Pukka Three Mint Tea Review

First of all; this tea smells so divine! Simply opening the packet to put the teabag into the cup releases a fresh minty fragrance. It’s also caffeine free so it is fine to drink at whatever time of day, I’ve really enjoyed drinking the tea in morning as it is so refreshing and uplifting, but also in the evenings instead of my usual cup of tea to help soothe my stomach.

I started off trying the Twinning’s everyday blend with peppermint, as I wasn’t keen on mint tea to begin with. However, as I grew to love the everyday blend with the subtle hint of peppermint, I decided to try a mint tea.  

I’ve been testing this tea for a few weeks now, I was experiencing some stomach cramps the other week and this tea has proven to be really soothing and really did help soothe my stomach, I would definitely recommend this product. Another great factor with this tea is just how refreshing the tea is; so is perfect on a hot day, or if you are feeling a bit sluggish then this tea is a fantastic pick-me-up. Also this tea has a slight sweetness to it, which is great for a sweet tooth like me! But what is great about this tea is that although it has a strong mint fragrance and taste, it is still gentle and soothing compared to other stronger mint teas.

I leave my teabag in the cup to brew with hot water for approximately 5 minutes, however what is great about the teabags is that if you prefer a milder, less intense tea then leave the teabag in the water for a shorter period of time.

I simply cannot say one bad word about this fantastic tea – I will definitely keep purchasing this amazing tea, and will definitely be telling my friends and family to give it a try.

Here is the Pukka website with all their details and products: http://www.pukkaherbs.com

Wander in the Woods.

Lovely day out in the sun!

Trying to make the most of the lovely hot weather we have been having lately, my boyfriend and I took my cocker spaniel to one of our favourite walking spots yesterday. Which I thought I would share with you. It’s at a water reservoir not too far from us called Roddlesworth Reservoir.

We park up next to a country pub and walk our way round the three reservoirs. If anyone has a dog or simply loves to go nice walks then I definitely recommend this beautiful spot. What is also great about this walk is that you can make it into a long 3 hour walk all the way round, or a quicker 1 hour walk; around one reservoir or simply the first part of the woods. It is mainly flat land too for anyone who doesn’t want to walk up big hills. I really need to show this lovely walk to my friend Abi, so we can take our pooches on a walk round the reservoirs soon, which when we do I'm sure I'll post again. 

As you’ll see from the photos I’ve posted below; the walk is mainly woodland and forest, which I just adore as does my cocker spaniel Pennie, but there is also the big reservoirs, which provide a gorgeous water view, and also a great spot for the dogs to go for a swim, and from the reservoirs you can see Darwin tower in the distance. Also the walk doesn't get too busy during the week, but it does get a bit busier at the weekends, which is great because my cocker spaniel likes to be left alone when she's on a walk, so she much prefers going here for her long walks. 

I packed us a picnic, so when we got half way round the reservoirs we sat by the water and ate. I stupidly forgot to put on sun lotion so of course being the pasty girl I am got all burnt on my shoulders. Next time we walk here we are going to walk up Darwin tower too, as where we park there is a little pathway up to the tower.

We do this walk with my cocker spaniel in all kinds of weather, whether it’s sunny and hot, or raining or even in winter with the snow and ice. This walk is definitely a must for all dog walkers!

 :) 

Summer Recipe: Apple, Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble.

 
I thought I would do my own little recipe for a delicious crumble I made the other day! I’m sorry I don’t have pictures to accompany the recipe as I didn’t think to take any whilst I was making the crumble, so I only got one photo at the end when I’d dished the dessert up. It’s a really simple recipe so if you’re not a confident baker or cook then this recipe will be really easy for anyone to do. Another great point with this dessert is that it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, so it is fairly cheap to make too!
 It’s a really fruity (so feels healthy) pudding and is great to have in summer time! Or simply adding a few ingredients (e.g. cinnamon) or removing the strawberries (as these are a summer fruit really) will make the pudding delicious to have in autumn or winter too! When I first had it I had it with ice cream, but the following morning I had it cold and on its own and it was just as yummy! In fact, I preferred it on its own, as you could really taste the three different fruits, and it was juicy enough that it did not need cream or anything.
  What you will need:
 The fruit bottom;
3 sticks of rhubarb
2 Pink Lady apples
Two handfuls of strawberries
Caster Sugar
Water
 Crumble topping;
50g Butter
80g Plain Flour
50g Caster Sugar
(Add chopped almonds or oats if desired)



Heat oven to 220 degrees. Wash all the fruit.

First of all I cut the apple into fairly thin slices/segments, to allow it to roast quicker. Also make sure the core is removed and that there are no pips. I kept the skin of the apple on, simply because I’ve heard that most the nutrients are in the skin of the fruit, but if you’re not a fan of apple skin then simply peel the apple before cutting.

Then I cut the rhubarb into small chunks, again to roast faster.

Put the apple and the rhubarb into a large ceramic cooking dish, one that can withstand the high temperature of the oven. Lay the fruit out to cover the bottom of the dish and to make sure the fruit is evenly distributed across the dish.

