Genius Mince Pies Gluten, wheat free and tasty, too!

Time was when if you wanted gluten and wheat free foods, you had to hunt down an obscure 'health' shop where, if you were lucky, you might find some ridiculously overpriced ersatz product that looked a mucky grey colour and tasted as if it was made out of sawdust with a bit of millet flour added to it. One such health shop in the mid-1980s still had some products on the shelves that were printed up in pre-decimal currency!

But that was then! Today people who need gluten and wheat free products and those favouring a vegetarian lifestyle find that although health shops stock the products they need, they can also be found in supermarkets and some of the larger convenience stores.

One company cooking such treats is Genius Gluten Free. The product we are looking at in this review are the Genius gluten and wheat free Mince Pies.

The rather tasty mince pie mix is encased in a shortcrust pasty case. The shortcrust pastry case is a little different to other short crust pastries you might have tried. Different, yet very, very appealing. Melt in the mouth is one way of describing it.

The mince pie mix has a good, traditional flavour, enhanced by the addition of some Bramley apples, along with the more usual raisins.

They come in packs of four. Best get several extra packs because, once they have tasted them, people who aren't on a gluten-free diet will keep pestering you to let you try them!

www.geniusglutenfree.com

Don't forget the vegetarians or those on special diets!

Amidst the mad dash of Christmas preparations (the presents, the tinsel, the wrapping paper, the food, the drink) it can be all too easy to forget those people who are vegetarian or on special or restricted diets due to health issues. (Gluten allergy, diabetic, lactose intolerant, etc.)

Hopefully in the run-up to Christmas That's Christmas will be looking at vegetarian roasts to serve in place of the traditional turkey, duck or beef at Christmas dinner.

And we will also be looking at gluten free alternatives to Christmas mince pies and Christmas puddings that are aimed at those of us who really are trying to look after our health. Even at Christmas time!

And we will also look at conscience friendly products that are produced for those of us who care not only about what we put into our bodies, but also care very deeply about the people who grow and process the foods that we eat.

BAD APPLE have the pulse on the finger!

Girls! Want something new for the party season? Something that is you, yet will help you be more than you, perhaps?

Meet something that is absolutely new to the UK beauty scene, BAD APPLE COSMETICS.

BAD APPLE will shake the nail colour world to its core! It could, dare we say, give rivals the pip?

BAD APPLE has never-seen-before nail lacquer shades you can style it with bright, block colours in the Core range. Choose from true scarlet Red Delicious, bubble gum Gala Pink and Green Bramley and wave goodbye to boring, dull colours!

In the Shimmer range the colours take on a whole new personality.

The reflective 3D shades are iridescent and shimmer with an intense, wet-look colour that complements the shape and shine of your nails. The intense, hard-wearing formulation is high gloss and chip-resistant (hurrah!) and gives just the right level of bling without being over the top.

If you want more contrast in your nail-wear, BAD APPLE will get some style to hand, as it were!

BAD APPLE introduces 8 different nail wrap designs that go from pink, girly

flowers and butterflies, to tiger-print and neon pink swirls. They are easy to apply. Just peel the wrap, stick it to the nail and then carefully shape it your own nail’s contours.

Just in time for Christmas, too! Makes great pressies or a treat for yourself!

www.bp4e.com/apple-cosmetics-c-24.html

Guaranteed to put a sparkle in your Christmas! Terlingham sparkling Rose!

If you want a bottle of sparkling wine made to the old traditional method, do you have to use the same old wines? No, you don't! Now you can try something which has the right level of dry, crispy snap, the same effervescent zing, yet does not have to cost the Earth!

And which, believe it or not, actually comes from the Garden of England, beautiful Kent! The Terlingham Vineyard & Winery of Terlingham Lane, Hawkinge, Kent, CT18 7AE produce a whole range of very interesting and very palatable and very pleasing wines.

But their particular wine that we are interested in for this review is their sparkling rose wine.

Their sparkling rose wine is a very worthy holder of the term rose. It is made from a Champagne blend of Chardonnay (40%), Pinot noir (40%) and Pinot meunier (20%).

It is a delicate shade of pink and although bubbly it is not too gassy.

Is there a hint of Kentish orchards and soft fruits? The slight sensation of a hot summer's day? Yes, there is. Although it is described as a dry wine, it does have a delicate sweet undertone to it.

It makes an ideal drink with Christmas dinner or to welcome in the New Year or just to celebrate the arrival of friends and family for the Christmas festivities!

Visit www.terlinghamvineyard.co.uk or call +44 1303 892452 .

It is priced at £16.65 a bottle (box of six bottles a very reasonable £83.90.

Their equally delightful sparkling white wine costs exactly the same.

Adopt a Pony for Christmas

The Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust performs a valuable, indeed vital, role in preserving Dartmoor Ponies on Dartmoor.

Their work is important but it costs money for them to operate. This is where you can help. The Trust is offering a special “A Dartmoor Pony Adoption Gift Pack”.

It is perfect for anyone, no matter what their age, who loves horses and ponies, but for whom owning one of their own is just not a realistic proposition.

And at this time of year it makes an ideal Christmas gift, too! You can adopt a pony and follow its progress all the year round.

The cost is just £20 per year for UK residents: £25 for those who live abroad. The Adoption Pack includes a beautiful line drawing and an adoption certificate and you’ll also receive updates on the development and progress of the pony you have chosen over the following year.

The pony you adopt, whether male or female, will be one of a small traditional herd cared for at the Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust Centre, at Parke. These ponies are for everyone to enjoy and here you will be able to visit them all year, find out all about them, follow their interesting lives, discover their true value and how important they are to the Dartmoor landscape.

If you are interested in adopting a Dartmoor Heritage Pony please visit www.dpht.co.uk or phone 01626 833234.

Oon, Two Three... Go! Your child can be a Unique Christmas Superhero!

Want a really neat idea for a good Christmas gift for your kids? They can now create their ‘Oon’ secret identity with the stylish silver SwooperCape!

Unleash your kid’s inner super powers at Christmas with the matching mask and SwooperSonic wristbands on www.miioon.com, creators of the innovative Ruckjack.

The safe, online experience enables kids, encouraging them to use their own imagination and inspiration, but with a little assistance from the loveable, and sometimes rascally Oons, who will act as their guides on the Miioon.com website.

The kids can customise their SwooperCape by guiding a mouse over the Oons so they can personally brand them with their own initials and emblems. Eyes pop open and reveal a choice of colour palettes and letters!

Miioon.com aims to please children, parents and grandparents with a product and customer experience that pleases everyone.

They have created a safe, controlled environment where kids enjoy creative freedom and can express their individuality. But in a safe way. Priced at £15.99, SwooperCape delivers quality, yet at a price that will not make the bank manager cry!

The SwooperCape and matching SwooperSonic wristbands are available for 3-12 year olds and are despatched within 48 hours. Adjustable velcro on the wrists and neck means one size fits all maybe even some big kids, too!

And do watch out for www.Miioon.com on Nickelodeon!

Ideal Christmas present for Music Lovers

The ideal Christmas present for the music lovers in your life is the Now That's What I Call Music ! Trivia Box.

It's aimed at people 12 years of age and older and can be played by two or more people.

It's nicely packaged in a box (that's why it is called a Trivia Box!) and contains 189 question cards, 20 picture cards and a set of the rules that carefully explain how to play the game.

It's ideal for fans of popular music and there are 100s of trivia questions for them to get their teeth in to after the Christmas pud has been demolished and the turkey is being readied for the Boxing Day sandwiches!

It is produced by Imagination and is available from all good retailers including Amazon at £12.50.