Last Minute Foodie Gifts for Secret Santa from B&M

A selection of last minute foodie gifts for your Secret Santa match from B&M!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for B&M. I have been compensated for this post, however all opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company. Should you choose to purchase the products shown, I will not receive a commission or any monetary compensation. You can review my disclosure policy in full here.

Dinner at Liz Cottam's Home Restaurant in Leeds

A sneak peek at Home Restaurant's 10 course tasting menu from Chef Elizabeth Cottam!

I am a Masterchef fiend, religiously watching each series of the formidable show in many of its variations, but the one that will always have a soft spot in my heart is Masterchef UK. I literally fangirl squealed (and awoke my sleeping baby) when I received an email from 2016 Masterchef contestant Elizabeth Cottam, inviting me to attend a preview dinner at her new restaurant, Home, in Leeds. Home opens up to the public today, so go on and book a table! You will not be disappointed by this outstanding menu.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Home Restaurant. I have been compensated for this post, however all opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company. Should you choose to visit the restaurant, I will not receive a commission or any monetary compensation. You can review my disclosure policy in full here.

Dinner at Grill in the Park--Worsley Park Marriott Hotel & Country Club

An exclusive evening of tantalising treats, mastering cocktails and a three course gluten free meal at Grill in the Park in Worsley!

A few weeks ago, my husband and I had the absolute pleasure of spending the evening with a group of Manchester bloggers at an exclusive dinner at the Worsley Park Marriot Hotel & Country Club, dinning in the Grill in the Park. Come take a peek inside the restaurant and see what we got up to on this brilliant, intimate evening.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Worsley Park. I have been compensated for this post, however all opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company. Should you choose to visit the restaurant, I will not receive a commission or any monetary compensation. You can review my disclosure policy in full here.

A Review of the Jurassic Kingdom in Manchester

Step back to the time of the dinosaurs with Manchester's latest family-friendly attraction in the leafy Philips Park or catch it in other UK parks.
 

Fearsome Dinosaurs Delight & Thrill Kids Young & Old in Manchester

“It’s like a dream come true” says my six year old Niamh as we metaphorically go back to the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods in Philips Park, Manchester. Brachiosaurus, Pteradons, T-Rex and Ankylosaurus all feature as part of Jurassic Kingdom which is on tour as dinosaurs by turn delight and terrorise children all over Britain. 

A Night in with Parmigiano-Reggiano

The talented Julie from Just the Alps Between Us recounts a night of cheesy indulgence laid on by the Consortium for Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Italy. The land of pizza, pasta and gelato. Of long lunches, lazy days and grandmothers who refuse to believe you are full. Because here, food is more than just a way of fulfilling hunger… it’s a way of life. It's at the heart of all social interactions, bringing families and friends together and is the first thing a parent will ask. 

How to Keep Motivated when Blogging

Discover 11 essential ways to keep motivated when blogging and prevent blogger burn out!

For the last two weeks, we've been talking about blogger burn out: How to Make a Comeback after a Blogging Break and How to Identify Blogger Burn Out. Today, I'd like to continue on on the topic and discuss some methods and tips for keeping the spark alive in your blogging:

Discover the sustainable way to binge read magazines, declutter your life and save money!

 

My husband and I are magazine obsessed. He has an entire 6 foot tall bookcase devoted to a lifetime  of magazines he loves and I'm well on my way to collecting as many. The problem is, after paying a premium for a glossy magazine of your favourite topic, you don't want to chuck it in the recycling bin after use. At around £4.99 per 'zine, those 150 or so glossy pages of inspo can cost you a small fortune.

In an effort to declutter, save cash and be more sustainable, we drastically reduced our magazine consumption ... and then we discovered the Readly app and all our magazine pet peeves and problems were solved. Readly wants you to discover their app too and are offering you a free trial! Jump to the offer!

Readly has a number of niche and special interest titles on offer.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Readly. I have been compensated for this post, however all opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company. You can review my disclosure policy in full, here.

