Happy Hour Without the Hangover Mocktails and Must-Try Cocktails With Boo Chi Kombucha

Kombucha is the beverage of choice for the health-conscious amongst us, but did you know, it also tastes great with alcohol, or jazzed up to create a delicious mocktail? It's great with booze, and it's great without booze, too!

A healthy cocktail is something we can all get behind and enjoy, so we can ditch the higher-calorie drinks and use kombucha to mix your cocktails and your mocktails. 

This superb modern mixer that's slightly effervescent, low in sugar and naturally contains probiotics and healthy organic acids is full of goodness and low in calories, too.

What is it? Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage that may have many health benefits, from fighting winter colds to helping maintain a healthy digestive tract.

As kombucha is the star of the show, it's worth sourcing the very best and Boo Chi kombucha is Soil Association certified and brewed in small batches in the heart of the Devon countryside.  Order online at www.boochi.co.uk.

There's nothing difficult or complicated about making Boo Chi kombucha cocktails and mocktails. If you just follow these instructions using Boo Chi kombucha and you'll have a tipple worth raising a glass to!

How to make a Boo Chi kombucha cocktails and mocktails

Boojito – Low and No

Ingredients

300ml Boo Chi – Fresh Mint to Revive 

60ml white rum (any brand)

Juice of 1 lime

Small handful mint leaves, plus extra sprig to serve

Method

Muddle the lime juice, and mint leaves in a small jug, crushing the mint as you go – you can use the end of a rolling pin for this. Pour into a tall glass and add a handful of ice.

Pour over the rum, stirring with a long-handled spoon. Top up with Boo Chi fresh mint to revive garnish with mint and serve.

The Original - Go For It" – Low and No 

Ingredients 

300ml Boo Chi – Original to Balance 

50ml Vodka (any brand)

Squeeze of Lemon Juice

Selection of Fresh Berries (recommend blueberries, strawberries and pomegranate)

Method 

Fill a highball glass or other large cocktail glass with crushed ice 

Pour in vodka and a squeeze of lemon juice and stir

Pour the original kombucha over the top and garnish with a selection of fresh berries

Ginger Thistle – Low and No

Ingredients

200ml Boo Chi - Fresh Ginger to Reignite

50ml vodka (any brand)

Squeeze of fresh orange

Handful of crushed ice

Garnish with a slice of fresh ginger

Method

Mix together the ginger kombucha, vodka, orange juice, and crushed ice. 

Add all ingredients to a tall glass (high ball) and garnish with a slice of fresh ginger and glass straw to serve.

Strawberry Negroni – Low and No

Ingredients

125ml Boo Chi – Fresh Strawberry to Revive

50ml Gin (any brand)

25ml Campari

10ml lemon juice

Strawberry/Lemon Wedge to garnish

Method

In a large glass mix together the gin, Campari and lemon juice, add ice cubes and pour fresh strawberry kombucha over the top gently stirring as you go.  Garnish with a lemon slice/wedge and one fresh strawberry.

Ginsing Mezcal – Low and No

Ingredients

150ml Boo Chi – Korean Ginseng to Boost

50ml Mezcal (any brand)

1 grapefruit and lime juice

½ tsp honey or agave (any brand)

Coarse Salt

Lime to garnish

Method

First squeeze both the grapefruit and lime juice into a shaker and mix together, then add the mezcal and honey or agave, add one ice cube and shake until cold. 

Rim the glass with salt and add one ice cube to the glass (this isn't necessary if you don't want to pour over ice)

Pour in the mescal and top up with Korean ginseng kombucha

Garnish with any herbs and a lime slice

Original spice – Low and No

Ingredients

300ml Boo Chi – Original to Balance

50ml Vodka (any brand)

Squeeze fresh orange 

2-4 drops orange bitters

Orange slice and cinnamon stick, for garnish

Method

Fill a highball glass or other large cocktail glass with crushed ice

Pour in freshly squeezed orange juice, vodka and stir

Top off with the original kombucha, a few drops of the bitters, and garnish the glass with an orange slice and cinnamon stick.

 

Turmeric Fizz – Low and No

Ingredients

300ml Boo Chi – Turmeric to Brighten

50ml Gin (we would recommend spiced Ophir)

Slice of orange and ginger to garnish

Method

Fill a highball glass or other large cocktail glass with crushed ice

Pour the spiced gin and also the kombucha directly into the glass and stir

Garnish with orange

Boo Chi Kombucha's Mixed Pack (12 bottles £38)

Boo Chi Kombucha's mixed pack contains 12 bottles of delicious and refreshing organic drinks, each made with Soil Association certified products.