Then sprinkle the fruit with some cold water (tap water will do fine); this is just to prevent the fruit from completely drying out.

Then sprinkle caster sugar over the top of the fruit in the dish. I put a lot of sugar over the fruit, because I like my crumble to be sweeter. But if you prefer your crumble (especially the rhubarb) then only sprinkle a little over the top of the fruit.

Put this dish into the oven for the fruit to roast. You want the fruit to go soft, but not mushy, this can take approximately 30 minutes, but I would keep my eye on the fruit and keep checking it every 15 minutes.

Whilst that fruit is in you can prepare the strawberries. These only need to be added to the fruit later because these go softer a lot quicker than the apple and rhubarb. Remove the tops of the strawberries. Then simply cut the strawberries into small cuts; small strawberries can be halved and larger strawberries into quarters.

Once the rhubarb and apple has begun to soften; remove the dish from the oven and then add the strawberries to the top of the other two fruits. Put back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Whilst the fruit is finishing roasting, prepare the crumble topping.

Mix the flour and caster sugar together in a mixing bowl. Then add the butter and mix the butter into the flour and sugar. This is best done using your hands and fingers. Make sure all the butter is mixed in, the crumble should end up looking like breadcrumbs.

Wait for the fruit to be completely roasted then take it out the oven.

Add the crumble to the top of the fruit. Make sure the crumble topping is evenly distributed across the top of the fruit.

Put the dish back into the oven and bake the crumble for 25 minutes. Crumble topping should turn a golden brown.

Serve the crumble with either custard, cream or ice cream; and enjoy!
  

If anyone has any questions about the recipe feel free to ask!  

Soap and Glory Beauty Review.

I thought I would try to do my first beauty product review, I am yet to do one but I recently purchased some new Soap and Glory products for the first time and thought I would give them a quick review. I have only heard great things about the Soap and Glory beauty products, and have been dying to give them a try for ages. I usually stick to Rimmel or Maxfactor for my eye products, such as liquid eyeliners and mascaras, but this time I thought I would try the Soap and Glory products.

First off I will start with the liquid eyeliner; Supercat liquid eyeliner.

Usually I stick to using Rimmels liquid eyeliner which is a brush and a pot. Whereas the Soap and Glory eyeliner is more like a pen with a fine nib on the end. My usual day time make up look entails of the usual cat flick with the eyeliner and minimal eyeshadow (usually in natural brown tones, which highlight my blue eyes). I tend to find that unless you're careful, the eyeliner from the brush ends up on your eyelashes and causes them to clog when applying mascara afterwards, however with my new Soap and Glory eyeliner pen this has not been found to be the case. The pen allows the eyeliner to effortlessly glide onto the eyelid without clogging up any of the eyelashes, which is always a plus! I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who loves their upper eye eyeliner, it really is easy to apply and use. Also, I have found that this product stays put all day and has not smudged at all by the end of the day. Another great part of this product is that whilst it remains put all day, it is also super easy to remove, whether you're using make up wipes or make up removers on cotton wool pads. The Soap and Glory eyeliner when compared to the Rimmel eyeliner is much easier to remove at the end of the day, and stays on all day much better than the Rimmel eyeliner with minimal smudging and flaking away. I will definitely be buying this product again in the future!

The mascara was also a new product for me to use; The Thick and Fast Mascara. 

I usually swear by the Maxfactor 2000 Calorie Mascara; which is also a great product! However I thought I would try something new. I have quite long bottom eye lashes, and this product seemed to accentuate these, which is always great as I feel like it makes my eyes look bigger and more open. The brush is a slightly different shape, wish bristles only really on one side of the brush, so it is more fiddly than other mascara brushes. That being said, the brush really does make the eyelashes look a lot longer and more defined, which is definitely what I wanted in the product. I will keep trying this product, as I usually find that mascaras are great to start off but then quickly end up clogging or becoming less applicable, so hopefully this wont be the case with this mascara, as my usual Maxfactor mascara lasts for ages! Again, this also product seemed to last well all day but came off super easily with either make up wipes or make up removers on cotton wool pads. 

I have tried some other Soap and Glory products, such as the Hand Food and Shower Scrub both products also lived up to their reputations, so I hope to keep trying the different products. I am also hoping to purchase and try one of the powders called "One Heck of a Blot" soon, so I may also do a review for that product too in the future. I also love the design of both these product, the gold packaging of the mascara makes the product really stand out, as well as making it easy to find within my giant makeup bag!    

Hopefully this review wasn't too bad, and then I can do more in future! 

My trip to Hogwarts!

My mother treated me to an end of exams celebratory trip to Harry Potter Studios Tour in London. The trip was a great deal with National Holidays, which included the travel (although it was a horrific coach), the hotel, two meals and a trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour and a few hours in London.

