www.leapfrogstore.co.uk

Sing and Play Farm by Leapfrog is the ideal gift for children 6-36 months. This brilliant toy helps children learn about animal names, sounds and colours.  It also plays popular farmyard melodies such as ‘Old McDonald has a Farm’, which are great for helping to develop children’s language and speaking skills.

There are also numerous buttons to push, turn keys and flip switches that help develop children’s fine motor skills. These trigger lights, animal sounds and fun songs that encourage children to explore the toy whilst teaching rhythm, colours and words.

One of my favourite features of this toy is that it has a handle on the top, so children can easily carry the toy around and enjoy playing with it whilst on the go.

When playing with this toy children can also explore five interactive environments featuring 13 different animals and music.

I think the Leapfrog brand is fantastic for children as all Leapfrog toys are educator-approved, child-tested, follow national standards and feature British spellings, phonics and pronunciations.

The Leapfrog Sing and Farm is a wonderful gift for children and they are sure to spend hours playing and enjoying all the different features of this toy.

The RRP is £29.99 and is available from www.leapfrogstore.co.uk

www.borderfields.co.uk

Borderfields cold pressed rapeseed oils are both healthy and tasty. The oils have a near perfect blend of omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9. This is ten times the omega 3 than olive oil.

I haven’t tried rapeseed oil before and was pleasantly surprised how tasty the oils were. I tried the chilli infused oil, basil infused oil, garlic infused oil and lemon infused oil. I used all four oils whilst cooking and found all of them added a lovely flavour to my dishes.

I used the chilli infused oil with a chicken and vegetable stir fry and it gave a lovely fiery kick to the dish. The chilli was not at all overpowering but added a lovely flavour to my meal. This oil can also be used with pasta sauces which I will definitely try.

The basil infused oil was just as tasty as the chilli infused oil. I used this in salads, homemade brushetta and in tomato based pasta sauces and it was delicious. I particularly liked it in the pasta sauce as the basil was a lovely accompaniment to the tomatoes.

My favourite oil was the garlic infused oil. I adore garlic in food and this oil made my food taste delicious. One of my favourite uses for this oil was to create garlic bread. This was extremely easy to do and gave the bread a wonderful garlic taste.

The lemon infused oil was the last oil that I tried and it tasted lovely in salads. I also used it on chicken and it added a gorgeous flavour to the dish.

The rapeseed infused oils are a wonderful addition to cooking and I will definitely continue to use them in my dishes. My whole family also love the flavours which is definitely a bonus!

The rapeseed oils can be bought individually and in gift packs.
The RRP for individual 500ml bottles is £3.49. These are available to by from Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi, Tesco and Morrisons.

www.santamariaworld.co.uk

Santa Maria is the relaunched name of Discovery Foods, the familiar brand known for its fajita kits, tortilla wraps and Mexican condiments. I am huge fan of fajitas and have used many different fajita kits when cooking, so was very happy to review the Santa Maria products.

I cooked a meal using the Santa Maria Fajita seasoning mix, hot salsa, 8 soft tortillas, soured cream topping and guacamole dip seasoning mix. The meal I made was extremely delicious. The Fajita seasoning mix was hotter than some other mixes I have tried previously but was definitely the best tasting mix I have ever used. The tortillas were also very soft, which made wrapping the fajitas easy and added to the great taste. The salsa, soured cream topping and guacamole dip seasoning mix were delicious accompaniments to the meal. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and so did my partner. We will definitely be purchasing the Santa Maria fajita mix and Mexican condiments again. A big thumbs up.

I also tried some of the Santa Maria spices that are available in their product range. These spices are packaged in grinders which make them very easy and convenient to use. I tried the Chilli Explosion flavour, the Seafood and Fish flavour and the Pizza and Pasta flavour.

I used the Chilli Explosion spices on meat that I cooked in the oven and found it gave a little ‘kick’ to the flavour of the meat which was very tasty. I also tried it on scrambled egg because I sometimes find egg a bit bland, so wanted to see if it added flavour to the egg. It definitely did and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I also used the Pizza and Pasta spices in my homemade tomato pasta sauce and again it added a lovely flavour to my meal. The Seafood and Fish spices also added a lovely flavour to oven baked cod. I am looking forward to trying these spices on other fish dishes now.

The Santa Maria products that I tried were extremely tasty and I will definitely use them again. I am also looking forward to trying some of their other products.

