Showing posts with label Gift Guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gift Guide. Show all posts

Monday 9 December 2019

Still Shopping for the Perfect Gift? Read our Christmas Gift Guide for Under 10's


Christmas is fast approaching and if you are still looking for the perfect gift, then check out our Christmas Gift Guide for Under 10's to give you some great ideas. Featuring STEM toys, parody slime making characters, craft products, collectibles and even winter clothing, this guide provides you with some fantastic suggestions.

1. Gears! Gears! Gears! Movin' Monkeys Building Set from Learning Resources

We love Learning Resources products in our home due to the fact that they offer fantastic educational toys and games that really aid development and skills in children. One of our favourite products is the Gears! Gears! Gears! Movin' Monkeys Building Set which encourages children to use creative thinking whilst building a bright and colourful jungle, packed full of monkeys.

The use of cogs and gears helps children to understand how they work together, as well as assisting in the development of fine motor skills. This set fully supports STEM learning and the clever features provide hands-on learning and plenty of play possibilities.


Consisting of over 100 pieces including sturdy plastic gears, monkey figures, vines, trees and bases, these can all be mixed and match to create countless combinations either as a solo or group activity.

Once creations have been completed, then these can be spun with a simple twist of a gear handle, making it an ideal and fun educational gift for young learners.

This item can be purchased for £46 on the Learning Resources website here. However if you would like to find out more about Learning Resources and their other products, then you can visit their website or social media pages on the following channels:

Website - https://www.learningresources.co.uk/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LearningResourcesLtdUK/
Twitter - @LRUK
Instagram - @learningresourcesuk

2. SuperZings - Rivals of Kaboom Playsets

We have only recently been introduced to the SuperZings and you may have seen our recent review here. However, we instantly fell in love these toys and their sturdy, colourful and great quality designs and feel that they should definitely be featured in our gift guide.

SuperZings are based on every day objects that can transform into Superheroes or Villains. They are a great collectible series that encourage children to use their imagination and create scenarios that bring their characters to life.


The blind bags are perfect as stocking filler gifts and there is a great selection of over 90 to collect, whilst the playsets are an ideal present to pop under the Christmas tree from Santa. They are currently available to purchase from good toy retailers including The Entertainer, Smyths Toys and Amazon.

If you would like to learn more about products in the SuperZings range, then you can visit their social media pages on the following channels:

Facebook - SuperZings.UK
Twitter - @superzings
Instagram - superzings_uk

3. Hangrees

We reviewed Hangrees earlier this year and since then I have purchased several more as birthday gifts and stocking filler presents due to their low RRP of only £9.99. The Hangrees are a great range of outrageous slime collectables that come in a selection of parody figures such as Harry Plopper, Chew-kaka and Fartnite. They look hilarious, but most of all they are great fun to play with and it is very easy to follow the simple instructions and create your own slime.


There are currently 20 Hangrees to collect in Series One and they are recommended for being suitable for children age 8+. They currently retail at £9.99 and are available to purchase from Smyths, The Entertainer, Amazon and other good toy retailers.

If you would like to find out more about Hangrees, then you can visit their website or social media pages on the following channels:

Website - https://thehangrees.mgae.com
Instagram - @TheHangrees

4. Aquabeads Box of Fun Safari Set

We have enjoyed countless amounts of Aquabeads sets over the years and they are always a popular Christmas gift, due to the great range of products available at a cost to suit all budgets. However, we particularly love the Aquabeads Box of Fun Safari Set that we reviewed earlier this year, as with an RRP of only £19.99 it offers great value for money and contains everything you need to get making some fantastic Aquabeads creations.

There are so many choices of different animals to make and the box is jam packed with over 3000 jewel and solid beads, a bead tray, playmat, bead stands, water sprayer, flip tray and bead tray, as well as the lovely blue storage container to keep everything safe inside when not in use.


Aquabeads products can be found at most good toy retailers including Smyths Toys, The Entertainer and Amazon.

If you would like to find out more about the Aquabeads range, then you can visit their social media pages on the following channels:

Facebook - facebook.com/aquabeads
Twitter - @aquabeadsuk
Instagram - instagram.com/aquabeadsuk


5. Bright Eyes Hats

I have decided to include this product as part of our gift guide, as although not a toy, it is a lovely item of clothing perfect for children and aimed at keeping them safe and visible when outside. Riley was gifted a Rusty the Raccoon hat last month and I was so impressed with the design and quality, that I feel it definitely deserves a mention.

