A few weeks ago I got in touch with The Treat Kitchen to learn more about who they are and what they do. After emailing backwards and forwards with Jodie, the Marketing Assistant, she invited me to the store to take some pictures and pick up some gifts to feature on the blog and tell you all what I thought!
If you have been into the city centre of Nottingham you will probably have walked past The Treat Kitchen, it is hard to miss and shame on you if you haven't been in or at least stopped in awe at the colourful displays of tastey treats in the windows. The Treat Kitchen is an independent sweet shop which opened in September 2014 after the owners, Jess and Martin Barnett, returned from living in Australia for 3 years following the birth of their son Max. Whilst in Australia Martin worked for the countries largest retail group as confectionary buyer and Jess worked for RMIT University. The Barnett family have two confectionary factories in Nottingham and are passionate about using traditional methods of production such as copper pans and hand crafting sweets using their original recipes.
As a love for sweet treats has been in the family since the 1890's, Martin and Jess felt that there was a gap in the market for a sweet shop selling high quality goods in a modern and attractive setting. If you think of the usual old fashioned sweet shop you picture a wooden looking room full of plastic containers and a man or woman at a till waiting to weigh them out and put them in a paper bag, right? Well, that is the complete opposite of this sweet shop! The Treat Kitchen has huge glass windows, pastel and light wood decor and beautifully displayed jars and pouches of colourful sweets. The walls are white and the shelves are white and this really does make the products stand out! Jess and Martin also wanted to be resourceful and help the environment at the same time as providing amazing treats - this is why all of their products come in pouches, jars and glass milk bottles so when you have finished eating the delicious contents you can reuse the packaging for whatever you like, a pen pot or a makeup brush jar or even for smoothies?! We have all seen the amazing Pinterest boards with re-used glass bottles and jars.
Now you may be thinking that the sweets aren't any different to what you find in your local Sainsbury's? You are mistaken! Every single sweet has been chosen to reflect the enchanting world of confectionary and the theatre that goes along with it. Supporting other local businesses The Treat Kitchen have traditional sweets with a twist. The hard boiled sweets and rock (including Nottingham Rock) is made at the Barnett families factory and all of the Gourmet Fudge is made in-store and comes in a mouthwatering variety of flavours. Fancy some chocolate? Well then why not try the locally made Gourmet Chocolate Pizza's made with the finest Belgian milk, dark and white chocolate? Or how about some hard boiled sweets resembling family favourites by Tilleys Sweets...Lemon Meringue Pie flavour or Banoffee Pie anyone? Making the windows and shelves colourful is made easy by the 36 different flavours of Jelly Beans available in pouches and bottles all with one flavour in - no more half eaten bags as you will like all of the Jelly Beans you buy! Finally, if you don't want to be completely unhealthy or have to watch your sugar intake The Treat Kitchen also stock Stockley's Sugar Free goods which use naturally occurring sugars so there is no compromise on taste! With 300 varieties of different treats you could easily spend all day filling you arms with months, ok weeks, of sweets for you and your family.
I was lucky enough to be given a sample of a few different products they stock including some traditional favourites. I am a big fan of Jelly Beans and as The Treat Kitchen supply The Jelly Bean Factory ones I knew they were going to be good. Raspberry Jam and Cinnamon (my ALL TIME favourite) were in my bag of goodies and they both were so good. I was also lucky to be able to try the Barnett family's Nottingham Rock which although tastey was lacking a little something, with a slight citrus sweet taste I had to keep reminding myself I was eating rock and not a plain hard boiled sweet. The Treat Kitchen have recently launched a range of Radioactive Sours - a delicious hard boiled sweet covered in malic acid which really makes you squirm for about 30 seconds. After the sour taste has gone you are left with a delightful sweet underneath - I received the Watermelon flavour and they were amazing! Sweetshop classics cannot be forgotten even in a modern environment therefore you are still able to buy your pink shrimps, fizzy cola bottles, chewy milk bottles, torpedo's or even aniseed balls. I got a pouch of foam bananas and although I am not a big fan of banana they really were delicious.
Finally, the big ending to this delicious roller coaster ride is the Gourmet Fudge! The Treat Kitchen have 30 flavours in their collection but rotate 12 flavours at a time on their amazing display which is right in front of you as you enter the store - it seriously grabs your attention before anything else. A small taster of Salted Caramel and Raspberry and White Chocolate was in my bag of treats and they were so creamy and moreish that I was disappointed when I had eaten them. The Salted Caramel was creamy but lacking salt however, the Raspberry and White Chocolate flavour was amazing it was the softest fudge I have eaten and truly tasted like I was eating chocolate not a bar of fudge.
