The Summer May Be Over, But the Slow Adventures Are Just Beginning

Last weekend was the first official Slow Adventure Weekend in Northern Ireland. Slow Adventures are a new tourism initiative favouring slow, immersive experiences that engage with remote, wild and nature-rich places.

A chance to engage with nature and not only partake in an activity but also to learn aspects of the local area such as the produce, wildlife and environment.

You can journey through break-taking views of the Glenga Valley in the heart of the Sperrins foraging for food along the way, bake your own bread the traditional way in the farmhouse kitchen of Bradkeel Social Farm, see how artisan cheese is produced or have a go at traditional fishing on the River Foyle and cook your catch on a wild camp fire. Other packages include interactive cooking demonstrations with local hand-picked ingredients, Irish walking tours, horse riding in the Faughan Valley as well as deer stalking, bird shooting and salmon fishing in Strabane.

We were lucky enough to be able to go along and try the White Horse Adventure. Our break started with a visit to City of Derry Equestrian. The rural centre is located in the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains, and we met expert instructor Pauline and her team, who cater to absolute beginners and experienced riders alike at the 30 acre school.

Smix & I fell into the absolute beginner category, and were both a little anxious about the whole sitting on a giant horse thing, but I honest don't think they could have done more to make us feel at ease and enjoy the experience.  

  We started by meeting our horses, brushing them and getting them ready for the hack. Once we were up on the horses, Smix definitely wasn't happy about it all, so Pauline got an extra instructor to walk alongside him to make him feel more secure. Like I said, nothing was too much for them to do, they were totally focused on making your experience an enjoyable one.

As part of the White Horse Slow Adventure you'll take a guided hack through the countryside, with different lengths of trails available to your preference. Pauline keeps you entertained with stories about the local area and wildlife. 

The landscape is absolutely beautiful, and you wouldn't know you are only four miles outside the city. I really couldn't recommend Pauline and her team more highly. They made us feel so welcome, and so at ease. If you live on the North Coast and want to learn to ride, or even experience some trail riding, you should check out the City of Derry Equestrian facilities.

The 'adventure' part was wonderful, but now it was time for some relaxation and being spoiled. The next stop on the White Horse Slow Adventure, is the 4* White Horse Hotel. The hotel is beautiful, and our room was perfect. Again they made us feel very welcome. 

Your package includes a 3 course meal from the hotel's award winning chef Noel Ward, with a complimentary bottle of wine. The food is locally produced and sourced, with options to suit everyone's tastes.

For groups of over 20 people, there is Irish folklore story telling and traditional music available. For groups of any size, you can relax in the lounge bar for the evening.

You also have full access to the leisure club facilities at the White Horse. They have a surprisingly large pool for a hotel, plus jacuzzi, both steam room and sauna, a gym, and spa treatments available as extra if requested. 

Your checkout time on the second day is purposefully later than usual, noon, so you have time to use the facilities if you wish. We actually went shopping in the city after horse riding, the relaxed at the hotel, and used the pool the morning after. It worked really well for us.  Your package also includes a full choice of breakfast in the hotel restaurant, and as a final treat you will be presented with chocolate truffles spiked with local whiskey The Quiet Man, as a souvenir of your trip.

We had such a lovely time, and this was just one of the many different  Northern Ireland Slow Adventures available to choose from. While the summer season is over, the Slow Adventures are available all winter. There's fishing, food tours, cycling, canoeing, and walking tours, so there's something for everyone who wants to discover more about Northern Ireland.

Asda Christmas 2017 Homeware Gets Even Better

I featured this year's selection of Christmas bedding last week, but I noticed some new pieces online today, plus some kitchen products, so thought I would update you guys. I love the themes this year, deer, unicorns and Santa in his caravan. There's even a 'treepot', a Christmas tree teapot!

Shop Asda Christmas 2017 now

Visit Free Sample Heaven This Weekend- Tesco Taste Festival, Custom House Sq, Belfast #TescoTasteFestival

When I was a little girl one of my favourite outings of the year was the Ideal Homes Exhibition in the Kings Hall. I loved the little free samples, and have vivid memories of the sample Cookstown sausages tasting better than any sausage ever tasted. 

If you haven't been before, then let me tell you, the Tesco Taste Festival is a free sample heaven. 

This is the 9th year of Tesco's food festival, which runs this weekend Saturday 10am-6pm & Sunday 11am-5pm. It's also open tonight until 8pm if you catch this post on time. It's in a huge tent in Custom House Square, and inside there are dozens of stalls with local producers with all their wares. There's even a Tayto Castle!

Favourites like Mash Direct are there, but I was actually surprised at just how many local brands Tesco stock. There are a good 40-50 different companies on display, all with tasting samples, and products to buy should you like what you taste!

There is also cookery demonstrations throughout the day, using local produce. 

So if you fancy taking a taste tour round the counties of Northern Ireland, why not stop by the tent this weekend. Entry is free and it's enclosed, so weather won't stop play. 

You'll be surprised how many brands you didn't know were from Northern Ireland there are, and you'll have fun tasting samples along the discovery way. 

Spar Launches Meal Inspirations, Helping Us Enjoy Freshly Cooked Meals, That Are Quick & Easy For Tea Time

It's estimated a whopping 87% of 16-34 year olds are no longer cooking their meals from scratch, and it's a figure I believe, as personally I favour the easiest ways of cooking available. 

