Giveaway – BBC Good Food Eat Well Show Tickets

The brand new BBC Good Food Eat Well Show will launch at Olympia London on 27 February and will last for three days and showcase 100 exhibitors selling their range of products, including superfoods and delicacies.

This new event, part of the BBC Good Food Show portfolio, is dedicated to showcasing healthy food brands, products and producers, and will demonstrate to visitors how they can achieve a balance between living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a passion for good food.

One of the highlights of the show is the Healthy Kitchen which will host an impressive line-up of celebrities, chefs and professionals demonstrating how easy it is to prepare healthy and good food. The schedule includes personalities such as Davina McCall, Lorraine Pascale, Hemsley + Hemsley, Marcus Bean and Jenni Falconer.

Another feature, the Eat Well Forum is dedicated to key diet and lifestyle challenges, and will play host to a range of vibrant discussions and informative talks on the relationship between food, health and wellbeing.

Visitors can also enjoy the Eat Well Interview Stage, where they can have their questions answered by dietary specialists such as Natasha Corrett, Renee Maguire, Dale Pinnock and Rachel De Thample. Visitors will also be given the opportunity to have their books signed at the WHSmith stand.

In addition to the interview stage, they’re delighted to be hosting some 1-2-1 sessions with qualified dieticians throughout the show. The sessions offer a range of different advice and guidance, and will be held in a private room on the show floor.

The show will host an excellent line up of chefs, experts and professional nutritionists. Take a look at the Who’s there list to see who’s appearing where and when!

To get your ticket please visit Ticket Info Tab.
Standard Admission is £15.00 – this will allow you a full days entrance to the show on a specific day (10am to 6pm). Children aged 6-15 pay half the adult rate and under 5s are free. Over 65s and full time students with ID save £2 off the adult rate. For 20% discount please use MV11 code.

I have one pair of tickets for Friday (27/02/2015) or Sunday (1/03/2015) to give away to one of my readers. To be in chance of winning those ticket please leave a comment answering the question: Why would you like to visit the BBC Good Food Eat Well Show?

We will be most likely attending on Friday, so I might see you there!

T&C:
1. Open to UK readers only.
2. One entry per person – leave a blog comment answering the question as stated above.
3. There will be 1 winner in total.
4. The winner will receive one pair of Friday or Sunday show tickets. The tickets will be shipped to a UK address as provided by the winner.
5. The winner will be picked at random and informed within 24hours via email.
6. The winner will have 2 working days to claim the prize, after this time, a new winner will be selected.
7. Closing date is Sunday 15/02/2015 at 23:59pm, any entry made after this time will not be counted.

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions
Loquax – Home of The Lucky Duck
SuperLucky Blog Giveaways Linky

90:10 – Tapping into the inner child

Dan is right.

All the men I know have something in their lives that connects to the inner child. Man never completely grow up… they are committed to maturing and “evolving” but they never full grow up. 90% grown up…the other 10% not so much… sums it up just about right.

Anyhow, 90:10 is a men’s clothing line designed specifically to preserve the boyish part of our man. Currently they offer hoodies, T-shirts, sweatshirts and polo’s. Their design is simple yet elegant, childish but still suitable for a full grown man.

Mark was sent a navy blue 90:10 signature embroidered pullover hoodie to review. Features of the hoodie include:

• Made from 100% pure organic cotton
• Double kangaroo front pockets
• A draw string neck line
• Lightweight yet warm
• Close-fitting
• Small logo

The first sensation which grabs you once you have opened your package is the amazing softness of the fabric. We are quite a sporty family (at least when it comes to clothing) so we have our fair share of tracksuits and hoodies but it is really quite a rare thing to have something so soft. It is not possible for me to describe it in words; you will just have to order one to feel it for yourself 😉

But back to the hoodie – The 90:10 signature embroidered pullover hoodie is suitable for being worn all year round, no matter what nature has installed for us. This isn’t one of those mega thick hoodies which make you look like a snow man; this one is manufactured from medium weight cotton, which means that can even be worn as an undergarment if needed.

90:10 is also fairly unique in this modern world of corporate takeover, they are small, young(ish) and above all genuinely enthusiastic about their products and their company and best of all they want to do better. They are still connected to each other in such a way that customer feedback can have a noticeable impact on the way they do business, I know from experience. If they think your idea is an improvement over what they currently do they are only too happy to step it up to a new level of customer service.
So in conclusion 90:10 is a modern company with the quality of foundations that sets it on course to go far in the market place. I appreciate the cutting edge customer service and the absolute top level in quality from their products.

I have their website as a favourite in every browser, need I say more?

