Friday, 2 December 2022

Shoppers go “nut-crackers” for the NEW range of Elf-themed bakery treats available now at Asda

As well as enjoying Asda’s new Christmas advert, featuring Will Ferrell as the iconic Buddy the Elf character, eagle-eyed shoppers have found new reasons to be merry this week as the supermarket has revealed four brand new, elf-themed bakery bargains.

Asda customers have taken to social media to share the finds, especially championing the retailer’s brand new Festive Elf Cake Jar, which is priced at £3.00, thus making it £1.25 cheaper than Marks and Spencer’s similar Cookie Dough Cake Jar. 

Within the jar is delicious chocolate sponge layered with vanilla flavour frosting and chocolate sauce, topped with sugar sprinkles and an edible hat decoration.

The range also boasts new Festive Elf Cupcakes, vanilla flavour sponge cakes topped with sweet, vanilla-flavour frosting and finished with an adorable sugar paste elf hat, £2.25 for a pack of four.

Perfect for those hosting Christmas parties is the new Festive Elf Chocolate Party Cake, a chocolate sponge topped with indulgent milk chocolate buttercream frosting, jelly beans and sugar decorations, £6.50 (serves 15). 

Lastly, shoppers are loving the Giant Elf Sharing Cookie, a vegan-friendly cookie with dark chocolate chips, decorated with sugar paste and sprinkles to create a shareable treat that looks (almost!) too good to eat. Costing £8, the giant cookie feeds up to 12, if you’re willing to share!

The four new products are all lovingly made in the UK and available in selected stores and online now, whilst stocks last. And, as tomorrow marks the official countdown to Christmas, will you swap the Elf on the Shelf for the Elf on the plate this year...?

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Feeling the pinch this Christmas? Then sort out your old tech devices and get a Spring in your tech!

Times are hard, well, certainly harder for many people and you might be feeling the pinch this Christmas, too. 

If you're counting the pennies, why not go through your drawers, cupboards, the boxes under the bed and the piles of 'stuff' in the spare room and hunt down all those old mobile phones, smart watches, tablets and the like and use Spring to turn them into cash in your bank account?

Just track down your nearest Morrisons or Co-Op branch with a Spring recycling pod, open up an account with Spring and if you pop your device into the Pod today, your money will hit your Spring account within 1-3 working days guaranteed!

And yes, it really does work because my wife and I have tried it. And Spring pays much more than other companies that claim to pay you money for your old tech.

Find your nearest Spring Pod here https://spring.co.uk/find-kiosk.

Thursday, 1 December 2022

12 Days of Sparks: M&S Gives Away Thousands of Daily Treats, Offers and Prizes Including Festive Favourites Mince Pies & Mini Shortbread Trees to Its Millions of Sparks Members

Today, Thursday, marks the first day of December and the first day of the 12 Days of Sparks digital advent calendar, available on the M&S app and M&S.com, exclusively to Sparks customers.

Following the success of last year with over 4 million doors opened, 12 Days of Sparks is back and bigger and even better than before! With thousands more festive treats and offers to enjoy, 12 Days of Sparks will bring the best of M&S Christmas to their almost 16 million loyal Sparks customers.

Every day from 1-12 December, Sparks customers can look forward to a special daily reward, including free festive treats, personalised offers and exclusive competitions to enter.

Free treats: A huge range of festive treats are available, including everyone’s favourite festive tipple,  the gin globe, all butter mini shortbread trees, mince pies, Percy Pig lights and tea light-up tins!

Personalised Offers: Exclusive offers will be available to use across M&S Clothing, Home, Food and beyond! Offers include 20% off Christmas prosecco, 20% off chocolate corn wreath, 20% off online flowers and 15% off knitwear!  All perfect for Christmas gifting!

Competitions: On one of the 12 days, customers will have the fantastic opportunity to enter a draw for a chance to win a holiday to Canada worth over £12k! But on which day will this prize draw appear in the advent calendar? Sparks customers will have to visit their account each and every day and open the door to find out!

And those customers who do open every door will be rewarded with an M&S App exclusive golden reward on 13th December!

