Review: Handmade Cheesecake Company

The Handmade Cheesecake Company make a range of 
mouthwatering delicious cheesecakes and more. 

All of the cakes are handmade in their premises in Ayr,
and come in a range of funky and traditional flavours. 

The cheesecakes are suitable for any occasion
and can even be personalised. 

I was given the chance to try one of there yummy cheesecake flavours. 
The cheesecake came within 2 days of ordering and was delivered
in a polystyrene box with an ice pack to keep 
it nice and cold as well as fresh and then in another
box to keep it protected. 
  



I didn't know what cake I was going to be getting so it was all a surprise for me. 
The box said that it was a Millionaires cheesecake and I was excited to open the box. 

As you can see it is very chocolaty and looks quite delicious. 



The Millionaires Cheesecake is very rich and indulgent 
with a creamy caramel cheesecake on digestive biscuit base,
finished with milk chocolate ganache and white and milk Belgian chocolate shavings.

Making this an chocolate lovers dream. 



The cheesecake retails at £16 and serves 12.

I took this wonderful cheesecake over to my mother in-laws for dessert
after a lovely Sunday roast with the family. 

As I am on a diet I had a little slice and found it to be very sweet
and just a tad sickly. 

But my husband managed to finish all of his up and my mother in-laws
partner finished up his rather big slice. 




Slimming World Porridge Pancakes

Morning all, I know pancake day was yesterday 
however I just had to share this pancake recipe with you. 

What you will need: 

35g of plain porridge oats
1 Muller Light Yoghurt
x2 eggs
Fry Light Spray 

What to do: 

1. Mix in the Muller light yoghurt ( in can be any flavour you fancy) 
with the porridge oats and leave overnight. 

2. when ready to cook your pancakes mix in the two eggs 

3. Spray your frying pan with frylight 

4. and just cook the pancakes how you normally do


5. Dish up and top up with whatever topping you want I used lemon 

Tips: 

1. I found mixing in the eggs easier using a food processor
and from what I have heard it makes them more pancake
like as is more smoother this way. 

2. If you have a sweet tooth it maybe worth mixing some powdered sweetener 
such as Splenda  as well when you put the eggs in. 

3. I found that the pancakes cooked more quicker than the usual ones too 






Review: Hello Canvas Prints

Hello Canvas was founded back in 2004 and is the largest canvas printing
website within the UK and Europe. 

Hello Canvas strive to provide high quality prints at a low price. 
The frames are 1.2 inches deep and the canvas is made from 
100% cotton. 

Hello Canvas print using the most advanced printing techniques that exist 
 and their  inks are UV resistant therefore never fade in the sun.

During the shipping process the canvas prints are wrapped with a protective foil 
and packed in a sturdy cardboard shipping box so that damage during
transport is reduced to a minimum. 


I chose to have one of our wedding photo's to be put on to canvas.
I chose this one not just because a lot of people have said its
such a canvas worthy photo, but also because
it shows off our rings and my wedding bouquet. 
The above photo of the canvas is a close up but
 I can honestly say the photo's I have taken
do not give the photo and canvas's quality any 
justice at all. 



The size I received was 20 x 28 inch which retails at £39 
you can see the sizes and price chart here.
I am very thrilled with how well the canvas has turned out
and certainly recommend them if you ever want to 
buy a high quality print at a reasonable price.

Original Photo

An Aldi Surprise

Some of you may remember back in December I did a review on some products from
Well on Friday I was waiting in from a parcel from another company 
when the postman arrived. 
The package was rather large and I wasn't expecting anything else 
so was a little confused, anyway I opened
 it up to see this box. 


I then was very excited to see what was in side so opened it up
to find a letter from Aldi and a product info guide. 
The letter said they had sent me a some of there lovely products 
as a Thank You for my Christmas review.

On tearing back some red tissue paper I reviled the contents. 


As you can see I got four lovely goodies from them.



Moser Roth Chocolate, £1.09
This chocolate is sold all year round at Alid
and comes in 5 different  flavours in total. 
Chilli, Mint, Orange, Milk and Caramel. 
I was sent the delicious Caramel one to enjoy.

As you can see from the photo below they are small little bars
and they come in a pack of 5. 
Which is more healthy for my waistline since I wont be tempted to
stuff my mouth silly of it. 


