ustwofriends.com http://ustwofriends.com/chocolat-chocolat-custom-bar-review

Chocolat Chocolat Custom Bar Review

We all think that creating chocolate is easy, however the cultivation and processing to create heavenly handmade

chocolate is an skill. Chocolat Chocolat since being opened in 1999 have captivated the art of the chocolatier

using the finest Belgian chocolate brought from France by Isabelle, adding delights such as turkish hazelnuts,

freeze dried raspberries, crystallised lemon peel to name a few.

If you want to create your own bars, then

Chocolat Chocolat is the place to try. 3

delectable thick bars are just £14.95.

Choose your bar and add 3 different

toppings to each, or make each one the

same, it’s entirely up to you. The choice is

immense.

Being a fan of Joe & Seph’s Popcorn, I

wanted to see if Chocolat Chocolat could

create the same magnificent flavours as the

ones I usually choose, so I thought I’d try:

Caramel, Coconut and Cinnamon

Lemon and Poppyseed

Mint Chocolate

Since they have a variety of different

chocolate bases, it makes it very easy to get

the combinations together that you like. I

chose the Caramel base for the first, white

chocolate for the second and as mint always

goes well with dark chocolate I chose that for

the last.

Unfortunately the site had a bit of a glitch so

my topping selections for the caramel bar

didn’t go through so I received an email from

the chocolatier Isabelle a few hours later just

to confirm what I had chosen.

Once that was sorted the bars took a week

or so to get to me. The mint bar seemed to

have taken a bit of a battering in the post so

the mint pieces had all been knocked off into

the packaging once I slipped it out of the box,

but the other 2 were totally untouched. The

fragrance was magnificent and I couldn’t wait

to crack open the wrapper and taste the

goodness.

I didn’t want to spoil the bar with the

message on first, so I headed straight for the

lemon and poppyseed bar. I was hoping that

it would be near enough the same as Joe &

Seph’s popcorn and I wasn’t wrong. It was a

whole bar of my most favourite flavour

however the chocolate was a little more

crumbly than I was expecting. Whether or

not it was the sugar content of the bar itself or it hadn’t been tempered correctly I don’t know but it was still utterly

delicious.

Second bar I tried was the caramel, coconut

and cinnamon, and yet again, utterly

magnificent but for no other reason than the

caramel chocolate. I don’t know why this

isn’t sold in kg bars as it’s just so nice, I

imagine it would be nice plain, covered in

chocolate caramel buttons, sprinkled with

caramel pieces, wrapped in caramel so I

think you can guess I like it.

Last bar was the mint chocolate. It’s also the

bar with the message written on it in white

chocolate. There wasn’t much mint flavour to

it if I’m honest. The corners were lush as the

crystallised mint pieces were really nice.

Incredibly fresh and minty but there just

wasn’t enough to make the whole bar

“mintifab” enough for me. However it could

just be because that’s all I chosen for the

bar. There is always a custom message at

checkout where you can write a message to

the chocolatier and ask for some extra mint I

guess if you really want a mintier bar.

However, 3 custom made chocolate bars for £14.99 in whatever flavour and whatever toppings you want, it’s

superb value for money. The nearest you get to that is getting a Thorntons bar iced with a message yet you can’t

choose the flavours so Chocolat Chocolat make that so much better!

Jacqui

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ustwofriends.com http://ustwofriends.com/chocolate-hampers-galore

Chocolate Hampers Galore

So it’s only 3 weeks to go until Christmas Day and hopefully you’re all hunting out the best bargains and buying

some amazing stuff to keep them busy on the big day but if you are still thinking of things to buy, let me throw a

couple of ideas your way and try to tempt you.

Chocolate is always a fabulous present to buy someone, whether it’s a thank you, an I love you or just because of

who they are but Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the obligatory chocolate hamper crammed full.

