Costa Coffee Christmas Range 2023

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I thought that today I would talk to you all about the new Costa Coffee Christmas range. Yes, I know it may be a bit early for some of you to see Christmas but who doesn’t love hearing about some new delicious goodies that are coming to a Costa Coffee store near you very soon? 

Sticky Toffee 

Who doesn’t love a good Sticky Toffee Pudding when the days get dark and cold very quickly? 

The Sticky Toffee drinks come in two formats. A Latte to keep you warm when the weather gets chilly and a Iced Latte that will help to refresh you when the Christmas shopping gets a little bit too stressful. 

Both of these drinks will feature a yummy sticky toffee flavoured sauce, topped with Light Whip, and drizzled with even more sauce, finished with a sprinkling of bronze shimmery, angel-like dusting. 

Black Forest & Cream Hot Chocolate 

Black Forest is back baby! I know a lot of people including myself were devastated when Black Forest was scrapped for last years Christmas range and then had to rush to try and grab it in a store during the last week leading up to Christmas. This year, Costa has brought Black Forest back with a bang! 

The iconic drink features a rich hot chocolate with cherry sauce topped with cream and drizzled with cherry sauce. 

If you are a Costa Club member and have the App then you are already able to get the Black Forest & Cream Hot Chocolate in stores before the rest of the range and before non-members can grab it on 2nd November. All you have to do is scan your card and ask for one at the till or order one through the Click and Collect feature on the Costa Coffee App. 

I must admit, I may have already grabbed one through the Costa App when I was out with Luke the other day and oh my god it was worth the wait. Delicious and fruity. Utter perfection. 

Roasted Hazel 

Is it just me or does the scent of roasted nuts makes it  feel like its the beginning of the festive season? Now you can enjoy that feeling in a drink! 

Roasted Hazel will be available as a Latte and a Hot Chocolate. Both of these warming drinks will include a flavourful roasted hazelnut syrup, topped with Light Whip, and completed with a beautiful, bronzed shimmer and mini gold stars. 

I do love Hazelnut and this screams a very me drink so I am intrigued to see what Roasted Hazel tastes like. I also love the addition of gold stars. I bet it looks pretty and adds to the festive vibe! 

Gingerbread & Cream Latte 

Gingy is back and  they’re looking tastier than ever! 

This drink features a milky coffee laced with a generous slurp of sugar free gingerbread syrup, topped with cream and adorned with a mini gingerbread person.

I love anything Gingerbread so I will definitely be grabbing one of these. 

Inspired by After Eight® Hot Chocolate & Terry's Chocolate Orange® Hot Chocolate

Who doesn’t love a good couple of After Eights after a filling Christmas Lunch? Well Costa have made an After Eight® Hot Chocolate so you can have it all Christmas season long! 

Is it just me who associates Terry's Chocolate Orange® with Christmas? I just imagine one of these tasty chocolate balls in the bottom of my Christmas stocking. Costa has also decided to bring back the well loved Terry's Chocolate Orange® Hot Chocolate for those who love a good Chocolate Orange drink throughout the festive period. Both of these drinks come with either a  Terry's Chocolate Orange® Segment or an After Eight® slip on the side. 

Costa Express:

Costa Express customers can enjoy a taste of the festivities with the new Sticky Toffee Latte, new Sticky Toffee Hot Chocolate, and new Sticky Toffee Iced Latte (only at Costa Express’s Hot and Iced self-serve machines). 

Shell customers can get exclusive access to the new Roasted Hazel Latte, new Roasted Hazel Iced Latte (only at Costa Express’s Hot and Iced self-serve machines) and new Roasted Hazel Hot Chocolate.

Food:

Pigs In Blankets Toastie

Pigs In Blankets is an ultimate staple of Christmas Dinner for a lot of people in the UK so cramming these beauties into a toastie sounds like a perfect idea to me. 

This brand new product for Costa Coffee features succulent pork sausage and maple cured bacon, with sweet, caramelised onion chutney, all in tempting garlic, onion and sage crumbed cheese-topped bread. 

Vegan Turkey & Trimmings Toastie

Just because Christmas is full of meat doesn’t mean that we can leave the vegans out of having some delicious festive food

This toastie consists of vegan turkey with stuffing, yummy cranberry sauce, vegan mayonnaise, vegan gravy, all in toasted white bread. 

I love to incorporate some Vegan products into my diet a lot of the time so I will definitely be trying this one out! 

Honey Roast Ham & Wensleydale Ciabatta 

All I’m going to say is Cheese, Gromit, Cheese! 

This sandwich features juicy British Honey roast ham and Wensleydale cheese, mature Cheddar and honey and béchamel sauce, packed into a cranberry stuffed ciabatta.  

I have been enjoying sandwiches and burgers with a Bechamel sauce recently so I may try this to see how Cranberry, Honey, Roast Ham, Wensleydale and Bechamel all work together. 

Melton Mowbray Pork Pies & Sausage Rolls

Who doesn’t love some good picky bits? 

