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Category: review

October’s Degustabox | QueenBeady

You know when it’s your birthday and you unwrap your presents in one of two ways, you’re either a person that’s frantically rips the paper off at mammoth speed to then move on to the next one or you are someone who peels things carefully, savouring each moment. I fall in to the latter category and when my subscription of degustabox lands on my doorstep at the end of the month I can’t wait to carefully to unveil what goodies are inside. October’s was a culinary dream & pretty much everything in the box made me shrill with delight.

Kent’s Kitchen Meal Kits RRP £2.50

Stop what you are doing. Put down your jar of fake curry now. This is what you need to be doing from now on. I say this so strongly because this is what I have just had for my tea. To say it was delicious would be an understatement. The wonderful meal kits from Kent’s Kitchen are an easy 1, 2, 3 step process. Fry your chicken or choice of meat and add the pots one by one and see your meal cooked within 20 minutes or so (don’t forget a tin of coconut milk for the Bengal Curry.) Simple yet so effective. Mr C & I have been leaning towards the curry’s that include a powder recently, it just seems to create so much more flavour and this one has to be one of our favourites that we have tried. Despite it being a Bengal curry it did taste very fragrant like a Thai Curry which is my favourite dish, this is probably why it is such a winner!

Brioche Pasquier Sliced Brioche Loaf RRP £1.69 & Brioche Pasquier Pan au Lait with Choc Chips RRP £1.60

To say I’m not a savoury fiend, would be a downright, total lie. But, when you add chocolate to some scrummy milk bread I cannot resist. Going all continental I have been enjoying a Pan au Lait every morning (& quite possibly every evening but shhhh!) because they are simply to die for. I’ve already had the pleasure to eat these two products in the past so it was only right to be thoroughly thrilled at the prospect of creating one of my signature dishes with Mr C, bread & butter pudding with the sliced brioche. I can’t wait to make it this weekend on a cosy, wintery Sunday afternoon.

Jelly Belly © RRP £2.50

I didn’t even get a look in with these when they arrived. They firmly entered Mr C’s mouth and were laid to rest in his stomach. I think it took him T-Minus ten seconds to eat all these so overall I would say that they went down a (sweet) treat!

Solo Marshmallow Creme RRP £1.99

As the biggest fan of ‘’Fluff’’ this made my eyes light up. I’d never tried the toasted marshmallow version so I was excited to get a spoon and dig right in. It was delicious but very rich which meant only 2 spoonfuls would be enough, anymore I’d be in a marshmallow coma with my head over the toilet. I think I’m going to create the delicious fudge recipe with it instead of spooning it like Nutella!

Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Sauce RRP £1.39

I love, love, love sweet chilli sauce. Especially to dip Thai style vegetable rolls in! However, I’ve gladly sat and doused numerous crisps with the sauce at great measures. It is just too yummy to stop at one or two. Receiving two of these means I will be kept in ‘’Sweet Chilli Heaven’’ for some time.

Special K Cracker Crisps RRP £1.89

I’m on a diet so it disgusts me to think I’d happily sit and quaff on about 5 packets of crisps if I wanted to. So imagine my glee when I found the Special K Cracker Crisps in the box! At 60% less fat these little crisps make it feel less sinful. Although BBQ flavour isn’t exactly my favourite, they were actually really flavoursome which surprised me! At £1.89 it’s at the higher end of what I would want to pay for a family-size bag of crisps, if these were on offer I’d definitely think about getting them for a healthier alternative.

Bear Paws RRP 55p

I can’t say that I was a huge fan of these. Mr C gladly wolfed them down. I’d describe them to taste a little like those strawberry winders all the ‘’cool kids’’ would get in their pack ups at primary school. I never did like them. Whilst I praise the ‘’no added nonsense’’ strapline (which actually lives up to it’s premise – they are made of only apples, pears, strawberries & little sweet potato extract!), the fun aspect of the paw shaped fruit shape for kids is great too, sadly it just wasn’t for me!

