Lent 2017- Cutting back on sugar

Lent began on Wednesday (01.03.2017) and all though I am not a very religious person I still like to give something up. Normally I give up chocolate as a bit of a detox for Lent however this year I have decided to go a step further and cut back on sugar. If you have read my post about my goals for 2017 ( you can read it here) you will know that one of my goals was to get fitter and also fuel my body with the correct food.

Why cut back on sugar?

For the past two years I have watched Sugar Free Farm in which celebrities gave up sugar completely for a certain amount of weeks. I find it fascinating to see how much sugar is in things as well as the effect it has when you remove it from your diet. From the show I have seen the side affects of cutting out sugar completely and have decided to just cut back rather than remove it completely. When I look at my diet, my main weakness is sweet stuff, I rarely order take away or go out for dinner ( however if you read my blog you know I am a fan of going to dessert restaurants). I am hoping to see a significant difference in my levels of energy as well as my weight by cutting down on sugar as I believe sugar is effecting my mood ( I am tired most days and often get grumpy for no reason).

Sweets, Chocolate, Cake and Biscuits

The obvious change I am going to make for Lent is to cut out all chocolate, all sweets, biscuits and cakes as I see them as being obvious sugar. As I mentioned a moment ago normally I give up chocolate which isn’t easy but manageable, however I would normally turn to sweets when I want my sugar fix. I also work in an office where people are bringing in cake ( normally to celebrate birthdays) and other sweet delights, so I am going to have to resist temptation.

Switching to Wholegrain

I already eat whole-wheat pasta and bread however I would normally have white pasta if I am out rather than choosing something else or a white bread roll. So for the whole of lent I will be eating only whole-wheat pasta and also wholewheat bread. I was also going to eat just brown rice but due to the difference in price when buying a 5kg bag I went with white rice but I did buy a small bag of brown rice. Instead I am just going to have alternatives to rice for example cauliflower rice which I have spotted in Aldi recently but also available in other supermarkets. I have previously had sweet potato noodles as an alternative to pasta and really enjoyed it so through lent I will probably try to have this rather than pasta.

Fitness

As well as giving up something for Lent, I am also going to do more exercise to try to improve my fitness. My plan is to go to at least one class a week either zumba or aqua fit and at least one work out at home ( I usually make a play list of zumba songs including a warm up and cool down). I suffer with a bad back usually after exercise or cleaning the house so I am hoping improving my fitness will eliminate the pain and strengthen my muscles.

Drinks

As I can’t have sugary drinks, I am going to be having either plain water or fruit infused water. My favourite is strawberry and mint, as I find this quiet refreshing. I am a big fan of fruit teas and normally would have sugar in them, recently I have been having 2 sweeteners instead. I plan to carry this on and see if slowly I can change my palate so that I no longer need sugar or sweetener. From watching Sugar Free Farm I have seen that the celebrities palates were different when sugar (fruit) were reintroduced as they tasted sweeter than before. After my main meals I usually having a craving for something sweet and I am hoping that slowly this will go away. I am going to aim to drink 4 pints of liquid a day so that I can stay hydrated.

Fruit

When ever I have an urge for sweet stuff through lent I am going to turn to fruit or yogurt instead, I went shopping at the weekend and picked up some strawberries and blueberries. I am not a big fan of most fruit but I do like berries so I will just have to stock up on them and some dried fruit for emergencies. I also picked up some yogurt, however I didn’t check the label whilst out and noticed when I got home that it still contained quiet a bit of sugar. I plan to go to the supermarket on my lunch break one day next week and find a yogurt with less sugar and then add berries to it for natural sweetness, if you have any suggestions please let me know.

I know this is going to be a challenge as I love sweet stuff, but I think it’s the kick-start I need to lose some weight and also hopefully get fitter. I will do another post at the half way mark to let you know how I am getting on.

Wildwood Restaurant Peterborough- Review

Guess who is back with another restaurant review? Now I know I said I was trying to save money in my 2017 goals post, however this is an exception as it was a friend’s birthday. I have been to Wildwood in Peterborough a few times previously, however that was before I had my blog. I have always been happy with the food and the service I have received. I visited Wildwood at the end of January 2017 and thought I would let you know if my opinion of the place has changed.

