What's On: Foodies Festival, Edinburgh plus a GIVEAWAY

Next month the Foodies Festival is back at Edinburgh's Inverleith Park on 7th, 8th and 9th August. We had a brilliant time there last year and are super excited to be returning. It was such a fantastic weekend - you can find my previous post here and below is the vlog I created from our weekend antics. This year I'm taking my wee sister Ali & her other half Robin along with us - it's going to be so much fun.

For the 10th Anniversary Celebrations, the event is going to be 50% bigger and there are loads of interesting demos, an extended Producers Market and a huge selection of street food to feast upon...Japanese, Thai, Brazilian, Argentinian, Indian, Mexican, French, African...

There are some hands on masterclasses that sound intriguing... bee keeping, oyster shucking and foraging. There is going to be food and drink pairing masterclasses in the new Wine, Champagne and Craft Beer Theatre; daily cocktail competitions between local bars to find Edinburgh's Best Mixologist and cake modelling and sugar-craft workshops in the Cake & Bake Theatre. It all sounds brilliant!!

For the kids there are Picnic in the Park themed masterclasses in the Children's Cookery Theatre where they can learn to make finger sandwiches, jellies and chocolate bugs (all children under 12 years old go free when accompanied by an adult).

There is also a Chilli Eating Competition that I'm sure Rick will be up for.. can he win the Chilli Eating Crown?

And guess what? I have three pair of tickets up for grabs!! All you need to do is follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you don't win the tickets, then you can buy yours online at www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0844 995 1111.

Competition runs 15th July to 29th July.
There will be three winners; picked at random.
Each prize is one pair of tickets; no cash alternative available.
Thanks to @LanyardMedia for providing this prize

{#vlogchallenge & Foodies Festival}

Last weekend R & I were in Edinburgh for Foodies Festival at Inverleith Park.

It was perfect timing with the weekly #vlogchallenge, which was themed 'Food'.

So without further ado, here's my vlog. No cats this time, but instead we have a chihuahua!



The Foodies Festival on Saturday was absolutely brilliant. The sun was shining and the atmosphere was fantastic. After demolishing a burger, I proceeded to stuff my face with the best chocolate brownie ever. Seriously, you have to try The Brownie Bar. There seemed to be an issue with queuing to get into the event which wasn't ideal, and the toilet facilities could have been managed better as there wasn't enough space for queues where they were located and the queues were all overlapping so it wasn't clear where to go,  but other than that it was superb. I'll definitely be back next year.

The marketing of this 'threesome' burger appealed to me! I've got such a childish sense of humour!

Enjoying the Market Deli crisps from Walkers

You must try these... amazing!!

On Saturday the sun was shining...

...but by Sunday it was wet, wet, wet!!

Three Sisters Bake (with just two of the sisters!)

How beautiful is this ombre cake!!

{What's On Edinburgh - Foodies Festival}

No plans for the weekend yet? Well, get yourself over to Inverleith Park in Edinburgh for the UK's biggest food and drink festival, Foodies Festival.

I'm looking forward to meeting Gillian, Nichola and Linsey from Three Sisters Bake. I'm a big fan of their new cook book and have been meaning to get along to their cafe or to one of their events for ages now! And maybe I could nominate myself as a tester for the cocktail making competition ;-)

Here's the blurb on the event:

"This year the festival welcomes top chefs from across Scotland including British Chef of the Year and MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Adam Handling, originally from Dundee and now head chef at The Caxton Grill in London. Adam is joined by fellow finalist Scott Davies of The Adamson in St Andrews, Celebrity MasterChef favourite Russell Grant, Great British Menu contestant Jacqueline O’Donnell and Three Sisters Bake - Gillian, Nichola and Linsey.  The festival will also serve up Edinburgh's top chefs Mark Greenaway who recently appeared on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch, Michelin star Jeff Bland of the Balmoral Hotel, TV Chef Tony Singh, The Pompadour by Galvin Head Chef Craig Sandle and Café St Honore’s Neil Forbes; who will cook their favourite summer recipes in the Chefs Theatre for home cooks to recreate at home. 

