MISS HOLLY P
A BIT OF ME . A BIT OF FOOD . A BIT OF WINE
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Top Tips for Travelling from Gatwick Airport- South Terminal

Going to the airport can feel like a real chore sometimes, get up at an ungodly hour, sit in the car for ages and then spend a few hours in a crowded airport feeling restless to reach your destination! I hear you! That’s how I usually feel too but this time round I made sure that was not the case and my unwinding and relaxing started the second we arrived on the airport tarmac and I want to share my top tips with you guys too!

Before your trip download yourself the Gatwick airport app, it’s free to download and has so many handy features from where to eat and shop, live flight updates and reminders like on the day when its time to head to the gate so you don’t have to keep checking the boards, it has exclusive offers to take advantage of in and before the airport and links to book other airport services too!

I’m a bit of an obsessive planner as I hate stress and things not going right so I’m always one for being super organized when going away. I booked my parking way in advance and even got a discount code too. There’s often codes in the Gatwick app for parking discounts, allowing you to get the best parking for the best price! Of course we went for valet parking so all you have to do is drive in, drop off your car and jobs a good ‘un! It literally could not have been any more simple! Leaving the car for valet parking for 8 days and an add on of premium security only cost £62 with our discount code which I think was amazing value, so, top tip one- book in advance and look for discounts before booking anything- do your research! Ease and luxury does not need to break the bank when you’ve already shelled out for a holiday and if you are like me will be watching the pennies!

As I previously mentioned we added premium security as an add on in advance, for £5 per person we do this every time we travel anywhere, you can book this beforehand or do it on the day at the airport though if you just are not sure, you get more private and separate fast track lanes with little to no queue, it is much more swift and slick than normal security! An absolute must for the impatient and easily restless! There is also the option to do this for fast track passport control on the way home too so you can make an efficient airport experience go full circle. This too can be booked on the app and often has an offer active!

So once you’re through security what’s next? For some people its grabbing those Duty Free bargains, this airport has some lovely shops and shopping options with all the usual airport classics, Boots, Dune, Superdry and even a mini Harrods, but more me it’s getting a bite to eat and something to drink! There’s some kind of time/space continuum in the airport when you feel like you have no boundaries and anything goes regardless of time, all those travelers from over the world, it’s deffo 5 o’clock on someones watch! 6am, glass of wine? Totally acceptable.

You have your choice of eateries and watering holes here in the South Terminal, I had to narrow it down to a top 3 out of Nandos (they do a brekkie in the Airport alternate universe and it sounds awesome), Caviar House and Prunier (oysters and champagne are always a good idea) but I opted for pic number 1 – Grain Store. They have a really big and varied breakfast menu with so many options which spoke to my nutritionally conscious, gym bunny soul that I’m leaving on British soil so we decided to give it a go! NB- For all those ‘Spoons fans, the Wetherspoons app for table service works in the airport too so no queuing!

The service was amazing and the decor is lovely! It doesn’t feel like you’re in an airport with the rustic decor and low lighting! Add 2 Bloody Mary’s to the mix and we were feeling positively relaxed! (Just to add this was 44 minutes after pulling in to the car park! That’s how speedy a morning it was)

To eat I went for mushrooms on toast with poached eggs and J had the full english with added chorizo, the food came out really, really fast and was nicely presented and very tasty! I would recommend for a great spot to eat!

With all of our express services in tow and a 3 hour check in requirement we had quite a lot of time to kill so it was my good girlfriend to find my travel buddy and trusty chauffeur a good spot to rest his eyes so I went a did a little exploring or the airport lounges. I’d not used them before as I’m not usually traveling long haul but there are several different lounge options available for a charge and they a like a little piece of cosmopolitan luxury behind the scenes of the airport hustle and bustle. We looked at the No1 lounge and Clubrooms which has a couple of different options of £40 and £50 (less in advance online) and you get drinks, a beautiful setting, food and more, as we had already eaten this seemed like a waste on this occasion but the decor was extremely tasteful like boutique hotel bar and the Clubrooms brunch sounded lovely so this will be on our to do list for next time. Check out more info here

