Books To Sink Your Teeth Into.

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Catherine Balavage

The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O’Flanagan.

Another brilliant novel from Sheila O’Flanagan.

Deira isn’t the kind of woman to steal a car. Or drive to France alone with no plan. But then, Deira didn’t expect to be single. Or to suddenly realise that the only way she can get the one thing she wants most is to start breaking every rule she lives by.

Grace has been sent on a journey by her late husband, Ken. She doesn’t really want to be on it but she’s following his instructions, as always. She can only hope that the trip will help her to forgive him. And then – finally – she’ll be able to let him go.

Brought together by unexpected circumstances, Grace and Deira find that it’s easier to share secrets with a stranger, especially in the shimmering sunny countryside of Spain and France. But they soon find that there’s no escaping the truth, whether you’re running away from it or racing towards it . .

The Woman Who Ran Away is available here.

Without a Trace by Mari Hannah.

A gripping novel from a brilliant and imaginative crime writer.

A FATAL CRASH

A plane on route from London to New York City has disappeared out of the sky. This breaking news dominates every TV channel, every social media platform, and every waking hour of the Metropolitan Police and US Homeland Security.

A PRIVATE TRAGEDY

The love of DCI Kate Daniels’ life was on that aircraft, but she has no authority to investigate. This major disaster is outside of her jurisdiction and she’s ordered to walk away.

A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH

But Kate can’t let it lie. She has to find out what happened to that plane – even if it means going off book. No one is safe.

And there are some very dangerous people watching her…

Without a Trace is available here.

The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front.

Another book in the popular saga. Brilliant as ever.

December 1943

As the war effort gathers steam in Europe, it’s all hands on deck on the home front.

Gloria is over the moon to be reunited with her sweetheart Jack. But her sons Bobby and Gordon are away with the Navy and still know nothing of their mother’s divorce and new half-sister.

Rosie’s squad of welders must work gruelling hours in the yard as they prepare for the Allied invasion of Normandy. All the while Rosie herself waits anxiously for news of her husband Peter, who is carrying out dangerous work as an undercover operative in France.

Meanwhile welder Dorothy has a feeling that her beau Toby is planning to pop the question when he’s next on leave. But it seems that her head is being turned by someone closer to home…

It will take great strength and friendship if the shipyard girls are to weather the storms to come.

The Shipyard Girls on the Home Front is available here.

Bessie’s War by Pam Evans.

Great for lovers of wartime fiction.

It is autumn 1940 and, as the bombs drop on London, a close-knit community struggles to survive.

Working at the local post office, Bessie Green does her best to keep her customers’ spirits up, but when she receives a telegram addressed to her parents, there’s nothing she can do to prevent the heartache that lies ahead.

Then Bessie hears that eleven-year-old Daisy Mason has been orphaned in a blast, and she’s sure that taking Daisy into their home is just what her parents need to help them overcome their grief. At first, Daisy won’t settle, then her handsome brother Josh comes back on leave and things look up for all of them. But the war brings further challenges for Bessie and her friends – with more hearts broken and loved-ones lost – before they can dare to dream of a brighter future…

Bessie’s War by Pam Evans is available here.

Blackout by Simon Scarrow.

Riveting and fast-paced. It keeps you reading.

Berlin, December 1939

As Germany goes to war, the Nazis tighten their terrifying grip. Paranoia in the capital is intensified by a rigidly enforced blackout that plunges the city into oppressive darkness every night, as the bleak winter sun sets.

When a young woman is found brutally murdered, Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is under immense pressure to solve the case, swiftly. Treated with suspicion by his superiors for his failure to join the Nazi Party, Schenke walks a perilous line – for disloyalty is a death sentence.

The discovery of a second victim confirms Schenke’s worst fears. He must uncover the truth before evil strikes again.

As the investigation takes him closer to the sinister heart of the regime, Schenke realises there is danger everywhere – and the warring factions of the Reich can be as deadly as a killer stalking the streets . . .

