Showing posts with label Presents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Presents. Show all posts

Thursday 3 May 2018

Letterbox Cakes by bakerdays - Review & Competition

My family and I have quite a few special occasions coming up over the next couple of months and it can be a bit of a struggle at times, to try and find the perfect gift for that special someone. I like to buy presents that are personal to the recipient, but also something that I know they will enjoy.

Thanks to the blog, I have been introduced to numerous brands over the last couple of years that offer some amazing gifts, so I know that there are some fabulous presents out there to suit all tastes. However there is one brand in particular that I often find myself returning to and that is....bakerdays.


The company bakerdays create personalised cakes for all occasions in a variety of different flavours. There is a huge selection to choose from in various sizes, which not only look fantastic, but taste absolutely delicious too! My favourite product that they offer is the innovative letterbox cake, which is a wonderful and unique gift idea for friends, family or even work colleagues that you may want to surprise. Measuring at approximately 5 inches in diameter (12cm x 2.5cm) they fit nicely through your letterbox and can provide 3-4 nice sized portions.

The bakerdays website is really user friendly with everything being clearly displayed in corresponding categories. I could literally spend all day browsing through the many different designs that are available and it is easy to navigate through the pages until you find the perfect one. Once you have decided on a design, then you simply need to select the size that you want, choose a flavour and then add a special message of your choice. Some cakes can even feature one of your very own photographs, for that added personalised touch.

My children and I had a little think about who we would like to get a cake for and Emma, Ben and Riley all had the same person in mind.....GRANDAD! My kids are all very close to their grandad and so it was a really easy decision for them all to make.

I initially suggested that we could get one as a Father's Day cake, but my son very rightly pointed out that it doesn't have to be a special occasion to eat cake and that it could simply be a gift to show how much they care about him. So with the recipient agreed, all we had to do now was choose a design.

We didn't want anything that was over complicated and Riley was quite specific in his request that it must have a teddy bear on it as well as lots of lovely colours. It didn't take long to find the ideal design which was exactly what the kids had imagined. We selected our choice and then chose a traditional sponge cake with jam and buttercream filling. There were lots of other flavours available though which included:

  • Traditional Sponge
  • Lovely Lemon Drizzle
  • Rich Chocolate Chip
  • Gluten Wheat Free Sponge
  • Dairy Free Sponge
  • Fabulous Fruit

I think it is great that bakerdays also provide a full list of ingredients for each flavouring, which is ideal if you are buying for someone with an allergy or an intolerance. This way you can be sure that the cake you buy is suitable for the recipient.

We were happy with the design exactly as it was, so we chose not to add personalised names as the example text suited us perfectly. The order was placed and we waited excitedly for our cake to arrive!



The website offers a range of delivery options and bakerdays assures customers that your cake will arrive fresh and in perfect condition. They have created special packaging to protect the cake which makes the product suitable for both national and even international delivery. Our cake arrived in a sturdy cardboard box, which had a lovely card enclosed, along with an advertising leaflet and discount code that could be used against future purchases. It was carefully contained within a miniature cake tin, which made the item look really presentable, which is exactly what you want when buying a gift for someone.


The image and text on the cake was great and we were all really pleased with how it looked. We knew that Grandad would absolutely love it and we weren't wrong. In addition to the presentation the quality of the cake was wonderful with a lovely taste that we all found delicious. The guide states that the cake is ideal for 3-4 slices, but we managed to get 5 decent sized portions between Grandad, Nana, Emma, Ben and Riley.

Overall we were extremely impressed with bakerdays, we have used them on several occasions now and have never been disappointed. The efficiency of the service and quality of the product is fantastic which is always reassuring when buying a gift for someone. My children now want to buy these for their teachers as an end of term gift which I think is a lovely idea, which also goes to show how much the kids enjoy the product too. I think the fact that you can choose the design yourself and personalise it, makes it all the more special and my children really enjoyed being involved. The ordering process isn't only simple, but also great fun too and we look forward to using the service again in the future.


If you would like to purchase your own bakerdays cake, then I have also been given an exclusive discount code for my readers. Simply enter code FAMILYADVENTURE15 to get 15% off your purchase. (Code expires 31st May 2018).

To find out more about the great range of cakes that bakerdays offer, then you can visit their website or social media channels on the links below:

Website - www.bakerdays.com/
Facebook - facebook.com/bakerdays/
Twitter -  @bakerdays
Instagram - @bakerdays

If you would like the chance to win your very own Letterbox Cake from bakerdays, then please read the terms and conditions and enter our competition using the gleam form below. Good Luck!

