This week I got my first ever delivery from Hello Fresh. They offer a weekly box full of all the fresh ingredients required to make delicious meals from scratch, along with the recipe cards to guide you through it. The service is £39 for a box with three meals for two people, though they have different subscriptions if you want more meals per week or have more mouths to feed!

The three recipes in this week’s box were: Hail Caesar Salad with Roasted Lime and Herb Chicken, Pan-Fried Salmon with Homemade Guacamole and New Potatoes and Chicken Curry of Champions with Basmati Rice. The ingredients arrived in a cardboard box which has special insulation and ice packs to keep everything chilled.


You get all the fresh ingredients you need and in the quantities you need. Everything is measured out although some items you get an entire bag. Take the spinach, the recipe calls for 100g of spinach but they generously sent an entire 250g bag!


You get all the little extras like herbs and even butter, all measured out! I thought this is so handy because I hate when I have to buy an entire tub of some obscure spice just for one recipe, I know I’ll never use it again!


You get recipe cards for each meal which are printed on high quality card (I’ll be keeping these for another time, thanks!) with step-by-step instructions showing you exactly what to do.


Finally, as this was my first delivery. Hello Fresh sent me a little welcome present: a bar of Prestat chocolate. Yum yum yum, I love Prestat chocolate so I was very pleasantly surprised to see this at the top of the box!


I’ll update you with how I got on with the recipes and see whether my attempts look anything like the pictures on the recipe cards. In the meantime, if you fancy trying out Hello Fresh for yourself I have a discount code which will get you £20 off your first box! The code is C4MJSY, just pop over to www.hellofresh.co.uk to get going!



Introducing Hello Fresh

This week I got my first ever delivery from Hello Fresh. They offer a weekly box full of all the fresh ingredients required to make delicious meals from scratch, along with the recipe cards to guide you through it. The service is £39 for a box with three meals for two people, though they have different subscriptions if you want more meals per week or have more mouths to feed!

The three recipes in this week’s box were: Hail Caesar Salad with Roasted Lime and Herb Chicken, Pan-Fried Salmon with Homemade Guacamole and New Potatoes and Chicken Curry of Champions with Basmati Rice. The ingredients arrived in a cardboard box which has special insulation and ice packs to keep everything chilled.


You get all the fresh ingredients you need and in the quantities you need. Everything is measured out although some items you get an entire bag. Take the spinach, the recipe calls for 100g of spinach but they generously sent an entire 250g bag!


You get all the little extras like herbs and even butter, all measured out! I thought this is so handy because I hate when I have to buy an entire tub of some obscure spice just for one recipe, I know I’ll never use it again!


You get recipe cards for each meal which are printed on high quality card (I’ll be keeping these for another time, thanks!) with step-by-step instructions showing you exactly what to do.


Finally, as this was my first delivery. Hello Fresh sent me a little welcome present: a bar of Prestat chocolate. Yum yum yum, I love Prestat chocolate so I was very pleasantly surprised to see this at the top of the box!


I’ll update you with how I got on with the recipes and see whether my attempts look anything like the pictures on the recipe cards. In the meantime, if you fancy trying out Hello Fresh for yourself I have a discount code which will get you £20 off your first box! The code is C4MJSY, just pop over to www.hellofresh.co.uk to get going!



I popped into Boots the other day as I was out of eye makeup remover. My local Boots store is only a little one so it doesn’t have the widest range of products, but my eyes were drawn to the revamped Boots Botanics range. I decided to try their All Bright Soothing Eye Makeup Remover.  




It’s a two-phase product – one half is oil which removes makeup, including waterproof makeup, and the other half is an aqueous phase which soothes the skin and conditions lashes. It contacts hibiscus to brighten the skin and natural AHAs which exfoliate. To use it, you simply shake the bottle to mix the two phases together then apply to a cotton wool ball and sweep over the eye area.

It is an effective product; it takes off all my eye makeup including mascara in one go. I never use waterproof mascara though so I don’t know how well it would work at removing that. The only downside is that it leaves quite a greasy residue which I really don’t like. I have to use a warm, damp flannel to make sure all of the residue is gone. The usual price of this is £3.99 for 150ml so for that price I can put up with it!

Have you tried anything from the revamped Botanics range?



Boots Botanics All Bright Soothing Eye Makeup Remover

I popped into Boots the other day as I was out of eye makeup remover. My local Boots store is only a little one so it doesn’t have the widest range of products, but my eyes were drawn to the revamped Boots Botanics range. I decided to try their All Bright Soothing Eye Makeup Remover.  