Blackout by Simon Scarrow is available here.

The Operator by Gretchen Berg.

This brilliant book is out now on paperback. Read our review here.

It’s 1952. The switchboard operators in Wooster, Ohio, love nothing more than to eavesdrop on their neighbours’ conversations, and gossip about what they learn. Vivian Dalton is no different (despite her teenage daughter’s disapproval), and always longs to hear something scandalous. But on the night of December 15th, she wishes she hadn’t. The secret that’s shared by a stranger on the line threatens to rip the rug of Vivian’s life from under her.

Vivian may be mortified, but she’s not going to take this lying down. She wants the truth, no matter how painful it may be. But one secret tends to lead to another . . .

This moving, heart-felt and ultimately uplifting novel brilliantly weaves together an irresistible portrayal of a town buzzing with scandal, and an unforgettable story of marriage, motherhood and the unbreakable ties of family.

The Operator by Gretchen Berg is available here.

The Embalmer by Alison Belsham

A fantastic serial-killer story that draws you in and does not let go.

Has the ancient Egyptian cult of immortality resurfaced in Brighton?

When a freshly-mummified body is discovered at the Brighton Museum of Natural History, Detective Francis Sullivan is at a loss to identify the desiccated woman. But as Egyptian burial jars of body parts with cryptic messages attached start appearing, he realises he has a serial killer on his hands. Revenge, obsession and an ancient religion form a potent mix, unleashing a wave of terror throughout the city. Caught in a race against time while battling his own demons, Francis must fight to uncover the true identity of the Embalmer before it’s too late…

The Embalmer by Alison Belsham

Cult Writers.

I really loved this book. It features a great collection of writers to learn more about.

WHAT MAKES A CULT WRITER?

Whether pioneering in their craft, fiercely and undeniably unique or critically divisive, cult writers come in all shapes and guises. Some gain instant fame, others instant notoriety, and more still remain anonymous until a chance change in fashion sees their work propelled into the limelight.

Cult Writers introduces 50 novelists deserving of a cult status. The literary genres and subjects explored within these writers’ pages are rich and diverse – acting as mirrors of their genius minds. FromIrvine Welsh’s gritty Edinburgh streets, to Ken Kesey’s drug-fuelled madness; from feminist trailblazer Sylvia Plath to the magical realism of Angela Carter – discover little knowns with small, devout followings and superstars gracing the covers of magazines. Each writer is special in their individuality and their ability to inspire, antagonise and delight.

Cult Writers is an essential addition to any book lover’s library, as well as an entertaining introduction to our weird and wonderful world of literature.

Also in the series: Cult Artists, Cult Filmmakers + Cult Musicians

The writers:
Kathy Acker, James Baldwin, J.G. Ballard, Mikhail Bulgakov, Charles Bukowski, William S. Burroughs, Octavia E. Butler, Italo Calvino, Albert Camus, Angela Carter, Colette, Maryse Conde, Julio Cortazar, Philip K. Dick, Douglas Coupland, Marguerite Duras, Ralph Ellison, Elena Ferrante, Janet Frame, Jean Genet, Joseph Heller, Michel Houellebecq, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Ken Kesey, Chris Kraus, Milan Kundera, Ursula K. Le Guin, Doris Lessing, Cormac McCarthy, Carson McCullers, Yukio Mishima, Haruki Murakami, Anais Nin, Sylvia Plath, Thomas Pynchon, Raymond Queneau, Ayn Rand, Pauline Reage, Jean Rhys, Juan Rulfo, Francoise Sagan, J.D. Salinger, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Donna Tartt, Jim Thompson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Kurt Vonnegut, Virginia Woolf, Irvine Welsh.

Cult writers is available here.

Frost’s Mindfulness Series Week 4: Using your body as your anchor by Alex Bannard

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Margaret Graham

Last time we explored how we can use the breath as our anchor. In the same way that we are always with our breath, which is why it is such a powerful anchor, we are also always in your body. Our body is a power anchor into the present moment because, like the breath, it is both a guide & a tool.