Food

Wildwood’s menu is a mixture of Italian and Grill, I am a big fan of their Italian Dishes, many of the options on the menu I had seen previously. I decided to skip the starter and just have a main dish, I choose the Spaghetti with Prawns which I had tried previously as nothing else really caught my attention. The dish consists of pasta, cherry tomatoes, king prawns and a white wine and garlic sauce. As previously this dish was very tasty, there is a good amount of prawns and plenty of pasta.  One of my friends is a vegan and opted for the Superfood Salad and requested extra avocado instead of feta cheese and mushroom rather than the protein option which they were happy to do for him. One of my other friends asked for a calzone but on a normal base which they were also happy to do for her, her boyfriend ordered a calzone but unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of both of these. My other friend whose birthday it was ordered the peri- peri chicken and her husband order the Philly Steak and cheese sandwhich. Everyone was happy with their choices and the portion sizes.

Service / Atmosphere

Even though it was a Saturday night and there was six of us, the food arrived promptly and our waitress was really nice. I did have to ask for a spoon to eat my spaghetti but this was brought to me in a matter of minutes. The waitress also asked if my friend would like a dressing to go with his salad. We were offered desserts and hot drinks but we declined on this occasion as the others wanted to go to a dessert restaurant instead. There was a few celebrations taking place at WildWood on Saturday night when I went which added a buzz to the atmosphere, people laughing and having a good time. When I looked around there was quite a few large groups of people, due to how big Wildwood is, they can easily accommodate for large parties.

Price

I would have to say that Wildwood is a middle range restaurant with most of the starters costing around £6, mains £12 and desserts £6. Although the food is nice, once you also pay for the drinks this is not somewhere you could afford to go regularly. In the past I remember there being a deal you could get for having either 2 or 3 courses however this was not available on Saturday night. WildWood in Peterborough also has a cinema, with films being shown on Thursday nights, they offer a deal where you can have your food and film for a reasonable price. Due to the good food and service I will be sure to visit again but due to the price and me trying to save money this year, it will only be on special occasions.

 

Florida 2016- Part Five- Food

I am back with another installment about my recent holiday to Florida. This post is going to have more photos than words, hope you enjoy. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments.

Longhorn Steak House

This was by far my favourite complete meal, I actually had three courses and enjoyed every single one. I had the pork chops (only manage one and half, two was too much), the sweet potato jacket potato was amazing with cinnamon butter and the chocolate lava cake was yummy.

Taco Bell

We only went to Taco Bell once but it was my favourite fast food restaurant, I love Mexican food and this was great convenient food. We ordered at the till and then about 10 mins later our food was brought over to us.

Denney’s

My favourite restaurant / dinner would have to be Denny’s as I enjoyed their breakfast, lunch and dinner menus and apart from one occasion the service was brilliant.Philly chicken sub and seasoned fries was my first meal in America and it was so yummy. I also had Strawberry lemonade which was so refreshing. My other favourite meal from Denney’s was the BBQ Bourbon Mushroom Burger.

Cheesecake Factory

If I had to choose a favourite dish I think it would be the Spaghetti Carbonara from Cheesecake Factory as that day I had a sore throat and it was just what I needed and tasted amazing, I choose to add chicken which was a good choice. My favourite dessert was of course cheesecake from the Cheescake factory, it was like nothing I had ever tried before, it gave cheesecake a whole new meaning.

IHop

We went to I hop for breakfast quite a few times, I always ordered the savoury and sweet combo, which I eat separately.

Applebee’s

We went to Applebee’s twice and both times I enjoyed my meal, my favourite side was the garlic greens they were really good and I plan to re-create these at home.

Mc Donalds

We went to Mc Donalds a few times for breakfast, I thought it was good but not amazing however I did enjoy mt Mc Griddle which was like a sweet pancake/ bun with bacon, cheese and egg in the middle.

Bubba Gump Shrimp

Before I went to Bubba Gump Shrimp I hadn’t seen Forrest Gump all the way through, only clips. Since coming back from Florida I have watched it all the way through and have a new appreciation. The food was good and the service was great we were given a mini film quiz while we waited for our food which made the time go quicker. The menu included Shrimp every way you could think of. We also got to keep our glasses as they were celebrating their 20th anniversary, it’s a nice souvenir that I have used since getting home.

Burger King

We only went to Burger King for breakfast once, but I preferred it to Mc Donalds. The mini has browns were yummy and they had a fancy drinks menu that had lots of different drinks to choose from.

