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Astral

October 7, 2015 by Erica Hughes 17 Comments

I have been using Astral for years and I always have some (quite a lot actually) in the house. I have the big jar for every day use and I have some smaller sizes for my handbag or travel. Over the years I’ve become a more and more lazy shopper, so I’d much rather one product covered a range of uses. Astral has always ticked lots of boxes for me because the whole family uses it, even the husband on occasion. Recently though I’d run out of night cream and started using Astral for that. I’ve always done this occasionally like when I’m travelling (why take two creams when you can take one?), but this was every day at home. Not only is it considerably cheaper than the average night cream, but it saved me a trip to the shops which has got to be good. I’m not sure that I’m going to bother going back to a special cream either because Astral just the job as well if not better.

Astral recently sent me a box of goodies and I was surprised to see the Astral Soft product in the box as I wasn’t aware of that. I tend to use the original astral cream for dry areas like hands and feet. Generally I find the original Astral a little thick for all over body moisturising, but the Astral Soft version is perfect for that. It glides on easily and doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy.

A Day At River Cottage HQ

September 30, 2015 by Erica Hughes 18 Comments

It all started off very early in the morning when I was picked up at 5.30am for a car trip down to Dorset with 3 other local food bloggers. Arriving a River Cottage HQ‘s car park we waiting for a tractor to take us down to the main building. It’s quite a way down a very steep track and the ride was a little bumpy. On arrival we tried some goodies from the kitchens.

These little omelette slices went down very well with their fermented salsa and spring onion topping. There was something for those with a sweet tooth too, with some very moreish mini chocolate croissants.

My first session was in the cookery school. Gill (if you watch the River Cottage programmes you’ll have seen him) taught us how to make soda bread and butter. First of all we made the butter. We started off whisking by hand, but it was soon clear that most of us would need mechanical help, if we were to make butter this side of Christmas, so out came the electric mixers. From there on it was child’s play. I was genuinely surprised how easy and quick it was to make butter from double cream.

Next up we made soda bread with spelt flour and the buttermilk which we’d made as a by-product of the butter making. This is the kind of thing I love about River Cottage: the philosophy of making good use of everything. This was no ordinary soda bread either because we added interest by adding some freshly picked blackberries ( plucked with our own fair hands) and some apple from the River Cottage orchard.

Next up was a session with food photography session with Capture by Lucy. It was the first time I’d attended one of Lucy’s sessions and I found it very useful. We got to play around taking lots of arty photographs with food, but there were some concrete tips on how to take better pictures. I learnt a lot and I now know where I can look for more inspiration too as Lucy shared a number of her influences.

After all that taking pictures of food, we were ready to eat some. We had lunch in the barn. It was really, really good. It was great to see everyone together and check out the autumn fashion inspiration.

For our main course we had Dexter beef (reared at River Cottage HQ and aged for 5 weeks), which had been slow cooked (for 36 hours) till it was meltingly tender. It was served in a wholemeal ravioli on a bed of vegetable ragu (from the kitchen garden), with oh-so-freshly baked bread and the most wonderful corn on the cob that I have ever tasted.

Dessert was a fennel flower meringue, served with vanilla and coffee infused ice cream, with salted caramel and damsons. I’m not a coffee drinker, although I often eat coffee flavoured cake, but I’m not sure that I’ve tried coffee ice cream before, and it was delightful. The salted caramel really lifted the dish and the damsons were full of rich, autumnal flavour.

After lunch we went on a tour of the kitchen garden and the farm. As we went round it became clear that vegetables are now at the heart of the River Cottage philosophy. I think a lot of people associate River Cottage with meat or fish, but it’s moved on to bring vegetables to the heart of things. After all River Cottage is all about sustainability and making the best use of things, so vegetables are key. Even within vegetables some produce is makes a lot more sense than others. Food fashion fads like micro-greens can be wasteful of seeds and soil resources, so when you are trying to feed large numbers of people sustainably they just don’t make sense. River Cottage HQ is no longer self-sufficient in terms of fruit and vegetables grown, but they do as much as they can themselves and then source as locally as possible.