Cadburys generally have a remarkable array of hampers on offer and Christmas is no exception. Taking a trip to

Cadbury Gifts Direct leads you to a selection that would rival any would be Willy Wonka from Santa’s Bitesize Box

for £7.50 right up to the Christmas Magic Hamper, there’s something to allow everyone to #unwrapjoy this year.

One such hamper is the Festive Favourites which I received which contains:

1 Christmas Snowman Selection Pack

1 box of Cadbury Dairy Milk Chunks Carton 166g

1 Heroes Carton 200g

1 Roses Carton 200g

1 bag of Snow Bites 100g

10 Freddo Popping Candy Chocolate Bars

The selection is quite delightful. Probably not

one that I’d buy my Mum or friends of her age

as with the Freddo and the Snow Bites they

are more for children so a selection of bars,

or indeed boxes of their best sellers would

probably be best for them, but as a family box

it’s a lovely selection. Snow Bites being iced

milk chocolate balls, and Freddo Popping

Candy Bars are a firm favourite with the kids

of our family, with the Heroes being mine and

Andy’s so there’s something for everyone.

The bigger the hamper the more choice you

have.

But it doesn’t stop there. You don’t only get a

little gift card with message, the hampers are

presented to you in a gorgeous Cadbury

purple gift box so there’s no need to wrap it

and if you’re ordering it online to send to

someone direct, they’ll feel special opening it

as it quite decadent.

Cadbury chocolate is one of the best selling

chocolate in the world storming ahead of it’s

rival Galaxy by Mars Confectionary 2-1. It’s clear to see it’s a household favourite. But you don’t have to spend a

fortune on a gift to make someone happy. £18 will get you the Festive Favourites Hamper which is ample for me

and Andy to get through Christmas as you get a taster of everything Cadbury are known for and for around £6.50

you can have the hamper delivered when you want it by choosing the date. Brilliant online service and big smiles

when they’re received.

Green & Blacks also provide an online ordering service and yet again, a top quality selection of the finest luxury

bars in hampers all supplied in lovely gift

boxes. Their chocolate is a little more

luxurious to Cadbury with a lot more flavours

and textures from a £10 Chocolate Lovers

Gift (Mini) to the £125 G&Bs Ultimate

Chocolate Hamper and £3.95 for standard

delivery (around 3-5 days).

The Chocolate Lovers Gift (Mini) is a really

fab introduction to Green & Blacks

confectionary and at £10 plus £3.95 delivery

it doesn’t break the bank. It contains:

1 Green & Black’s Organic Treat Collection

90g (contains 6 different mini bars)

1 NEW Milk with Orange Chocolate Bar 100g

1 Dark 70% Chocolate Bar 35g

1 Milk with Butterscotch Chocolate Bar 35g

1 White Miniature Bar 15g

1 Dark 70% Miniature Bar 15g

1 Milk Miniature Bar 15g

Their chocolate is more of an after dinner

treat. Big on flavours and textures, giving you

a selection of unique and eclectic flavours

like the new and gorgeous Blood Orange

(which you get in a huge 100g bar with this

gift box). It’s not as sickly sweet as an orange

cream and doesn’t leave a bitter aftertaste

like some other orange chocolate on the

market. A couple of pieces of Green & Blacks

is all you need really as it’s such excellent

quality.

Both hampers were delivered by courier too

so we received them the very next day after

they were ordered – it’s just what you need

when you order online. Put these on your

shopping list as you’ll make someones day!

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Christmas Gift Guide 2014

So there’s just two weeks to the big day and so you’re probably looking at buying your Christmas presents, food

and other delights to furnish and indulge yourself with so I’ve put together a little guide as to my best buys that

might help you decide what you want to splash the cash on.