CiCi’s Pizza

This was the only place me and my boyfriend went for Dinner on our own, we went straight after a long day at Animal Kingdom. It’s an all you can eat self-service buffet, which is regularly replenished. The pizza wasn’t the best I have ever had ( I have been to Italy) however it was hot and tasty, there was plenty of choice and even included drinks and desserts.

Crackerbarrel

This was my favourite breakfast, the pancakes were so fluffy and yummy but I couldn’t manage all three. The service was great with all the staff checking if we were okay as they walked past.

Creams-Just like any other dessert restaurant in Peterborough?

In the name of research I have been to another dessert restaurant. I have already reviewed Chai (which you can read here) and Kaspas (which you can read here), so I feel like I have plenty of dessert knowledge.

Like Kaspa’s, Creams is a chain restaurant with other branches across the UK. This restaurant had a similar look to Kaspas, with the spotlight mirrors, booths and bright colours. However this restaurant is a lot bigger in size as well as their bigger selection of ice=creams, I believe they have 37 different flavours. Unlike any of the other dessert restaurants Creams also has a photo booth which I think is a nice touch especially for social media fans. I intended to use the photo booth after I had eaten but I was so stuffed I just walked straight out and forgot.

Service

We were shown to our seats by a very pleasant gentleman who asked us if we had been before, we advised no and he explained that we just need to go to the counter to place our order and that we would also find our cutlery at the counter. The waiter also asked us if we had a big appetite as their portions were big, we laughed and said yes we did as we had eaten only a small dinner. That being said I ordered a simple pancake with lemon on it, an extra scoop of ice-cream ( I choose strawberry) and a Aero Mint milkshake. My boyfriend ordered a pancake wrapped around a banana, an extra scoop of ice-cream ( he chose Snickers) and a Chocolate Freak Shake.

Food

To begin with both of our desserts arrived which we tucked straight into, however I did wonder where our milkshakes had got to. About ten mins later my milkshake arrived but not my boyfriends which I though was weird as we assumed his was just a slightly fancier version of mine. Another 5 minutes later, the below arrived and we were left open-mouthed when it arrived. We couldn’t believe our eyes, it was like another dessert, now we know we said we had a big appetite but we were unaware that it came with a whole chocolate bar, ice-cream and cream. When ordering it would have been nice for them to point out that we had technically ordered 3 desserts when we thought we had ordered 2 desserts and 2 drinks. Normally my boyfriend has a big appetite but even he couldn’t manage both desserts as it was a bit too much sugar and ice-cream for him. However we loved everything we had, I especially liked my milkshake as it was just the right amount of mint to chocolate ratio.

Creams is a little more expensive than both Chai and Kaspas, however it is worth treating yourself once in a while. This is the perfect venue for a birthday or a catch up with  group of friends. There is plenty of choice and unlike the other to venues there are more tables so you are less likely to be disappointed if you don’t book in advance.

Disclaimer- This review is 100% my own opinion, I have not been sponsored by Creams or given any discount vouchers to use on my visits.

Kasapa’s- Just another dessert restaurant in Peterborough?

If you live in Peterborough or near by you will be fully aware by now that dessert restaurants have been popping up in every corner (last time I counted there was six) and if you have read my blog before you will know that I love Chai (you can read the post here) so had high expectations for Kaspa’s.

Kaspa’s is a franchise and has many branches across the UK. From pictures I have seen on twitter it appears they have all the same look and colour scheme. Where as Chai is an independent Café and has a unique style which includes art work on the walls. Kaspa’s has the feel of an American dinner, with bright colours, spot light mirrors and leather booths.

I have visited Kaspa’s twice, however the first time I forgot to take any pictures ( bad blogger I know) but we intended to sit in and get a dessert however it was so busy we just got an ice-cream (taking advantage of the 20% off that weekend) and ate it on the way back to the car. I choose mint choc chip and a fudge ice-cream, now mint choc chip is my favourite ice-cream flavour and although it was nice I have tasted better. That being said the fudge ice- cream was delicious, the two flavours didn’t really go together but I didn’t care.

