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Eating my way around Birmingham Christmas market

Monday, 19 December 2016

My brother started university at Birmingham over two years ago and up until last month, I hadn’t been to visit him! My parents had been a couple of times so with Christmas just around the corner and Birmingham having one of the best German markets in the UK, this time I decided to go with, Andrew came with as well so we made a proper weekend of it. We literally spent our whole visit eating.


We started the day with a mid-morning snack. A stick of deep fried cheese. Andrew wanted the cheese and salami kebab (just get the cheese one because it was delicious on its own) which was then dipped in batter and deep fried in front of us. After a few minutes of salivating, we were rewarded with a stick of gooey goodness to keep us going until we found the next stand.
Soon after that, we came across the Ostrich burger stand, it was about 11.30am by now so we were ready for lunch. Having had my first ostrich steak a few weeks ago and loving the flavour of the meat, I was excited to try one. The stand also had reindeer burgers so we got one of each to share. Honestly, they were a little bit disappointing for something other than a nice Christmas market burger so it was on to the next thing which we all preferred – a pulled pork bun! Andrew wandered off and came back with one and as soon as my mum saw, we all went back to get another. This was delicious pulled pork drenched in gravy and stuffed into a soft hotdog bun.
For dessert, I started off a the chocolate fountain. Obviously. I’d already have a stick of milk chocolate covered strawberries the day before so this time, I went for just a shot of chocolate. I have never seen people selling these before and it was only £1 so I ended up having three. While I was preoccupied with my chocolate, my dad and brother disappeared to the next stall and returned with 7 wheels of cheese to share between them.

You can’t go to a German Christmas market and not sample the beer; and in true go big or go home fashion, my dad and Andrew both went for a two pint tankard each. It worked out to £5 a pint plus a deposit which you get back when you return the glass although we never got that back, they decided that these glasses were going to be an essential everday item so we took them home.
Next we found a stand selling huge marshmallows. Not knowing if we would like them, my mum and dad decided to get one each, a plain milk chocolate one and a white chocolate and strawberry one. They queued for 10 minutes and after taking the first bite, decided that they were delicious and got back in the queue to buy 12 more. We all loved how light the marshmallow inside was, not like a normal one but more like marshmallow fluff instead.
After that, it was time to start making our way back, not before stopping off for one last sweet treat.  This was the one we were all looking forward to most as we decided that we were going to get some before we’d even started on lunch – the mini pancakes. We could just about manage one portion between us and ordered them with Nutella and icing sugar on top. Lucky Andrew didn’t want any because between me, my brother and my parents, they were gone literally within seconds.


Have You Been To Birmingham Christmas Market? 

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Christmas Menu at Pivaz, Epping High Street

Monday, 12 December 2016

Pivaz opened earlier this year and it was quite a big deal for Epping, a brand new trendy restaurant that brought some glamour to the high street. They're a Turkish restaurant (which is one of my favourite cuisines) and I’d been once already, for my birthday but my parents already love it there so when I was invited to come and try out their new Christmas menu, I brought my mum along with me.
Whilst Turkish isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I think of a Christmas dinner, I’m actually not a huge fan of roasts so I was pretty pleased when the email came, saying that they were focusing on evoking the taste of the Mediterranean’s rich heritage and there would not be a turnkey in sight. So if like me, you’re not interested in going for another Christmas dinner this festive season, Pivaz is the place for you!

Let’s start with the décor because it’s something that I really do love about this place. There are lots of different sections as the restaurant twists around in a U shape and each part is different. It’s very interesting to walk from one to the next although all of them seem to exude luxury and decadence with lots of jewel toned velvets and secluded seating areas. We took our seats in the main dining room which was designed with blue velvet; buzzing with people on a sunday afternoon.
The Christmas menu is £39 for 3 courses and while there is quite a good choice for anyone who is new to Pivaz, the menu didn't have any of my mums favourite dishes from the normal menu on it. I however quite liked that because it meant we had to choose dishes that we'd never tried before and for me that meant that I found a new favourite!

I started with the Escargot as I don’t often see them on the menu and that are a dish that I really enjoy especially when they are smothered in garlic sauce. This time though, my very generous portion of snails were served in a cute little pot with a sweet, spicy tomato sauce. Mum had the mix mezze platter for one which was a pretty looking dish and perfect to get a hit of all the best turkish starters! We loved the filo parcel and beetroot tarator!
For mains, I went for the Char-grilled mixed fish as I had the lamb shish last time and I found a bit dry. The fish however was absolutely delicious and would be a dish I order again and again! The halibut was soft and full of flavour, the king prawns were huge and the salmon tasted great, placed between layers of onion and peppers. The dish comes with a fruity pomegranate salad but I had to order my rice separately. Mum had the beef shish which looked surprisingly succulent and juicy to me - it was much nicer than the lamb I had had previously so maybe they've improved since my last visit.
Dessert was a fruity affair with our first Christmas dish spotted top of the list - a Christmas pudding! There were none of their usual chocolatey options but I didn't mind because some of the other choices were still very tempting! We ordered the raspberry creme brulee and the passionfruit cheesecake and shared both. They tasted delicioius but quite heavy so neither got finished.

