I am not paid for any of the reviews I write and products that I review are paid for with my own money. Read more on my disclaimer page.
It’s no secret that I love a bath bomb, and this one might
just be a new favourite.
I was advised by one of the ever-enthusiastic sales
assistants that as a lover of Avobath, I was bound to love Mesuline. According
to the description:
…perfumed with zesty Avocado Co-Wash perfume and sure to make waves. Sweet lemony litsea cubeba and cheerful bergamot oil lift your senses, while olibanum will have you floating in no time. Finally a pinch of carrageenan extract hydrates the skin…
Personally, I didn’t get any of that. I thought it smelled
like toffee apples but it was an absolutely delicious scent. Fortunately, I
learned many years ago that Lush products do NOT taste* as good as they smell!
Regardless, it was the ideal thing to enjoy on a cold and
blustery autumnal evening. If you’re after an indulgent, relaxing and warming bath,
try one of these beauties. I’m definitely going to treat myself to some more.
Thanks for reading,
FFF
*FFF once licked a (clean, newly-purchased) bar of Honey I Washed the Kids. FFF is sometimes an idiot. Don’t be like FFF: Lush cosmetics are NOT meant to be ingested. Or even licked.
I am not paid for any of the reviews I write and products that I review are paid for with my own money. Read more on my disclaimer page.
October’s Big Comfy Book Club read was Fredrick Backman’s A Man Called Ove. It was nominated by my sister, and following her previous disastrous nomination of the weirdest book most of us had ever come across, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
The Premise:
Ove is a grumpy old man who is bitter towards his neighbours
and fed-up with the stupidity and ineptitude of pretty much everyone he meets.
But behind his hostile exterior, is there a softer side to this solitary,
unsociable old curmudgeon?
I am not paid for any of the reviews I write and products that I review are paid for with my own money. Read more on my disclaimer page.
I am lucky enough to live close to Leamington Spa, a gorgeous town known for its Regency architecture and broad boulevards. It is home to a good selection of shops including many quirky, independent stores and a good selection of places to eat and drink. On a recent shopping trip there, Mr FFF and I inevitably found ourselves hungry and decided to check out a bar-restaurant called House which happened to be right next to the shop we’d been to.
On entering, we immediately liked the industrial vibe with pallet wood, retro posters and subway tiles. These elements were softened by the use of circular, studded-leather banquets which put me in mind of Chesterfield sofas, velvet armchairs and curtains, crystal cut glasses, test-tubes of baby’s breath on the tables and a green foliage wall with twinkling fairy lights. Of course, Mr FFF took very little notice of these elements as the Ruby World Cup was being show on a big screen! Despite the sporting excitement, the atmosphere was very much one of relaxed sophistication.
We didn’t have a reservation but were quickly seated in the
restaurant, although food is also served in the bar area. The menu was wide-ranging
with a number of interesting options without being overwhelming, with a good
selection of starters/nibbles, pizzas, sandwiches and mains available. Several
items caught my attention but I eventually settled on the Cuban Mojo Pork Salad
(with mango, avocado, pickled cucumber, tomato, baby gem and ranch dressing) and
a portion of skinny fries, whilst Mr FFF went for the Philly Steak & Cheese
Sandwich. The restaurant was pretty full and there was only one member of staff
serving so we braced ourselves for a bit of a wait. We needn’t have been
concerned as our food arrived in about 20 minutes and was delicious. The salad
in particular was divine with the ranch dressing in particular being the
tastiest I’ve ever had. Mr FFF’s sandwich was enormous, filled with well-cooked
steak and although messy, a real winner of a dish. As always, I did my best impression
of a discrete meerkat when other diners were being served and can report that
the pizzas and chunky chips looked delicious and will probably need to be
sampled on our next visit.
We felt that the menu was pretty reasonably priced too at
only £26 for the food and 3 diet cokes between us. Being a Sunday lunchtime, we
unfortunately didn’t sample any of the fabulous sounding cocktails or wines,
but we will definitely be paying a visit again in the future and will have to
try them then in the name of ‘research’!
If you ever find yourself in Leamington Spa looking for a
place to eat, I’d highly recommend giving House a try.
I’m a BIG cheesecake fan. I’ve had it instead of a birthday cake a few times, I love baking them and I’ve even been known to eat them for breakfast! (You could do worse than trying my Breakfast Cheesecake recipe BTW)
However, I’m quite particular about my cheesecake so I don’t often order it when I’m out as the risk of disapointment is just too great.But every now and then, I will order one in the name of ‘research’.
On a recent visit to Costa, I did just that, ordering myself a slice of their Baked Vanilla Cheesecake. The cheese was dense, rich and creamy. It wasn’t quite claggy, but almost. The flavour was very vanillary – almost like white chocolate. The base was very thin, crisp and sweet. It tasted as though it had tiny pieces of crunchy caramel in it.
My overall opinion was that it was on the good side of ok. Not brilliant but enjoyable enough and I’ve certainly had worse. Personally I would’ve liked it to have a thicker base and for the cheese to be a bit more tangy.
A massive downside was the Smart Points value. At a staggering 19 points per slice, I’d say it wasn’t worth it and I won’t be ordering it again any time soon.
Do you have a favourite brand of cheesecake or a great cheesecake recipe? Let me know in the comments section.
Fat Fighting Foodie 