Oh, and if you fancy trying the amazing softness of this hoodie for yourself, you can use the discount code CUPID to receive 25% off your order.

Do you have winter-challenged skin? Botanicals to the rescue!

With my dry skin I have to be very careful what I buy and of course what I use. I try to opt for natural products in order to protect my already sensitive skin and not cause any more damage to it. Natural products are great but most of the time they share one big downsize – they smell awful. When I was offered to try Botanicals Nourishing Face Balm Rose & Camellia my first thought was “I wonder if it will smell like roses”.

To my huge surprise yes, it does!

It smells divine. Normally I prefer fragrant free face care products but this one smells truly amazing.

Botanicals Nourishing Face Balm Rose & Camellia is 100% natural and made from 89% organic ingredients. If you want to know what’s inside you can find the full ingredients list here.

It comes in a dark brown jar-like glass container. Again not my ideal form of packaging for a face cream but due to the texture it is the only option for it.

So what is so different about the texture?

Well, did you ever use cold pressed coconut oil? I bought some for doing baby massages and it looks very similar to that. Basically it looks like a solid white fatty mass. You can’t just scoop it with the tip of your finger; I use my long nails to lift a little bit from the jar. So, then you have this solid hard mass on your finger nail but as soon as it touches your skin it starts to melt, just like a snowball kept in your hand for too long.

Once melted it turns into liquid oil which is just amazing! In liquid form the aroma is even more intense and it spreads with ease. Because it becomes so runny you only need a little tiny bit of it. When I tried it for the first time I scooped more or less the same amount as I would do with my usual face cream and I actually had enough to apply into my face, hands, neck and my lower legs…I was simply running out of skin to put it on, it is so efficient.

Despite the things (smell and a packaging) which would normally be a minus for me, when talking about face care products, I totally love Botanicals Nourishing Face Balm Rose & Camellia. It is perfect in every way and it does wonders to my skin. It leaves it soft, well moisturized and feeling extremely luxurious. Despite its oil like texture it absorbs quickly into the skin. If I had some sort of rating system I would give it 10/10 easily!

Botanicals Nourishing Face Balm Rose & Camellia is priced at £27.95 for a 50g jar. If you wish to order one there is a special £5 off offer for all orders placed in November. Just type NOVOFFER (case sensitive) once you get to the check-out stage.

What do you think?

Does it sound like something you would like to try?

Gousto – Simply Cook – The Recipe Box – Review and Giveaway

If you now wonder what Gousto is, let me explain…

Gousto enables everyone to enjoy cooking delicious meals with ease. They give you quality ingredients and easy to follow recipe cards that let you cook with confidence. Giving you back the time you lose planning your meals and traipsing about finding all the ingredients will allow you to reclaim the joy of cooking.

In simple words, Gousto will provide you with everything you need to create healthy, tasty and quick family meals – just add salt and pepper and some oil if required.

For the last few weeks I’ve been cooking with Gousto. I tried their 2 and 4 people meal box and I totally loved them. The service is outstanding and the content of each box truly fantastic. Just as stated on the above picture you get organic vegetables, Red Tractor meat and everything else you might need in order to create the meal you picked from the menu. From the selection of six meals, the most ingredients I had to add from my own cupboard was: salt, pepper, 1tbs of sugar or olive oil – everything else was provided; everything including fresh herbs, spices and of course all your main ingredients. The portion sizes are good, they aren’t too big so as to leave you bloated but will for sure fill you up (at least for some time).

Every week Gousto offers 10 new healthy recipes to pick from. You make your choice and they take care of the rest. The ingredients and easy to follow recipe card will arrive at your door on the earlier agreed day… all you have to do now is cook.

According to a YouGov survey after polling 10,000 respondents they found that that one in 10 of us, equating to five million adults, balk at even boiling an egg. 52 per cent of Brits say they can confidently cook 10 or more dishes from scratch. 52 per cent! So what is happening to rest of us – microwave and frozen meals all the time?

A lot of people do not cook because they don’t know how to, they have no time to plan the meals, go shopping and then actually cook them… Gousto is helping with all these problems. You pick what you fancy to eat and they will deliver all that is needed to cook it. No time wasted planning and shopping and most important no food wastage as you get precisely the amount needed to cook your meal. And when it comes to cooking – the recipes aren’t rocket science, you will receive a step by step recipe card, including detailed instructions and pictures to help you. The longest recipe I received took 35 minutes to prepare, so they aren’t really time consuming either, perfect for those nights when you arrive home from work weary yet hungry.