The Sustainable Way to Binge Read Magazines

 Whether you're an avid e-reader, or a traditionalist, you'll love the affordability, ease and options you'll find with Readly. It's the best kept secret for magazine lovers! At your fingertips you've got an entire virtual newsstand, all you have to do is open a magazine and read. No waiting ages for downloads, no blurry, pixelated PDFs, it's clean, crisp and unbelievably cool.

Cook along with recipes from cookery magazines on the Readly app.

One family can share a subscription on up to five devices for just £7.99 a month. That's thousands of magazines for less than you'd pay for two magazines! Each family member can have their own account, including password protection to keep children safe and to give you peace of mind, letting them browse their selected magazines at their leisure.

Unwind with Readly and an entire virtual newsstand at your fingers.

My account is a mix of all my favourite interests: there are loads of cooking magazines like BBC Good Food, BBC Easy Cook, Food to Love, Olive and Delicious and gluten free magazines too like Easy Gluten-Free. But then I've saved Yoga Journal, Thrive, Psychologies, Mollie Makes, Wanderlust, The Lonely Planet, Elle Decoration and The Week. If I went to the shops and individually purchased the latest edition of each of those, it would cost me over £50 and I'd be left with a stack of magazines to either dispose of or try to find space for on already crammed bookshelves. No thanks.

But with Readly, all of my favourite magazines and new titles I'd never even heard of are available to me for less than £10 a month. I can flip through a current  or a previous issue of a magazine any time on my phone or tablet whether I'm connected to wifi or not. It doesn't eat up a ton of space on your phone, either. It truly is the perfect solution to staying current with your favourite magazines in an economical and eco-friendly way.

Try Readly out today for an entire month and pay nothing

Don't take my word for it, guys. I've got an incredible one-month free trial just for you! There's no credit card required and no commitment. It's no strings attached; all you have to do is download the app to up to five of your devices and choose some magazines to read. Then sit back and read! Start your free one month trial today! 

Some of our favourite things about the app:

1. One subscription covers the whole family. My husband, our son and myself each have our own accounts with our own magazines all for £7.99 a month.
2. You can print magazine pages from within the app.
3. You can go back to past issues of the magazines and read those.
4. You can view magazines from other countries! There are thousands of UK and Ireland magazines, but you can also view titles from the United States, Australia, Canada and beyond! 
5. You can search magazines. Simply type in what you're looking for and Readly will search all of the magazines in the database. Then they will take you to the page within the magazine that your search result is on.
6. Your place is saved, so you can pick up reading where you left off.
7. No wifi? No problem! Read on the go! 
8. Adult accounts are password protected so kids can only view what you've authorised them to view.
9. One subscription is good for multiple devices. We've got Readly on my iPhone, my husband's iPad and my husband's Android phone.
10. Our monthly spend on magazines (usually around £50) has decreased to less than a tenner. That's cheaper than two coffees.

Unwind with a snack while you binge read:

Gluten Free Viennese Whirls

Gluten Free Two Layer Brownies

Gluten Free Chai Tea Latte

Sublime Heroism after the Manchester Attack

"[The people of Manchester have] a sublime [Christian] heroism, which has not been surpassed in any age or any country." --from Abraham Lincoln's 1863 letter to the workers of Manchester

It is hard to work today; hard to carry on because my city has been tainted with the cowardice of terrorism. Because children who should have been floating on that post-concert euphoria, singing at the top of their lungs and dancing in the streets were screaming and in tears and running for their lives. And I am angry that someone would think so little of their precious lives to act in such a cowardly way.

We live within two miles of the M.E.N. We have traipsed up the stairs from Victoria Station past the platforms of commuters up the ramp to the venue and down into the belly of the event space, surrounded by thousands of innocent people as we sang and danced to Florence and the Machine, to Stevie Wonder, to Train, to Depeche Mode, to The Cure .... the list goes on and on. That arena is my arena. If a big show comes to town, that's where we go. A place we have been to countless times; a place that is at the very heart of Manchester--literally and figuratively. And that place was under attack last night.

An Engineer for a Day: #DysonChallenge

We took the #DysonChallenge & spent the morning learning how to be engineers with Dyson & Currys!