It’s a two-phase product – one half is oil which removes makeup, including waterproof makeup, and the other half is an aqueous phase which soothes the skin and conditions lashes. It contacts hibiscus to brighten the skin and natural AHAs which exfoliate. To use it, you simply shake the bottle to mix the two phases together then apply to a cotton wool ball and sweep over the eye area.

It is an effective product; it takes off all my eye makeup including mascara in one go. I never use waterproof mascara though so I don’t know how well it would work at removing that. The only downside is that it leaves quite a greasy residue which I really don’t like. I have to use a warm, damp flannel to make sure all of the residue is gone. The usual price of this is £3.99 for 150ml so for that price I can put up with it!

Have you tried anything from the revamped Botanics range?



Technically this should be a Food Sunday, but Food Friday just has a better ring to it! I love a Sunday roast, a proper Sunday roast with all the trimmings. The problem is I’m a little bit impatient and don’t want to wait hours for it, so recently when I've had a craving for a Sunday roast I've headed to Hermitage Rd Bar and Restaurant in my hometown of Hitchin.


This gorgeous restaurant is absolutely huge inside; high ceilings, bared naked brick walls, loads of light and you can see right into the kitchen. It has a fab bar too with a vast wine selection as well as a good few cocktails to choose from. They’ve also got a coffee bar downstairs but I’ve never actually visited it; I cannot be swayed from my beloved Starbucks, sorry!


I went to Hermitage Rd Bar and Restaurant on Sunday (obvs!) with my lovely friend Lauren, who decided to photograph our food because it was so yummy! We both decided to have the beef – mine was well-done as I’m pregnant, Lauren’s was cooked medium-rare. If I wasn’t pregnant I would have asked if they could do mine rare as that’s my preference.


The beef came with Yorkshire pudding, potatoes roasted in duck fat, red wine gravy and a side of seasonal vegetables which included spring greens, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. The potatoes were divine! And the red wine gravy was amazing, if I could have got away with licking my plate I would have done!

For pudding we both went for one of the specials: rhubarb and apple crumble. It was served with a little dollop of vanilla ice-cream. Absolutely delicious! It took me back to my childhood and when I used to go to my Nan and Granddad’s, they’d make a proper roast dinner and we’d have apple crumble after.


The cost of a Sunday roast with all the trimmings, a pudding and a glass of Coke to wash it down -  £21.70 each. Considering that I’d rate this as one of the best Sunday roasts in town I think that’s a bit of a steal. I say “one of the best” because The Radcliffe Arms do a bloody good roast too and I can’t decide which is better. Neither will ever be as good as your Nan’s roast dinner though :)


Sunday Lunch at Hermitage Rd Restaurant, Hitchin

Technically this should be a Food Sunday, but Food Friday just has a better ring to it! I love a Sunday roast, a proper Sunday roast with all the trimmings. The problem is I’m a little bit impatient and don’t want to wait hours for it, so recently when I've had a craving for a Sunday roast I've headed to Hermitage Rd Bar and Restaurant in my hometown of Hitchin.


This gorgeous restaurant is absolutely huge inside; high ceilings, bared naked brick walls, loads of light and you can see right into the kitchen. It has a fab bar too with a vast wine selection as well as a good few cocktails to choose from. They’ve also got a coffee bar downstairs but I’ve never actually visited it; I cannot be swayed from my beloved Starbucks, sorry!


I went to Hermitage Rd Bar and Restaurant on Sunday (obvs!) with my lovely friend Lauren, who decided to photograph our food because it was so yummy! We both decided to have the beef – mine was well-done as I’m pregnant, Lauren’s was cooked medium-rare. If I wasn’t pregnant I would have asked if they could do mine rare as that’s my preference.


The beef came with Yorkshire pudding, potatoes roasted in duck fat, red wine gravy and a side of seasonal vegetables which included spring greens, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. The potatoes were divine! And the red wine gravy was amazing, if I could have got away with licking my plate I would have done!

For pudding we both went for one of the specials: rhubarb and apple crumble. It was served with a little dollop of vanilla ice-cream. Absolutely delicious! It took me back to my childhood and when I used to go to my Nan and Granddad’s, they’d make a proper roast dinner and we’d have apple crumble after.


The cost of a Sunday roast with all the trimmings, a pudding and a glass of Coke to wash it down -  £21.70 each. Considering that I’d rate this as one of the best Sunday roasts in town I think that’s a bit of a steal. I say “one of the best” because The Radcliffe Arms do a bloody good roast too and I can’t decide which is better. Neither will ever be as good as your Nan’s roast dinner though :)


I don’t know about you but when I go away for a weekend break or overnight stay, it’s always such a palaver choosing and packing the various lotions and potions. It can be hit or miss on the toiletries that hotels provide so I always end up carting all my own stuff with me. So I was really excited when I heard that Montagne Jeunesse had brought out a Travel Pamper Pack to solve our beauty travel needs and snapped up the chance to review the pack.


