review Archives - Conversations through the middle

Summer scent – Alesha Rose Quartz

May 16, 2014

At last, it’s sunny and warm in Newcastle today and it feels like summer’s here. One of my favourite things in summer is the fragrance of roses, that heady, heavy, scent I associate with August, the six weeks holiday and playing outside as a child. Aunty Mary and Uncle Stan lived opposite us, across the back lane, and their garden was full to bursting with rose bushes, big, glorious blooms that spilled out their perfume in the air, especially in the evening. Happy days.

My daughter has inherited my love of that flower’s scent, though it’s a shame she won’t get to experience the joy of Uncle Stan’s garden as I did. Her love of roses though translates to perfume – currently one in particular, Alesha Dixon’s Rose Quartz.

(It’s a press image – our kitten chewed up the perfume box before I got a chance to take my own photo)

Containing geranium, bergamot, grapefruit and magnolia, I don’t know if this eau de toilette includes any actual roses, but it smells like it does. It is very light, not cloying, so will suit a wide range of people. In the absence of actual roses around our way this is an enjoyable substitute. Not that I get to wear it often – Dot has acquired it and added it to her getting-larger-every-day haul of make-up and fragrance.

Usually I’m not one for celebrity scents, but this one is a belter.

Rose Quartz by Alesha Dixon costs £24.50 for 100ml from here.

Phil Smith Be Gorgeous Total Treat Argan Oil Cream – review

November 23, 2013

Hair products and I often don’t get on. I don’t have time to spend hours sorting out my hair so I don’t tend to use lots of different products, preferring to stay with a couple of tried and tested favourites instead.

My hair has also become more frizzy over the years, and when I find something that tames the frizz and stops me looking like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards, I tend to stick with it.

So when this arrived through the post I had no expectations about it at all.

I tried it – and I love it. I have been using it for a couple of weeks now and I can really see a difference in the smoothness of my hair; it looks more groomed and shiny than before.

I had all of my hair cut off a few weeks ago in a drastic move to signify a new start in my life, and because I was so sick of having to wear it up all the time (it looked a mess down). I now have a short bob, which incidentally is the best do I have ever had.

Back to Total Treat. Blowdrying has never been my forte, so I rough dry my hair then use the straighteners on it to iron out the frizz. You are supposed to apply a pea sized amount of the product after washing, then style. I use more than that, but I have thick hair and haven’t had a problem with greasiness or stickiness from using too much.

I’m really impressed with this. The tube is going to last for ages, but when it does run out it will be on my shopping list as it now ranks up there with my beloved Illuminoil as one of my favourite haircare products.

Foodie Thursday – Canapés review

October 11, 2012

Now we are in autumn, and celebrations such as Bonfire Night and dare I say it, Christmas, are on the horizon, the publication of this recipe book is well timed.

Canapés is a cornucopia of party nibbles, savoury and sweet. It’s a great looking book, full of gorgeous photographs and it is hard backed, so it’s hardwearing, something I think is essential for a cookery title.

I’ll say it now – I love canapés. We have a tradition every Christmas Eve in our house of party food for tea. It’s decadent, rich and you can experience lots of different flavours at one go. Normally, I admit, I buy my feast from a combination of Marks & Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, but this year I’m going to have a go at cooking up a few nibbles myself.

With more than 200 recipes to choose from I’ve already marked out a few favourites, two of which I’ve reproduced in my next post, with kind permission of the publisher. I’ve chosen easy dishes, as I’m no chef and let’s face it, won’t have lots of spare time on Christmas Eve!

For the more adventurous among you there’s clams with ginger and lime butter; monkfish, pancetta and rosemary spiedini with lemon aioli; classic fish goujons; quail egg and crispy bacon croustades; sweet potato and ginger rosti with coriander pesto; smoked haddock and parsley cakes; spicy pork empanaditas with chunky avocado relish and triple chocolate biscottini with hazelnuts.

My mouth is watering.

There’s also heaps of help in the form of menus, how many canapés to allow per person, drinks to accompany the food, and presentation tips.

Professional cook and co-author of Canapés Victoria Blashford-Snell says: “Serving canapés to your guests is a fun way of showing off. It is the one time you can mix a little Asian and French together, as long as you make some considerations for taste, texture and presentation when choosing your menu.”

Roll on Christmas Eve.

Canapés by Victoria Blashford-Snell and Eric Treuille is published by Dorling Kindersley and costs £14.99. For more information please take a look at www.dk.com

Giveaway alert!

I have three copies of Canapés, kindly supplied by Dorling Kindersley, to give away to three lucky people. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning one is visit 40s Chic on Monday (15 October 2012) and leave a comment under the giveaway post.

Book review – The Hunger Games and White Fang

August 21, 2012

So today I’m having a rest and letting my 11-year-old Dot take over the blog with her reviews of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and White Fang by Jack London. Take it away Dotty…

“The Hunger Games is a daring tale of a 16-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen. Katniss’ sister Prim is chosen for the 74th Hunger Games. At the risk of losing her life and not able to bear the thought of losing her 12-year-old sister, Katniss bravely volunteers to take her sister’s place.

The Hunger Games is an exciting thriller. I couldn’t stop reading and I felt like I was really there with her throughout her amazing journey.”

“White Fang is a heartfelt tale about a baby wolf and his journey to adulthood. Along the way White Fang meets some new friends and some new enemies. White Fang learns to trust man again after being betrayed and lost.

White Fang is one of my favourite books of all time. It’s a real page turner, you won’t want to put it down. I recommend this book to anyone who loves tales of friendship, love and loss.”