Gin Festival Norwich 2016*

Having been to the Norwich Beer Festival a few times (and not really been a fan of beer!) I was intrigued when I heard that Norwich were also having a Gin Festival and thought this sounded more like my cup of tea, or gin as it were. I was kindly invited along for the day by Laura, the events assistant and chose to attend the Saturday afternoon session on 9th July at 12:30pm. I brought my boyfriend along who doesn’t like gin but is great at taking photos so he had his uses, and kindly took some of the photos you will see in this post for me – although the room was dark so apologies!

Gin Festival  holds a large number of events up and down the country and is the UK’s original biggest and best gin festival. The event was held in Open Norwich and I couldn’t wait to enjoy a few G&Ts! As complete gin novices we were assured that there would be something we would like as there were over 100 different varieties of gin to sample.

 We arrived about half an hour early and picked up my entry passes on the door. Tickets usually cost £7.50 per adult and include one of Gin Festival.com’s iconic copa glasses, free to take home and a brochure full of information on all the gins you can try, a little about each company and the suggested garnish. Drinks tokens cost £5 each and include tonic and a fresh garnish and we were very lucky to be provided with 4 tokens. 

The first drink I tried set me back 2 tokens but as a gin novice I was assured that having a cocktail would be a nice way to ease me in. I went for a cocktail called the Drunken Tulip which consisted of Black Shuck gin, Prosecco, pomegranate juice, elderflower cordial and fresh lemon. It was absolutely delicious and nice to have it made fresh in front of me. It didn’t taste alcoholic at all which is what I like when it comes to gin, I can’t handle anything too strong! 

The atmosphere in the room was great, everyone was out to have a good time. It was fairly busy but you could comfortably move around the room and didn’t have to wait too long for a drink which was good. There was live music and also some magicians walking around. I didn’t realise how big the room was at Open, this building used to be a bank! 

There was a couple of food stalls but I wish there was a couple more about as the choice was fairly limited. We decided to have something to eat from ‘The Feed’. We chose a brie and onion sandwich which we then had toasted. It was really nice and just filled a hole during the few hours we spent at the festival. They also sold rocky road which looked delicious!

We then sampled two more gins. The first one was the Ely Dark Chocolate gin and the brand was launched in 2012 on Ely Market . This gin was smooth with a subtle taste of cocoa and advised it was best served with orange juice. James really enjoyed this but I wasn’t too keen on it, it was a little bit too sweet for me. I decided to try a Sloe Motion Damson Gin which had a strong plum flavour with a hint of cherry and almonds. I served this with tonic water and a sprig of thyme. I much preferred my drink however it did get a bit strong towards the bottom, I don’t think I could have drank many of these! It was really fun looking through the gin booklet and choosing which drinks we wanted to try. At £5 a drink including your ice, tonic and garnish I thought this was quite reasonable, you did get a large glass after all!

There were a number of masterclasses going on throughout the day and we managed to get a seat in the Adnams Gin one. Bonnie who is the manager of the Adnams store on Unthank Road in Norwich led the session which I found very interesting. We learned about the history of Adnams gin and a little about how it is made. The gin is made with East Anglian Barley which is unique to Adnams gin. We were able to smell the beer wash that it was made from and also got a sample of some Copperhouse gin which was nice to try!

The Gin Festival was sponsored by Fever-Tree tonic. Fever Tree was founded in 2005 and is free from artificial sweeteners, preservatives and flavourings.

Overall we both had a really nice time at the Gin Festival and I would definitely go again if they were to have another event. It was a really sociable fun event and would be a great place to catch up with friends and sample the various gins! Have you ever been to a gin festival?

Find a local Gin Festival near you and have an amazing time.

*I received free entry to the Gin Festival in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

Discover Arbonne Event

I recently attended an event in Norwich where I was able to discover a new brand I had never heard of before called Arbonne which sells a variety of health and beauty products. 

When I arrived I was greeted by Sarah and Kate who had set the event up. There was a table full of goodies and I couldn’t wait to try everything. Sarah and Kate were both lovely and very knowledgeable about the brand and ready to answer any questions we had. They made me feel very welcome and I love how the room was set out.

