Ella’s Kitchen Cereals Range And Kids’ Snacks Range Review

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

My son loves Ella’s Kitchen so much that his little legs start kicking when we pass that section in the supermarket. When I heard about the new cereals range I got very excited indeed. So did the little one. He has been a happy little tester. Here is what we thought:

The cereals have a range of textures for the weaning journey and are all organic.

Multigrain Baby Rice

Super smooth and deliciously scrummy, these two taste-tingling multigrain baby rice products offer bags of flavour + can be enjoyed any time of day. Suitable for tiny tums 4 months+, the carrot multigrain baby rice is a great way to teach little ones to love veggie tastes, right from the start of their weaning journey! The little one loved these. We don’t give him too much rice so it was a new experience for him. Both samples ended up with a clean plate.

Porridge

This berry good breakfast will help introduce little ones to more exciting flavours + is jam-packed with delicious strawberries + raspberries! Textured with yummy crispy bits and not too lumpy, the consistency is perfect for tiny tots from 7 months+. The LO loves porridge. This one did not go down as well as I thought it would. Babies are fickle. Strawberry porridge was his favourite but I think he has gone off it now. He still eats it though.

Muesli

Made to help little ones learn to chew, this new cereal for 10 months+ is the perfect next step on their weaning journey. With a chunkier + lumpier texture, this yummy muesli is full of scrum my banana + cinnamon to tickle tiny tastebuds. This was LO’s favourite. His mouth was wide open every time. No matter how big the portion was, he wolfed it down.

Easy-Peasy

The cereals range comes in great packaging which allows you to easily reseal the pack. It is also easy to pour, making it mess-free. I love the range and the little one did too. Thumbs up.

The Ella’s Kitchen’s cereals range is available in-store now with a RRP of £2.30 for Multigrain Baby Rice (125g), £2.50 for porridge (175g) and £2.70 for muesli 175g).

Also new from Ella’s Kitchen.

Look out! Our super tasty + super cool Kids’ Snacks range has landed – yippeee! Created especially for big kids from three to five years, these delicious snacks are not only super tasty, they’re super fun too!

Featuring two scrummy products and seven BIG taste combos, the 100% organic range provides bigger kids with snacks that are lower in sugar and introduce exciting veggie flavours to encourage healthier appetites.

Smooshy Snacks

Representing one of your five a day, these four taste-tingling smoothie combos feature a mighty VEG ingredient to show big kids just how cool veggies can be!

– mango + pumpkin

– orange + carrot

– strawberry + beetroot

– apple + cucumber

These are a great addition to the Ella’s Kitchen pouch range. The flavours are interesting and work well together. The little testers were fans.

Fruity Bars

With three exciting taste combos on offer, new Fruity Bars are completely unique and

includes tasty additions such as crisped rice, oats, flaxseeds and coconut.

– briiilliant banana + raisin

– pow powww pineapple + coconut

– rrrocketing raspberry + mango

The fun doesn’t stop there though! Featuring super cool comic strips on pack, kids will meet an entire cast of superhero characters, including a cheeky rabbit causing mischief with a crew of fellow superhero animals. To join in the superhero fun, simply use our pull-out superhero masks + collectible pop-out finger puppets. Snacking has never been so cool!

These are a brilliant idea. The packaging is fun and gets kids interested while the snack itself is yummy and nutritious. Super cool indeed.

How to find us

Ella’s Kitchen’s Kids’ Snacks range is available in Sainsbury’s and at sainsburys.co.uk with a RRP of £3.49 for Smooshy Snacks (4 x 100g) and £2.50 for Fruity Bars (5 x 20g).

Caprera: New Online Artisan Food and Beverages Marketplace Brings The Goods

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Frost are foodies. Anyone who has ever come across this magazine will know that. So when we got sent some Meg’s Cottage homemade fudge via Caprera, a new online artisan food and beverages marketplace, we decided to check it out. Frankly, our bellies rumbled and our mouth was watering. Take a look for yourself. The fudge they sent was delicious.

The website features high-end products made in small batches by independent producers. Customers will be able to order from an assortment of over 200 artisan products from around the UK.

Caprera aims to let people reconnect with nature, remember their roots and the origins of food by enhancing interactions between artisan food lovers and small independent producers.

At present, 15 artisan producers have joined this growing marketplace. The company expects rapid growth as the platform develops toward its official launch later this year.

Solving the logistics challenge of food delivery has been famously difficult. Other companies attempting to create a marketplace for producers have struggled to consolidate delivery or work with small batch producers. Caprera fixes this by creating a complete end-to-end ordering experience, where customers can shop from any of the listed producers and receive their order in a single delivery in the following week.

