Dizzie: The Online Refill Shop

I'm a huge fan of Dizzie (previously The Good Club), the online refill shop.

I place an order each month (I pay £3.99 monthly which gets me one delivery (and return) per month... it's £5.99 per delivery if you choose to place orders on an ad hoc basis), and my products get delivered to my door in a big green box (it's UK-wide carbon neutral delivery). 

Dizzie stock a wide range of refillable groceries, as well as other items. For the refillables, when my big green box arrives I take the refillable cartons and empty them out into my own glass jars (Dizzie sell glass containers too, but I also just keep a store of any glass jars at my house that I clean out and keep). The empties then go back in the big green box, which is collected from my door the day after my delivery.

Some of the items that I get from Dizzie are:

Bulk items:

• 5L shampoo
• 5L conditioner
• 5L shower gel / bubble bath
• 5L laundry liquid
• 5L fabric conditioner
• 5L all purpose cleaner

Refillables:

• Ground cumin
• Ground turmeric
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground paprika
• Sesame seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Baking powder
• Pretzels
• Crisps
• Cashew nuts
• Muesli
• Porridge oats
• Pecans
• Bombay mix
• BBQ almonds
• Peanut D&Ds
• Pasta
• Rice
• Flour
• Caster sugar
• Dates
• Prunes
• Dried apple slices

Other groceries:

• Tins of chopped tomatoes
• Jars of pasta sauce
• Compostable bin liners
• Recycled kitchen towels
• Oat milk
• Dash water
• Oatcakes
• Olive oil

There are soooo many refillable products available - definitely worth having a look.

There is a special offer running right now, where if you enter the code REFILLER at checkout you will get a refill kit containing (2 x 2L jar, 1 x 1L jar, 1 x kilner funnel and 1 x Dizzie jar labels). You need to spend £20 to qualify, and it's whilst stocks last.

I also have a referral link, which is https://getdizzie.com/j/sarahseqtbm, and if you use this I get £10 off my next order and you'll get a free refill kit (as photographed below) and the reusable coffee cup.

Happy refilling!!

Sarah x

P.S. If you want to get my weekly newsletter, you can sign up here to get on my mailing list: www.sarahstewart.co.uk/newsletter

Review & a Recipe - Giraffe's Heid Cocktail

I popped back along to Giraffe on West Regent Street on Friday after work last week with my colleague to try out the new cocktail launch, Giraffe's Heid.

I do love cocktails, but to be honest I'm not normally one to try new ones all that often as I tend to stick to what I know and like. There have been too many times that I've been disappointed.

However I thought I would give it a whirl... who's going to pass up a cocktail review, am I right?



Giraffe's Heid is a Scottish Classic with a Giraffe twist of Bulleit Bourbon mixed with Rose Syrup for essence topped up with Ginger Ale to give it a kick and finished with a stylish Lemon Twist.

Recipe:

1. Add 10 mL of Rose Syrup and a dash of Lemon Juice (5 mL) to your rocks glass.

2. Add 2 ice cubes and 25 mL of Bourbon and stir for 5 seconds

3. Add 25 mL of Bourbon and stir for 5 seconds

4. Fill up with ice

5. Top up with Ginger Ale leaving a window

6. Add a long Lemon Twist and serve



I was pleasantly surprised as the cocktail was easy to drink and didn't taste too alcoholic. I normally prefer a longer cocktail you see! I do love Ginger Ale, so this was right up my street although Bourbon wouldn't be my spirit of choice.

We also tried Ja'makin' Me Merry (my favourite) and Chocolate Christmas Luxe. Both were tasty... although I'm not a huge coffee fan so I found the coffee chocolatey dessert one a bit overpowering for me.

I wouldn't immediately think of going to Giraffe for cocktails, but I certainly will go back. We had a bite to eat whilst we were there and the food was delicious. It would make a great location for a work night out or a get together with friends as it's such a large spacious venue.

Big thumbs up from us!

We received some free cocktails in exchange for this review. Opinions as always are honest and are my own.

Review - Nairns Oatcakes

I love oatcakes, and as a family we eat loads of them - more so me and the littlest. She loves a wee oatcake instead of a sandwich at lunch, as do I.