Enhance Drinks RRP £2.49

I’m a water fiend & I will drink pints of it a day. I’m also weaning myself off diet coke which has been a task but I’m getting there. I’ve been trying to think of ways to spice up what drinks I have and this has been the perfect answer! I love orange and passion fruit so it’s reminiscent of a J20. At just 1 calorie per drink it means I can have a couple of fruity drinks a day and not feel guilty about it!

What I haven’t tried yet…

Get Buzzing Bars RRP £1.30

I love the aspect of nuts and oats. I love anything like this. I don’t know why I haven’t delved in with this yet but the combination is perfect for me & I have no doubt that I will be dying for more after I’ve tried it. Whilst some may feel the price bracket is a little steep for 1 bar I have seen something similar in our local shop retail at nearly £2! So to me, this is quite the bargain.

Dr Oetker Extra Dark Chocolate RRP £2.49 & Dr Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder RRP £1.89

This coming weekend I’m ready to get my bake on. These babies will feature heavily in the making too. I’m hoping to make my famous chocolate pecan pie. One of Mr C & I’s favourite puddings! Absolutely shockingly bad in the calorie stakes but oh-so finger licking good in the taste stakes. Once I’ve made it I will gladly share the recipe with you all.

So, to round up another fabulous degustabox would be to say that it was fabulous! As I’m not a beauty addict but a huge food lover this is the perfect subscription box for me. With it coming up to Christmas it would also be a great idea to buy a subscription for a loved one too. To help you on your way I have a discount code QCICX which will save you £3!

I’d love to hear from you if you sign up!

Rebecca xxx

C/O degustabox for review purposes. All views are explicitly mine I am not influenced by any other factor.

November 18, 2014
Food Review: Sir Dukes Bar & Grill, Wetherby | QueenBeady

There is nothing I enjoy more than a good burger joint. Sadly, you have to venture to the bigger cities near us such as Leeds, York or Harrogate to be given some meat-a-licious joy. But not now. Now we have the wonderful Sir Dukes to wet our burger ridden appetite.

Recently opened in the old spot of Bon Appetite, this new Bar & Grill gives our little Market Town of Wetherby something it has been missing for a long, long time. Whilst we do have a few select, lovely restaurants in the area we just lack those funky little spots that echo that city charm that we very rarely get in the countryside. I for one could not be happier with this place.

Located in an old, limestone building it oozes that farmhouse style but then when you walk through the door it becomes very quirky. Lots of random pieces of art throughout that you don’t know where to look. We were here early doors to enjoy the Buy 1 get 1 free offer that they are currently promoting so we got a nice spot right next to the original fireplace and at the window for some perfect people watching fun.

We were handed two menus by a lovely host (who I must commend on his royal blue suit – top marks for style there!) Whilst the menu is predominantly meaty, they don’t do too many options which I think is good as it keeps things simple and the process of eating out so much less stressful of having to choose. This place offers burgers, hanging kebabs and a selection from the grill. All of which made my mouth water at the thoughts. I ummed and ahhed about which burger to go for between a simple burger with cheese and trimming or the ‘’Grand Old Duke of Pork’’ (I love the play on words here!) and settled for the latter.

Of course, I was not disappointed with my choice. A thick locally reared beef burger, lashing of pulled pork and peanut butter sauce, accompanied with a honey glazed spare rib, bacon popcorn and some skinny fries. I will wait whilst you just take that in, because it took me a while to process it when it was put in front of me!

You know those meals you get that just cannot be put in to words how good it was? Well this is one of those moments. EVERY. SINGLE. BITE. Was just ridiculously tasty. The beef was cooked to perfection and the pulled pork and peanut butter sauce tasted like a dream and really complimented one another. Bacon popcorn? I hear you say! Yes, and despite all of the odds that should be against it, it was amazing and tasted exactly like a piece of bacon should do. The honey glazed spare rib was perfectly succulent and fell off the bone, just how I like it! And the skinny fries, well you can see where this blog post is going, were DIVINE, especially when it was lashed with Sir Dukes own home made BBQ & Whiskey sauce.