Win a Letterbox Cake from bakerdays

  • There is 1 (one) prize of a bakerdays Letterbox Cake
  • There is no cash alternative available.
  • Please allow up to 28 days for delivery
  • Competition is open to UK entrants aged 18 or over.
  • No bulk or third party entries.
  • Competition closes 20th May 2018 & the winner shall be drawn at random and contacted within 3 working days.
  • The winner will have 7 days to respond to the winning email to confirm their acceptance of the prize, before an alternative winner is drawn from the remaining eligible entrants.
  • The winners details will be shared with bakerdays, for the purpose of prize fulfilment and the winner's consent will be requested prior to any information being shared.
Disclaimer: We were provided with a complimentary letterbox cake for the purpose of providing an honest review of our experience. All opinions and photographs are my own, unless stated otherwise.

Friday 1 December 2017

Letterbox Cakes by bakerdays - A Review & Competition!

For the next 12 days we will be bringing you some fantastic competitions! Each giveaway will run for 7 days and you have a great chance to win some lovely prizes this December.

The first competition we are bringing to you, is thanks to the lovely people over at bakerdays, who have kindly offered my readers the chance to win one of their personalised letterbox cakes. If you haven't heard of bakerdays before, then read on and take a look at the beautiful cake that my children chose for our family.


The wonderful cake company bakerdays, create delicious and personalised cakes for all occasions. Their cakes are available in a range of sizes and not only do they look fantastic, but they are extremely tasty too! Our favourite product that they offer is the innovative letterbox cake, which is a fantastic and unique gift idea for friends, family or even work colleagues that you may want to surprise. Measuring at approximately 5 inches in diameter (12cm x 2.5cm), they fit nicely through your letterbox and can provide 3-4 nice sized portions.


The bakerdays website is really easy to use and features a huge selection of different cake designs to choose from. Everything is clearly displayed and you can navigate through the website, simply by selecting one of the categories at the top of the page. Once you have found a design that you like, then you simply select the size you want, decide on the flavour and then add a special message of your choice. Some cakes can even feature one of your very own photographs, for that added personalised touch!


Due to the process being so simple, I decided to let Emma and Ben choose which cake they would like. After much deliberation they chose a fun festive reindeer design and wrote a personalised message to their little brother Riley. My children thought that the reindeer was really funny with its big wooly socks and they knew that Riley would love it! For the flavour they chose rich chocolate chip, which sounded delicious.


We completed our order and Emma and Ben were very excited to wait for it to arrive in the post. Fortunately they didn't need to wait for too long, as our cake came in the post the very next day, which I thought was extremely efficient.


The website offers a range of delivery options and bakerdays assures customers that your cake will arrive fresh and in perfect condition. They have created special packaging to protect the cake which makes the product suitable for both national and even international delivery. Our cake arrived in a sturdy box, along with a lovely card and mini cracker. It was carefully wrapped and enclosed within a mini cake tin, which made the product look really presentable, which is exactly what you want when purchasing as a gift for someone.


There was a sticker on the inside of the lid which provided a full list of the ingredients, so you know exactly what has gone into your cake and I also really liked the fact that I would be able to re-use the tin again in the future. Even though we had seen a preview of the cake when ordering on the website, we were surprised by just how fantastic it looked when it arrived and the kids couldn't wait to get tucked in.

The image on the cake was very clear, as was the text and the whole presentation of the product was lovely. The cake tasted just as good as it looked too and despite the guide being for 3-4 portions, we managed to have a nice slice each between the five of us. The cake was excellent quality, with delicious chocolate chip sponge and icing.

Overall, we were thoroughly impressed with the bakerdays service. The ordering process was extremely simple and I loved the wide range of designs on offer. There really is something to suit everyone and I saw so many designs that I know my family members would love, so I will definitely be purchasing more in the future.

To find out more about the great range of cakes that bakerdays offer, then you can visit their website or social media channels on the links below:

Website - www.bakerdays.com/
Facebook - facebook.com/bakerdays/
Twitter -  @bakerdays
Instagram - @bakerdays

If you would like the chance to win your very own Letterbox Cake from bakerdays, then please read the terms and conditions and enter our competition using the gleam form below. Good Luck!

Win a Letterbox Cake from bakerdays
Terms and Conditions
  • There is 1 (one) prize of a bakerdays Letterbox Cake
  • The approximate prize value is £14.99 & no cash alternative is available.
  • Whilst every effort will be made to have your prize with you before Christmas, this cannot be guaranteed, so please allow up to 28 days for delivery.
  • Competition is open to UK entrants aged 18 or over.
  • No bulk or third party entries.
  • Competition closes 8th December 2017 & the winner shall be drawn at random and contacted within 2 working days.
  • The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email to confirm their acceptance of the prize, before an alternative winner is drawn from the remaining eligible entrants.
  • The winners details will be shared with bakerdays, for the purpose of prize fulfilment.
Disclaimer: We were provided with a complimentary letterbox cake for the purpose of providing an honest review of our experience. All opinions and photographs are my own, unless stated otherwise.

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.

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.

