Three Kings of Coconut from Cocofina

Top-rated British coconut brand Cocofina has announced the launch of a trio of organic coconut products.

They come in a very special and inviting gift pack, and it is just in time for Christmas!

It's described as "The quintessential tempting treat for all lovers of the remarkable
palm tree."

And it's the absolutely perfect present for the hard-to-buy for family member or friend this Christmas.

It's ideal for vegans and for those who have to be careful about what they eat, have to watch their GI intake, or who just love good, natural foods.

This gift pack is packed with organic coconut oil, nectar and butter which come in 350ml jars neatly packaged in a smart label revealing box.

Cocofina Organic Coconut Oil (350ml) is cold pressed, virgin, unrefined and accredited by
the Soil Association UK.

It has a pleasantly light texture, sweet aroma and subtle, nutty taste due to the unique processing method.

It has a multitude of uses in cooking and baking and can be used as a natural moisturiser or hair conditioner, too! (EDITOR: Wow! Talk about versatile?)

Cocofina Organic Coconut Nectar (350ml) is produced by painstakingly concentrating the
sap of the coconut blossom.

The nectar is a more naturally produced alternative to regular, refined sugar and is perfect in tea, coffee or as an ingredient for cooking and baking with. It has a floral aroma, sweet taste and a rich texture.

Cocofina Organic Coconut Butter (335g) is produced by grinding the white coconut meat and
contains nothing other than 100% organic coconut.

It's ideal for spreading and baking, it has a high lauric acid content, smooth texture, nutty aroma, and creamy taste and has naturally antiviral and antibacterial properties.

Also, and this is very good news, the nectar has a low GI and is a great honey alternative for Vegans, while the butter is high in fibre, dairy and gluten free.

It can be dissolved in hot water and then filtered through muslin cloth to produce your very own coconut milk, added as a thickener to your favourite curry, to rice to make coconut rice or drizzled warm over food.

The organic coconut oil is a perfect Vegan alternative to butter and can also be used for oil pulling, as a makeup remover, lip balm, massage or baby oil, after tanning or to soothe eczema.

Price? A nifty £19.99.

Cocofina gift packs are available in store from Lakeland, As Nature Intended and online at
www.cocofina.com.

Cocofina products are also available at our own gift shop, here>>> https://goo.gl/m5aVoo.

Cotswold Gin is a very different type of Gin

Although describing itself as a London Dry Gin, there is so much more to Cotswold London Dry Gin than one might expect.

Yes, it is a traditional, clear as crystal London Dry Gin.

But there is so much more to it than that.

My wife said: "I am a lover of the traditional London Dry Gin style of gin. It was the first type of gin I was introduced ot as a young person, so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

"When I heard about Cotswold London Dry Gin I was intrigued as to what the difference was."

We tried it one afternoon and were both enamoured of this new. yet quintessentially English gin.

Yes, there were the vital floral ingredients of  the traditional London Dry Gin, yet there was definitely something subtly different about Cotswold London Dry Gin.

What on earth was it? It was a pungent difference, but using the world pungent in an entirely positive meaning.

There was an interesting, yet delicate earthiness to this particular type of gin. 

Was there a distinct Cotswold difference? Some herbs or floral essences used in it that are only to be found within the spectacularly beautiful Cotswold region of England, over toward the West of the country?

To be honest, we don't know. But what we do know that the splendid difference was there.

(Actually, the difference is explained on their website and it makes perfect sense!)

What we do know is that the Cotswold Gin Company have taken London Dry Gin and have given it a very welcome and friendly re-make. But not to such an extent that it is unrecognisable. And that takes a considerable amount of skill, knowledge and expertise.  

It is perfect by itself, and it plays well with other drinks and mixers and we can say that this belongs in your Christmas drinks cabinet!

To learn more please or to buy a bottle at £34.95 visit them at https://www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/

More Sherlock Holmes than James Herriot

More Sherlock Holmes than James Herriot is subtitled The Veterinary Detectives.

Written by one such veterinary detective, Roger S. Windsor, the book records the stories of the life of Roger Windsor, from  what he self-describes as a "naive student at vet school" to a junior vet in general practice.

