Are you ready for Fathers Day?

Regular readers of my blog will know that there's not much I like more than a bit of 'virtual' shopping.  I mean, apart from winning the lottery and then doing actual 'money is no object' shopping of course :-)

Anyway, with Fathers' day coming up (21st June, just in case you'd forgotten), I thought it might be a good time to do a spot of 'for the men' internet shopping, and share my finds with my lovely blog readers.

First up, a gift I bought my husband, for his birthday last week, that would be equally great as a Fathers' day gift:

The Wilkin & Sons website has lots of different preserves and sauces, that can be personalised with wording of your choice on the label.  I bought my husband some Tomato Ketchup, which I personalised to say 'Daddy's Dip Dip' on the label (my husband and girls have ketchup with just about every meal, and it's known as dip dip in our house) and also some Hot Mango Sauce, which he also loves, and I had labelled 'Joe's Hot Stuff'.  What bloke doesn't want the ego boost of being called 'hot stuff' every time he puts sauce on his burger?

Next up, something I actually am going to order for my hubby for Fathers' Day, so I'm hoping that I can trust him not to read this post!   I have ordered from The Crafty Giraffe before - I ordered a gorgeous 'santa key' and wooden keepsake gift tags at Christmas, so I can definitely vouch for the quality of their products.  This year, Daddy Rowberry will be getting a hammer and tools set for Fathers' Day, personalised with 'Daddy can fix it' which is a pretty commonly used phrase around this house!

I hosted a 'My Showcase' party recently as an afternoon tea for my local 'at home in the day' friends.   It was a great excuse to have a natter and try lots of gorgeous beauty products, whilst the kids played in the garden.

While I didn't spend my £40 hosts voucher on anything for my husband at all (shame on me?), I did notice that they have some lovely products that even the least 'metriosexual' man would love!

I am sure that my husband, who is not at all interested in any kind of beauty products,  would love this Gentleman's Tonic shave cream, and combined with a lovely shaving brush, I think this would make a beautiful gift for a man at any time of year.  The products smell lovely and even better, if you host a party, you could get this, plus a little something lovely for yourself, for nothing!  Check out my friend Clare's My Showcase Facebook page to book a party.

For the eco-friendly, outdoorsy Dad out there, how about a pack of these adorable fire-starters, handmade in Cambridge and available from Etsy, they would make a great gift, with an I.O.U. for a camping weekend with the kids.

Add in a hip flask, filled with a tot of his tipple of choice, and you've got the perfect gift for the adventure-Dad!

Whilst on the subject of handmade gifts, how about these cool t-shirts, for the Daddy that's a Star Wars fan?  This set would be especially cute for a new father with a baby boy.

These are also available via Etsy, from a lovely shop called Blue Ivory Lane, which is another small UK based business.  I always try to support small UK based businesses whenever I can; you can get something quirky, that's great quality and can often be personalised to suit your recipient, to make it that bit more special, and at the same time, you are supporting small businesses, which need all the help we can give them!

So that's it - I've covered foodie dads, DIY'ers, Metrosexuals, the outdoorsy types and the geeks.  Who have I missed out?  I think there's something for everyone in there, but let me know in the comments if you think I've missed anyone out and I'll make sure I cover them next time I go gift shopping!

Product Review: The Green Earth Frying Pan from Ozeri

A few weeks ago, I was sent one of these lovely pans by Ozeri, to review.

These pans are unusual - I haven't seen them before, and a quick read of their website had me really interested to try one out. They are made with a textured, ceramic coating, in germany (expecting high quality then!) and are 100% PTFE and PFOA free. For anyone worried about the dangers of cooking with Teflon (there's a great article on the subject from Good Housekeeping here) this is a big feature.

When it first arrived, I was immediately impressed with the packaging. It looked modern and fresh, high quality and definitely made me feel excited to try it out.

Equally excited to try out our new 'green' pan were my daughters, who will do anything for pancakes! I was a little concerned by the textured base of the pan, wondering how on earth it was going to be non-stick with all of those ridges to cling on to!

I have discovered that you need to treat this pan in a similar way to a cast iron griddle pan. Oil the food, rather than the pan (unless it's pancakes of course!) and wait for the food to release itself before flipping. At first, it will look like it's stuck, but don't panic, just wait a bit and the food will release itself perfectly. Have faith!

