Category Archives: Life & Style

Oppo Brothers Ice Cream: Famous for Flavour, not Calorie | Frost Loves.

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We have fallen completely in love with this delicious ice cream which is healthy for you and the planet. It is all of the indulgence with 60% less calories and sugar (they use stevia and other natural ingredients) than regular ice cream. The warm weather is coming and there is no better way to celebrate it than with Oppo Brothers Ice cream. The ice cream has protein in it and lots of other natural ingredients that are good for you. I am a particular fan of the Double Chocolate Brownie flavour. 

Even my children love this ice-cream. If it pasts the kids test you know it is a winner. It tastes good and it does good. What more could you want?

Launched in 2014 by brothers Charlie and Harry Thuillier, Oppo’s mission is to create feel good indulgence, without compromising health or planet. Ice cream gives everyone a little lift, and with the sun shining and temperatures rising as we head into summer, Oppo delivers the most indulgent flavours, with up to 60% less calories and sugar than regular ice cream, and no compromise on taste. The first major ice cream brand in the UK to launch a nationwide ice cream delivery service, Oppo customers can get hold of exclusive flavours not available in the shops – arriving in perfect frozen condition. Furthermore, 10% of online profits go to the NHS, meaning #GoodTemptation has never felt better!

oppo brothers ice cream oppo brothers ice cream

Feel good

Ice cream sales exploded last year as Brits treated themselves at home, with an extra 54 million litres going through the tills in 2020₁. Whilst some sought out comfort in calories, others embraced healthier lifestyles during lockdowns and tucked into better-for-you treats like Oppo, with this healthier brand seeing a 40% global increase in sales, and 140% in the UK, more than any of its competitors in the marketplace. In the last 6 years Oppo has saved 5.23bn calories from people’s diet, or 600,000kg of fat, when they choose Oppo over standard ice cream, showing that feeling good can taste good too! 

Only the finest natural ingredients

Oppo brings indulgence without compromising health, using all-natural ingredients from all corners of the earth to provide an all round feel-good ice cream. Fresh meadow-grazed cow’s milk is sourced from a sustainable dairy local to the Oppo creamery. Hero ingredients, which keeps the % of sugar and calories at bay include organic Peruvian Lucuma fruit, known as the ‘Gold of the Incas’ which naturally provides a rich caramel flavour for the Double Salted Caramel. Pure Columbian Cacao Fino de Aroma is ethically sourced and used in chocolate ice cream flavours. Stevia leaf brings the sweetness, without the calories or any nasty additives, whilst Madagascan vanilla seeds, cinnamon from the jungles of Sumatra and fruit are bursting with flavour. 

Flavour is everything

Natural ingredients combine to create the ultimate frozen treat, whatever the weather. With combinations ranging from zingy lemon to crunchy buttery biscuits and mouth-wateringly rich chocolate, there is something for everyone, including a growing list of plant based vegan options:

  • Caramel Cookie Melt

  • Vanilla Pecan Praline Crunch

  • Colombian Chocolate & Hazelnut

  • Double Chocolate Brownie

  • Double Salted Caramel Swirl

  • Canadian Maple Walnut Crunch

  • Very AlmondBerry (vegan)

  • Simply the Zest (vegan)

  • Madagascan Vanilla & Roasted Almond Ice Cream Sticks

  • Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sticks

  • Colombian Chocolate & Hazelnut Ice Cream Sticks

The Oppo Ethos

Oppo believes in #GoodTemptation, doing right by people as well as the environment. Oppo sources their milk locally, from cows that are free to roam naturally, and where circular farming methods are used to control waste and secrete it into a local forest to reduce C02 impact. For every sustainably-managed tree cut down  for the packaging, Oppo plants five more, and their packaging plant runs on green energy. Removing the gold foil from Oppo packaging means that it is easier to recycle, and reduces the energy used in producing it. Cocoa farmers are paid above the market rate, and profits are invested into the local community to build schools and other infrastructure. 

About Oppo Brothers

Brothers Charlie and Harry Thuillier conceived the idea for ice cream that makes you feel-good (indulgence at no expense to health) in Brazil in 2011 whilst breaking the world record for the longest distance travelled by kite. It took 2.5 years to create their first recipe.