Boo Chi Kombucha is a premium organic product brewed in small batches in the heart of the West Country of England, rural Devon to be precise. 

It's a tonic filled with goodness delivering good bacteria, vitamins and enzymes for a happy, healthy gut. It tastes delicious, has incredible health benefits and is certain to spread feelings of wellness and vitality, so it's an ideal drink for the Christmas and New Year party season.

Boo Chi Kombucha is naturally low in sugar with organic herbs and spices adding flavour, and it's patiently brewed to reach perfect pH levels for optimum taste and health balance.

After drinking it helps give a feeling of energy, lightness and brightness and is renowned as a natural elixir.

Boo Chi Kombucha is the perfect non-alcoholic alternative offering that is low in sugar and calories but has a wonderful taste.

The Boo Chi Kombucha range offers six different brews, each slightly different depending on the music that has been played.

Order online at www.boochi.co.uk

Luxury Dog Collars And Dog and Cat Beds For Christmas from SNUGBUMS

These are premium quality leather and jet black hair on hide dog collars. They are beautifully finished with solid brass hardware with their signature Logo on the pebbled leather keeper and foil gold embossed logo on the inside. 

These soft leather collars really do make a huge statement and come in a variety of sizes:

 XS - 28cm - 35cm £35

S - 35cm - 42cm £40

M - 39cm - 48cm £45

L - 48cm - 57cm £50

Their luxury leather dog collars are hand made in the UK using the finest leather crafting materials. The collars have a soft Nubuck leather lining with their logo gold embossed into the hide. 

The hair on hide is extremely durable and easy to keep clean. The brass hardware can be polished up for a high shine whenever you feel it need a little extra sparkle.

Also available from SNUGBUMS are Posh Pets at CHRISTMAS;

Luxury faux fur pet beds with removable covers and waterproof inners entirely made in the UK.

Give your furry friend the very best SNUGBUMS  has to offer with one of the finest dog beds available today. The classic donut pet bed has had a serious upgrade.

Representing the height of style and comfort, see them relax into a sumptuous and dreamy nights sleep in this deep filled premium pet bed. The extra padded sides make this the best pet bed for anxiety, so your dogs and cats can snooze peacefully.

For sustainable luxury, the Black Beauty is entirely sourced and produced in the UK. The luxury brown faux fur pet bed has removable covers and wipeable waterproof inners for fresh, clean easy maintenance, so that every nap is as special as the first. 

Your pets will thank you later!

SIZES

Small 43cm x 15cm (24cm inner cushion) £95 Tea Cup Yorkies, Chihuahuas and small cats

Medium 65cm x 25cm (35cm inner cushion) £135 Larger cats, Terriers, Pugs, Frenchies, Cavapoos

Large 85cm x 35cm (50cm inner cushion) £195 Spaniels, Labs, Dalmatians, English Buldogs

For stockist details call 07854383489 or visit www.snugbums.co.uk.

Maldon Salt Sloe Gin Pomegranate Fizz

Serves: 2 people 

Ingredients:

• 100ml sloe gin

• 75ml pomegranate juice

• 25ml lemon juice

• 40ml sugar syrup

• 2 egg whites

• 50ml champagne 

Method:

1. Place the sloe gin, pomegranate juice, lemon juice, sugar syrup and egg white in a shaker and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Then add ice to the shaker and shake again for 30 seconds until it feels cold. 

2. Strain into the coupe glass and then top with champagne. The egg white fill form on top. Garnish with a rosemary sprig and some pomegranate seeds. 

We believe that this is an absolutely deal Christmas period Fizz drink. And if need to make it for more than two people, That's Christmas suggests increasing the stated ingredients to provide more fizz for your guests. It might make a lovely cocktail jug, perhaps? 

New Christmas Crackers with candles are here

Launched just this week, these crackers have been flying off the shelves, even in October!

The launch collection contains 4 designs, which are all intended to make your Christmas table look fabulous.⁠

Eco and vegan friendly, recyclable, and with plastic free gifts, sure, but the even best bit? ⁠Inside each one is a luxury scented candle, a different candle for each guest. Candles in a Cracker? Yes. Dreams DO come true!

There are four stunning designs in the first collection. 

The Butterfly Christmas Crackers, The Christmas Wreath Crackers, The Christmas Lady Crackers and The Christmas Jewels- each illustrated by Chase and Wonder Founders, David & Faye Aspinall, with the aim of creating a elegant element to your place setting

£55 for a box of six.

