Homemade Jelly Sweets Recipe - feat. Titch & Cable*

I love sweet treats and chocolate and this time of the year it is hard to avoid the temptation. With Christmas right around the corner I have been looking at healthier alternative ways to get my sugar fix in and this is where my homemade jelly sweets came into play. I have been making these ‘sweets’ for a while now and they are fantastic if you want to save some calories (and your teeth!). Being on slimming world, this is a recipe that I have discovered over the years and tweaked to make delicious chewy sweets, keep reading to find out more.

I recently found out about a new company called Titch & Cable and I was surprised at the wonderful range of items available on their website. I found this mini jelly baby mould for just £7.95 and I knew it would be absolutely perfect for my homemade sweets, as well as lots of other things such as homemade chocolates and funky ice cubes that I know will be loved by people of all ages. The mould is made from a high grade silicone and is oven, freezer and microwave safe. My order arrived via DPD which is great for me as they text you when your parcel is going to be delivered so if you’re not going to be there you can then choose to have it delivered to a neighbour or DPD pickup point. Spend over £60 and next working day delivery is free if you’re in the UK.

Ingredients:
2 Sachets of Sugar Free Jelly Powder
2 Sachets of Powdered Gelatin (Vegetarian alternative can also be used)
1 Muller Light Yoghurt
½ Pint of Boiling Water
Silicone Mould

Method
Firstly add the gelatin powder and the jelly crystals to the boiling water and stir well. Pour half of this mixture into your silicone mould and pop in the fridge to set until firm. I usually give it an hour.

Once the first part has set, mix the remaining jelly/gelatin mix with your muller light and then pour this into your mould on top of the jelly. Pop back in the fridge to completely set. Once set you can then take these out of the mould. As the mould is silicone, the sweets are really easy to remove without altering them in any way. I couldn’t believe how perfect they came out. I used to put the mixture into a pyrex dish and then cut into squares which was so messy, however my new mould has been amazing and there was a lot less cleaning to do.

This whole serving made a total of 24 sweets and works out at just 3 syns for a batch (if following slimming world) or less than 250 calories for the lot. They last in the fridge for up to a week if you haven’t eaten them all by then of course.



Titch & Cable are passionate about providing their customers with a good experience and choose the suppliers that they partner with carefully to ensure products are ethically sourced. I thought the prices of the products were very reasonable and if you’re looking for a great Christmas gift there is something for everyone from kitchenware, tableware, linen and gifts. I think another amazing thing about this company is that they have partnered with Compassion, a Christian child development organisation. A portion of their profits are helping to build kitchens in Sri Lanka, ensuring children have safe, nutritious meals.

Overall, these sweets went down a storm with everyone who tried them and I cannot wait to whip up another batch. I am going to try chocolates next so keep an eye out for a future post on those. If you’d like to find out more about the products available from Titch & Cable, head over to their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Christmas Gift Guide - Collaboration with Contrado*

Ever wanted to create your own Christmas jumper or garment? Looking for a gift that would suit those who “have it all”? When I was contacted by the company Contrado, I was intrigued as to what they had to offer. The company Contrado is a creative customised printing company that collaborates with artists and designers.



I went on the website and saw that you can literally design and customise almost everything. From pyjamas to hoodies, jackets and leggings as well as home ware items such as tea towels. I thought it would be quite apt to design a Christmas jumper seeing as this product was going to be shown off in my Christmas Gift Guide. Contrado are experts at printing, especially on fabrics. I loaded up the website and couldn’t believe how easy it was to choose a design. You could change the colour of the arms, front and back of the jumper with ease. There was an option to add text, clipart or your own images to the garment.

Their products are sustainable and do not print using water. I decided to design my jumper using Photoshop. I simply cut out photos of my cat, added Christmas hats, snowflakes and then made sure the background colour matched the colour I had chosen for the jumper on the website then saved this as a JPG file. I then added the image to the jumper and cropped it to make sure it fit on the front. It looked amazing on the website when it was designed. This cost just over £50. When the jumper arrived, I was nervous to open it. I had hoped it met my expectations after seeing the preview on the website.

I needn't have worried as the jumper was even better than I expected. I have received many compliments on the jumper and when people realise it is actually my very own cat on the front they can't quite believe it! I have even had people say they want their own ones done with their pets! If you too are intrigued by what fantastic gifts you can create, head over to Contrado - you won't regret it!

*I received this item free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

The Perfect Present for Beer Lovers - Feat. Beer52*

I always get stuck on what to buy the men in the family when it comes to Christmas gifts. When you’re bored of giving people socks and aftershave every year, there aren’t too many options left. When I heard about the Beer52, I thought it would be a fantastic gift idea and something unique. 