On my second visit to Kaspa’s I went on a Thursday night after work with a friend and it was a lot less busy and we got a table easily. Due to it being quiet the service was very quick, we ordered at the till and then not long after our drinks were brought over and our desserts followed about 10 minutes later. I went for the caramel shortcake waffle and vanilla chai tea (so I could compare with Chai as this is normally what I get). As you can see from the picture the size of the waffle is of a reasonable size making it good value for money, the waffle was light and very tasty. In comparison Chai’s waffles are slightly lighter and fluffier however I would highly recommend the waffles at Kaspa’s especially if you haven’t tried Chai as I am sure you would be very impressed. Due to the portion size I was so full, I barely had any dinner when I got home and my friend said she didn’t even have dinner.

As mentioned I also ordered a vanilla chai latte, which I was disappointed with. It tasted like hot milk with a slight flavour, like I have said before I am a big fan of Chai latte; so far my favourite is still Starbucks. Next time I think I will try one of Kaspa’s milkshakes from their extensive range of chocolate bar milkshakes.

In comparison to the other desert restaurants I think Kaspa’s is reasonably price and the desserts are of a good quality. I will be sure to be pop in again soon to try out their other delights. Their menu can be found online here.

I recently tried out Creams, one of the other dessert restaurants. Review to follow shortly.

Disclaimer- This review is 100% my own opinion, I have not been sponsored by Kaspa’s or given any discount vouchers to use on my visits.

Florida 2016- Part Two- More Disney

Hi Guys I am back with another installment of my Florida adventure (you can read the first post here), enjoy …

Epcot

 As mentioned previously, before I went to Florida I did some research to get a rough idea of some of the things I wanted to do. I was very happy to find out that the Food and Wine festival would be taking place whilst we were there as from my previous restaurant reviews you will know that I love food.

However the first thing we headed straight for was the Nemo ride as this was at the start of the park and we didn’t want to double back on our selves. Now I knew this was mainly a children’s ride as the family teased me that it would be too fast for me, after learning from the Harry Potter ride at universal (more about that in another post) that I don’t do speed. I actually found this ride a tad disappointing, granted I love the fact that you hardly went at any speed but at one point we actually got stuck and had to watch the same screen for what felt like forever. This being said the sea life that I got to see afterwards completely made up for it, my favourite being the dolphin’s. I tried to record the dolphin but it just went past too quickly.

Whilst on the monorail to Epcot I decided to check what characters were at Epcot for the day using the My Disney Experience App on my phone (all parks have free WiFi), I was very excited to learn that there was Snow White, Belle, Aladdin and Jasmine as well as Anna and Elsa. We made a group decision to visit the characters first and then visit the Food and Wine festival stalls. As many of you will know the idea of Epcot World Showcase is that you travel around the world and visit characters and themed shops. As the Food and Wine Festival was also taking place the stalls were in-between the normal pavilions, which meant you got lots of different aromas of food as you walked through. As mentioned before Belle is my favourite princess however I was a little disappointed that she wasn’t in her gold dress, although I do understand it is hot. In my opinion she didn’t have a great resemblance to Belle (compared to the one I saw in the Fantasy parade) however she was very good at acting the part. Belle commented on my stick on nails and thought that the pattern was musical notes; she went on to mention Maddame Wardrobe and Lumiere which made me smile. There was an opportunity to meet Alice from Alice in Wonderland in ‘UK’ but the queue was quite long and as she was based outside, after waiting to see Belle outside I didn’t fancy waiting in the Florida sunshine again.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Whilst on our travels around Epcot we purchased two sampler menu cards ( me and my boyfriend shared one and the other four shared it between them), for $62 we got  8 passes on one card to then exchange for 8 items of food and drink around the Food and Wine Festival. I had read about this on Facebook before arriving in Florida and used the My Disney Experience App to locate the kiosks selling the passes. Most dishes were priced around $8- $9 however I did notice that a glass of champagne was $32 so depending what you brought I think the sampler menu was well worth the money. I like the fact that I just handed over a pass and didn’t have to worry about having the money and getting lots of change or worrying whether I have enough money on my card.