Entrepreneurs Charlie and Harry Thuillier pitched their idea on Dragons’ Den, asking for a £60,000 investment for a 7% share of the business. Despite failing to secure the investment, the brothers went on to quickly raise over £1.1m in funding through the Seedrs platform, of which investors have now sold for significant profit. In 2016 tennis champion Andy Murray tried Oppo and loved it so much he invested in the ice cream dream, helping to introduce Oppo to over 140k people. Since then they have become the only lower calorie ice cream brand to win Great Taste Awards, and refuse to compromise on health or taste. Charlie and Harry believe that their success is down to Oppo’s focus on quality of product and premium, natural ingredients, plus an understanding that consumers are unwilling to compromise on taste. 

Oppo is sold in 12 countries worldwide and is stocked in Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose, M&S, Booths, Ocado and more in the UK, as well as being available online for delivery. 

RRP is £4.50 for a 475ml tub 

www.oppobrothers.com

 This Summer they launch two new flavours – Double Chocolate Brownie and the UK’s first CBD ice cream – Choc ‘n Chill with CBD.

Joffe Books announces a crime fiction prize for writers of colour

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Joffe Books is  thrilled to announce that in conjunction with literary agent Susan Yearwood and bestselling crime writer Dorothy Koomson, they are looking for a new crime fiction writer to join our list.

The competition aims to champion authors from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds writing in one of our favourite crime fiction genres: electrifying psychological thrillers, cosy mysteries, gritty police procedurals, twisty chillers, unputdownable suspense mysteries, shocking domestic noirs . . .

Whether you are writing your crime fiction debut, previously published or self-published, if you are an unagented crime fiction writer of colour, we want to hear from you!

THE PRIZE
The winner will receive a two-book publishing contract with Joffe Books.

HOW TO ENTER
Entrants are invited to submit their full-length manuscript, written in English, along with a synopsis of the book and author biography, to: prize@joffebooks.com

The opening date for entries is 1 May 2021. The closing date for entries is 30 September 2021 23.59 p.m. GMT. No entries received after this date will be accepted.

Meanwhile, some new books from Joffe Books.

                                                                             

DON’T BELIEVE A WORD BY PATRICIA MacDONALD  99p/99c

One phone call changes everything. Eden’s mother is dead in what looks to be a murder-suicide. She wasn’t perfect, but Eden can’t believe she could be a killer. Quick turn the page.

CONSTABLE IN THE FARMYARD BY NICHOLAS RHEA  £1.99/$2.99

Chaos reigns over the north Yorkshire moors.  A motley gang of eccentrics are keeping Constable Nick busy with their outrageous antics — even though there are genuine criminals to be tracked, like the most recent bane of his existence: the phantom milk bottle thief. Can Constable Nick keep the peace while maintaining his own sanity? This, Frost Magazine readers, is something I ask myself when surrounded by my children.

And finally, .    THE ICE DAUGHTERS BY D.E. WHITE in audio

As the temperature drops, the body count rises: Firefighters race to a burning farmhouse to discover two young girls . . . alone. Their mother is gone and the dead body of a man is found. The only scrap of evidence is two chess pieces that have been left on the doorstep.

It happens again: a missing woman, a frozen body, chess pieces made of ice.  Can Detective Dove Milson put a stop to a serial killer without putting herself in danger? Listen and learn is what  Frost Magazine says.

Find  out more about Joffe Books’ inaugural Crime Writing Prize here

Find out more about Joffe Books book list here

Frost Magazine is in awe at the entrepreneurship of our British artisan outlets

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Here at Frost Magazine we are endlessly impressed by the quality and superb customer service of the artisan producers we have had the pleasure of knowing.

I caught up with Williams Handbaked again when under pressure from Dick and my own great  need to spoil myself, we totted up a list of our favourite hand baked cookies, and worked our way though the individual ordering system, rather than ordering a box hamper. At the same time, our son phoned to say he MUST order more shortbread cookies, but this time dig deep to find some control or he’ll scoff the lot in one sitting, again. One daughter dare not have them in the house until the diet is at an end. She calls them the diet destroyers.

Williams tell me they are sorting out a ‘Choose your own Box’ ordering system, which will make it an altogether quicker activity. But either way, if you have tried the box hampers, then rest assured that you can order your favourites with careless abandon. I have decided that there are no calories in any of Williams Handbaked goodies. But I am a fiction writer, which after all is one big lie, so what is another?

 

Do any of you watch Montalbano, set in Sicily, with sub titles in English?   Well,  Il commissario Montalbano (Salvo if one was being familiar, which one would so like to be) leads a police procedural, but in my mind he is my new best friend, because he  is also a glutton for fine food. So, as well as enjoying the Sicilian scenery, and the actual business of solving ‘who dun it’, please enjoy  Salvo’s sheer unmitigated pleasure in the food he devours. He will not speak when eating, he must enjoy in peace – well quite. One of his favourites is cannoli, baked by his housekeeper Adelina.  I have longed to try some.

