Starbucks Peppermint Mocha: The Verdict

Hello!

"Luckily I ordered a tall, as I wouldn't have been able to have more than that."

Another edition of the red-cup Starbucks series, yet this time, it's not specifically a 'festive favourite', yet everyone orders it during this time of year. Though it was my first time ordering it, it'll most likely my last, and here's why:

The coffee not being as creamy as I'd like. Thanks to the Waitress member complimentary coffee, I have found a special place in my heart for cappuccinos - the frothy, milky beverage with a kick from the coffee is my go-to choice. This, being a mocha, I'd expect to have that kick, which it did, yet lacks the frothy milky-ness I am fond of. Unlike the toffee nut latte (my fav) and the gingerbread latte, this is a different kind of drink.

Where does the peppermint come in? Well, there's a hint of the mint after every sip and it makes me flinch. Luckily I ordered a tall, as I wouldn't have been able to have more than that. If you're a fan of the peppermint aftertaste, you may have a different reaction to this, but in my books, this is not one I'm a huge fan of. 

Are you a fan of the peppermint mocha? 

Advent Calendars, Candles & Furry Things: BerryWeekly

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"housed in fur comfort with the outer material being velvet - luxurious? Not one bit ;)"

I refuse to believe it's almost 2015. Saying this in every post hasn't made it seem any more real. Nonetheless, my advent calendar was an exciting addition to this lovely month of December. Although my mother bought it for me on the 5th of December, I was over the moon - getting 5 chocolates on the first day is just bliss! Fast forward 5 days and I find that all the little doors are now opened and empty, and we haven't even reached the 13th just yet... my brother was to blame! Well, it's okay, because soon after I was gifted another Chocolate Treat...

"making me even more excited for snow to fall (come on London, let it snow!)"

Alongside the advent calendar, another thing that has been making every day special is the lighting of a candle. Special, really? You may ask. Well, yes, festive candles are the best and who doesn't like an occasional whiff of spiced scent and the relaxing feeling you get from flickering candle light? However, this beauty of a candle is almost waxed-out. But fear not, I've stocked up ;)

"you can only guess my excitement when I saw these"

Speaking of cosy-ing it up, these new additions to my slipper collection have been lovely! My feet couldn't be happier being housed in fur comfort with the outer material being velvet - luxurious? Not one bit ;)

"I refuse to believe it's almost 2015. Saying this in every post hasn't made it seem any more real. "

These coconut filled lindt chocolates do make up for the loss of advent calendar chocolates. I must say, Lindt have gone all out with the snowflake, festive packaging making me even more excited for snow to fall (come on London, let it snow!). These truffles are super yummy, you can only guess my excitement when I saw these if you know how much I love things coconut (refer to this, this and this!).

Do you have an advent Calendar, and have you stuck to it?

Starbucks Honey & Almond Hot Chocolate: The Verdict

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"Topping it off with chocolate cream, honey and chocolate sauce, do I need to say that it was darn chocolate-y."

During this time of year there are a million different festive things going around, take Vlogmas, Blogmas and The Christmas Tag as some examples. Well, without really planning it, this year for BerryBloomXO seems to be the season of the Red Cups - that's right, it's the time of year for Starbucks! 

If you've heard or read about the flavours that Starbucks offers, you would know about the new Honey & Almond Hot Chocolate that is released in UK Starbucks stores. As one of the four festive drinks released, it was a must try - being a chocoholic and all, how could one resist? 

"If you're a fan of the whole 'salted caramel', 'bitter and sweet' kind of thing, this will be right up your street"

Topping it off with chocolate cream, honey and chocolate sauce, do I need to say that it was darn chocolate-y. If you're not a fan of dark chocolate, I'd say stay away. It has that bitter aftertaste you get from dark chocolate and is super rich. I'd say the drink has sort of 3 'notes' to it: first being the mild taste of milky, almond goodness, second being a sting of honey (believe me it's strong) and a final kick of the dark chocolate bitterness.

Overall, I'd say a surprising mix of flavours, one that I wouldn't opt for again, but worth a try, nonetheless. If you're a fan of the whole 'salted caramel', 'bitter and sweet' kind of thing, this will be right up your street, but for me, not my top Starbucks drink.

What's your favourite festive drink of the season (be it from Starbucks, Costa... wherever!)? 