 

 We learned a bit about Arbonne. They have over 500 products in total ranging from skincare to nutrition, make-up to baby products. All of the products are vegan, gluten free and kosher. Kim was impressed as she is gluten intolerant so it was good to know she could use all of these products without getting a reaction.

We got to try out a lot of the products. It was a bit like a Body Shop Party where items were passed around and talked about whilst we tried them out. One of my favourite items was the primer. I always got told to put primer in the crease between your thumb and forefinger and if you can notice a difference in the wrinkles then you know the primer is going to be good. This one smoothed out all of the fine lines and left my skin feeling so smooth. 

We also tried out some of the foundations. The liquid foundation has an SPF of 15, is matte and has a buildable coverage. There was also a mineral powder which I would be intrigued to try. The setting powder was weightless and stops any oily shine. Initially I thought this had a bit too much shimmer in it but once it was on the skin it blended out like a dream. I loved the bronzer too. There is only one shade but this can be blended out or layered up to suit all skin tones. The bronzer contains lavender extracts to hydrate the skin, chamomile to smooth and liquorice to moisturise. I also adored the Arbonne brush set which was so nice to use. I would love to be fully made over in Arbonne products to see how they fair to my current ones.

I was very kindly given some products to take away and try. These were labelled depending on your skin type. I was given FC5 for my dry skin. In the pack there was a cleanser, day cream, night cream and eye cream. I have been using these for just over a week now and I love that they feel lightweight on my skin and have really improved the texture. I no longer have dry patches on my skin when putting my makeup on. I also received an ultra hydrating hand cream which is exactly as it says on the tube. I love it. I am actually going to save this for when the weather starts getting colder and my hands are dryer.  

I met four lovely bloggers whilst I was there, I also attended the event with my best blogger friend Kim. I have posted all of their links below so please check them out if you are looking for some lovely new bloggers to follow.

Kim – Romanovs Views 

Shelley – The Shelley Diaries 

Laura – Laura Loves 

Anna - Farewell May 

Claire – My Scribble Spot 

Have you ever heard of Arbonne? Is this something you would like to try out. If you’re from Norwich, follow Kate on twitter for news of future events.

The Gluten Free Cafe - Norwich

A couple of weeks ago me and Kim from Romanovs Views met up for lunch. As Kim is a coeliac (read more about this here) she suggested we meet up at the new Gluten Free Cafe that has recently opened on Timberhill in Norwich.

(Photo taken by Kim - Romanovs Views)

The Gluten Free Cafe is run by Louisa Kiddell and Tony Garrick, who used to run The Gluten Free Shop at Hellesdon Barns. Downstairs is a small cafe area and upstairs you have a shop. The cafe only opened a few weeks ago and was quite busy when we went inside.

The menu is displayed on the back wall and there is plenty to choose from. You can have soup, filled rolls or even quiche. Everything is gluten free and there are also plenty of vegan options too. There is also plenty of delicious looking cakes if you fancy something sweet afterwards. After we had queued at the counter and paid for our items we sat at our table. Our food was brought over to us shortly afterwards. The staff were friendly and attentive. Kim wanted a different spoon for her soup and they happily swapped it over for her.

 I opted for a ham salad roll which came with some vegetable crisps. The roll was filled to the brim and very tasty and cost just £4. You can see how colourful and vibrant the salad was that came with it. Kim went for leek and potato soup which was also £4 and served with a gluten free roll and dairy free butter. I also had a green tea which cost £2 and came in a little teapot which was nice.

After our food we had a look around the shop. There wasn't LOADS in there as they are fairly new but there were plenty of gluten free and vegan treats and they will be expanding the range once they are up and running. They have moved from their hellesdon barns location recently and will have lots in store to choose from! I enjoyed my food and the atmosphere of The Gluten Free Cafe. I think once they have been open a bit longer and running a bit smoother then this will be a really nice place to come for lunch and no doubt me and Kim will be returning!