You get six sachets of products in a handy little wallet which is the perfect size to pop into your hand luggage. The pack contains 1 x Passion Peel Off Masque, 1 x Skin Smoother, 2 x Body Washes, 1 x Foot Cooler and 1 x Intensive Spa Hair Masque. It pretty much covers everything you need for an overnight stay, a girlie pamper evening or just head to toe kit for getting ready for a night out.



I decided to use everything in one go in a massive pampering session last night! I applied the Passion Peel Off Masque first; it’s really fresh and fruity with pulped pomegranate, passion flower, raspberry, grape, cranberry and vitamin E to protect your skin and deeply cleanse. Once it’s dry you just peel it off! My skin felt toned and smooth. Whilst the masque was doing its thing I used the Skin Smoother to exfoliate my legs, though you can use it on your face or body. This contains apricot kernel, aloe vera and mango. It has a really creamy consistency and a soft, subtle fruity scent.


I then used one of the sachets of Body Wash. This is lovely! I love using citrus-scented shower gels and body washes as I find them really invigorating as this was no exception. It has a really orangey scent and, although it seems like a tiny sachet, there is loads! The Intensive Spa Hair Masque is another winner with its zingy lime scent and it only takes 3 minutes to work its magic. It's not as nourishing as the hair treatments I normally tend to use but it left my hair feeling soft and shiny.

Finally I used the Foot Cooler. This product is not like anything else I’ve ever used. You massage the creamy lotion into your feet and as you do it dries to a chalky powder. It’s really refreshing, fragranced with blueberry and peppermint, and makes your feet feel soothed and cool.

The Montagne Jeunesse Travel Pamper Pack costs £5.00 and can be bought from the Montagne Jeunesse website – postage is only 75p but if you spend over £10.00 you can currently get free delivery. All Montagne Jeunesse products are suitable for vegetarians and made with natural ingredients.


Disclosure: I received this product for free to review, however all thoughts and opinion are my own.

REVIEW: Montagne Jeunesse Travel Pamper Pack

I don’t know about you but when I go away for a weekend break or overnight stay, it’s always such a palaver choosing and packing the various lotions and potions. It can be hit or miss on the toiletries that hotels provide so I always end up carting all my own stuff with me. So I was really excited when I heard that Montagne Jeunesse had brought out a Travel Pamper Pack to solve our beauty travel needs and snapped up the chance to review the pack.


You get six sachets of products in a handy little wallet which is the perfect size to pop into your hand luggage. The pack contains 1 x Passion Peel Off Masque, 1 x Skin Smoother, 2 x Body Washes, 1 x Foot Cooler and 1 x Intensive Spa Hair Masque. It pretty much covers everything you need for an overnight stay, a girlie pamper evening or just head to toe kit for getting ready for a night out.



I decided to use everything in one go in a massive pampering session last night! I applied the Passion Peel Off Masque first; it’s really fresh and fruity with pulped pomegranate, passion flower, raspberry, grape, cranberry and vitamin E to protect your skin and deeply cleanse. Once it’s dry you just peel it off! My skin felt toned and smooth. Whilst the masque was doing its thing I used the Skin Smoother to exfoliate my legs, though you can use it on your face or body. This contains apricot kernel, aloe vera and mango. It has a really creamy consistency and a soft, subtle fruity scent.


I then used one of the sachets of Body Wash. This is lovely! I love using citrus-scented shower gels and body washes as I find them really invigorating as this was no exception. It has a really orangey scent and, although it seems like a tiny sachet, there is loads! The Intensive Spa Hair Masque is another winner with its zingy lime scent and it only takes 3 minutes to work its magic. It's not as nourishing as the hair treatments I normally tend to use but it left my hair feeling soft and shiny.

Finally I used the Foot Cooler. This product is not like anything else I’ve ever used. You massage the creamy lotion into your feet and as you do it dries to a chalky powder. It’s really refreshing, fragranced with blueberry and peppermint, and makes your feet feel soothed and cool.

The Montagne Jeunesse Travel Pamper Pack costs £5.00 and can be bought from the Montagne Jeunesse website – postage is only 75p but if you spend over £10.00 you can currently get free delivery. All Montagne Jeunesse products are suitable for vegetarians and made with natural ingredients.


Disclosure: I received this product for free to review, however all thoughts and opinion are my own.
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