I was sent the 20cm pan, which is the perfect size for pancakes and omelettes. You wouldn't want to be cooking anything bigger in there, as it's fairly small. But, guess what? It's perfect for our caravan! Not only is it the perfect size, but since it's easy to clean and heats up really well (even on our less than powerful caravan hob) it has been a really lovely addition to our caravan kitchen! I love the nice bright green colour too.

You can check out the pan on Amazon here.  You can see from all the positive reviews that this is a great little pan, and even better, it's currently on sale at half price!

Ugg Foods Gluten Free Muffins - GF Product Review

Back at the end of May, I had the unpleasant experience of a gastroscopy, which is basically a tube fed down my throat and all the way to my intestines, so that a biopsy could be taken, to confirm Coeliac disease. This was not a pleasant experience at all. I can honestly say that I'd rather go through labour again than have another gastroscopy without sedation, despite the fact the whole procedure took less than 10 minutes. (Although to be fair, my second labour only took 25 minutes!!)

 

Anyway, I digress. Although I haven't had the official biopsy result yet, the doctor saw plenty enough damage to my insides to confirm the Coeliac disease diagnosis and I've been eating gluten free ever since (with a couple of little mishaps, which I'll talk about another time)

 

The day of the biopsy, I felt pretty sorry for myself. The gastroscopy had been horrible and I felt sore. Then I came home and there on the kitchen counter, was the remains of my husbands birthday cake, in all it's gluten-laden glory!!

 

I was tempted to postpone the start of my gluten-free life. Especially since it was my birthday the following week and we were going away for a week in our caravan. Starting GF right away would likely mean no fish and chips whilst holidaying at the seaside. Could I handle that yet? But, I've been feeling pretty rubbish and am eager to get better. A quick poll of my Facebook friends revealed they all thought the same: don't delay feeling better! So, I served up the rest of that birthday cake to the husband and kids and sulked a bit.

 

I've got amazing friends and neighbours. I already know that, but the fact was reinforced when, next time I went out the front door, I found these on my doorstep:

One of my lovely neighbours, who knows an awful lot about nutrition, had left two gluten free ready mixes from Ugg Foods for me. I was so touched. Thanks so much Sheila!!

With all the kerfuffle of birthdays and holidays, I didn't get around to making them right away, but I did this week, and I thought I'd tell you all about them.

I tried the Chia Seed Muffins pack first. I had never heard of Chia Seeds before, but an article on Huffpost revealed that they are full of healthy things like calcium, manganese, phosphorus and healthy omega 3 fats.

The mix was incredibly easy to put together. I whisked together almond milk, eggs and oil and then poured the contents of the packet in. Give it a stir, let it sit for a couple of minutes to thicken, then pour into cupcake cases. Easy.

I found that my cakes needed quite a lot longer in the oven than suggested on the pack, so use your own judgement to decide when they are done. Mine also remained quite flat, not risen, as in the picture on the packet.

Texture wise, they were similar to a poppy seed muffin, due to the chia seeds, but I'd say they were a bit grainier. They felt a little bit greasy on the top, which I have found to be the case quite often with gluten free cakes and biscuits, even shop bought ones.

They tasted great though. I could taste the almond milk, which was good for me, as I love almonds. I wouldn't say they taste quite as good as a great big 'Starbucks style' muffin, but then you don't have to feel guilty about eating them, they are doing you good, full of good nutritious things, and still taste like a treat with your cuppa.

I haven't made the other mix up yet, but I'll let you know when I do.

If you fancy a gluten free, dairy free, paleo friendly, healthy treat, I definitely reccommend giving these a try. A pack in your cupboard, ready for when you need a treat, would definitely help with the 'why has everything I want to eat got gluten in it?" moments!

You can check out Ugg Foods here. There's a ton of information on nutrition on their site, and some yummy looking recipes, which are all gluten and dairy free, paleo and nutritious, so well worth a look.

Before I go, check out my beautiful cake forks. They are from Laguiole and I love them. I love the little bee logo and the beautiful coloured handles. Someday I will treat myself to a full set of this cutlery!!

TTFN!

 

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Sheridan UK launch and a lovely day in London

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited down to London, to attend the press launch of the forthcoming autumn range from Sheridan UK.

