Food

Bean to Cup Coffee Machines: Which Ones Are the Easiest to Use?

Collaborative Post¦ Have you ever bought a coffee machine or other kitchen appliance only to find out that it feels like you need a degree in electronics just to understand it?

Combine that with the fact that most of us are looking to use a coffee machine first thing in the morning when we’re truly feeling like zombies, and you’ll find some coffee machines tough to get to grips with.

On top of that, a lot of different coffee machines are put in communal spaces like a break room at work. You won’t want to spend time teaching every member of staff how to use it in detail, so a machine that is intuitive can make all the difference.

Fortunately, in this guide, we’ve put together some of the easiest fully automatic coffee machines to use.

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Is vegan pregnancy a healthy option?

Guest Post By Louise Palmer Masterton, Stem & Glory¦ Having experienced first-hand advice from family and so-called ‘experts’ on the subject of veganism, I found that throw vegan pregnancy into the mix, and suddenly it becomes about moral choices. Veganism is ok it seems when it’s our own choice, but can be questioned when we’re dealing with an unborn child. The idea that we’re omnivorous and therefore a vegan diet cannot be safe in pregnancy is a fairly widely held view.

Personally, my experience with being vegan during pregnancy is that it was completely normal. I had no morning sickness, no cravings, no complications, no deficiencies and delivered both my children safely at home. For both pregnancies, I did take a pregnancy multivitamin, and the recommended folic acid. I said to myself when I first became pregnant that if I craved something in pregnancy, then I would eat it. Fortunately, I didn’t have any cravings.

Writing this article got me wondering if my experience was an isolated one, or if in fact many vegan women experience completely problem free pregnancies like I did.

I spoke to seven women who had been vegan through pregnancy (sometimes multiple pregnancies), and here is what they told me:

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Simplifying things with a food processor

Collaborative Post¦ We’ve all been there. When you walk into a department store, looking for something to make your life easier, only to be faced with walls lined with gadgets. If you are just a beginner in search of information, where do you start? If you need to find your way around some of the more complicated kitchen appliances, keep reading and let me help you clear up some of the misconceptions around food processors.

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UK Lockdown in our House: Weeks 12 -18

Is this still lockdown? I’m not sure anybody knows quite what it is anymore! I mean, most things are back open, but in another respect things still aren’t ‘normal’. Although, what is normal, anyway? It’s looking pretty likely that things won’t ever be quite the same again, or at least not for a long time. In many respects, we are still acting like we’re mostly in lockdown. This is largely down to the fact that I recently found out I’m pregnant! (This is also the reason my lockdown updates have been abysmal!!) In spite of mostly being at home still, we’ve actually done a lot over the last 6 weeks!

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Easter Afternoon Tea at Wyevale Garden Centre

Gifted¦ On Thursday, some of my family and I went for Easter afternoon tea at Elm Court, a Wyevale Garden Centre based in Gillingham, Kent. Before we went, I took a good look at the menu (who doesn’t?) The additions of hot cross buns and prosecco made this afternoon tea extra special for this time of year. Everything on the menu sounded brilliant, so I was just hoping it would live up to my expectations.

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