Sunday 27 November 2016

Family Fun with Stoopido - A Review

We are big fans of fun family games that get you giggling, and so we were absolutely delighted to be offered the opportunity to review this fab game Stoopido, which is sure to be a popular addition to children's Christmas lists.

The game is made by Drumond Park who already offer a whole host of games to the market, but the fun and silliness of this particular one, had us keen to find out more!



The packaging for this particular product is really eye catching, bright and colourful, and features a selection of funny faces on the front of the box. It is recommended for 2-4 players, and for ages 8+. You can already gain a good idea of what the game involves from the images, so you can tell straight away whether it looks like a game that would appeal to your family. 

The reverse side of the box, shows you a visual guide as to where the pieces attach onto your glasses, along with some brief instructions informing you of how to play the game. Along with this is a list of contents, the manufacturers contact details, and an important notice that the game is NOT suitable for children under 36 months due to the small parts.

I could already tell from the packaging alone, that this game was going to be hilarious!



Inside the box, there was a bag containing 4 pairs of red glasses and 15 plastic clips, a bag with the Stoopitoot (love this word) and dice inside, 1 sheet of card featuring the 4 slap pads, 25 x Stoopido face pieces, 1 Stoopido Loser Sign, and the all important instructions. The Stoopido face pieces, slap pads, and loser sign, are featured on 6 sheets of card, and you simply just press them out to get all the individual pieces.



We began by pressing out all the pieces from the cardboard sheets and attaching the nose and ear clips to the face pieces. My children's first instinct was to try and make the funniest faces they could, before even starting to play the game, but then we sat down and my daughter read out the instructions. Although recommended for over 8's my youngest son (nearly 4) was also keen to get involved too and I was happy for him to do so, since I was playing aswel and could keep an eye on him. 

We each put on our pair of glasses and then placed the Stoopitoot in the middle of the floor with the Slap Pads surrounding it and then spread the face pieces around and we were ready to play!

To begin play, you simply roll the dice, and see where it lands. If you land on a Nose, Eyes, Hat or Ears image, then the first player to touch the corresponding Slap pads wins that round. The winner of that round then gets to pick a Stoopido Face Piece and add it to the glasses of ANY player that doesn't already have a face piece of that feature. So for example you couldn't add a nose to someone that already has one. If you roll the glasses side of the dice, then this unfortunately means that the player to your left can add a feature which you don't already have to your own glasses, and lastly if you roll the Stoopitoot then the first player to squeak the Stoopitoot can choose to either pick a Stoopido face piece of any feature and add it to any players glasses, or they can remove a feature from their own glasses.



If you win a round and each player already has the piece that you rolled then you can remove this piece from your own glasses. Once a players glasses are completely full then they are the LOSER and out of the game and have to sit there looking hilariously ridiculous!

The aim of the game is to be the last player left without a full Stoopido face on their glasses. For added fun you can take pictures of all the other players that lost holding the Stoopido Loser sign.

After reading the instructions a couple of times we began to play. I had been a little worried that it sounded a bit confusing, however once playing it all became really clear and the game is very easy to follow. It was so funny seeing each others funny faces and being able to choose what we added to each others glasses. My son especially liked the "Bogey nose" piece, ewwww! We played it a few times together and loved the fact that there are so many different combinations that you can make, so the game is never the same as the last time you played it, with everyone looking ridiculous on a whole different scale, each time we played.

I also loved the fact that no-one actually minded losing in this game, as the kids were quite keen to totally cover their glasses as quickly as they could just so they could see how silly their Stoopido face was. This helped to make it much more enjoyable, as my children weren't as competitive and as a result it prevented arguments, that can often arise when playing a more serious game.


Would I recommend it?

Absolutely! If you enjoy family time and a good giggle then this is the game for you. It has an RRP of £17.99 which I think represents good value as it can be played over and over again without becoming boring, due to there being so many different combinations. If you enjoy your more serious games, that involve some element of skill then sadly this game would not be for you, however I believe that everyone enjoys just relaxing and being silly with the kids every now and again and I am sure that many families would really enjoy this product. In fact, we enjoyed this game so much that I have decided to also include this in my Christmas Gift Guide for Children which I will be posting at the beginning of December, so make sure you check back to the blog soon to see what else we will be featuring.

If I was to change one thing, it would be that I would have preferred the dice to have been a bit larger, as sometimes it was hard to see which feature it had landed on, especially the yellow side, but we soon learnt what colour represented which feature. I would have also have loved to have had a fold-able picture frame included so at the end of the game you could take a picture with you all in it like a portrait.

Disclaimer - I was sent this product for free to provide our personal review and opinion on this product. This review is my honest opinion of our experience with the game.



This product is available to buy from Amazon, and other good retailers. The link above is an affiliate link which means that if you choose to purchase after clicking, then I may receive a small commission. These small commissions help me to run this site and provide great content for my readers.