BerryWeekly: Hot Chocolate, Candles & Baking

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"add a bit of whipped cream and marshmallows on top if we're feeling it - you know how it goes!"

It's always nice to reflect on the good things of the week, and hearing about what others did for their week is always fun too (admitting to my nosiness here). Another post I've been loving the idea of is '10 Happy Things' of the week, it's all positive thoughts and reflecting back at the same time. Totally agreeing with the moto 'you've got to look back to move forward'...might have just completely butchered that famous quote but... you know what I mean! 

"I usually just fold the page (shock horror, some people absolutely hate that)"

First of all, I've been loving my bookmark. A bookmark included in a BerryWeekly? What is so special about it? Well, like you can't already tell from the picture, it's personalised with my name on it! I was gifted it as part of a birthday present, and have been loving it. I usually just fold the page (shock horror, some people absolutely hate that), but fear not, I now use this bookmark. 

SNEAK PEAK into a possible BerryReads post in the future!

"what better time than now"

Next, this has been my go-to drink of choice. During this time of year, when it's frosty outside and for some reason the heating automatically turns off, then while waiting for it to turn back on again we make ourselves a lovely hot chocolate!! Occasionally add a bit of whipped cream and marshmallows on top if we're feeling it - you know how it goes!

"These tasted heavenly and you gotta bet I add a couple throughout the day"

Adding to that topic of consuming stuff, I did a bit of baking. I say baking, but it's no-bake chocolate pieces - sort of a dupe for the 9 bar (which is basically a nut and seed bar). These tasted heavenly and you gotta bet I add a couple throughout the day. Definitely good as pick-me-up energy bites. Let me know if you'd like a recipe! 

"all positive thoughts and reflecting back at the same time"

Finally, if you follow me on Twitter, you'll already have seen this picture. A candle always makes me happy and what better time than now to light one?!

Tell me, is hot chocolate your go-to beverage of choice, if not, what is?

BerryWeekly: Chocolate Fondue, Food and MORE Flowers?!

Hello!

"looking like a complete weirdo trying to get the perfect shot"

BerryWeekly is such a fun segment on BBXO! You know you're a blogger when you take photos of everything, looking like a complete weirdo trying to get the perfect shot of the things in front of you in a public place - that's what it was like while getting photos for this post, too. I was at the restaurant standing up and kneeling down and whipping out the camera at every opportunity! 

However, due to the likes of Instagram, this is much more usual now than it has ever been... And I'm okay with it! 

"if you had seen the menu you'd understand why we went for the Fondue"

One of the more exciting food-related places I visited was a dessert place in London. Actually, I was taken there as a treat and it was super fun! There were four of us that went and if you had seen the menu you'd understand why we went for the Fondue for Four - there were so many amazing options that it was difficult to decide one each, so choosing this option meant there was a bit of everything! 

"Is your mouth watering already?"

The platter came with a wide array of choices: brownies, cookies, 16 mini scoops of ice cream and a bowl of fruit, all to dip in the melted chocolate! Yummy! And on the side, there's chocolate fudge cake with ice cream and whipped cream. Is your mouth watering already? 

If you have read the previous BerryWeekly earlier this month, you would realise my love for flowers. Having a garden whose blooms are looking beautiful this season, who can resist picking some? I did some more arrangements for the study and the bedroom!

"makes me feel so good inside!"

Seeing fresh flowers as soon as I wake up makes me feel so good inside! I also read somewhere that seeing green, fresh leaves and plants in the morning is great for eyes and I'm a firm believer in this as it also makes me feel more peaceful!

 "lasagne was made from Spinach pasta sheets"

Another restaurant we went to was Pizza Express. Funnily enough, I've never actually been to Pizza Express and when we got a chance to go, we all ordered the Vegetarian Lasagna! It was nice, though and the lasagne was made from Spinach pasta sheets!

Well, that was a few pictures from the week and you can imagine some of the awkward positioned shots taken!

I hope you liked the pictures and do you prefer chocolate fondue or cake? 

5 Simple Strawberry + Chocolate Recipes

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British Strawberries - the fruit of the season, especially in the UK (I guess that goes without saying!). The thing with strawberries is that they don't last for very long - so simple recipes are perfect for when you want them eaten before they go to waste. Also, what better way to eat strawberries than with chocolate?