My desk drawer at work is always stocked with oatcakes of some form... this week I've been enjoying Nairns Super Seeded organic oatcakes with tuna - they are just really delicious. I find that at work I'm busy and will snack at my desk a lot, and if I forget to take something fresh, then oatcakes and a wee tin of tuna is ideal for me.

I also have the Nairns gluten-free biscuit breaks in my drawer - the oats and stem ginger ones are fab. My drawer is also stocked with peanut butter, and an oatcake topped with this is an ideal snack to keep me going in the afternoon as I try to steer clear of the sweetie tin!

The littlest loves her oatcakes served with a bowl of soup to dip in, or hummous. Funnily enough she isn't really a fan of cheese!? 

Nairns have some great serving suggestions for little ones, and I particularly love the idea of serving oatcakes with nut butter and apple slices... yummy! Or perhaps tuna and avocado... or for a sweeter suggestion you might like greek yoghurt and strawberries. They all sound delicious and I will definitely be trying these out soon.

Of course, you can't beat oatcakes and cheese. Rick and I love the Nairns black pepper oatcakes for this!

We were sent a selection of Nairns goodies to try, including some Astro Bites for the kids. The Astro Bites are Berry flavour oat mini biscuits and come in a box with five packets. They really are more-ish, and I ended up eating four of the packs before the kids even got near them!! Oops! Needless to say the littlest loved them just as much as I did!

How do you like your oatcakes?

Thank you Nairns for the oatcakes and Astro Bites. Opinions are always honest and are my own.

Recipe - Warm Artichoke Dip

It's been a while since I hosted a 'bring a plate' night at my house. It's a great way to get my busy mum friends together for dinner without anyone having to do all the work. We literally all just bring a plate of something, and we end up having a great selection of dishes and desserts.

The first night I hosted was at my old house, and it was when my good friend Ailsa was still in Glasgow (she emigrated to Australia nearly three years ago... I miss her & her brood so much!). Anyway, I digress. Ailsa made a more-ish artichoke dip that was just delightful. It was so easy to put together and yet tasted/looked like she had made a huge effort.

Well, I was flicking through the Sainsbury's magazine yesterday and stumbled upon a Warm Artichoke Dip recipe that looks pretty much the same as Ailsa's one... so I thought I would share it with you. I think I'll make it this weekend.

Warm Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

1 x 400 g tin artichoke hearts in water, drained
100 g mayonnaise
100 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Olive oil and thyme leaves to serve along with a fresh Focaccia bread or similar.

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Method

Preheat oven to 200 deg C (fan 180 deg C, gas 6).

Blend the artichokes, mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese in a food processor.

Transfer to an oven proof dish.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with thyme leaves and serve with toasted Focaccia drizzled with olive oil.

Review - Cote Brasserie, Glasgow

We were thrilled to be invited along to Scotland's first Cote Brasserie which opened it's doors in Glasgow last month. The restaurant is situated on West Nile Street and serves relaxed French breakfasts (French toast, crepes and pastries amongst others) from 8am mid-week through to the evening dinner service which stops at 11pm (Sunday at 10.30pm).

"Our inspiration for the food and design of Cote is a modern interpretation of the many famous bistros of Paris. Inspired by new trends, we are dedicated to serving authentic classic brasserie dishes with a modern twist, using high quality produce at great prices"

We were welcomed by the maitre d' who took us to our table. He was very friendly and I immediately felt relaxed. The staff knew we were there to review the restaurant, and we were given special treatment such as the Kir Royales that were brought to our table as we perused the menu. However, I would like to think that the customer service we experienced would be the same if we had just walked in off the street, just without the free fizz! After an 11 hour shift at work, it was so lovely to sit back and enjoy a dinner date with my man!

Cheers!

It took us a while to decide what to order - there really is so much choice and it all sounds fantastic.

We ended up ordering starters of French Onion Soup (£5.25) and Baked Crottin, a traditional Goat's Cheese from the Loire Valley, served warm with lamb's lettuce and apple salad, walnuts, croutons and golden raisins (£5.95). Rick was amazed at the size of his soup with a giant cheesy crouton on top, and the waitress said that it wasn't a starter for a first date as it was a bit tricky to eat! Just as well we've been together a while now! My Goat's Cheese was delicious. The variety of textures and flavours in the salad was just beautiful and the warm cheese was oh so perfect. Yum! I should also mention the complimentary filtered water which we had on our table throughout the meal - the Cote branded bottle was a really nice touch.

