Thanks to all the amazing companies who sponsored our Bloggers Night In. It was a night to meet and chat about all the good times. Pippa Ainsworth organised a secret Santa amongst the 13 of us. As a non-Christian, I don’t celebrate Christmas, but I decided to make an effort to decorate my bamboo trees with red & green beads, snowflakes and baubles. So when everyone arrived, they dropped their gift into Santa Claus’ bag! These are the looks of the recipients receiving their gifts. I think out of all the gifts, I got the most naughty gift from Laura CYMFT – p-shaped sweeties! Ha ha! How she knows I love that?! Of course, this historic night can’t go without snacks! Many fab companies offered us delights from their products and I’m very grateful for their kindness.
First, I had bought a few packets of Birds Eye Chicken Strips and Chicken Popstars from Morrisons (can be found in Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s too). Put it in the oven straight from the freezer for 15 minutes and they are ready. They are made from 100% chicken breast. They are great as finger food and taste very delicious.
This is my first time experiencing Mr Trotter! I love Original pork crackling and the potato crisps! They are so so yummy. Jalapeno Chili is bit too spicy for my liking! The pork crackling is a high end product made from 100% prime British pork skin from only the finest British out-door bred pigs. It is seasoned with the finest blend of natural ingredients, including sea salt and with no added MSG. The potato crisps are made from top grade local potatoes, sliced with their skins on for fuller flavour and cooked in award winning rapeseed oil before being seasoned with a sprinkling of Mr Trotters Original seasoning (no added MSG).
Popcorn is a food not to be missed when hosting a party! They are a great food for grazing! Darling spuds popcorn is very unique! It comes in a fun pack in sweet and salty flavour. I am not a big fan of salty but it is in fact a very nice combination! My kids love them too!
We were also given 6 packets of popchips which I didn’t have chance to try. I am pretty sure from the feedback I got from the other bloggers that they are very nice! Their potato chips are popped (like popcorn) with all the flavour and less than half the fat of fried crisps and less than 100 calories per serving.
We also had delicious sweet treats from Orgran. They are suitable for people wIth various food intolerances and allergies. We had the shortbread hearts, Amaretti biscotti biscuits and classic choc. I’m not so keen on them as they are quite hard but our Lenny Leonard loves them! She almost finished the box!
I am a peanut lover! If I am in Singapore, all my desserts that I ordered tend to have peanuts in it! We all tried the Tropical Sunfood coconut peanuts. I loved it and would buy them again. They are great to go with beers or party food! They are so delicious that I could not stop eating them! In fact, I told Tina Mansfield I would have a tin from her!
In other nuts, we had Wonderful Pistachios: roasted & salted; salt & pepper; sweet chili and roasted no salt. They are from California and are seasoned for a delicious flavour with a satisfying crunch. Sun-ripened and 100% naturally opened. I personally love the salt & pepper as they are particularly delectable.
We also had the Ryvita Thins Bites. They are perfect bite-size treats and come in two tasty flavours: Sweet Chilli and Cheddar & Cracked Black Pepper. They are 80 calories a serving and a good source of fibre. They are in fact very nice and crunchy to eat with or without dip!
Try their top tips for choosing the right wine to serve with your Ryvita® Thins:
- Ryvita® Cheddar & Cracked Black Pepper Thins and Cabernet Sauvignon
Complement the mature Cheddar tanginess of the flatbread with a savoury cheese and onion dip, matched with spicy, full-flavoured Cabernet Sauvignon, with dark berry fruits and a subtle hint of pepperiness of its own. - Ryvita® Sweet Chilli Thins and Chardonnay
For some serious downtime dipping, perhaps curled up with Facebook or the latest box-set, treat yourself to a Mexican combo of piquant Sweet Chilli Thins laden with generous scoops of velvety-smooth guacamole with coriander and lime and a kick of jalapenos. Stoke the fires with a glass of chilled Chardonnay with hints of toasted oak.
What party doesn’t come with sweets and chocolates! Of course ours did! Nanobytes Sweets come in three flavours: strawberry, bubble gum and cola, in a resealable bag. They are so tiny but yet so tasty! I didn’t even share with my children as they are too nice to be shared!
Inside our goody bags, we had a mixture of Swizzels Matlow sweets. They are also great for any occasion to pop into a child’s party bag or placed in bowl for sharing, but all will be gone before you know it!
When someone bought chocolate, you don’t say no! Thanks to Guylian Belgian Chocolate! They are a perfect end to the night with chocolates and coffee! They come in a very well presented box and so great to gift too. It is made with 100% pure cocoa butter and their unique hazelnut praliné filling, made with caramelised and roasted hazelnuts, resulting in brilliantly shinning marbled shells. Have to say that box didn’t last long all! They were all gone within minutes! We had some hungry ladies!
Each of us also received a Pink Lady apple! Have you tried making honey dried apple crisps? They are really easy to make! Check out their website for more recipes!
Of course, a party can’t go without games! We had a bum moulding challenge. I received the beach bum mould and a tub of nude peach icing from Cake Craft World. We all made a free mould bum plus something else! The beach bum mould is quite small and easy to use. They are definitely great for a beach party! A lot of bums on the cupcake! Yum Yum! Really grateful to all the companies! Without them, our party snack wouldn’t have been such a success!
Disclosure: We received the samples for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own.