Archive for category: Competitions/giveaways

You are here: Home / BLOG / Competitions/giveaways
WIN APH parking for your next holiday

WIN APH parking for your next holiday (and 15% off airport parking for everyone) *closed*

/60 Comments/in , , , /by

Recently, I told you about Airport Parking & Hotels (APH) and their state of the art new parking facility at London Gatwick Airport. They also very kindly offered one English Mum reader the chance to win airport parking at the new facility. This proved very popular with travellers flying from London Gatwick so the lovely guys at APH have now offered to open their generous offer up to any UK airport where they offer airport parking, so this means whether you’re travelling from Aberdeen, Manchester, Luton, Stansted, or many more, you’ve got the opportunity to win APH parking for your next holiday for nothing!

Read more

The new APH parking facility and WIN your holiday parking at Gatwick

The new APH parking facility and WIN your holiday parking at Gatwick *closed*

/41 Comments/in , , , /by

I’m lucky enough to need airport parking quite a lot, whether it’s flying off on assignments for Cruise International, or writing about family travel for English Mum, and I always, always use Airport Parking & Hotels (APH). I love their convenient meet and greet service, but recently I had the chance to try the parking at their brand new off-site parking facility at Gatwick. APH’s brand new home is now located even closer to the airport, meaning shorter transfer times to both airport terminals via their swanky liveried shuttle buses. Read on to find out how I got on, and to win your own holiday parking this summer at APH’s brand new Gatwick base.

Read more

Win a hamper of sustainable products fro

Win a gift box of sustainable products from Steamer Trading Cookshop *closed*

/89 Comments/in , , , , /by

You know me, I love anything sustainable or eco-friendly. My obsession for a while has been searching for the perfect reusable bottle. I tend to take one everywhere with me: in the car, in my bag if I’m out for the day, and definitely when I’m travelling (although it was a massive fail in China as you can’t drink the water and there are very few water fountains). I recently found my dream bottle (a rose gold beauty) at one of my favourite online shops, Steamer Trading Cookshop. Steamer not only do all sorts of amazing cookware (the Nordic Ware! be still my beating heart), but they also sell a ton of eco-friendly items too, and they’ve very kindly offered to give away a range of their products to one lucky reader. Fancy the chance to win a hamper of sustainable products from Steamer Trading Cookshop? Read on!

Read more

The Estée Lauder #Gameface beauty box

Weekend wishlist: Estée Lauder #Gameface beauty box

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

I flipping love a mini product, don’t you? And if you know any students that are heading off to university this autumn, this gorgeous Estée Lauder #Gameface beauty box, specially curated to be the ultimate Freshers survival kit, is just the perfect gift to see them off with a big smile on their faces. I wrote recently about taking the leap from home to uni, and it’s a daunting prospect for even the most confident student, so anything that’s going to give them a lift - and make them look and feel their best too - is most welcome. Also, for most new students, money is really tight, so this many products are going to be really welcome, especially when the box contains so many brilliant Estée brands.

Read more

The Meg Rivers Cake Club

The Meg Rivers Cake Club, and win a cherry cake!

/143 Comments/in , , , /by

This week, we had a very special delivery. I’m one of those really sad people who always gets excited when the postie knocks, and this week it was completely justified as we got cake in the post! I know! Meg Rivers is an artisan bakery from the Cotswolds who send all sorts of delicious goodies by post, and they very kindly sent me one of their fabulously retro cherry cakes. It’s deliciously moist, studded with glistening red glacé cherries and a lovely texture too. It’s one of the cakes that they send out as part of the Meg Rivers Cake Club (I mean, forget beauty boxes, I’d much rather get a monthly cake, wouldn’t you?), the perfect pressie and just in time for Mother’s Day too.