My favourite item that we tried from the Food and Wine Festival was the Lamb Chop from Australia, this was the first thing I smelt as we walked in and I waited all day to try it and it didn’t disappoint. My least favourite was the Apple Wine from Canada, this was mainly due to the size, we literally got one mouthful each ( I was so disappointed I forgot to take a picture). Another favourite was the Pulled Pork Slider from ‘Hawaii’ this was amazing, we only got a couple of bites each but it was so good. My boyfriend’s sister also brought Fish and Chips from ‘United Kingdom’ which was not part of the festival, but definitely deserve a mention as they were very yummy and a nice reminder of home. I also have to give a mention to the Shaved Ice from ‘Japan’ which again wasn’t part of the Food and Wine festival which meant we had to purchase it separately but was exactly was we needed to cool us down (Did I mention it was hot in Florida?), I choose the rainbow option with different flavours it was yummy.  Please see below a selection of the food and drink we tried, although it was all good I have only given a mention to the ones that were exceptional.

 

Magic Kingdom- Wishes and Fireworks

 After a great day at Epcot we then headed to Magic Kingdom to catch the Electrical Parade, Wishes and the Fireworks. Due to the news earlier this year that the Electrical Parade was moving to California (the last showing was October 9th 2016) I made sure I didn’t miss it. We got to Magic Kingdom around 7pm even though the show didn’t start till 9pm to make sure we got a good view. We manage to get a place right near the start of Main Street and I got to sit down on the curb and take the weight of my feet. Whilst researching Florida I did watch a video on YouTube of the parade and was quite looking forward to seeing it, I didn’t watch all the video as I didn’t want to ruin it. However after watching the Wishes, Fireworks and Festival of Fantasy parade I wouldn’t say the Electrical Parade was in my Top 5 Experiences (In cases you are wondering what they are, I will list them at the end). For what it was (before I had seen everything else) I thought it was good, I got some great pictures however it seemed to be over too quickly. But I am still glad I got to see it as the next time I visit it won’t be at Magic Kingdom.

Once the parade had finished we made our way down Main Street to get a good view of the castle for Wishes and the Fireworks, this wasn’t easy as everyone had the same goal. We finally managed to get a spot and waited patiently for the Wishes to begin. I had again seen a clip on YouTube so knew what to expect, but this exceeded my expectations. The amount of different images they projected and the music was amazing; they showed pretty much every Disney film which brought back so many good memories. I am sure if I asked the Frozen fan of the group she would say her favourite part of Wishes was when they played Let it Go and everyone including myself joined in.

After wishes we had a slight break as we waited for the fireworks to begin. On our first night arriving we actually saw the fireworks in the sky as we collected the details for our villa so I knew it was going to be good. Hands down the fireworks were by far the best experience of the whole trip ( I think my party would also agree, I know my boyfriend does). Even just thinking about it now makes me smile and well up a little and I will let you in on a secret I actually cried while watching it (I saved for ages and have dreamt for years about coming to Disney and in that moment it all hit me how all the struggle and stress was worth it). The fireworks where just magical and beautiful, every time I thought it was over more would appear it was the best 12 minutes of that holiday. I stood there without a single care in the world enjoying the magic of Disney. I can’t even explain to you how great it was, as I am still welling up just thinking about it (told you I was emotional).

Extra day at Disney

 Now unfortunately we got caught in Hurricane Matthew and was informed on Wednesday that our flight was going to be delayed by a day. Due to the hurricane we did end up spending from Thursday afternoon till Friday evening in the villa as we were advised not go out and for the first time in a long time Disney closed early on the Thursday and was closed on the Friday. This was also the case for all the other theme parks, restaurants and shops. However the curfew was lifted at around 2pm on the Friday which meant some of the restaurants re-opened Friday afternoon. The silver lining in this was that we got to go back to Magic Kingdom on the Saturday as our flight had now moved to the Sunday evening and our tickets were still valid till midnight on Saturday. This extra day allowed me to see the much talked about Festival of Fantasy which was cancelled on the first day we went due to rain and then due to having so much fun at Epcot we didn’t make it over to Magic Kingdom in time. Now does this parade make my top five? (You will have to scroll down to find out), I did really enjoy it as again we has a really good view. It was also a chance to see some of the characters that either don’t do meet and greets for example the Seven Dwarfs or to see some I missed like Tinkerbell and also a different Belle in her gold dress which I much preferred.