“This could be a game changer for food lovers everywhere. Broadening access to craft foods made by artisan producers across the country means we don’t have to settle for second best anymore.” – Jeremy Hibbert-Garibaldi, Co-Founder

Caprera espouses full transparency in the supply chain and strongly highlights the story behind each product and producer. They have produced several mini-documentaries of producers sharing how they make great food.

Caprera has also published an online food lifestyle magazine with original content about artisan food culture.

ISABEL UPs & DOWNs | Down Syndrome Artist Uses Art To Cope, Brother Gets Her In Galleries

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Sibling love is a beautiful thing. Isabel, a 33-year-old talented artist with Down Syndrome, has had her work displayed in galleries thanks to her brother Ryan. Isabel has used art to cope with her condition. Here is her story in the words of her brother.

“Isabel started painting as part of her therapy to battle depression and through this we noticed that she really has a talent for it. My family and I were concerned when she stopped painting, so I basically just shot my mouth off and promised her that’d I’d get her artworks seen in a gallery in London.

So, I started sending out emails with high res snaps of Isabel’s works and eventually she was selected for an exhibition at the Menier Gallery in London Bridge. Through this, two other galleries have offered exhibition space. Until a few years ago she was a bubbly, outgoing young woman Recently, her mental state has deteriorated substantially and she has been fighting a string of terrible behavioural patterns like obsessional washing, self-harming and now has a severe depression along with very low levels of self-esteem. My mother takes her to a psychiatrist once a week and painting forms a substantial part of the therapy. Through this we discovered Isabel’s passion and talent. Unfortunately, Isabel thinks that there is no point in her continuing to paint, since nobody will ever appreciate or look at the works of a Down syndrome person. I am determined not to let her talent go to waste and to show her that there is an audience out there. To motivate her to carry on, I promised that I’d find a way of getting her work seen in galleries and this has become a huge source of motivation and joy for her.”

Ryan has already succeeded in helping Isabel, who lives in Berlin. Why not give your support? Click on the links below to get involved.

facebook.com/isabelupsdowns

http://www.isabel-ups-downs.org/index.html

Paint By Pixie Lott Hair Hi-Light Pen Review

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

The fashion for pastel hair shows no sign of waning and now Pixie Lott has joined in the fun. Singer/ songwriter and style icon Pixie Lott has delved into the world of beauty with her first range of hair products – a fun, commitment-free range of wash out, head-turning hair colours, which include Hair Chalks, Metallic Sprays and Wash Out Hair Colours.

I tried out the Hair Hi-Light Pen (£2.99). It is available in pink and blue. The packaging is great and fun. The pens are easy to use and give a good colour. You can see how the pink looks on my dark hair. You can change the look: applying lots for pink streaks or applying lightly for highlights. The pens can be used on wet or dry hair and then set with hairspray. When you are bored of it, simply wash it out. Simple, fun AND it looks great. The pen has a fine tip with wind up action which allows accurate application. I’m sold.

Also available:

Wash Out Hair Colour (£5.99)

Soft, luscious colour giving subtle pastel hues allowing you to flirt with your new hair colour then simply wash it out! Available in Sorbet – the perfect pastel pink, Hawaii – an ice blue, Starlight – a chic, silvery grey and Violet – a subtle but stunning purple, these pastel wash out hair colours are easy to use and wash out after 2-10 washes. Wash Out Hair Colour also contains ‘Fade Out’ shampoo to control the shade in order to create your perfect look.

Hair Colour Chalks (£4.99 per pack)

Available in six different bright colours; dark blue, light blue, green, yellowand orange these hair colouring chalks allows easy application of colour and are a handy size for a variety of styling and shading. Ideal to switch up your look for a night out, girl’s holiday, festival or even if you’re just in need of a temporary reinvention.

Spray On Colour (£3.99)

This easy-to-use compressed glitter spray, available in Silver or Gold, will help you achieve party hair in one simple step and also washes out easily the next day.

Pixie Lott comments; “I love experimenting with my hair, so selected some colours I thought would be fun to try and would look brilliant at festivals, at a party or even just to mix it up a bit when you’re bored with your colour.”

Twitter/Instagram: @PixieLott / @PixieLottPaint
The Pixie Lott Paint range is available at Superdrug stores and Superdrug.com

The Prime Minister Who Dodged Tax

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

I know what you are thinking. It’s Dave, right? Well, no. There is no evidence Prime Minster David Cameron has avoided tax. Not so one of his predecessors. In fact, one of the most well thought of Prime Ministers earned a fortune and used his power to dodge tax.