Okay, so of course we were ready to pop after this delicious meal. However, nothing was going to stop us wanting some form of desert afterwards & Sir Dukes do cakes pretty well here. Mr C opted for the Chocolate Fudge Rolo cake which just melted in your mouth (of course I stole a cheeky bite, or two? I have to I’m his wife!)

Whilst he chomped away on the sickly sweet desert I opted to try out one of the cocktails they had on offer, priced at £6 it wasn’t the cheapest cocktail but as we were eating on the BOGOF deal I thought I might as well treat myself & boy am I glad I did?! I opted for the ‘’Solero’’ cocktail which is a passion fruit flavoured drink that is amazing. It was sweet but had a nice tart after kick which I like with my cocktails. It certainly went down a treat!

After our bellies being delightfully full and VERY happy we asked for the bill. Marcus, the owner came over and say Hello as I had mentioned on Twitter & Facebook that we were heading over for a bite to eat which was lovely. All the staff made us feel so welcome and I think this will pay dividends with the local community.

The bill came to a grand total of £33 + tip. This included, two burger with skinny fries, 2 coleslaws, 2 Peroni’s, Chocolate Fudge Rolo cake & a Solero cocktail – I thought it was extremely reasonable for the quality and standard of food we had just feasted on. They even give you wham bars with your bill which wins me over alone!

Overall this new Bar & Grill is a refreshing new joint in Wetherby, if you like cool and quirky with a burger thrown in to the mix then I would not hesitate suggesting this local restaurant! It was a first time experience and it certainly won’t be our last. I wish it all it’s success, however I don’t think it needs my wishes as they seem to be doing everything right without them!

I love to hear about local eateries so if you know of any then let me know, I’d love to hear from you!

Rebecca xxx

September 15, 2014
Leeds Festival: Indiana | QueenBeady

Leeds Festival is like a little bubble, once you enter it you aren’t getting out until the bubble finds a little prick and pops after a long weekend of madness. The atmosphere is electric, the music is always thumping nearby & you can guarantee someone is doing something ridiculous, like walking their pet dinosaur for example. But truth be told I love it and I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving it. I can imagine me still bopping away when I am an old aged pensioner, no doubt. We are so lucky to live on the doorstep of this Bank Holiday Festival, so close that we receive guest tickets for the pleasure of it being located so close to home.

The person I was most looking forward to seeing aside from the top billed acts was Indiana. As soon as I heard her on the radio I knew something special was coming. The pint sized singer is about as big as my little finger, it’s hard to believe she has popped out two children, let alone the fact she has some serious pipes on her!

You could tell she was nervous when she came on stage. She looked so vulnerable and naive as she came out and declared ‘’If you don’t know me, I’m Indiana’’ whilst looking down at the floor and kicking her heels– we were all there to see her and knew exactly who she was. I’d made sure I got there early so I could get a front row spot, I wanted to be right at the forefront of her set because I wanted to see her that much!

I’ve listened to a couple of her songs on Sound Cloud and have been astounded by her vocals on each and every song she has. But, nothing compares to seeing her live. Despite her very sweet entrance on to the stage as soon as she opens her mouth some sort of creature takes over and you can feel every, single word is being sung with meaning and power.

Of course, as soon as Solo Dancing came on that was it my dancing boots were well and truly on despite it only being 2pm in the afternoon, with a Vodka & Relentless in one hand, my camera in the other I got my groove on and sang every bit of it, word for word.

Her single ‘’Heart on Fire’’ wasn’t my favourite when I first heard it on the radio, however hearing it live gave me food for thought & I could not deny the fact that I was singing it for the next few hours. Hearing it live was an amazing experience.

The best way to describe Indiana’s husky tones is that of Florence Welch & Stevie Nicks combined in to one but with a much edgier, cooler sound that oozes something naughty? Don’t ask me why, it just does.
I had the pleasure of a retweet from this girl which gave me a slight fan girl moment. However, in realisation she still seems very down to earth with it all and I’m glad she gives her fans the interaction, obviously because she still feels like one of us. I can see big things for this girl and she best start believing that a lot of people are going to want to listen to her.