Suffolk Blogger Meet

On Saturday I attended my second blogger meet in Suffolk hosted and organised by the lovely Daisy. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Daisy for putting on such an amazing event, I had a great time and was really made to feel welcome the whole time I was there. I took most of these photos on my iPhone so I apologise for the quality or lack thereof!

I arrived in Bury St. Edmunds at around 12:15, with the event due to start at 1. I was surprised at how quick I drove there, less than an hour from Norwich I wondered why I hadn’t been here before, the shopping centre looked awesome, I'll have to come back for a shopping trip. I had a quick look on twitter under the hashtag #SuffolkBloggerMeet and found out that Hannah from The Life of Pye had also arrived already and was waiting in Costa. I went and met up with her and was so thankful I didn’t have to walk in alone. We arrived at the venue just after 1 and headed upstairs where I met Lucy from Lucy Loves and the three of us drifted around the stalls together.

The first stall I spotted was the gorgeously laid out stall from Ivy-Joan home. I wanted everything, it was so up my street. If it wasn’t so far away from payday I would have splurged! They sell the most amazing unique cards, beautiful framed pictures and great little gifts. If you're looking for Christmas presents that are different from the norm, definitely check them out.

We then went to The Charity Candle Company stall which had some lovely candles. I picked up a little sample in the Spiced Orange scent which was GORGEOUS. I wish I would have bought a full sized candle, this scent is perfect for Christmas and £1 from each sale goes to charity.

The third stall I visited was the Odylique stall, a brand I haven’t heard about before but uses all natural ingredients. I loved sampling the little tester pots and when I was told that the ingredients in the coconut scrub were edible, I couldn’t resist a little taste! I also received a Rose Hydrating Cream in my goody bag which I can’t wait to try.

I then headed to the Yoohoo Mail stall which was hosted and created by Daisy’s mum. There was some really gorgeous and unique pieces here, and I’m really tempted to get myself a subscription box being an absolute stationery fiend! We were all given a lovely postcard at the end which is going to take pride of place on my desk when I eventually get one!

The final stall was the Lipivir stall, and I was given a sample of their cold sore prevention cream which will come in handy this time of year. It was really interesting hearing about the product and how well it can work.

There were also little tables set up with things that we could take which was really nice. I got a lovely owl shaped cookie cutter from Sass & Belle and a Twig & Dot candle in the scent Deep Calm, which smells gorgeous and makes me feel instantly relaxed. I'm going to be collaborating with Twig & Dot very soon so I will do an in depth review of their scents then. I also got a bottle of Orange Life Tonic drink a marshmallow ghost and a Suffolk Blogger Meet cookie which all tasted awesome. I ate my weight in Hotel Chocolat truffles too.. oops!

I then headed to the selfie station, a great place to relax and take silly photos. Here I met Hannah and Emily who were both absolutely lovely. We were then joined by Gemma and her friend Kirsty who I didn't get to speak to properly but were really friendly, as was everyone I met, sorry if I haven't included you in this post.

We were then given our amazing goodie bags by Daisy's little helpers Emma and Karen, filled to the absolute brim with some amazing samples and products. I will have to do blog posts on individual brands or else I’ll be here all day, but you can see the sheer volume of the items in this photo. I can’t believe how lucky we were to get all of these amazing goodies. The bag in itself was a great gift!

Daisy had sourced some amazing raffle prizes ranging from a Magnitone to chocolate to perfume, there was something for everyone. I managed to win some little bars of IQ Chocolate, I’ve already eaten a couple of them and they’re really good. Thanks again Daisy for organising such a fantastic day, I loved every minute and it was so nice to meet even more lovely bloggers!

Did you attend the Suffolk Blogger Meet? I’d love to follow your blogs, please leave me a comment below so I can find you!

Bee Good Cleansing Water and Cream Cleanser Review*

I love trying new products, especially from brands I’ve never heard of before. When I received the Bee Good 2 in 1 cream cleanser in my goody bag from the Norwich Blogger Meet, I got straight onto trying it.

A couple of weeks later, I was offered the chance to try the Bee Good Cleansing Water, I couldn’t wait to see if it was as good as the Cream Cleanser.