Lights:

If you like minimal decoration and decide against a full Christmas tree with lights and baubles, opting to have

something smaller yet still a statement, then why not try branch lights. This year LED Hut have a gorgeous range

of Christmas LED lights to rival any of the high end arty kinds. We chose a lovely set of branch lights which we

glued into florist oasis, then placed that in a bowl which we had laid some very delicate fairy lights in. I like the

sophistication of plain white lights so mixing the brighter branch lights with a warmer white fairy light looks

understated and rather beautiful.

For the table:

Crackers – you can’t have Christmas without

crackers, and I think I found the best crackers this

year for those of us that love making things with our

hands both in the kitchen and as a hobby – Foodie

Crackers £35.00 & Origami Crackers £24.99 from

Culture Vulture (these are also sold in Selfridges but

for £39.00). Now these I thought were simply

amazing so needed their very own review which you

can read here. I loved these to pieces, since they

were stylish and unique with some glorious gifts and

things to do inside. Well worth splashing out on

something of a higher quality to your bog standard

crackers as it can make or break the lunch.

Hampers:

There’s quite a few hampers that I’ve reviewed

which I think are not only amazing value but

encapsulate the whole feeling of Christmas for me.

Lakeland Rydal Hamper £84.99 which I reviewed here (sadly now discontinued). If you want to buy a friend of

family member something that will cause a sharp intake of breath when they open it, then this would be one of

those presents. It’s filled to the brim with goodies from all over the UK and the majority from smaller companies

too so you don’t receive things which appear in mass produced hampers. If you want quality, a gorgeous

selection of items, and a fabulous looking presentation, look no further than Lakelands Hampers since they still

have an amazing selection.

Green & Blacks: Fabulous quality from one of the very best chocolate manufacturer. Have an amazing range of

hampers as well as individual items for you to purchase for the chocolate lover in your life. Their small gift boxes

are especially cute and give you a small taster of a variety of bars so you can then find out what you like and

purchase larger bars if you want. I recently reviewed the mini Chocolate Lovers Gift and well, you know how

much I loved it! Pop on over there and get yourself something special (even if you get it, hide it and eat it

secretly).

Cadburys: A British Institution. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Cadburys and their hampers provide not

only immense value for money but a glorious mix to tempt any member of the family. Packed full of milk

chocolate, different shapes, sizes, fillings,

you name it, they have it. One of these

beauties will turn any frown on Christmas

upside down.

Spicers of Hythe Gift For Him Hamper

£28.21. We mustn’t forget our boys at

Christmas, and as Andy loved this one, I’d

recommend it in the guide as well as

reviewing it here. It may only have 5 items in

but they are presented so well that any guy

30+ would be over the moon if he received

it. Andy mentioned that it’s something his

uncle (being a single man in his 70s) would

really appreciate, yet he (early 40s) also

thought it was a fab little gift for his age

range too.

Hotel Chocolat: Another of our top quality

confectionery producers. I was lucky

enough to try The Christmas Collection

which was simply amazing. It’s a selection

of their festive goodies: Christmas

chocolates, Butterscotch Puddles, the

Dasher’s Dream slab, a Hazelnut Bûche and

6 Christmas Eton Mess truffles for £35.00

(although you can grab small discounts if you

buy via cashback sites). To make it really

special, add a gift bag to the item at checkout for

about £2.50 and the recipient will be thrilled. I

adored the Butterscotch Puddles (huge

chocolate buttons) and the Hazelnut Bûche

which originally I thought would be sickly as I’m

not a fan of that type of chocolate, however it

was totally lush with the whole hazelnuts and so

it took on another dimension for me. So much

so I had to go back for seconds.

There are loads of guides for her, but what about

highlighting some especially for him:

I stumbled across this site when on the hunt for

ideas for my Mr and was totally blown away that

this product even existed. Willow and Warson

have bought hand carved bow ties to the market

and WOW, they are absolutely stunning. It’s

about time they were brought to the masses and

with such a unique selling point, they bring style and class to what can be plain and incredibly uninteresting.

Brainchild of 2 family friends yet still in it’s infancy since being launched late 2013, the concept is remarkable.