If you are wondering what type of meals you can cook with Gousto check out two of my creations:

Honey Saffron Chicken with Mint & Orange Couscous

Mozzarella Panzanella Salad

And if these two didn’t convince you, visit This Week’s Recipe section on Gousto website 🙂

If you would like to try the Gousto service I have a three dishes for 2 persons meal box to give away. Just follow me on Twitter and RT:

Follow and RT @AgataPokutycka and @FollowGousto to win a fantastic #Gousto box full of yummy #food! Full T&C at: http://wp.me/p3l2gI-1lB

Follow and RT @AgataPokutycka and @FollowGousto to win a fantastic #Gousto box full of yummy #food! Full T&C at: http://t.co/1GHmHEbLA2

— Agata @ BarkTime (@AgataPokutycka) November 4, 2014

And if you don’t want to wait until the competition has finished and would like to try it for yourself now, you can use my £25 off promo code MARK18202. This code will give you £25 off your first order.

T&C:
1. Open to UK readers only.
2. One obligatory entry per reader – follow me and RT as stated above. Extra RT will count as additional entries.
3. There will be 1 winner in total.
4. The winner will receive 1 x 3 meal 2 people Gousto box. The prize will be provided by Gousto.
5. Winner will be picked at random and informed within 7 working days via Twitter.
6. Winner will have 7 working days to claim the prize, after this time, a new winner will be selected.
7. Closing date is Tuesday 11-11-2014 at 23:59pm, any entry made after this time will not be counted.

Good Luck!

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions
Loquax – Home of The Lucky Duck
SuperLucky Blog Giveaways Linky

Come Round #PhilipsPerfectCare Party

Yesterday I had the privilege of being the host of a new Come Round and Philips party.

The theme was:

Don’t Burn It, Steam It.
Get Party Ready!

Our awesome party pack contained:

• Philips PerfectCare Azur Steam Iron
• Philips Ironing Board
• Scarf
• 10 x glitter nail varnish
• 10 x emery boards
• 10 x manicure set
• 5 x shoe shine kits
• 12 x montagne Jeunesse Face masks
• 10 x party balloons
• An A4 Party Planner
• A Philips PerfectCare A1 Poster
• Information pack about the iron

Getting our new Philips PerfectCare Azur Steam Iron ready for action

Our party theme was supposed to be about getting “party ready” with the added stress free thought that no matter what happens you not going to burn your little black number with the iron. However we changed the theme a bit and made it into a “Get Life-Skills Ready”, why? You may ask, well let me explain. I invited some friends who have teenagers, who themselves are just starting out on their journey into the joys of house work, including the obligatory ironing. The boys all attend the Army Cadets and they have to iron their own uniforms, and they have to iron them perfectly otherwise they get into trouble. No one enjoys a Drill Sergeant 2” from your nose yelling at you that your ironing skills are less than useless.  I wanted to show them that ironing could be fun and it doesn’t have to be hard work.

They tried the new Azur Steam Iron and all of them admitted to the fact that it is so much easier than the irons they used normally. The one thing that they all liked, above all else was that there was no need for fiddling with any settings… you just turn it on, wait for the flashing light to go stop flashing and you are ready to iron anything you want…

One of the party challenges was a Balloon Challenge. The instructions were simple:

1. Take one of the balloons from the party pack and blow it up while waiting for the iron to heat up (do not over-inflate the balloon)

2. Test how safe and gentle the PerfectCare Azur is, even on a delicate balloon surface. Place the balloon on the ironing board and put the PerfectCare Azur on top of the balloon. Let go of the balloon and apply steam! For safety reasons do not try this with any other iron and do not point the iron towards yourself or any of your guests as the steam will be hot! Do not touch the hot soleplate.

And this is how we did it:

#PhilipsPerfectCare Balloon Challenge

Our balloon lasted much longer than we expected! Amazing!

Our party was a success. We all learnt something new. Thank you Philips and thank you Come Round!

Ohh

And I have something for you too.  If you fancy getting yourself a new Philips PerfectCare Azur Iron follow this link and you can get it with 50% or 53% discount, depending on which model you choose. This special offer is valid until 29th December 2013. Sounds like a Xmas present possibility for someone…

Once I have had more time with both my new iron and the ironing board I will share my thoughts and experiences with you, as so far I haven’t had a lot of time to get to know them yet. 🙂