Contains Luxury Scented Candles

https://www.chaseandwonder.com/collections/christmas-crackers.

Affiliate networking, available please ask!

Chase and Wonder have been making delightful luxury gifts since 2010. All of their products are proudly Made in Great Britain, and all illustrations are created by the Founders, David & Faye Aspinall.

They're a small, vibrant company that values the quality of their products and customer service above al else.

They were at the forefront of creating decorative ceramic candles (since 2016), and were the first company in the world to introduce refills for their candles.

They're based in a converted cowshed in Rural England, Cheshire to be exact, where they design and create, as well as distribute their own fantastic products.

01829 732913 | www.chaseandwonder.com.

Send your loved ones the gift of a Penguin this Christmas

Say it with a penguin this Christmas, courtesy of  Lizbet Felt Creations

Lizbet says: "They are now available in my Crafter's Market UK shop. It's a gorgeous needle felted penguin, which is totally handmade in Shropshire with a lots of love."

Lizbet went on to explain: "Penguins are my bestsellers, so I just had to make a festive edition of them! 

"And I hope you think the Santa hat is a cute addition.

"The colour of the heart can be changed. I can also add an initial to the heart, if required.

"If you want me to add some twine to make this into a hanging decoration, just ask.

​"I must stress that no two penguins are the same, making them a truly unique gift."

https://www.crafters.market/shop/lizbetfeltcreations.

New Styles for the Christmas Season

New for the Festive season, M.M Linen have launched a stunning collection of art-inspired mugs, placemats and coasters, to complement their beautiful kitchen textiles range.

Curated from some of the brand's most loved floral designs, they're certain to add an instant touch of colour and joyful cheer this Christmas.

The coaster and placemat sets feature an all over bold print, while the set of two mugs have been cleverly created to carry a continuous print design when nestled together; so whether in use or sat on the kitchen side, these cups will always look stylish!

Placemats are £30 for a set of four, Coasters are £15 for a set of four and the twin mug sets are priced at £18.

Floral Fusions

Across the collection, you'll find a wonderful choice of colour and design, that works so well with so many modern and traditional home décor schemes.

Ideal Stocking Filler

Great as a stocking filler, table gift or a self-indulgent treat... the new range of individual fine bone china mugs come in a wonderful choice of colourful patterns, depicting intricate hand-paint original art pieces, which look great as matching sets or when mixing and matching across the collection.  Priced at £15 each

Mix and Match Gift Ideas

Take note of these fabulous stocking filler ideas.

M.M Linen’s notebooks make for a perfect small gift or thank you token.

Look to combine a notebook and matching fine bone china mug together, and create a pretty themed floral inspired present that's an ideal treat for those who love to take the time to plan out the year ahead, make a note of their resolutions or just sit back with a cuppa and jot down a 'to do' list.

Each notebook is priced at £10.

M.M Linen is a carbon neutral company, offsetting all emissions created from seed to store by investing into clean energy. All their homeware products come beautifully and thoughtfully packaged in sustainable packaging.

To see the full collection visit www.mmlinen.com.

Stockist details:

01858 810 023 | uk.mmlinen.com/

Christmas Gift Ideas from Mustard Made

Christmas Gift Ideas for the kids from Mustard Made

The Lowdown locker

Toy storage, bookcase, shoe cupboard, The Lowdown is the perfect place to pack away all your kid's bits and bobs. 

The can’t promise you’ll never step on a Lego piece again, but they we can provide a stylish way to store them!

The Baskets

Just what you need to fit all your kid’s bits and pieces! The Baskets fit neatly inside, on top or underneath your locker and come in a handy set of three. Perfect for packing things away or for creative play!

Mustard Made also have Gifts for Grown-Ups, too. 

The Midi 

The Midi was designed with a drinks cabinet in mind! She’s perfectly proportioned to make the most of her storage potential. Whether it’s cocktails, kitchen utensils or kid’s toys, The Midi will surprise you with how much can be hidden inside! 

https://uk.mustardmade.com.

Christmas Made Perfect with a LillyPuds Pud

With the Christmas season rapidly nearing us, what essentials are on your yuletide shopping list?

A must have for every properly appointed Christmas dining table and the fantastic finale to a fabulous festive meal has to be a LillyPuds Christmas Pudding.

LillyPuds was developed by founder Ali Lilly, who wanted to create a Christmas Pudding that was light, tasty and packed full of quality ingredients.  Not stodgy, dark and treacly!  