Made in Devon, british craftsmanship with wood from all over the globe – sartorial elegance at it’s best. Why not

treat Dad to the Ebony & Maple Henley Stripe for £140 this Christmas, he’ll love you for it!

Don’t fancy that? Then why not buy him Beer For A Year ? Best of British Beer.co.uk showcases Britains finest

microbreweries and delivers 12 bottle of beer to your loved one 4 times a year. Select the dates and off you go!

If it’s anything like the Beer Advent which I bought Andy this year, then your man will love it – beers and ales,

hard to find beers that you won’t find on the

high street give him a true taste of being a

beer gourmet. Andy has found a few

spectacular breweries via the advent, so why

not give him the best present that he’ll never

forget. £145.

For those with a smaller budget, why not

splash out on a gift that not only combines

his love of football but love of music.

BassBudsFC produce some football themed

earphones and speakers for fans of Aston

Villa, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Tottenham

Hotspur and West Ham. With matching

earphone caps and team colours it’s the

must have for the music loving footie fan.

£49.95 for the earphones and £49.95 for the

speaker.

Another fantastic gift if he has his own tablet,

smartphone or just loves personalised items

– something from Mr Claireabella at Toxic

Fox. I recently received a fantastic iPad 2

cover for Andy which you can read about

here and at £39.99 it’s an absolute bargain

from Toxic Fox. You can pick the image that

you’d like him to look like, he’d like to be or

indeed just make one as perfect as he is

already.

Have you any items that you’d like to add to

the guide??

Jacqui

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ustwofriends.com http://ustwofriends.com/degustabox-december

Degustabox December

At £12.99 per month you can always guarantee a fabulous box of goodies delivered to your door with one or two

welcomed surprises and the December box was no exception.

So let’s take a look at what we received:

Barbecue Popchips £1.79

I’ve had these before in different flavours and

although the calories are fab for what they

are as they do fill you up quite nicely, they’re

not really my favourite as baked chips .

Great for dips but I don’t think they’re for me.

Nice strong flavour though.

Bonne Maman Marmalade £2.30

They produce some of the most delicious

conserves, compotes, cakes and biscuits.

Over Christmas we bought the lemon tartlets

– they were beautiful, much like this glorious

marmalade. Punchy and full on flavour the

marmalade is at home spread on crusty

bread or spooned on the side of an Indian

curry (which we did as we had run out of

chutney).

The Chia Co Oats and Seeds £1.70

I adore Chia Seeds. I mix them in my yogurt whenever I can to give them a healthy boost of antioxidants, fibre

and high quality protein. Fabulous for aiding weight loss. They are also amazing at controlling hunger so piling

them in your breakfast makes certain that you won’t want to eat too much during the day.

The oats however weren’t my favourite. I’m not a huge fan of mixed berries but Andy thought it was lovely. Easily

made up with just boiling water, but leaving it for the minute made it cool too much which he found a little

disappointing as he prefers his food to be piping hot.

Kent’s Kitchen Meal Kit £2.50

We’ve tried these a few times and love these cooking kits as it saves any hassle or traipsing round the shops for

herbs and spices that you’re probably only going to use once. Just add meat, or rice and you’ve got a fabulous

meal. Always worth having a few in your cupboard as standby.

Fry Light Infuse Chilli £2.00

We’re already a huge fry light oil fan having the Fry Light Sunflower, Fry Light Extra Virgin and Fry Light Garlic

sprays renting space in our cupboards ever since we decided to change our food habits so this was a fabulous

edition. Doesn’t add too much chilli to the dish when you use it like the addition of a whole chilli, but just adds a

bit of a punch.

Eisburg Alcohol Free Wine £3.49

I don’t drink a lot of wine since the sulphites

in them seems to affect my stomach too

much giving me cramp and making the rest of

the day too uncomfortable so I didn’t get to try

this myself. Andy on the other hand thought

it was a little unpleasant and unlike any other

alcohol free wine he’d tried before. It was a

little too vinegary for him. However if his

sister was trying to limit her intake of wine

erring to use alcohol free, then this would be

perfect for her because of the health benefits.