Another M&S App exclusive: customers who use the app get an extra 24 hours to unlock their reward so can go back a day if they missed yesterdays!

Danielle Papagapiou, Head of Loyalty at M&S said: “12 Days of Sparks is even bigger and better this year, with thousands of personalised offers and free festive treats for our customers and even a holiday to win. Sparks is our way of saying thank you to our M&S customers and that’s exactly what we’re doing this Christmas. Download the M&S App, sign up to Sparks and unlock exclusive offers and rewards every day until 12th December.”

https://www.marksandspencer.com/mysparks

*Offers are personalised to each individual customer.

*How to claim:

Customers have 24 hours to unlock each reward on M&S.com, and 48 hours on the M&S app. Rewards are automatically activated by opening the door. Validity periods will vary and can be found on each offer. T&Cs apply.

The Naturtint Curly range will make an ideal stocking filler this Christmas

 The Naturtint Curly range uses revolutionary technology based on the synergistic action of amaranth seed extract and hydrolysed quinoa to create a proactive treatment that results in more defined, softer curls that are easier to manage.

Products available from Holland and Barrett, www.naturtint.co.uk, Amazon and independent health stores including Whole Foods Market.

This proactive treatment is then combined with a tailored blend of powerful natural ingredients to create each product in the Naturtint Curly range.

The combined action of the proactive treatment and selected natural ingredients repair, protect, moisturise and nourish curly hair for naturally defined, soft curls without risking frizz. The Naturtint Curly range is suitable for vegans, dermatologically tested and contains no sulphates, silicones, parabens or phenoxyethanol. Each product contains at least 89% ingredients of natural origin.


CURL DEFINER SHAMPOO – 97.2% Natural Origin Ingredients

£15.99

A ‘low-poo*’ shampoo specifically formulated to cleanse and care for curly hair, whilst also gently refreshing the scalp. Nourishing and moisturising, for more defined, softer and shinier curls, Naturtint’s Curl Definer Shampoo blends the proactive treatment with the following natural ingredients;

Hydrolysed Wheat Protein – penetrates deep into the hair fibre to repair and protect from within, reducing breakage by more than 80% and thickening the hair. Hair feels soft and looks healthy.

Coconut and Corn Oil Surfactants – provide natural lather, to gently cleanse the hair whilst also moisturising and conditioning, for a silky feel.

Natural Biolipids – obtained from coconut, sunflower and corn, these natural biolipids restore the scalp’s protective lipid layer.

Meadowfoam Seed Oil – organic oil that restores hair’s elasticity and keeps it moisturised and full of shine. Soft, youthful and healthy-looking hair.

*Low-poo refers to shampoos free from sulphates and is a term often used in the Curly Girl method.


CURL DEFINER CO-WASH BALM – 98.6% Natural Origin Ingredients

£19.99

Cleanses the hair without shampooing, providing extra nourishment and care for curly hair. Cleanse, condition and detangle for soft, defined curls without frizz. Naturtint’s Curl Definer Co-Wash Balm blends the proactive treatment with the following natural ingredients;

Hydrolysed Wheat Protein – penetrates deep into the hair fibre to repair and protect from within, reducing breakage by more than 80% and thickening the hair. Hair feels soft and looks healthy.

Shea Butter – a regenerative active ingredient that deeply moisturises, helping reduce breakages and split ends, whilst also soothing dry scalps. A great frizz-fighter!

Pracaxi Seed Oil – conditions hair to provide shine and softness. Helps hair retain moisture to prevent frizz and improve combability for both wet and dry hair.

Meadowfoam Seed Oil – organic oil that restores hair’s elasticity and keeps it moisturised and full of shine. Soft, youthful and healthy-looking hair.

Crambe Abyssinica Oil – provides natural lustre, whilst moisturising and softening hair.


CURL DEFINER LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER – 98.4% Natural Origin Ingredients

£15.99

Leave-In conditioner specifically developed for curly hair. Enhance and restore your natural curls, whilst making combing hair easier and reducing frizz. Adding volume and strength, Naturtint’s Curl Definer Leave-In Conditioner blends the proactive treatment with the following natural ingredients;

Hydrolysed Wheat Protein – penetrates deep into the hair fibre to repair and protect from within, reducing breakage by more than 80% and thickening the hair. Hair feels soft and looks healthy.