 

The Bee Good Honey and Wild Water Mint 3-in-1 Cleansing Water is so convenient for me to use in the evenings. No water is required, simply apply the cleanser to your face and wipe off. I tend to use a cotton pad for this. The cleansing water removes make-up and everyday grime with ease in a single sweep and leaves my skin feeling so clean and smooth and I don’t even have to leave my bedroom. I love that the ingredients are all ethically sourced and bee-based. Bee Good also make sure a share of all profits goes to help support British bees, how lovely!

The Bee Good Honey and Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser is also a product I am really loving from the Bee Good range. This cleanser requires a bit more effort than the cleansing water, so is a great product to use when you have a bit more time. Massage this creamy cleanser into dry skin and rinse away with a muslin cloth. Repeat until your skin is clean. The smell of this product is amazing, it’s fresh and sweet with subtle hints of honey. You can really tell this product is bursting with fine ingredients, my skin has never been softer after adding this to my skincare regime.

 

Bee Good products are available online here. They have so many different skincare products from exfoliators to hand creams to lip products, you’re bound to find something you love.

*These Bee Good products were provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more information. 

Urban Munch - Norwich

Working in the city has its perks such as LOADS of places to eat at lunch. If I had unlimited money I would eat somewhere different for lunch every week however as this isn't an option I always bring packed lunches and once a month have a payday lunch treat.

One of my favourite places to pop into for a quick lunch is Urban Munch, located opposite The Bell on Castle Meadow in Norwich. Formally known as Baguette Express, Urban Munch has a wide variety of baguettes ranging from chicken to sausage to hog roast. They also sell amazing roast dinners to go comprising of meat, roasties, gravy, stuffing, onions and if you go large a Yorkshire pudding.

I have been to Urban Munch quite a few times now and usually opt for a roast dinner. This time, I decided to go for the 'triple dog' - 3 succulent pork sausages, moist fried onions and all of the ketchup you can dream of in a crunchy white baguette. All this for just £3.

My colleagues went for the small pork roast dinners for £3.95 with crackling, and not a scrap of food was left. Whilst I was in there I noticed some new signage up advertising salads so you can even pop here for something healthy.

Where do you like to go for lunch?

Norwich Blogger Event - #NRWSummer

A few days ago now I attended my first Blogger event/meet-up! I am so pleased that I went, I am usually very shy and things like this usually make me feel very nervous but after sharing some tweets with a few bloggers who were also going I plucked up the courage to attend alone.

The event was held at The Garden House in Norwich which is a lovely pub with a nice sized garden. The venue had been decorated beautifully with bunting and an area had been sectioned off especially for us bloggers (we did have some gatecrashers at one point though!).

The event started at 1pm. I was greeted by Courteney, 1/3rd of Norwich Bloggers and labeled up with a name badge and I started to feel a lot more at ease. The weather was gorgeous, it couldn't have been a nicer day. I got myself a drink and the Yoga session began. I didn't take part but it looked very relaxing!

As the day went on I got more and more comfortable and of course hungry! I'd been chatting with the lovely Wendy and we decided we had to have burger. I asked to have everything on mine and quite literally it was piled up with bacon, cheese, salad, onions and sauce. It was massive! It also came served with coleslaw and potato salad, I must say I was stuffed.

After lunch I watched an amazing hair tutorial by Lucy. I didn't get many photos during this session but some of the styles she created were lovely and so simple.

I also met this cheeky chap. I think he/she was very stylish if not a little strange. So cute. I unfortunately missed the Social Media talk because I was getting food, and only caught part of the Photography session but both seemed really informative from the snippets that I heard.

My day ended with cake (which had melted a bit by the time I got home, but tasted lovely) and loads of amazing goodies. I will be doing plenty more blog posts on these to show you what I got.

Thank you for a lovely day ladies, it was nice to meet you all, to name a few Wendy, Louise, Alys, Emily, Kelly, Charley, Amii, Abigail, and the ladies from Just Essentials.

A special thank you to the Norwich Bloggers who organised the event Courteney, Hannah and Justine. I hope to meet you all again soon.