Valentines Ladies Bracelet, £3.99. 

This bracelet is an ideal gift for any women who loves a bit of sparkle. 
Like most women I can tell you receiving a lovely piece of jewellery
certainly puts a smile on my face.
I love the  heart lock clasp and the pale pink 
design with a pretty sparkly heart detail. 
This is perfect if you don't want to spend much but want
to treat you loved one this valentines day with a nice piece of bling. 
This lovely bracelet is currently on sale only while stocks last so be quick. 



Now I was also sent two products that are not in Aldi stores
until 24th Feb and are a special buy item and only 
sold until stocks last. 

First of all this lovely 
Ladies Real Leather Purse, £4.99
They come in a range of styles and you can choose
from Black, Tan or Brown. 

I love that these are a great size so will fit all my cards in 
as well as my notes and coins. 
The purse also has a magnetic clip so is easy to close 
and a zip section for keeping your coins in. 


Last of all is this gorgeous 
Ladies Ruffle Scarf, £3.99. 
They are available in three colours 
red, black and grey. 
They are so warm and are stylish too. 



All you have to do now is make sure you head to your local store asap once the products
are out as I am sure they are to get snapped up pretty fast. 


Review: SoakYourself Love Soak

SOAK Yourself â„¢

SoakYourself was founded in 2006 and was brought to life in 2012 
by Jackie Hope who dreamed of escaping  the commute and the 
9-5. 

Her aim is to encourage us all into realising how important it is for
everyone to take some time out to relax. 
Jackie's other priority is to ensure as much as possible that 
all materials and labour that go into SoakYourself products 
are from the UK as well as natural and organic. 

All boxes are handmade and packed with care by
one their friendly team members and signed on the back
by them as a mark of quality. 

50p of each of the sets sold goes to charities that are in need of support. 


As Valentines is fast approaching I chose to go with 
the LOVE Soak set, £40. 

The box is a lovely shade of burgundy and looks 
very professional and I was excited to look inside.  



As you can see on opening the box the whole lot of items 
are wrapped in burgundy tissue paper with the SoakYourself 
logo sticker attached and tied with a burgundy ribbon.  


Underneath the burgundy layer of tissue paper 
is the LOVE Soak Bath Ritual recipe kit information
booklet and a ticket which says
"This ticket entitles you to One Hour To Yourself (or longer, if you so require)"
along with some bright red shredded paper. 


Underneath the shredded paper (well most of it) is the lovely items themselves. 
The LOVE Soak kit contains: 
- Essential Oils to make your bath smell fab 
- Bath Powders to add some lovely bubbles
-Lovers blend Massage Oil
-  Patchouli and Vetiver soap
-  Candle and Candle holder
and 
- x2 Chocolate flake teabags


I love how most of the items are tied with burgundy ribbon 
with little tags attached which kinda reminds me of Alice In Wonderland. 

The Essential oil is in a 5ml bottle and is a blend of sandalwood, frankincense,
 patchouli and cedar oils.

The bath powders are wrapped in a muslin bag and contains silk and spice fizzing 
and foaming bath powders, salts and oils, making your bath full of bubbles which are
 long lasting and kind to your skin. 

So if your stuck for some ideas of what to get your loved one this Valentines Day 
I recommend you buy one SoakYourself's bath kits.

They don't have to just be for Valentines either as they do a range of sets that 
you, a loved one or a friend can enjoy. 


Review: Baker Days Valentines Cakes

Today is the first of my Valentines inspired posts of 2013. 

Baker Days are a cake company that specialise
in personalised cakes for any occasion. 
Their vision is to show the world that you don't have to spend 
a fortune on a unique cake. 
They also wanted to make cakes that are small enough for 
one or two people and are just as grand and lovely as 
larger cakes. They even fit through your letterbox!

Their letter box cakes are the worlds smallest personalised
cake in a tin . 
A perfect gift for friends and family as it's petite, personalised and postable. 


As Valentines Day is fast approaching I was contacted by Baker Days
asking if I would at all be interested in having one of their personalised
Valentines cakes. 
Of course I jumped at the chance; everyone loves a bit of cake! 

Trying to choose which one to have though was a tricky 
as they have so many lovely designs.


Once I had finally decided what one I wanted to go for 
I had a chance to choose which type of cake I wanted from the 
5 choices they offer. 
- Sponge Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Fruit cake
- Gluten and wheat free cake
 or 
- Double chocolate chip cake. 

