Morrisons Christmas Showcase Event: What Food to Buy for Christmas?

The perfect Christmas scene

Last week Frost was lucky enough to attend the Morrisons Christmas showcase event. We tried out all the delicious treats Morrisons is offering for this year. You may have already seen our Morrisons Christmas range article

Morrisons does an exceptionally good job of transcending the image of the corporate behemoth. Whilst other supermarkets were hosting investor days, Morrisons was focused on getting its message out to its customers. The event was hosted in a magical house which had apparently been featured on Grand Designs. It felt like it was Christmas day already! What struck me was the genuine passion and honesty of all the Morrisons team.

After being warmly greeted we were offered a glass of Morrisons award winning champagne. I don’t pretend to be much of a wine expert but my partner and I have been sold on Morrisons champagne ever since we first had some a few months ago. Honestly some of the best champagne I’ve ever had.

Moving on we were invited to try some of Morrisons bakery products. Graham, one of the bakers responsible for Morrisons new products, proudly encouraged us to try some of their new work. Morrisons employs more bakers than any other supermarket. All of the products we tried are made directly in the store.

mmmmm

White Christmas Pudding

Morrisons has brought in Claire Clark, world-famous pattissiere, to make this delicious alternative to the original Christmas pudding. It’s moist lighter and dare I say in many ways better. For those who aren’t fans of more traditional Christmas puddings this is well worth trying. Good value at just £3 as well.

Snow Capped Baked Alaska

Baked Alaska with cassis liquer, blackcurrant cream and sauce.

Christmas Tree Bread

Delicious and easy. Eleven mini buns locked together in the shape of a Christmas tree. Ideal for breaking and sharing.

Candy Cane

My absolute favorite of the new range. These look and taste wonderful. It is essentially a chocolate brioche wrapped around a currant bun. Definitely worth getting a couple for Christmas breakfast.

Panettone Cheesecake

This was a wonderful creation. I love cheesecake so it was great for me to try a Christmas version for once. It tasted superb the Morrisons team can be rightly proud of this one.

We next meet baking specialist Martin. Martin is very friendly and passionate like everyone else. He encourages us to try Morrisons old favourites, the award winning Panettone and Stollen, both have been updated slightly with extra fruit. Both are exceptionally good. I don’t think I’ve had better. I love Panettone.

I have barely finished stuffing my face when I am greeted by Roy, Morrisons meat specialist. He brings me a huge plate of Morrisons Christmas meats.

The quality of the ingredients really shines through, everything was excellent.

I really enjoyed the Crusted Turkey joint

The Morrisons team has worked with Michelin-starred chef Nigel Haworth to develop this.

You definitely won’t go wrong with Morrisons pigs in blankets. They were delicious. The cranberry sauce, stuffing and lamb were all excellent.

Everything is washed down with a delicious glass of Chilean wine. Morrisons is doing a lot to help their customers choose the right wine. Wine can be pretty confusing and often I get overwhelmed by all the different choices. Try out their new online taste test to see what wine is right for you.

The items above are just a small sample of Morrisons huge Christmas range.

Morrisons is a fantastic supermarket. An example of a great British business which provides food and livelihoods for a huge number of people.

I was really impressed by the genuine passion of the Morrisons team. There was no fake interest or pretence, just satisified people with a passion for their work.

Morrisons often doesn’t get the credit it deserves when it comes to the quality of its food. They’ve put together a fantastic Christmas range make sure to check it out.

 

Encouraging Imaginative Play is the Best Gift you can give this Christmas

When children play, it looks and sounds incredibly random. They seem to shift from one imaginary game to another with each game having no relation whatsoever to the previous. One minute they are quite happy creating mud pies with a delightful concoction of grass, worms and dirt while leaving horrifying holes in the grass, and the next minute they are hiding from dangerous jungle creatures in their exciting safari shelter / garden bush. No matter where they are, who they are with or what they’re supposed to be doing, children will find extraordinary ways to create some fun imaginary
playtime.

With Christmas on its way, mummies and daddies all over the land are trying to find the perfect gifts for their little ones, and with the latest flashy gadgets arising from the tech-toys market, it’s easy to become distracted by their bright lights and impressive noises, and we forget why traditional imaginative play is so important. With technological advances in children’s toys, playtime appears to become more and more complex with lots of working buzzers, buttons and mechanical devices;
however the very nature of these modern toys actually encourages play to become simpler. The
more complex the toy, quite often the play becomes less thoughtful and the style of play is already
decided by the gadget itself.