The Melton Mowbray Pies consisting of seasoned uncured British pork baked in a rich hot water crust pastry. The Sausage Rolls have seasoned pork sausage meat, pulled pork and divine Bramley apples, in an all-butter puff pastry topped with a wonderful festive pastry star. 

I love both a Pork Pie and a Sausage Roll so I’ll definitely be tempted to grab one of each. The Sausage Roll sounds divine to me. Savoury, full of flavour and still utterly seasonal. 

What’s Returning? 

The following savoury delights are returning for the festive season at Costa Coffee. 

Brie, Bacon & Cranberry Panini, Brie & Cranberry Toastie, Turkey & Trimmings Toastie and the Turkey Feast Sandwich. 

Sweet Treats: 

Belgian Chocolate Ganache Cake

I mean, who doesn’t love Chocolate Cake? 

This new product is a rich chocolate cake, filled with chocolate frosting and topped with an indulgent chocolate ganache and star sprinkles. 

Honestly, this sounds amazing! I love anything that has a ganache in as it adds some texture to the cake. I just hope that the cake itself is terrifically tender! 

Sticky Toffee Loaf Cake 

A piece of Sticky Toffee Loaf Cake and a Sticky Toffee Latte? Can anyone imagine a better pairing? I can’t! 

This afternoon delight consists of a toffee flavoured sponge cake which is topped with caramel frosting, caramel drizzle, and indulgent fudge pieces.  

I love the different textures that are going on in this cake. You have the cake itself paired with the smooth frosting and the chunky fudgy pieces. A definite must try! 

Vegan Christmas Cake Slice 

 Vegans need a sweet treat too! 

A rich fruit cake base and is topped with a layer of marzipan and white icing.

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of Christmas Cake. If you are then this will definitely be a treat for you! 

Polar Bear Gingerbread & Christmas Tree Shortcake Biscuits 

A cute biscuit can really perk up the dullest of days! New for 2023, Costa have released two cute biscuits to go alongside a drink and a catch up with friends. There’s a cute Polar Bear shaped Gingerbread Biscuit and a festive Christmas Tree shaped Shortcake Biscuit. Definitely a great treat for a catch up or those little ones who need a sweet treat. 

Bags Of Sweet Treats 

Sometimes when you are out and about with either friends or your own, you just want a little bag of something. Well, Costa has come to the rescue with these amazing bags of goodies that are new fof 2023. 

There is Salted Caramel Honeycomb Bag (Salted honeycomb coated in caramel flavour milk chocolate, in collaboration with Mighty Fine). There’s also Clotted Cream Fudge bag (rich, crumbly fudge made with West Country clotted cream and handmade by Mr Stanley’s)., These would be great alongside a warm drink or stashed in your bag for when you need a little pick me up. 

What’s Returning? 

Back for 2023, we have Vegan Mince Tart, All Butter Mince Pie, Terry's Chocolate Orange® Muffin (which is available in Costa Coffee stores right now), Gingerbread Muffin, White Chocolate Trillionaire’s Slice and the Crispy Festive Wreath. 

Will you be trying any of the Costa Coffee Christmas 2023 range? What’s your favourite festive drink? Let me know! 

Costa Coffee’s Christmas Menu is available to purchase and try on 2nd November. 

All photos are from Costa Coffee PR. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Sinking My Teeth Into Tim's Bits | Tim Hortons Manchester Market Street First Impressions

 Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I recently went to Manchester and whilst I was there, I decided to check out the new Tim Hortons as I haven't been to a Tim Hortons before.

I was staying in Manchester for a few days to celebrate Alex's birthday and we saw Tim Hortons in the distance so we decided to check it out. After wondering what to have for quite a while we decided on getting the Sherbet Lemon Coolers, Tims Smoky Maple Burger, Crispy Meatless Chicken Sandwich and Timbits. 

Sherbet Lemon Cooler 

Cool down this summer with our fruity ice cold Cooler

I'm not the biggest fan of slush based drinks but the drink contained Lemon and I have to try anything that contains Lemon. When Tim Hortons said Sherbet Lemon, they meant it and I liked that about them. The Lemon flavour in this drink made your mouth go ooh whilst still having a slightly sweet edge to it which to me is perfection. The weather was also quite warm which made for more reason to enjoy this drink. I loved it. If you want a good Lemon slushy sort of drink in the Summer then I would definitely recommend this drink. 

Tims® Smoky Maple Burger 

Everyone's new favourite burger. Made with beef, onions, shredded iceberg lettuce, cheese and maple & chorizo sauce ketchup inside a lightly toasted brioche bun. 

I was expecting so much from this burger and sadly it just didn't deliver. This burger was quite small to begin with for the price which was a little bit annoying. The burger patty was juicy and succulent but lacked a tiny bit off seasoning for my liking. The Onions provided a good amount of crunch which I adored. The sauce was great and sweet which complimented the meat. The only problem is that I didn't get Maple and Chorizo. I got more of a sweet and slightly curry powder based taste which I didn't mind but I was expecting the heat and the taste of Chorizo to kick me in the face a little bit. This burger satisfied my hunger but I think that I just wanted a little bit more oomph. 