Read more

Extra cheesy bacon mac and cheese with a herby crunch topping

Extra cheesy bacon mac and cheese with a herby crunch topping

/1 Comment/in , , , , , /by

I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for pork crackling: one crunch takes me right back to sitting on the steps of the cricket pavilion on endless summer evenings, bottle of Coke in one hand and bag of ‘pork scratchings’ in the other. Of course, things have moved on a tad since then: apparently The Snaffling Pig Co’s unique tasting crackling is double cooked to produce a softer product that retains its bite without the teeth-breaking qualities of traditional scratching. They use the finest ingredients and add some pretty bold flavours too. This week I’m playing with The Snaffling Pig Co’s new Crackling Crumb and as my boys would happily live on mac and cheese, I created this extra special bacon mac and cheese with a herby crunch topping just for them. This version contains delicious, smoky bacon pieces, plus mozzarella for extra gooeyness, and the crunchy, herby, crumb topping gives that all important texture.
Read more

The crunchy brunchy breakfast burger with The Snaffling Pig Co

The crunchy brunchy breakfast burger and a Snaffling Pig Co giveaway!

/194 Comments/in , , , , , /by

You know me – any excuse to get into the kitchen and have a fiddle with a new product, so imagine my delight when the lovely chaps at The Snaffling Pig Co, makers of high quality, deliciously flavoured pork crackling products, got in touch about a great new product called Crackling Crumb. Essentially, it’s exactly what it says on the tin: delicious Snaffling Pig pork crackling, minus the seasoning, ground into a crumb so that it can be used to add a scrummy crunch to all sorts of meals and it recently won a Great Taste Award 2017 too. I’m devoting this week to all things crunchy and crumby, starting with my delicious crunchy brunchy breakfast burger. Plus I’ve got a range of The Snaffling Pig Co products to give away!

Read more

Five reasons why you should start the positive life plan

Five reasons why you should start the positive life plan

/72 Comments/in , , , , , /by

Did you keep a diary when you were younger? I kept one for a few years when I was in my early teens, and me and my best friend also wrote to each other all the time (this was before the internet, people!) and I kept those letters for years and years too. I’d love to read them again now and get to know my teenage self again. I wonder what happened to them? Think of the positive life plan as the grown up equivalent of those teenage ramblings: a constructive and uplifting way to keep track of all aspects of your life and maybe even make a few changes along the way too. Here, we’ve listed five reasons why you should start the positive life plan.

Read more

Elizabeth Shaw hamper

Thoughtful gestures with Elizabeth Shaw - and the winner is…

/0 Comments/in /by

So last week I asked you all what you would be doing with your extra hour in bed. The lovely people at Elizabeth Shaw wanted to encourage us all to do something really thoughtful when the clocks went back on 30th. I hope you had a lovely day and managed to embrace your extra hour. We had a cosy day at home - they boys had friends round and did college work together while I baked more of my maple leaf biscuits, and later I made pizza for everyone. It was so nice to spend some family time together and it was extra lovely to be in our new kitchen/diner space, being able to talk and chat while I cook rather than being banished alone to the kitchen!

Read more

Win a luxury L’Occitane Hamper

Win a luxury L’Occitane Hamper worth over £300

/4 Comments/in , , , /by

I’ve got a new obsession (which admittedly tends to happen quite often). I do flit between different products as I find them, but I’m currently completely in love with a cream that’s made me shove everything else on my bathroom shelf out the way. L’Occitane’s Divine Cream is just so glorious, so rich, so velvety, so luxurious and delicious that I’m completely smitten. And obviously I need you to try it too, so I’ve got news of a fabulous competition in which you can win a luxury L’Occitane Hamper, worth £300, for yourself!

Read more

Ratatouille rooftops in Paris

Win a family day trip to Paris with Eurostar *CLOSED*

/84 Comments/in , , , /by

How are your summer holidays going? Apparently there’s going to be a little mini heatwave next week. Got anything planned? Want to win a family day trip to Paris with Eurostar? Or how about a day trip to Brussels? The lovely chaps at Eurostar are encouraging us Brits to head off and explore Europe. I’ve challenged Sam to spend a day in Paris next week doing as many free things as he possibly can - update coming very soon, but until then, fancy doing the same? Throughout August, you can jump on board Eurostar for a day trip to Paris and Brussels for just £58 return, spend 8 hours exploring and then hop back on the train and be home before bedtime. Kids under 4 even travel for free! To celebrate, I’ve got a family ticket to give away!

