Archive for month: November, 2019

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The big Christmas gift guide

The great big Christmas gift guide

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It’s that time again! I absolutely love creating this gift guide (this is my tenth year!) and every year I try and find something for everyone, although as my own kids get older, I naturally seem to do less kid stuff, sorry about that. I’ve tried hard to find gifts for every type of person that you might possibly have to buy for, or, y’know, to add to your own Christmas wishlist. You’ll notice from that I’ve applied my usual philosophy, which is that useful presents that can be used/eaten/drunk are so much better than ornaments or things that might not be to the recipient’s taste. I’ve also tried to include lots of sustainable pressies. So here <insert fanfare> is the great big Christmas gift guide. Enjoy!

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What are the different staterooms like on AmaMagna

What are the different staterooms like on AmaMagna?

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Last time, I told you all about our gorgeous Christmas markets Danube cruise on board AmaWaterways’ revolutionary, double-width AmaMagna river ship. I thought I’d take the time to write a separate post about all the different AmaMagna stateroom categories, as there’s so much to tell you and I was conscious that the post was getting very long! So what are the different staterooms like on AmaMagna? Well, because there’s so much space, most of the staterooms (apart from a handful on deck 1) are suite class cabins. We explored the different stateroom categories so you can have a good look at all of them.

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A guided tour of AmaMagna in pictures

A guided tour of AmaMagna in pictures

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If you follow me on any of my social channels, you’ll know that I was away last week on the most beautiful river ship I think I’ve ever seen. You know I love a river cruise, and AmaWaterways’ new AmaMagna is spectacular - she’s a double-width river ship, but without double the passengers. I loved the feeling of space this creates, as well as the luxurious boutique hotel feel on board. So what’s it like to take a cruise on this delightful - and rather extraordinary - new river vessel? I thought the best way to show you around would be to create a guided tour of AmaMagna in pictures, to really give you a feel for this clever, and truly luxurious new ship Read more

My top tips for creating a teenager's dream bedroom

My top tips for creating a teenager’s dream bedroom

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There comes a time when your kids are all grown up and it’s officially time to upgrade their bedrooms and swap the dinosaur wallpaper for something a little more suitable. Renovating a bedroom can be a bit of a struggle - especially if your teenager’s tastes are a little different to yours - but I’ve got some top tips for creating a teenager’s dream bedroom that won’t cost you a fortune and will keep everyone happy.

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A Christmas baking roundup

Weekend wishlist: the Christmas baking roundup

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Seeing as tomorrow is Stir-up Sunday, and you know how much I love a bit of bakeware, I couldn’t resist doing a little Christmas baking roundup - there are so many incredibly lovely bits and pieces of cookware around at this time of year, plus if someone you love is keen on cooking and baking, they make the best pressies too.

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Dark chocolate and cherry Christmas pudding

Dark chocolate and cherry Christmas pudding

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Morning all! If you’re a regular, you’ll know this weekend coming is one of my favourites of the year because it’s Stir-up Sunday! For me, it’s a weekend full of all the things I absolutely love: I’m never happier than when I’m pottering in the kitchen, but add in the fact that this recipe fills the whole house full of gorgeous, Christmassy orange and spice scents and it’s an absolute winner. If you fancy making your own Christmas puddings this year, I’ve added the ingredients list nice and early so you can make sure you have everything ready. Do remember that this is a two-step recipe as I steeping the fruit overnight – you could just start really early on Sunday but remember that steaming the pudding takes about five hours. This year, I’m embracing two of my absolute favourite flavours with a dark chocolate and cherry Christmas pudding. It’s not overwhelmingly chocolatey, but the chocolate just adds an extra depth and bittersweet flavour, and the cherries add a pop of colour and sweetness too.

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The perfect Christmas cocktail

I think we’ve discovered the perfect Christmas cocktail!

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Last week we were invited down to one of my very favourite places, the gorgeous Copper House Bar in Berkhamsted, for a cocktail making class with Belvedere Vodka. If, like me, you don’t really think you like cocktails, you might have been surprised to hear our host, Belvedere Ambassador and cocktail expert, Mark Tracey, tell us all about how cocktails have evolved. Mark mentioned that mixed drinks are now much more nuanced than they used to be, with less sugar and better ingredients like Belvedere vodka, not the neutral spirit that we normally think of, but with a more complex flavour that stands up to being mixed. We had such a fun night - I felt like I learned a lot, and it’s definitely made me want to try cocktails again, plus we inadvertently discovered the perfect Christmas cocktail!

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Weekend wishlist hygge for the home

Weekend wishlist: hygge for the home

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Yay! It’s the weekend! It might be an unpopular opinion but I love chilly weather, dark evenings and swirling leaves, because it means snuggling in with a sleepy whippet, piles of soft blankets, scented candles, and maybe even a glass of something lovely. For this weekend’s wishlist, I thought I’d do a little roundup of all things hygge for your home, because let’s face it, who needs an excuse to snuggle?!