Instead we went to the My Lounge which was in a different area and had a little of a more relaxed vibe, with its scans-hygge style, it was cheaper which mades sense as we were using mainly for relaxing as we had full tummies and had a big empty squishy sofa with Jamie’s name on it. This one was £30 and you get to help yourself to a lovely breakfast buffet and bar, full equipped with the necessaries for Bloody Marys and Aperol Spritz’ in addition to all the classics from wine by the glass, draught beer and premium spirits to serve yourself with. I settled in with a cocktail and browsed the complimentary copy of Grazia and waited for my Gatwick app to tell me when it’s time to head to the gate!

Overall this was the most stress free airport experience I have ever had, easy parking, amazingly efficient service from the baggage check in with BA, speedy and security with a smile, a delicious meal, a morning washed in vodka and finished in the luxury of a premium lounge. If you have a holiday booked and you are traveling from Gatwick I hope some of these top tips help make you special experience start earlier and even more memorable.

Thanks for reading, safe travels and happy holidays, H x

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Nibble Protein Bites Review

I have been trying out a new brand which I came across on instagram, when I discovered their profile they just stood out from the rest and seemed really interesting to me! Nibble Protein Bites The lovely folks sent me over all their flavours to try out! The thing that stuck out to me that this brand was going to be very different to any of the other ‘health snacks’ and protein and energy products on the market which are gluten free, vegan etc etc was that product contains 1/2 – 2/3 less sugar than the majority of the markets competitors. That’s pretty impressive stats! But how are they doing it? Well for starters these little bites are date free, almost ever other product I have trialled of a similar concept has contained dates, yes most of us love natures gooey, yummy caramel but dates are notoriously high in sugar! Nibble protein bites are sweetened with anti-oxidant dried plum puree and low GI coconut blossom nectar! Fancy eh? So a different type of natural sustained energy release than you may have tried before! Nibble are so proud of their product spec that I even got a fantastic comparison chart included with competitor info! Nibble’s contain just 15% sugar per 100g when the nearest competition is Bounce Bites at 26% and the highest Nakd Cocoa Mint bar at a huge 45%! With 24g of protein per 100g too and the calories at about average of most brands wouldn’t you agree it’s all sounding pretty good, but the question is….do they stand up to the taste test?

These are the 7 different flavours that I was sent and they have just launched gingerbread as an 8th, so there’s something to suit most palettes and I have to say some more unusual combinations which is good to see. My top 3 picks were – in reverse order – Choc Walnut Brownie- I adore walnuts and I loved the little chunks of nut in each bite, Lemon with coconut- gorgeous, light, citrusy and refreshing and then the winner *drum roll please* was Choc Orange Brownie! How these do not have more sugar in is beyond me! They are delicious like a real treat or dessert!

 

If watching sugar is something you are trying to monitor, you need a quick pick me up on the go, you like to have a pre of post gym protein fix or you just love trying healthy snacks this brand is for you. If you fancy getting you hands on some here ‘s a list of stockists! 

Vegan

Gluten Free

Date Free

High Protein 

Fibre Rich

Low Gi 

Have you tried these guys? Why not hit up their instagram and check out what they’re up to… @nibbleprotein or click here 

 

Thanks reading!

H x

anxiety

Top Tips For A Good Nights Sleep

I wanted to write a post on one of my things and something I’ve sadly not been doing enough of lately.

Sleep.

Sleep is so important for all aspects of life, for mental and physical development and repair amongst thousands of other functions of the brain and the body and sometimes when life sends it’s trials it’s not as easy to get the sleep quality you want. I’m someone who’s sleep gets very affected when I have stuff playing on my mind and I struggle to switch off. Do you ever lie there and start to feel so anxious because you aren’t asleep? Then you start to count down how many hours until you have to get up and then how many hours sleep that will be, THEN comes the justification thoughts to try and mentally reassure you to not freak out of “it’ll be fine, I’ve gone to work on much less sleep after going out and I won’t be hungover”, then the birds start singing and the irritation REALLY sets in. I’ve been there. Countless times. So in the last few months I’ve done and tried everything possible to promote a good nights sleep, mainly so I keep my sanity and thought I would share with you in case anyone else is finding themselves in a similar situation! In no particular order of preference of effectiveness……