Everything in The Treat Kitchen has been thought about down to the last detail and they even do themed ranges for holidays such as Father's Day and Valentines Day. A range of Strawberries and Cream flavoured goods were also on display for Wimbledon!
Thank you to everyone at The Treat Kitchen for gifting me with the lovely sweets - I will definitely be back!
For all of my readers you can get 10% off your online orders when you type in the promotional code 'ELLIE10' at the checkout.
This cannot be used instore but don't worry you will not miss out as the fudge cannot be purchased online so you get the added treat of being able to buy this in person rather than have it delivered.
The Treat Kitchen, 21-23 Wheeler Gate NG1 2NA Tel: (0115) 941 1661
Twitter: TreatKitchen
The Treat Kitchen, 21-23 Wheeler Gate NG1 2NA Tel: (0115) 941 1661
Twitter: TreatKitchen
I received gifts from The Treat Kitchen for review purposes however all views are my own
It was my birthday at the beginning of June and I thought what better way to spend it then to go to a luxury hotel for the night and have dinner?! I love, love, love hotels (who doesn't) and having recently finished University I felt that a little break was just what I needed.
Hambleton Hall is owned by Mr & Mrs Hart who also have the Hambleton Bakery's, Hart's Hotel and Hart's Restaurant in their collection. If you have been to London you may have visited their restaurants ran by Sam and Eddy, their sons, Quo Vadis, Fino (now closed) and Barrafina. Located by Rutland Waters it is easy to get to via train or car from everywhere and only took us an hour via two trains from Nottingham. Originally opening in the 1980's Hambleton Hall is a large country house hotel featuring 15 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar, drawing room and heated outdoor swimming pool. With beautiful grounds and next to the quaint town of Oakham it is a lovely retreat away form the hustle and bustle of busy cities.
After arriving at the hotel and checking in to our room we decided to take a stroll down by the lake and walk alongside the sheep and lambs whilst the weather was being nice to us (this didn't last though and we managed to be on the way back to the hotel with umbrella in hand when the heavens opened!). Time to dry off and have a tea and coffee in the drawing room; as this isn't supplied in the rooms. Personally I really liked this as it encouraged us to see more of the hotel and be in the company of other guests rather than hidden away in our room...although it was so nice that this wouldn't have been a problem at all. Loose leaf tea and a cafettiere of coffee with some homemade biscuits really was added luxury instead of a tea bag and instant coffee, the small things really do make a difference.
Time to head back to the room and really take a look around and get the camera out. We had a Standard Room on the top floor which was the Treetops room - named so because of the view of the trees across from the entrance of the hotel. Each room is individually decorated and named according to it's view and each has a large bedroom and bathroom to go with. I didn't see any of the other rooms but to say ours was a Standard room it was much better than any other Standard room I had been in. The bedroom was large and had a small hallway in-between that and the bathroom. In the wardrobe was a walking pack with maps and granola bars and instructions of where to find the wellingtons to wear for walks around the countryside. The bathrooms was the biggest I have had the privilege of using in hotels with a large bath and separate walk in shower there was probably room to dance in there and two people to actually get ready at the same time. The walls in the bedroom were covered in high quality fabric and the bathroom floor was marble - pure luxury.
We changed for dinner and headed to the bar for a pre-dinner drink and canapés before being shown to our seat. I had a Bramble Cocktail and the canapés included a parmesan windmill and a beetroot macaron with goats cheese. The Sommelier had also introduced himself after our order was taken to recommend a bottle of wine to go with the dishes we had chosen, given the choice of two we decided with a very nice French red.
Starters were served and we were blown away with the Michelin Star quality of food in front of us. I went with the Seared Scallops served with Lapsang Tea Puree and Escabeche. The Scallops were cooked to perfection and the puree provided a slight smokey and flavoursome accompaniment which went beautifully with the light flavours of the Scallops.
For the Main Course I chose the Roast Goosnargh Duck served with Cucumber, Plums and Black Beans. The Duck was, again, cooked to perfection and the sweet plums with black beans and cucumber made the meat taste divine. The portions were not huge but with the amount of flavour we received we were both quite full after our Main Courses and had to hold off dessert for thirty minutes. We decided to try something that sounded light and fruity after our previous courses so we both chose English Strawberries with Champagne Jelly, Sorbet and Pistachios. It arrived on what could only be described as an Oyster dish with amazing flare and attention from every other table. We still managed to devour this and we were then ready to head back to our room to relax. The wine suggested was beautiful and paired well with each course.