Bright Eyes Hats not only look great, but also have a fantastic safety feature too in the form of LED lights located within the eyes. These lights can be switched on and off when needed and ensures that your child can be seen safely when outside. There is the option to have the lights static, or on a flashing mode and they can be seen from over 200 metres away, with a bright beam of over 10 metres.


Designs in the range currently include Rusty the Raccoon, Cassie the Cat, Una the Unicorn and Amanda the Panda. The hats can currently be purchased directly from the Bright Eyes website starting from £17.95.

*Disclaimer - This guide contains some items that we have previously been gifted, however their inclusion in this gift guide was based on our honest opinion of the products and our genuine like for the items. Details provided such as prices/stockists etc are believed to be correct at the time of writing, but are subject to change. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Wednesday 2 May 2018

Cancer Research UK Flower Shop - A Review

Cancer is a subject that is close to many people's hearts. If not experienced personally, then it is likely that you know of somebody who has been affected by it, at some point in their lives. It can be an extremely worrying and daunting time for everyone involved and that is why Cancer Research UK are consistently working hard to fund research, that may one day help to find a cure.

In the past month alone, both of my parents have had to undergo medical procedures, operations and biopsies in order to rule out cancer and ensure that this was not the reason for their health problems. Luckily in both cases, they came back clear, but there are many others out there that are not so lucky. 

Cancer Research UK are the UK's biggest charity and rely on donations, fundraising and awareness to help them continue their work. There are many ways to get involved and help, whether that be by making a donation, volunteering in one of their shops, donating items or fundraising. There are loads of possibilities to help make a difference to the fantastic work that this charity does.

I recently found out that online florist Prestige Flowers have teamed up with Cancer Research UK to open the Cancer Research UK Flower Shop, where 25% of all purchases are donated to the charity. This means that when purchasing a beautiful bunch of flowers for a loved one, family member or friend, you can also be doing your bit for charity and supporting this wonderful cause.

I was therefore delighted to be offered the chance to review one of the bouquets in the range and help to raise awareness on the blog. 

The bouquet I received was called Luxury Delight, which was probably the most ideal name you could have chosen for it. The flowers were absolutely stunning and the arrangement consisted of Stargazer Lillies, Memory Lane Roses and Deep Water Roses. They didn't only look fantastic, but smelt absolutely wonderful too.


They were delivered in a large monochrome cardboard box by Royal Mail and were expertly packaged inside, wrapped in beautiful white paper and water padding around the stems. This ensured that the flowers still received water throughout transportation, whilst also keeping the box and surroundings dry.

There was a white inner box inside the main packaging which when you lifted the top handle, helped to remove the bouquet from the box. It was then that I found some added surprises in the form of a lovely gift card, super-soft teddy bear and a glass vase, which was the perfect size for the flowers. They looked so nice all wrapped up that initially I didn't want to take off the wrapping for fear of spoiling the arrangement, but they had all been secured together at the stems, so I needn't have worried.


My son Riley quickly took the teddy to add to his ever growing collection, whilst I set about removing the bouquet from the packaging and arranging them in a vase. Initially I placed them altogether in the vase provided, but as the selection was so large, I made the decision the following day to split them between two vases so that I could have one on my window frame and another on the table. 


After seeing how lovely the flowers were, I visited the Cancer Research UK Flower Shop website which can be found here: https://flowershop.cancerresearchuk.org/flowers to see what other bouquets and gifts were available in the range.

The website is really user friendly and products are sorted into a variety of different categories which ranged from Birthday Flowers to Fruit Hampers and Congratulations to New Baby Gifts. The bouquets and gifts available for purchase all have very clear images, to give you an excellent idea of what your gift will look like.

A large selection of the items are available for Next Day delivery and this is available 7 days a week. I thought that this was a huge bonus as so many online stores only offer next day delivery Monday to Thursday, so it was great to see a retailer being able to provide this service each and every single day.

The bouquet of flowers I received are actually listed under the Birthday category, but I am sure you would agree that they would actually be suitable for a whole range of occasions.

Overall, I was extremely impressed by both the service received and the bouquet of flowers. They were exactly as portrayed in the online image and looked wonderful. The bouquet I had delivered was much larger than I had expected and I think it was great that in the end I was able to split them between two different vases. This certainly made a lovely display in my living room. My favourite thing about this item though, is of course that a charitable donation goes to such a worthy cause. This means that not only would a gift recipient be receiving a lovely bouquet, but that a percentage of the purchase price would also be going to Cancer Research UK.