Taking the #DysonChallenge with Dyson & Currys

One of Callum's hobbies is using blocks to construct and engineer impressive structures--from complex hospitals to lofty medieval castles; he's an extremely hands-on kid. Naturally, I leapt at the opportunity to take him along to an engineering workshop hosted by Dyson and Curry's.

Two weeks ago, we joined the company of a dozen or so other would-be engineers and enrolled in a day-long Dyson bootcamp. Sheltered against the constant Manchester rain, we met in the perfect venue for a morning of engineering: the MOSI, the site of the world's first ever passenger train station, a natural homage to the beauty of industry and engineering.

Visiting Blackpool as a #TravelodgeTourist

Journey with us as we play #TravelodgeTourist in Blackpool and discover some of the city's must-see attractions for a rip-roaring family day out!

What do you think of when you hear the word Blackpool?

 Is it the UK's number one destination for hen and stag debauchery? Or perhaps that it's a stomping ground for one of the largest and most invigorating gay communities in the Northwest? Or Strictly, the fact that it's home to one of reality TV's most-loved shows? More than just a seaside resort, Blackpool has been called the Vegas of the UK and while that comparison might be inflating things slightly, it is a splendidly dazzling destination with something for everyone.

One Year On, New Ventures

Tomorrow, 18 August, marks one year since I stopped being a stay at home mom and full time food blogger. It's been a crazy, fun, exhausting transition, but one that I'm still extremely glad I made. A year ago, I thought only a few things would change; I wasn't prepared for the full-on change that came.

I'll be honest, keeping up with food blogging was tough. Suddenly, I went from sharing new recipes three times a week and posting five times a week, to barely getting three posts out a month. And I miss(ed) it. So I had to do some big thinking. Some hard thinking. And some compromising.

And I've decided that since I couldn't manage one blog and a full time job, I'd try to juggle two! Not entirely correct, although there's a bit of earnestness in that statement. Let me clarify:

Anyonita Nibbles isn't going anywhere. I'll still be here posting and sharing recipes and product and restaurant reviews with you because, a girl's gotta eat. But I won't commit to doing it anywhere near the frequency I once was.

I'll be honest: the amount of time required to develop, test, photograph and write up original recipes whilst still juggling a full time job, being a mommy and a wife, is more than any of us are allotted in a day. Hell, it's more than we get in two days. It's a lot of work. And I can't swing it.

So, I'm easing the pressure. I'll probably post here weekly or every two weeks. That's my goal. In the meantime, you can find me over on my new venture: www.plussizelife.co.uk, where I'm writing a lifestyle, food, fashion and travel blog for curvy women. The blog has an emphasis on self-acceptance and self-love. It's a feel-good project and I think it's going to go well.

Visit me on both and be sure you keep in touch!

A Night at Clevedon Hall & Dining with Chef Alan Jones

I review the luxurious wedding venue cum conference centre & boutique hotel as well as a stunning four course meal from Chef Alan Jones!

The weekend of my birthday, I was invited to visit Clevedon Hall, a stunning manor house in North Somerset. The weekend promised to be a wonderful experience--spending some time in a historic property and trialing food by the renowned chef Alan Jones. I'll be honest, while I was excited about the opportunity to review such a beautiful hotel, wedding venue and conference facility, I was most ecstatic about trying Chef Alan's food.

Ox Pasture Hall Hotel: Scarborough & the Moors

Just a stone's throw away from Scarborough's craggy, rocky coast and nestled at the foot of the North Yorkshire Moors, Ox Pasture Hall Hotel is in an ideal setting for exploration and adventure.

If you can stand to venture away from the beautiful, comfortable facilities at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel (and that's a very big if), you'll find loads of family-friendly activities just miles away. Of course, if you're visiting and wanting a low-key break, there's loads to do around the country house hotel to keep you occupied. Catch some fresh air in one of the paved courtyards or snuggle with a book in front of a gentle fire in the lodge.