Winston Churchill made a substantial amount of money but he conspired with the chairman of the Inland Revenue to cut his tax bill. The Inland Revenue have two thick files on Churchill, but no one found out about his tax dodging when Churchill was alive. In fact, the only newspaper I have read about it in is the amazing Sunday Times. In an article written by David Lough, author of No More Champagne: Churchill And His Money.

You only have to read Churchill’s archive to find out that Churchill was not as patriotic as one would think. He was happy to pay tax for the first 40 years of his life, even supporting Lloyd George’s introduction of a super-tax. But as soon as he was rich enough to be affected by it he seemed to change his mind.

When Churchill was Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1924 he owed £400,000 in todays money but could not pay. He personally called on the Inland Revenue Chairman Richard Hopkins who sorted the issue out for him. Hopkins went off and found out that if Churchill retired as an author on the last day of the tax year, fees paid the following year could be treated as capital receipts not income. Capital receipts were not taxed. Churchill did so.

This was not the last time he called Hopkins to his office and Churchill resumed writing. He dodged much more tax and the Inland Revenue barely put up a fight. In 1945 he made £6 million from selling film rights to his books, all of which went untaxed. The IRS would not have any of it however, and Churchill’s executors had to settle with the American tax authorities after his death.

What do you think? Did you know that Churchill dodged tax?

Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction Review

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

When the press release for Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction foundation landed in our inbox we thought it looked interesting. Vichy Dermablend are known for their market-leading formulas which correct skin complaints like rosacea, redness, scarring and vitiligo. Their new Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction promises to turn 3D imperfections into 2D. It is a gel which, according to Vichy, ‘unfolds like a second skin, only even smoother, and more beautiful’.

Here is our verdict:

“The texture of the foundation feels nice. It is a gel and smooths on well. Since being sent the foundation to review my skin has had its first breakout in years. I am not sure what set my skin off, but the foundation does cover any redness and also smooths out open pores. The colour I review is nude but my skin is pale and it is too dark. The colour is also a bit too beige for my white skin. I have this problem a lot with foundation so I cannot blame Vichy, I have just spent my life wearing high SPF and keeping out of the sun.

Despite the issue with the colour, it does cover well. Smoothing out the complexion, covering spots and eliminating redness. It does this without being too heavy. It looks like skin instead of makeup. You also only need to use a little for good coverage. A fine layer will do all you need and it leaves skin looking fresh. It is available in five shades so I would go with the next colour down. It still leaves my skin looking clear, even and a little tan. It also has an SPF 25 which I consider essential in products (note: pale skin!) Recommended.”

Transform the appearance of acne-prone skin with the Vichy Dermablend 3D Correction Foundation SPF25, a corrective resurfacing base that provides high coverage and an ultra-matte finish.

The Dermablend 3D Correction Foundation SPF25 takes coverage to the next level, smoothing the skin’s surface to minimise the appearance of imperfections. Enriched with salicylic acid and eperulin, the oil-free foundation will work to visibly reduce the appearance of imperfections day-after-day.

In just a single application, the texture of the complexion will appear smoother thanks to a texture innovation, AlliagelTM. The formula’s pigments and soft focus agents cover and blur imperfections like a second skin, for a natural result and comfortable wear that lasts for up to 16 hours.

Available in five shades, the lightweight foundation is perfect for those that want to correct their skin’s texture and colour, providing coverage that does more than just camouflage.

Available from feelunqiue.com Boots.com and Boots nationwide.

The 2016 Sunday Times Rich List

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

ROLLING STONES WEALTHIEST BAND – WITH £630 MILLION,

AHEAD OF U2 – JOINTLY WORTH £500 MILLION

ADELE’S FORTUNE GROWS BY £35 MILLION T0 £85 MILLION

DJ CALVIN HARRIS HAS £95 MILLION FORTUNE

Adele, who has added £35m to her personal fortune in a year, tops the Young Music Rich List of performers aged 30 and under. The 27-year-old singer is now worth £85m, and rises to 30^th place in the overall 2016 Sunday Times list of the wealthiest of performers and composers in Britain and Ireland.

The Music Millionaires top 50 is released today, ahead of the 28^th annual Sunday Times Rich List to be published this weekend. Adele, Britain’s richest ever female musician, has benefited from the worldwide success of her long-awaited third album, 25, released last November. The London-born singer/songwriter is now hard on the heels of Ireland’s wealthiest female performer, Enya, who is worth £91m, up just £1m on 2015.

