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Mindful Chef Recipe Box Review

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Food delivery boxes are now huge business. People are getting everything from ingredients to whole meals delivered. The latter is what the Mindful Chef does, but with a twist. They do healthy recipe boxes which take out the hassle of cooking. They deliver all of the ingredients and from prep to plate it all takes 20-30 minutes. The ingredients are all lean and sustainably sourced. Mindful Chef was founded in 2015 by Myles and Giles, two young men from Devonshire.

 

Myles and Giles were inspired to launch Mindful Chef due to busy schedules and finding it hard to eat healthily because of their hectic lifestyles. Although recipe box delivery companies existed at the time of their need, none were truly healthy.

What makes Mindful Chef different is their ability to create well-balanced, imaginative recipes whilst still being 100% gluten-free. Their healthy recipe boxes include no refined carbs and therefore avoid high-carb fillers such as pasta or bread. Instead they guarantee genuinely exceptional quality, gluten-free, dairy-free and locally sourced fresh, organic produce. Working with local, sustainable farmers in the West Country, the award-winning organic meat and fish included in the recipes are also stocked in Fortnum & Mason and Harrods.

All the recipes and ingredients are scrutinised by personal trainer and nutritional coach Myles. He works closely with some of the very best nutritionists and chefs in the UK, who take their inspiration from around the world to create imaginative, varied and delicious recipes. The instructions are easy to follow and the meals are easy to make; helping make chefs out of even the most inexperienced of cooks. The pair believe that the key to a healthier life is reducing your intake of gluten and that refined sugars and refined carbohydrates should be avoided.

 

Mindful Chef offers eight weekly changing recipes to choose from, with four containing fresh, locally sourced meat and fish, organic vegetables and delicious herbs and spices. Mindful Chef also caters for those who eat a meat-free diet, with four plant-based recipes available each week. The boxes are delivered to homes or offices in the UK free of charge.

We reviewed Mindful Chef with their two meals for two people box. It is priced at £7 per portion. 

Chicken & quinoa paella with artichokes.

Za’atar Lamb, quinoa & roasted rainbow carrots. 

The food arrives in a box with the meat in a large envelope which has ice packs in it. On top are two smaller bags with the ingredients of each meal in. They are clearly labelled. Also in the box are the recipe cards.

The entire thing is very easy. You take the ingredients out of the brown paper bag and then you follow the recipe. The recipes are written out in an easy to follow way. The recipe did take me longer than it said on the card, but only because I am inept at cooking. It took me ages to chop. I also think I did not drain the quinoa properly so the paella was liquidly when it should not be. My husband made the lamb dish the next day and it was a huge hit on Instagram.

On the other side of the recipe cards are the amount of time it takes to make the meal, how many calories it is, information on where the meat comes from, and confirmation that it is gluten-free. The entire thing is convenient, healthy and easy. It is pricey at between £6-9 per portion, but it is less than a takeaway and a lot less than a meal out. It is also a whole lot healthier. Would I sign up to Mindful Chef? I would indeed. It is healthy eating made easy as they team up with nutritionists. Another great thing about them is that there is no food waste. Good stuff indeed.

RECIPE BOXES

Recipe box companies are still relatively new to the UK. The concept was born in Sweden to provide healthy meals for busy people and this has translated well on our hard-working shores.

Naturally popular in busy towns and cities such as London and Manchester, recipe box deliveries take away the hassle of shopping and cooking, promising all the ingredients needed to a make a quick meal at the end of a long day with no waste.

PRICE

From £6 per meal

EXAMPLE RECIPES

Meat and Fish Recipes:

  •   Beef & mustard burger with balsamic onions & carrot fries
  •   Red Thai chicken curry with courgetti & cashew nuts
  •   Peanut satay pork with wild rice, leek & red pepper
  •   Pan-fried plaice with asparagus , dill quinoa & crispy capersPlant- based Recipes:
  •   Vietnamese pho with courgetti noodles, tofu & cashews
  •   Mexican veggie chilli with sweet potato nachos & guacamole
  •   Roasted cauliflower & chickpea tikka masala with black rice
  •   Veggie lasagna with aubergine, cannellini bean ragu & pesto

 

 

Mindful Chef is more than a recipe box company, it is a lifestyle brand offering customers a healthy, mindful way of life.