  • My first thing I try is a chamomile tea before bed. To promote relaxation and calm, there’s plenty of lovely premium tea brands around but I went for the Aldi option for a tiny 39p to give it a go as I had never tried it before. The taste takes a little getting used to but it certainly helps take the edge off the pre sleep jitters. It’s no myth, this stuff definitely does work!
  • Using your scent is a timeless known way to relax so you could try opting for a pillow spray, there are a few out there and my favourite is the award winning Deep Sleep Pillow spray by This Works, it’s got a really good depth of scent and helps get the senses to start to switch off.

  • Similarly to the above I love the Tisserand pulse point oils to aid in slowing the breathing and moving into the relaxed state to nod off

 

  • Sometimes nothing is doing the job so I grab out my gifted Bedtime Bliss eye mask which came with ear plugs to drown out the background sounds and lights. The earplugs really make a difference if you can’t switch off from what’s going on around you and the darkness is great if you don’t have black out blinds in the summer months when the sun comes up earlier. Not everyones cup of tea for at home but a travel essential! Buy your for under a tenner on Amazon here

  • Making sure you’re comfortable in bed, so pyjamas in the right cut, thickness, fabric, etc. So you are comfy, a good temperature, not going to get static or itchy or whatever else. Comfortable bed clothes whatever floats your boat is a must. I love nice cotton pj’s personally! Currently living for my piped edge pj’s from Primark. I have them in grey and black 🙂
  • Also a decent pair of bed socks is a must in the winter because feet like blocks of ice can stop you sleeping AND wake you up especially now we had hit the winter sub zero temperatures! My mum bought me a lovely pair of cashmere blend socks for when I’m feeling super fancy but any fluffy numbers will warm the tootsies! Or reach for a hot water bottle.

 

  • Breathing exercises to slow and calm the breathing, there are tonnes of different types but for sleep I like the 4-7-8 technique- step by step below!
  • Reading a book. This is such a sure way of using up some mental energy and making you start to drift off. Ditch the smart phone and swap it for a book. It’ll be one of the best choices you make!

 

  • A little added luxury, I treated myself and my mum at Xmas to a silk pillow case, it doesn’t necessarily help you sleep but it certainly gives you a premium bed experience! Bought from Lilysilk. Buy one get one half price and an introductory 10% off! Huge variety of colours! Check out the site here

 

  • Lastly, failing all those or in addition to, in periods of prolonged anxiety I go for Kalms night. The valerian formula is all natural and plant based so no nasty chemicals and no morning after grogginess but a lifesaver for periods of increased anxiety. I grab mine from Holland and Barrett just make sure you read the directions, don’t rely on these and remember it is a short term solution, 

I hope these tips help you! Bedtime is such a ritual that these things singularly and collectively are little live savers! Sleep is essential to function healthily so maybe just one or two of these may improve you current sleep quality like it did for me! I hope it helps! 

Thanks for reading!

H x

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Bills Norwich Bloggers Christmas

The lovely team at Bill’s Norwich invited a small group of the Norwich Bloggers the newly refurbished branch and sample their Christmas menu a couple of weeks ago. The second I walked in through the orange curtains I could see this was no longer the same Bill’s that stood before. With low lighting, marble bar tops, intimate booths, chandeliers, gorgeous botanical greenery and detailed accents of character the restaurant is truly unrecognizable for the better.

 

I met the rest of the girls downstairs and we introduced ourselves. I met some lovely people who I’d not met before with can be a bit nerve wracking sometimes on whether you’ll fit in or not but it was such a lovely group who all made me feel so welcome. Charlie the manager took us upstairs and showed us to an area away from the other diners and to our lovely own private dining room!! It was such a nice space and can be booked for private parties and group bookings, it truly felt so special and exclusive.

