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Tag: Review

  • Have a Cracking Christmas with Pizza Express | QueenBeady

    Have a Cracking Christmas with Pizza Express | QueenBeady

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    I had the pleasure of an all-expenses paid meal at Pizza Express the other week. We set to a busy, festive York to sample their brand new Christmas menu & boy was I looking forward to it. Christmas & food in one sentence is just too much for little old me, I might pop with excitement.

    We ventured to the Museum Street branch, which is just across Lendall Bridge & opposite the Museum gardens. Being right on the river sets a nice atmosphere too. It was bustling with people when we arrived so we were shown to some comfy seats where we could peruse the menu’s. I have to say everything sounded delicious & I was struggling to choose. As the building is so old it still has all it’s glamorous high ceilings and detailing which is just exactly what I love about York.

    Our host for the evening was a jolly girl who made up for some entertainment, Hollie. She clearly enjoyed what she was doing & it shone through. When pronounced with two glasses of prosecco (my favourite!) she was quick to advise what dishes were delicious. I opted for the Pork & Pancetta Croquettes (For those who don’t know what that is: Pulled pork belly, pancetta, cheddar and basil croquettes breaded and baked, served with a spiced arrabbiata sauce. ALL THE NOMS.) Mr C was rather dull, which is unlike him, and chose cheesy garlic bread (I don’t think anyone needs a description here & if you do, walk away slowly!)

    I was quite hungry so my starter went down an absolute treat. Everything was so tasty leaving me wanting maybe an extra croquette to put me on till our main meal. But, alas I did not have to fear as it only took ten minutes or so between courses. Now, I’m not a huge fan of pizza’s when at a restaurant. I find them messy & awkward but in the namesake place of pizza, I had to indulge. Of course, I went for a new, Christmas pizza that they had just launched; Anatra Romana which was pulled duck, shredded courgette, red onion and mozzarella on a light plum hoisin sauce finished with rocket and fresh spring onion. I think I have an obsession with any pulled meat. Mr C being an avid heat tester went for Pizza Express’ hottest pizza on the menu, Francesco Mazzei Calabrese. This had all manners of cured meat and spicy chilli’s on it. It’s safe to say he was impressed. It was a good 8/10 for him & I quote ”The best pizza I have had in restaurant EVER.” That is a mean fete! Mine was lovely, albeit a little sweet, but all the same the rocket on top mixed with the duck was just lovely! I’d have no qualms in recommending it at all.

    Now, to say I was looking forward to the deserts was an understatement. I don’t know if any of you have been to Pizza Express before but, their desert menu is something to behold. I wanted to ask if we could have a sharing plate & try them all, but my waist cracked & decided against it. We were terribly cliche and both went for the same thing, Chocolate Tartufo. This is a moist chocolate sponge topped with a crispy waffle praline and rich Belgian dark chocolate with a praline mousse centre. Boy, did that sound good and was highly recommended by our waitress! Third glass of prosecco down I managed to get two thirds of the way through it, but my, was it good. Very sweet & intense so I’d recommend a glass of water when drinking it which is probably why I was defeated by it in the end!

    For £19.95 per person to enjoy a three course meal with a glass of prosecco is great value for money and you aren’t skimping in quantity OR quality. I must say I am now thoroughly a pizza fan!

    Rebecca xxx

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  • October’s Degustabox | QueenBeady

    October’s Degustabox | QueenBeady

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    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.

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    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!

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    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.

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    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!

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    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!

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    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.

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    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.

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    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!

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    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…

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    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.

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    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.

  • 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.

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    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!

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    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.

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    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

  • One Dress, Two Looks | QueenBeady

    I’m a thrifty shopper, if there has ever been one & I love to get a deal as much as the next person. I feel like I have hit the jackpot when I win something for 99p on eBay that still has tags on & should have cost £40 in store. Naturally, when I have a dress that can work as a festival/day time look and also be dressed up for an evening, I am a very happy girl lady.

    Imagine my delight when The Hut asked me if I wanted to style a Festival outfit for £30! I was delighted. After browsing their amazing and easy to navigate website I was drawn to this beautiful dress. I have a little bit of a love for clothes with birds on for some reason? Maybe it’s because we have chickens. I’m not quite sure, but I did know that I was drawn to canary (yes, bird related again!) yellow dress.

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    The detailing is beautiful and so intricate! I was instantly drawn to each individual section almost like I was taken on a fabric version of watership down. Yes, a terrible way to describe it but look at the pretty?!