The Rolling Stones – Sir Mick Jagger, worth £235m; Keith Richards, £220m; Charlie Watts, £120m; and Ronnie Wood, £55m – with combined fortunes of £630m, up £40m on 2015, are the wealthiest band in Britain and Ireland, ahead of U2 with a joint fortune of £500m, an increase of £69m on the 2015 Sunday Times Music Rich List. U2 was the highest-grossing rock act last year selling 1.29m tickets worth £66m for 76 concerts.

The 2016 Sunday Times Music Rich List is headed by Sir Paul McCartney, who with his wife Nancy Shevell, shares a joint fortune of £760m, up £30m on last year. American-born Shevell has a £150m stake in her father’s New England Motor Freight trucking operation.

Calvin Harris, the Dumfries-born international DJ, who writes, sings, records, remixes and produces his own music, has seen his personal wealth leap by £25m in a year to rank him at 27 in the 2016 Top 50, worth £95m.

David Bowie’s widow and his filmmaker son by his first marriage to Angie, Iman Abdulmajid and Duncan Jones, join this year’s list with a joint family fortune of £90m, based on the £70m from Bowie’s will, their own wealth and royalties from the chart success of Bowie’s music after his death.

THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST 2016

THE TOP 50 MUSIC MILLIONAIRES IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND

2016 rank	2015 rank	Name	2016 wealth	Wealth increase, unless indicated
1	1	Sir Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell	£760m	£30m
2	2	Lord Lloyd-Webber	£715m	£65m
3	3	U2	£500m	£69m
4	4	Sir Elton John	£280m	£10m
5	5	Sir Mick Jagger	£235m	£10m
6=	New	Olivia and Dhani Harrison	£220m	£20m
6=	6	Keith Richards	£220m	£10m
8	8=	Ringo Starr	£200m	£20m
9	7	Michael Flatley	£198m	£3m
10	8=	Sting	£185m	£5m
11=	11	Eric Clapton	£160m	£5m
11=	12=	Rod Stewart	£160m	£10m
11=	10	Roger Waters	£160m	No change
14	12=	Sir Tom Jones	£155m	£5m
15	12=	Sir Tim Rice	£150m	No change
16	15=	Robbie Williams	£145m	£10m
17	17	Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne	£135m	£5m
18=	18=	Brian May	£120m	£10m
18=	18=	Charlie Watts	£120m	£10m
20	21=	Roger Taylor	£115m	£10m
21	18=	Phil Collins	£110m	No change
22=	21=	George Michael	£105m	No change
22=	23=	Jimmy Page	£105m	£5m
24	23=	Robert Plant	£103m	£3m
25=	27	John Deacon	£100m	£15m
25=	25=	David Gilmour	£100m	£10m
27	30=	Calvin Harris	£95m	£25m
28	25=	Enya	£91m	£1m
29	New	Iman Abdulmajid and Duncan Jones and family	£90m	–
30	43=	Adele	£85m	£35m
31=	33=	Gary Barlow	£75m	£10m
31=	30=	Mark Knopfler	£75m	£5m
31=	29	Nick Mason	£75m	No change
31=	30=	Pete Townshend	£75m	£5m
35	33=	Engelbert Humperdinck	£70m	£5m
36=	28	Noel and Liam Gallagher	£65m	Down £12m
36=	43=	Brian Johnson	£65m	£15m
36=	39=	Chris Martin	£65m	£13m
39=	35=	Barry Gibb	£60m	No change
39=	35=	John Paul Jones	£60m	No change
41	37=	Sir Cliff Richard	£58m	£3m
42=	39=	Guy Berryman	£55m	£3m
42=	39=	Jonny Buckland	£55m	£3m
42=	39=	Will Champion	£55m	£3m
42=	37=	Kylie Minogue	£55m	No change
42=	46=	Ronnie Wood	£55m	£10m
47=	46=	Jay Kay	£50m	£5m
47=	43=	Sir Van Morrison	£50m	No change
49=	46=	Peter Gabriel	£45m	No change
49=	50	Mick Hucknall	£45m	£5m
49=	New	Ed Sheeran	£45m	New
49=	46=	Bernie Taupin	£45m	No change

Britain and Ireland’s wealthiest young band, with all the members aged under 30, is One Direction, with a combined wealth of £132m. The four musicians in the One Direction line up, Niall Horan, aged 22, Liam Payne, 22, Harry Styles, 22, and Louis Tomlinson, 24, have each added £8m to their personal fortunes in a year and are individually each worth £33m, up from £25m last year.

Former One Direction member Zayn Malik, 23, has added £5m to his personal wealth, now worth £30m, helped by the success of his debut solo album, Mind of Mine, which topped the sales charts in the UK and the US this month.

