The Chill Factor Jelly Maker- Does It Work?

Remember when we were young, if you wanted jelly you'd have to plan to ask your mum like a week in advance. By the time you bought the jelly, found time to make it, waited for it to set, it was hardly worthwhile. Now there's quick set jelly powders, and even better, ready made jelly pots.

If however you want to make your own jelly, you might want to invest in the £12.99 Chill Factor Jelly Maker this summer. 

We've reviewed the Chill Factor Ice Cream Maker previously, which I was intensely skeptical about, but which works a treat. Yet I was still suspicious of the jelly maker's claims of "jelly in minutes, not hours" as I recalled my own childhood asking, "is it set yet?" every five minutes of my frazzled mum.

We set about making our jelly, following the instructions carefully. You freeze the lower part of the device overnight. It says the freezer is where it 'lives' which makes sense, so it's always ready for making instant jelly. Otherwise the time you wait for it to freeze would be the same as waiting for normal jelly to set!

You make the jelly as the packet instructs and pour into the Chill Factor and start squeezing. The jelly mixture starts to thicken up over 3 - 5 mins. The process definitely needs an adult present, as you'll need the normal boiling water at the beginning. After the squeezing you put the stopper on the top and flip the Chill Factor over. 

You leave the mixture another minute to harden, and unscrew the top, leaving the jelly ready to eat in the lid which doubles as a bowl. 

The process didn't quite work for us, but I think we could have been more enthusiastic with our squeezing, and could have done with continuing for longer than the 3 and a half minutes. We were too eager to see the results.

Instead we put the bowl into the fridge for five minutes and when we came back to look, it had completely set. So if you can't get your jelly firm as you'd like, just pop the bowl into your fridge briefly. It's still a lot quicker than leaving it for five hours to set regularly. 

The Chill Factor Jelly Maker comes in several colours and is £12.99

Premier's Zing Collection Brings a Rainbow to Your Kitchen

Available from Premier at BHS and on Amazon. Prices range from £2.99 for the pan handle, to £18.99 for the digital scales.

Get Refreshed for The World Cup with Lidl

It's no secret I've been working with Lidl NI the past 12 months, bringing you posts with bargain and new, exciting products. This however is not a sponsored post.

Over the past year I've gone from visiting Lidl about once a month, to choosing it as my 'big shop' location every fortnight with a couple of visits in between for fresh fruit & veg (& their bargain, beautiful smoked salmon with mustard and dill which I'm addicted to for breakfast). 

If you follow me on Twitter (@rudedoodle) or Instagram you'll see me giving shout outs about what's new in store, as one of my top reasons for shopping Lidl is they get a brand new range in weekly, so there's always specials to try. 

Next up, this Thursday, is their World Cup collection. I'm a sucker for a big event and will be getting some tshirts for the family. I was in store today and they've already got some World Cup themed food in- yes! Plus party packs with plates, cups, plastic cutlery, football whistles etc. for £3.99

I didn't buy these today, but I'll be buying them once the event starts.

Now the days are getting warmer there are some interesting options for keeping hydrated. Many flavours of iced tea, including some zero calorie options. Beautiful with ice and a slice of lemon. 

One of their themes this week is Mexican food, so as well as a selection of spices for 69p each, salsa, taco kits and fajitas, they also have this unusual cactus drink, which someone like me couldn't resist trying at £1 for a litre. 

And what about this water jug? So stylish and looks far more expensive than it's £3.99. There are matching tumblers and salad bowls in two sizes too. All come in either green, clear or deep pink. Lovely for BBQs. 

Finally here are the rest of the World Cup items which should hit stores on Thursday.

Coconut Popcorn from Propercorn, the Perfect Summer Snack

If you are a Birchbox beauty sample service subscriber, like me, you might have had the chance to try the Propercorn Coconut flavour popcorn in this month's box. I absolutely loved it, I'd never tasted anything like that before. Propercorn kindly sent me this pretty box containing each of their flavours currently available. 

The packs are slightly larger than regular crisp packets, but are lower in calories from being hand cooked in rapeseed oil & seasoned with Propercorn's special seasonings. A great snack if you are counting calories and still want snacky stuff. Whenever I diet I always need things like this on hand, because if I cut out everything snacky altogether, the diet only lasts half a day before I give in due to misery!