As I was waiting for the parade I was scrolling through my Facebook, making the most of the free WiFI when I came across a post on a group I am in called Orlando Fun in the sun ( A group where people share their hints and tips). In Disney there are dedicated Christmas shops where you can pick up lovely decorations for your tree. I had noticed they had a lovely collection of princesses in flowing dresses but no Belle. A lady kindly posted that the only place that you could get the Belle one from was at the gift shop near Gaston’s Tavern. After the parade Lee’s sister kindly went into the Christmas shop which we were conveniently sitting next to and asked for directions. To my delight there they were all hanging up nicely, I was so worried there would be none left even though the lady had only posted the message that day. I cant wait to hang my decoration from my tree, I brought other decorations and Disney Merchandise but I will talk about that in another post. So although we got stuck in Florida for another day I am glad I got to go back and see the parade and get my lovely decoration that I wanted but didn’t even know existed.

My Top 5 Disney Park Experiences in Florida

1. Fireworks at Magical Kingdom – If you haven’t already guessed it from reading my post or not read all of it, it’s of course the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Nothing beats this experience, I recommended everyone sees it. The effort and time that must go into putting on that show is well worth applauding. This was by far the most magical Disney experience I had.
2. Festival of Lion King – Now this was a tough choice between 2 and 3. I think due to the fact that this show almost made me cry it has to go second after the fireworks which made cry with joy. They really did put on a performance and I loved hearing the Lion King classic songs.
3. Wishes – Due to the technical magic that I know must go into this, I have chosen this as my 3^rd  favourite experience. It was an amazing showcase of all the different Disney films which I have grown up with and love as well as all the more recent films which of course I have seen.
4. Festival of Fantasy Parade – I only just got to watch this due to our extra day in Florida and I am so glad I did. I got to see some of the characters I had already seen which was great and some I hadn’t seen before.
5. Monorail – This may seem like a strange one, but I really enjoyed sitting on the monorail getting all excited knowing where I was heading to.

Please let me know in the comments what your favourite experiences at the Disney Parks has been. I plan to go back in 2018, so if you have any suggestions of things to do, please let me know. I will be back soon with more tales from my adventure.

Review: Handmade Burger Co Peterborough

I am back with another restaurant review, this time its Handmade Burger Co in Peterborough. As with my previous restaurant reviews I have visited the establishment many times and feel I can give an honest and well-rounded review.

Food

Firstly I have to talk about the amazing food, which is the main reason I keep going back to Handmade Burger Co. Everything is freshly made, which allows you to omit items or add items to your orders (you can even see them cooking in the kitchen). They have over 40 burgers to choose from along with a range of sides. Unlike other restaurants the burgers come on their own and you order the chips separately, however the portion of chips is adequate for 2 people to share. I have tried quite a few burgers, but my favorite is the simple beef, cheese and bacon. Handmade Burger Co also offer a gluten-free option or you can request to have your burger bun less (you are then asked whether you would prefer salad or coleslaw). They have a range of fresh chips, you can either have them plain or with a seasoning, I personally prefer the plain. Below is a couple of pictures from a recent visit to Handmade Burger Co, my boyfriend ordered the dirty burger with fried onions and I ordered the beef burger with cheese, bacon and BBQ sauce.

 

Staff

The other main reason I keep returning to the Handmade Burger Co in Peterborough is because of the staff. In particular the manager, Danni who does a great job of managing her staff as well as serving customers. I don’t think I have ever seen a restaurant manager so active and involved as Danni. On your first visit the staff take the time to take you through the menu and give you their recommendations. On arrival they ask if you have been before, if you reply with yes they leave you to pick your items and then order them at the bar. At the Peterborough branch of Handmade Burger Co they operate a peg system in which once a member of staff have asked how your meal is they take away the peg so that you are not disturbed again, but it also lets the staff know who hasn’t been asked. I am not sure if this is done at the other branches, but I think it’s a great idea. It ensures you get to give your feedback but are not asked more than once.

Loyalty Scheme and Offers

As you can see there is not just one reason why I love Handmade Burger Co in Peterborough. Another reason being their loyalty card scheme, in which you get a stamp every time you visits, depending how many you have you can either get a free drink, a free side or a burger. They also run offers through out the year via their newsletters or they give vouchers when you pay your bill. In the past I have received a voucher for a burger for £1 when a full price burger is purchased. They also run competitions on Facebook and Twitter through out the year with the opportunity to win variety meals. I am not ashamed to say that I actually went to Handmade Burger Co on Valentines day as they were running a special set meal that my boyfriend kindly paid for.