So, when I was informed that online delicatessen  Affetto Italiano  would provide these, (what diet??) we had to try them.

Cannoli are Italian pastries that originated on the island of Sicily and consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling. Dick and I could not decide between chocolate, pistachio or lemon, so ordered a box of each. (We have no shame). They’re not large, three  mouthfuls, or as Dick so wisely said, ‘If you don’t want crumbs it can go in in one’. It is not, though, a good look. I repeat, no calories  – I repeat, I am a fiction writer, do not believe me.

We also ordered one of the most popular Italian filled pastries – Aragostine which are also far too delicious.

Affetto is an online Italian delicatessen based in Birmingham. It was formed in 2017 and works in partnership with a family-run producer and importer of fine Italian foods. Agostino is the director, a young entrepreneur that has kept his customer firmly in mind, much like another of Frost Magazine’s favourites:

Delicario ,  whose artisan products were delivered trouble free to the kids  in wicker hampers  at Christmas, but are available all year round, and of course, one can order individual items. The hampers went down a treat.  I must order more of their products.

I also bought cheeses from Affetto: Asiago, Percorino with black pepper, and Scamorza affumicato. Salvo would drool.

To round off our tour of well – gluttony if we’re being honest, onto another Frost Magazine favourite … Rounton Coffee Roasters where a small group of entrepreneurs have introduced Midnight Harvest. The Midnight beans from Porta do Ceu, Brazil,  have been stored in barrel aged (whisky) and let me tell you, it is pretty darned splendid. But I think aged in brandy flasks would flavour the beans just as well. I might then buy a bag of both, and their sparkling water de-caff to look less BAD.

All in all, quite frankly, and seriously,  I feel Salvo and I could sit on his balcony, after treating ourselves no end, and watch the sun go down, sipping whisky or brandy barrelled Brazilian coffee with no need of speech.

How about it, Salvo? And reply came there none.

Williams Handbacked is available here

Affetto Italiano is available here

Delicario is available here

Rounton Coffee is available here

Bad Nights and Odd Days: Greenwich Theatre presents a trio of acclaimed short plays by Caryl Churchill Wednesday 23rd June – Saturday 10th July 2021

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Bringing together a trio of short and unforgettable plays from one of the country’s most prominent playwrights, Caryl Churchill (Top Girls; A Number; Drunk Enough To Say I Love You), Greenwich Theatre are reopening once again with their first in-house production since December.

Led by acclaimed actor Paul McGann (Withnail and I; Doctor Who), Churchill’s earlier works will be brought to life for this limited season. Further casting will be announced in due course. Bad Nights and Odd Days will see Churchill’s rarely performed plays, Abortive, Seagulls, and Three More Sleepless Nights, reenergised for the stage under the direction of Artistic Director James Haddrell.

Exploring life-shattering events, a carousel of shifting relationships and the presence of psychic phenomena, this intimate collection of plays shows why it is so hard to categorise Churchill’s writing, blending the personal with the political, the naturalistic with the supernatural, the spoken with the unspoken.

Abortive highlights the strains of a married couple reeling in the aftermath of a shocking event; Three More Sleepless Nights details the everyday arguments and daily suppression of emotions; while Seagulls is Churchill’s powerful and personal allegory about losing the ability to write.

Director James Haddrell comments, We are delighted to be emerging from the last year of closure with this special collection of short plays. Caryl Churchill is undoubtedly one of the most important British playwrights of the past half century, and thanks to support from Arts Council England I am excited to be able to share some of her earliest, most rarely performed work. With special permission from Churchill herself to bring the pieces together under the title Bad Nights and Odd Days, I know that this collection of intimate, quietly heart-stopping dramas will offer a powerful, moving evening of live theatre – the kind of evening that we have all been missing so much.

Greenwich Theatre is excited to bring quality entertainment back to the area. The theatre continues to adhere to the ongoing government guidance, with social distancing potentially in place for indoor performances. Should the restrictions and circumstances change they will look to adjust accordingly.

Bad Nights and Odd Days: Three short plays by Caryl Churchill (Abortive, Seagulls, and Three More Sleepless Nights)

Dates Wednesday 23rd June – Saturday 10th July 2021 Tuesday – Saturday, 7.30pm Saturday matinee, 2.30pm

Running time 90 minutes (no interval)

Access Tickets are £26 (concessions £21) and can be purchased online at https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/bad-nights-and-odddays/

Age Guidance 15+ (trigger warnings: Abortion, Rape and Suicide)

Director James Haddrell Writer Caryl Churchill Producer Greenwich Theatre Twitter @greenwichtheatre Instagram @greenwichtheatre Facebook /GreenwichTheatreLondon

Book Review: Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Sutanto – reviewer – Natalie Jayne Peeke West Country Correspondent

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ARE YOU…DEAD?’