After plying her friends with tasters, the Traditional LillyPuds Christmas Pudding was born and off to the festive markets she went to see what the general public thought of it, too.

Soon it was clear that not only were the puddings a real winner but also there was a group of people still missing out on the true taste of Christmas and so the Vegan and Gluten Free puds recipe was created, shortly followed by the Without Nuts option too!

 After experimenting with damson gin, the speciality Plum Pudding was lovingly crafted and then a range of sauces designed to compliment the puddings, followed by a few saucy sponge puddings to complete the entire range.

After the public declared the puddings a winner. it went on to win a number of food awards, and Ali is rightly very proud of the accolades, especially the Great Taste Gold Stars for her Free From puds which are as moist and scrumptious as the Traditionally made versions. But available for coeliacs (such as my wife.) 

All of the ingredients used in a LillyPuds pudding are premium and responsibly sourced, the packaging can be recycled and is beautiful enough to be given as a present too, perfect for those foodie members of the family or a lovely festive hostess gift.

The puddings range in price and size, starting at £8.50 for two individual portions going up to £21.00 for the massive 908g- almost a kilogram of pudding. Yummy! The smallest pudding is perfect for one person with the largest serving an entire family. 

Stocked at independent retailers, farm shops and various delicatessens all over the UK and online at their website, https://www.lillypuds.co.uk.  They can also be found on Ocado, in Liberty’s and Selfridges throughout the festive season.

Luxury handbags for this Christmas from Sarah Haran Accessories

A spokeswoman for Sarah Haran Accessories said: "We create luxury handbags that fill you with joy! Our unique design allows our customers to buy a base bag, and then restyle it a thousand different ways with our endless range of accessories.

Therefore, this makes us a sustainable choice of handbag brand, complete with lifetime guarantee.

"Our small business has grown rapidly through our mission to bring joy to thousands of women during the Covid-19 pandemic on our Bags of Joy Facebook page. 

"We know most of our customers personally. And that's something many online businesses miss out on. 

We've just celebrated our 5th birthday, and we've recently moved into amazing new loft style office accommodation. After working from Sarah's home, we no longer had any space left for all of our handbags and our rapidly growing team!

For details visit https://sarahharan.com.

Top Five Candles to get cosy with this winter

My wife and I absolutely adore scented candles, especially over the Christmas period. 

So we were pleased to find out about options for some very fine sounding scented candles from Chase and Wonder.

Scented candles to help you cosy up to the colder nights, filled with essential oils designed to help us relax, unwind and get settle in to winter.

Here are the Top Five picks to help you get the most out of winter evenings.

1. The Library

Evoking mahogany shelves filled with shelf after shelf leather bound books and reading under the flicker of warming candlelight.

Aromas of rich wood, amber, pink pepper and pomegranate.

2. The Alpine Lodge

Evoking crisp snow topped slopes, a welcoming ski lodge, the sound of a crackling log fire and a cosy chair in which to relax.

Aromas of fir trees, pine needles, lavender, cinnamon, moss and clove

3. The Enchanted Forest

Evoking the scents of an ancient woodland, dappled sunlight, wild fauna and the rich scent of oak filling the air.

Aromas of cedarwood, smoked oak, birch and moss.

4. The Butterfly Lady

Evoking a sultry and elegant grace. Enticing you in with her seductive fragrance, and the mysteries hidden behind her eyes.

Aromas of aromatics, neroli, orange, lavender, ylang and cedarwood.

5. The Jungle

Evoking a wild and tropical land. Exotic flowers, foliage and birdsong fill the warm air, which rises to the towering canopy above.

Aromas of Eucalyptus, lush greens, Citrus, cedar wood

The candles are from £55-58 each and have a 90 hour burn time and they come in a reusable, Fine China vessel and are made with pride in Great Britain. And refills for the candles are available.

Stockist details call 01829 732913 or visit www.chaseandwonder.com.

So who is Chase and Wonder? It's an independent British Home fragrance brand which is focused on creating items that look as good as they smell. 

A spokesperson said: "We're based in a converted cowshed in the heart of Cheshire, where we design and illustrate all of the images that adorn the fine China vessels we use. 

"All of the items we create are made in Britain, and have been since our inception in 2010.

"We were also the first company to introduce refills for candles, and because our products are made from fine China (made in Stoke on-Trent) they are designed to last a lifetime.

"We're passionate about our craft, and believe we make the best candles and room diffusers in the world. If you have any questions, or would like more information, we'd love to hear from you."