I've been lucky enough to review all sorts since I started blogging but when Prestige Hampers got in touch to review one of their luxury Christmas hampers I couldn't believe my luck.

Unwrapping the box I was greeted with the most stunning wicker basket. The leather detailing throughout added a touch of luxury and when I released the clasps I was stunned at how much was included from wine to chocolate, biscuits, preserves and so much more. I quickly snapped a photo on my phone and sent it to Tom as I was giddy with excitement but I knew we couldn't touch anything until I had photographed it for this post.

For me, food hampers are my favourite gift to give and receive. I find it's a great gift for a couple or family and oozes a wow factor that you just don't get with your standard bath set.

This is where Prestige Hampers come in to their own. They provide hampers for every occasion and all budgets from a chocolate fuelled Letterbox Hamper for only £14.99 through to their ultimate Luxury Hampers from £49.99.

We aren't flying home to Belfast for Christmas this year as we have decided to enjoy Dylan's first Christmas as a family of four but I have had a look on Prestige Hamper's website as I might post something back for the family to enjoy as let's face it, who doesn't love a hamper for Christmas?


I was kindly sent the Elegant Christmas Hamper to review and I was amazed at how much was included. There were so many goodies for Tom and I to enjoy including Chocolate Coffee for this sleep deprived mama, Sticky Toffee Pudding Biscuits and Yorkshire Crisps for my Yorkshire husband.



Initially we wanted to tuck in to a few treats but we've since decided to put the Hamper away until Christmas and enjoy it then when we have visitors or when we have date night. I seriously cannot wait for the Lily O'Brien chocolates though, I've had them before and they are immense!

I'm really impressed with this Hamper from the quality of the wicker basket through to the products included. The basket can be used for storage in the future (I'm imagining picnics in the summer) and there are so many goodies that we can both share and also enjoy individually.

Thanks so much to Prestige Hampers for brightening up a rubbish week, it was exactly what I needed.

 

As Ethan is getting older my favourite thing to do with him is to involve him in baking and cooking. It keeps him out of mischief and he's learning about food while I get some quality time with my biggest boy.

He's only 2 so his attention span isn't great and any baking we do needs to be quick and easy otherwise he loses interest. 

With Halloween approaching I wanted to make something with Ethan that would get him excited about it but that would have minimal involvement from me. He's an independent little boy and I like to encourage this as much as possible.

Halloween bark is super quick and easy to make; we were able to knock it together while Dylan kicked about on his mat without him getting fed up that he wasn't getting any attention. It's perfect for mums who are short on time and creates minimal mess which is always a winner in my eyes.

Halloween Bark

200g milk chocolate

50g white chocolate 

A selection of Halloween sweets

Line an oven tray or chopping board with some baking parchment

Melt the chocolate in two separate bowls

Spread the milk chocolate out to make a large rectangle around A4 in size

Dollop the white chocolate on top and drag it through the milk chocolate with a skewer or knife

Scatter over the Halloween sweets

Place in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up

Once set, break into pieces and enjoy!

Apologies! I fully intended to get this recipe typed up yesterday and published this morning but a certain baby of mine decided that all week sleep is for the weak therefore I could barely think straight never mind write a blog post.

So, both boys are napping (win!) and I'm taking the opportunity to quickly type up the last recipe in my Biscoff Week series. Have you see my posts on Biscoff Cupcakes and Biscoff Brownies?

A wee while ago I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw a post from Jane's Patisserie on Biscoff Cheesecake and I just knew I needed to make it. I used her recipe but made a few adjustments to it and oh my, this cheesecake is the nicest thing I have ever eaten. It's light and creamy, with a little bit of crunch and has set the bar for future cheesecakes ridiculously high. I gave a friend some of it and sent half of it into work with Tom as there is no way we could have eaten the whole thing and thankfully everyone loved it. I'm always wary of people's reactions to my bakes but I think this is one that I will make time and time again.

Biscoff Cheesecake

I couldn't resist including this photo. He looks a tad guilty haha!

To celebrate Biscoff week on the old blog I've got another amazing recipe to share with you - Biscoff Brownies!

Brownies are by far my most favourite thing to bake and I've made all sorts of varieties from Malteser, to Crunchie to Cookie Dough and so much more. They are such a versatile little traybake and I love how you can turn a simple chocolate treat into something so much more indulgent.

I love how these two flavours work together; the sweetness of the Biscoff spread balances out the chocolatey richness of the brownie. I actually made these as a birthday gift for a friend and if I'm honest I wish I could have made a whole batch for myself, they were just immense!

Biscoff Brownies

Salted Caramel used to be my addiction but now it's all about the Lotus Biscoff Spread. I mean, seriously, that stuff I could happily eat out of the jar, it's just heaven!

While I was going through my drafts and food photos I realised I had 3 recipes that I had yet to share which are all Biscoff related so I've decided to declare this Biscoff Week on my blog and I'll be sharing a recipe today (Monday), on Wednesday and Friday.

First up is my Biscoff Cupcake recipe. So simple and easy to whip up but the flavour of the buttercream is a fluffy piece of heaven. I find I prefer making a sponge that is quite plain to balance out the sweetness and richness of the buttercream otherwise it's just too rich and sickly rather than indulgent. Cupcakes may be small but it's important not to over do it on the sweetness front.

Biscoff Cupcakes

170g SR flour

170g baking spread (preferably Stork)

170g light brown sugar

1tsp baking powder

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 Biscoff biscuits crumbled

Preheat the oven to 160C (fan)

Line a 12 hole muffin tin

Using the all in one method place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk on a high speed until well combined and fluffy in texture

Divide the mixture between the 12 muffin cases (using an ice cream scoop will make this easier)

Place in the oven for 20 minutes until springy to touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean

Remove from the tin immediately and place on a wire rack to cool

To Decorate

500g icing sugar

200g unsalted butter (softened)

a few heaped tbsp of smooth Biscoff spread

a few tbsp of milk to combine if needed

a piping bag of 2 tbsp of melted Biscoff spread

Whisk the icing sugar, butter and Biscoff spread on a high speed for a good 5 minutes until pale and fluffy adding milk to combine if needed. 

If you feel the buttercream doesn't have a strong enough flavour add more Biscoff spread until you have reached your desired taste.

Pipe a generous swirl on to each cupcake, scatter over a handful of biscuit crumbs and drizzle some of the melted Biscoff spread to finish.

Enjoy!