of her ‘Roast Figs, Sugar Snow’.
This book is just gorgeous. It’s all about Autumn and Winter, and the ingredients: figs, pumpkins, maple syrup, chestnuts, cranberries, quinces, are so evocative of the seasons. It’s like a massive warm...
Posted by
English Mum |
Oct 31st, 2011
Review: Allegra McEvedy’s ‘Bought, Borrowed & Stolen’
There are some cookery books that I definitely class as bedside books. Some are just a plain old list of recipes, and that’s fine, I like those ones as well, but others tell amazing stories and warrant bedside-table space along with the handcream and glass of wine (everyone does that, right?).
Take Sophie Dahl’s beautiful Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights. It’s one of my favourite...