Beer52 are the UK’s largest craft beer discovery club and their boxes are designed to fuel your passion for flavour and help you to learn about what you’re drinking. Each month you can receive a box with a tasty selection of craft  beers, a copy of Ferment magazine and some snacks. I was really impressed by the Ferment magazine, it was packed full of fun facts, beer cocktail recipes, stories, gift guides and adventures in the global craft alcohol movement. It’s definitely an interesting read and packed full of photos too! Beer52 work really closely with the breweries they feature so you can be sure the facts are correct.

The box I received contained 7 bottles and one can of various beers. First up was the Littlebro Session IPA in a can. This apparently works well with grilled foods and spicy dishes and has an upfront hop aroma and flavours of tropical fruits and citrus completed by a refreshing dry finish. The perfect size when you fancy a small one with your meal. Next up was the Flower Power hippy Dippy all Things American amber from the Flying Dutchman. This has been brewed with Centennial, Galaxy, Mosaic & tettnag hops. Matured on a bed of hibiscus flowers this is a very unique flavour and interesting bottle design which I really like. When the founders of Mikkeller and Beer52 brewed a beer together, the Beer52 Mikkeller Session IPA Mosaic was born! I love that Beer52 include their own bottles because I wouldn’t have been able try them otherwise.

There really is such a variety in this box. My favourite bottle is the Rogue Ales Santa’s Private Reserve Ale. Perfect for the festive season. If you’re wondering how much this service costs, it’s £24 for 8 beers or £29 for 10 beers on a monthly plan billed every 28 days. You can also save money by paying for 3, 6 or 12 month memberships and get it from as little as £21 per month. I’ve got a discount code for £10 off, just use code CHRISTIES10 on the Beer52 website, that’s a fantastic saving on such a fun and unique gift.

Next up we have the Brewdog Santa Paws Christmas Scotch Ale. We have a Brewdog in Norwich so it was nice to see a familiar brand included in the box. We then have the Wiper and True Mimosa brewed with beer52 Berliner Weisse and a twist of orange peel.

Finally the last two beers in the box were the Fu*k Art - The Heathens are coming - ØL Beer. I love the name of this one! Last but not least was the Mordue Brewery Krampus - a traditional germane amber ale. Such a wide selection.

If you’d like to sign up for yourself or get a subscription for someone else, don’t forget to treat yourself to £10 off by using the code CHRISTIES10 on the Beer52 website, just click on 'Have a special code? Click Here!' (Underneath the Get Started button) on the home page. You can also check them out on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

*I received these beers free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Morse Toad CHOCOLATE Christmas Cards*

I love giving Christmas cards so when I heard that the company Morse Toad offered a personalised service with a twist, I couldn’t wait to get on board with the concept. Why send someone a bog standard card when you can send them chocolate instead?

The website is really simple to navigate and I had great fun choosing my chocolate message. I went for ‘Merry Xmas – P.S We can share it!’. You can customise your order with up to 44 letters, that’s 4 rows of 11 chocolates. In total due to the amount of letters I used this card came to £17.00 which I think is great value for something so fun and unique. Standard UK delivery is free too, but the chocolate can be posted all over the world! If you’d like 10% off your order, feel free to use code: crossmeoff (expires 25.12.16).

The card takes the form of a box and the packaging is really lovely. The great thing is this fits through the letterbox so there is no fear of your recipient missing their parcel. Inside the box you had the option to add your own photograph or choose one of the pre-made designs. I went for the Morse Toad Festive photo to fit in with the Christmas theme of the gift. It would have been rude not to test out the chocolate and I was not disappointed. The delicious Belgian chocolate was of high quality and really hit the spot - this didn’t stay around for long! It is also worth noting that the chocolate is gluten and egg free! I have a few friends who will be pleased to know that. Full ingredients are provided on each box.

Of course Morse Toad products aren’t just for Christmas, there are many occasions where you can send a delicious card. Customise your card with birthday messages, thank you, happy anniversary or give as gifts to teachers at the end of the year.

Will you be sending a Morse Toad message this Christmas? Some things are better said in chocolate!

*I purchased this item with vouchers provided by the company in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

What I got for Christmas 2015

I love watching Christmas hauls and seeing what everyone got so I thought I would put it into blog post form. It's sad that you have to put a disclaimer on these "I'm not bragging" blah blah, you know the drill. I just want to share some of the things I got, maybe they'll inspire your wishlists or give you some ideas on what to buy other people on their birthdays this coming year.

I haven't included every single thing that I got as this post would be very long with all the little bits and pieces I received. I appreciated every single one of my gifts but for the purpose of this post, I have mainly included things that are a little bit different from the norm. I haven't mentioned who got me what either as I don't want to put people against each other.