Whilst the recurring holes in the grass and injured garden foliage may become increasingly annoying,
it’s this sort of play that can be the most beneficial for our youngsters’ development. Don’t despair,
though, these benefits don’t just apply to garden antics; it’s the imaginative factor that’s so crucial.
Imaginative play is encouraged the most if children’s toys leave some things to the imagination.
Wooden dolls houses, for example, are one of the best sources of imaginative play; a wooden dolls
house creates a whole world of possibilities. Playing with dolls and furniture inside a dolls house
gives children chance to create any type of story they wish; the dolls can become lots of different
characters that talk and play with each other, and these conversations help to develop important
communication and language skills.

Although dolls house dolls and furniture have a gorgeous amount of detail and special features
these days, the style of play is still left to the imagination. Children’s dolls houses are designed to
encourage imaginative play, and it is this freedom that helps children to learn so many valuable
skills. The very nature of a children’s dolls house encourages children to share with each other and
enjoy making plans together; whether that’s making the dolls pop to the local shop for some milk,
or having fun making lunch in the kitchen. When children take part in role play with the characters,
they are involving their own feelings about the world around them, and making decisions about
how the characters behave and talk is a lovely opportunity for them to explore behaviours and conversations that they’ve seen and heard in the real world. This involves important decision making and helps to develop logical thought processes in preparation for real social experiences.

While wooden toys are perfect for imaginary play, they are also wonderfully eco-friendly and
economical; they don’t include any chemicals or harsh substances which makes them perfectly safe – particularly when little ones have a habit of putting anything they can find in their mouth! The durability of high quality wood means that the toys have a very long life and are perfect gifts to pass down to future generations, making them timeless and extra special for those loved ones.

Written by Hannah Davey, a consultant for The Play Experts at the Big Game Hunters Dolls Houses
team.

Adam Green + Binki Shapiro, Bush Hall | Live Music Review

Adam Green first burst onto the scene in 2001 as one half of New York anti-folk duo The Moldy Peaches. 12 years on he’s stood in West London on a Wednesday evening alongside Binki Shapiro crooning out a beautiful 60’s folk-pop sound. It’s been quite a time for the irrepressible Mr. Green.

Adam and Binki’s collaboration has been described elsewhere as being similar to that of Nancy & Lee and as they open with “Don’t Be Jealous With My Thoughts” it’s not hard to spot the similarities, with Green’s soft guitar plucks swirling around Shapiro’s honey coated swoon of a voice. The arrangements are lush and the only thing that seems off here is the time of year; with the weather cold outside, close your eyes inside Bush Hall tonight, take a sip of your pint and you could be in some beautiful piece of countryside on a hot summers day. It’s a splendid show on a cold night on the Uxbridge Road and “Just To Make You Feel Good” has the sound of romantic possibility running through its sound but the lyrics hint at altogether less than convivial romantic ties. The pair are backed by a full band who blend into the background with a heads-down, workman-like attitude but add layer upon layer of beauty to proceedings.

Duets can often be a horrible thing and end up being corny, cheesy and slushy muck but this collaboration has the crowd, including a rather fat, legging-clad Carl Barât, enthralled from start to finish. Green and Shapiro come across as kindred spirits, fashioning difficult circumstances into beautifully crafted songs. With little music released there’s little familiarity with the tunes but after 13 songs they exit stage left  with the crowd wishing for more.

With my expectations for the show low I wasn’t disappointed but even if they were higher than Adam’s old pal Pete Doherty, they’d not disappoint. The LP for this project isn’t due out until January 2013 but on this performance expect it to be amongst the records of 2013.

Leo Bancroft Party at The Ivy

On the 22nd of November I went to The Ivy with the lovely Nadia Gilani for the launch of Leo Bancroft’s accessories range for Tesco. The evening was a lot of fun and Leo has made a brilliant range of accessories. The celebrity hairdresser was joined by Made in Chelsea star Kimberley Garner (who is very friendly and gave me the biggest smile) , Eastenders actress Tanya Franks, the lovely model and presenter Jules Wheeler, cast from The Valleys, entrepreneur Tom Gearing from The Apprentice, and business man Richard Caring.