  

On the Saturday we left Preston at 7.15am and arrived in Watford at 12. The tour was amazing, and it was great to see so many different kinds of people enjoying the Harry Potter Tour, there were people from all over the world and from all age ranges. First off there was a short film then we entered through Hogwarts giant doors into the Great Hall. I wont go into too much detail about the tour as it will ruin the surprise for anyone who is going to go! But I will say that it has film props and sets from all of the 8 films ranging from clothing, wigs, the creatures, to Diagon alley!

One of my favourite parts of the tour were the area with the board with all the pictures of the “animal actors”, the board contained all the details of the animals they used within each of the films. Made me laugh that they said all the dogs were well trained and were great to have on the set, whereas the cats did what they want.

There was also a part of the tour that allowed people to use the Green screens that allow the actors to appear like they are flying on brooms, or in the Weasley’s car. I did not have my photo taken on the broomstick as the queue was simply too long, but my mother and I had our photo taken within the Weasleys car.

Another amazing part of the tour was the areas with all the details of how they created all the different creatures within the films, with all the different sketches and models for the creatures such as Aragog, Lupin as the Werewolf and all the banks Goblins. The make up was absolutely amazing! But I’ve got to admit that the goblins were actually really creepy and reminded me of something out of a horror film!

The whole tour took my mother and I about 4 hours to walk round, and that was with us rushing the end of tour worrying that we wouldn’t be back in time for the coach. The shop was slightly disappointing however, the shop could have done to be bigger and have more stock, I was disappointed to find that they didn’t have any Dobby soft toys! We only bought a fridge magnet with Fang on it (had to get something with Fang on), a key ring and a lolly for Mark. 

The hotel we stayed in was a 2 minute walk from Watford town centre, the trip included a buffet of various meals for tea, and also a buffet for the breakfast. The hotel was really nice and I would definitely recommend it. On the Sunday we got to London at 9.45am, which was slightly annoying as the shops only really opened at 12pm, and we needed to be back for the coach at 2pm. We were only really interested in going round the shops because I only went to London in December with my boyfriend and went round all the museums and galleries then. However, I did find the time for my one of my favourite shops; Forever 21. Actually only spent about £65, which is good for me! I will do a fashion post another day with all the goodies that my mother treated me to.

A downside to the trip was that there was a rally/protest march on around Hyde Park in the afternoon which meant that the coach only arrived at 3.45pm, when it was meant to pick us up at 2pm! So that was fun, this meant that we only arrived back in Preston just before 9pm. Thus reinstating my hatred for coaches! 

But to any Harry Potter fans out there, the tour in Watford really is a must! Walking round really made me want to watch all the films back to back again. Was so much fun working out where all the sets and the tiniest of props were from. Now I just need to go to Florida! 

I took over a hundred photos so here is just a few of my favourite ones from the weekend. Also, my phone died half way round the tour so I had to steal my mums phone to take some photos, which i have yet to steal to put up sadly.  

Do you want to go to the seaside?

So I've finished my undergraduate degree at Leeds University now! (I hope..!) So I thought I should get into blogging more, simply because I've heard so many great things about actually doing it, and it will keep my writing skills up to scratch, hopefully! I will probably mostly do lifestyle posts, mainly about walking my dog, and going for days out. But I'm going to try get into writing some beauty/book/film review posts, and also hopefully put some of my favourite recipes up on here too! 

Friday was my last day and also my last exam at university, so I went for a celebratory pint at the union and into Leeds City centre with my friend. We went to the Alchemist in the Trinity centre. I only had a cocktail and a small portion of chips, both were yummy, however I do feel like the place is a little overrated; especially because it is so expensive for both cocktails and food. But hopefully I will return again one day and try another cocktail or another meal to see if the place really lives up to my expectations. 

I also went out celebrating on Friday night out in Leeds with my two housemates. I drank cocktails all night and had a wonderful time, the fact that I only spent about £10 the entire night was a bonus too! Saturday I had a day of cleaning and packing/moving back home, by the evening I was shattered so just relaxed and watched a film with my mother and boyfriend. 

On Sunday we went to Lytham St. Annes beach, my cocker spaniel loves running around the sand dunes, and we thought we would make the most of the nice weather! It didn't seem to be too sunny but apparently I did get a bit sunburnt (i had a little red nose last night)! I love going to Lytham as the beach is so lovely and it doesn't take too long to drive to, plus it is a really lovely and easy drive on a nice sunny day. 

We took a picnic and just relaxed on the beach, i just wish I had taken a book with me. But i did end up running around with Pennie and entertaining her. My boyfriend and I walked to the sea and back with Pennie and had to keep running around the sand dunes with her as she hates to sit still when on a walk. 

Once we returned home my mother and I went out for a drive, as i was recently put back onto the car insurance after over a year, so I had to get used to driving again, and I also have to get used to driving a new car.  I went out with my mother for a short drive then went out again to go onto the motorway again, both my mother and boyfriend said I was doing great driving again, so thats great to hear! So hopefully I will be able to drive to lovely places again soon, I think a trip to Manchester is needed! I have to say I have missed driving so much! I am torn between buying my own car or staying on the insurance and saving money. We will see what my mother prefers!

:)