Read more

Seafolly Kasbah Nectarine High Neck Singlet Top £74.00

English Mum is 10! Win Coco Bay vouchers for you and a friend *CLOSED*

/27 Comments/in , , , /by

Happy Friday! For me, it’s a proper Feel Good Friday as English Mum is a whole ten years old this weekend! I can hardly believe it’s been ten years since we moved to Ireland and, feeling lonely and homesick, I started recording my thoughts and feelings on this, my little corner of the internet. Since then, English Mum has grown so much, creating a fabulous career for me (I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams that I’d end up writing for Cruise International and The Guardian, speaking at World Travel Market and appearing in Sainsbury’s adverts!) and picking up quite a few loyal readers along the way.

Win Coco Bay vouchers for you and a friend

All these years later, I still hope the mix of news and updates from our home here at English Towers, gorgeous clothes and lifestyle bits, travel tales, family recipes and all the other little simple pleasures that I love continue to resonate with you guys. I always aim to make it a place where you can grab a cuppa, sit back, relax and catch up from time to time. To celebrate English Mum’s big day, I wanted to do something really special, and team up with a brand that I believe genuinely reflects the same feel and lovely laid back luxe lifestyle/travel vibe that I aim to achieve with English Mum. Take a bow, Coco Bay! I love that Coco Bay was created in 2003 by twin sisters, Anna and Belinda from the spark of an idea for creating a customer-friendly site where women can find sophisticated, flattering, mix and match beachwear and buy it from the comfort of their living room (I’ve long mentioned the hideousness of trying on swimwear in changing room mirrors), supported by great customer service with a really personal touch.
Read more

Pic courtesy of Brics.it

Vote for me in the Cruise Awards 2016 (and win some fab prizes!)

/7 Comments/in , , , , /by

Regular readers will know that I absolutely love cruise holidays. Whether it’s discovering the Caribbean with the delightful and beautiful Disney Dream (and being featured on Disney’s Facebook page, that was a massive highlight), or cruising around the coast of Europe whilst simultaneously stuffing my face on dazzling Britannia, the sheer diversity of cruise holidays draws me in. What other holiday can you take where you can explore several different destinations in one hit without having to pack and unpack your suitcase. You don’t even have to fly!

Read more

Win a stylish start to summer with hush Homewear and Ultrasun!

Win a stylish start to summer with hush and Ultrasun *giveaway now closed*

/1 Comment/in , , , /by

Isn’t it just gorgeous to see some glimpses of sunshine? While you’re out basking in the rays in between those April showers, though, remember that the sun is the single biggest skin ager, so I’ve teamed up with @ultrasunUK and @hushhomewear to provide one lucky follower with the most stylish start to summer with a fantastic giveaway worth £275, featuring everything you can possibly need to protect your skin and look gorgeous too.

Read more

Photo courtesy of Disney on Ice International

Win tickets to Disney on Ice and a family meal with London Designer Outlet *closed*

/74 Comments/in , /by

Calling all Disney fans! English Mum has teamed up with London Designer Outlet (LDO), London’s only outlet centre located in Wembley Park, to offer the chance to win family tickets (for two adults, and two children) to Disney on Ice at The SSE Arena, Wembley, on Saturday 16thApril at 7pm. Enter below for a chance to join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse commemorate 25 years of Disney on Ice along with everyone’s favourite Disney characters!

Read more

Win Hampton Court Flower Show tickets and a meal at Brasserie Blanc! *closed*

/40 Comments/in , , , /by

As you might have read, back in April, Mr E and I were lucky enough to visit Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Raymond Blanc’s deliciously decadent hotel in Oxfordshire. I’ve also visited before and been lucky enough to be shown around the gorgeous gardens, too. If you watched Kew on a Plate you’ll know that Raymond Blanc is really keen on gardening and cooking with his own produce. It obviously runs in the family, because his son, Olivier, along with Charlotte Salt, has created a lovely little character, Henri le Worm to show children where food actually comes from and encourage them to learn more about nature and the important role it plays in our food.

Read more