French Onion Soup

Baked Crottin

For mains I ordered the fillet steak (medium) with Bernaise Sauce (£18.95 plus £1.95 for the sauce); the steak was served with frites. Rick opted for the Poulet Grille (£11.50) - chargrilled butterflied chicken breast with wild mushroomm, creme fraiche and thyme sauce served with gratin potato. Oh and of course I had to try some French beans too (£2.95). The steak was possibly medium-rare but it was really tasty and the sauce was just delicious. I had a forkful of Rick's chicken and it was equally good, and such great value for money.

Despite demolishing my starter and main, I was still keen to try the puds. I ordered the Tarte Fine aux Pommes (£5.50) and Rick chose the Creme Brulee (£5.35). I have such a sweet tooth, and this apple tart was a highlight for me. The crisp, flaky pastry and the warm, soft apples topped with vanilla ice cream were just to die for. I could have easily had more than one portion! Again, I snuck a spoon of the Creme Brulee (for review purposes of course!) and it was a gorgeous consistency. I think sometimes it can be tricky to get it right, but this was spot on. 

The surroundings are just beautiful. I love the art deco style, the unique light fittings and the tiled flooring. It's a lovely venue. I could quite easily have been in France somewhere for the night! I checked out the toilets, as you do, and they were equally lovely. My only comment would be the wooden toilet seats which didn't fit very well and personally weren't to my taste.

Bathroom selfie!

So my overall thoughts? A definite thumbs up from us - fantastic food and service at great prices. We will most certainly be back. We've already picked up our Breakfast Club keyrings - join the club and you can have a complimentary hot drink with each breakfast for you and your guests every weekday.

We received a complimentary meal in exchange for this review - as always opinions are honest and are my own.

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

Review - Wagamama at Glasgow Fort

You might have noticed from my earlier competition with Glasgow Fort that there is a newly opened Wagamama restaurant at the retail park. I was invited along to review the eatery and I took Rick along with me, cos I'm nice like that ;-)

On arrival, the restaurant really does have that wow factor. It's an impressive building. I particularly like all the large glass windows that go right to the floor; there are also tables outside for when the summer finally lands in Glasgow. The interior has an industrial feel with polished concrete walls, exposed air handling pipework (is that what you call it?), and filament bulbs dotted about. I've only been to Wagamama a handful of times, and this is certainly the nicest one I've been to in terms of the look and feel of the restaurant.

It was Rick's first time experiencing Japanese fusion food at Wagamama, but he knew what he was going to order as my sister had recommended the Firecracker Chicken to him ahead of our visit. He does love his spicy food! 

We chose two starters - pulled pork gyoza and a beef filled bun. For mains Rick chose the Firecracker Chicken and I had Teriyaki Chicken with rice. What I didn't realise was that the food would be brought out when it was ready, so Rick had his main first, then his starter. My starter arrived as Rick got his food... and then I had to wait 15-20 minutes for my main to arrive. So by the time my food got to the table, Rick had finished (he inhales his food!!). I've had a peek at the Wagamama website and they refer to the starters as sides, whereas on the menu at the restaurant I'm sure it referred to them as starters, which is perhaps a bit misleading.

We chose to visit the restaurant the week it had opened to the public (Day 2 to be precise). I think this was a mistake on our part as the service wasn't what I would have expected unfortunately. That said I can totally appreciate that there are members of staff new to Wagamama that will still be undergoing training and I do think it's fantastic that the restaurant has brought 40 new jobs to the retail park.

The food was lovely, presented beautifully on a range of gorgeous platters and bowls. I'll certainly go back in the future.  

Firecracker Chicken

Korean Barbecue Beef & Red Onion Hirata Steamed Bun

Pulled Pork Steamed Gyoza

Teriyaki Chicken Donburi (steamed rice stir-fried with chicken and mixed vegetables served with a pickled side)

Free green tea? Don't mind if I do!

As I was leaving I asked to see the children's menu and I was pleasantly surprised. We've been to restaurants before where the children's options are chicken nuggets and pizza regardless of the type of food on the adult menu. I liked that at Wagamama the kids have the choice of mini Japanese dishes... ramen, noodles and katsu curry amongst others... giving them an introduction to Japanese food.

