Yogland Is a Self Serve Parlour of Pure Joy

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I begin a fortnight cycle of my weight loss program again tomorrow, so Michael and I rushed off to review  Yogland on Belfast's Lisburn Road this afternoon. It's a cool little Sunday afternoon treat stop that has something for everyone.

Frozen yoghurt has always been the lower fat cousin of sinful, sugar-laced icecream, but Yogland goes one further with their own blend of high protein, zero sugar recipes, some of which are gluten free.

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The flavour options are immense. We tried watermelon, cookies & cream, red velvet cake batter and peanut butter, all tasted beautiful. I'm not keen on plain frozen yoghurt, but there is a classic greek flavour if you want to keep it original.

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How Yogland works is simple. You pick a tub, dispense the flavours you desire in the quantity you wish. They encourage trying more than one flavour and we both were able to fit three flavours in their small tub each.

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Next comes the fun part. Now if you are having frozen yoghurt as part of a clean eating, fat free diet, you can still top your tub with coconut, fruit & jelly bubbles. If you're a seven year old boy, or a total sweet tooth like myself, then the world is your oyster where toppings are concerned. You can take as much as you want, you're just limited by how much you can balance on top of your yoghurt! 

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There are cereals, granola, broken Oreos & Reece's Pieces, Haribo, Love Hearts, Dolly Mixtures, Skittles, Cadbury Buttons, Smarties, just a kid's dream really. 

I tried the little fruit bubbles, which burst in your mouth. I'm wondering is that what's in bubble tea? Whatever they are, they are my new favourite thing.

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Cookies & Cream and Red Velvet frozen yoghurt with bubbles, white buttons and coconut topping

Cookies & Cream and Red Velvet frozen yoghurt with bubbles, white buttons and coconut topping

Cookies and cream frozen yoghurt with bubbles, Oreos, peanut butter cups, white buttons and Smarties

Cookies and cream frozen yoghurt with bubbles, Oreos, peanut butter cups, white buttons and Smarties

As the whole process is self serve, they don't charge per tub size, but rather by weight. So they'll weigh your finished tub and charge you depending on that. 

Watermelon frozen yoghurt, popcorn, Cocopop and Haribo toppings

Watermelon frozen yoghurt, popcorn, Cocopop and Haribo toppings

There are window seats downstairs, so if you have a pram in tow you can sit there. Upstairs is more spacious, with lots of bright decor and board games! While we were there a group of student age friends were enjoying their frozen yoghurts and having a Jenga tournament. 

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So we loved Yogland, the variety of options means there is something for all the family. I reckon we will drive up every so often to treat ourselves. Given the health aspect, I will definitely be choosing Yogland over any icecream cafes if we are up in that area. I just wish we had one in Bangor for after school treats. 

Bangor's Hidden Gem for Bountiful, Beautiful Breakfasts

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I say Bangor, but more correctly the  Cairn Bay Lodge guesthouse is slightly on round the coast in picturesque Ballyholme. I don't know about fellow Bangor West dwellers, but I often forget there's a beautiful stretch of water with rows of colourful Victorian houses and a beach walk way, just a short drive away on the other side of town.

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Recently I've been slowly drip fed these gorgeous photos of kitsch interiors, smashing sea views and the odd picture of a plate of mouth-watering grub, on my Facebook timeline. The account behind these tempting photos was Cairn Bay Lodge, a guesthouse overlooking Ballyholme strand. So Michael and I decided it was time to make a trip over town and visit The Starfish Cafe ourselves!

Parking is free and plentiful on the road outside the Lodge, and the cafe spreads through two rooms, with plenty of seating. We visited at 11am-ish and it was busy, but we had a choice of seats. 

The interiors were what tickled my fancy initially to prompt the visit. Absolutely splendid interior design, with taxidermy, fairy lights, prints by my very own logo designer Handdrawn Creative Neal McCullough and retro pieces which give the whole lodge a vintage feel without being tacky or gaudy in the slightest. It's kitsch done the North Down way.

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The menu all looks delicious, with lots of seafood and high quality produce sourced locally. I went for French toast with mascarpone, crispy bacon and maple syrup. Michael just wanted some icecream, as he had had breakfast at home. This wasn't on the menu, but they kindly gave him a big bowl of vanilla icecream and only charged me £1. We also had coffee and fresh orange juice. The food was excellent. I was really impressed. If you are local and want a really good quality breakfast, or to impress a visiting guest, The Starfish Cafe at Cairn Bay Lodge is the hidden gem of a eaterie you're after.

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For our four items I think we paid around £11.50 that's a little more than breakfast elsewhere, but the produce is very high quality. Next time I visit, probably this week coming, I want to try one of the crab dishes.

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I had told the owners on their Facebook that we would be calling so we had a brief chat after eating. They are a lovely couple, who's names I didn't remember, I'm sorry! But I can imagine staying at the Lodge would be just as plesant as eating there. 

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Porridge option- photo from Cairn Lodge website

Porridge option- photo from Cairn Lodge website

Photo from Cairn Lofge website

Photo from Cairn Lofge website

Photo from cairn lodge website

Photo from cairn lodge website

Photo from cairn lodge website

Photo from cairn lodge website

Photo from cairn lodge website

Photo from cairn lodge website

Photo from cairn lodge website  

Photo from cairn lodge website  

J H Lynch & Dallas Simpson prints, photo from Cairn Lodge Website

J H Lynch & Dallas Simpson prints, photo from Cairn Lodge Website

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Menu image from www.nosebagni.com - a local foodie blog worth checking out  

Menu image from www.nosebagni.com - a local foodie blog worth checking out  

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Pirate Golf & Blue Cheese Burgers. A Little Life Update Behind the Scenes of The World of Kitsch.

I haven't blogged much since the new year. There has been a lot going on in the background that my Twitter followers might know a little of, but that I haven't really gone into a great deal of detail about anywhere. In November past my son & myself had a big shock of our family being split apart. It wasn't something I wanted, expected, or had a choice or say in. Now I am a single parent, the main carer of my son, and we have even moved house to our own little kitsch home that we love. 

Things have been hard, but we are in a better place than we were, and we are strong together, but mostly thanks to my mum, dad, brother and his wife supporting us every step of the way. 

So thank you to all four of them, and an extra thanks to my brother Michael for taking Smix and I out this evening for some pirate golf and burgers & ice cream. I love you. 

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We ate at Wolfe's in Dundonald. I really need to hit them up for a proper review blog post, because the food was outstanding. 

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