Here are 5 easy recipes which can be substituted with Raw Chocolate (1 cup cacao, 1 cup melted coconut oil, 4 tbsp agave syrup)  for a healthier version! Healthier White Chocolate recipe here.

This is a simple recipe which is easy to replicate (the whole idea of this post) and is so versatile as you can add things to it without much worry. You can add almond flakes or make it a coconut chocolate filled strawberries or whatever you wish! 

This is a little different but just as simple. If you use whipped cream, ensure that you eat it soon and not leave for too long!

This idea is another simple one. Sort of like the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups but with strawberries instead of peanut butter - not saying peanut butter cannot be added to it!

This idea I thought was totally different. I would have never thought of it yet it's such a lovely idea! You can add any fruits you want or any other toppings.

A little trickier but just as tasty and yummy as all the others, this recipe consists of an oreo crust and a strawberry and chocolate filling!

What's your favourite simple go-to recipe with strawberries?

image sources: 1//2//3//4//5

BerryWeekly: Road Trips and Sweet Things!

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It's been a long time since a BerryWeekly has been on the blog, the last being about the City of London!
That being said, I took a pretty amazing snapshot, may I say so myself, on the way home from our Road Trip  and wanted an excuse to share it with you!

I had the chance to go to Cornwall for a day, which I was extremely excited about! Little did I know, it was a 10 hour road journey and I was to do it in a van! Not only that, but an accident on the motorway made it an extra hour longer! Nonetheless, it was a fun trip and I loved every minute of it! 

This was the picture I had mentioned earlier! I love the sunset in the background. For the record, I took this picture if the side mirror and was pretty proud! :)

This was taken about 40 minutes later from the picture above and you can see the mirror properly now!

With the occasional AMAZING weather now and again in London - making to most of it is important, right? So I took advantage of it and lay in the garden reading an ebook on my laptop! Btw, have you tried the iBooks App now available on apple products? I use it on my MacBook to read books... You can purchase them online and it's added to your online library. And guess what? They never get dusty! Yay! :D

It was my mums birthday the other day so our family went out to dinner - and after dinner means dessert, right?! Of course! All 4 of us shared this yummy looking waffle - it was my first time having a waffle. It was warm with whipped cream on top and chocolate sauce with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream: Yum! Honestly, though, I wouldn't say waffles are my fav dessert ;)

Oh, and because it was Easter the other weekend, it meant that chocolate was on sale a day after - and knowing my mum, she was going to buy the entire shop - and she got me some! YAY! This white and milk chocolate bunny from Thortons was super yummy!!! 

I hope you had an amazing week and have a fantastic weekend!

What's your highlight of the week, and any fav chocolates from Easter?

Healthy Chocolate - Is it really tasty?

Hello!

Hearing the words 'healthy' and 'chocolate' together sounds a little weird... And slightly untrue! However, it might be a bit more normal to hear after you've read this post!

Healthy Chocolate. Oxymoron - yet couldn't be truer with Conscious Chocolate! Conscious chocolate is chocolate (duh!) made with raw products. It is sweetened with Agave Nectar which is obviously better than the over-processed and bleached white sugar found in regular chocolates! 

The oh-so-raw chocolate has a different texture to your regular dairy milk. It has a truffle-like texture which is very soft. If you try to break the chocolate into pieces, it doesn't snap, it kind of slowly breaks apart - sort of like caramel  (Does that even make sense?!).

Conscious chocolate have a wide range of flavours to choose from, ranging from 'Goji and Coconut' to a nutty chocolate bar to a cherry flavour and loads of flavours in between! 

I got to try the 'Essential Orange' and 'Mint Hint'. You're bound to find something that catches your attention! 

I love the 'Essential Orange' flavour. The chocolate is more on the dark chocolate, bitter taste - which I wasn't too fond of at first but it definitely grew on me! As I had more of the orange, I started liking it more and more. It's true what they say about your taste buds adapting! 

However, I wasn't a huge fan if mint to begin with so naturally, I preferred the Orange flavoured chocolate! 

I like how they didn't try to fool us with the nutritional information. Sometimes products show the nutritional information about 1/5th if the packet and we assume it's the whole thing - however, Consious Chocolate give us info of the whole thing! Also, all the products are natural, minimal process and still taste great. Good going, conscious!