We received £30 towards our dinner at Wagamama Glasgow Fort in exchange for this review. As always, opinions are my own and are honest. 

Eating Out - Food Story, Aberdeen

I drove up to Aberdeen on Friday to visit my gran as she had been feeling a bit poorly. She's 92 years old (and most certainly doesn't look her age) and I do wish I was a bit closer so that I could visit more often than I do. Anyway, I was staying with my sister for the night and on Saturday morning she took me along to The Foodstory Cafe on Thistle Street for breakfast; despite it being open since 2013 I was yet to visit. 

It was amazing and I will most certainly be back!!!

Firstly I love the concept of the cafe and the ethos behind the brand. The cafe itself has been built using recycled materials - the interior is right up my street; lots of fairy lights, reclaimed wood, concrete and grey paint. 

All the tables and chairs are quirky; I especially like the bench... oh and the fairy lights!

Did I tell you how much I love fairy lights!?

And then there's the food. It has to be said that it was the best breakfast I've had in a while. I chose the rye toast with avocado and it was served with fresh tomato salsa and basil leaves. I let Ali have a bite and she had proper food envy! She had chosen the House Porridge (although I don't think she realised it was served with raisins, which she doesn't like, so these were promptly removed - after I had taken a photo of course!).

My rye toast with avocado

Alison's House Porridge

There were plenty gluten free options available too and the raw vegan blueberry cheesecake which was gluten, dairy and sugar free looked delish!

Yummy!!

Next time I'm up, this is where I'll be headed for lunch as Ali tells me the salads are to die for.

Health - Eating Dairy Free

Given my recent tummy issues I have decided to make more of an effort to look after myself. There is no evidence that diet causes Inflammatory Bowel Disease, but once the condition is established attention to diet can help reduce symptoms and support healing. If there are changes in my diet that I can make that will improve my Crohn's symptoms, then I should be making them.

During a recent flare-up, I've found a low residue diet improved my symptoms.

Now that my symptoms are back under control, I've heard that following a lactose free diet should help longer term. I have to get 3 monthly Vitamin B12 injections; this indicates that my terminal ileum (end of the small intestine) is diseased as this is the only area of the gut that absorbs this vitamin. Lactose is digested in the terminal ileum, which we now know is diseased (this was also found during my most recent colonoscopy), so it follows then that avoiding dairy products should make me feel better. (Just want to stress at this point that I'm not a doctor, so if I'm talking nonsense then please let me know in the comments below).

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However it's easier said than done. There is milk in soooo many food products... there's the obvious ones like yoghurt, cream, butter, milk chocolate, ice cream, custard... but there's also milk in certain crisps, soups, cakes...

There are a variety of alternative milks, like soya, oat, almond, hazelnut, coconut milk. There are also 'lactose-free' brands like Lactofree. Lactofree also have cheese, cream and yoghurts. I've tried almond milk before which was ok, but not great in tea. Today I had my first cuppa with Lactofree milk and it was better than the almond milk. It didn't taste the same as regular milk, but I'm just going to have to get used to it!!

Controlling what I eat in the house is much easier, but it's when I'm at work or eating out that it becomes problematic. I've certainly noticed more gluten-free, dairy-free options whilst out and about and I need to make better choices when it comes to ordering. Where possible I'm going to try and go wheat-free and dairy-free.

Here are my ideas so far... I'd really appreciate your suggestions if you follow a dairy-free diet.

Swap ice cream for sorbet (Ice Delight is dairy-free and gluten-free and tastes amazing!)

Swap milk chocolate digestives for Oreo cookies (Apparently there is cross contact with milk, but I don't think the biscuits themselves contain milk). Oreos aren't gluten-free but I have bought some gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate oatcakes to try as well.

Swap sandwiches for sushi or salad. I need to get organised with this one so that I have lunch options with me at work. Today was my day off and I had a gluten-free Warburtons sandwich thin with a mashed avocado on the top. It was pretty good!

Swap yoghurt for fruit jelly (I'm still not convinced by the dairy free yoghurts - I'll need to give them another try to see if they taste any better from when I last had one. Today I bought a coconut milk yoghurt from Wholefoods and I'll let you know how this is when I try it - it was super expensive so I hope it's good!!)