Crispy Meatless Chicken Sandwich 

Made with a plant based meatless chicken patty, mayonnaise, green leaf lettuce and smokey tomato mayonnaise inside a toasted brioche bun. 

I love a good meatless burger so I had to try it. I quite enjoyed this burger. The flavour of the meatless patty itself was a bit muted but the texture was amazing and resembled meat which was amazing. The batter of the patty was crispy and had flavour running through it. I have had meatless burgers that have been dry as hell and some that have resembled a sponge soaked in Mayo. This one was neither of them which I adored. The Smoky Tomato Mayo added a sort of flame grilled flavour to the burger which I quite liked as not only did it add a bit of depth to the burger but added some sweetness to the burger too. If you're looking for a new meatless burger to try out then I would definitely recommend this one. Even Alex stated that they would come back and get this burger again. 

Timbits

A variety of fillings, sprinkled and powdered mini donut style cake balls

Who doesn't love top bite into a bit of Tim? I have heard so much hype about Timbits so when I saw them on the menu, it was fate. For anyone who hasn't tried Timbits. Imagine little doughnut balls filled with different flavoured fillings all shuffled up in a box to create a sort of surprise tasting experience. There was Churro, Birthday Cake, Apple, Chocolate and other flavoured little bits of beautiful goodness. I liked the Churro inspired one the most. I think it was Churro? I love Cinnamon so anything that was coated in Cinnamon is a good thing to me. I kind of expected a little bit more from the Birthday Cake one as it just tasted of a normal doughnut bite with some sprinkles on top. Overall though, they were amazing and definitely worth the hype! 

Would I go back again? Yeah! I would go back but I would want to try some of the other products that are on offer to try if I was to visit Tim Hortons again. I would definitely like to see what their breakfast menu is like and I would definitely like to try their hot drinks. Overall, Tim Hortons is definitely worth a try if you can get to one. 

Have you been to Tim Hortons before? Let me know down below. 

Thanks for reading!

Jamie x

Drinking Above A Market | No. 28 Newcastle Review

 Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that today I would talk to you all about one of my new favourite place to grab a drink from in Newcastle . 

No.28 is a little bar that is tucked away above the well known Grainger Market in Newcastle City Centre. It offers a range of drinks, tapas style food and offers to suit everyone’s needs and also offers an ambience that just makes you want to spend all night in there. 

I decided to check out the superb space with Alex. We decided to get a mixture of food and drinks. (If you want to know about the food then go on over to my Instagram). 

We decided to get a cocktail a piece and some shots. I have been enjoying the Honey Cazcabel Tequila recently and saw that they had a coffee version so it made sense to try it there and then. I also made Alex try both the Honey and Coffee varieties. They loved both and I quite liked the Coffee version but I still think that the Honey one is my favourite. 

We tried both the Burnt Crumble and the Banana and Walnut Espresso Martini which Alex mainly drank but I mean I had to try a little bit of it for content reasons. 

Burnt Crumble contained Goslings Black Seal Rum, dark crème de cacao, Teichenne Butterscotch Schnapps, Apple and Lemon Juices, caramel syrup and a spray of Laphroaig over the glass. I absolutely loved this drink. The mixture of both the schnapps and syrup gave this drink a sort of sweet yet baked caramel taste to the drink which was interesting as when I saw butterscotch and caramel I was expecting this drink to be sickly but it really wasn’t. The rum added a sort of deep smokiness to the drink which helped to further cut through the two elements just mentioned. I think the dark crème de cacao blended into the rum as it wasn’t that pronounced when I sipped this drink. Finally the apple and lemon added a touch of freshness to the drink which cut through the sweet and smoky to make this drink not only delectable but also one that I could not stop sipping. If you’re a fan of well desserts, apples, crumbles, anything with a slightly sweet kick to it then definitely get this drink as you will love it. 

The Banana and Walnut Espresso Martini contained Black Tears Spiced Rum, Crème Dr Banane, Noix de la st jean and Espresso. I’m not the biggest fan of Walnuts so this drink wasn’t fully for me but I could definitely respect it for what it is. I also think that the Espresso Martini came in general is quite saturated so it’s quite refreshing to see a new take on it. The Banana complimented the coffee notes in this drink beautifully as it gave a sort of creaminess in regards to the flavour of this drink which I really enjoyed. If you love Espresso Martinis I definitely say give this a try and see if you enjoy it! 

Overall, g the great drinks, amazing ambience and fantastic food made for a great experience for me. I’ll definitely be coming back to try some of their other amazing drinks. 

Check out No.28.

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Jamie Noms Through Christmas | Costa Coffee Festive Menu 2019

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new post, and, welcome to the start of my little miniseries, where I'll literally be talking about Christmas Food from well known and well loved places on the high street. Today, I thought that I would start the miniseries off with the good old comforting Costa Coffee.

