Another month is over… So that means IT’S MARCH FAVOURITES TIME! I’ve had an amazing March, it’s been lots of fun, for one, I’m a home owner! Seriously this is the most exciting thing ever! Oh & also the clocks went forward so it’s brighter in the evenings. Basically life is good. Let me know what your March Favourites have been!
Vego – Dairy Free, Vegan Chocolate!
Now I genuinely have no idea why this isn’t the number one chocolate bar across the world. Vego is amazing. Plus it’s free from gluten, dairy, its vegan & it’s just the ultimate. It’s a bar of nutella basically but without any dairy. It’s filled with hazelnuts & the chocolate is rich. If it wasn’t for the fact I cannot easily get hold of them all the time, I would definitely eat one every single day. A vego bar would definitely be part of Mark’s March Favourites too, he is actually eating one right now! We originally bought them a lot in Manchester in vegan & free from independent stores (Eighth Day on Oxford Road in Manchester sells them). The thought of not being able to get Vego regularly was another worry for moving back down to Colchester. But fear not… a couple of Vegan Cafes have appeared in Colchester! The Den at 23 on Crouch Street sells Vego, hell yeah! You can definitely find Vego bars online as well so take a peak & buy some. I want to get Vego into supermarkets, vending machines, cafes… everywhere! It’s the best!!
The Allergy & Free From Show
So mid March was the very first Allergy & Free From Show in Scotland! I’ve been going to every show, from London to Liverpool & now to Glasgow for many years & I love them. Basically, if you haven’t been to a show before it’s an event attended by hundreds of free from brands (so gluten free, dairy free, egg free, sugar free, soya free etc) who show case their delicious products to the public. There are plenty of free samples, show offers on products & a ton of information which makes for an epic day all round. For me, my favourite products at the Scotland Show were the Tesco Free From Scampi, Cocoa Libre‘s Dairy Free Chocolate & Almighty Foods ‘Healthy’ Free From Caramel, Fudge & Maple Pecan Pie Spreads. One of the best things about The Allergy Show for me is getting the chance to not only try out some of my favourite brands, but also find out about brand spanking new brands. There is another Allergy & Free From Show in July in London & also one in November in Liverpool, so make sure you get to one!
Heavy Rain
I am not a massive gamer. When I was younger I had a gameboy for Super Mario & Pokemon… I had a Playstation for Crash Bandicoot & Spyro the Dragon & thats about it. I still love the likes of Super Mario & everything Nintendo but a game that Mark introduced me too quite a long time ago really caught my eye. Heavy Rain was released on PS3 about 6 years ago (we played it back then), & has now been rereleased in a remastered form on PS4. It’s such a cool game. Heavy Rain is nothing like Call of Duty or any of those fighting games. It’s a story. It’s a story that you go through an make decisions of what you want to do yourself. From incredibly mundane events like drinking orange juice & playing with your kids… to deciding how to chop your finger off. Trust me, it’s awesome, I definitely am not a game reviewer but… you should play it!
The Walking Dead
After finishing all 5 series’ of Boardwalk Empire we didn’t know what we were going to do with ourselves in the evenings. Luckily for us another of our favourite TV series, The Walking Dead has returned for the second part of season 6. Now, if you haven’t watched The Walking Dead before, I’m sure you just imagine zombies, zombies, zombies (they are called ‘walkers’ in the programme), & you would be right to a point… But, there is so much more to The Walking Dead than just a bunch of zombies. It’s full of really interesting characters who you really do become so close to & it’s great to watch relationships grow… or crumble at the hands & teeth of the zombies. Basically, don’t be deterred from this show because you don’t like the idea of zombies… it is epic & I would definitely recommend it to everyone. At least give it a chance (there are now 6 whole seasons too!).
Harris & Hoole
When we moved away from Manchester something I was stupidly worried about was where the closest coffee shop would be to me. I loved having a a variety of Costa, Starbucks & independent places on our doorstep. So when we arrived back in Colchester, I wanted to find my closest one! I know where all the coffee shops are in town but I wanted to be able to walk to one from where I live. To my absolute delight buried within our local Tesco is a Harris & Hoole. Harris & Hoole to me is the ultimate coffee shop. It looks really cool, it’s relaxed, it does amazing gluten free + vegan hot chocolates, they sell my favourite chocolate Doisy & Dam… oh it’s just awesome. They also have a really cool app that allows you to check in, select your regular drink & pay for it via the app. It means that every time you visit Harris & Hoole they know my name & my order before I even say a word! There are quite a lot of Harris & Hoole in the south of England – I’d highly recommend a visit!
Marks & Spencer Free From Range
Well, this should be a tip top favourite in my March Favourites… but it isn’t! Because… I haven’t tried any of the new chilled range yet! I’ve heard a lot of people have had the chance to try it, but I assume that quite a few people haven’t too. Let me know if it is stocked in your local M&S and what you think of it! The range is extensive & builds on a lot of their older gluten free products such as the gluten free quiche & gluten free chicken tempura. I thought I would list the products below… maybe one day I can try them all…. COME ON MARKS & SPENCER!!! (especially the Colchester branch!!) Thanks to Deliciously Gluten Free for the Picture… I can’t find any meals myself!!
- Gluten Free Trifle
- Gluten Free Spaghetti Carbonara
- Gluten Free Macaroni Cheese
- Gluten Free Apple Pie
- Gluten Free Beef Lasagne
- Gluten Free Chicken Arrabiata
- Gluten Free Rhubarb Crumble
- Gluten Free Syrup Sponge Puddings
- Gluten Free Chocolate Sponge Puddings
- Gluten Free Steak Pie
- Gluten Free Cheesecake
- Gluten Free Chicken Pie
- Gluten Free Spaghetti Bolognese
- Gluten Free Blackcurrant Ripple Cake
New House!
Probably the most exciting thing about 2016 for me (even though only 3 months have passed) will be the fact that I am now a home owner! Mark & I have bought a house together! We are so happy with our place & are starting to do some work on it, to make it a wonderful place to live! This afternoon I was cutting a massive dead bush down in the garden… it’s my first garden (that’s actually mine!)! I can’t wait to share some aspects of the house on my blog because it is somewhere we are going to put our stamp on & of course that means it will have to be part of the blog! It’s where I will write a lot of my blog posts!
So…
Let me know what your March favourites have been, whether they be a food, drink, TV show, film, book, event, organisation, person, clothing… anything at all! Just drop me a comment below, or on Facebook/Twitter.
Thanks for reading & watching my March Favourites & look out for my April favourites!
Becky xxx