We arrived back to our room to find that the turn down service was one better than any other. Our clothes that we had wore during the day and thrown on the bed were folded and put in the wardrobe, our phones were on each side of the bed and everything had been picked up off the floor and put neatly on the side. Some people may find this intrusive however we appreciated the extra touches and were surprised at the effort taken for a service that can easily be forgotten about.
After an amazing night sleep in the huge bed we were in it was time to order breakfast to the room. As Hambleton Hall is part of the collection with the Hambleton Bakeries all of their breads and cakes are made fresh and delivered from the bakery just nearby. All produce is also sourced locally and the quality shows in the taste. I ordered some Loose Leaf Tea, a Tea Cake, a Manchet, Grapefruit Juice and Eggs Benedict. Everything was amazing and I was very satisfied with not a bite-full left on the plate. Time to relax in the large bath and get ready to go home we were very disappointed to not be enjoying another night of luxury.
We very much enjoyed our stay, the staff and food were amazing and we couldn't fault anything about Hambleton Hall - hopefully we will return again one day! Let me know what your favourite hotels are in the comments below!
Hambleton Hall, Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH Tel: 01572 756 991
Twitter: Hambleton Hall Hotel
Dinner, Bed and Breakfast was a complimentary gift however all opinions are my own.
I am not usually a fan of buffet or all you can eat restaurants but as soon as a new one opens I like to at least try it once before never returning! Cosmo Authentic World Kitchen is a Pan Asia World Banquet style buffet restaurant meaning they have food from all over the world in different sections throughout the restaurant, so there should be something for everyone. Cosmo's philosophy is to offer casual dining with a banquet of freshly prepared food in stunning restaurants (according to their website). They first launched in 2003 with their first restaurant in Eastbourne and over the years have introduced Sushi and Teppanyaki, Live Cooking and Global Cuisine after establishing their brand and opening their first branded restaurant of the chain in 2008.
The Cosmo in Nottingham has only been open a month or two and I thought what better time to try it then straight away! After finishing University and having to say goodbye to a friend who was going back home a group of us thought we would visit Cosmo as a farewell dinner and also an opportunity for me to blog and review the place!
It is tucked away through a door and up some stairs on Milton Street in the city centre, upon entering you are immediately aware of how glam they have tried to make a buffet restaurant - much better then a rushed cheap eatery that you do not feel comfortable in (I won't mention where I am thinking of). Inside the theme is bright lights with slate grey walls and floor and satin booths with diamante style buttons - very Footballers Wives I personally think. Sometimes it can all just be a bit too much!
The food is sectioned into different cuisines with live cooking in different parts for example fresh cooked pasta or Teppanyaki. There is Italian, Indian, British, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican and Greek...there could be more but there is a lot of food to put it simply. I saw rice, noodles, fried chicken, sushi, roast pork, curry and even pizza - the list is endless.
I made my way around the buffet trying a few new things and drooling at the selection of desserts. I have never been to a buffet restaurant that has "grown up" desserts as well as the usual ice cream machine for children. At Cosmo you have gelato, creme brûlée and apple crumble to name a few but there is also a kids station with the ice cream machine and sweets for toppings. Oh and the flavours of the gelato are heavenly; vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, hazelnut, chocolate chip, coconut and pistachio! I had coffee and hazelnut which are amazing and full of flavour.
Unlimited soft drinks and amazing cocktails... I didn't have high expectations for my Margarita when I ordered it but was so surprised when it arrived and was probably one of then best one's I have ever had, so good in fact I had two...maybe three! Prices are also really reasonable with the evening buffet being between £13.99 and £15.99 and cocktails only around £5 it will not burn a hole in your pocket at all.
Although I am still not a converted buffet or world dining restaurant lover I wouldn't close the door on Cosmo forever as I definitely did like the food even if the decor was a bit over the top. As it is a new restaurant you can tell the staff are inexperienced and are loving their walkie talkie and ear pieces which they like to listen to more than the customers at times. If you are in Nottingham and want something along the lines of quick and buffet style I would definitely recommend this one over the others though as it seems to be the best so far. Maybe I will revisit again in the future to see if it changes at all.