You can view the full range of flowers on their website here: Cancer Research UK Flower Shop

To find out more about Cancer Research UK you can also visit their site here: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary bouquet of flowers for the purpose of writing an honest review of the service and product I received. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated. The RRP value of the flowers I received is £40 and therefore I will also be making a donation of £10 towards the charity.

Monday 4 December 2017

Morse Toad Personalised Chocolate Cards - Review and Competition

It is always lovely to receive a card through the post, whether it be for your birthday, Christmas or even a get well soon card, it is nice to know that someone is thinking of you and making the effort to send a card to put a smile on your face. How fantastic would it be though, to receive a chocolate card, a greeting through the post that you could actually eat? Well this is where Morse Toad's Marvellous Messaging Service comes in, a company who believe that "Some things are better said in chocolate" and they're not wrong there!

Morse Toad specialise in the production of chocolate cards and gifts, with a huge range of choice available on their website, that are suitable for all occasions. Their Christmas selection is fantastic with a great assortment to choose from. The gifts can be personalised to your requirements, even including a photograph for the recipient to keep, long after the chocolates have been eaten. If you aren't feeling too creative though, then you can also opt for a pre-designed chocolate card, which vary from loving messages to humourous phrases. In addition, there are some lovely little stocking fillers which start from as little as £2.75!


The website is really user friendly and easy to navigate. It is a lovely site to have a good browse through and look at all the pictures of designs that have been created to give you some inspiration. When you are ready to create your own personalised chocolate message, then this is a really simple process, that also has an easy to understand pricing structure, which is as follows:

1 Row = £11
2 Rows = £14
3 Rows = £17
4 Rows = £19.50

There is then an additional £1 charge to use your own photograph on the card, but this is optional and if you don't want to do this, then you can choose one of the existing Morse Toad images instead.

The first step to get creating is to write your chosen message, using the four boxes which are provided. Each box represents a new row and you can have up to 11 characters in each one. Once you are happy with your message, then you can add a personalised note, which is printed on the card insert. This message can be up to 180 characters in length. In this step you also have the choice of uploading your own photograph or choosing one of the pre-existing images. The last step is to simply check over all the details and place your order.

The prices vary slightly for in stock items, that have been pre-designed by Morse Toad. Again the pricing structure is very simple and the costs are:

1 Row = £9.50
2 Rows = £12.50
3 Rows = £15.50
4 Rows = £17.50

Postage is free of charge for orders over £7.50 and delivery usually takes 1-2 days. Morse Toad also offer a really quick service with orders placed before 1pm being sent out the same day. Next day delivery and international delivery are also available for an additional charge.

Once we had finished creating our design, we completed our purchase and waited for the order confirmation to come through via email. This arrived within a few minutes, however on checking all the details, I noticed that I must have knocked caps lock off at some point whilst entering the letters and so my message was displayed in a mixture of upper and lower case. I therefore wanted to check that they would all be in capitals like the images on the website. It said that in the event of any query then to email support, so I did just that. I was extremely surprised to receive a response back to my question in less than 2 minutes! Amazing customer service.

A few hours later I also received a dispatch notification to inform me that my order was on it's way. The kids and I couldn't wait to see our personalised chocolate card and we decided that they were going to give it to their dad as a pre-Christmas treat.

On Saturday morning, we returned home from shopping, to find a small parcel on the doormat. I love the fact that the packages fit through the letterbox, so there is no waiting in or worrying about missing the delivery. The front of the box featured the Morse Toad logo, along with a large FRAGILE message on the side.


Riley was very excited to open up the parcel and inside found our chocolate card box, which had been carefully wrapped in tissue paper, along with a discount voucher for future orders. We couldn't wait to see our message and printed photo, so I set about doing the big reveal to the kids and showed them the lovely chocolate treat enclosed.


The product itself comes beautifully presented in a Morse Toad gift box, with a top opening lid. The chocolate is then covered by a clear protective plastic covering, so you can open the box and see the message inside, without actually having to remove any of the chocolates. This is great if you want to check inside before giving it as a gift, to make sure everything is correct.


The kids had created a Merry Christmas card for their dad and had also added a selection of hearts and stars. They had chosen their favourite photograph of them together and used this as the image for the card insert. On the reverse of the photo, was a message written especially for Mr F, wishing him a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I was very impressed with both the presentation of the product and also the quality of the photograph we had used on the card. It was really clear and also the perfect size for Mr F to keep in his wallet. This actually made our Morse Toad chocolate card, two gifts in one!

The reverse of the packaging featured a full ingredient listing, product weight and best before date. The bottom also featured the companies contact address, telephone number and email address. The top line also features a clever slogan which is "Eat Your Words With Morse Toad", which is exactly what we did when Mr F got home and was proudly presented with his gift.