OH MY GOD. I THINK HE IS.

When Meddy Chan accidentally kills her blind date, she turns to her aunties for help. Their meddling set her up on the date so they kind of owe her.

WELL, THAT DIDN’T QUITE GO TO PLAN.

Although hiding this goddamn dead body is going to be harder than they thought especially when her family’s wedding business has THE biggest wedding of the year happening right now.

IT’S PRETTY BAD TIMING REALLY.

It turns out the wedding venue just happens to be managed by Meddy’s ex, aka the one who got away. It’s the worst time to see him again, or…is it? Can Meddy finally find love and make her overbearing family happy?

Dial A for Aunties is such a page turner… Recently I have been trying to broaden my reading horizons, because,  like many other book worms I have a specific genre which is my absolute favourite and that genre takes up around 80% of my bookshelf space. This year I said to myself “Natalie, just pick up a few books that you wouldn’t normally read. What is the worst that can happen?” So sticking to my guns i tucked into my advanced readers’ copy of ‘Dial A for Aunties’.  It would have been one of those books that I would have said to myself “Nah, I won’t enjoy that.”

I am so glad that I read it, it was funny – and not the little chuckle to yourself on the inside funny but genuine laugh out loud funny.

I will not give away any spoilers but I will say that even though I have absolutely nothing in common with Meddy I found her to be extremely relatable and so too her aunties for that matter. They are all strong and developed characters . The writing style is something that all bookworms love – you start reading at 9pm, telling yourself that you will only read for a hour and before you know, it’s 2am and you still can not put it down.

I applaud Sutanto, she has single handedly converted me and I can not wait to see what other delectable delights she has in store for us.

Paperback and E-book and Audible Audio book.

GEOX Kids’ new PLAYKIX Collection.

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We absolutely love these high-quality and innovative running shoes for kids. They are so stylish and they are waterproof. Win-win.

GEOX Kids’ new PLAYKIX COLLECTION that combines sustainability, technology and fashion to create a running shoe with a futuristic look.

Geox, trainers, children's kids,

  • The shoe cleverly captures foot movement and conveys this information via Bluetooth to the PLaykix App available on smartphones.
  • This sets in motion the adventures of GEOX Boy and GEOX Girl, encouraging them to play outside, while creating avatars who collect plastic waste, rid the air of pollution or repair vehicle that clean the environment.
  • By engaging in these digitised exciting activities, children are encouraged to actively interact with the environment in a responsible way, making walking more entertaining and fun.

 

GEOX PLAYKIX is available in a variety of bright vibrant colours and all  include the Geox-patented breathable waterproof outsole. https://www.geox.com/

 

Why You Need a Professional for Plumbing Repairs

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When you own your own property, all sorts of problems can arise that need to be dealt with. In a rented home, the landlord would generally sort these out, but as a homeowner, you need to do it yourself. When it comes to plumbing issues, which are common issues in homes, you need to ensure you do not make matters worse by attempting to do the work yourself. This could actually end up costing you more money in the long run as well as wasting your time.

What you need to do in the event of plumbing issues in your home is contact an experienced professional with a solid reputation. Someone with expertise and experience when it comes to plumbing repairs can ensure the job is completed quickly, efficiently, and to high standards. This will make life far easier for you and could be far cheaper than finding someone who is not qualified or attempting it yourself.

Why This Is So Important

There are many reasons why it is so important to use a professional and reputable plumbing expert for your plumbing issues. Some of these are:

Avoiding Wasting Your Time

If you attempt plumbing jobs yourself without the necessary experience, knowledge, and tools, you will simply end up wasting your own time and possibly being back at square one – or in a worse situation – at the end of it all. With a qualified professional, the work will be done properly, and you won’t have to spend time trying to work it out yourself.

Avoid Making the Problem Worse

Another reason you need a professional for plumbing work at your home is that it means you won’t end up making the problem worse. If you make a mistake, you could end up causing more damage and this will then cost you more money to put right. With a professional, the job will be completed to professional standards.

Save Money

Following on from the last point, getting a professional in can save you money because you are not risking making the problem worse. You won’t have to go out and spend money on tools to try and fix the issue, and you won’t be spending your time trying to work out a problem you know nothing about, so you can get on with other things. All of this can save you both money and time.