Check out Leo Bancroft’s haircare at Tesco.

QVC Spring Summer 2013 | Frost’s Pick

We popped along to the QVC SS13 press day to find out what you will be buying next season.

I love Lulu Guinness. Her quirky bags are beautiful and original.

Stationary from Anna Griffin. Very elegant. Stationary says a lot about a person. This says all the right things.

I love this Honora bracelet.

Jack Murphy Clara Quilted Jacket.

Kelly Hoppen Buddha.

These Marta Jonsson Peep Toe Court Shoes are divine. I love the red detail.

Nails Inc nail polish. Always a classic.

Nina Leonard Maxi Dress.

Perricone MD Necolletage. Pricey at £123 but it really works.

Tiana B Geometric Print Maxi Dress.

Strivectin Advanced Overnight Serum. Good stuff. Relatively easy on the wallet.

The sun won’t be out for a while, but when it is you will want Ultrasun Tinted Moisturiser.

I love these Lotus Catherine Sandals with a beautiful flower detail.

Brilliant detail on this beautiful cuff bracelet from Rush by Denis Charles.

Londoners Life – Overheard by Phil Ryan

Londoner’s life 47 – Overheard by Phil Ryan
I am exhausted this week as it’s been a busy old time and next week is worse! But it has shoved me out into the world a lot and of course I had my ears attuned. And I ended up with two Overheard’s but chose the one you’ll see today. My brief overheard phone conversation line I got at a course I attended in Romford. I was waiting in the foyer of a very nice hotel sat a side table having a cup of tea when I saw a middle aged woman in a very spangly outfit (it was 10.00 in the morning). As I read my paper she said in a very loud stage whisper “Georgy I won’t tell you again. Sex is not a weapon”. Ooh er missus! Anyway here we go for this week’s Overheard.
I was at an art gallery launch and it was quite an upmarket affair. I was loitering by a buffet food table and admiring some huge black and white cityscapes when this occurred.
Elegant woman in black: “It’s not as if she’s a real Buddhist anyway. She had sex with her plumber for goodness sake” Elegant woman in silver: “Yes lovely but I’m not sure that’s bad for a Buddhist is it. Of course I’m not one so I’m just guessing really” Elegant woman in black: “Oh god yes darling. It’s a dreadful thing for a Buddhist. Her energy in the universe gets diminished and she won’t be able to reach any kind of inner peace. Her meditations are almost worthless after that sort of thing” Elegant woman in silver “But her marriage is in trouble. It’s as plain as the nose on your face. Have you met him though. He seemed quite a sweetie to me” Elegant woman in black “(diffidently)“You know I almost married him before I met Tony” Elegant woman in silver “(Shocked) “No really. You kept that under the radar. I had no idea!” Elegant woman in black “Oh yes we had a brief dalliance but to be frank he had a terrible body hair problem” Elegant woman in silver “Ugh I cannot deal with that sort of thing. Poor lamb it must be very difficult for him. Couldn’t he have some sort of laser thingy. He’s certainly got the resources”. Elegant woman in black (very calmly) “Well I did mention it once but he seemed oblivious to the issue. To be honest darling it was like fucking a rug” At this point they both broke down laughing and I was collared by one of the organisers.
BREAKING AND VERY IMPORTANT PHIL RYAN NEWS: WORLD FIRST!!!!!!!!!
As a writer for the past countless years I have written columns like this, plays, film scripts, sitcoms, books, short stories and comedy scripts for stand-up comedians. HOWEVER up until then I had never written a joke. And by this I mean a joke you could tell BUT yesterday as I was walking through John Lewis in Bond St I thought of a complete joke.
At a Medical Centre the Head doctor is at the morning meeting with all the other doctors. He points out all the new Xmas decorations and the tree in the lobby and asks them to thank the receptionist for the festive look. He tells them a guy from the NHS is going to spend time with them today to check on their patient handling skills. He says just co-operate as its part of their yearly inspection. So the first Doctor goes into his cubicle and greets the man who has a clipboard. A patient comes in complaining of a bad knee. The first Doctor examines it and then smiling he says “Oh we’re going to have to give you some special reindeer cream so when Santa’s reindeer comes with your presents you can kneel down and give them a biscuit” The patient laughs and smiles and takes his cream and leaves still smiling. The man with the clipboard tells the Doctor “That was excellent” and he goes into the second Doctors cubicle. The Second doctor greets him and then a patient comes in and says he has a bad neck. The Second Doctor says “Oh well I’m going to give some special Santa Claus neck ointment so you can see Santa’s sled coming when he brings your presents” The patient laughs and smiles and takes his ointment and leaves still smiling. The man with the clipboard tells the second Doctor “That was excellent” and he goes into the third Doctors cubicle. The Third doctor greets him and then a patient comes in and says he has a bit of a rash. The third Doctor tells him to pop behind the curtain and the man with the clipboard hears the Third Doctor behind the curtain say “Yes. I’ll give you some pills. Off you go” And he pulls the curtain back and points the man to the way out. The man with the clipboard nudges the third doctor and gestures to him. The third Doctor sighs heavily and rolls his eyes and then calls out to the departing patient “Hang on” (this part is sung to the tune of ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Xmas’) and singing he goes “It’s beginning to look a lot like herpes….
YES FOLKS THAT IS THE FIRST JOKE I EVER WROTE Date 24th November 2012 at 5.00pm.