The chocolates are really nice and chunky bite size pieces and the fact that they are made with belgian milk chocolate, made them all the more delicious. Each mini solid block of chocolate tasted absolutely divine and we all enjoyed sharing the chocolates out between us on Saturday evening.

Overall we have been really impressed with Morse Toad and have found the service and quality of the product to be absolutely fantastic. The design process was not only easy, but also great fun too and I love the fact that you can add a photograph to give it that extra personalised touch. The combination of tasty chocolate and beautiful presentation makes it a lovely unique gift and I would definitely recommend to others. 

If you would like the chance to create your own Morse Toad chocolate card or gift, then we have a fantastic competition to give you the chance to win £15 to spend on the Morse Toad website. Please read the terms and conditions and enter using the gleam form below. Good Luck!

Win £15 credit to spend online at MorseToad.com

Terms & Conditions
  • Entry is open to UK residents aged 18 years or older
  • No bulk or third party entries
  • There is 1 (one) prize of £15 online credit to spend on the Morse Toad website. 
  • There is no cash alternative
  • Winner is responsible for any additional spend over the £15 credit provided
  • Competition closes on the 11th December and the winner shall be drawn at random from all eligible entrants.
  • The winner shall be notified by email within 2 working days of the draw date.
  • The winner will have 5 days to reply to the winning email to confirm their acceptance of the prize, before an alternative winner is drawn from the remaining eligible entrants.

Disclaimer: We were received our Morse Toad personalised chocolate card on a complimentary basis for the purpose of writing an honest review of the product. Opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.

Thursday 8 June 2017

Beautiful Flowers & Gifts from Prestige Flowers

I have recently started looking for gifts to purchase for friends and family as I have a few upcoming special dates in our diary. Father's Day is just around the corner on the 18th June and July seems to be full of friends birthdays as well as the end of the school term. My youngest son has nearly completed his first year of nursery and I have seen his confidence grow so much throughout the year that I would like to buy his teachers something special to say thank you for all their help and guidance.

Prestige Flowers have a fantastic website, which features a whole host of flower arrangements for all occasions and to suit most budgets. The site is very user friendly and easy to navigate, with the categories clearly displayed across the top of the page. This makes it easy to find the perfect gift for your loved one or friend. The selection of bouquets available are beautiful and you are literally spoilt for choice.

In addition to their wonderful selection of flowers, the site also features a great choice of gifts that can be added on to your flower order or can also be bought on their own. The Father's Day page has some great gift ideas including flowers, sweet treats, balloons, hampers, alcohol and gift sets.

The Birthday Flowers page showcases some stunning selections and there is bound to be a beautiful bouquet to suit all tastes. The combination gift sets offer great value for money and my personal preference are the sets that come with flowers, chocolates and a balloon.

I was therefore delighted when Prestige Flowers kindly offered to send me some flowers from their luxury range to review. I had previously received a beautiful Valentine's bouquet from them back in February and so I was very excited to be able to sample another bouquet from a different range.

I received an email confirming that my order would arrive on Monday 5th June and sure enough there was a knock at the door just after lunchtime. Even the packaging that the flowers arrive in comes well presented in a beautifully decorated box. The box has useful cut out handles which makes it easy to carry and it is very simple to unpack.


On opening the box I found a flower care guide, a small box of chocolates, a card, another small box and some stunning flowers that were neatly and safely wrapped. I proceeded to open the smaller box and was pleased to find a lovely glass vase inside that was perfect for my new flowers.

The beautiful bouquet came wrapped in glossy white wrapping, with some soaked material around the base of the flowers to help keep them fresh. It featured stunning Peonies, Carnations & Roses in a mixture of dark and pale pink colours. They smelt absolutely beautiful and had a strong, but not overpowering scent.


I found the flower care guide enclosed really useful as it provided specific information on caring for the roses, as well as information on other types of flowers. The essential tips on the reverse of this guide also gave great advice and will help me to maintain the flowers for as long as possible. The guide is only little so it is very easy to store away and keep safe for future reference.

The flowers also came with a small box of chocolate truffles which were absolutely delicious. They come in a lovely little gift box and are the perfect miniature sweet treat for any chocolate fan.


To begin with I initially placed the full bouquet exactly as it came, in the vase that was provided to ensure that all the stems received plenty of water. As the week has progressed I have began to trim the stems and rearrange them to make sure they absorb lots of water. I keep them on my windowsill for a few hours a day to receive sunlight and then move them to my display stand early afternoon to ensure they are not in direct light all day. I believe that this helps to make the bouquet last longer and nearly five days later they look absolutely fantastic.