The same study found that young adults and families aren't resorting to fully prepared ready meals, but are more likely to partake in component cooking. This means buying products like meat already prepared in a sauce that can be put in the oven, or vegetables that can be microwaved as a side dish. So whilst we are opting for ease and speed, we aren't going for full on American style TV Dinners.

This insight has helped Henderson Group, which comprises of Spar, Eurospar & Vivo, to develop Meal Inspirations, aiding shoppers who are short on time to still manage to cook a fresh, locally sourced meal.

75% of their fresh food is sourced from Ireland, including brands like Mash Direct and Willowbrook Farm. 

Those ranges, as well as Spar's own enjoy local and The Kitchen are part of the Meal Inspirations initiative, suggested as ways families can eat fresh, but without huge preparation times.

enjoy local includes prepared meats sourced locally, that simply need oven cooked, with fresh sauces included. The Kitchen is a Range you often see me singing the praises of on Twitter, I'm a massive fan of their meals and would use at least one product a week.

The Kitchen includes meals for one, almost like microwave meals, in fact you do microwave them, but the ingredients are fresh, not frozen. My absolute favourite The Kitchen product is the chicken curry. I would choose that curry over takeaway any day. There are huge chunks of chicken breast, button mushrooms, peas and onions, all fresh, all delicious. I'm probably going to have that for tea tonight now!

The Kitchen Range also has a line of desserts, that can be shared between two or three.

As part of Meal Inspirations you can also pick up this handy little mini recipe book, with quick and easy meals you can whip up using products from Spar, EuroSpar & Vivo.

You can also check out their  Instagram where they will be posting Tea Times Tables in the coming weeks  to further help shoppers decide their Meal Inspirations.

London Eastend Food Tour, Spitalfields' & Brick Lane's Finest Foodie Treats

Brick Lane

As part of the M&S Christmas launch last week, after the show they took us on a walking food tour in East London.

Our first stop was in Spitalfields Market, at Taberna do Mercado. Quite possibly the fanciest little food stall in a market in existence. Michelin star Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes' serves up amazing steak sandwiches. I've never tasted anything like it. Absolutely beautiful.

Next we visited one of the market's many food trucks, Crosstown Doughnuts. Their handmade doughnuts come in a selection of unusual flavours. Yuzu & passionfruit, matcha tea, peanut butter and jelly, and beetroot lemon-thyme, which I tried.

They also have specific days when they serve completely vegan doughnuts. 

Peanut butter and jelly doughnut

We passed another of the many food trucks, The Duck Truck, London's first and only full duck menu restaurant!

Then it was onwards towards the very trendy Brick Lane. The storm clouds were gathering, and at one point the heavens opened on us and we had to take shelter under a railway bridge. 

Along Brick Lane was the next stop on the food tour, Dark Sugars. Just the scent of the shop was amazing. The aroma of cocoa and sugar was delicious.

We tried their handmade products that came with a tiny pipette of fruit flavouring, which you squeezed into your chocolate before eating. 

Also on Brick Lane is the Cereal Killer Cafe, the infamous breakfast only joint that made headlines when it opened. The owners are Northern Irish, and they've been very successful with their venture. There is even a Cereal Killer Cafe in Dubai.

Our final stop was the 24 hour bagel takeaway Beigel Bake, which was exciting for me as I remember it being in The Apprentice!

Video Tour of the M&S Christmas 2017 Food, Drinks & Gifts Launch Event

Over the next week I'm going to share various posts about this fantastic event M&S brought me over to London for. There's a lot to get through, so I'm going to break it down into starters & savoury snacks, main meal items, desserts and sweets, drinks, and finally gifts. 

 Until then here is a little video tour of the event, and a quick look at some of the products I'll be featuring in the coming week. 

Geometric Vinyl Heaven & the Most Splendid Photographic Floor Murals, Custom Made for Your Rooms, From Atrafloor

One of my favourite 1970s' interior design trends was photographic wall murals. Huge, feature walls decorated with mountain scenes, or a wooden glen, or even an exotic beach. I'm going to blog about them soon, as it's another one of my childhood memories that's inspired my taste today. 

Whilst photographic walls haven't yet made a comeback, one trend that is flourishing is photo realistic flooring design. Advances in printing technology has allowed high quality images to be blown up and printed on vinyl to be used on floors.

The leading brand using this technology is Atrafloor. They offer custom made vinyl flooring, cut exactly to your measurements, and easy to install. They have dozens upon dozens of prints to choose from. The photographic floor murals are joined by a selection of beautiful geometric patterns, kids' rooms designs and more. 

Atrafloor sent us two samples, to feel the quality for ourselves. The initial impression I had was of how thick the vinyl was. This isn't some flimsy plastic, it's great quality, thick flooring. 

The colours are vivid and the print is sharp. The town print flooring would even be excellent to purchase as a play mat for a nursery to protect your carpeting from toys. All designs are £59 a metre. 

Here are some of my top picks of prints from the Atrafloor online store, but this is only a small selection, so click on through to browse the entire catalogue. You can also draw inspiration from the Atrafloor Instagram account.

The George at Asda Christmas 2017 Duvet Covers Are In! With Over a Dozen Designs to Choose From.

Asda's Christmas bedding is now legendary, with so many designs each year to choose from, and fun designs in single, double and king size. This year is even better, I want the vintage Santa caravan, retro kitties AND the snow globe offerings. How on earth will I choose? Luckily prices start at £10, with cushions at £5 and £6 so maybe I can narrow it down to two purchases!