Visit www.santamariaworld.co.uk to see the full Santa Maria range.

www.leapfrogstore.co.uk

The Musical Rainbow Tea Party from LeapFrog is a wonderful toy to help children learn about colours, counting, matching and sharing. It takes the fun classic play of tea parties, and adds a fun, magical twist to it.

The Rainbow Tea Party set includes a 10 piece set that lights up in six bright colours to indicate which flavour tea is being brewed. Children can also match the tea colour to the cake colours. The Tea Set also features more than 50 songs which children will love singing along to. They will also love hearing the range of party sounds and phrases available as they play.

One of my favourite features of this toy is that the tea set encourages sharing, as children play and have tea together. The imaginative play can also encourage good manners as children can role play having a fun tea party with each other.

My youngest child absolutely loved playing with this tea set and found the fun pouring sounds and seeing the ‘tea’ move in the pot extremely entertaining.

Like all LeapFrog products, this Musical Rainbow Tea Party is extremely eye catching as the 10 piece set comes in a range of vibrant colours.

The Rainbow Tea Party set requires 4 AAA batteries which are included in the toy. The Tea Set is suitable for children aged 1-3.

The RRP for the Musical Rainbow Tea Party is £19.99 and is available to buy from www.leapfrogstore.co.uk.

www.watchshop.com

If you want to spoil a loved one this Valentine’s Day, a visit to Watchshop.com is needed. WatchShop.com have a wide range of watches to suit every style and every budget.

WatchShop’s Davosa Men’s Vanguard Automatic Watch is a fabulous gift for a special man in your life. This gents Davosa Vanguard watch has a stainless steel case and is fitted with an analogue automatic movement. It has a black leather strap and a black dial. The watch also has a date function. He RRP for this stunning watch is £750.

Another wonderful watch is Maurice Lacroix Ladies’ Les Classiques Tradition Automatic. This elegant model features a Swiss-made self-winding automatic movement. The white dial sports Roman numeral hour markers providing a classic feel, with a discreet date window at the 6 o’clock position. The case and bracelet strap are also highly polished stainless steel. The RRP is £1,995.00.

If you want an extra special gift this Valentine’s Day, WatchShop.com is ideal. To view the full range of watches available visit http://www.watchshop.com

www.leapfrog.co.uk

This sturdy case and free downloadable creativity app turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a child friendly camera. The brilliant case protects both your device and your data.

The camera case is lovely, bright and colourful which will appeal to any young child. My 3 and a half year old loved this creativity camera. He was so excited to start taking his own pictures. He also liked using mummy’s iPhone in the case.

This fab case unlocks 6 creativity modes. Children can take picture perfect shots on the camera and then edit them to create works of art. They can also dress the photos up with silly designs. Children can add facial features such as googly eyes, comic mouths or different wigs. My son loved putting purple hair on me!

Children can also create 3 photo books which help them learn about colours, the alphabet and different emotions. They can also look at the pictures they have taken in the gallery.

There are also games available to play where children catch things and match flying creatures to different colours. Another brilliant way to entertain them.

The creativity camera is a good introduction to taking photos and editing them. My son loved playing with this toy and learnt how to take pictures. I am not sure if it will still entertain him when he is 6 (the recommended age range is 3 – 6 years) but it is definitely a good introduction to taking pictures.

As the child uses your iPhone or iPod touch in the case, it is a reasonably priced way to introduce children to photography as the Creativity case is not too expensive.

The Leapfrog Creativity Camera takes children on a photo adventure and will definitely entertain them. A great gift for Christmas or birthdays.

The Leapfrog Creativity Camera is available from www.leapfrog.co.uk. The RRP is £14.99.

www.project-b.com

Project-B is a new monthly box of wellbeing goodies for a mum-to-be. Each box is tailored to a month of pregnancy and includes a range of products, information and tips to support any mum-to-be throughout her pregnancy.

When I first heard about this product, I thought it was an absolutely brilliant idea. Being pregnant myself, I could see how it would benefit a mum-to-be through her amazing pregnancy journey.

The boxes start from month 4, which I thought was the perfect month to start as mum-to-be would’ve had her first scan by then. A further 6 boxes are then available up to month 10 when the baby has arrived.

These boxes have been designed to encourage wellbeing during pregnancy, as well as letting pregnant mums experience and learn about a range of products.