The stars of the garden and farm tour were the very friendly pigs. They looked so happy and well cared for. The same was true of the chickens. River Cottage rears animals for the table and makes good use of all parts of the pig (or other animal), which I think is a very respectful way to farm. If the pigs taste as good as the Dexter Beef that we had at lunch time, I’m sure there will be many visitors that agree. In fact, it’s the Pig in a Day course that is beckoning me back to River Cottage. I think I’ll be doing making sausages before long.

A Simple Guide To A Great Sleep

September 24, 2015 by Erica Hughes Leave a Comment

Sleep is one of the body’s most natural functions, powering it down to rejuvenate physically and mentally. But not all sleep is the same and some types are better than others. This is a simple guide to getting a great sleep.

How Much?

The average adult needs between seven-and-a-half and nine hours of sleep, but that may vary depending on your age. It’s likely you’ll need different levels of sleep at various stages of your life, but the research is clear: too little can lead to heart disease, moodiness, forgetfulness, drowsiness, depression and anxiety, while too much sleep can also have similar effects.

What Type?

There are two main types of sleep but a variety of phases. The first type is REM sleep where you dream and crystallise the information from the day. The second is non-REM sleep, which works through a range of phases:

• Light sleep – where you doze but little rejuvenation is undertaken
• Middle sleep – which is slightly restorative
• Deep sleep – when the body does its repairs.

How To Get It

It’s one thing to talk about the type of sleep you need and another to actually get it. A good night’s sleep is like a great meal full of quality elements that come together to guarantee satisfaction. In the case of sleep they are:

The Right Environment

Your bedroom is a place of rest, so avoid too much stimulation from electronic devices and try not to complete work in there. Ensure you are sleeping on a mattress that is less than 10 years old and suits your firm or soft preference and health requirements. Retailers like Sleepy’s have a great range available to choose from, so be picky until you find the ideal sleeping surface for you.

Lack Of Stimulants

To fall asleep easily and stay in a restful slumber, you should restrict caffeine consumption to before 3pm. Heavy meals should also be avoided just prior to bedtime – an early dinner is a good idea.

A Sleep Routine

If you find it hard to get to sleep, consider a sleep routine involving activities like a warm shower, light yoga or meditation. Meditation can also be helpful if you often find yourself solving the problems of the world at 3am, as the process of meditating before sleep helps ensure your dozing is more restful.

Monitor Your Sleep

There are a host of apps, websites and DVDs available dedicated to helping people sleep. These include some that guide your dreams and others that monitor your sleep patterns and wake you from your lightest sleep in the morning during a wake-up window.

A variety of apps also provide meditation techniques and ambient noise to assist you in falling into slumber.

If you’ve ever had to do without it over a lengthy period of time, you’ll know the consequences of sleep deprivation and the havoc it can wreak on you mentally and physically. Like food, it’s an essential element of human functioning, so consider the above advice and sleep on it.

Heading To River Cottage

September 21, 2015 by Erica Hughes 18 Comments

When I first heard about the Foodies100 event at River Cottage I was so excited. It sounded perfect for me. Over the years I’ve watched the TV programmes and followed Hugh’s culinary adventures. As you can see from this little selection from our bookshelf, we have a lot of the cookbooks too. The River Cottage Meat Book and the Fish Book are real staples in our house. They get consulted whenever we try anything different with fish or meat.

Going back to 2011 we were staying on the Dorset coast for a holiday. As it happened it coincided with my birthday and for my birthday meal that year we went to the River Cottage Canteen in Axminster. We popped along at lunchtime, as we had our son with us, and found it a real breath of fresh air. Great food served in a friendly way. There were no stiff white tablecloths and we felt very at home there with a 4-year-old in tow. The food was great too: interesting, high quality and nicely presented.