Jojoba, Mimosa and Sunflower Vegetable Waxes – 100% vegetable texturizing agent that provides softness and nourishment to the curl, whilst also helping distribute the product through the hair.

VAS: Vegetable Alternative to Silicones – a soft, light and non-greasy oil extracted from olives, used as a natural substitute to silicone.

Pracaxi Seed Oil – conditions hair to provide shine and softness. Helps hair retain moisture to prevent frizz and improve combability for both wet and dry hair.


CURL DEFINER HAIR MASK – 98.1% Natural Origin Ingredients

£22.99

A rich and intensely moisturising hair mask that deeply conditions and nourishes hair, to reduce frizz and leave softer, more defined curls. Naturtint’s Curl Definer Hair Mask blends the proactive treatment with the following natural ingredients, carefully chosen for maximum moisturising benefits;

Shea Butter – a regenerative active ingredient that deeply moisturises, helping reduce breakages and split ends, whilst also soothing dry scalps. A great frizz-fighter!

Meadowfoam Seed Oil – organic oil that restores hair’s elasticity and keeps it moisturised and full of shine. Soft, youthful and healthy-looking hair.

Crambe Abyssinica Oil – provides natural lustre, whilst moisturising and softening hair.

Pracaxi Seed Oil – conditions hair to provide shine and softness. Helps hair retain moisture to prevent frizz and improve combability for both wet and dry hair.


CURL DEFINER OIL REPAIR – 89% Natural Origin Ingredients

£19.99

A silky soft repairing oil formulated with 10 carefully selected natural oils to intensely nourish and repair hair, for more defined, smoother and softer curls full of shine and luminosity;

Olive Oleic Acid – an essential oil that provides strength and vitality, penetrating deep into the hair. It’s photoprotective properties help to protect the hair from environmental damage.

Shea Butter – a regenerative active ingredient that deeply moisturises, helping reduce breakages and split ends, whilst also soothing dry scalps. A great frizz-fighter!

Meadowfoam Seed Oil – organic oil that restores hair’s elasticity and keeps it moisturised and full of shine. Soft, youthful and healthy-looking hair.

Crambe Abyssinica and Silybum Marianum Oils – provide natural lustre, whilst moisturising and softening hair.

Organic Argan Oil – helps hair retain moisture and repairs brittle fibres, to help reduce tangles and knots.

Organic Jojoba Oil – often referred to as ‘liquid gold’, this natural oil repairs the hair fibre for maximum shine.

Soybean, Lavender and Vetiver Oils – intensely protect hair from environmental damage.

That's Christmas believes this will make an absolutely excellent Christmas stocking filler for the person in your life who loves to look after their hair and their scalp.


Number One Santa App Portable North Pole Brings Gift Giving to Life with World's First Personalised and Interactive Gift Tag from Santa

It's less than a month 'til Christmas and the  folks behind the Portable North Pole (PNP) website and mobile app are gearing up for the Christmas season with the launch of its new and customisable Interactive Gift Tag for everyone to enjoy. 

Users can create a print-at-home personalised gift tag with a QR code for each of their loved ones. Scanning the QR code reveals their personalised video message from Santa, thus making for the ultimate Christmas gift-giving experience.

“Families from all over the world will be able to enhance the gift-giving experience with the brand-new Interactive Gift Tag, making the holidays even more memorable,” said Alexandre BĂ©rard, CEO of UGroupMedia Inc., the creators of Portable North Pole.

“With PNP, parents can see their children's faces light up with the personalised gift tag and one-of-a-kind video message from Santa to keep the Christmas spirit alive, especially for children and why not grown-ups too, year after year.”

Included with the purchase of a Magic Pass (£13.99), parents can create unlimited gift tags, tailoring each one to include the child’s photo, name and a customised QR code that leads to a personalised video of Santa delivering the recipient's gift in their own living room.

Besides which, Magic Pass users can also enjoy unlimited access to over 90 unique Premium video and call scenarios, adventure videos, audio and face-video calls from Santa, videos for multiple kids, reaction recorder, 1080 HD downloads, exclusive games, a singing and dancing contest, and more in the PNP mobile app. Each option is completely customisable and can be completed with just a few clicks.