Overall, I have been really pleased with Prestige Flowers and I would gladly recommend them to others. The bouquet was stunning and I was also impressed with the packaging and speed of delivery. The website is very user friendly and I have found some absolutely gorgeous gifts in their birthday range starting at only £19.99 for flowers and chocolates.


If you would like to visit the Prestige Flowers website then this can be found here: Prestige Flowers

The birthday range can be found on this page here - Birthday Flowers

Also if you would like to keep up to date with their latest products then you can follow Prestige Flowers social media channels here:

Twitter - @prestigeflowers
Facebook - PrestigeFlowersUK
Instagram - @prestigeflowersuk

Disclaimer: I was provided with a complimentary bouquet for the purpose of providing an honest and impartial review. All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated.




Thursday 16 March 2017

My Mother's Day Mini Gift Guide

Mother's Day is fast approaching and this year it is on Sunday 26th March. I often find that many gifts in the shops can be quite similar, and so it can be hard to find the perfect gift. I have therefore put a few little suggestions together, that I hope may be of help.

1) The Gift of Music

Back in December, we had the opportunity to review the VQ Retro Mini Radio, and we have been really impressed with it over the past few months. We have received numerous comments from guests in our home, and several friends and family have since gone on to purchase one.

As well as a selection of block colours, these Digital Radio's also come in a beautiful range of floral and Emma Bridgewater designs, which would look lovely in any household. They are easily portable, so ideal for some background music in an evening, or whilst out gardening in the sunshine. We even take ours on holiday with us!

They cost from £69.99 to £89.99 depending on the design you choose. You can view the full range and also purchase one here: My VQ Retro Mini 


2. The Gift of Chocolate

Let's face it, chocolate is delicious and makes a perfect gift. However, have you ever considered personalised chocolate cards?

Morse Toad are a company that specialize in chocolate cards and gifts. They offer an amazing service, that combines this sweet treat with personalisation choices that can even include a photograph within the beautifully presented gift box.

These unique gifts also fit through the letterbox, so there is no need to worry about going out and missing a delivery. When we tried their service back in November, we were very impressed and therefore wouldn't hesitate to recommend these as an ideal Mother's Day Gift.

The full range can be viewed and purchased here: Morse Toad's Messaging Service


3. The Gift of Flowers

A popular choice every year on Mother's Day is to purchase some beautiful flowers for the occasion.
Stunning bouquets are now available in a wide range of different shapes and sizes, featuring a whole host of delightful flowers.

Back in February we reviewed Prestige Flowers who currently have a fantastic range of Mother's Day flowers. We had a positive experience with their service, and I thought that the bouquets came both nicely presented and packaged perfectly.

We reviewed a bouquet from the Valentine's range which is pictured below, however there is now a selection on their website that is dedicated to their Mother's Day range which can be found here: Prestige Flowers




Friday 27 January 2017

Prestige Flowers - A Review

I still remember the first time that I was bought a beautiful bouquet of flowers and how special and loved it made me feel. It was a couple of days before my wedding and my husband (fiance at the time) had arranged for a huge bouquet of flowers to be delivered to my workplace. I remember everyone stopping by my desk to admire them, and my colleagues asking questions about who had bought them for me and why.

With the ordering of flowers now easily accessible online, without a trip to the local florist, it is a great way to show someone special just how much you care. Flowers have the amazing ability to make you feel loved and generate a great feeling of happiness. It is also a lovely feeling to know that at a certain moment in time, you were the only person on someones mind when they were busy arranging such a lovely gesture and gift.

Prestige Flowers have a fantastic website, which features a whole host of flower arrangements for all occasions and to suit most budgets. The site is very user friendly and easy to navigate, and the categories displayed across the top of the page make it easy to find the perfect gift for your loved one or friend. It is also a pleasure to the eye to be able to see a selection of their beautiful bouquets on the home page, which really do leave you spoilt for choice.


A few days ago, I was fortunate to receive a beautiful bouquet from Prestige Flowers. It came delivered in a lovely box, that was nicely decorated and well presented. The box was easy to carry with useful handles cut into the box, and it wasn't too heavy to bring in from the doorstep to the living room. Enclosed inside was a flower care guide, a small box of chocolates and the stunning flowers that were neatly and safely wrapped.



My stunning bouquet came in a sleek black wrapping, and a black gift bag with long handles to make it easy to remove from the box. It featured 12 red roses, arranged with hypericum berries and folded aspidistra leaves and looked amazing. My living room is very monochrome and so it was lovely to feature deep red & green colours which complemented the room beautifully and of course added a gorgeous scent too.


