Some News And Reviews

It’s a beautiful sunny day and I’ve some news and reviews to share.  Including Lidl’s new Nespresso compatible pods, Bellarom; a pint mug I found for sale (you will want one too); Bloom 2014, toilet training essentials and more!

A couple of weeks ago we headed to Bloom 2014 with the kids. I admit I was more than a bit anxious after last year’s experience where it was a beautiful sunny day and we couldn’t move around the tents. This year it was another gorgeous sunny day and I was pleasantly surprised to have a very relaxed, chilled out Saturday at Bloom in The (Phoenix) Park. What I love about this event is that the organisers take on board feedback from visitors and improve it year after year.

So it’s a huge thumbs up from me and congratulations to Bord Bia on a massive improvement this year from a family perspective.

Being the grown-up 2 & a half year old that he is, the smallest fella has been thinking about potty training. I’m a big believer in being led by the child in this regard. Summer is the ideal time to train him though. I also won’t be sorry to see the back of nappies in this house. Huggies kindly sent me some Pullups and Drynites for him to try out. He loves them because they are covered in Lightening MacQueen and Tow-mater images. These are ideal for when we’re out and about. We hope to be making a road trip for a few days over the Summer holidays and it’s great to have the peace of mind for sleepovers and car journeys.

I also received some Drynites for his older brother and a pack of bedmats. I love these bedmats so much, we’ve been buying them for years. I’ve tried out all the options and these mats come with an adhesive back so they don’t slip in the bed. Again, we’ll use the Drynites when on the road trip to prevent embarrassments as accidents can happen even when you’re that bit older.We were in Tesco during the week and the hubby spotted this pint mug for €5.80. It was bought on the spot as I’ve been looking for a decent pint mug for ages. It’s very appropriate for me and I suppose I might share it with him if he’s lucky, considering it’s Father’s Day on Sunday.Lidl sent me a few packages of their new Bellarom (Nespresso compatible) capsules to try out on Wednesday. It was very kind of them but we don’t have a machine! In fact, after a long love affair with his coffee, hubby went cold turkey two months ago and ditched it altogether. We’re now officially a tea-total family. I passed on the capsules to a few family members to try out. Here’s what they have to say:

Mam: That was the nicest cup of coffee I’ve had in quite a while. Lovely flavour and aroma from the “Azzuro” flavour and not too bitter.

Sister: It tastes lovely but I feel the “Ristretto” espresso flavour (number 10 capsule) wasn’t as strong as I expected.

The capsules are only €1.99 for a pack of 10, which is significantly cheaper than the real deal and they’re widely available in all their supermarkets nationwide.

My book, “Wholesome” has been reduced on Amazon. So if you want to pick up a bargain, do check it out and don’t forget it is available as an ebook for even cheaper again. It has consistently been in the top 10 of Irish cookery books for the past few weeks which is brilliant! New recipes this week:

Fish and chips but not as you know it. A family meal on a budget that’s healthy and easy to make.Lemon Curd including a video of me cooking it up. Coming up next week:

A sweet recipe with tea as the star ingredient and another family meal that’s thrifty, tasty and healthy.

Disclosure: There was no review expected or required for the products I received. My opinions are my own and I am not paid to give them.