Atmosphere

The reasons just keep coming. Handmade Burger Co in Peterborough is in what use to be The Old Still pub and still has this as part of it name. The restaurant is situated across two levels, as well as an outside sitting area which is lovely in summer. As mentioned previously you can see the kitchen staff busily cooking the orders, also as you walk past you can see through the window the burgers being freshly prepared. The restaurant has a shabby chic/ old punk look which I really like and adds to the experience. Check out the cool light fittings …

 

Final Thoughts

As you can see there are many reason why I love Handmade Burger Co in Peterborough and I will keep going back for their yummy food and great staff. I am yet to try any other branches, but I am more inclined to due to the great service I have received. Keep an eye on my Twitter and Instagram for more yummy pictures. As I write my posts a few days in an advance I have actually already been back, here is another picture this time its the chicken and chorizo burger.

Disclaimer- This review is 100% my own opinion, I have not been sponsored by Handmade Burger Co or given any discount vouchers to use on my visits. However since writting this review, Handmade Burger Co did send me a voucher to say thank you for my review.

My Top 3 Kitchen Gadgets- That I Can’t Live Without

As some of you may have noticed from my previous posts I like eating out, however I do also enjoy cooking. From the age of 11 my mum taught me the basics of cooking and my passion for cooking has grown from there. At university I wasn’t your typical student, I cooked my own dinner and can count on one hand how many times I ordered take-away. Since moving out of home my love for cooking has grown, compliments from my boyfriend have definitely helped. Over the past couple of years there are a few kitchen gadgets that I couldn’t imagine not having now.

Slow Cooker

I don’t know why I didn’t buy a slow cooker sooner, I am always recommending these to my friends and family. I think it is the best invention for people who work but want to come home to a nice home cooked meal. I normally work a standard eight-hour day and love knowing that something is happily cooking at home. Nothing makes me happier than opening my front door and smelling something yummy coming from the kitchen. Personally I would rather leave something on low in the slow cooker than in the oven as I think it’s safer. The idea behind slow cookers is as it says in the name it cooks food slowly allowing you to leave things in there for a long period of time.

I have found the best things to cook in slow cookers are meat, in particular lamb, beef and pork. The bigger the joint of meat (as long as it can still fit in the slow cooker) the better as it benefits for being cooked slowly and doesn’t risk being over cooked. You can also do chicken however it takes less time, I usually put a chicken in the slow cooker on the weekend when I am going shopping for a few hours. Root vegetables are also great to cook in a slow cooker as they take a while to cook on a low setting, perfect if you are doing a stew. Most slow cookers have three heat temperatures; I usually choose low as I leave my slow cooker on for at least 8 hours, however if you have less time you can choose a higher setting.

The particular slow cooker that I have allows you to put the dish on the stove, which is great for sealing in the flavour of the meat before adding the sauce, for example in a curry. Also once the meat is cooked I usually remove the meat, add gravy granules and bring to a boil on the stove. In my opinion nothing beats gravy made with the meat juices. If I am cooking a curry, I normally fry the onions and spices on the stove first as this allows the spices to release their flavour. The first slow cooker I owned the dish was ceramic so I would have to use a normal frying pan and transfer ingredients in or out of the slow cooker.

Here is a list of my favourite things to cook in my slow cooker, let me know in the comments if you would like any of the recipes:

• Pulled Pork
• Lamb Curry
• Beef Stew
• Roast Chicken
• Roast sweet potato
• Pasta sauce
• Thick pork chops
• Potato dauphinoise
• Spare ribs

ActiFry

In a bid to get healthy, when offered a second-hand ActiFry from my boyfriend’s parents I jumped at the chance. I had tried food cooked in the ActiFry so I knew that I would enjoy using this gadget. The principal behind an ActiFry is that it allows you to fry food using hot air and a small amount of oil. When we first got the ActiFry the first thing I cooked was home-made potato chips, as I knew that they would come out lovely. Cooking in an ActiFry takes the same amount of time as it would take to normally cook food, however it is healthier as there is less oil involved. One of the things I love about this is the clean-up, as you only use a small amount of oil all you have to do is remove the basket and wash as you would a plate, it’s that easy.

I have also seen on Pinterest that you can make home made crisps in the ActiFry, this is something I am interested in trying as I love vegetable crisps but don’t like the price. If you have tried this, please let me know in the comments how you have got on. Also if you have any other recommendations please share, I love trying new things.