Bahlsen Biscuits in both regular and caramel

£3.58

On my diet I try not to eat biscuits but as it

was our Christmas month I thought I’d break

with that and give them a go. Wish I hadn’t

now as I’m totally addicted to the caramel

ones! Thick chocolate, a lovely creamy layer

of caramel on top of a crisp biscuit had me

begging for more. These are too moorish.

I’m glad I only got 1 box of the caramel as I’d

have eaten the lot and had no other calories

left for the rest of the day. The regular

biscuits are just as nice but as I am a huge

fan of dulce de leche the caramel was always

going to be the one I went for.

Pukka Green Tea £2.39

Green Tea is fantastic for depression and

anxiety. It was one of the main things that I

used when I had hit rock bottom after

suffering an anxiety relapse 2 years ago. 5

cups of green tea managed to lift me out of it

and so since then I’ve had green tea in our

beverage cupboard. I have mint green tea,

lemon green tea and a mango and lychee

green tea so this fitted in just as well. I tend

to use matcha green tea these days though

as there are 17 times more antioxidants in it

but it is an acquired taste. This green tea is

better if you don’t like the matcha flavour.

and finally

4 Gloworm Drinks £1.50 each

Andy took these straight out of the box this month and put them in the fridge just for him so I didn’t get a look in.

They’re generally mixers ready to be used with spirits or in cocktails however as a quick energy boost for use

while he was in the gym were what Andy used them for and they worked well. Whether he would use them to mix

with gin or vodka I don’t know but he seemed happy using them as a quick zip of energy.

Overall it was a nice box albeit quite sparse compared to other monthly boxes, but still well worth the £12.99

subscription.

To try Degustabox for yourself with a £3 discount, use our code 6PJFX. Visit them here:

http://bit.ly/DBhomepage – Website

http://bit.ly/DBUKfacebook – Facebook

http://bit.ly/DBUKTwitter – Twitter

What do you think of the December box?

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Food Discovery Box – It’s Hidden Gold

More and more subscription boxes are popping up but it’s finding the best of the best that leads me to the quest to

pick and write about the ones I find and are lucky enough to be subscribed to. My latest find is the diverse and

artisan collection, the Food Discovery Box.

We scour the land from from Lands

End to John O’Groats to bring you our

ultimate food finds. Stringently

selected for explosive taste and

bursting with flavour. Guaranteed to

be made in small batches by

independent producers, you won’t find

them in any supermarket, anywhere,

ever.

The other monthly food box subscriptions are

equal competition to the Food Discovery

Boxnofollow but what makes them a bit

different are the fact that you can’t find their

items in supermarkets. The Gourmet Food Discovery Box at just £23.50 a month brings together a beautiful array

of Britain’s finest foods manufactured in small batches, guaranteeing utmost quality and taste.

When you sign up, you get the choice each month from a long list called the “menu” where you can pick and

choose 5 items of whatever takes your fancy. Once such menu is this months:

Monsoon Estates Coffee – Colombian Supremo

Monsoon Estates Coffee – Papua New Guinea Enorga

Monsoon Estates Coffee – Fixie Blend

Truffle Hunter – English Truffle Oil

Truffle Hunter – White truffle Honey

Truffle Hunter – Truffle Salt

Sensible Daves Granola – The Strawberry One

Sensible Daves Granola – The Berry One

Sensible Daves Granola – The Original One

Cocoa Antics – Calming Hot Chocolate Spoons

Cocoa Antics – Popping Candy Hot Chocolate Spoons

Cocoa Antics – Chilli Hot Chocolate Spoons

Susies Preserves – Piccalilli Pickle

Susies Preserves – Cranberry & Port Jelly

Susies Preserves – Cranberry Sauce

Rugeronis – Lemon & Dill Marmalade

Rugeronis – Chilli & Garlic Relish

Rugeronis – Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce

Kernow Chocolates – Bah Humbug Chocolate Bar

Kernow Chocolates – Christmas Pudding Chocolate Bar

Kernow Chocolates – Stollen Chocolate Bar

The Cotswold Curer – Sloe Gin Salami 100g

The Cotswold Curer – Sweet Chorizo 100g

The Cotswold Curer – Spicy Chorizo 100g

The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company – Ships Biscuits

The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company – Welshmans Caviar

The Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company – Captain Cat’s Môr Seasoning

So what did we get in our box. Well our box wasn’t chosen from this months menu, however we received a

glorious box of goodies especially for the foodie in us.

Now even though I love flavoured coffee

none have ever blown me away by just how

delicious they are yet Jaccs Gourmet Coffee

in Hazelnut Cream has hit the spot. I’ve

never tasted a coffee blind and been able to

tell you what the flavour was immediately but

the hazelnut flavour shines through on this

coffee. It’s full bodied, with the aroma that

caresses my senses, like a big fluffy hug. I

have actively sought out Jaccs Coffee since

and found that they have an online shop as

well as eBay shop and mail order, so I know

where I’m getting my next order of coffee from

when my Beanies selection runs out as I’m

itching to try their Banoffee one.

I adore Balsamic Vinegar so the Yorkshire

Drizzle Balsamic Vinegar of Modena,

Rhubarb and Ginger was a delight to spy in

the box, although we weren’t sure if it would

work in the same dishes that we use balsamic

in, such as our stuffed blue cheese burgers

and stir fry but once mixed with a small

amount of apple cider vinegar, you basically

end up with a vinegar that tastes quite like a

good quality Chinese vinegar. A good dipping

sauce for Chinese dumplings. A little slug of

this over your vegetables when they’re in

aluminium parcels also gives a them a lovely

zing. Well worth the price of the box just for

this baby!

A few years ago we were given a 3 month

subscription to a monthly spice box. Ever

since then some form of spice makes it way into our dinner, whether it’s turmeric in a Tamil Nadu Curry or just

sprinkled liberally over sweet potato so finding Tandoori Rub from Spicentice in the box was fab. We used ours

spread over salmon fillets which were then put in the oven but you can use it for pretty much whatever you want.

We always do something a bit different just to make it more interesting. Spicentice have made quite a few

different rubs such as Harissa rub, chipotle

rub and chimichurri rub – all of which are

available at their website.

Love garlic? We do. We use loads of it. With

tomatoes for roast potatoes, in dressings, or

just rubbed on toasted thins. It’s incredibly

versatile so the jar of Garlic Farm’s Roast

Garlic Jam was welcomed with open arms.

Perfect on the side to baked camembert, or

as a spoon added to spaghetti bolognese

sauce, this little jam makes it easier than

having to roast your own. But I love a

spoonful with a big wedge of strong cheese.

Concentrates that you just add to food are

quite a nice little addition to your kitchen.

We’ve had the Kents Kitchen version in the

Degustabox which turned out to be quite a

success but Just Add Sauces appear in the

FDB – and rightly so as they’re a fabulous

idea. Little jars of ready concentrated flavour

bursting sauces just ready to add to water

whilst your cooking, or spread over pork chops, chicken breast or other meats you care to cook. Perfect to pop in

your bag if you’re off camping, fishing or just want to add a bit of flavour to anything when you’re on the road.

Finally, fruit but not any old fruit. Apple and Mango Fruit Jerky. I love all fruity snacks since I’ve been on my diet

as it can still be nice even though it’s not naughty. Fruit leather has to be one of the most popular items in my

cupboard. It’s my go to snack if I want something sweet (if I’m behaving myself). This little packet of loveliness

was gorgeous. It was slightly drier than my regular fruit leather but still tasty and well worth sharing with Andy.