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Great places to visit in London: Samsung KX

Great places to visit in London: Samsung KX

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Have you been to Kings Cross recently? A friend of mine said recently that she nearly bought a flat there years ago, and - many years later - is seriously regretting her decision not to, as it’s now utterly gorgeous there. Walk down the side of Kings Cross St Pancras station and there’s a whole new area of lovely shops, restaurants, cafés, bars and lovely places to sit and watch the world go by. Go a little further and you’ll find Coal Drops Yard - a brand new trendy shopping district where old Victorian brick viaducts have been redeveloped into even more lovely places to shop, dine and hang out (there’s even a gorgeous Tom Dixon showroom - you know how I love a bit of Tom). And now, there’s a dramatic new addition to Coal Drops Yard in the form of a multi-tasking leisure space created by Samsung. And if you’re looking to great places to visit in London - Samsung KX should definitely be on your list.

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shopDisney's Toy Tuesday is here!

Weekday wishlist: shopDisney’s Toy Tuesday is here!

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Okay, so I know it’s a little early to start talking about Christmas, but y’know, it’s coming up quite fast, and I’m determined to plan ahead and not be a last-minute Laura this year. You’ll be very pleased to know that I have news of a fabulous event, and I’ve published this super early to give you as much chance as possible to shop because shopDisney’s Toy Tuesday is here! (and actually - it lasts until Wednesday, but don’t tell everyone) and there’s 24% off toys, fancy dress and more, (online only) so it’s the perfect time to stock up on all your Disney favourites on the run-up to the festive season. I thought I’d pick some of my favourite pieces to give you some inspo - let’s call it a weekday wishlist, shall we?!

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The new Wallis winter collection

Stars and sparkles: the new Wallis winter collection

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This week, I was lucky enough to be invited to my fave shopping centre, intu Milton Keynes, to visit the Wallis concession in the fabulous Debenhams store there. The fab event was to celebrate the brand new Wallis winter collection, which is a stunning range with plenty of snuggly faux fur, soft knitwear, and of course some stars and sparkles especially for the party season! For this weekend’s wishlist, I thought I’d take you through some of my favourite pieces, and give you a heads up that there’s up to 30% off the entire range this weekend.

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What do recycling symbols actually mean

What can I recycle? What do recycling symbols actually mean?

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These days, I feel that most of us are trying to do our bit for the environment by using fewer plastic items (especially single use), and recycling what we can. However, unless you’re seriously hard core, buying plastic is more or less unavoidable, and if your household is anything like ours, recycling causes major headaches. Some members of our family (who shall remain anonymous for fear of shaming them in public) just can’t get their head around what’s recyclable, and I seem to spend my life fishing various items out of bins and transferring them to different places. I thought it might be helpful to have a look at the most common recycling symbols that you’ll find on household packaging, but obviously the biggest thing is to check with your local authority to find out exactly what items go in which bin and what’s allowed (for example, our council allows TetraPaks to be placed in recycling bin, but others don’t), and what other items can be recycled at your local recycling centre. So what do recycling symbols actually mean?

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Vegan dining options at Walt Disney World Florida

Vegan dining options at Walt Disney World, Florida

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You all know how I feel about the food at Walt Disney World. The dining there is some of the best in the world, and the restaurants - in the parks, the resort hotels and at Disney Springs, are some of my favourite in the world. If you follow a plant based diet, don’t eat meat, dairy or both, or have other dietary requirements, it can be daunting visiting a new place, so I thought to celebrate World Vegan Day, I’d take you through some of the brilliant vegan dining options at Walt Disney World, Florida. Read more

Weekend wishlist gorgeous everyday jewellery

Weekend wishlist: gorgeous everyday jewellery

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I’m not a huge fan of expensive jewellery. I don’t wear a wedding ring, just a few stacking rings, mostly bought from Etsy, and I don’t own any diamonds (apart from my engagement ring, which now looks so dated). I think that the modern approach to jewellery is that is doesn’t really matter if you mix costume jewellery with real, or gold with silver, and I love this. I’m all for originality and using your jewellery to show your personality. My current obsession is delicate layering: ears glittering with multiple fine hoop piercings and layers of necklaces all at slightly different lengths. I thought for this weekend’s wishlist, I’d have a look at some of the gorgeous everyday jewellery that’s about, and show you the latest addition to my collection too!

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Vegetarian and vegan dining options at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

Vegan dining options at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

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Did you know that today is World Vegan Day? In fact, the whole of November has been designated World Vegan Month, and to celebrate, I thought I would do a few vegan things throughout the month. I thought I’d start by creating a bit of a guide to eating vegan at some of my favourite places. I’ve started with a roundup of the vegan dining options at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida. I’ve been lucky enough to have eaten at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida quite a bit recently, what with the opening of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, and then Halloween Horror Nights, and then filming the Universal resort hotels with Attraction Tickets Direct (big roundup coming soon). Generally in our group there’s at a vegan or two, plus weird people like me who still occasionally eat meat but like to order the plant based options, and it’s been interesting to experience how brilliant the serving staff and chefs are in all of the restaurants at accommodating different dietary requirements.

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