Review – Vinyl Clocks – selected with care for your loved ones

My new The Beatles Paperback Writer Vinyl Clock

A few weeks ago whilst messing about on Twitter I spotted @VinylClocks. They tweeted “Looking for Christmas gift ideas? We can help”. As I am always on the lookout for something new, different and with soul, I decided to check out their website. Almost an hour later I was still reading and discovering how it all works, and what you can get. The idea is simple – you can buy a clock made from an original vinyl… but that is all that is simple about it… then you start thinking about which vinyl you might want to get… and then it all gets a bit hectic… I had tons of questions going through my head: do I get one from a favourite band, should it be an album or a single; should it be my favourite, Marks favourite or something we both enjoy; or maybe I could pick a song which will remind us about some special moment in our life, we all have one… I quit my browsing but bookmarked the page, thinking “It will be perfect for a friend who has everything… a clock to match their musical taste, which will make a perfect, well thought and quite unique gift”

On Tuesday I spotted @VinylClocks tweeting again (not surprising really as I follow them), this time I answered and stated the obvious that I would love to have one… to my surprise after a few emails Tim, the guy I was chatting with, offered me one of their 7” clocks (that was yesterday).

I didn’t choose my clock… but I advised Tim that something from The Beatles collection would suit us perfectly, Mark is getting on after all, plus any red detail would be an added bonus.

Today, to my huge surprise, our postie brought me a lovely pink parcel. I wasn’t expecting anything, at least not yet, so I was very eager to check out what was inside… I am an envelope recycling junky so I cut the top of the shipping bag gently off (so I can still re-use it) in order to have a quick pick inside… there it was… my vinyl clock!

It came very well packed in a shipping bag, Styrofoam, bubble wrap type thingy, box plus warning notes. Glancing at the first of the notes I thought “Ok, maybe I should just wait for Mark to deal with the clock when he gets home, so I don’t damage anything” but my curiosity won me over and I decided that waiting till 6 o’clock is not a realistic option. So taking all precaution as advised in the note I started digging for my clock. Small, precision cuts with a pair of sharp scissors through the bubble wrap thingy and I was already at the main box, easy.

There was however waiting for me a new challenge – my pizza style box had a lot of tape wrapped around it so I needed a sharp knife… a few cuts later and I was inside the box! Wooot… but wait there was a second hidden note with even more instructions 🙂

I took my time and read it all, twice, than started on dismantling the internal parts of the box in order to see my new Vinyl clock… I really wanted to see what Tim had picked for us – and there it was – The Beatles, Paperback Writer – a perfect song and a perfect clock!

Within 10 minutes I had managed to put the battery in (which comes with the clock, handy I thought), set the correct time (not so easy as the original kitchen clock had died), and replaced our old dead wall clock with our shiny new one. This was the only wall clock we had in the house and we didn’t even pick it, it came with the house. Since we bought it 6 years ago (the house I mean) we never found a new clock which grabbed us both despite setting out on a few clock hunting escapades. Our new vinyl clock has hit the mark perfectly! It’s stylish in my opinion and now every time I look at it, I have the song in my head 🙂

All of these is protecting your new clock in transit!

The clock itself is very well made; it feels solid enough, despite being made from a fragile material like vinyl. The clock mechanism is well fitting, nothing rattling or coming loose. The clock arms are awesome – with two gold ones and one red, which zooms around like crazy as it counts of the seconds… ohh and it is not a silent clock… it makes an comforting gentle tick-tock, sound… the clock is supplied with a 1 year warranty (for your piece of mind, I guess). As far as I can tell, prices start from £13.95 +pp (£1 up to £4.50 for zone 3 international shipping). Vinyl Clocks offer a choice of 7”, 10” and 12” clocks. And to make things even better, you can request (free of charge) a gift wrap, including a gift label. Sounds perfect, isn’t?

But and it is a big but, never forget that should you still own a gramophone, turntable or hifi system you can actually play your clock as it is a genuine record! How many clocks can claim that now!

Now something about Vinyl Clocks in general…

It’s not really about the clocks, it’s about the memories.

Music evokes memories. It may be who you were with (or who you wanted to be with), where you were, or just a piece of music that moves you.

We all have favourites / special songs.

All we do is preserve them in time. The website ( www.vinylclocks.com ) is basically a very big juke box. You go on and choose the one you want, or more likely choose the one someone else will want! We then send the clock, and although the music isn’t playing, juts be looking at the label it will be in your head.

This is what Tim said about the company and I totally agree with him.

I love the idea of these clocks. Picking a perfect clock as a gift for someone you love and care about can be a great experience. And what could be better than a useful, elegant gift with an insight into their soul. A vinyl clock is a personalised piece of wall art, which also tells the time!

What do you think?

Do you like the idea?

If so, what vinyl clock would you get?

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I was sent 7” clock free of charge for review purposes. The opinions expressed in this review are honest and my own.