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    Festival Look || Floral Crown, eBay || Dress, Glamorous @ The Hut () || Hunter Wellies, Cloggs UK ()

    I love this look, it’s exactly how I would rock up to a festival. Cloggs UK are a fabulous online shoe shop and if you have a penchant for lots and lots and lots (and lots!) of shoes you will never be left in doubt if you head there. With free, next day delivery you always feel like they are giving back for your little purchase. You really should go see!

    You can enter my Hunter Welly Giveaway here!

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    Evening Look || Hat, The Hut () || Dress, Glamorous at The Hut () || Shoes, eBay (New Look)

    Now, I realise this dress looks VERY short in this photo, I guess the way you carry yourself wearing heels does not help when wearing dresses. I don’t think I accounted for dem hips n’ thighs when ordering a size Medium! Alas, look at that hat doe. Isn’t she beautiful. I recently instgrammed/tweet a photo with me wearing this hat before the Blog Yorkshire Meet (which you can read about here!) but I was a chicken and didn’t wear it in the (queue the bork bork borkkkkkkk sounds!)

    I am so excited to give them a proper outing! Which is your favourite look? How would you have styled this dress, I’d love to hear from you.

    Rebecca xxx

  • Wetherby Food Festival | QueenBeady

     

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    When you live somewhere for a long time you very rarely look past what meets the eye. You take things for granted and don’t see for what it is worth. This weekend proved that despite our local town being a ‘’same old, same old’’ kind of place we were wowed with the Wetherby Food Festival this past weekend. And as soon as someone mentions food, I am there.

    So on Sunday afternoon we found ourselves heading down to the Ings by the river to experience some culinary delights and get our senses lusting after food that we don’t normally get to try! Cue photo overload.

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    First things first, we had to wet our alcoholic appetite and we were not dissapointed with the amount of drinks stalls availabe. As much as I love prosecco I really fancied trying some locally made raspberry cider. I can’t say I was overly overjoyed with my choice as it was extremely tart and still tasted like pear cider. I expected it to be like a mixed fruit type of cider. Clearly not.

    Despite the terrible choice in beverage it was time to have a look round and see what food was on offer. I have a penchant for filling my stomach & I enjoy good food. Hence the gut that you may see in a few photos time. I am determined to go on a health kick so what better way than to spend my last Sunday as a ‘’free eating woman?’’

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    Who doesn’t love a good old, restored, vintage caravan? Hands down. THIS is my ultimate dream. I would just adore the chance of being able to restore my own caravan and create a pop up cafe from time to time as a little hobby. The guys at Crepe Escape have done an amazing job. And what’s better they have painted it in my favourite colour too!

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    Yep, there is fatty bum bum – I have indulged in a few cream cakes recently, my hair is windswept and Mr C can never take a good photo of me. I will stick to a tripod next time.

    For those of you who care I kept my look simple and despite the glorious weather it was pouring it down in the morning so I thought I would put some jeans on. BIG MISTAKE.

    Top | Zara (eBay find)

    Jeans | Topshop Baxter

    Shoes | Birkenstocks

    Now, on to the food…

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    Mr C indulged in a super, doubly spicy chorizo burger which he said was extremely tasty. I have to agree it looked amazing as well.

    I opted for Paella from Black Bull Paella. It was fresh and had just been made which made even more appetising. Big chunks of chicken & chorizo is exactly what I like in a paella. It was quite oniony but it was still delicious and quite spicy too. As fan of a little kick we were not disappointed with our choices.

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    I’m sure you will agree, EVERYTHING, looked amazing & so delicious. In fact my mouth is watering at the sight of the beautiful, hand pick strawberries. (Insert strawberry Emoji / heart eyes face here!)

    Not only was there food and drink available they had kitted out the festival with two stages for performances it so it really felt like you were at a festival with some local, home-grown musical talent too! These guys below were awesome with the little accordian!

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    Honestly, credit goes to the organisers because I have never seen Wetherby so busy before and it was clearly enjoyed by all. The entry was only £2.50 to get in which was an absolute bargain for a full day of entertainment. I hope it is back next year, even bigger & better than this year!

    What did you do this weekend? Does your home town offer something similar every year? I’d love to hear from you!

    Rebecca xxx

    Ps. If you want to get Festival ready why not head over to my giveaway and enter to win a pair of Hunter Wellies, click here!