We had pre-ordered our food and I although a I’m not a vegetarian I went for the vegetarian option as I always think its good to see what can be created for those opting for the meat free options.

 

To start I had a beetroot and feta salad, followed by a pumpkin, fig and chestnut roast and finished with a Christmas eton mess. They also brought out bread olives and hummus for the table too. I was driving so I washed it all down with a lovely wintery mocktail.

The food was really tasty and there was quite a variation of choice on the menu too for a range of tastes but I think the thing which made the evening so great was the tangible buzzy atmosphere in Bill’s which is vital to any good night.

If you’re in the area I urge you to visit because the place really does look stunning and it still has its loved menu stretching across all meals of the day.

Thanks so much to Charlie and the team at Bills Norwich for your kind and generous hospitality. xxx

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Raw Gorilla Healthy Breakfasts

 

The lovely team at Raw Gorilla sent me over a box of all 5 of their all natural breakfast blends to try so I’m gonna give you a full look into what I thought, where to get it and how I enjoyed eating it!

 

So why a gorilla? These folks can dub their name sake to our primal pals because they simply want to follow the eating habits of a gorilla! Gorillas are happy and healthy and that is how they think humans should eat and feel. All these products are vegan, paleo, gluten free, raw and organic! No added ANYTHING, all sugars are naturally occurring and everything is unprocessed and unrefined! 100% natural (and of course it comes in 100% recyclable packaging) its a RAWvelution!

 

I’m gonna start with my favourite of the 5! The Cacao Crunchies! The delicious little dessert-esque clusters are just as good for nibbling on alone for a snack as served up for a full breakfast meal, a hearty mixture of raw cacao nibs, coconut, sunflower seeds, cashew nuts, dates and buckwheat seeds. I always take a little snack pot of nuts and berries to work and now I add a few of these too, its really curbed the cravings for something more naughty!

 

 

I loved all of them but the Rawberry Crispies was another fave, I was always big fan of those more mainstream cereals with the dried strawberries until I saw the nutrition chart (WHOA) but these are just as tasty and packed with goodness as opposed to refined sugars! This one is a mix of strawberries, lucuma, pecans, sunflower seeds and coconut chips. I enjoyed it particularly with strawberry yoghurt.

 

 

The Cacao Crispies were a winner of a 2016 Great Taste Award and team some of the familiar flavours from the Cacao Crunchies (my fave) with ctivated buckwheat seeds, cacao, lucuma, coconut chips, dates and raw almonds. This one definitely has more coconut in and has that more tropical flavour that a decent portion of coconut punches in. It has a nice chewy trail mix texture and is lovely served with natural yoghurt.

 

 

Mighty Muesli- Keto Breakfast is a good one too- with the Keto Diet becoming more and more popular to have something which emulates a ‘bowl of cereal’ type meal can be challenging. Coming in at just 2.8G of carbs per 35G you can enjoy keto diet or not guilt free! This protein rich blend contains sunflower, pumpkin, chia & flax seeds, tossed with coconut, cacao Nibs and cashew nuts. I enjoyed this one eaten with yoghurt, almond milk or in a smoothie bowl.

 

 

Then lastly the Original Crispies- tigernuts, maca, figs, sunflower seeds and buckwheat seeds. This one you can definitely taste the maca and without all those big flavour ingredients like the others i liked this one eaten like an actual cereal just over milk in the morning and it definitely energized me and kept me going until lunchtime!

 

 

 

So all in all a pretty positive review?! Coming in at over £5 a box Raw Gorilla is something that I would love to always have on the go but couldn’t afford to eat every single day. A box isn’t huge at 250g but you do need much smaller portions than with a normal cereal. Having it to add to other breakfasts like smoothie bowls and yoghurt pots makes it go a long way and certainly makes the usual things more interesting! Heres a few of mine!

 

 

If you do fancy giving it a try you can shop HERE I do definitely recommend the Cacao Crunchies! Trust me you’ll have your hand in the box nibbling on those clusters when you fancy a treat!

 

Has anyone else tried these products? Great concept, great message and great taste! It’s a thumbs up from me!

 

Thanks for reading,

H x