Once I had removed all the packaging they were even more breathtaking and I promptly found a lovely vase to display them in, and placed them on my unit in the corner of the living room where any visitors would be sure to notice them.


The flower care guide was a nice addition as it provided information specific to caring for the roses on the inside, along with information on Lily care, Tulip's and Freesia which is ideal to put aside for future reference. It also enclosed a lovely a surprise of a £5 voucher which can be used against future purchases, and on the reverse there were 7 essential tips listed which are always useful to know. The guide is only little so it is easy to store away and refer to when needed.


As mentioned previously, the flowers also came with a lovely little box of chocolate truffles and oh my they were delicious. I am not the biggest chocolate fan, but these bite sized truffles were literally a melt in the mouth delight. I had hidden them from the children so it was also great to not have to share them!



I really enjoyed arranging the flowers into the vase and I am sure you will agree they looked stunning. I have had so many compliments this week from guests all asking where they were from. The great thing about Prestige Flowers is that their Valentine's range starts from only £19.99 and so I had no issue in recommending them to my friends and family as I believe that their bouquets offer excellent value for money. You can also add additional gifts such as balloons, teddies, champagne and chocolates to make a lovely bundle.


Nearly a week later and the roses still look fantastic, and the berries have also started to open into a beautiful yellow colour. I have had them placed in the corner of the room, but I've also moved them in the vase to the window for a few hours each day to ensure that they were in the sunlight and I think that this has helped to keep them in great condition, along with the advice provided in the flower care guide.


Overall I have been really impressed with Prestige Flowers and I would gladly recommend them to others. The bouquet was stunning, but I also think it is important to get the little things right too, such as the packaging and delivery as these all add to the experience, and Prestige Flowers seem to have got this just right. The user friendly website, competitive and reasonable pricing, and their stunning ranges all help to make Prestige Flowers a go to site for your next flower bouquet. With Valentines Day fast approaching, why not check out their wonderful Valentine's flowers and gifts here: Valentine Flowers



*Disclaimer - I was provided with a complimentary bouquet of flowers for the purpose of providing an honest and impartial review. All opinions are my own.

Monday 5 December 2016

My Secret Santa Gift Ideas

As you may have seen from some of my recent reviews, my family and I have been trying out some products over the last few weeks, to try and find some great gift ideas to include in our Secret Santa Gift Guide. I think that we have chosen a great selection to feature, and they are all under £20 so won't cost a small fortune either.

1) Morse Toad Chocolate Cards - Give the gift of personalised chocolate this Christmas, with a range of pre-selected wording, or text of your own choosing. This chocolate not only looks great but also tastes delicious and is sure to be a lovely and tasty surprise for the recipient. Stocking fillers are available too from only £2.75. Enter code HappyToadmas at the checkout to enjoy a 10% discount off your order. (Code expires Christmas Day 25/12/16).

2) Letterbox cakes by bakerdays - I absolutely love this concept, and the cake that we sampled, was not only delivered quickly but was a joy to eat too. They offer such an extensive range of designs that there is bound to be something to suit all tastes, with the added bonus that you can also personalise them. This is an ideal secret santa gift for the workplace, family member, or to simply send to someone as a fun festive treat.


3) Jelly Belly Bean Boozled - A great fun game to give as a Secret Santa gift, which is sure to make the gift recipient love you (or maybe hate you depending on how their taste buds are haha). You can't help yourself but laugh through this game, and at only £10 including a refill box, its a great unique gift that won't break the bank.


4) Biscuiteers have an amazing selection of gifts on their website, ranging from biscuits to cakes which all look visually fantastic. They even have a page that is dedicated to Secret Santa ideas. Their handmade Christmas biscuits look delicious, and the site features products to suit all price ranges. My favourite is the Santa Jolly Ginger which costs £6.

5) Amazon.co.uk Gift Card- The ideal gift for the person who has everything. If you are really stuck for that Secret Santa gift, then you can't really go wrong with an Amazon Gift Card. These are available as physical gift cards, or can even be sent via email if you have left your gift right to the last minute.

                                                                             

Disclaimer - Whilst some of these products have been reviewed by us previously, they have been chosen by myself to feature in my Secret Santa gift guide. I have received no additional payment from any of the companies to include them other than the product for my original individual review. The link to Amazon however is an affiliate link and I may receive a small commission payment for any referrals. All opinions are my own.