Overall the Food Discovery Box was a top quality range of goods, perfect for the foodie who likes something a

little out of the ordinary and loyal to all things British. Loved it.

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Hotel Chocolat Christmas Collection Review

Hotel Chocolat have the festive season wrapped up with a magnificent array of chocolate gifts be it individual

boxes or hampers, there is always a selection for friends and family to squabble over on Christmas Day.

I was thrilled to be asked to review their Christmas Collection and couldn’t believe the diversity of new flavours

they had in this beautiful bundle.

Inside the gift bag box of loveliness, I was

treated to The Christmas H-Box, which

featured this year’s delicious Christmas

chocolates, Butterscotch Puddles, the

Dasher’s Dream slab, a Hazelnut Bûche and

6 of the most amazing Christmas Eton Mess

truffles (which was a fabulous twist on

regular Eton Mess since it featured

cranberries).

The H Box always tends to feature some of

the most delicious truffles, and although I

don’t like truffles, the copious amounts of

chocolate the Hotel Chocolat selection are

smothered in makes them super scrummy for

me although Hotel Chocolat truffles are not

sickly so I’m inclined to eat their ones more

than other manufacturers anyway.

This selection has:

Christmas Eton Mess

Marzipan Merry

Praline Supernova

Bauble Truffle

Almond and Nutmeg Praline

Caramel Christmas Truffle

Nutty Caramel

Mulled Wine Truffle

Christmas Gianduja

Gingerbread Truffle

Caramel Supernova

Dashers Dream Slab, a milk and white bar of

chocolate with a cheeky Dasher chocolate

reindeer embedded in the middle – it’s a

lovely thick bar that takes a bit of effort to break (if you can break it so you get a little white and a little milk then

that’s the best bit, if not just snap it at the middle and devour both pieces equally.

Butterscotch Puddles are just like huge

chocolate buttons. I loved these but was a

little disappointed in the butterscotch since I

couldn’t taste it. I think I was expecting

something like the outside of Thorntons

Viennese Truffle in a button but it wasn’t like

that at all. It was just a big button. I actually

wish they’d put a bag of the gingerbread

puddles in the collection to make it slightly

more Christmassy but they’re still pretty

lush. The word “puddles” appeals to me too

as it evokes big blankets of chocolate rather

than nuggets so the name sells it to me more

than anything.

Onto the Bûche. This is a devilishly huge log

of what seems to be a ganache type

chocolate with pistachios and hazelnuts

embedded in the top. I tried this initially and

thought it was a little too sweet for me, but

when I got a massive craving for chocolate

this was the one that I grabbed back out of

the box and had a huge chunk of. It’s

creamy, and incredibly nutty. The toasted hazelnuts for me are the absolute star of the Bûche, in fact they are the

star of the show as it’s them that made it moorish so I couldn’t put it down. I can only imagine that the Kirsch

Cherry and Hazelnut produces the very same response to my craving.

Finally the Christmas Eton Mess

Chocolates. These are spectacular. White

chocolate coated cranberry mousse with

freeze dried cranberry and meringue on the

top. One word: dazzling. These are the talk

about item in the box. The white chocolate

sets off the cranberry mousse delightfully.

The mousse is fluffy but super rich, a couple

of these chocolates are all you need after

your Christmas Dinner to bring it to a

spectacular climax.

Overall this as a gift would be very

welcomed, but if you want to treat yourself to

a quality package especially for Christmas

then you would be making a very good

choice purchasing this.

Jacqui

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ustwofriends.com http://ustwofriends.com/minute-gift-ideas

Last Minute Gift Ideas

It’s always hectic at Christmas, but if you don’t mind battling the crowds today and tomorrow you can pick up

some fabulous stuff to make the recipient beam with delight.