Sam Smith and Florence Welch, who were new entries in the Young Rich List in 2015, worth £12m, have both added £8m to their personal wealth to join the Young Musicians Top 10 – each with fortunes of £20m.

THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST 2016

THE 10 RICHEST YOUNG MUSICIANS

IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND (Aged 30 or under)

2016 rank	2015 rank	Name	2016 wealth	Wealth increase
1	1	Adele	£85m	£35m
2	7	Ed Sheeran	£45m	£25m
3=	2=	Niall Horan	£33m	£8m
3=	2=	Liam Payne	£33m	£8m
3=	2=	Harry Styles	£33m	£8m
3=	2=	Louis Tomlinson	£33m	£8m
7	2=	Zayn Malik	£30m	£5m
8=	New	Sam Smith	£20m	£8m
8=	New	Florence Welch	£20m	£8m
10	8=	Ellie Goulding	£17m	£4m

THE SUNDAY TIMES RICH LIST – 148 PAGES ON APRIL 24

The 2016 Sunday Times Rich List – the definitive guide to wealth in Britain and Ireland – is published on Sunday, April 24. The 148-page special edition of The Sunday Times Magazine is the biggest issue of the Rich List ever published since it first appeared in 1989. It charts the wealth of the 1,000 richest people in the UK and the 250 richest in Ireland. The list is based on identifiable wealth, including land, property, other assets such as art and racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies. It excludes bank accounts, to which the paper has no access.

The Sunday Times Rich List is compiled by Philip Beresford and Robert Watts, and edited by Ian Coxon. The complete list will be available to all the paper’s digital members and will be fully-searchable online at thesundaytimes.co.uk/richlist

With thanks to The Sunday Times Rich List

Bad Things That WILL Happen When You Are Planning Your Wedding

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

wedding, weddings, wedding venue, london rowing club, wedding planning

Credit: Vanessa Bailey

Weddings. There is a reason so many films and books are set during a wedding. They have it all: family, friends, stress, lots of money at stake. My husband and I got so stressed in the run up to our wedding that we both were not sleeping and felt ill. In fact, stress contributed to my husband being hospitalised on our wedding day! But I learned a lot and we ended up getting married and made it all the way to the reception. I took the experience and knowledge and put it all in my wedding planning book.

Weddings are hard work but like everything that is hard work, it tends to be worth it in the end. So here are some bad things that will happen when you are planning your wedding. Keep an eye out for them.

Your relationship with some of the people in your life will be changed forever.

This may seem like a big claim but people have egos. There relationship with you may be different from how you see it. Or you may love them just as much, but they don’t fit the role of being a maid of honour or a best man because they are not organised. Some people will take it personally if they are not in the wedding party. Family members will also have their own opinions when it comes to your wedding. If they do not get their way they may hold a grudge or even hold it over you. Kindly point out to these people that the wedding is about you and your partner committing to each other for life. Your wedding is about no one else so if they don’t like the fact you have not invited someone they wanted, or they are trying to bully you into a specific venue, it might be worth reminding them!

You will probably fall out completely with at least one person.

Unless you are having a big wedding there will be people you want to invite that you will not be able to. People who do not get invited, or are not invited into the wedding party, might not talk to you again. Ditto those difficult, self-obsessed people who think your wedding is about them. Or those people who just can’t be happy for you. If it is someone you can remove from your life holding the grudge and being bitchy, cut them out. If it is a family member, try to not let it get to you. Ignore them and don’t let them get to you.

There will be at least one person who makes it All About Them.

And there is a special place in hell for these selfish people. Either ignore them, tell them off or smile and nod when they are being demanding and rude.

It will be stressful.

But as long as you try and limit the damage as much as possible, that is okay. The logistics will be hard but it will all work out in the end. Every now and then take some time off and do something with your fiancé. And never forget why you getting married in the first place.

But the most important thing.

Is that you are married by the end of the day and have good memories. Ever notice that in Don’t Tell The Bride it pretty much always works out? That is because in the end you are just happy you pulled it off and that today is the first day of the rest of your life with your new husband/wife. That feeling cannot be beaten. After my husband and I married and we walked back down the aisle it was the most amazing feeling. Ditto walking into our wedding breakfast.

So good luck and don’t let the bastards get you down (because that is what they want).

If you are getting married then get your hands on a copy of The Wedding Survival Guide: How To Plan Your Big Day Without Losing Your Sanity. It has great advice on planning your perfect wedding. It is also available in Ebook format and is a great guide for wedding planning.

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