We manifest stress with tightness & tension in our body. Being more mindful will help you recognise these physical manifestations & even if you can’t solve the mental anguish if you can ease the physical signs that can help stress to subside.

There are 3 typical areas of our body that generally hold a lot of tension & we are often oblivious to them: the shoulders, the jaw & our brow – I refer to them as the triangle of stress.

When we are triggered our body naturally flex’s in preparation to fight or fly & our body goes into survival mode. This protected us in cavemen days when there were actual life or death dangers.Nowadays, modern days stress: being late for work; being bombarded by emails; arguing with a loved one pose an emotional threat that is as real to our body & mind as a physical threat.

The shoulders are one of the most common areas of tension. It is believed that there is a motor nerve attached to the muscles in our shoulders & the back of the neck that is linked to breathing. Once we get stressed & start to shallow breathe, our shoulders tense up. Just being able to recognise this tension in our body gives us an opportunity to ease this & thereby create some space in our mind. Gently rotating the shoulders forwards or backwards or shrugging them up towards to your ears as you breathe in & as you breathe out shrugging them dramatically away from the ears can shift this tension. And it is surprising how just easing the physical signs of stress can relieve the mental anguish.

Another part of our body that we tend to hold tension in our jaw. When we are stressed we often clench our jaw. When we notice we are doing this we can simply release our jaw. You can also open your mouth & just in front of your ears is an indentation. Press it & hold for 6 seconds & repeat 3 times. Finally you make a scissor shape with your index & middle finger, placing your jawline in the hook of the fingers & sweep firmly from the chin to the hairline 6 times.

Finally that spot between our eyes: the furrowed brow. Pent up emotions & stress can fester between your eyebrows and become visible lines over time. You can ease this tension away by placing your first 3 fingers in the space between your eye brows around the third eye & rotate the fingers first in a circle in one direction 6 times & then the other. Noticing tightness & tension in our body is a sign or a guide, relieving that tightness & tension becomes the tool to relieving the mental anguish.

Another reason we can use our body to anchor us in the moment is that for many, being physically active, they become more mindfully aware of the present moment. Practising yoga is a great way to practice mindful movement & become more in tune with your body.

Practicing a body scan meditation is another way to ground our self in the present moment, as we scan through the body we become mindful of the sensations in our body, any tightness, becoming aware what we may need to do to alleviate this tension & in doing so alleviate any mental distress we may be experiencing.

To try a body scan meditation for yourself, simply email Alex to the email address below quoting Frost body scan. Next time we will be exploring the many benefits from practicing mindfulness & meditation. So by becoming more aware of the signs of tension in our body & we can help alleviate the affects of stress by mitigating the physical manifestations.

Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for the last 8 years, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a sense of peace & calm within & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices.

If you would like more information on how to practice mindfulness, meditation & yoga message her at alex@myananda.co.uk.

For free resources check out her Facebook group: Mindfulness & Yoga for Self-Care, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MindfulnessYoga4Relationships

Alternatively please check out her website: www.myananda.co.uk

The Joy in You by Cat Deeley | Book Reviews.

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Catherine Balavage

I really loved this book. It has beautiful illustrations which are matched with lovely, inspiring words to let children know that it is okay to be themselves, and also go after their dreams. A great book from TV presenter Cat Deeley. My children loved it. Inspiring and positively affirming.

Encourage kids to live out loud and be their truest selves with this picture book from media personality, national treasure and mum, Cat Deeley.

Dream big, as big as the night sky full of stars.
When you discover the things you love, you’ll find true joy.

Journey through a magical world, filled with a colourful cast of animals, where readers have endless opportunities to be themselves and find freedom in expression. They will delight in the silly humour and undeniable spirit of this rhythmic and beautifully illustrated picture book-and take to heart the message that they are enough exactly as they are!