Let me know if you have been yet or if you have suggestions for other buffet style restaurants I should try! x
Cosmo Nottingham, Trinity Square, 29A Milton Street NG1 3EN Tel: (0115) 9507755
Twitter: CosmoNottingham
I was looking into the beta
reader hashtag on Twitter one day when I came across Zoe’s request for someone
to read her book before it gets released on the 19th June. As an
avid reader I couldn’t help but jump at the chance to beta read for her up-and-coming romantic comedy novel which sounded just up my street. After a few emails I was set to go with a copy of the book in my
inbox and a cup of tea in my hand.
Written in first person from the
view of Bailey, a struggling actress working in a restaurant and sharing a
flat with a student, I was hooked from page one. There are funny and relatable
moments and also shocking page turner moments where you are left screaming at
the characters to open their eyes and just fall in love. This is definitely a
book for the 18-30 age group where everyone can relate to something and have
an easy read of the hardships of romance, working life and actually trying to
have a life all at the same time.
Bailey struggles with the notion that she may not make it as a successful actress and may have to work in the diner for the rest of her life. Her best friend Mark is also her manager and he tries his best to find her the perfect roles that will keep her hopes up. As the story progresses readers are introduced to Bailey's family and friends and their opinions of how she lives her life; things soon start to look up for Bailey when she lands an under-study part in a play. She hates being around her cheating ex-boyfriend who is somehow trying to get back into her life and she wants a relationship with someone she can trust but believes she just hasn't found him yet. Think He's Just Not That Into You meets Made of Honour meets The Ugly Truth and you get the idea of where this story is going.
I presumed at first this book was
going to be for a younger audience but soon realised it fell right in with the
readers of Sophie Kinsella and Jodi Picoult – this book is definitely for the
romantic girl in all of us that is wanting to get hooked by a gritty storyline
and a deep romance that we all wish would happen but realise it actually might not. The
characters are believable and as a beta reader I had practically no criticism
to give to Zoe.
As her first novel Zoe has really
captured the life of a fast paced single girl who wants more. This is a book
you can read all year round – on the beach, by the fire at Christmas or maybe
on the bus as a distraction from your own fast paced hardworking life.
Until It Doesn't is currently available
to pre-order from Amazon as an e-Book for £1.99 but if you prefer the actual thing then paperback copies will be available to order from the release date.
Zoe is currently living in
California and writing a second novel with a young adult fantasy theme after
finding her love for all things romantic and dark. I would definitely recommend
her first book to anyone looking for a new author to get attached to or a group
of characters to fall in love with. If you want to keep up to date with all of the latest news from Zoe then follow her on Twitter or Facebook.
Let me know if you have ever been
a beta reader or what books you have waiting on your bookshelf to get lost in! xx
Until It Doesn't will be released on June 19th 2015. As a beta reader I was sent a digital copy of the book for review purposes.
I was on a Twitter chat around a month or two ago when it became apparent that there are quite a few of us East Midlands based bloggers. This chat seemed to be full of us and it sparked an idea to create a Facebook page and Twitter profile for us all to chat together (the credit goes to Dee who set both of these up!). The conversations quickly grew and the first East Midlands Blogger Meet Up was born!
At this meet up we had myself, Emmie, Rachael, Hannah, Kirsty, Samantha and Chelsea (all of their lovely blogs are linked!). We decided to meet at the Nottingham Castle for a picnic and exploration of the gardens and museum as a way to break the ice. We didn't need to worry at all though because as soon as we met at the Train Station we were chatting and discussing our favourite bloggers and YouTubers and who we would (and wouldn't) like to meet.
We each brought something for the picnic and ended up with a giant feast which we couldn't finish, there was a mixture of homemade cakes and sandwiches, sushi and cocktail sausages and jam tarts and strawberries. After the picnic had finished and we had stopped laughing at the awkward engagement shoot that was happening next to us, we packed up and took a stroll around the grounds for pictures and to see the sights. This was a great way to show the city to the girls who hadn't visited Nottingham before and for me to show off the gorgeous views you get from behind The Castle and over The Park Estate.
After all the wondering and chatting we were in need of a drink so decided to visit The Castle Pub for a cheeky tipple before each going our own ways. This also was a way to get to know each other as you can tell a lot from the drink someone chooses at 2 O'Clock in the afternoon!
This was a great first meet up with the girls and fellow bloggers and I look forward to the next one!
If you want to join in or contribute to the next meet up in Leicester on the 4th July follow @EMidBloggers and use the hashtag #eastmidsmeetup on Twitter, join the Facebook Group or email me at elliekathleen01@gmail.com
I was recently contacted by Good Times Homestore to review one of their handmade soaps. The blogger in us all cannot resist a good smelling bath product (am I right?) and so I couldn't help but instantly browse their website to decide which soap I would like to try.