The products in each box are tailored to each specific stage of pregnancy. The products range from relaxation, to healthy eating, to pampering, to household items. Brands include Pregnacare, Spontex, Cocoa Butter, Nakd cereal bars, Burt’s Bees, Love Boo, Nailgirls and Green People.

Alongside these products, Project-B has industry experts sharing their expertise, giving impartial, pro-choice information. The information included covers, An overview of each pregnancy month, Eating well each month, staying active each month, shopping ideas and details of the products included in the month’s box.

As I was nearing the end of my pregnancy I had the opportunity to try Box 10 which has the theme ARRIVE. The box was presented beautifully. All the products were surrounded by tissue paper that I couldn’t wait to open.

I received a Weleda Calendula Baby Lotion, Halos N Horns Baby Moisturising Lotion, Waterwipes Pure Wet Wipes, Burt’s Bees Diaper Ointment, Metanium Everyday Barrier Ointment and Love Boo Kind & Calming Massage Oil. I also received a card giving information about this month and details of all the products included in the box.

I thought the range of products was very good and were definitely things I would need. I wouldn’t use all the products straight away a baby’s skin is so sensitive but they are definitely things I would use when the baby is a bit older. I have used Metanium and Burt’s Bees products with my first child so I was very pleased these were included in the box and knew the products were well known brands.

Project-B Wellbeing Boxes are a wonderful gift for any pregnant mum.

These fabulous wellbeing boxes can be bought as one gift or you can subscribe to them monthly for £14.00 a month.

The Project-B Wellbeing Boxes are available for www.project-b.com

www.leapfrogstore.co.uk

The Leapfrog Chat and Count Phone is a fabulous gift for children who love playing with phones.

The Chat and Count Phone has many features to keep children entertained whilst also helping them learn. Children can sing along to songs about counting and phone routines, can explore more than 15 phone activities and can call Scout for learning fun.

The Chat and Count phone is brilliant for helping children learn to count. When each number button is pressed, ‘Scout’ says the number and then a little animation comes onto the screen to engage the child and help them understand number concept. For example, when number two is pressed, the animation shows two dog bones coming down from the sky.

The Chat and Count Phone also randomly ‘calls’ the child playing and when they learn to select the green button, Scout has a conversation with them- a feature I think is brilliant for those children who like pretending to speak on the phone.

The music button also plays a short tune at random which is a fabulous feature to encourage children to sing, and therefore develop their speaking skills.

The Chat and Count Phone has a British voice and is suitable from 18 months plus. This I feel is an ideal age for the phone as it teaches social skills, counting and pretend play.

Leapfrog Chat and Count Phone has an RRP of £12.99 making it a brilliant stocking filler for Christmas.

The Leapfrog Chat and Count phone is available from http://www.leapfrogstore.co.uk

www.rubyredcosmetics.co.uk

London based, Ruby Red Cosmetics have created a wide range of body treatments using active ingredients found in nature. Their body treatments use herbs, seeds and plants rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to improve the skin’s health and appearance. Their body treatments also have distinctive, pure aromas that are carefully hand-blended for maximum therapeutic benefit.

Ruby Red’s treatments include Hair care, Hand and Feet care and Exfoliators and Cleansers.

I have tried Ruby Red’s Reviving Body Cleanser and love the effect it has on my skin. My skin is left feeling soft and smooth. The scent from the cleanser also certainly revives me in the morning. The toning and energising oils of Key Lime, Red Mandarin, crushed Coriander and wild Cedarwood combine to create a warm, invigorating aroma.

I have also tried Ruby Red’s Cooling Foot Cream. This cream is perfect for tired feet. It is instantly absorbed to soften the feet and has the natural essence of Peppermint to revitalise and cool. The nutrients in Shea Butter and Sunflower seed oil penetrate the tougher skin on the sole of the feet, instantly soothing rough, dry skin. Ruby Red states that this cream is good for tired, aching feet and legs.

This is absolutely true as it does soothe my feet at the end of the day. Applying this cream is now part of my night time routine and I love how soft my feet feel once it is applied.

Ruby Red Cosmetics is available from selected independent beauty boutiques and online at http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com and the Ruby Red shop – http://www.rubyredcosmetics.co.uk
It is also available from Fortnum & Mason from September 2013.

The RRP ranges from £16 – £35.