Eventually through a series of twists and turns in his professional life, Roger found himself living and working in Africa, where he ran the Veterinary Investigation Service's laboratory, in Botswana.

The stories he tells are an amazing collection of tales (not tails!) of the vicissitudes and woes of a large variety of animals of just about every type you could imagine and some that your imagination might have had problems getting its head round.

The book starts with his pre-Africa career and covers a wide range of subjects such as the "farmer" who cut the beaks off his birds so badly that they were starving to death, because they couldn't eat.

There were incidents of TB to be dealt with, Mastitis, Foot and Mouth disease and so forth,

Eventually Roger found himself working in Botswana with the Veterinary Investigation Service.

This brought a whole host of very different, or sometime similar, veterinary problems.

For example on the back cover of the book are two very handsome looking vultures, something not seen by a vet in the UK!

Dealing with feline enteritis is distressing, but dealing with feline enteritis in a big cat orphanage brought about somewhat unique problems and epidemics in herds were a particular worry.

I is illustrated with a number of high quality images which help tell the story in a charming and delightful way.

This is a remarkable book and will make an ideal  Christmas present for anyone even mildly interested in animal care.

The book is published by The book Guild at £9.99 and it is available for purchase at our very own book store >>> https://goo.gl/qPctIy.

Actual Reality

We have all heard of Virtual Reality, but what of Actual Reality?

Cat Mantra has spent his working life as a journalist and as a performer, with such luminaries as the Ants, of Adam and the Ants fame, in his more recent history.

But in his debut novel he peers into the near future.

Josh Mantra and his faithful digital companion Tate travel through time and space as they fight evil foes and save the innocent from disastrous outcomes.

Join them as the zip back and forth, from the old Wild West to black holes in the midst of a distant star system.

Josh is a typical boy of his age, 12, and he has the typical life. School, his mates, his family and, of course, video games.

But on his birthday he receives a present from his dad, a very special gift it was. An Actual Reality crystal that had the power and capability to project the holder to anywhen and anywhere.

However, this is not a toy for Josh. It is a tool that he will need in his new role with the IDF, the Inter-Dimensional Federation.

Because it has been determined that only Josh is capable of taking over from his very own father in the business of taking on a variety of life-saving missions and tasks throughout the entire multiverse!

But first he must undergo comprehensive tests and training.

And then? He is out there for real, on his first mission!

This is a fantastic Sci-Fi/fantasy romp and it is aimed at children aged 12 to 14. And probably their parents, too, who might get a sneaky read if they are lucky!

It is published by The Book Guild at £7.99 and it will make an ideal stocking filler present.

You can purchase it at our very own book and gift emporium, via the portal which is this way >>>
https://goo.gl/qPctIy.

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A Cuddle of Cats

A Cuddle of Cats is the perfect Christmas present for all cat lovers, everywhere.

It is written by author Heather Cook and it is copiously illustrated by photographs taken by Roger Cook.

A Cuddle of Cats is described as "Rhymes and Recollections" and this is exactly what this book is all about.

There are poems about cats, stories about cats and also, as the subtitle points out, recollections about cats.

Some of the poems are amusing, yet some of them, especially Why? on page 1, are of a more serious nature.

The person who you buy this book for will read about the cats of Salisbury Cathedral, what happens when a new cat door is installed, the problems of Benjy, a cat who is brain-damaged and who has some habits that might be annoying, or amusing, or, perhaps, both.

How cats can capture the hearts of men. Or as Heather so succinctly puts it, "have the great lump completely under her paw."

This is a book that is guaranteed to warm the heart of every cat lover. And guess what, folks? You have found them the purrfect Christmas stocking filler in this book.

It's published by Matador at £7.99 and you can purchase your two copies (well, you're going to buy one for yourself, too, right?)  at our very own retail emporium which you can find here >>> https://goo.gl/qPctIy.

That's Books and Entertainment: Telling Tails: the Confessions of a Handyman

That's Books and Entertainment: Telling Tails: the Confessions of a Handyman: You may have heard of author E. James Chapman before.  His first book The Train Now Standing at Platform 3 is a pure joy to read. (I have...