I went for their Rose Geranium and Pink Clay bar which looked so pretty online and the ingredients had me craving to smell it straight away. It arrived only a week or two later and I was not disappointed by it at all. Their soaps are all hand made and only include good things - here is the list of ingredients for the one I received;
Sodium Olivate - basically the salts of fatty acids from Olive Oil
Water (no surprise there)
Sodium Cocoate - the salts of fatty acids from Coconut Oil
Sodium Shea Butterate - the salts of fatty acids from Shea Butter
Kaolin and Red Iron Oxide - Pink Clay
Pelargonium Graveolens - Rose Geranium
Essential Oil
GSE Citrus Grandis Seed Extract - Grapefruit
As you can see, no artificial products are used and the soap has an amazing rose smell and cleansing feel on the skin. To me it smells just like Rose Turkish Delight and even though I am not the biggest of fans of Turkish Delight I definitely like the smell of this!
Other soaps they make include Rosemary and French Green Clay, Mandarin and Kaolin Clay and Sandalwood and Rhassoul Clay and they are all £6.00 RRP. I would recommend the Rosemary soap for the relief of muscle tension and Mandarin soap for a morning pick me up - although I haven't tried these ones just yet!
Let me know if you have tried their soaps or any of their other products! xx
This soap was sent to me as a gift but all opinions are my own.
I know, I know it has been a while but I thought why not come back to blogging with an introduction to my new blog series, Afternoon Tea Tour! My friend and I have been wanting to try loads of afternoon tea delights lately and thought what better way than to blog about them as a tour....with tea and cake!
First up on the tour is Hart's Hotel, an independent hotel bordering the City Centre of Nottingham and The Park Estate. This hotel is still relatively new and was only built around 12-13 years ago which was years after the Hart's Restaurant opened in the old General Hospital on the same site. The restaurant is fine dining but Hart's host their afternoon tea in the Park Bar over in the hotel and it is served between 12pm and 6pm everyday. With the selection changing according to the seasons and Summer just around the corner we thought what better way to start our afternoon tea tour than with new Spring/Summer offerings.
Hart's serve their selection on a three tier stand, specifically designed for two people, that is full on each layer with delicious food. On the bottom layer we had two savoury Cheese and Spring Onion Scones, two Ham and Mustard Sandwhiches, two Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Sandwhiches and two Cucumber Sandwhiches, finger size of course.
I almost forgot to mention that Hart's have a sister bakery named Hambleton Bakery who supply them with fresh baked bread and delicious cakes everyday, the scones for the afternoon tea are baked fresh everyday and the tea has unlimited refills - everything really is fresh and delicious. On sunny days they also serve lunch and afternoon tea in their courtyard and it can be ordered with Prosecco or Champagne for those special occasions!
The second tier of the stand had two Lemon Tarts, two Chocolate Brownies, two Tea Cakes, two Macarons and two Mini-Eton Mess Desserts. The lemon tarts were just lemon enough, the chocolate brownies had a gorgeous coffee note and the Eton Mess desserts were just enough to not feel guilty about afterwards!
Oh wow, finally the third tier - each tier gets a little smaller which is perfect for a mid-afternoon treat too. The last tier had two more Macarons, two Sweet Scones and some fresh berries. On the table was Jam, Butter and Clotted Cream so we could be as decadent as we wanted to be and with a wide range of teas on offer we could easily have sat there until dinner time.
We really enjoyed our afternoon and can't wait to continue the tour! Thank you to all the staff at Hart's! Let me know if there is anywhere you suggest I visit on the Afternoon Tea Tour xx
Afternoon Tea is £21.95 per person however we were treated to 20% off.
I have been browsing the new arrivals of loads of websites wanting to update my wardrobe so I thought I would put together a wish list of the items I am lusting over this Spring!
- Flamingo Candle - Rose and Marshmallow Scent Classic Jar
- H&M Rose Gold Bracelets
- Warehouse D Frame Sunglasses
- No7 Match Made Stay Perfect Lipstick
- Pink Floral Cup With Straw
- New York Couture Jumper
- Flora by Gucci Eau De Toilette
- Pink Slim Cigarette Pants
- Lace-Up Blutcher Flat Shoes
- Max Factor Creme Puff Blush
- The Redchurch Handbag
- Enamel Triangle Studs
Let me know if you have your eye on anything! I especially love those flats, the floral cup and I have seen a lot of people talking about the Max Factor blushes. Now I just need to stop myself from buying everything...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)