Since then I’ve been promising myself a trip to either the Canteen again or maybe to River Cottage HQ to do one of their food courses. I haven’t got around to managing it yet, but I’m thinking the trip I’m going on this week might prove to be inspiration. A car load of food bloggers are heading down from the Midlands to meet up with other food bloggers from all over the country. We’ll be learning about making bread and making butter (really interested by that). There’ll be lunch of course – I am looking forward to that. Then there’s food photography in the afternoon. Then back in the car for the long drive home. It sounds like the perfect day.

Autumn Hopes

September 18, 2015 by Erica Hughes 10 Comments

I’m always a little disappointed to see autumn coming at first. The summer is coming to a close and it takes a little while to shake off that sense of regret before getting into the season that’s arrived. Once I get over that initial feeling though, I love some of the joys that come with autumn. For me the key way to get in tune with the season is to get out in the fresh air and do some autumnal things.

One thing I do is make the most of nature’s autumn bounty. I’m out picking blackberries to make jam and I’m starting to think about making chutney. We didn’t have too many gluts in our vegetable garden this summer, but I’ve got loads of tomatoes that just aren’t going to ripen, so I think I’ll be making a batch of green tomato chutney. It’s the first year I’ve had enough tomatoes to do that and I’m looking forward to trying out a recipe that I’ve got tucked away.

For me apples are an essential part of autumn and we have already taken delivery of a batch of cooking apples from our former neighbour’s garden. I might need to go and get an ‘apple fix’ from one of the many apple events that the National Trust are running this year in time for Apple Day.

I love watching the colours changing on the leaves and there’s little better than a walk through the woods scrunching through the fallen leaves.

We’ve heading towards the Autumn Equinox quickly now. Close on its heels this on 28 September this year there will be a lunar eclipse too. For me this makes it seem like quite a spiritual time of year. For a lunar eclipse to happen there has to be a full moon and if it is a clear night you will be able to see the moon go dim and maybe red. It certainly sounds worth staying up for, although you’ll need to be prepared as it will happen in the early hours. I’ve never seen a lunar eclipse so it will be something new to tick off the list this autumn.

August’s Degustabox

September 8, 2015 by Erica Hughes 12 Comments

This month’s Degustabox has been a real goodie for me. It’s got lots of lovely snacks and treats, with a great balance between the healthy ones and the slightly naughty, but ever so nice ones. Perfect!

It’s been a while since we tried Ryvita, but it’s been great to try this again at a time when we have been thinking about keeping an eye on the waistbands again after having quite a gastronomic summer. Ryvita has moved on since the original rye crispbreads and we tried out two new varieties: Cracked Black Pepper Crispbread and Sesame Crispbread. The Cracked Black Pepper one had a great flavour and we liked the Sesame one too. I’ve tried out The Primal Pantry’s snack bars before and I love them. The idea is to make great tasting paleo and primal foods that anyone can enjoy. I don’t follow that sort of diet, but I think we can all benefit from food that is less processed. These are raw, coldpressed and handmade in the UK, plus they are gluten and dairy free. Did I mention that they taste great too?

Some more indulgent treats came our way in the shape of Walkers Shortbreads. Walkers are a premium brand and it shows in the quality of their biscuit products – yum! This wasn’t the first time that we’ve tried Bahlsen’s Choco Leibniz White. I’ve not so keen on white chocolate and prefer the other flavours including the wonderful chocolate orange, but the white chocolate fans of this house love Choco Leibniz White. More my sort of thing was PICK UP! as this is made with lovely dark chocolate.

I really enjoyed Life Tonics Hydration Plus. I have a love/hate relationship with coconut water and this drink gave me all the fabulous hydration benefits plus vitamins and minerals, but tasted great too. There are no refined sugars or artificial sweeteners too, which is good to hear. Scheckter’s OrganicEnergy is a natural and organic energy drink/. It’s made from simple ingredients:: spring water, pomegranate, elderberry and lemon juice. To provide the energy there’s a blend of raw green coffee beans, green tea, guarana and ginseng. For a bit of fun there’s Dr.Oetker’s Mug Cakes. You just need to add milk to the mix and microwave. The range includes rich chocolate, chocolate chip and lemon flavours.