Exciting new features for 2014 include a spectacular Chocolate, Cake & Bake Theatre, hosted by Great British Bake Off star Glenn Cosby and steampunk baker Emilly Ladybird who will bake her famous absinthe fairy cakes alongside other pastry chefs, chocolatiers, bakers and sugarcraft experts. These masterclasses are complemented by the new Chocolate, Baking and Preserves Village for those who enjoy home baking, with a selection of stalls selling baking essentials and the latest gadgets. There is also a brand new outdoor BBQ Arena for lovers of al fresco dining. This purpose built BBQ stage will feature hourly BBQ cooking demonstrations and invites the audience to take part in BBQ challenges, meat-eating competitions and spectators can even learn how to make a ‘BBQ cake’!

For the adventurous, a Chilli Eating Challenge takes place at 5pm daily, when those brave-or-foolish enough are invited to try and break the current record of 13 varieties of chillies eaten in one sitting. This event attracts a huge crowd, who cheer on their friends and family to lift the chilli-eating crown. 

Returning favourites include the Drinks Theatre, where regular masterclasses and demonstrations offer visitors the chance to taste and learn about wine, champagne, sherry, ales, gin and cocktails with experts including TV regular Charles Metcalfe, beer expert Melissa Cole and wine writer Brian Elliott. There is also a daily cocktail making competition to find Scotland's best cocktail, judged by an audience of Foodies visitors. 

After its successful introduction to the festival in 2012, visitors can enjoy an extended Street Food Avenue, offering a huge selection of award winning hot and cold food from around the world including hog roasts, Vietnamese buns, exotic meats, tapas, churros, burritos, Moroccan tagines, South American prime beef, Jamaican and Thai street food. A new Feasting Tent at the heart of the festival becomes the social hub, where visitors can relax and enjoy their treats at long banqueting tables in the company of chefs, friends and family.

After a day of feasting, visitors can relax at the Champagne, Gin and Pimms tents with deck chairs and picnic rugs, or escape to the White Isle at the Ibiza Riot Bar with live DJs, giant beanbags, hanging chairs and hammocks with an exotic cocktail in hand. The entertainment stage features live music acts and fringe performers including Michelle McManus and Edinburgh's Got Talent winner Saskia Eng throughout the day until 8pm.

For little foodies a Children’s Cookery Theatre hosts “Around the World” themed cookery classes. These workshops help children find their taste buds and teach them basic cooking skills."

Opening Times
Friday 8th Aug, 11am - 8pm
Saturday 9th August, 10am - 8pm
Sunday 10th August, 10am - 7pm

Tickets are available at www.foodiesfestival.com

{Children's Theatre - Cat in the Hat - A Review}

The kids & I were thrilled to be invited to The National Theatre's 'The Cat in the Hat' at the Pleasance Courtyard for the Edinburgh Fringe festival. The iconic Dr Seuss book was adapted for the stage by Katie Mitchell and was directed by Lillie Collier and Paul Taylor-Mills.

The show is pitched as a vivid introduction to the theatre for children from the age of three, so it was perfect for my little ones at age 3 and 5 years. It's the first time I've taken them to the theatre & they loved it.

My son was giggling hysterically & even I was laughing out loud too. Definitely the sign of a good show! The Cat in the Hat, played by Ashley Bates, was brilliant. His facial expressions throughout were hilarious & you just couldn't help but chuckle!

I also loved that the production very much looks like the original book. It's been extremely well put together. There were also a few interactive moments with the audience throughout the show, but I don't want to give too much away!!

The show lasted approximately 45 minutes & so it was the ideal length for the youngsters. It's definitely worh checking out.

