Let the sun in. {Twinnings Tea review}

Before I moved to England I was never really into hot drinks. The colder the better in my opinion! However after half a decade in the UK I have warmed to hot drinks. Pun intended.

I was given an opportunity to taste 3 fruity flavors of Twinnings Tea: Orange Crush, Apple Crunch, and Blackcurrant Burst!

"Let the sun in. Prepare for a burst of juicy sweetness" 

is what the side of the Orange Crush box promises. It's pretty close! It was the most refreshing of the 3 hot or cold. The day I was taste testing was a bit warm so after drinking a hot cup, I took the advice of the back of the box and made a chilled drink. Which my eldest daughter drank down when I wasn't looking!

All you do is make the cup of tea let it cool down. Then add it to a tall glass with ice and top up with lemonade, Lilt, or some other citrus soda and enjoy! 

"Mellow - Sweet apples ripe and ready for drinking" 

This was the least authentic tasting, it was good and it tasted like apples, but it reminded me of a candy/sweet flavor not a true apple. But I suppose apple flavor would be hard to replicate. Was a refreshing cup of tea none the less!

"Mmmm... the sweet tang of plump blackcurrants is just moments away" 

Blackcurrant isn't my favorite flavor, mainly because it always catches me out when I'm eating Skittles. They are not grape like they are in the USA! However the tea was light and refreshing and perfect for this gorgeous summer we are having! 

I tried this chilled as well! Instead of using lemonade or another citrus drink I used cranberry juice. It was good!

I gave a few tea bags to Mr Knightley to take to work for some of them to try too and his lovely co-worker Michelle tried them and rated them Orange, Blackcurrant, Apple. We were both on agreement that the orange was the best! She was also the one to put into words why I didn't fancy the apple one as much, which was the reason I stated above.

When it's warm out the last thing we need is are thinking of is a hot milky drink sometimes a nice fruity tea is what is needed! Twinnings have a whole range and most of them are only 4 calories so perfect for those who are watching that part of their life! 

notes: I was provided these teas for tasting. Please see the contact/policy page for further information. 

Fluffy Puff Puffs: Gourmet Marshmallows {review}

Fluffy Puff Puffs are an online company that makes gourmet marshmallows. 

They want to show the world that marshmallows are versatile and make a great sweet treat for any occasion.

They offer a variety of flavors ranging from their best seller Key Lime & Ginger Pie Mallow, White or Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Drizzle Mallows, Sugar & Spice, Salted Caramel, Love Current, Lemon or Lime Punch, Toasted Coconut, Cookies & Cream… the list goes on and the possibilities are endless! 

They are made without preservatives and are gluten free. Please check the official site for more information on what and how the mallows are made!

Recently Fluffy Puff Puffs sent me a selection of marshmallows to try out. Here are the flavors I received:

Sugar & Spice

A vanilla marshmallow covered in sugar and warming spices like cinnamon.

It had a nice balance of flavors and a nice crunch with the coating.

Raspberry & White Chocolate Drizzle

A raspberry flavored mallow w/a white chocolate drizzle

This was probably my favorite. It had a strong lovely raspberry flavor. 

Love Currant

A blackcurrant flavored mallow.

My least favorite, but only because I don't like blackcurrants. The flavor was good and my girls liked it! 

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Drizzle

A vanilla marshmallow with a white chocolate peanut butter drizzle.

I was a little disappointed with this one. I thought the mallow was going to be peanut butter, but the only peanut butter taste I got was in the drizzle. I am a huge peanut butter fan so, would have liked a stronger peanut butter taste, but that's just me! The vanilla mallow was good though!

Lime Punch

A lime flavored mallow

It tasted like lime and that's what counts! 

Lemon Punch

A lemon flavored mallow.

A great citrus flavor and very refreshing!

Key Lime & Ginger Pie

A key lime flavored mallow on top of a ginger biscuit crust.

This one was very good! I can see why it's a best seller! The lime flavor is mellow enough (not quite as strong as the Lime Punch) to compliment the ginger base nicely! 

Next time you’re throwing a party or in need of a special gift or if you’re just a marshmallow fan and want to try out some fun flavors check out the official Fluffy Puff Puffs site! (website no longer available 2017)

A big thank you to Louise for giving me the opportunity to try out these lovely gourmet marshmallows! 

Rainbow Dash's Rainbow Jellies!!

So, this isn't so much a baked good as a fun treat for kids!

My oldest turns five in December and she wants a birthday party. At first she wanted a My Little Pony Party (or maybe I wanted her to want one!) and now she wants a princess party!

I have a bunch of great ideas for a My Little Pony party and if I can’t use it for her birthday I’ll use it for my 30^th in May! ;0)

A rainbow cake with blue frosting would also be awesome for a My Little Pony Party!! 

Anyway, every once and a while we pick up the MLP magazine and they had a ‘recipe’ for rainbow jellies (jello in the USA) I thought these are easy enough and would be great for a party if you topped it with fluffy light blue cream! I didn't do the topping but the girls and I had fun making and eating these rainbow jellies!

To make Rainbow Dash’s Rainbow Jellies: Buy any number of different colored/flavored jelly (jello) make according to instructions and layer in the order of a rainbow* starting with blue/purple at the bottom and topping with red. If you make it in a mold that needs to be turned out start with red at the bottom and so on… Also be sure that each layer is set before adding the next!

I just wanted to not the subtle colors of the UK jelly. The reason it’s subtler is because it doesn’t have huge amounts of unwanted e-numbers and additives! If you made it with Jello you’d get much more vibrant colors, but all those extra unnatural things your body really doesn't need!

notes: *red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink

Hartley’s UK   

Jello USA