 

For more information see: www.mindfulchef.com

Instagram & Twitter: @MindfulChefUK
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MindfulChefUK/

 

Mindful Chef have great reviews on Trust Pilot: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/mindfulchef.com

 

 

SugarSin Opens New Store In Brighton. We Try Out Their Sweets

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We can have a sweet tooth at Frost so we jumped at the chance to review some SugarSin Sweets. Their packaging is great and the sweets always look delicious. We tried Sicilian Lemon White Chocolate, Handmade Lollies, Sparkling Rosé Gummies and Fizzy Prosecco Gummies. The chocolate is divine, with the perfect amount of lemon, the handmade lollies are both fun and yummy. The gummies are as unique as they are yummy. The Rosé ones are soft and refreshing. The Prosecco ones are hard with just the right amount of tang. All are highly recommended. Delicious and naughty: what more could you ask for?

 

SugarSin co-founders and sisters Anna Nilsson and Josefin Deckel have opened SugarSin Brighton on Duke Street, in the stunning historic quarter of the city.

SugarSin opened the doors to its first sweet shop in London’s Covent Garden in 2011. The concept was born from a lifelong passion for all things sweet and tasty. Disappointed, in particular by the Pick‘n’Mix selection available in the UK, Anna and Josefin worked to create a modern Willy Wonka style store, filled with the world’s most fabulous sweets. The sisters travelled the globe tasting countless varieties, on a mission to create the most distinctive and delicious grown-up, gourmet confectionery collection, as beautiful to look at as it is to taste.

Anna, co-founder of SugarSin comments “We love Brighton – the city is as colourful as our sweets! As soon as we arrived it felt like home and the perfect fit for our second SugarSin store. We are so passionate about sweets that we thought it was time to share that passion with a new city. Since 2011 we have made it our mission to bring current, quality sweets and flavours, with inherent style and plenty of temptation to the people of London, but sweets are made for sharing! For those who doesn’t know us, inspired by our Swedish roots, we produce high quality sweets with intense flavours, great textures and natural ingredients. Josefin and I are extremely excited to open the doors to SugarSin Brighton next weekend!”

 

The beautifully contemporary store on Duke Street will be filled with SugarSin’s own handmade sweets including:

  • Prosecco Gummies
  • Sea Salt Fudge
  • Juicy Strawberry Lollies
  • Cocoa Dusted Chocolate Almonds

A carefully curated Pick’n’Mix featuring hundreds of nostalgic favourites and flavours to surprise, sourced from all over the world will take centre stage.

Mindful of dietary requirements, SugarSin Brighton, like the London store, will stock sweets suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

 

 

Champagne Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvée Rosé M.V. Review

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We are always happy at Frost when we get to review champagne. Call us a lush if you want, but a good glass of champagne really is one of life’s pleasures. We love rosé champagne in particular so Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvée Rosé M.V. was sure to be a huge hit.

First of all, the colour is a beautiful pale golden copper. It came during a heatwave and is just perfect for the summer weather. It is fresh and fruity. It has just the right hint of red berries and a sophisticated finish. It is a well balanced rosé which is not too sweet. This is a lively wine which is incredibly refined and high-quality. A divine champagne which was a huge hit in the Frost office. We will be drinking this again.

Based in Reims, Champagne Bruno Paillard is a young, dynamic, family-owned, Maison, run by Bruno and his daughter, Alice.