Get the Job Done Right

One other reason to get a professional in is that you can benefit from greater peace of mind because the job will be done properly and to high standards. You won’t keep having the same problem over and over again, and even if you do, a reputable professional will get it sorted out for you. This makes the whole process far easier and means that you can get the plumbing issues sorted out quickly and permanently.

These are some of the reasons why it is so important to get a professional out to work on plumbing issues at your home. 
Collaborative post with our brand partner.

Living with Alzheimer’s – I am an Essential Caregiver by Chris Suich

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At last, I’m Bob’s ‘essential care giver’!

It has been a tumultuous battle this year for me and many thousands more up and down the country who have been desperately fighting to see their loved ones in care homes for a year and more. Our loved one’s mental health and well-being have not being considered; the laws that are there to protect the vulnerable have been ignored. I was reading recently that there is a catastrophic hidden cost of Covid because many dementia sufferers have simply given up, refused food, and died because they do not understand why their loved ones have stopped coming to see them. Despair and loneliness the silent killer.
My husband went into care just a week before the first lockdown when there was no vaccine and limited knowledge about how to halt this pandemic’s spread. I understood why I wasn’t allowed in and resorted to waving from the road or at the window with the British spirit of ‘ stiff upper lip’ and put my own agonies aside as this terrible Covid 19 meant we all had sacrifices to make. I was kept away, not able to hold his hands –even outside in the summer when the R rate was low, even though I was willing to wear PPE and do anything else required.  Then he caught Covid inside the home but fought and got better from it. This was devastating and the site was closed – all window visits stopped and I heard nothing for two months until I begged the GP to check on him.

Today we are in a very different position; so it makes no sense why some care homes cannot follow the latest government guidance of April 2021 and allow indoor visits mitigating risk, using lateral flow tests and PPE for all care homes everywhere.

For my part, I have been well supported by the founders of John’s Campaign – Julia Jones and Nicci Gerrard, as well as Leigh and Day solicitors and Rights for Residents founders Diane Mayhew and Jenny Morrison. Their steadfast advice and ability to cut through the legislation to make it clear and understandable has been invaluable. The publicity they have commanded on media, TV and radio raising the profile of care home visiting and the articulate way Jenny spoke to the Harriet Harman  select committee recently has been both humbling and a cause for jubilation. She spoke for me and for everyone.

I did everything I could to try to persuade the manager to let me in. I explained about ‘end of life’ being 6-12 months not just imminent death. The guidance states this and also that visits should be facilitated. But to be brutally honest, it wasn’t until we sought legal advice and sent a letter that a meeting with the Regional manager was organised which resulted in making me an essential care giver. In addition, Joe, our eldest son has been made a  designated visitor when he can get freed up from his shifts in the hospital. There is a very detailed personalised risk assessment. I have PCR test and a  lateral flow with the carers and home staff weekly and another lateral flow test every time I visit. It is a small inconvenience. I can now see my Bob for two whole hours twice a week in his room. I am ecstatic.

Much has changed. He doesn’t ask to hold my hand anymore he’s forgotten how to hold hands. I still hold his though and stroke his hands and face. He doesn’t know who I am anymore but he knows I’m ‘lovely’. He rarely understands but he seems content and searches my face and loves it when I smile. I play him lots of music. The tracks from his youth. The bands he actually booked when he was President of the Entertainment Committee whilst at Sheffield University in the 70s. Our youngest son still in Australia has suggested a playlist.
I try to keep to a routine. He likes a hot chocolate and I feed it to him at 3 pm in a beaker every time I visit. I give him chocolate buttons on his tongue. I always play ‘Oblah  Dee Oblah dah’ and he has started to la la la which I’m thrilled  about. I think he’s happy when I’m there, he chitter chats in a completely non-sensical way but I go along with it all. I’m trying to get a little bit back from him and I’m succeeding. He looks better and is not so agitated. He lets me put his cardigan on without a fight and brush his teeth with a soft brush. He does still call out randomly and hallucinate but generally he’s content. I too am content. I can check he’s clean, his room is kept nice and he’s as healthy as can be expected. The carers are kind and courteous to me. I thank them. They cannot fail to see the bond between us. He’s still there deep inside and he does come back to me a little every visit.
So today I had another visit and it does us both good. I left him wrapped in the memory blanket with the pictures of our family on it.
I am very lucky to have this precious time and I pray that everyone will see their loved ones soon, before it’s too late.