Cat Deeley’s debut is an ideal bedtime book that you can read to your little one over and over again and is the perfect gift for birthdays and baby showers.

The Joy in You is available here.

An Award-Winning Refill and Recycling Initiative from PureLakes

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Catherine Balavage

One of the most annoying things about finding good skincare is sustainability. The search for good, environmentally-friendly, products can seem endless. Well, it is time to call it off: Pure Lakes has won a National Recycling Award, and rightly so. They have a revolutionary refill initiative which also gives customers 30% off the price when they return the packaging and reorder.

The products are natural and made in the beautiful Lake District. The packaging itself it biopolymer which is made with sugarcane. I have tried their products and they are fantastic and they smell amazing. I cannot recommend this brand enough. They are truly amazing.

“Why should loyal customers be out of pocket for doing the right thing…”

Natural skincare brand Pure Lakes has won a National Recycling Award for its revolutionary refill initiative. Their pioneering progress towards ‘closing the loop’ has been recognised in the Circular Economy category at the National Recycling Awards.

Owners Claire and Gareth McKeever ask customers to return their original, sugar-based biopolymer bottles to be refilled, rather than being sent refills in additional pouches as is available with many brands.

“Having researched the options,” Gareth said, “we realised that despite using less plastic than new bottles, pouches are not easily or widely recyclable. We have made Reduce, Reuse, Recycle a big part of our business but have gone two steps further and given the entire Refill process a Rethink.”

Pure Lakes Skincare are pioneering this new return and refill process and are the first brand to offer such a comprehensive service. Unlike other brands, the refills are available across the entire Pure Lakes range, with 30% off the cost price to help cover the return postage.

Gareth continued: “From a manufacturing business perspective it is not the most efficient process as all batches are handmade, perhaps one of the reasons other brands don’t offer it. However, we don’t want our loyal customers to be out of pocket for doing the right thing, they should be rewarded for refilling and reusing, and the more people that do it the easier it becomes for us to carry it out.”

Having consciously sourced all their packaging, a refill service that went one step further seemed like the obvious next step for Pure Lakes, which already has a strong reputation for being ethical and sustainable.

On receiving the empties, they are washed and refilled from small batches the team handmakes themselves in Staveley, adding a new date and batch number before returning them to the customer as good as new.

Since launching in 2006, the brand has been using 100% traceable, natural and biodegradable raw ingredients to make their products and all the formulas are free from synthetics, parabens and SLS.

This initiative is just one of many choices they’ve made towards carbon neutrality. They’re in the process of raising finance to build a new workshop which if successful will be powered by air source heat pumps and solar panels, where they’ll be able to grow their own ingredients.

www.purelakes.co.uk

www.instagram.com/purelakes

Why You Should Never Put Off Foundation Repairs

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Aidan

The foundation of your home is what provides it with stability, and if any damage occurs it can create many difficult issues. Some people never expect their foundation to become damaged, and when this happens it leaves them wondering what to do. A lot of people are concerned about the expense of getting the damage repaired, and as a result, they often push the issue onto the back burner and fail to get it addressed.

However, this is something that can prove to be a serious and costly mistake, as foundation issues can have a huge impact on your home. It is important to ensure you get foundation repairs carried out as soon as you can and you must ensure they are completed by a professional with the right experience and expertise. In this article, we will look at some of the reasons you should never put off foundation repairs at your home.

Top Reasons to Get These Repairs Completed

There are many reasons why you need to ensure these repairs are carried out both professionally and quickly. Some of the top reasons you need to act are:

Avoid Serious Damage to Your Home

One of the top reasons to get these repairs carried out in a timely manner is to avoid serious damage to your home. When you have foundation problems, all sorts of serious issues can arise at your home including damage to walls and floors, sinking areas of concrete, and a drop in safety levels at your home. So, you need to get the repairs done quickly to try and avoid these issues or at least to minimize the impact.