Access amazing, personalised videos, calls, and more direct from Santa, along with the new Interactive Gift Tag feature by downloading Portable North Pole on the Apple App Store, Google Play or Amazon Appstore, or visit www.portablenorthpole.com.

Brewdog Distilling Co. Launches Whisky Cask Programme

Scotland's only carbon negative distillery, BrewDog Distilling Co, announces their first ever whisky cask sale. Going live this month, the maverick spirits company steps up their whisky innovation programme, with the golden opportunity to own a cask of their inaugural single malt and single grain whisky, from the newly launched distillery. 

That's Christmas is featuring this news because we feel that a cask of whisky would make an excellent Chirstmas gift for the true connoisseur of fine Scotch whisky.

The 50 casks will be part of an exclusive collection, the very first to be filled from the distillery's brand new still house in Ellon, Scotland. The auction will be launched at 19.00 on Wednesday 7th December 2022, in partnership with distinguished whisky auction house, Whisky Hammer. The auction will end on Sunday 11th December, with the casks being filled in early 2023.

The Whisky

BrewDog Distilling Co. capitalised on the combined spirits expertise of their excellent distilling team led by Master Distiller, Steven Kersley. They have historically worked for some of Scotland's leading distilleries and have pent years refining their craft, striving to better the whisky production process at every stage. 

Produced from BrewDog Distilling Co's brand-new standalone distillery, opened this year, 2022, that allowed for a 300% increase in whisky production as well as a climate-controlled warehouse capable of holding almost 1,000 whisky casks. The BrewDog Whisky Casks will be the first casks filled at the new distillery.

The distilling team elected to create whiskies that truly reflect BrewDog Distilling Co's core ethos of  'questioning everything, experimenting and innovating' all in the pursuit of incredible flavours. 

This dedication includes using multiple intricate blends of yeast strains to create bigger flavours, triple bubble distilling for increased purification and controlling the humidity of their maturation warehouses.

Steven Kersley, MD of BrewDog Distilling Co said: "This whisky has been the natural progression for BrewDog Distilling Co. for some time now, it's something we're incredibly excited about, if not a little daunted. We want to challenge the way Scotch whisky is viewed, consumed and valued. We've put everything into this, dissecting the entire process, focusing on the flavour and creating the best liquid possible!"

Bidders will be in the running to purchase a choice of 3 different 200L casks from:

30 ex-Oloroso sherry cask matured, filled with flavour-focused new make spirit, made from golden promise barley

15 first fill ex-bourbon cask matured, filled with flavour-focused new make spirit, made from golden promise barley

5 exclusive ex-bourbon cask matured, filled with a rye-forward single grain whisky made with an 80% rye malt bill

The Flavour

The single malt, new make spirit is laden with ripe tropical fruits, hints of stone front with a malty back bone and a citrus top note. The rye grain whisky will feature caramel sweetness, dark stone fruits, a little baking spice and a touch of orange rind to finish.

The Auction

With casks starting from £5,000 (excluding commission, VAT and duty) winning bidders will have their casks held in BrewDog Distilling Co's bonded warehouse. This is based on the Balmacassie Estate in Ellon, adjacent to the distillery, where it will lie until the owner feels it is ready to bottle.

The Whisky Founder Club

Each investor will be granted complimentary access to BrewDog Distilling Co's Whisky Founder's Club, launching in May 2023. The club is limited to a total number of 500 individuals who invested into the top tier of the Equity Punks crowd funding raise. 

As part of their investment, BrewDog Distilling Co. will bottle and brand their whisky at a minimum of four years old. Each member will have the option to attend the Whisky Founders Club open day, an annual event where cask owners will be able to sample from their cask, meet with the distillers, discuss the future of their whisky and will be invited to sample many of the eclectic whisky's maturing in the BrewDog Distilling Co warehouse.

BrewDog Whisky: https://www.brewdog.com/uk/whisky

Whisky Hammer auction site, register to sign up here:

https://www.whiskyhammer.com/auction/current