Cat in the Hat 

Pleasance One

Pleasance Courtyard

Edinburgh, EH8 9TJ

30th July - 25th August, 12.05pm

Tickets are £12.50

We received three complimentary tickets for the show in exchange for an honest review. Opinions as always are my own.

Photographs by Garry Lake

{#ShareAdvent - organise your photos from the year}

The other day I received the USB of photographs that I had purchased following our festive mini portrait session with Zoe Stewart Photography. This ties in nicely with today's #ShareAdvent prompt, which is to organise your photos from the year.

Isn't the packaging just lovely! A very cute wooden USB stick complete with Zoe's little logo (plus some chocolate truffles for me to enjoy!).

So I've been busy organising my photographs for our annual photo Christmas card and a few photo Christmas gifts as well!

Last year I used a template from Vol. 25 for my Christmas card and similarly, in 2010 I used a Vol. 25 template. There's just something about the designs that I love. Anyway, this year is no different and I've downloaded the most recent 'holiday card' templates...

I'm over the moon with the results from our photo session and as I type I have another browser window open so I can organise some prints for my walls!

Photography by Zoe Stewart Photography

Digital template from Vol. 25

PS My Microsoft #GBTypeOff giveaway ends tomorrow. Enter here to win a ergonomic keyboard and mouse worth £99.99

{Giveaway: Grow Wild}

***Congratulations to Lynsey from Girl in the Granite who has won the competition and will be enjoying afternoon tea for two at Glasgow Botanic Gardens - thank you all for entering! ***

Grow Wild, which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund, is an exciting campaign bringing people together to do something positive for where they live by sowing native wild flowers.

There are three Scottish sites that are in the running to receive a £100,000 Grow Wild transformation.

There can only be one winner...

The shortlisted sites are:

• Belville in Greenock
• Frog Pond, Dedridge, Livingston, West Lothian
• The Water Works, Barrhead, East Renfrewshire

On Saturday this weekend (26th October) the people behind Grow Wild will be at Silverburn Shopping Centre. You can have your photograph taken in the Grow Wild customised photobooth and vote in person for the site you like the most.

There should also be a widget here (*crosses fingers*) which will allow you to vote online.

This weekend I was at Edinburgh Botanic Gardens and spotted some Grow Wild initiatives happening in the grounds. I hadn't been to the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens before, but the gardens and buildings beautiful (even on a drizzly day!).

***Giveaway***

As a thank you for voting, I've been given a voucher for afternoon tea for two people at either Glasgow Botanic Gardens or Edinburgh Botanic Gardens - your choice :-)

Just fill in the Rafflecopter below... good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{A weekend of hot chocolate!}

It's been a weekend of indulgence!

I was through in Edinburgh for the weekend with the new man and I had a brilliant couple of days. I'm not a coffee drinker, so had a few hot chocolates to keep me warm. I would have happily had some mulled wine from the Sunday market in Stockbridge but was driving, next time! Feeling very festive right now! (Remember to enter my competition for Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair tickets here).

On the Royal Mile

Maxi's in Stockbridge

I was sent some tea, coffee, hot chocolate and biscuits from Ringtons to review and keeping with the hot chocolate theme, we did a blind taste test comparing the Ringtons one with the supermarket own brand that I had in my cupboard. I'm a scientist... it had to be done! :-)

A few followers on Instagram had said they liked the look of the one of the left which is the Sainsbury's one, but in actual fact both the man (who didn't know which was which) and myself both preferred the Ringtons.

The teas were also lovely. A friend tried the blackcurrant one and unlike other blackcurrant teas she has tried this one wasn't tart. I quite enjoyed the breakfast tea.

We weren't sure on the coffee, but I think that's because just one little sachet wasn't really enough and probably doubling up would have been the way to go.

The biscuits were good, but nothing that I'd rave about and if they were in a shop I'm not sure I'd choose to buy them.

I'd definitely buy the hot chocolate though, it was yum!

I was sent some complimentary tea, coffee, hot chocolate and biscuits in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.