Bruno Paillard founded his Maison back in 1981; he was a passionate 27 years old with no vineyards or money, and resorted to selling his beloved old Jaguar to raise the starting capital of 50,000 Francs. 13 years later he bought his first vineyards – 3 hectares in Oger – and today the House owns 32 hectares, supplying 50% of the total grapes needed for an annual production of around 500,000 bottles.

Stylistically, Bruno Paillard is renowned for Champagnes which are pure, mineral and elegant.

Only the best grapes from the best crus are selected, and from these grapes, only the first pressing “première cuvée” is used. The ageing process is particularly important at Champagne Bruno Paillard; it is three to four times longer than the legal requirement and Bruno Paillard has always been a strong advocate of displaying disgorgement dates on the label: he was the first Maison to pioneer this, back in 1985.

The Multi Vintage Rose is produced mainly from Pinot Noir, with some Chardonnay – the amount of which remains a house secret.

 

Stockists

Selfridges.com ~ £56.99
The Whisky Exchange ~ £47.15

 

Review: Sweet Bird of Youth, Chichester Festival Theatre

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Sweet Bird of Youth

Chichester Festival Theatre

Until 24 June

Box Office: 01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk

Photo credit: Johan Persson

With the run-up to General Election a veritable carnival of hypocrisy, self-interest, arrogance and rampaging egos, the day after the event itself wasn’t the ideal time to digest more of the same. Alas, in Tennessee Williams’s 1959 play there is little relief from such monstrous conduct.

Fearing derision and rejection after the premiere of her latest film, aging Hollywood movie star Alexandra Del Largo (Marcia Gay Harden) has bolted and is holed up in a hotel in St Cloud on the Gulf Coast of Mexico with Chance Wayne (Brian J. Smith), a gigolo and wannabe actor who skipped the town a few years previously. While the actress hides behind an alias and dulls her demons with alcohol, narcotics and sex, Chance is determined to be reunited with Heavenly, his teenage sweetheart. Unaware that before leaving St Cloud he infected his girl with a STD that necessitated a hysterectomy, he has no idea that Heavenly’s father and brother are resolute: should Chance ever show his face in the neighbourhood again he will pay for his crime.

The first act, almost entirely a two-hander set in a hotel bedroom, offers superb performances from Harden and Smith. Convincing and compelling, on the Festival Theatre’s thrust stage, however, some of the intensity and intimacy is lost.

Elsewhere the performances are strong, especially Richard Cordery as Boss Finley, a bully with double standards and an unshakable belief in the American Dream. Victoria Berwick as Heavenly Finley is also excellent. Vulnerable, compliant but filled with a rage, when she sobs silent, despairing tears, her grief and anger is sorely palpable.

Easy on the eye, Anthony Ward’s set is stunning; clever, evocative and stylish, it is also beautifully complemented by Mark Henderson’s lighting.

The ruthless marching of time is one of the play’s key themes. In Jonathan Kent’s undeniably ‘classy bird’ there remains a niggling sense that the pace needs to be stepped up.

Piccolo Baby Food Review

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Baby food is big business, and pouches even bigger still. Convenient and healthy, most – if not all- parents will give their little ones baby food pouches. They are great for eating out, keeping in a bag for an emergency, or just for a meal indoors. They are also great for when parents are too tired to cook. Piccolo are an Italian brand bringing Mediterranean goodness to the market.

Piccolo Pure – is their first single fruits range, for which they have handpicked and blended the tastiest fruit varieties including Stanley Plum, Fairtrade Banana, Fairtrade Mango and Williams Pear: each chosen because their delicious and distinctive tastes, making them perfect for little ones as their taste buds begin to explore first flavours. My son loved all of these. He devoured them in minutes.

Their Pure Banana and Pure Mango blends are the only baby food pouches to hold Fairtrade accreditation, as they continue their commitment to give back through ethical and sustainable sourcing and by donating 10% profits to charity.