Black Forest Hot Chocolate

I have loved the Black Forest Hot Chocolate from Costa for many years now, so I was a bit shocked on when I found out that it had slightly changed this year. In the past few years, it has come with a Blackcurrant and Raspberry sauce, which has always made the drink exceptional. This year, however, Costa have decided to go for Cherry. I get that it is more original for a Black Forest based hot drink, but, I love the old version, because well familiarity. Saying that, I did love this version. I had it both to drink in and to take out. I preferred the drink in as I could probably stir it to make sure the Cherry dispersed evenly instead of just in certain spaces in the drink. The sharpness of the Cherry works quite well with the richness of the Chocolate. In fact, I would love more sharpness just to really make it contrasting. I think that this is a great option for those who like a bit of fruitless to their Hot Chocolates.

A picture of the Black Forest Hot Chocolate and the Hazelnut Praline and Cream Latte

Praline and Cream Latte

Oooh I do love a good sweet nut in my creamy Latte! I love the sweetness of the Latte against the sort of toasty warmth of the nuts that are in this drink. If you love a well known Christmas Nut flavoured Coffee drink from an American based Coffee chain at this time of year, then you will love this! I do think that it could do with something textural on top maybe, but that's just my opinion. It does come with wafer pieces, but they do end up soaked by the drink really quickly. This is also available cold in the form of a Frostiino too, for when you're feeling a bit warm and flustered in the adventure pf shopping during the festive period.

irish Velvet Hot Chocolate

Okay, so this is kind of amazing, and, I get why its the main drink on Costa's Christmas Menu this year. imagine, well, Baileys but in non alcoholic form. Sweet and creamy, with a slight kick of coffee flavour infused into a hot chocolate. I could drink and bathe in this all year around. Again, I do think that it needs a tad more texture on the top. I know that I sound crazy for saying this about drinks, but, you're paying for everything when it comes to coffee shop drinks, so if im investing my money into a Festive only drink, I want it to be so good/something that hits every spot, that it makes me think about it all year round. I mean, this already does but I would be writing emails to Costa every day if it had just a tad more texture on top of the whipped cream. Maybe something crispy and to do with Irish coffee, maybe Chocolate coated Espresso Beans? Who knows!

A picture of the Irish Velvet and Cream Hot Chocolate and a Terry's Chocolate Orange Muffin

Terrys Chocolate Orange Muffin

This Muffin is brand new for 2019, and, it is amazing. Sadly, you can't whack it to release its chocolate orange flavour, as that would make your sweet treat end up in a squidgy mess on the floor. The muffin is made up of a thick Chocolate Orange segment, which is sat on top of some thick Chocolate frosting, which is on top of a Chocolate Orange muffin which contains pieces of Terry's Chocolate Orange and a Chocolate-y Orange based goo in the middle. The bits of Chocolate Orange and the decorative segment on the top, make for such a textural contrast between the free flowing goo, the crumbly sweet muffin itself, and, the thick even sweeter frosting. As there is a fair amount of sweet going on, in terms of taste, it means that I love the Orange kick even more than I would normally as it just stops it from all being too sickly. Terry's Chocolate Orange as a whole makes me think of Christmas, especially the Popping Candy ones, that you can only get at Christmas time in pouch form.

Have you tried any of the above from the Costa Festive 2019 Menu? Have you tried any of the other products that I haven't mentioned, such as the Christmas Tea, or any of the food? Would you like me to try any of the other items within this menu? Let me know down below! 

Check out Costa Coffee to see what else is on their menu, including their Dairy Alternatives, which are all free this Festive period!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Scolding My Body In Turmeric Goodness | Lush Turmeric Latte Shower Gel

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I decided to get one of the Lush Community Favourite Shower Gels when they came out on the website a while ago, and I thought that I would tell you my thoughts on the product. 

Lush released a range of Community Favourite Shower Gels a while ago, including, Intergalactic, Guardians Of The Forest, Sex Bomb, Goddess, Groovy Kind Of Love, and, Turmeric Latte. I have been loving the scent of the Turmeric Latte Bath Bomb since it was released for the anniversary of the Bath bomb and I knew that I had to pick it up the moment that I saw it on the website.

List Of Ingredients: 

Coconut And Turmeric Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerine, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Organic Agave Syrup, Tonka Absolute, Benzoin Resinoid, Vanilla Absolute, Cocoa Powder, Carrageenan Extract, Xanthan Gum, Titanium Dioxide, Coumarin, Eugenol, Colour 19140:1.

Texture:

The texture of the product is quite creamy due to ingredients such as the Coconut Milk. This ingredient also helps to ensure that skin stays soft. The gel is just a little bit thinner than a Shower Cream from Lush. I would say that this is a thick sort of shower gel. I tried to move this via tilting my hand when first testing it out, and, it slowly moved after a minute. I loved it for this reason alone, as, I'm not the biggest fan of watery gels that instantly go everywhere as soon as you squeeze it out of the bottle, as it can ruin the shower experience a bit. 