Sunday 4 December 2016

The Brilliant & Bizarre Jelly Belly Bean Boozled Game - A Review

Whilst we were brainstorming for our Secret Santa gift ideas, my son mentioned a fun game that some of his friends had recently played. We had already selected 4 great presents to feature, but wanted something fun and little bit different to fill the fifth spot.

The game in question was Bean Boozled Jelly Beans by Jelly Belly, and I immediately thought how fantastic, a game involving sweets, who wouldn't like that? However, my son then went on to explain that these weren't just any jelly beans, and that the game featured some very weird and wonderful flavours.

Keen to discover more about this intriguing game, Jelly Belly kindly sent us a sample to try out for ourselves. When the product arrived, I was both excited and very nervous in equal measures.


The box is really bright and colourful, and immediately my eyes were drawn to the obvious Caution sign at the bottom of the box that said "Caution, contains weird and wild flavours". I was still keen to try it out however and began looking at all the surrounding images on the box which explained the different colours and flavours inside. They were:


  • Multi coloured - Tutti Fruitti flavour or.......Stinky Socks
  • Green - This could be Lime or.....................Lawn Clippings
  • Yellow - Buttered popcorn or.......................Rotten Egg
  • Blue - Berry Blue or.....................................Toothpaste
  • Peach - Peach or...........................................Vomit (This was the one I was most scared of).
  • Brown - Chocolate Pudding or.....................Canned dog food
  • Green - Juicy Pear or....................................Booger
  • White - Coconut or.......................................Baby wipes
The aim of the game is to take a turn on the spinner and see which colour it lands on. Each of the players then pick the corresponding coloured jelly bean. If you choose the tasty flavour then you win a point, but if you choose the bad tasting flavour then you lose a point. If you want to be really skillful then you could try and practice your best poker face and pretend that you are happily munching on buttered popcorn when really its Rotten Egg, but it is definitely not easy to try and pretend that your rotten egg flavour was delicious. Not easy at all! I did try to cheat a little and smell them beforehand to see if you could tell before tasting, and you couldn't smell a thing until it was bitten into, then it became quite obvious.


The great thing about this game, is that it isn't limited on players, so whether there are only 2 of you ready to play or 10, it is an inclusive game for all, the only danger being that you may run out of jelly beans, but you can buy them separately in order to keep them topped up.

We watched a few funny videos on YouTube prior to playing, though I'm not sure whether this was a good idea or not, as one minute I was laughing and the next I was filled with dread as to what they may taste like, but after building myself up to it, I was ready to play!

We sat down in the evening a couple of hours after eating our dinner, and the kids were already laughing before we had even began. My husband was confident that none of the flavours would bother him, and I was merely sat there wondering what on earth I had let myself in for. My son chose to spin first and it landed on blue. I was somewhat relieved by this, as the thought of a toothpaste jelly bean didn't bother me too much, but miraculously we all had correct Berry Blue flavour.

Next up my daughter took her turn to spin and it landed on brown, I was quite looking forward to trying a chocolate pudding jelly bean, but oh no, as soon as I bit into it, it tasted just how dog food smells and despite my best efforts to keep my disgusted face hidden, I just couldn't do it. I quickly ran to the kitchen to grab a drink, which in hindsight I should have made sure we all had before playing. The kids were all laughing hysterically at my panicked face, which was then making me giggle too whilst desperately trying to remove the dog food flavour from my tongue. I swear I can still taste it now.

I will hold my hand up at this point and admit that I excluded myself from the game when it landed on the peach colour, I just could not bring myself to try a vomit flavour jelly bean. Yes I am a total wimp, and either my kids are extremely good at lying, or they totally swerved this one and all managed to pick the correct flavour of peach again, so as of yet, none of us have had the unfortunate displeasure of tasting this one. The only one that didn't bother me too much was the toothpaste flavour as this just tasted like the pink drink you have at the dentist, although it was rather strange having it in sweet form!


The game is great fun both for families or groups of adults and although some of the jelly beans may taste vile, they don't actually contain any vomit or dog food, and I checked the ingredients on numerous occasions just to make sure. We are planning on playing this again over Christmas when all the family come round, and I am looking forward to seeing all their faces. I played this with my eldest children who are 8 & 10, which I felt was just about the right age for children to enjoy playing but obviously this is down to parent discretion.

If I was to change anything it would be to remove the vomit flavour and replace it with something less disgusting. I have a fear of being sick as it is, and so no matter how hard I tried to participate fully in the game, there was no way I could bring myself to try this one. Our version of the game was the 3rd edition, so it would seem that they change the flavours occasionally, so I would be interested to find out what flavours may be on the next edition.