Ox Pasture Hall Hotel: Weddings, Civil Ceremonies & Conferences

Tie the knot in the picturesque surrounding of the Ox Pasture Hall Hotel, a luxury North Yorkshire country house hotel nestled in a valley surrounded by moors--an ideal setting for embarking on your newlywed life. Alternatively, Ox Pasture Hall has beautiful conference facilities, just a stone's throw from the bustling Scarborough seaside resort.

You want your wedding day to be one of peace, tranquility, full of love and to be held somewhere with a great atmosphere. You want the very best; to surround your family and friends with love, charming facilities and great food. You'll get all of that and more at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel.

Ox Pasture Hall Hotel: Luxury & Tranquility in the Moors

Our brilliant night's stay in one of North Yorkshire's luxury country house hotels!

Ox Pasture Hall is a four-star country house hotel, restaurant and venue in Scarborough, nestled in a picturesque valley along the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors. Ox Pasture Hall Hotel is full of lovely surprises--the journey from Manchester to Yorkshire is always breathtaking, rising along tops of the Pennines and racing downhill, through valleys clustered with quaint English villages. On your approach to Ox Pasture, it feels urban as you pass Scarborough Hospital, but you wind through Raincliffe Woods and came upon the secluded luxury North Yorkshire hotel, passing a lake and a field of foal and ponies.

I am happy to announce that every day this week, I will be posting about my experience at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel. I'll recount our journey, the facilities, the food, the venue and the surrounding area and attractions. I hope you'll join me on this virtual trip to one of the most beautiful, welcoming hotels I've had the pleasure of staying in.

Wake up to a fry up with an American twist at TGI Friday's in Manchester

Fried eggs, sweet candied bacon and barbecue beans steal the spotlight in TGI Friday's new Jack Daniel's American breakfast! I lined my tummy and settled into a comfy booth at Manchester Piccadilly to review the franchise's latest endeavour and newest restaurant.

TGI Friday's has always been a big part of my life. I've celebrated birthdays in the candy cane striped booths of its American franchises, shoveling in tortilla chips dipped in iconic Friday's spinach artichoke dip. A few months ago, the husband and I were invited to Friday's #burgerface event at a different Manchester branch. When I was approached about heading to a brand new TGI Friday's to review their new breakfast menu, I jumped at the chance: breakfast + TGI Friday's = two of my favourite things.

Why I'm not a Stay at Home Mom & Full-time Blogger Anymore

I've swapped the incessant loop of children's TV and being a stay-at-home mom & full-time blogger with a more conventional role. Loads of you have been in contact asking why & what the future of Anyonita Nibbles will be. Here are your answers!

From the moment this blog started (awkwardly, nearly five years ago) I've always been honest and open. When I started blogging it was because I wanted to keep track of the food I cooked and the recipes we tried and, as a completely self-taught cook, it was proof for the folks back home. Over the years, as Anyonita Nibbles grew into a successful blog, I was able to use it to supplement my income and then, after having Callum (the cutie on this post's main image) nearly three years ago, Anyonita Nibbles became my main source of income.

Whodunit? Murder Mystery Dinner with BGO & Joe Blogs

30 of the UK's best bloggers met to don their thinking caps and solve a murder between courses in Manchester.

 
It might be strange, but attending a murder mystery dinner has been on my bucket list since I was old enough to say whodunit?! About two weeks ago, as Manchester started its slow evolution into chillier climes, I, along with 29 other fantastic female bloggers, headed to the city's gleaming Renaissance Hotel to solve a most sinister crime.

Changes on Anyonita Nibbles + Meet my contributors

You may have started to notice a few changes slipping into the way things have been run here on Anyonita Nibbles for the past two weeks or so. I wanted to take a few moments to address those changes with you and to highlight some new features that you'll be able to benefit from over the course of the next month.

e-cloth Review: Harnessing the amazing cleaning power of water

Learn how to effectively clean your hob & oven & remove 99% of bacteria using just water!

I can spend hours in my kitchen, with the oven on, pulling out tray after tray of brownies, macarons or cookies. Cooking is such an important passion of mine, that I often lose track of time, especially if I'm developing a recipe or trying to get to grips with a new technique.What I never seem to have any patience for is cleaning the oven.