Reduce the Cost of Repair

Another major reason you need to act quickly to get the repairs on your foundation sorted out is to keep the cost of the repair work down. While you may think that getting the foundation repaired is going to be expensive, it will cost you a whole lot more if you leave the problem to get worse. The more damage to the foundation, the more difficult it will be to repair and the most it will cost you to put right. In addition, the impact on other areas of your home will also be worse, and this will also then cost more to sort out.

Maintain Your Property Value

One other key consideration is the value of your home, which can be heavily impacted by the state of your foundation. If your foundation is damaged and repairs are not carried out, it can have a serious negative effect on your property value. In addition, the problems stemming from the foundation damage can also further impact the value of your home. If you decide you want to sell in the future, the foundation issues can make this far more difficult, and you will get far less for your home if you do sell.

These are some of the reasons you should never put off foundation work at your home.
Collaborative Post with our brand partner.

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: JAN BAYNHAM ON HER LOVE FOR UNDER MILK WOOD

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Jane Cable

Those of you who know me or read my posts on Jan Baynham Writer Facebook page will realise I’m a big fan of Dylan Thomas and his writing, from his wonderful poetry to his short stories and especially his famous play for voices, Under Milk Wood. My first encounter with the play was, in fact, not on the radio but a stage performance at the tiny but grandly named theatre, the Albert Hall, in my hometown of Llandrindod Wells. As a teenager, I can remember being mesmerised by the poetic language, his use of imagery, and the wide range of eclectic and eccentric people he’d created.

The characters live in a small fictional Welsh village by the sea, named Llareggub (read it backwards!) or Llaregyb (contrary to Thomas’s wishes) in some earlier versions of the play. A long time in its making, the play tells of the ‘dreams, fantasies and realities of the inhabitants’ of Llareggub ‘as they unfold across the cycle of one spring day’. The villagers are presented in a humorous, ribald way, created and exaggerated maybe from the poet’s observations of the oddities and the pieces of gossip of a small-town community that he lapped up every morning in Brown’s Hotel in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire.

The play opens at night and a narrator invites the audience to listen in on the dreams of the townspeople of Llareggub while they sleep, “from where you are”.

“To begin at the beginning:

It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched’-and-rabbits’ wood limping invisible down the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea…”

We are taken straight there, invited to listen to the villagers’ innermost thoughts. They include Captain Cat, the blind sea captain, reliving his times at sea and his drowned ship mates and Mrs. Ogmore-Pritchard, relentlessly nagging her two dead husbands. Almost all the characters in the play are introduced as the audience witnesses a moment of their dreams until “…dawn inches up.”

Through the characters, more than sixty of them, we are given a glimpse of village life albeit through their eccentricities. The Reverend Eli Jenkins delivers a morning sermon about his love for the village. I love the choice of names – Gossamer Beynon, Willy Nilly, Evans the Death, Dai Bread, Nogood Boyo. Through their actions and what they say, the characters come alive. Taking up her morning tea, Mr. Pugh imagines poisoning his nagging wife and whispers:

“Here’s your arsenic, dear.
And your weedkiller biscuit…
Here’s your…
…nice tea, dear.”

At Mrs. Organ-Morgan’s general shop, women gossip about the townspeople. Children play in the schoolyard; Polly Garter scrubs floors and sings about her illicit lovers of the past. Later, Mrs. Organ-Morgan shares some of that gossip with her husband:

“I saw you talking to a saint this morning. Saint Polly Garter. She was martyred again last night…”

As night begins, Reverend Jenkins recites another poem. Cherry Owen heads to the Sailor’s Arms, where Sinbad still longs for Gossamer Beynon. The town prepares for the evening and the inhabitants of Llareggub return to their dreams again.