What's your favourite cuisine?
*My meal was complimentary in return for this honest review
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#RefreshingStuff with Oasis #FaceSwap

Monday, 5 December 2016

 Most of the time, cold glass of water will do me fine but when I’ve had a particularly stagnant morning in the office, another pint of water just won’t cut it. I usually take that as a good excuse to get out of the office for 10 minutes, stretch my legs and buy myself something a little bit more interesting. I’m not a huge fan of energy drinks or anything fizzy (unless it’s prosecco obvs) so something fruity is usually my shout. Oasis has been a particular favourite of mine since I’ve grown up drinking it, my dad loves the stuff and now, so do I.

This week, my bottle of summer fruits didn’t just quench my thirst but it also kept me entertained at my desk for the rest of afternoon. Oasis have just launched the world’s first face swappable bottle so whilst everyone else was hard at work, I took my afternoon pick me up as an opportunity to try my first ever face swap! Out came my phone and que an afternoon of Juanita and I giggling at ourselves as a giant fruits. Luckily my boss saw the funny side!
If you want one of these hilarious face swap bottles to get Oasis on your face as well as in your face; they are giving people the chance to win one of 500 bottles over on their Facebook page and if you are a fan of face swapping you’re in luck, download any face swap app and post your best swap in the comments underneath the competition post to enter! See competition T&Cs [https://www.facebook.com/pg/oasisdrinks/notes] 
*Sponsored post
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2016 christmas Gift Guide

Sunday, 4 December 2016

December is here, Christmas is finally on its way and I can’t tell you how excited I am. I am so ready for all the Christmas cheer, the food, the family – I can’t wait! To kick of the season’s postings, I’m going to start with a gift guide for her and I’m going to fill it full of the sort of things that I would love to receive.

CHOCOLATE: More specifically, Hotel Chocolat and whilst I eat more than enough throughout the year, posh Christmas chocolate is just that much more exciting. Everyone indulges around this time of year so giving something sweet as a gift is usually a safe bet.

The Merry Little Christmas Hamper: This is one of their smaller ribbon-tied hampers but it’s still packed full of HC goodies making it a very good size and price for gifting! Clementine Baby Bombes, Milk Snowflakes, Rocky Road Slab, Comet Does Caramel Slab, Christmas Pocket Selection, Salted Caramel Nano Slab and Fruit & Nut Nano Slab £25 | Also: Penguin or Reindeer Selfie Slabs £16 | Christmas Sleekster £22.50 | Yule Log £20 | Toasty Toddies £10 | Christmas Hot Chocolate £9 | Festive Wreath £7
PERFUME: Perfume is my go to gift all year around - I think they make such great gifts and at this time of year especially, it’s easy to get all sorts of giftsets where you get another scented product as well as the perfume! It’s pretty easy to find something you know they are going to love!

Sweet like Candy Giftset By Ariana Grande: Whilst it’s pretty bottle and sweet smell is aimed at a younger audience, this is something my nana would LOVE. Ari’s bottles are some of my favourite with the striking geogmetric sphere and a cute pom pom attached to the lid. This time, it’s all matte baby pink making the hard bottle design very soft and girly. The scent is fruity with tones of blackberry and honeydew melon and sweet with marshmallow. The giftset includes 50ml of the scent, a 100ml body lotion and the cutest little cosmetic case. £31
Wonderlust by Michael Kors: I’m pretty sure my mum would love this one – shes a big fan of MK fragrances and with mandarin in its top notes (one of my favourite scents), this is another delicious scent. This time though, it’s in a new bottle – usually they are very square but Wonderlust is in a curved bottle. 100ml costs £84

Beyoncé Heat Seduction: In a signature Heat bottle, Beyoncé’s latest fragrance pulled me in again, with the mention of mandarin in its top notes along with some other exotic ingredients like Island Spice, Gingerlily and African Jungle Trail Orchid. 100ml costs £19

I Love Juicy Couture: Viva La Juicy was the first fragrance that I remember wearing – my best friend had it and I used to spray it all over myself whenever I was at hers. I Love Juicy Couture is the latest fragrance from them and combines fruits and floral flavours with amber and musk. With a gold leopard print across the bottle channels fun glamour. 100ml costs £69

BOSS THE SCENT for her: I first smelt this at a press day a few weeks ago and it became my favourite scent of the year; there and then! With honeyed peach and freesia it smells just like a Peach Bellini and because that’s my favourite drink, it made me smile. 50ml costs £36 

Hollister Wave: Wave comes for him and for her and as with most scents that come out of Hollister, this reminds me of sunny days at the beach. With citrus and floral notes, this fragrance is very refreshing but also quite young. Perfect for the pre-teens in your life! 100ml costs £35
BATH AND BODY: Bath stuff never used to interest me before I got a job. Nowadays, a long, hot bath with some of my favourite products and a little bit of pampering is a luxury that I look forward to!