I jumped at the chance to go along to this launch, for a number of reasons. First, my absolute favourite bed linen is from Sheridan. It's years old, but is still every bit as beautiful as the day I bought it. Second, I thought I might learn something about how to get a quality nights sleep, which is obviously very important to everyone, most of all parents! And finally, but by no means least important, I really wanted to spend some time in a posh hotel, being treated with lovely food and wine and generally having a blast. Sheridan certainly didn't disappoint on any of those things!

So I dropped the girls off at nursery and got the train down to London, treating myself to a coffee and a snack on the way! It's a while since I travelled down to London on my own, but I kind of miss the commute in a way. Easy to say when you're not doing it every day I suppose!

My train journey was made all the more pleasant because I met a lovely lady called Celia, and her sister who was visiting from Canada. Celia and I chatted away for the whole journey, very probably annoying the rest of the passengers! Celia and her sister had a fun-packed day ahead of them and Celia, if you're reading this, I hope you really enjoyed Wicked! What a change, to sit and chat to a stranger on a train. Most commuters avoid eye contact at all cost, burying their nose in their newspaper. Maybe it was because Celia and I were both travelling for pleasure, rather than commuting, that we were able to strike up a conversation, but it really think that commuting for work too, would be so much nicer if travellers struck up conversations with each other.

Anyway, enough of that. The launch was at the stunning Cafe Royal Hotel, on Regents Street. What a beautiful location. I was greeted by a doorman at the entrance, followed by porters at both entrance and exit of the lift. Now that's service - not even having to press the lift button yourself!

Once at the Sheridan suite, I was immediately welcomed with a glass of wine and a manicure. Lovely, this is the life! I sat watching the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly Circus below, whilst having my nails painted a lovely pistachio green colour. I even got to take the rest of the bottle home with me!

Just look how excited I look. Anyone would think I've never had a manicure before!

A mooch around the suite revealed numerous bathrooms and bedrooms, all kitted out in the absolutely stunning bed, bath and loungewear ranges from Sheridan. Here are just a few of my favourites:

The kids range is just beautiful. Really lovely quality and not too childish. I would gladly have any item from that range for myself and love it (ok, maybe not the sleep sacks!)

The loungewear just looked sooooo comfortable. It's lounge/sleep wear, but is absolutely nice enough to wear out of the house. If I owned this lovely soft waterfall cardigan, you might see me in it every day!

This was my absolute favourite of the bedding range. It's silk, and feels amazing, but I was also told that silk sheets and more specifically, pillow cases, are really good for your hair. They really help to calm some frizziness, as there's less friction between your hair and the pillow, when you're moving your head in your sleep. Well, who knew?? Certainly not me, but I could do with all the help I can get, to banish the frizz, so silk pillows are definitely on my wish list.

Speaking of wish list, I met a lovely man, Paul, from Quilts of Denmark, who supply the pillows and duvets to Sheridan. Now, I would not have expected to find a conversation about duvets and pillows to be interesting, but actually, there's a lot to learn. I learnt some really interesting things about how your bedding can help your sleep, but you 'll have to wait for another blog post for that. This one's about Sheridan!

After my mooch around, I was invited into the living area of the suite, for nibbles and canapés. Oh my goodness, the food was amazing!

I even bought a little bag of old school sweets home for the girls. Who remembers flying saucers??

A great benefit I hadn't expected from this event was the chance to meet some other bloggers and have a good natter. Some of these ladies were just as new as me in the blogging world, so it was really lovely to chat with them.

If all this decadence has left you wanting more, let me show you some more images of the new ranges for Sheridan in 2014 ..... Because they really are lovely!

I love this range. If you've been reading this blog a while, you'll know about my obsession with anything bird or deer related. This set would be just perfect for our little Lola.

How cool is this swinging bed??

And just in case you thought rope swing beds were just for girls .....

Lastly, these are for my lovely blogging friend, Lucy. She loves a bit of mustard and blue!

While we are talking about Lucy, she has just been short listed for a Loved by Parents blogging award. She us super excited by this, as am I, as her friend, and both she and I would be really grateful if you took a moment to click here and vote for her blog, Mrs Bishop's Bakes and Banter.

While you're doing the clickies, click on one of the little buttons on the right to follow my blog updates. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter too, my username is @Wannyrow. Then you will be sure not to miss the post about sleep and Quilts of Denmark!

Bye for now x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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