Since my first introduction to Under Milk Wood as a teen, I’ve heard it played many times with a variety of casts, seen stage performances and film versions. It never fails to intrigue me, and I find new snippets of language to marvel at each time. It has been called poetry but Dylan Thomas’s own description of it is ‘prose with blood-pressure’! If you are not familiar with the play, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Fantastic Haircare: Natural, nurturing shampoo & conditioner bars

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Catherine Balavage

Pure Anada’s new Shampoo and Conditioner Bars are formulated to be kind to your hair and kinder to the environment. I love these shampoo and conditioner bars. They do the job wonderfully, all while smelling gorgeous and being good for the environment.

Packed with the powerful cleansing and nurturing properties of plants these small puck-shaped bars deliver high-performance, eco-friendly haircare.

Pure Anada is handcrafted in the Canadian prairies from fresh, wholesome ingredients where they incorporate the goodness of nature into each of their products. Using ingredients derived from nature, luxurious plant oils, nourishing butters and ethically mined minerals are combined to create a comprehensive range of nurturing bodycare, skincare and haircare products with clean, natural formulations that are free from common allergens and not tested on animals.

Pure Anada is available in the UK exclusively from

Live in the Light – the online natural and organic lifestyle store www.liveinthelight.co.uk

Pure Anada Shampoo Bars – £9.95
Shampoo Bars from Live in the Light
NEW: These pH-balanced shampoo bars are made with Ecocert approved, biodegradable, non-toxic surfactants. Infused with conditioning cocoa butter to cleanse and nourish scalp and locks – they work beautifully for all hair types!

Small but perfectly formed – at just 7.5cm round and weighing in at only 115g they will provide shampooing for up to 100 washes – the equivalent to 2-3 bottles of liquid shampoo (16oz).

Easy to use: Wet the shampoo bar in the shower stream, lather in the hands, and then apply shampoo to hair or rub the bar directly onto the scalp and throughout hair. Create a foaming lather while massaging the scalp and working the shampoo all throughout the hair. Rinse thoroughly.

Pure Anada Solid Shampoo Bar – £9.95

What is it that makes a solid shampoo bar different from a homemade bar of soap?

Soap is made from oil or butter and lye, in a process called saponification. This process results in a finished product that is great for cleansing the body, but has much too high a pH for the hair. Pure Anada’s solid shampoo bars, on the other hand, have a lower pH and also contain surfactants, breaking up the trapped dirt and oils on the hair and scalp gently, so they can be washed away with water.

Why is pH important for a shampoo bar formulation?

Our skin has mechanisms that regulate its pH, but hair does not. The surface of healthy skin will eventually return to its natural, slightly acidic pH after washing with soap—even with a higher-pH soap (many of them are between an 8 and a 10.)

Hair on the other hand can’t; it doesn’t heal and balance on its own. For this reason, it’s important to understand that one of the major sources of hair damage is using products with the wrong pH on the hair. Depending on an individual’s hair type and health, washing once or twice with soap might not immediately be a problem, but it can cause damage over time.

Pure Anada’s shampoo bar formulation is pH balanced, making it safe to use on a regular basis. It is not the same as a bar of soap which contains saponified oils which are a higher pH.

Pure Anada Conditioner Bars – £9.95
Conditioner Bars from Live in the Light
Follow with Pure Anada’s Conditioner Bar…
Detangle, smooth and hydrate hair with this concentrated, eco-friendly conditioner. Shea Butter nourishes each strand without weighing it down.

Presented in the same cost-effective 7.5cm puck these solid Conditioner Bars also offer the equivalent of 2-3 bottles of liquid conditioner (16oz)

Wet the Conditioner Bar in the shower stream, lather in the hands, and then apply the conditioner to the hair or rub the bar directly onto the scalp and throughout hair. Those with oily hair may prefer to only apply conditioner to the bottom half or to the ends of their hair. Work the conditioner throughout the hair and rinse thoroughly.

Pure Anada Solid Conditioner Bar – £9.95

Pure Anada’s Shampoo & Conditioner Bars are available in six fabulous, natural fragrances…

Luxury Brand Delicario launches its innovative chocolate eggs and Easter Hampers – such a treat.