LUSH Golden Wonder: Recognise this? You might do it you’ve ever used LUSH’s golden wonder bath bomb – it looks like a real life version and of course it’s bath bomb double comes inside. Along with the citrusy golden wonder bath bomb, there is another Christmas favourite – the shimmering star dust bath bomb. £9.95

LUSH Merry & Bright: I love this set because it has a few different types of products in it - Fireside soap, yuzu and cocoa shower cream and red fun! Doesn’t it just made you think of sitting by the fire with a big cup of hot chocolate?!

Soap & Glory KHOL-EYED: I thought this was just a fun kaleidoscope when I first picked it up but in fact there are three Crazy Sexy Khol, long lasting eyeliners hidden inside! Colours are called Smoulder, Foil in love and What a night £10
YANKEE Star Anise & Orange Candle: I think good quality candles are great gifts to give – they make you feel warm and cosy so why wouldn’t you want to give that feeling to someone you love? This candle combines Orange and Star Anise all those Christmas vibes along with a refreshing citrus hit, giving it the scent of liquorice. £21.99

New Shoes: Whether it’s a pair of heels for the party season or fresh pair of vans or Doc Martins to stomp around in, shoes are usually a fail-safe and very practical gift that anyone would be pleased to receive!

Novelties from Hawkins Bazar: There’s always a place in our stockings for cheap novelty gifts - I love opening these fun little extras! Hawkins Bazaar have a whole range of stocking filler gifts ranging from the useful to the hilarious! The nose on this cute Rudolph mug goes red when a hot drink is poured in and I killed my desk plant (and the three before him) so I’m in line for a new one!

Filofax: I love a Filofax for keeping me in check, I fill it with all my plans, my to do lists and my blog notes and enjoy the physicality of it; it’s nice to be away from a screen sometimes. This year they have released a special edition rose gold version. I had to wait a while for it to come back into stock so I can already tell this one is going to be crazy popular. Costs £48

 If you prefer to keep your dates on a screen, then they also have a range of gold tablet cases!
I love each product that I’ve included here so I am very excited to be able hold a giveaway for you guys! There will be 4 winners and they will receive one prize each, first come first served. Prizes include a Gold Filofax, Hotel Chocolat Selfie Slab and Merry Little Christmas Hamper, BOSS THE SCENT for Her and a Sweet Like Candy Giftset By Ariana Grande

Enter in the rafflecoptor to win:


*Sponsored Post
*Some photos taken from google
*The BOSS bottle is actually the fragrance for men. My comments were written from memory and are very real, I do love it but I was sent the wrong one and didnt realise.
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The best brunch in Birmingham

Thursday, 1 December 2016

 After booking up a hotel for our recent trip to Birmingham, we decided to leave London at 8am so that we would arrive in time for brunch! It's my favourite meal of the week so wherever I go, I am always on the lookout for somewhere nice and after a little research and came across Yorks Bakery.
Location: York’s is on the corner of Stephenson Street, Birmingham which is a great location just outside of New Street station. It was a ten minute walk from our Holiday Inn and is located at the end of a tram line so it’s very easy to get to from wherever you start. Beware of Google Maps - it took us to their old address so make sure you just search for Stephenson Street rather than Yorks.

Venue: The building is pretty cool; on the corner of the street and has quite a rustic feel with exposed brickwork and lots of wood. Although there is also a downstairs, this place quite small and when we arrived, I didn’t think we were going to get a table, especially for five of us, but within a few minutes, we had a choice of three different tables so don’t be discouraged. It’s full of people and very busy but I loved the laid back, casual atmosphere. Whilst the staff are helpful, remember, you have to order at the bar!

Menu: I was very impressed with Yorks brunch menu, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a varied one! As well as all your brunch favourites, it was nice to see some something a little bit different from the norm with dishes I’d never heard of before like Arabian Buttered Eggs or Greek Eggs. I also loved that rather than just avotoast, there were four different dishes that used my favourite ingredient! The big thing for me though was the Australia eggs benedict – it’s my favourite brunch dish but I struggle to find it anywhere so I was very excited when my dad pointed it out – he ordered it too!
Price: Brunch always costs us quite a bit because we look at it as going out for a meal and end up ordering four drinks each and a dessert afterwards. My eggs Australia cost £8.50 and which is pretty average for London prices, although I can imagine that’s quite expensive for Birmingham. Andrews full English costs £12 though which I thought was expensive, even for London.

Food: My parents have never been out for brunch with me and Andrew so I was hoping the food was going to be good since we always talk about how much we love it! Luckily, it was and everyone was very impressed with the food, myself included. All 8 of our eggs had perfectly runny yolks and my avocado was just ripe - the muffins it was served on were delicious too. The hollandaise was just a little runny for my liking but nothing too much of an issue. The boys were both very impressed with their full English although Andrew wasn’t fan of their homemade baked beans.


Next time I want to try the truffled mushrooms because another lady who was sitting by the entrance had ordered them and the smell alone was incredible. Until then, 

Would I recommend Yorks? Definitely!

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