Scent:

The scent of Turmeric Latte is an interesting one. When I say interesting, what I really mean, is that it has layers of scent which sounds even more ominous than 'interesting', I know. It is the truth though. First of all, you get the spicy warmth from Turmeric and Resinoid and then after a while, the sweetness comes through, via the Tonka and Coconut. The Shower Gel is the same but as there is Cocoa Powder, you get more of a roundness from the spicy sort of notes. I hate saying roundness but again it's truth. it makes everything that little bit more pronounced. If you have ever smelt Spicebomb from Viktor and Rolf, then imagine that with a tad more sweetness pumped into a Shower Gel. I have worn this on both Hot and Cold days and this scent is fabulous for both. Trust me, I know, I wore it during a heatwave... Personally, I prefer this on a colder day just because I think you can detect the spicier notes more on those cold days. 

How It Performed When Using It:

When applying the product, you don't expect it to lather up that much, as sometimes, creamier products don't. Saying that, this lathered up quite a bit. I only needed one good squeeze to cover my entire body twice. The scent lingered for a good hour or so before the creaminess decided to become more of the prominent note. It kept my body moisturised for hours, to the point that I felt that I didn't;t need to put a moisturiser on top which was a first! 

Cost: 

£15 for 250g. This is a lot for a shower gel, but if one squirt covers a slightly chubby person like me twice, then you know that a little goes a long way, so one bottle will last you ages. If you don't want to spend that much then I urge you to buy the Turmeric Latte Bath Bomb.

Overall, I would definitely give this a 9.5/10. My only downfall is the price, but at the end of the day, it is a massive bottle that will last you for a long long time!

Check out Lush.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post. What's your favourite Lush Shower Gel? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

Danny Gruff - The Coffee Beans Tour

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! Today, I thought that, I would talk to you all about a tour that I will be attending soon. This isn't a spon or anything like that, I just like the music and the person of whom I'm promoting, and, I think that it's great to promote artists when possible!

Wrexham born singer songwriter Danny Gruff got his big banging break after supporting artists like Frank Turner and Bastille to name a few. Within 2015, Danny created a project which was dubbed ONTAW which consisted of releasing one new track a week for a year which then led him onto a 2 official UK tours including a first headline tour. Danny has the spent since October creating his self titled album via the funds from singles, merchandise and tours. Danny is known for his cheeky yet friendly personality. 

In June 2017, Danny released a self titled album consisting of 13 amazing songs, under an album. This album covers a plethora of genres, themes and tempos, to suit a magnitude of moods. If you want to read more about what I thought about this breathtaking album then click here to read my full review of Coffee Beans. 

To match the name of the album, Danny thought that, it would be an interesting idea to hold the dates of the tour in actual coffee shops, and, small venues around the UK. Not only would it showcase the symbolism of the album as a whole, but, it would also give Danny and his audience the perfect atmosphere for a personal, and, intimate performance. 

The dates that are still available to purchase are, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff, and, Portsmouth. Click here to find your nearest gig and purchase tickets. 

Check out Danny's music via his Spotify. 

Visit Danny's website to find out more about him and to purchase merchandise. 

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post, Let me know if you will be attending any of the dates. Comment down below with your favourite song from Danny Gruff. I've also included the lyric video to Coffee Beans just in case you want to check it out. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x 

Wake Me Up Before You Go Go | Superdrug Coffee Face Mask VS Lush Cup O' Coffee Face Mask

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that today, I would talk to you all about two face masks that I've been using to sort my face out during the Winter months.

A birds eye shot of a black cosmetic tub with a black label with Lush in bold black letters with Cup O' Coffee in black informal font with Face and Body Mask in small black capital letters on a white background.

Coffee Face Masks have slowly become a big trend within the beauty/cosmetic industry within the last year due to many reasons including the fact that it helps to wake you up in the morning via its smell, that the coffee beans that are in the product help to exfoliate dry skin and that the exfoliation helps to regenerate new skin.

I love Cup O' Coffee from Lush especially as it contains a Coffee Infusion, Caffeine, Agave Syrup and Roasted Cocoa Extract which gives the product a sweet smoky scent whilst still containing Caffeine to give yourself and your skin a glow. The smell of this product reminds me of when you walk straight into a coffee shop. The beans help to really scrub wherever you use it which makes it a great product for the Winter season. The only problem with this product for me is that its slightly expensive so when I found out that Superdrug had brought out a dupe of this product I knew that I had to try it.

Superdrug's Coffee Face Mask contains Coffee Beans and a plethora of other amazing goodies to get into the skin and ensure that it is awake and clean for the day ahead. The texture is quite creamy with a fine scrub and smells more of when you open a jar/tin of coffee compared to when it's been brewed like Cup O' Coffee. I also think that it would be great for the Winter period due to the creaminess of this product, and the smell doesn't last for too long which means that you can put something on top eg moisturiser or anything like that. I do think that to get the full potential.

As the Superdrug is a cheaper version, it is probably the better one for those who don't want to spend a lot on a face mask as Superdrug always have offers such as buy one get one half price or just half price which makes these face masks even cheaper but if you love Lush or stand by their ethics then Cup O' Coffee may be best but I do think that the Superdrug is also better for a more everyday sort of use as a scrub within the Winter especially due to it being a little bit more moisturising to the skin.