Tip: If you are cooking frozen chips there is no need to add oil due to the potatoes being coated. Also if you are cooking meat with fat on it, there is no need to add oil as it will cook in its own fat.

Here is a list of my favourite things to cook in my ActiFry.

• Potato chips (home-made or shop brought)
• Sweet potato fries
• Frozen roast potatoes
• Bacon Bits
• Stir- fry
• Onions
• Chick-peas (To eat as a snack)

Magic Bullet

My last kitchen gadget is something that I don’t use every day, but I don’t know how I coped without it previously. The Magic Bullet is a slightly more affordable version of the Nutri-bullet. Mine sits on my work-top so that I can use it at any moment. The Magic Bullet comes with two blades and a range of containers as well as containers with handles and a lid so you can make smoothies and take them with you. The principal of a Magic Bullet is that it allows you to blend items together quickly. My main use when I am being healthy is smoothies, I love the fact I can make it in the morning or the night before and then take it to work with me if I am in a hurry, which is most mornings ( I love my bed) Here is a list of what I use my Magic Bullet for:

• Smoothies
• Marinades
• Salad Dressing
• Sauces
• Dips

What’s your favourite kitchen gadget? What do you recommend that I try next? Leave me your thoughts in the love comments, I love a good recommendation.

Chai- Not Your Average Coffee Shop

Chai is located in Peterborough UK near the city centre. At present they don’t have a website but all their details including their menu can be found on their Facebook page and they also have an Instagram account. On Chai’s Facebook, they describe their business as a coffee shop, ice-cream parlour and an art gallery which I think sums them up perfectly. I have been to Chai three times and I am constantly recommending it to my friends based on the service, atmosphere and of course the yummy food.One of the main reasons I like Chai is because of the friendly staff, as I have been a couple of times they remember my face and are happy to see me again.

Waffles and Ice- Cream

Every time I have visited Chai I have ordered waffles as they are in my opinion their speciality. These waffles are unlike any other waffles I have tried before they are so light and fluffy that I am able to eat all of the portion. The waffles are made to order and the smell coming from the kitchen is amazing. So far I have tried the Nutella Dream and Strawberry Shortcake, both were yummy and satisfying. All waffles are priced at £3.99 (correct as of date of publishing) which I think is great value for money considering the portion size. As you can see from the pictures the presentation is amazing which only adds to the experience. All waffles come with vanilla ice cream as standard but they do have a range of ice-creams and sorbets available which change regularly, previous flavours include pineapple sorbet, carrot cake and candy floss. If you’re struggling to pick the lovely guys at Chai allow you try the ice cream flavours before picking. I chose to have the pineapple sorbet after my waffle had digested (my first visit me and my friend were there for four hours catching up) which was light and refreshing.

Drinks

To accompany my waffles I have tried the signature messy hot chocolate and their signature sticky chai latte. As the name suggests this hot chocolate is messy as the cream melts and starts to drip down the side so you have to be quick and get in those first few mouthfuls. I love the fact that they are served in mason jars as it allows you to see exactly what you’re drinking and in my opinion it keeps the drink hotter for longer.

Now I am a big fan of chai latte which I was first introduced to by a friend at Starbucks, since then I have tried tea bag versions, powder version and other coffee shop versions so I think I have a good understanding of what chai latte should taste like. For me this chai latte didn’t have enough spice in it and tasted mainly of milk, on the menu it stated that it had honey in it, but didn’t appear to be very sweet to me.

On my first visit after my waffle (as mentioned before I was there for a while) I chose the Apres Meal herbal tea from the extensive list of hot drinks that they offer, the herbal teas can also be brought allowing you to relive the experience at home. I found this tea refreshing after my meal, the staff kindly topped it up with hot water so I could enjoy a second cup.

As well as the food Chai has a great atmosphere with friends catching up and families enjoying quality time together. One thing you can’t help but notice is the quirky décor, including a superhero wall and tables made from recycled pallets, along with this amazing lion that is made from recycled magazines.

Chai is a small establishment, so to avoid disappointment I recommend booking on Friday night and the weekends.

There is still lots of delicious things for me to try, so I will be heading back shortly, keep an eye on my Twitter and Instagram to see what I try next. #mychailife

Chai’s Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/ChaiGelato

Disclaimer- This review is 100% my own opinion, I have not been sponsored by Chai or given any discount vouchers to use on my visits.