Indiana’s ‘’No Romeo’’ and debut album is available on Itunes and you can purchase it here! Now excuse me whilst I go and book tickets for her tour…

Rebecca xxx

September 11, 2014
If You Go Down to the Woods Today | QueenBeady

I was lucky enough to be invited to a VIP Launch evening at a local attraction, Stockeld Park. It is right on our doorstep and for some reason I have just never thought about going as I have heard that the entrance fee’s are quite high, so we have always steered clear. I’m so glad they invited me along because I realised that it was worth every single penny that warranted the £12 ticket.

Blue Fluffy Jumper, Miss Selfridge (eBay) || Skirt, H&M (eBay) || Shoes, Birkenstocks || Leather Bag, Gloves (Italy)

I was really excited because I got to bring along a guest so I decided to bring along my little sister so we could act like big kids of course. I’m sure you can see from above just how much she enjoyed it.

We made our way round Enchanted Forest first of all which took a good 45 minutes to walk round. At each corner as you can see from the photographic evidence, there was something exciting lurking and awaiting our arrival. From musical tree’s to a belching Ogre, not only was everything visual it was a delight for all the senses too!

The best way to describe it would be that it was a slightly lesser version of Forbidden Corner. I was surprised to find ourselves keeping busy for the 2 and a half hours we were there and we didn’t even take part in all the activities!

We made our way round the Maze which was a rather bad idea. Navigation is not my strongest point. However, we came across some fun little treasures and also a Tardis (or two!) which made my sister VERY happy as a Dr. Who fan.

When we eventually managed to work our way out of the Maze (I promise it wasn’t because I took a photo of the map to help get us out. Brownies honour!) I was desperate for an ice cream so we headed over to the Ice Cream Parlour before we headed home. On site you will find a cafe, picnic area and toilets for all your amenity needs.

Alongside the Enchanted Forest (which, you can motorised scooter around also!) and the maze, there are also go karts, various play parks in and around the Enchanted Forest and also a Skating Rink! You will be spoilt for choice.

Tickets cost £12 per person or you can purchase a family tickets for £42!

If you are thinking of heading to Stockeld Park, click here!

Rebecca xxx

July 24, 2014
Ciate Mini Mani | QueenBeady

Now, I aren’t going to lie. I am often drawn in to buying magazine if they have a pretty gift attached to it. So when I walked into my local shop & Marie Claire was staring at me, offering me a free Ciate Nail Polish in exchange for a £2 magazine, I quite literally jumped at the chance, dipped my fingers in to my new italian leather purse and hopped to the counter.

These little Ciate Mini’s are perfect for popping in your purse just in case you ever need a touch up and they also come in the most adorable colours. I am loving the duck egg blue colour at the moment, so much so, that I dressed my bridesmaids in this colour. I think it is so flattering no matter what your skin tone. I have quite a few variations of blue polishes at the moment but I have to say this gets 10/10 for colour!

I started with my base coat and then built it up with three layers with the polish becoming less transparent every time. I have to say that the brush with this polish had to be the easiest one I have ever used. It effortlessly glided on my ill-shaped nails each time.

I didn’t even ruin my nails once. It dries so fast so it makes it super quick to put on. It dries so quick that when you are touching up the brush doesn’t glide so well. But all in all, I just made sure I had a steady hand and got it right on the next set of fingers.

I started to get chips 48-72 hours after I had applied it so it lasted quite well for a normal polish (especially without the top coat!)

Having tried the Ciate Mini’s I will more than likely be investing in some more exciting colours for the summer ahead.

What do you think of Ciate? Rate it or not? Have you got any favourite colours to inspire me?

Did you know you can enter my Hunter Welly giveaway by clicking here! Good Luck!

Rebecca xxx

July 17, 2014