It’s lovely when you get sent something that means dinner time is sorted. We used Barilla’s Penne Rigate and Arrabbiata Sauce to create a quick and tasty evening meal. I picked some veg from the garden and fried it up, added the sauce and left to simmer for a while. Meanwhile I cooked the pasta. So easy and so tasty too. The quality of the pasta and the sauce really showed through.

Fear Braces No Longer

August 26, 2015 by Erica Hughes 10 Comments

As a teenager every time I visited the dentists I was a little bit worried that I’d be told that I needed braces. I was already wearing the National Health Service’s hideous glasses (the blue model to start with and the John Lennon ones later) and the last thing I needed was a lot of ugly metal in my teeth too. I think that all that concern was misplaced as my teeth are actually quite straight naturally thank goodness, but the worry was very real at the time, especially as quite a few friends had braces fitted and seemed to wear them for ages.

Thankfully things have moved on over the years and there’s now no need to be self-conscious about wearing braces because they have found ways for them to look a lot less obvious, but which still do the job just as well. The answer is Invisalign. Invisalign is a new type of orthodontic system. It makes use of clear plastic aligners to straighten the wonky teeth, instead of the traditional, fixed, metal braces. Each aligner is worn for just two weeks and is then replaced with the next one in the series. By custom-making the aligners, each one can be slightly different to allow room for movement. The Invisalign treatment is planned in advance using sophisticated computer software, so you can actually see what your treatment will achieve before you start to wear your aligners.

Obviously the benefits of not being about to see the aligners is huge for many of those facing orthodontic treatment, but there are other pros to enjoy too. Invisalign aligners also have the advantage that they are easily removable. This gives patients more freedom and choice about how they wear their aligners. It also avoids any problems with eating or cleaning your teeth.

Henry Wong

August 22, 2015 by Erica Hughes 33 Comments

Henry Wong has been a Harborne institution as long as I can remember. It’s been there on Harborne High Street in Birmingham serving Chinese that’s always been a cut above your average. Over more recent years though it’s had a renaissance and now serves exciting Chinese food produced from the best ingredients, often local ones. Not only that, but it’s become somewhere to spend the whole evening. Your table is yours for the evening, you can get a drink at the bar before or after dinner and it’s got a lovely, modern decor. Three nights a week there’s live music too, but not the sort that gets in the way of your meal, rather music that enhances the mood and the atmosphere.

I was really keen to try the Trio King Prawns, I was particularly intrigued to see how the wasabi cream worked. I associate wasabi with Japanese rather than Chinese cuisine. Serving the prawns with Red Slate Dry Riesling was an excellent choice and the dryness of the wine perfectly complimented the strongly flavoured prawns.

Lobster and Spare Ribs in Chilli and Pepper was a dish I eagerly awaited as I love both lobster and spare ribs. I wasn’t disappointed and the combination. I think lobster needs to be paired with strong flavours to bring out the best in it, but the danger is that those flavours will overwhelm it. But, no mistakes here, the seasoning was finely balanced. This dish was served with the fruity, spicy Pinot Noir Joseph Drouhin.

Next up with the mains of Long Horn Sirloin Steak in Teriyaki and Seabass with Sweet Chilli Sauce. The robust meaty flavours of both the steak and the sea bass can easily take a strongly flavoured sauce so the teriyaki and sweet chilli make ideal accompaniments. The complex flavours of the steak and teriyaki were teamed with the Smoking Loon Old Zinfandel with its fruity undertones. For the seabass Henry Wong’s matched it with the Cousino Macul Sauvignon Gris, which was nicely refreshing and had the right citrusy notes to show off the fish.

Dessert was quite bravely kept simple: Mixed Fritter served with fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream. After the richness of the earlier dishes, it was very refreshing to have the acidity and the sweetness of the fruit. This was served with Laurent-Perrier Demi-Sec which is also a lovely way to end a meal.

Will I be going back to Henry Wong? Most certainly, in fact I’m planning on taking the family.

Photographs by Jan Sansi.