One of my main presents this year was my Roberts Radio in duck egg blue. I have wanted one of these DAB radios since forever and I love the vintage look these ones have. I asked for duck egg blue as it's a nice neutral pastel colour which I know will work well with the decor I plan to have in my future home.

Hopefully I will be moving out in 2016 so this slow cooker is a godsend. I have recently been using my mums slow cooker to make pulled pork and I can't believe how easy it is! I am so excited to try some recipes out in this. I also received other house bits including plates and knives. All things that will come in handy when I move out.

Speaking of recipes I was lucky enough to receive some new recipe books. I love trying new things and all of these books are packed with great looking recipes and some healthy alternatives which I can't wait to try come January when my diet begins. Also how cute is this cat money box? I think it will look lovely on the shelf.

 All these recipes I plan to make would be incomplete without an apron wouldn't they?! Well I was lucky enough to receive 2! And one is personalised with my blog font - how awesome! My friends and family know I love baking - I can sense the theme here with these gifts!

Alcohol - say no more. I haven't tried this Echo Falls flavour yet but I received a lovely cocktail recipe to try and include this in. Also prosecco - how posh!

If I get bored of the booze then I can go onto some tea. I got a lovely glass teapot and mug alongside a pug tea infuser. I was told this was a joke gift but it's actually really handy as I have some loose tea I can use in this. I have wanted one of these boxes for ages and this one is so pretty. It looks great with my teabags in too! Speaking of tea I received the Body Shop green tea bath salts and infuser which I can't wait to try out when I next have a bath.

And then there's the beauty bits... Plenty to keep me going in the new year. I love trying new products so it's always great receiving things like this - also how cute is the penguin!

I received so many lovely gifts, some of which I haven't been able to include but I would like to thank every single person who bought me a gift. I also received some vouchers so will do a haul post on what I spend those on. I also have vouchers for an experience day so will blog about that when I choose what I will be doing!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Please link me your Christmas hauls! Happy new year!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas Feat. Snapfish*

Christmas is less than a month away now and I don’t know about you, but I am finalising all of my presents and stocking up on those little stocking stuffers that really finish off a Christmas gift. I class a stocking stuffer as something small that is generally less than £10. This is where Snapfish is great, with its huge range of personalised gifts at great prices, you can find something for everyone. I’ve gotten creative this year and decided to design some lovely personalised gifts for all of the family.

For the Couple

My brother has recently moved in with his Girlfriend so I decided to get him some personalised coasters as a house-warming gift that also doubles up as being quite practical. I chose to use a scrabble letter design, knowing they would like this and that it would match other decor in their house. With Snapfish, anything is possible with the designs. You can upload photos to your coasters or even quotes. It is easy to create 6 individual different designs or a matching set.  A set of 6 coasters costs just £9.99 which is great value for such a lovely personalised gift. You could also add a set of photo mugs to go with them.

For the Animal Lover 
We all have that one friend or family member who is obsessed with their pet. What better way to treat them this Christmas than to order them something with their much-loved animal on it. Snapfish have a great range of personalised photo magnets starting at just £2.99, collage prints from 11p and customised photo mugs from £7.99 that you can fill with sweets. I chose to use different photos for each of the gifts and I just know the animal lover of the family is going to love waking up to these on Christmas morning. Complete the gift by popping some treats for the pet in the stocking too, animals deserve presents at Christmas too!

For the Kids

If you’re buying for a child who is a great lover of stationery then look no further than the great range available at Snapfish. Why not treat your loved one to a customised notebook with a photo from their favourite TV show priced from £5.99, a personalisedkey-ring for £2.99 and some personalised stickers for £2.49. Kids love stickers and you can complete the gift with a set of pens or pencils which will keep them busy for hours come Christmas day.

Another great idea would be to buy a personalised calendar ready for 2016. I have previously reviewed these here.

I really hope you’ve got some ideas for personalised Christmas stocking fillers! For more great ideas, head over to Snapfish and look at their Stocking Stuffer Photo Gifts. What are you buying for your loved ones?

*I was provided with the personalised photo gifts from Snapfish free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

The Bluffer’s Guide to .. Stocking Fillers*

With Christmas drawing closer and closer I am desperately rushing around trying to get all of my shopping finished and top up everyone’s presents with little stocking fillers that really finish a gift off.

When I heard about the range of books available at Bluffers, I was intrigued to find out what they were all about. With more than 5 million copies sold, Bluffers have over 88 titles to choose from. They offer short humorous guides on all sorts of topics which enable you to become an instant expert in that field. Topics range from Food, to Dogs, to Sport and you can find a full list over on their website.

