I have had a marvellous array of foodie products and items sent to me this month so let’s get the show on the road!
The Kitchen Magpie by James Steen
This book really does what it says on the tin! It is as if a magpie has flown around the world gathered together a smorgasbord of culinary curiosities and then sprinkled them with a good dash of British humour. This magpie is also well connected with many high flying (pun intended) foodies such as Mary Berry, Michel Roux Jr, James Martin, Antonio Carlucci, Marco Pierre White, Ken Hom and a host of others adding their wisdom to the melting pot. Scattered with recipes here and there, there really is something for everyone in this book – I might not be re-creating the recipe with garden snails and steak any time soon though (steak is so expensive) but I have book marked Marcus Wareing’s Banana Bread!
So to sum up, this book was right up my street as it contained interesting historical and quirky culinary facts, recipes, you could dip in and out of it randomly (I’m not the best reader) and I think every rest room should have one (that’s polite for toilet)!
The Kitchen Magpie is published by Icon Books rrp £12.99
You can follow James on twitter @jamessteen100
9bar Breakfast
My daughter and I greatly enjoyed trying out the new 9bar Breakfast range. They come in 4 different varieties: Almond and Raspberry, Cashew & Cocoa, Apricot & Strawberry and Peanut & Raisin with an average calorie count of around 230. I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious these bars were which are packed with nutritious seeds, chewy oats, puffed brown rice and protein packed soya crispies. If you don’t have time for breakfast then these bars are a great way to not miss out on one of the most important meals of the day! My only complaint would be that they all contain nuts so I could never send these bars off with my kids to school (due to no nuts policy) which is a shame as they are so healthy!
The 9bar Breakfast have an rrp of 90p
For more information check out their twitter: @9bar_Official
Clearspring 100% Fruit on the Go
I’m always looking for new ways to get more fruit into my children’s diet and these new Fruit on the Go puree squeezies by Clearspring are just perfect for that. The range has 3 flavours: Apple & Mango, Pear and Apple & Blueberry . 100% Fruit on the Go is made with ripe organic fruit which is prepared using minimal heat to retain its natural flavour. There are no concentrates, sweeteners, preservatives or water added which is such a plus! I tried these out on my children who absolutely loved them. Clearspring are also targeting this product at adults and although the packaging doesn’t appeal to me, I can see that there a places this product would come in handy where you can’t get messy eg out and about, at the gym or as my husband helpfully suggested “it would be good for spacemen”!
The rrp is 89p per pouch.
For more information check out their twitter: @ClearspringFood
Bahlsen Pick Up
Well firstly hurrah for the extremely generous sample that arrived from Bahlsen – an entire box of Pick Up biscuits which my kids in particular were very excited about. Imagine a bar of milk chocolate encased in two light crispy biscuits = simple and delicious. They contain no added preservatives, artificial colours or hydrogenated fats so we can all have a clear conscience buying these. Pick Up come individually wrapped in packs of 5 and are perfect for picnics, snacking on the go or just as a treat with a cuppa (a warning though, they are very moreish).
Do be aware that they do contain hazelnuts for anyone affected by nut allergies.
Available at Morrisons, Waitrose, Sainsbury, Tesco & independent retailers rrp £1.69
You can find Bahlsen on twitter @BahlsenBiscuits
Twinings Sweet Greens Range
In a bid to jazz up green tea Twinings has brought out 3 new flavours: Salted Caramel, Caramelised Apple and Gingerbread. I’m not really a green tea drinker as in the past I’ve found it quite strong and not really a pleasant experience. However I am very aware of the health benefits of green tea (all those antioxidants) so when I read about these flavoured green teas I thought they might suit me better! Indeed they did and even my 10 year old daughter joined in the taste testing insisting that her first cup of Caramelised Apple be chilled and served with ice! She gave it 7 out of 10. I found all the teas to be smooth, mellow and not over powering in the least – just a soothing hug in a mug really! Many people on Instagram said their favourite was the Caramelised Apple but I can’t actually pick a favourite as they all have their own unique charm. I’d say the Gingerbread one would be great for any pregnant ladies out there with morning sickness and I know I went completely off black tea when I was pregnant!
The Sweet Greens range is available at major retailers rrp £2.49
Twinings can be found on twitter @TwiningsTeaUK
Ora Kitchen Towels
I don’t often get excited about kitchen towels but when I received a press release about the Ora ones I have to say I did (simple things as they say..). There are several thing to get excited about, firsty the Ora kitchen towel is round and stacks in a folded cone shape for easy one handed use. The towels are really strong and absorbent so cleaning things like mirrors (even with just water) and wiping dry with another towel is a doddle. The Ora kitchen towels are kinder to the environment as they save on packaging and you get the equivalent of 2 rolls in 1 stack so less transport needed. I have been using them to line my round bread basket and I can imagine they would be great for kids to make snowflake window decorations or you could even fashion your own doiley for a cake stand!. Finally they look quite funky and there’s no need for a kitchen roll holder (which incidentally my cat knocked onto my tiled floor and being made of marble crumbled into many pieces)!
I will definitely be buying Ora kitchen towels from now on as they tick every box as far as I’m concerned!
Available at over 100 Tesco stores rrp £1.89
For more information follow Ora on twitter @Ora_Home
See you all next month when I’ll have another collection of exciting new products!
I’m linking this post to Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary Kids Corner – a blog hop for kids’ reviews!
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry
I could happy bury my face in that recipe book whilst I eat the biscuits and have a twinnings cuppa. Lucky, lucky you.
Camilla
Thanks, it’s been a good month for useful and delicious samples:-)
Caroline Taylor
What a great selection of products; I like the sound of all of them but especially that book. Think I’ll have to look out for that one!
Camilla
Thanks, yes it was an especially good month:-)
Elizabeth
What a fantastic selection of goodies to review – I bet your kids had a lot of fun with the sweet treats! Those paper towels look intriguing…. must watch out for them in our local Tesco. Thank you for linking up to #KidsCorner!
Camilla
Thanks Elizabeth, we all enjoyed the products immensely this month:-)
Miss. Lucinda Fountain
Some fantastic products which i am very interested in! Such as the “Kitchen Magpie” book (that sounds brilliant and a handy read) to the fab snacks…chocolate and healthy fruit!
Simply brilliant 🙂
Camilla
So glad you enjoyed the reviews:-)