Remington have an awesome range of items available at Boots and Argos at the moment, ideal to pick up for the

lady in your life if you’re still adding to her stocking…

Take the Remington S9600 Silk Hair Straightener. It’s reduced in Boots from £89 so you’ll get an amazing deal as

it’s down to £44.99.

The Remington Silk Curling Wand is just £20.99

The Big Style Air Rollers are £44.99.

Big Style is truly versatile, so whether she’s after subtle waves or a quick pick me up, this gift

keeps on giving. The innovative styler comes with a selection of 15 detachable, self-grip rollers in

three sizes to suit any style, along with a thermal brush for adding extra height at the roots and a

concentrator to help achieve the perfect blow dry. All rollers and attachments can be safely stored

in the gorgeous, on-trend purple Big Style bag – two gifts in one!

For the man in your life there’s the amazing Vacuum Personal Advanced 5 in 1 Grooming Kit which is exclusive to

Boots originally £69.99 but now £44.99.

This revolutionary grooming product is a gift for you as much as for him – it promises to transform

the way he trims, meaning you can wave goodbye to those rogue hairs left on the sink.

Contains:

• 2 Vacuum attachment heads

• Detail trimmer for a closer trim (0.4mm)

• Wide trimmer for sharp lines (32mm width)

• NE trimmer

• 2 Regular attachment heads: Foil Shaver

• Vertical body groomer

• Advanced Titanium Blades

• Lithium Powered – up to 60mins usage

• Self-Sharpening blades

• 1 Adjustable comb (2-16mm)

• 4 Fixed combs (3,6,9,12mm)

• 60 mins. runtime

• 4 hours charge time

• Cordless usage

• Charging indicator light

• Storage case

• Washable heads for easy cleaning

• 3 year guarantee

So if you’ve not finished your shopping yet, pop down to Boots or even check online and reserve at Argos and get

those last minute gifts in!

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ustwofriends.com http://ustwofriends.com/mrclaireabella-personalised-cover-review

MrClaireaBella Personalised Cover Review

Protecting your tablet is important as they are such an integral part of our daily routine. There are masses of

covers on the market but not as many personalised ones where you can choose exactly what you want and have

it in the exact design you want. Claireabella at Toxic Fox are well known for their amazing personalised jute bags,

one of which I got for my sister last year. But they create a wide selection of personalised items for women, but

they’ve started to create an awesome range personalised stuff for the man in your life. iPad cases, mugs,

notebooks, phone cases and such like.

Simply create your very own design using the BuildaFella app below (which is the same as the way you create

the design for the bags). Each case features a multi-twist stand to comfortably hold your iPad. And just as the jute

bag once it’s designed in the style that you want the person that receives it will have the biggest grin on their face

when they open it.

As Andy is forever dropping his iPad, I thought it would be a fab idea to get him a new cover but personalise it in

his DJ name with the blonde hair he used to have when we met. So I gave all the details, chose the black iPad 2

case and waited.

Delivery is always pretty quick with Toxic Fox

so I knew it wouldn’t take too long to receive

and a week later it arrived. Packed in a

brown cardboard envelope box, it turned up

and I couldn’t wait to open it. They didn’t

disappoint last time and yet again they’ve

made something so mundane look simply

amazing.

The cover is black faux leather, so no

animals were harmed in making the case,

with the background image of a nightclub

and since it’s one of the places where Andy

used to DJ then I thought it was perfect. The

attention to detail is beautiful too. The image

looks awesome on the case, so vibrant and

clear. Same as the bag, the case is well

made, stitching is perfect and it holds the

iPad immaculately. The case can be folded in

a number of ways, allowing you to use it

hands free by folding the cover into a stand,

or just as a comfortable way to carry or use

your iPad.

£39.99 and perfect for the guy in your life

and if you’re still looking for Christmas, you

buy one right now it will be dispatched on the

19th, still giving you time to get your man

another fabulous gift especially for him.

Jacqui

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