Bluffers very kindly sent me a few of their guides for review, and I think they are great. These are the perfect addition to anyone’s Christmas gift. I received the Bluffer’s Guides to Cyling, Cats and Food, priced at just £6.99 each, or currently you can create your own personalised gift set and pick up 3 for the price of 2 over on their website. 

The Bluffer’s Guide to Food is my favourite book of the three, and let’s face it – who doesn’t love food?! This book is filled with witty one liners and things even I didn’t know as a food lover. For example, did you know the potato originated from Peru?! 

The Bluffer’s Guide to Cycling is informative and gives you as much information as you need to be able to bluff your way through a conversation with a keen cyclist. Cyclists love to over-complicate different things but I can now happily say I know the difference between a bonk and a peloton.  Not only is the book funny it will be loved by all. 

 

The Bluffer’s Guide to Cats was the first book I looked at and I can guarantee all cat lovers would be over the moon with receiving this on Christmas morning. I flicked through the book to brush on my already strong cat knowledge to become a fully-fledged cat whisperer – no joke.

These small paperbacks are witty and fun and provide you with just the right amount of facts to be able to ‘bluff’ yourself through any encounter with an expert in that field. As well as being really funny, the books do actually provide you with some interesting facts. I would love to receive one of these for Christmas, I can see myself now reeling off facts about Cycling around the turkey on Christmas day, my family bemused wondering where on earth I developed this sudden knowledge.

If you’ve got someone you don’t know what to buy for, then Bluffer’s Guides are great. Pop these on your Christmas shopping list, I guarantee your family and friends will love then, and you won’t want to part with them! Buy now direct from Bluffers or Amazon.

*I received these items free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

Christmas Gift Ideas

With just over 5 weeks until Christmas, most of us only have one more payday in which it’s feasible to buy presents. If you’re stuck for ideas but want to get the ball rolling and get everything finished then look no further. I’ve brought you some Christmas gift ideas that could spark your imagination and inspire you to finish your shopping off sooner rather than later.

Personalised Gift Ideas
If you’re looking for a unique gift that you know the recipient won’t already have, then you need to check out the unique Christmas gift range over on Personalised Gift Solutions. With free delivery on all gifts you can pick up presents at a great price without having to pay over the odds for delivery. I love the personalised cheese board I received earlier in the year, I think it makes the perfect gift for someone who has everything. I also love this Personalised Oak Photo Cube Keepsake Box which would be a lovely present for anyone. These Personalised Christmas Beer Triple Pack are a great gift for dads. Personalised Gift Solutions have very kindly provided me with a discount code for you all to use so if you fancy 10% off, head over to their website now and enter the code 10%OFF4CHRISTIE before Christmas!

Homemade Gifts
If you’re on a budget this year then why not make some homemade gifts to wow your friends and family. Fudge is really simple to make, as is this salted chocolate nut crunch and who doesn’t love a mince pie? Delicious.

Jewellery
I received this gorgeous necklace from Lylia Rose last week and if you head over to their website they showcase an amazing range of jewellery, scarves and accessories. I think these pieces make beautiful gifts. Lylia Rose have very kindly offered me a discount code to share with you, so if you fancy 20% off head to the checkout and use code CHRISTIE. Keep an eye on my blog for a more in depth review and OOTD featuring Lylia Rose next week.

If you're still completely stuck for ideas and looking for an amazing present, why not check out the Gear Hungry website for some incredible gift ideas.

What will you be buying this Christmas?

Sweet and Salty Nut Crunch - Homemade Christmas Gifts.

I recently  made some Sweet and Salty nut crunch which I adapted from a Nigella Lawson Recipe (here). This always goes down really well in my house with very little to spare. This is also great for slicing up and putting in a jar or treat bags and giving away as Christmas gifts which is what I plan to do nearer the time. This is also really easy to make, that's if you can manage to do it without eating it all!

 

Ingredients

300g Chocolate (I used milk chocolate)

125g Butter

3 tbsp Golden Syrup

250g Salted Peanuts

4 x Crunchie Bars

30g Digestive Biscuits

Method

Heat together the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a pan until all ingredients have melted evenly. I actually did mine in the microwave and kept an eye on it ensuring I stirred every 20 seconds.

Meanwhile, mix your dry ingredients together (the peanuts, biscuits, and crunchies - broken up)

Add your heated mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well until combined.

Place into a baking dish or similar. I used a silicone quiche pan! 

Place in the fridge for a few hours until set, cut into pieces and serve however you wish. This will probably last about a week or so in the fridge - certainly not in my house though! 

I love serving the crunch bars in jars. I bought mine from Wilkinsons which is where I bought the 'Made for you' gift tags which I think are the perfect touch. The ribbons came from Poundland.

Click here to see my homemade chocolate fudge recipe, also perfect for a DIY Christmas gift!

Let me know if you try this recipe out.