Festive Food and Drink Round Up

Our fabulous Cotton On’s blogger Zoe Lester very kindly organised us huge goody bags! To carry all the goodies, we’re thankfully to JoJoMaman Bebe who sponsored us each a navy JoJo Buggy Bag valued at £9 RRP. This is definitely a great value practical bag. It can be worn over the shoulder or clipped onto the handles of a buggy. It is very big (H36 x W51 x D11cm) and can fill a lot of useful stuff so is perfect for shopping. I have not used it on a buggy as Ms C is able to walk everywhere now.  But I imagine it would be very handy for a picnic too!  The large strap is quite long and the design is unisex which can be also carried by men!

Inside the bag, there was also a packet of Baobab powder, which we had reviewed before. Click here to view how we used it in our smoothies and curry! I had also added Clarks Maple Syrup to my smoothies in that blog post.

Clarks Maple Syrup come in four different flavours:

1. Clarks Canadian No.1 (Medium) Maple Syrup
2. Clarks Canadian No.2 (Amber) Maple Syrup
3. Clarks Original Maple Syrup
4. Clarks Vanilla Maple Syrup

I used the syrup to flavour chicken drumsticks that were seasoned with salt and pepper six hours before putting into the oven. Five minutes before the chicken is ready, I spread the syrup on top of the chicken drumstick. The chicken drumsticks tastes sumptuous!  There is no limit to using the syrup! They are also great for coffee, strawberries, ice cream, porridge, salmon, sponge cakes, pancakes, milkshakes and many more!

The Spice Tailor is a range of authentic and traditional Indian sauces developed and launched by popular TV Chef and Cookery Writer, Anjum Anand. They are so easy to cook with 3 simple steps.  The spices are neatly pack in a separate bag. I tried the spiced spinach curry. I was amazed that both of my children were not aware of the spinach as they quite well blended in and they ate it all!  It is quite a mild sweet curry and suitable for most.

Next is the Tilda microwave rice. Tilda was the first company to bring Basmati to the Western World over 40 years ago and has become an international food brand selling in over 50 countries. We have tried them all. The Basmati rice is very tasty and slightly more firm than Thai fragrant rice which I normally eat. They are great for busy families and a big help to mum too. You can stock them up as they have long expiry dates. Just microwave them and within minutes, you can have a proper meal. Each packet comes with a good portion of rice. They also have a Tilda Kids range aimed at children especially the fussier ones who don’t eat their vegetables as it contains a blend of hidden vegetable purée. They are developed to cater for a child’s taste pallet and can be eaten on their own or with accompaniment.

We were also sent a goody bag of Soreen products!  I was very excited when I saw these. They didn’t last long in this household. The Limited Edition Chocolate Loaf has the unique malt flavouring but it is packed with a lot of chocolate chips! The banana snack pack is great for putting inside lunch boxes.  It is very small but tasty.  I loved them but not Mr C as he found the banana was not moist enough for his liking!  We toasted the Fruity-Five Toastie Loaf and it is still quite squidgy. They are all gorgeous!

After all the toasties, we brewed some Teapigs and Tetley while my children tried Choc Shot. I had not come across Teapigs before this event. It comes in a biodegradable tea temple bag. The material of the bag is very unique made from a silky transparent purse. They have a wide range of black, green, white, red and herbal teas. It is one of the best teas I have ever had. The taste is full and strong.

I had not heard nor seen Choc Shot before and I’m so glad to have discovered them.  I always have a hard time looking for liquid chocolate to add in smoothies or desserts! Choc Shot is 100% natural, low GI / GL, suitable for diabetics as part of a healthy diet, no artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives, GM & gluten free.  Also suitable for vegetarians and vegans. It is very smooth flowing out of the cap.  The Choc Shot is sweet with a hint of cocoa bitterness to it. Once opened, it is to be used within 8 weeks but no need to refrigerate. I have added it to porridge, rice pudding, ice cream and smoothies too! I would highly recommend them!

I also received a bottle of Weight Watchers Hot Chocolate Drink with Caramel but was unable to try it as was already past it’s best before date. We also had some Green & Blacks chocolate to try! Specifically, it was the chilli chocolate flavour and I gave it to Mr C to try as he loves his spicy chocolates. He loved the warming flavour of the chilli.

Many thanks too to Carling Zest with a hint of winter berries! It contains 2.8% alcohol. It is very light and easy to drink. It is a fruity and sweet lager. They are great for the festive period! My husband who normally likes the traditional lagers enjoyed it too and thought it was refreshing.

Last but not least we also received Post-it pads! I paste them on my fridge and use these all the time for jotting down notes, shopping lists etc. I love this lined super sticky range! So much easier to read too! The vibrant colours make notes look so much more interesting too!

Disclosure: We received the samples for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own.