 

They have also launched variety baskets of Piccolo recipes crammed full of delicious fruit and veg to excite little ones’ taste buds.  And with a pouch to get parents through Monday to Friday, there won’t be any need for that last-minute empty cupboard panic when their baby is hungry. I think this is a brilliant idea. It takes some of the pressure of parenting. Something which is always much needed.

 

Finally, they have new recipes launching this summer, using nutritious, organic ingredients and distinctive flavours including coconut, cinnamon, sage and rosemary.  They are launching a delicious Lamb Ratatouille (with a hint of rosemary), perfect for recreating the end of summer Mediterranean feeling, our first fish based pouch with Salmon Fish Pie (with a pinch of parsley, basil and thyme) and a very English Roast Pork, Parsnip and Apple recipe.

My little one tried the ones in bold and loved them all. Particular favourites were the Lamb Ratatouille with a hint of rosemary and Squash, Mac & Cheese with a hint of sage. 

 

Stage 1

  • Blushing Berries, Pear & Banana
  • Banana, Coconut & Baby Brown Rice with a pinch of cinnamon
  • Pear, Strawberry & Yoghurt with wholegrain Oats

Veg Only

  • Sun-ripened Tomato and Red Pepper with a dash of olive oil
  • Parsnip Carrot & Leek with a hint of thyme

Stage 2

  • Lamb Ratatouille with a hint of rosemary
  • Tomato, Lentil & Angel Pasta with a dash of olive oil
  • Squash, Mac & Cheese with a hint of sage
  • Roast Pork, Parsnip & Apple with a hint of rosemary
  • Salmon Fish Pie with a pinch of parsley, basil and thyme

 

As you can see from the list, the recipes are exciting and different. They make some other baby food pouches look very boring indeed. We are a fan of Piccolo, the brand is a great way to feed your child in a healthy and sustainable way. Frost loves.

 

Hape Discovery Spaceship Review

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Hape’s Discovery Spaceship review Hape’s Discovery SpaceshipMy son has far too many toys so I try to resist doing reviews. Unfortunately I am a soft touch and when I see something amazing that I know he will love I cannot help myself. Which is how we came to review the Hape Discovery Spaceship. First of all, it has everything you expect from Hape: it is beautifully crafted from birch wood, is environmentally friendly, and it is high quality. It is not only hours of fun, but develops hand-eye coordination at the same time.

The spaceship has great detail, and lots of it. It has four different stages of creative play, as well as a lift-off rocket for endless, imaginative fun.

hapediscoveryspacecentrereview hapetoy hapespaceshipreview

The spaceship also comes with lots of great figures and objects. There is 2 astronauts, an alien, a working treadmill, a bed, and a flag among other details. Everything is crafted with excellence.

This is a brilliant and educational toy that will fire up any imagination. It gives hours of fun play. Both my son and I are huge fans. We love it.

 

Minimal assembly is needed to build this masterpiece, it contain only 3 upright panels, 4 shelves and 1 rocket module to build. It is not hard at all, but lots of fun. Designed just like a real space shuttle children can prepare, launch and arrive at any destination.

This otherworldly set even includes characters to play along and share the experience with. Your child can engage with a robot, make friends with an alien or explore alongside the 2 astronaut figures. With a range of friendly characters, your child’s fun will never end. To make the Discovery Spaceship even more realistic, Hape have paid attention to detail, adding elements such as a: treadmill, bed, working elevator, flag and multiple pieces of laboratory equipment. There’s even a fold out solar panel to play on, alongside a moon crater and vehicle carrying oxygen tanks, elevating your child’s imagination.

This 37-piece set is a must have for any aspiring astronaut or adventurer. Children 3 years upwards can enjoy the Discovery Spaceship while parents can be assured it complies with international safety and quality standards, making sure your children have only the best.

Prepare your child for blast off and introduce them to the Discovery Spaceship, for endless out of this world play.

The Hape Discovery Spaceship measures 74 x 47.8 x 47.8cm and is £86.99 from Argos.