The Superdrug Coffee Face Mask costs £4.99 for 75ml.

The Lush Cup O' Coffee costs £7.25 for 150g or £13.95 for 325g.

Have you tried either of these Face Masks? Are you using any particular Face Masks at the moment? Let me know down below! 

Thank you for reading this beauty based blog post and I hope that you come back for another blog post next time.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Ox Club Leeds Brunch & 200 Degrees Leeds Coffee Review

Hey!

Welcome to another blog post! The lovely guys at Ox Club and the PR team behind them invited me to come and try out some of their amazing dishes from their Brunch Club menu with a few other bloggers and I thought I would tell you guys about it all!

We started the day off by walking quite quickly to the train station due to the train strikes that were happening on the day, Once we arrived in the heart of Leeds, we made our way up to Headrow House which is about a 5 minute walk from the infamous Trinity Leeds shopping centre.

Ox Club is the restaurant that is situated within the wonderful Headrow House which is situated on the Headrow. Ox Club serve brunch on weekends but they also serve their wonderful food within the evenings via their Evening Menu. Ox Club also participate in themed nights where they serve a particular menu which isn't normally available to the public such as an all veggie night. The restaurant use seasonal produce and their menu's changes on a daily basis subject to availability of ingredients

First on the menu was Korean Fried Chicken. This came with Rice, Pickled Cucumber, Kimchi and a Crispy Egg.

I loved the crispy Chicken against the freshness of the Kimchi. I think that the addition of the crispy egg was a fabulous choice. I loved the Spiciness of the Chicken as it wasn't too powerful but it left a warm sensation at the back of yout throat. The spiciness was well balanced via the cooling Cucumber and the Kimchi. I think that this is something different to have for Breakfast/Brunch but if it's slightly cold outside or if you're curing a hangover then it's absolutely perfect!

Then we tried Flat Iron Steak and Cheddar Eggs. This was accompanied by Home Fries and a delicious Chipotle Tomato Jam.

Steak and eggs is a breakfast dish that is most commonly eaten by people who are training for events such as triathlons and such. As I have never trained for anything yet, I've never had Steak and Eggs. I loved the Steak even though I know that Steak can be a very personal thing! I wasn't sure what to think of the Cheddar Eggs at first but after the second taste I knew that I absolutely loved them. The jam was lovely against the creamy eggs.

Next stop on the food train was Cauliflower Shawarma. The items that were paired with this included Grilled Flatbread, Buttered Ras Al Hanout Eggs, Pomegranates, Pine Nuts and Yoghurt.

Cauliflower is normally shoved under Cauliflower Cheese where its normally overcooked then covered in a very Cheesy sauce so I was already interested in this very fresh dish. This Cauliflower Shawarma showed me that Cauliflower can be lively! The crispy flatbread and crunchy Cauliflower against the soft eggs was an interesting texture combination. I absolutely loved it though. I'm not used to a crispy Flatbread so I would have personally preferred it to be slightly more soft but that's a personal thing. I loved the addition of Pomegranate as it just made the whole dish that little bit more fabulous!

The staff then brought out the beautiful Bubble & Squeak. This delicious dish came with Smoked Sausage, Cabbage, Fried Duck Egg and Chicken Gravy.

I always thought that Bubble & Squeak was one of those things that was a back up dancer due to it being traditionally made from leftovers but this dish was sensational. The cabbage and potato against the smoky sausage worked really well. Smokiness and freshness just contrasted against each other very well. I loved the gravy against the potato as it just made the dish feel very comforting. I think that this on a cold winters morning would be great!

We then tried the Coconut French Toast with Sriracha Maple Butter and Bacon.

I love Coconut and French Toast so I already had high expectations for this dish. I think that the Sriracha Maple Butter added a slight kick in the back of your mouth without being overwhelming and well Bacon added a contrast between the sweetness in the Maple Butter. I just loved this dish and I think that this would be great with a large coffee. I'm still a bit unsure on whether the Sriracha was necessary but on the whole this was a great dish.

Finally, we enjoyed Ricotta Pancakes, Honeycomb, Blueberries, Honey and Creme Fraiche.

I have never had Ricotta Pancakes before but they were thick and fluffy and something that is definitely needed for a weekend. A stack of these on their own are heavenly so when you add Honey and Blueberries to them it just makes them extra special! The Blueberries add a fresh note against the eggyness of the Pancakes and the sweetness of the Honey. I'm not the greatest fan of Creme Fraiche I'm not going to lie but I think it helps cut through the honey within this dish. I think these with a few Bloody Mary's is always an amazing start to a weekend and I would honestly eat these every weekend but maybe without the Creme Fraiche, Honey and Blueberries I would make a hot Blueberry sauce for the colder weekends.