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Margaret Graham

Easter signifies Spring, sweet treats and an occasion for families to get together now more than ever after what seems a long darkish time at the coalface of Covid-19 restrictions. Restrictions, sensible though they are – which are now easing. Hooray…

For Easter, ‘international farmers market’ Delicario (www.delicario.com) are introducing a festive variety of gift boxes and hampers of authentic artisan flavours from sustainably minded small-scale and family producers in different European regions, as well as a range of fine chocolate Easter eggs. With a ‘farm to table approach’, Frost Magazine’s regular readers will know that Delicario’s emphasis is on high quality natural ingredients reliant on organic generational farming methods and natural preservation.

Delicario was set up by a small team of specialists working in the luxury services industry with a passion for food and travel to source outstanding delicacies to sell in their online shop as individual items, gift boxes and hampers. The new Easter range features biscuits, cakes, chocolates and Easter eggs made to artisan recipes by small Italian chocolatiers and bakeries, accompanied by fine tea and Premier Cru Rosé Champagne from family vineyard Damien-Buffet. From Belgium there’s an elegant selection box of eye-catching praline eggs handcrafted by Frederic Blondeel.

EASTER GIFT BOX AND HAMPER RANGE is well worth thinking about.

Delicario Easter Essentials Hamper is filled with gluten-free artisan treats from Italian chocolatier Autore, including milk chocolate mini eggs with sticky but crunchy croccantino, a signature Easter egg crusted with pistachios from Bronte, a chocolate bar made with traditional hazelnut paste, accompanied by fine and delicate Darjeeling tea.

https://www.delicario.com/hampers-gifts/p/delicario-easter-essentials-hamper

Delicario Sweet Easter Hamper is for all the family to enjoy, including hand-crafted mini eggs of fine milk chocolate and a single source Madagascar dark chocolate egg from Italian artisan chocolatier Autore. Also included are a melt-in-the-mouth sourdough Pear and Chocolate Bauletto cake, fragrant lemon cookies and crunchy rich dark chocolate and hazelnut Goloso biscuits made to authentic Italian recipes by Olivieri 1882 and Kucino.

https://www.delicario.com/hampers-gifts/p/delicario-sweet-easter-hamper

The egg is an ancient symbol of new life and Delicario have selected artisan chocolatier Autore from the picturesque Italian village of San Marco dei Cavoti in the Campania hills for their handcrafted chocolate eggs and also Frederic Blondeel from Belgium, creating an elegant selection box of handmade chocolates eggs with organic cocoa sourced from India, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador and Vietnam.

My particular favourite is Autore’s ‘miracle’, or so I call it. Honestly, it’s glorious; an egg made from extra fine chocolate, crusted in origin-protected crunchy hazelnuts from Avellino in Italy and there’s another in Bronte pistachios also of protected origin. Honestly, these must be savoured – slowly. And then let’s do an Oliver Twist: ‘More please, Sir.’ And for heaven’s sake let’s forget the diet.

There is more, so you’ll need to go to the very friendly and slick website and b-r-o-w-s-e, making sure you check out the INDIVIDUAL EASTER EGGS https://www.delicario.com/chocolates/easter-eggs

Delicario’s aim is to bring families together around the dining table. From daily deli needs to cherished presents for celebrating special dates and events, their individual items, artisan meal boxes, gift boxes and hampers capture the very best of authentic ingredients to create a ‘dining out experience’ at home. Each gift box and hamper can also be individually tailored by selecting products from the Delicario range. Gift vouchers and personalised greeting cards offer a personal touch. Delicario offer a 24-hour delivery service across the UK and advance delivery can also be scheduled. And trust me, their deliveries are speedy, and all is as they say.

Founder Marco Rosa commented, “We constantly search for innovative flavours to please shoppers who are looking for the combination of outstanding taste and texture in sustainable and often organically grown foods. Our producers are perfectionists who move with the times but remain dedicated to the artisan techniques and recipes passed down through family generations.”

No more to say really except take yourselves along to the website. And enjoy.