I of course decided to go with the chocolate chip one, 
then I got to personalise it in the words of my own. 



I received the cake a week later, which was packaged really well in a secure tin
and box to guarantee safe delivery and keep the cakes freshness. 

The cake serves 4/5 portions and starts at £14.99. 
I chose to go with the traditional Happy Valentines day cake
and chose a loving message for my husband. 
In case you are wondering Shmoopsy is a nickname my hubby has given me.

The icing was perfect not too sweet and sickly as I normally find to be. 
The double chocolate cake was fab packed with flavour, light and moist 
and is one of the best cakes I have had and the hubby also agrees. 

Baker Days cakes are delicious and would make a fantastic gift
for friends and family and as they can be personalised makes 
these cake a special treat making the recipient 
feel extra special. 

Review: Olivia Accessories Black Snake Skin Clutch bag

Olivia Accessories is a unique online jewellery and accessories boutique. 
They offer a range of low cost quality items that combine
up to the minute fashion with timeless classic appeal. 

They are a small independent company who's philosophy is to keep prices 
as low as possible. 


I got to choose an item off the website and chose to go with this
gorgeous classic black snake skin clutch, £15.


The clutch comes in three colours Black, Brown and Red, and is a
must have fashion accessory. 
With an elegant snake skin exterior and age old rectangular shape
along with a removable silver shoulder strap 
and magnetic snap this is a must have
for the evening. 




As it was mine and Stuart's anniversary last night 
and we went out for a meal I chose to take this clutch 
with me to glam up my outfit a bit more. 
The only issue I had is that there was only room for
my mobile and a little card holder otherwise 
I found that it wouldn't shut. 
Other then that its smart and is ideal if you
don't want to carry much around. 


Our First Wedding Anniversary


Slimming World #1

The beginning of January I started my slimming journey by joining slimming world. 
I have been wanting to loose weight for so long but I was constantly making 
excuses and it's got the point where I am so over weight that when I look
at photo's of me I feel ashamed. 

I've never joined a slimming group before so was unsure what to expect but 
I did my research beforehand and am glad that I have chosen slimming world. 

Slimming world for me is simple once you get your head around food optimising 
and understand the whole free foods, healthy extras and syns. 

I go to my local meetings every Thursday evening and have meant such lovely
people within the group and its great to have that little extra support. 

My second week I was unsure if there was things I was doing wrong 
as I had only lost 1/2lb but by the third week I lost 3lb 
which thrilled me to keep motivated and on week four I lost 1lb 
this week I have lost another 3lb making my total weight loss this month 
7 1/2 lb meaning I gained my first slimming world award 
and on top of that I also gained my bronze body magic award. 


Even though I have only lost 7 1/2lb and have a long way to go 
to get down to my ideal weight I am thrilled with out good 
I feel and how much my husband and my family can notice the difference already
with my body shape. 



Review: Esme Lip Balm Pendant

Have you ever spent ages rifling through your handbag looking for your lip balm ? 
I know I have, this is why I am glad to have had the opportunity to try out
Esme's brand spanking new lip balm pendant. 
Esme jewellery is well know for their perfume pendants 
but they wanted to expand on their range and hence  
the lip balm pendant was born. 

Not only are all of Esme pendants stunning but they are suitable
to worn with any outfit and will make you look glam 
day and night. 




This stunning and unique pendant with crystals is filled with 
a natural lip balm and keeps your lips super soft and moisturised.
I love this handy little pendant and have been wearing it almost everyday. 
The gorgeous sparkly crystal design is on a 30 inch silver plated chain. 

I think that the lip balm pendant is a great invention its so simple to use 
and an attractive design too. 

You can by Esme lip balm pendants for £15. 00
why not check out their other range of pendants and
accessories. 


Utterly Personal Giveaway


The people over at Utterly Personal are giving you
my lovely followers a chance to win a
£20 gift voucher with them.
If you read my recent review then you would know that 
Utterly Personal are a company that sell a range of personalised gifts/cards. 
Have a look at there website 
http://www.utterlypersonal.co.uk/
your sure to find the perfect gift 
for your friends and family. 

Now to enter all you have to do is enter via the rafflecopter below
before the 8th February.