July’s Degustabox

August 9, 2015 by Erica Hughes 21 Comments

July has been another good month for the Degustabox. We have been trying out a range of drinks again, which is a real treat in these summer months because there is always something tasty and refreshing in the fridge. On the soft drinks front there’s been Newton’s Appl Fizzics which is a refreshing blend of sparkling water and apple juice. I’ve taken the Little Miracles drinks out with us on picnics and long, hot car drives and they have been very pleasant to drink. In fact I love the fact that there are no artificial nasties and I like that they have organic ingredients too. The Lambrini was the perfect drink to share with friends on a long summer evening. It’s alcoholic, but it’s not a high alcohol content which is great for summer days when you could get dehydrated.

The Weetabix drinks are designed to be an easy way to have breakfast on the go. It’s basically all the goodness of a breakfast cereal in a bottle. I found the chocolate version a bit much for first thing, but I think that’s because I prefer a savoury breakfast. I think this is just the thing for me to drink before we leave for the airport when we go on our holiday later this month. I need to have something before I drive, but we plan to have a proper meal at the airport.

Food wise we have the Tasty Little Numbers to try. These are perfect for filling a lunch time gap or having a side dish. I love that they are easy to add up on the calories front too as that helps when you are keeping an eye on your weight. Taking The Pea was a new one for us. It’s a new healthy snack based on flavoured peas. They are a perfect lunch box size and are high in fibre, but low in fat. Say Yes To No is a very simple product. It doesn’t set out lots of ambitious promises, but has a refreshing take on pack design. It’s a tasty snack too, so it just shows you don’t need all the marketing lies. Fru Snax are another healthy snack which are perfect for a lunch box or even popping in your handbag.

Lots of lovely things to try in July’s Degustabox. Really looking forward to seeing what’s in the August box.

Degustabox June Picnic Box

July 10, 2015 by Erica Hughes 19 Comments

This month’s Degustabox has a picnic theme and there are lots of tasty goodies to enjoy either at home or on a picnic. A nice cool drink is a part of the whole picnic experience for me and it was nice to try out some different options. I took the Vybe Juice with me to the school sports day. The sun was beating down, but I didn’t feel thirsty or dehydrated because I was drinking the Vybe juice. It’s 100% natural coconut water, so it’s full of nutritional goodies and electrolytes. If I’m honest I wasn’t that keen on the taste, but definitely I’d buy it again for a hot day, as I was impressed by how refreshed it made me feel. For those that like a little kick to their picnic beverage, there’s the refreshing Rekorderlig, which is made from pure Swedish spring water. With its strawberry and lime flavour, this certainly hits the spot on a hot afternoon. I love the idea of Icycl which is a frozen vodka icepop, which comes in a range of zingy, fresh flavours like lemon and lime. Zeo’s lightly carbonated soft drinks are a blend of spring water and naturally extracted fruits and botanicals with under 30 calories a bottle it’s nice to have a drink that doesn’t make you worry about the calories.

One of the things I like about the Degustabox is the range of snacks and treats you get to try out. This box was intended as a picnic box and there are loads of products that would be ideal picnic foods. It’s a good way of sampling new products without having to scour the shelves to find something different. Hubby and I weren’t so keen on the Kallo chocolate topped rice cakes, but I think that’s because we aren’t used to eating rice cakes. My son eats them daily and he wolfed these down. Hubby got to try the sea salt and vinegar corn and rice snacks in his lunch box and they were a hit, as was the Love Chin Chin snacks (crunches like a biscuit and tastes like a cake) that also made their way to work for lunch. I’m saving the Coconom Organic Coconut Sugar up for a baking spree, but it sounds heavenly.

The Melba Thins were great for snacking or you could use them to make a nice starter or side dish with a bit of pâté or soft cheese. For breakfasts we have been trying the Brioche Pasquier products and they have been very popular – there’s nothing left. We tried both the PITCH Chocolate 6 Pack and the PITCH Chocolate Chip 4 Pack. The first has a lovely chocolate filling with a hint of hazelnut. The second is a chocolate chip brioche roll. Being individually wrapped makes them very easy to take out and about.