9 Bar | Food Review

I am on the go a lot so I like to have some snacks in my bag. Cereal bars are a particular favourite.
9bar have re-launched with a sleek new makeover and I tried their 5 varieties – Original, Nutty, Pumpkin, Flax and Organic. 9bars are gluten, dairy and wheat free. 9bars are handmade in Wales.


Original

The original bar is crunchy and delicious. It is also very filling. A brilliant snack. This bar is substantial and not too sweet.

Nutty

This bar is filled with nuts and seeds. Really good cereal bar, and with chocolate on top. Yum.

Pumpkin

I love pumpkin seeds. This bar also has a brilliant carob coating. You can see all of the seeds. It tastes sweet and is filling.

Flax

Flax seed is very popular with the health conscious. Flax seed is a super food, making these bars even more healthy. Tastes brilliant too.

Organic

This organic bar is tasty and pure organic heaven. Topped with chocolate and full of seeds. The perfect on the go bar.

The 9bar range is available from Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Morrison’s, Holland & Barrett and independent health food stores nationwide. All varieties are available in 4 x 40g multi packs, RRP £1.89, and in 50g singles, RRP 70p.

The Shakespeare Conspiracy | Theatre Review

 The Shakespeare Conspiracy by Andrew Shepherd is not only a brilliant piece of theatre, but it will also keep you guessing all the way through. Full of twists and turns, the Shakespeare Conspiracy is original and incredibly intelligent. Triumphant theatre in two wonderful acts.

The play is superbly directed by Jack Bowman, Bowman has created a well oiled machine which never dips or loses its energy. Full of pop culture references and brilliant gags, The Shakespeare Conspiracy is riveting.

A special mention must be given for the impressive and realistic fight scenes. They really are something to behold.

The play focuses around Martin Shakespeare, the last remaining descendent of Shakespeare, who is working as a travel agent in Stratford. Martin gets caught up in a  400 year old conspiracy involving The Royal Shakespeare Company, which far from being a theatre company, is actually a branch of government like MI6, and a prison, The Globe Theatre. It turns out that Shakespeare’s characters are real.

The cast of twenty are all well cast and brilliant at their parts. A special notice should be given to Jack Baldwin and Libby Evans as Benedict and Beatrice. They have amazing chemistry and I could not watch them without thinking of the brilliant film, His Girl Friday. Richard Armah as Garfield Oberon and Lee White as Edmond also deserve a special mention.

Andrew Shepherd as Iago  was also brilliant. Andrew is eloquent with a wonderful stage presence. There is a funny part int he play when Iago blames his mother for making him a villain. ‘You never had a mother Iago, you are fictional’ he is reminded.

This play is intelligent and witty. You can easily follow it if you concentrate, and you should concentrate, so you do not miss even a second of this stunning play. A must see.

 

Twitter: @tsc61112
Venue: Chelsea Theatre (on the King’s Road – nearest tube Sloane Square Underground, or 11, 22 Bus to Edith Grove/World’s End)
Production Company: www.ascrandom.co.uk