Swap mayonnaise for avocado or hummous (home made mayonnaise is dairy free)

Snack on almond nuts, dried fruit (I love Nakd cola flavour infused raisins and Bear Nibbles yoyos) instead of chocolate bars. Nakd also have nibbles that are gluten and diary-free - I liked the salted caramel ones... yum! Beyond Dark chocolate drops are also gluten and dairy-free plus delish!

 

Do you have any tips for going dairy-free that you care to share?

Health - Drinking Enough Water

Eight glasses a day.

This is what we're supposed to drink, and I reckon that I'm lucky if I drink one or two. Yikes!

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Water is of course the healthiest option for quenching your thirst as it contains no calories and no sugar. It's also free!

I know that it's so important to stay hydrated and yet why do I struggle to drink the recommended water? I have zero excuses. And when I have a thumping headache and am feeling lethargic then that's when I wish I'd had a few extra gulps of good old H2O.

I tried using an app as a prompt to get me to drink more, but it didn't really help.

I'm making progress with my PT goals, and weight wise I'm now down to 11 stone 10 lbs. I've about another half a stone to go.

I'm not sure if this is a myth or not as I've not done enough research, but did you know that drinking water helps keep fat away? I'm hoping this will motivate me to drink more!

Your kidneys can't function properly without enough water, and when your kidneys don't work to capacity some of their load is passed onto the liver. One of your liver's jobs is to metabolise fat, but if the liver is having to do some of the kidney's work then it can't function properly and as such it then metabolises less fat. This means more fat is stored in the body and weight loss stops. Makes sense doesn't it.

So I'm adding this onto my Health & Fitness Goals: I will consciously drink more water each day.

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I have a plastic drink bottle at my desk and I'm lucky if I fill it once each day, if that. I'm going to put some reminders in my phone and get my water consumption up. Watch this space to see how I get on!

Recipe - Lamb Stew

When the kids & I were up in Aberdeen for half term, my sisters other half Robin made us a fantastic lamb stew for dinner. The stew was flavoursome but not too spicy so the kids enjoyed it. I'm all for us eating the same meal and so in that respect this recipe is ideal. It's from Two Fat Ladies, Full Throttle and I thought I'd share it with you here with his tips :)

From what I can see on Google, Harrira is a Moroccan soup, but this was definitely more stew consistency than soup as the rice soaked up most of the liquid.

Harrira 

{Ingredients}

115 g chickpeas (from a tin - saves you soaking them overnight!)

350 g lamb in bite-size pieces (Robin recommends you double this lamb quantity to 700 g)

1 large onion, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

25g butter

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Salt & pepper

900mL - 1.2L chicken stock

400g chopped tomatoes

55g long grain rice

Pinch of saffron

1 red pepper, skinned, de-seeded & cut into strips (another tip - it's better if you don't skin the pepper)

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp chopped parsley

{Method}

Fry the onion in oil & butter until translucent.

Add the lamb and brown evenly.

Add the ginger, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon, salt & pepper to taste and fry for a few minutes.

Transfer to a saucepan in which you have the chicken stock, cover & cook gently for an hour.

Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, rice, red pepper and lemon juice and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Robin served the stew with toasted tortilla wraps and it was the perfect accompaniment

It was delicious... thanks guys :-)

Food - Shrove Tuesday

I just logged into Pinterest on my computer to find that I've got over 5K pins... wow!!

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you a few ideas for pancakes seeing as it's Shrove Tuesday tomorrow (Pancake Day).

I'm getting better and better at Scotch Pancakes the more I make them. My son even said that my pancakes were better than TriBeCa...now that's saying something! (For those of you not in Glasgow, TriBeCa is an American diner that serves up amazing pancakes and waffles amongst other things!). When I was growing up, Pancake Day was all about crepes with sugar and lemon, but when I tried making crepes the kids weren't impressed. They prefer the smaller, fatter pancakes.

The recipe I've been using is Nigella's American Breakfast Pancakes and we serve ours warm with butter, jam and sometimes Nutella if I have any.

But do take a look at all these lovely ideas I've pinned...it's making me so hungry!!

{Strawberry Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes}

{Banana Bread Pancakes}

{Glazed Doughnut Pancakes}

{Blueberries and syrup}

Will you be making pancakes tomorrow?