The products are packaged in 3 wrappers. 

1) it is wrapped in a bit of paper

2) it's put inside a foil baggie (as shown in the picture) 

3) it is then inside the main packaging with the name if the flavour

Just to mention, I love the packaging and how all the flavours have different outer package! The paper packaging (1) is good as it keeps the chocolate together and not melting on your hand as you get it out, the foil baggie keeps the chocolate fresh and the other packaging to name the flavours! 

Overall the chocolates from 'Conscious Chocolate' taste so yummy and it's nice to know they're not processed and are raw. Oh, and I have to mentioned the scents of them - they are so good! Like you open the first packaging and the scent lingers! It's a lovely strong scent of the essential flavours -yum! 

So, is it a little more normal to hear 'healthy chocolate' after reading this? Or are those two words together will never sound normal! Try out 'Conscious Chocolate' (link here) and then tell me these two words are made for each other: Healthy Chocolate! 

What are your favourite healthy desserts?

*Conscious Chocolate did send the two products to me for review purposes, but all of the information is honest and not biased

Easy Valentines Day Recipes!

Hello!

Being it February Valentines Day is one of the big events (if not the biggest) - whether you have plans or not, it doesn't mean you can't make valentines inspired food!

Well, I'm not that great of a baker, yet I do like to bake! So, for V. Day I wanted to make something simple and easy, which doesn't take very long so it can practically be eaten straight away - being impatient and all! So here are some VERY simple recipes you (and your friends) can make in a matter of minutes!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

A typical Valentines Day Snack that is super easy and extremely tasty! The first picture looks so lovely and pink - perfect for Valentines Day, but still quite hard, so a simple chocolate covered strawberry will do too! All you do is melt some chocolate (milk, white or dark -up to you) and dip strawberries in. You can either have a fondue style or simply leave the chocolate to cool and have later. I prefer it like a fondue! Yum! 

Cocoa Cornflakes/Rice Krispies Treats

Do you remember doing this as a kid? I remember in Primary School one Friday afternoon we got to make these - that was because a teaching assistant was leaving so she decided to treat us! 

Anyway, there are multiple ways of making this - you can either simply melt chocolate and mix in cornflakes/rice krispies or with cocoa. Melting Chocolate is probably the easiest option. To break it down, just get some chocolate, melt on a double boiler or microwave (be careful not to burn it, trust me it's not nice in terms of smell, or taste of course!) and mix in cornflakes/rice krispies.

I'm not sure if that was completely necessary to explain yet there we go! :)

Pink Popcorn

This was a new one for me! I thought it was very nice! Basically you add food colouring to popcorn! I haven't done this before yet loved the idea! Perfect if you're watching a movie for V. Day! 

Pretty Pink Trail Mix

This is so super easy too, it's just throwing together things you have such as cereals (cheerios, raisin wheats, shredded wheat… etc.) chocolate chips, M&M's, popcorn, raisins, dried cranberries, nuts… whatever you have! I love how you don't need anything specific for this and you can make this completely to your taste! Again, perfect for a movie or night in or something you may have planned for valentines day!

So, that's a couple of snacks you can make which are super, super easy to make and so simple!
Also, for Valentines Outfit Inspiration click here! I hope you have an amazing, fun day on Friday with your valentines, or even watch a movie by yourself with yummy snacks (it seems like a fun night too)!

What's your favourite simple recipe to make?

 Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Weekly Roundup #8

Hello!
I hope you've had a great week and can now relax in the weekend, unless you're attending a late Halloween Party, which you may want some ideas for here.
Anyway, this week revolved a LOT around Halloween, so here's my roundup:

For the first time ever this year, I carved a pumpkin! I was determined to do one this year and I've got to say, I''m quite proud:

Also on the theme of Halloween, they're selling Halloween themes Orange boxes, I bought one, opened it and found STICKERS! Yes, I was as excited as a 6 year old, but IDC! Anyway, so I decorated some oranges and didn't end up eating theme - I mean, when there's chocolate involved, the fruits go out the window!

Finally I changed around my office and now this is the gorgeous view from my desk, which is where I'm writing this from now! It's muchhhhh better than the wall I was previously facing!

Oh and behind me is the canvas I hung up myself, and shown in this post.

Well, that's my roundup, so tell me: What did you do for Halloween?