Shloer

If I'm having a dinner party I always try to have a special non-alcoholic drink available for the drivers or anyone who is not drinking.

Shloer always goes down well, it is sparkling and refreshing and not too sweet. I was delighted to be sent three bottles of Shloer to try; white grape and elderflower (one of my old favourites), white grape and raspberry and cranberry (a new favourite) and the newly launched Shloer Rose.

The Rose has lovely subtle flavour and I've been enjoying a glass of it in the evening with dinner. I don't drink during the week so it is perfect for me.

I was pleased to read that Shloer contains no preservatives, artificial colours, sweeteners or flavourings. Lovely.

The dreamgenii Twinkle Tog

We were sent a dreamgenii Twinkle Tog to review. It is a sleeping bag your toddler can walk in.

While it is funny to see your little one shuffling about trying to walk in their sleeping bag, it's not that safe. If you just put them to bed in pyjamas and a duvet chances are the duvet will be kicked off in the night. If your children are anything like mine this makes them cry, so you have to get out of your warm bed to cover them up. This could happen many times in the night, particularly in the winter.

Well, not any more. The Twinkle Tog is a brilliant invention. It kept 2 year old Cash warm all night and he could move about easily without getting twisted up. I was concerned that the Twinkle Tog would be bulky, but it's cosy and comfortable.

The Twinkle Tog is available in summer and winter tog ratings and in several funky prints. It is currently sold exclusively through Mothercare and retails at £29.99.  There is a buy 1 get 1 half price offer currently running, but for a limited time only.

Boys Treasure

I was asked to take a look at a couple of websites selling gifts for boys and girls. The boys' site is boystreasure.co.uk and the girls' site is pinkheaven.co.uk.

The sites are easy to navigate and there are some fantastic, great value products available.

We were sent a pirate alarm clock (£13.99) which arrived beautifully packaged. It is ideal for teaching the boys how to tell the time.

While I'm not keen on too many gender specific toys, there are plenty of items on both sites that I have earmarked for my present box and the boys' birthdays. I particularly liked the Make a train kit, a good value present at £5.99.

There is a huge range of dressing up outfits in Pink Heaven. I'm hoping this Princess Violet dress comes in adult sizes, ahem!

Win Tickets to the Excel Baby Show, a Hamper from Plum Baby and a Harden's Guide

*This competition is now closed*


The winner, chosen at random by a small child, is number 8 - Paula.

Plum Baby and Gurgle have been working with Harden's to produce the first guide to eating out with babies and toddlers. More than 1,000 venues in the UK have been reviewed, compiled from feedback from 8,000 parents who eat out with their children.


The guide is being launched at the Excel Baby Show (18th-20th February) in London. To celebrate the launch one lucky Sandy Calico Reviews reader will win:

• 2 tickets to the Excel Baby Show
• A copy of the Harden's guide to eating out with babies and toddlers
• A hamper from Plum Baby

To enter simply leave a comment on this blog post, by midnight on Tuesday 15th February, telling us where you like to take your children to eat. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted by me on Wednesday 16th February.


Please ensure you leave your Twitter id or email address so I can contact you if you win.


There is no cash alternative. Only one entry per person.


Good luck!




Disclosure: I have been sent a copy of the guide and some Plum Baby samples as a thank you for running this competition.

Hotter GORE-TEX Shoes

I was sent this pair of GORE-TEX Mist Hotter Shoes to review.

The blurb says that they combine the Hotter Comfort Concept with the practicality of GORE-TEX. This is spot on. From day one my shoes have kept my feet warm and dry. They are sturdy and comfortable.

I walk whenever I can, so recently that has meant walking on snow, ice, slush, through puddles and soggy leaves. I've been wearing my Hotter GORE-TEX shoes solidly for over a month and they still look like new. They fit me beautifully, it's like wearing slippers.

They're not bulky or heavy like my old walking boots, in fact these look like trainers poking out from under my jeans. I feel smart wearing them anywhere.

There are four women's shoes and boots in the GORE-TEX range. I'm happy with my selection, Mist at £74.

I now have a fantastic pair of sensible walking shoes that get me from home to playgroup via the park with ease. I like Hotter Shoes for their quality and comfort and I love that they are a Lancashire manufacturer too. 

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Vertbaudet Children's Clothes

We were sent this fabulous reversible hooded top and a gorgeous shirt (see below) from Vertbaudet.

The hooded top (was £13, but is currently reduced to just £6 in the sale - BARGAIN) is lovely and warm and washes and tumble dries well. It has a reindeer design on one side and reverses to a plain bright red on the other. While I love this top and it looks great on my 3 year old son, I haven't reversed it as the washing instructions would be on show and I don't want to cut them out!

The poplin shirt (£13) makes my 2 year old son look so grown up and stylish. Again it washes and dries well and hasn't faded, although I wish it was self-ironing!

Vertbaudet sell fabulous Baby clothes, funky and functional Boys clothing and also a wide range of Maternity Clothes. 

I'm off to have a virtual rummage through the sale items!

Tefal Actifry

I was sent a Tefal Actifry to review. I'm not normally a kitchen gadget type of person, although I'd heard good things about this. I tend to try things once, find them too awkward to use or too difficult to clean and put them away in the garage. Not this baby. Oh no. I love the Tefal Actifry!

The Tefal Actifry cooks with hot air. You can cook a kilo of chips in just one spoonful of oil, so clearly this is healthier than deep-frying. The photograph above is of our first batch of chips half way through cooking. As you can see there is no condensation and, above all, no mess. You set it going and the paddle turns the food so it is evenly cooked.

What I love most about the Tefal Actifry is that is is mess-free. It comes apart easily after cooking and the lid, bowl, paddle and measuring spoon all go in the dishwasher. There's nothing else to clean.

What I also love is the way food tastes when it's cooked in the Tefal Actifry. Chips are crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. Potato wedges are amazing, buttery and yummy. You can 'roast' new potatoes with herbs and garlic and they taste out of this world. You can cook all sorts of foods in the Tefal Actifry, not just potatoes (although it is exceedingly good at cooking potatoes). Today I cooked sausages, 8 chipolatas took just 12 minutes and there was no smell, no splattered grease and no mess. I'm going to try their recipe for bolognaise sauce next. The Tefal Actifry comes with a round-the-world recipe book. Some of the recipes are a bit random, but it gives you a good idea of what you can cook in it.

The only minor downside is it's a little noisy, but no noisier than the extractor fan.

Tefal Actifry Recipe for Potato wedges, Salmon and Courgettes

(I made this up, but don't let that put you off. You can see it's edible from the photograph above)!

Cut potatoes into wedges. Dry with a clean tea towel or kitchen roll.

Put the wedges in the Tefal Actifry with large pinches of sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, parsley and chilli flakes and 3/4 of a spoonful of vegetable oil (or oil of your choice).

Cook for 20 minutes.

Add one chopped courgette and 150ml of cold water.

Cook for a further 10 minutes.

Add chunks of salmon steak and the juice of one lemon.

Cook for a final 10 minutes.

That's it. One pot (that goes on the dishwasher), no pans, no mess. Delicious healthy food.

The Tefal Actifry is available from this list of stores. The RRP is £199.99, but you can currently buy it for £107.00. I wouldn't be without mine now.

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