Once we had finished off trying the menu at Ox Club we were told that we could go down to 20n 0 Degrees which is opposite the Boots store which is located within Trinity Leeds. We were meant to be participating in creating some amazing Latte art but due to it being a wonderful yet busy Saturday afternoon we decided that we would try some stuff from 200 Degrees. I decided to order a Mocha for both myself and Luke. I then asked the barista to recommend us a couple of sweet treats as I wasn't really feeling a sandwich after sampling the dishes at Ox Club.

He suggested a wonderful looking Brownie and a sweet treat that changes every Saturday. This dish is dubbed Saturday Special. This sweet treat was a Chocolate and Raspberry Tart. The brownie was divine but honestly any brownie is divine in my eyes. This one has a sort of gooey but nubbly centre which I think was via Chocolate Chips but I could be completely wrong. Dark and decadent made this Brownie amazing against the bittersweet (Coffee always has a bitter edge in my opinion) Mocha. The tart had a filling of Raspberry sort of compote I think layered with a Chocolate Ganache. The pastry was crumbly and perfect against the smoothness of the ganache. The raspberry was a amazing. Some would say that it was a surprise but as this tart is garnished with Raspberries then it should be well known. The sharp fruitiness of the Raspberry against the ganache was really nice. A perfect tart to have whilst having a chit chat and I'm thankful for this recommendation as I will remember them both quite well.

I will definitely have to go back to try their sandwiches!

What's your go to dish when it comes to brunch? What's your favourite hot drink to order at a coffee shop? Have you been to either Ox Club or 200 Degrees? Let me know down below!

Thanks to I Like Press for inviting myself and Luke to both events. Thank you to the guys at Ox Club/Headrow House for serving us fabulous food and for being amazing to us bloggers. Thank you to the guys at 200 Degrees for being amazing, creating amazing drinks and food and for recommending me those amazing sweet treats!

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. I hope that you like the photos that I have taken within this post and I hope to see you next time for another post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Drink Suggestions For The Future Months | Monin Syrups

Hi!

I know that it is Monday so I thought that I would do a blog post all about coffee syrups because we all need a flavour boost for those drab Mondays.

The whole background of Monin is that Georges Monin saw that things were lacking flavour and colour and being a flavour enthusiast, he decided to conjure up some great syrups to stir things up and it slowly grew from there. There are many flavours and many ranges including your favourites such as Gingerbread, Caramel, Vanilla, Black Forest, Chocolate Cookie, Hazelnut and many more.

The wonderful people over at the PR that sort Monin out sent me some lovely syrups to try out for the colder days as Autumn is now upon us. The syrups that they sent me were Vanilla and Caramel. Both sweet but delectable! Both of the syrups come in beautifully designed glass bottles and are sold at Tesco's and Sainsburys. They were on offer but I'd purchase them off the offer as well as they're worth the money!

The first syrup that I will talk about is the Vanilla syrup. It smelt exactly like fresh Vanilla and had a fresh yet clean sort of taste to it. Best for things like milkshakes, Vanilla Mojitos/Daiquiris and other things. I cant wait to use this with a White Hot Chocolate to add another dimension to as I know that it will be delicious and decadent! I know that Vanilla seems well quite Vanilla but its amazing in coffee syrup form.

The caramel syrup is sweet yet so moreish. It tasted like warm caramel and I think I am definitely going to be using this a lot during the cold months. I think that this particular syrup would be good for things such as Caramel Lattes/a Caramel Coldbrew or maybe a cocktail that includes Salted Caramel Vodka to add a luxurious feel to the drink.

Have you tried any of the Monin syrups? What Monin syrups would you like to try? Let me know down below!

I hope that you have enjoyed this little post about Monin and I hope that you try their syrups in a nice warming drink or within a refreshingly delicious cocktail. I hope that you have enjoyed this post and I hope to see you next time for another post!

Thanks!
Jamie x

3 Little Tips To Help Out Money Saving Students

Hi,

If you follow me on any social media platform then you will know that I am always getting some sort of offer or deal so I thought that it was time to reveal how I find these deals especially as I know that soon people will be going to university and you may need these tips!

All rights of photo is O2's. (http://www.o2.co.uk/) 

1: Being A Student.

This may seem obvious but some people forget that simply being a student will get you a discount on certain stuff. If you sign up to UNIDAYS online then you can instantly get discounts on places online which will help when you have an online shop to do or when the student loan comes in and you head for online shopping! The other thing to acquire is an NUS card. This will come in very handy during your time within university. Simply showing this within a store can get you some sort of benefit such as free food or a discount. (I'll link the site on the words so you can go and find out more!)

2: O2 Will Become Your Best Friend.

I honestly can't thank O2 enough. I'm not advertising them but they will help you out quite a lot if you're a student and you're on their network. If you don't want to go onto their network then that's fine. The Priority App thats available to O2 customers will help you out so much. Theres normally something cheap or free on there within the week so if you need something to help you out then you can check the app and then go and get it. There's a reoccurring Caffe Nero free drink offer on every Tuesday at the moment which means you can have a pick me up on Tuesday if an essay deadline is on a Wednesday or within that week or a catch up with a friend over a free drink. It has helped me out so much this year!

3: Oops. It Will Help!