Jelly Belly have a great combination offer on their UK site at present for a 100g box with spinner and a 45g refill pack for only £10. This can be found here: Jelly Belly Bean Boozled

Disclaimer: I was provided with this product free of charge, for the purpose of providing an honest opinion and review. All opinions are my own.






Saturday 3 December 2016

Letterbox cakes by bakerdays - A Review

I love surprise post, though obviously not the kind of surprise post where you receive a bill you weren't expecting, but nice unexpected surprises like a birthday card from a friend, flowers, or a treat from a family member. I was therefore really happy to learn more about bakerdays who provide quality cakes from artisan bakers and specialise in producing personalised celebration cakes. In addition to the usual range of cake sizes, they offer a fantastic product that allows you to create personalised letterbox sized cakes. Yes you read that right, letterbox sized CAKES!

Cake & coffee are two of my favourite things, so when I was offered the opportunity to review their service and product, the thought of this whole concept immediately grabbed my attention. I thought how surprised family members would be if they received a cake through the post instead of a card, or what a nice treat it would be to send to a friend at their works address. I was keen to find out more so I headed over to their website to see what it was all about.


The website was easy to navigate, and featured a wide range of categories that covered cakes for every occasion.  There was an explanation at the bottom of the home page that described the ordering process which sounded really simple. All you have to do is choose a size, flavour and then add the special message of your choice.  The process sounded too easy to be true, so I set about trying to design my cake.

The cakes come in a round shape in a range of sizes that can cover between 3-60 portions. The choice of sizes are as follows:
  • Letterbox cakes - 5 inches ( 12cm x 2.5cm). Suitable for 3-4 portions.
  • Small party cake - 7 inches (17cm x 5.5cm). Suitable for 10-12 portions.
  • Medium party cake - 9 inches (24cm x 6.5cm). Suitable for 18-25 portions.
  • Large party cake - 12 inches (30cm x 7.5cm). Suitable for 40-55 portions.
Bakerdays state on their website that all cakes are made to order and shipped in rugged packaging. They also offer a guarantee that it will arrive safely and on time. The company are clearly confident in their product and service which is great to see.

I chose to order a Letterbox cake, and with it being close to Christmas I decided that I wanted to go for a fun festive design. There were so many to choose from, but in the end I selected a Teddy design wearing a Santa hat that was surrounded by twinkly stars and a selection of presents.  I had a choice of fillings including dairy free and gluten wheat free options, but I decided to go for a Vanilla sponge cake with buttercream which had a price tag of £14.99.


You then have the option of having a personalised or unpersonalised cake. I thought it would be lovely to have a personalised one for my children and so I wrote Merry Christmas Riley, Ben & Emma. You can have a maximum of 40 characters so I was pleased that this just fitted nicely. The very clever website then even gives you a preview of your cake so that you can be sure it is exactly how you want it before you complete your purchase.

Once you are happy with your cake you simply add it to your online basket and checkout! There is a large range of postal options and you can even send your cake abroad using international delivery. My cake only took a couple of days to arrive and I couldn't wait to open it up.


The cake came presented in a cake tin that was in a letterbox sized cardboard box. Inside the box there was a cracker, along with a card. When you order other celebration cakes these also come with balloons instead of the cracker. There was a sticker on the inside lid of the box that provided the list of ingredients and I loved the fact that I would be able to use the tin again myself in the future which was an added bonus.


After I had sneaked a peek at the cake myself, I closed the box up and waited for the kids to get home. I hadn't told them about the cake beforehand so it was a total surprise and I couldn't wait to see their reaction. On opening the box, they were amazed that the cake had their names on it, and they loved the image I had chosen. I liked the fact that the text was really clear, as you can see in the image below. However, as much as they loved the look of it though, they couldn't wait to tuck in and try some.


It is described as being suitable for 3-4 portions, but we managed to have a small slice each between the 5 of us. The cake tasted perfectly fresh and soft, and the icing was lovely. I hadn't expected it to be as good a quality as it was, so I was quite surprised by how enjoyable and delicious it actually turned out to be.

Overall we were really pleased with the service that bakerdays offered, and the product that was delivered. I particularly liked how easy it was to order, and the wide range of occasions that the cakes cover. I have decided that I will most likely buy my children's teachers one each at the end of the school year as it is something both unique and delicious, and I will definitely be considering them as birthday gifts instead of cards in the future.

If you would like to connect with bakerdays or simply find out more, then why not take a look at their social media pages which can be found here:

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Website

Disclaimer - I was provided with this product free of charge for the purpose of providing an honest review.