 

Review: Forty Years on at Chichester Festival Theatre

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Photos: Johan Persson

Taking up his post as Artistic Director new Head Boy Daniel Evans opens his first Chichester Season with Alan Bennett’s early play, which is set in 1968 at Albion House, a fading public school.

Some fifty local schoolboys join the cast and are outstanding, opening the production with a roof-raising rendition of Praise My Soul the King of Heaven.

The occasion is the end of term show, which also marks the retirement of the elderly headmaster. Under the directorial auspices of his reformist successor, the offering of a history revue includes some sketches that get the old duffer decidedly hot and bothered – to be overtly risqué is definitely tsk-tsk territory.

There are some joyous moments. Danny Lee Wynter’s naughty portrayal of an elderly aristocrat à la Dame Maggie as Downton’s Lady Violet is delicious, while an ace tap-dance solo is worthy of the Strictly! final. A stage invasion of lusty-voiced rugger buggers is also a gas, which for all the headmaster’s puritanical tendencies is deemed perfectly acceptable once it is revealed that the opposition has been roundly trounced.

Alan Cox as incoming headmaster Franklin, Jenny Galloway as Matron and Lucy Briers as Miss Nisbitt give accomplished performances, while the music and singing is superb, thanks to the excellence and exuberance of a terrific ‘school orchestra.’

Some of the historical inspirations do not resonate, leaving these skits teetering on the brink of tedium. But there are plenty of jolly spoofs to compensate, as well as flashes of poignancy bringing a balancing shade.

)inCFT'sproductionofFORTYYEARSON.PhotoJohanPersson_04653You can almost smell overcooked cabbage thanks to Lez Brotherston’s impressive school hall set, which comes complete with an almighty oak organ, rising from and towering over the stage.

At eighty years on himself, and having suffered a heart attack only last year, it is perhaps unsurprising that Richard Wilson is not yet tight on his lines. Reading from a script for the most part, when he struggles to find his place on the page it causes the audience collective anxiety. It’s a shame, but there is still much to enjoy here.

www.cft.org.uk Box office: 01243 781312

Vicky Edwards

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+] & La Roche-Posay Effaclar BB Blur Review

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larocheposayinnovationeffaclarbbblur

I have used La Roche Posay products for years. I love how good their products are for sensitive skin. I reviewed two of their Effaclar products that promise to ace your base and leave you with photo ready skin.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo [+] (£15.50) is both intensely hydrating and soothing. It is also lightweight, sinking into the skin as if it was never there. My skin really loved this. It has perfect texture and really does the job. It is also a brilliant base for make-up.

The non-sticky, melt-in formula is clinically proven to correct the appearance of blemishes, while unclogging blocked pores, controlling shine and refining the skin’s texture. Most importantly, the award-winning formula accelerates the skin’s repair process and contains anti-inflammatory Niacinamide to intensely soothe, while LHA and Salicylic Acid work to gently exfoliate the skins’ surface for a smooth, blemish-free finish.

I love BB creams. I fell out of love with heavy foundation years ago. Some BB cream on areas of concern is all most women need. This is a great mousse formula that sinks into skin and feels great going on. It doesn’t sit on the skin but leaves it shine-free and looking good. This has now replaced my usual BB cream. It feels so velvety and smooth and it leave my skin looking refreshed.

Even out skin tone and blur the appearance of pores, blemishes and fine lines with La Roche-Posay Effaclar BB Blur (£16.50). This new generation skincare hybrid absorbs oil for a flawless complexion. Specifically tailored for oily skin, BB Blur provides day-long control of
shine with Aircilium, a cutting-edge ingredient that is 3 times its weight in oil, keeping the skin matte and unified with a velvet finish.Furthermore, added ingredient Perlite, which is composed of silica is 5 times more powerful than talc and protects against humidity with its continuous blotting paper effect.

All products are suitable for even the most sensitive skin.

Available from larger Boots stores and pharmacies nationwide and online at www.boots.com www.laroche-posay.co.uk