Go into your store. I'd say quite lateish (unless you want a good sandwich offer from Boots then go around 4ish?) and search around to see if there is anything on reduced. Reduced may seem icky but it works and honestly it will help for when you're getting sick of eating the same thing but only have a couple of quid for something to eat.

Do you do any of the above? Let me know down below!

I hope that you have enjoyed my three little tips for surviving for when things get tough on the money side within college/university/whatnot. I hope that you come back for more posts!

Jamie x

Sweetening Life Up | Forza Stir It Slim Meal Replacement Review

Hey,

I was sent a parcel from Forza a while ago and after being a tad ill and busy, I thought that it was time to finally tell you guys what I think of the Stir It Slim meal replacements!

Stir It Slim are a range of meal replacements from a brand called Forza. The concept of them is that you drink them and feel full up to the point of needing said meal and can get on with the day feeling great. They help control weight and come in a few flavours such as hot chocolate and caramel latte. You get three sachets in a packet and they cost around £18 from what I can recall. Click here to find out more about them.

I received Caramel Latte and honestly I was a bit hesitant about trying these as I normally always have some sort of food near me for when I'm hungry. I was a bit hesitant as I wasn't really up for drinking Caramel Latte as a meal. When I received them, I used one as a breakfast replacement as I thought that it would be the best time to use them as coffee and such. The drink was sweet but not too sweet and you could tell that it was caramel from the flavouring within the drink.

I did feel full for quite a while and felt that they sufficed as a meal. I think that they're best for someone who is busy and on the go quite a lot. I would probably use these for when I'm busy with work and such. I could instantly tell that it was caramel just from the flavouring so I'm guessing that the syrup in it is strong. I'd love to see what the hot chocolate one tastes like. I had a good chunk of energy for a while but I did end up having the energy crash that most people have, a few hours later.

I am a bit iffy with the price but they are worth it if you're wanting to lose a bit of weight or want a more convenient way of having a meal. I would definitely recommend these for someone who is on the go a lot and doesn't want to skip a meal. I'd definitely like to try the hot chocolate one to see how they compare. On a whole, I give these an 8/10. They're great but I do think that I would rather stick to solid foods unless I needed something in a flask for on the go.

I hope that this has been an alright blog post. Don't forget to check Forza out. I hope to see you next time for another post.

Jamie x

DOAML: Gorilla Fragrances: Dear John

Meow!

Welcome to another DOAML post. Yeah, this series is slowly starting up again... If theres anything that you would like me to review from Lush or talk about skin wise then please let me know in the comments section down below!

Today I am going to talk to you guys about Dear John as I bought it a couple of weeks ago and it feels fitting to talk to you guys about the perfumes that are available at Lush as I don't think that they get enough recognition.

Dear John is a perfume that is sold at Lush. All perfumes that are sold at Lush are under the Gorilla Perfume brand. I don't know the exact story behind Gorilla Perfumes but I know that Lush created Gorilla Perfumes as it's own brand to compete with high street perfumes and so that they wouldn't be just sold at Lush stores from what I know. I could be wrong but I'm sure thats somewhat the story. Gorilla Perfumes have their own store within Islington, London and have a full on gallery within the Lush Oxford Street superstore.

The best way to tell you the scents that make up Dear John is to just list all of the scents instead of saying this is the base note as I feel like they change a bit depending on your skin so it's best to just say. Dear John contains Cedarwood, Coffee and Tobacco which gives it a deep smoky scent, Lime to give it a bit of a citrus kick, Pine, Clove, Coriander/Cilantro depending on where you are within the world and Vetivert.

The perfume comes in many forms but I decided to get the body mist as honestly its the best amount for your money as a 150g body mist bottle comes in at £13 which is pretty amazing. There is also a solid version for £7 and other bottles for various prices.

When you spritz this, you instantly get the smokiness of the coffee/cedarwood/tobacco/vetivert but when it settles you get more of a citrusy scent from the Lime. It's such a great scent for all year round but I like it most within either Spring or Autumn due to the smoky-sweetness of the product. You also get a sort of soapy hint when it has settled which I kind of like because I've never had a fragrance that did that before and it just makes you stand out when theres a lot of scents going on in the room. I also love that the scent stays on the skin for quite a while and if needed you could buy the solid just to top up on the go as the bottle is quite clunky when it comes to storing in your bag.

I would give this a 9.5/10. The only problem that I have found with it is that the other bottles are very pricey and if this wasn't the case then I would have every type of this fragrance within the confinements of my beauty drawer! I love the sweet smokiness and I love how the Coffee and Tobacco isn't off putting but adds more to the smokiness instead of being so strong that you can't smell anything else except Coffee and smoke.

Have you smelt this within a Lush store? What do you think? Have you tried any of the Gorilla Fragrances that are on offer within Lush? Let me know in the comments section down below!

Click on Dear John to find out more about the fragrance! I hope that you have enjoyed this DOAML post and I hope that you read the next post that is on my blog! If you want to keep up to date then follow my BlogLovin!

Meow!
Jamie x

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