I've managed to drop from 11st 6lbs to 9st 10lbs since Christmas, so I will be buying lots of Propercorn for the rest of the weight loss journey.

The Big Beef Taste Test at St. George's Bar & Grill, Belfast

On Saturday evening we were invited to a Beef Masterclass at St. George's Bar & Grill. The beef in question was a selection of high quality cuts straight from Hilltown Farm. One of the farmers called in to tell us all about the free range style their cattle are raised, including the eight pints of stout each beast delights in each day! The beef is aged on location, meaning your steak has a tiny mileage from farm to plate.

Head chef James then gave us a short Masterclass on the cuts and techniques we can use at home. From beef heart, to cuts of rump, we all learned a little something new. 

Beef heart, tastes a little like liver or kidney

Slow roasted beef with rice

The kitchen was hot, so we took our drinks out on the terrace which overlooks the famous St. George's Market area. The Bar & Grill serves brunch on market mornings, and I really want to call back for that, over looking the pretty cupcake stalls and craft vendors. Most of the produce St. George's Bar & Grill comes from the market downstairs, from local vendors, making it super fresh.

Our tasting platter consisted of a tender rump steak, a deconstructed lasagne and a posh version of cottage pie. We had been out all day Saturday, so we had our son with us, but they really looked after him. While we were having the Masterclass they allowed him to draw on their menu chalkboard, and knowing the food was a little bit too picky for a six year old, they offered him chips to feast on. He really felt special. 

Michael enjoying an ale made on Hilltown Farm

So tender

The restaurant has pre-theatre or concert menus, so we have already planned to come back the evening before we see Miley Cyrus next month. Showing a theatre ticket, or even an ice hockey ticket will get you a free glass of wine with your meal.

Thank you for having us, St. George's, I have you down as one of Belfast's best kept secret foodie stops now. 

Is This The Most Peculiar Theme for a Birthday Cake Ever?

Perhaps not. I can think of a few reasons why a pill themed cake could be apt. For a trainee doctor, Facebook withdrawal tablets for the addict in your life, or a blue Viagra cake for a cheeky joke on an older relative (a tad embarrassing if it's a family party though).

This post is also to check in with my PR friends and let you know I AM getting better, just slowly. I have lots of fun blog posts waiting to be put together such as Hot Wheels, a Water Bottle which tracks your consumption, a big Heatons' NI competition to win £75 to spend in store and some wonderful, hand-made fuzzy cards.

But for now: Cakes! 

Do You Think You Could Eat This? I'm Not Sure it'll be on My St Patrick's Day Dinner Plate!

Oh, Mash Direct, you know I love you, but this green, Leprachaun mash isn't for me. It's naturally coloured with green cabbage, so as per their other products, everything is fresh and natural. I will be buying it however, I have a six year old son and green mash will be quite the novelty.

Find your local Mash Direct stockist here. 

Sneak Those Veggies Into Dinner Time with Pop Chef for only £9.99

Remember going to the Ideal Homes Exhibition when you were a kid? There was always a fun cutting novelty for making food shapes that Mum wouldn't buy. Well now you can get the Pop Chef for only £9.99 and it's safe for over 3 year olds to use as it doesn't have blades. Affordable, safe, quick, easy, dishwasher safe.

You can make appealing, party fruit kebabs (sticks are included in the pack). Or how about saving some pennies and shaping toast, cheese and ham and sending it to school for break instead of packs of Dairylea Lunchables. This way you can use fresh produce with no additives. 

As you can see above the Pop Chef is also useful for pretty and simple bun or cake decoration. I was very excited to try this product out; I'm the sort of adult does buy Lunchables, for themselves! 

You have six different shapes and the ends are incredibly hassle free to swap over. I tried cutting Apple, yellow pepper and toast. All cut easily. When I went to pop them however, I came stuck a little. I squeezed the orange pump and the apple didn't budge. I worked out there's a trick to it. You smack the palm of you hand down on the top of the orange part like you would to get tomato sauce out of the end of a ketchup bottle. This works a treat and the shape literally pops audibly out of the tube. So if you child is using the Pop Chef themselves, they may need to practice that part or have your help.

As it is my son is a fussy eater, so the Pop Chef will be getting used regularly from now on.