Fig & Nut Boursin review

As you all know, Madhouse Daddy Mike is French so Boursin is a very well known brand here at The Madhouse. However, I have a confession to make. Because it's such a French staple, the supermarkets have their own cheaper versions available and we've drifted over to buying those instead. When Boursin sent us through a selection of their products to try, it actually gave us a chance to ring the changes and remember how much creamier and unctuous the genuine version is. I think we'll definitely have to go back to the real thing now, especially having seen some of the more original flavours on offer in the Boursin range.

If you're unfamiliar with Boursin, it's a totally moreish, creamy, crumbly soft cheese flavoured with added ingredients, such as garlic and herb, tomato, onion & chive or - the latest addition for Christmas that we've been sampling - fig and nut. It's gorgeous as it is, on a cheese platter (you can smear a piece on a harder cheese like cheddar or tomme) or on crackers or Ryvita, but it can also be used as a sandwich filling or in a variety of recipes. I'll be back with a few in a moment, but we frequently make healthy nibbles using the garlic and herb Boursin spread over a slice of ham, rolled up lengthways, held in place with clingfilm and chilled in the fridge for a hour or two then cut into pieces to make small pinwheel rolls - they look and taste great. It can also be melted in crème fraîche to make a sauce for pasta or to serve with chicken or fish or incorporated into savoury scones or cheese straws.

The fig and walnut Boursin is delicious - it's a subtle blend that works really well - but the garlic and herb one is our fridge staple because it's so versatile. I'd never tried the Boursin Minis but they're great for picnics or lunch boxes, or as a pizza topping.

Boursin is suitable for pregnant women as it is made from pasteurised milk and cream. Once opened, Boursin cheese should be stored in the fridge and used within approximately one week. Boursin Minis should be consumed within 5 days after opening.It can be frozen for up to a month as long as it is well wrapped and thawed before use. A 30g portion of Boursin Fig & Nut contains 66 calories, 2.4g of protein and 11.7g of fat, of which 7.8g saturated.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £2.20 for 150g

Disclosure : We received a selection of Boursin products in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

 Old Amsterdam Cheese review

Blacksticks Blue Cheese

Cheese recipes for Christmas from the British Cheese Board

Drumond Park LOGO What Am I? review

We've been having lots of board game sessions here at The Madhouse over the Christmas period, which has been a lovely way of reconnecting as a family without the distractions of ipads, Facebook and - ahem - blogging ! Today, we've been playing LOGO What Am I? which is a great game for older kids and adults to play together.

The central part of the game is a box full of 250 double-sided cards, each of which has three different types of challenges on them - the Guess challenge, represented by the question mark (other players have to ask yes/no/maybe questions to name what's on the picture); the Draw challenge, with the pencil symbol (you can choose either of the words to draw and other players have to find the word on the card); and the Describe challenge, represented by the speech bubble, where you have to describe all three words in order so that other players guess the words on the card. (The fact that the cards are double-sided is a bit of a pain actually because it's hard to keep them hidden when you pick one off the pile to play.) All of these challenges must be completed with a set time, using an egg timer.

Players work their way around the board, with each square on the board corresponding to one of the three challenges. You can see my "fabulous" picture of a watering can in the photo above for the drawing challenge! It's a fast-paced game and there's no boring waiting for your turn because for each completed challenge, not only the player but also the one who guessed the word gets to roll the dice and move forward so it's a general free-for-all each time.

The game is suggested for players aged 8+ which is definitely the minimum because, as well as being able to read, players need a good knowledge of brand names, some of which are quite grown up. For example, Juliette had no idea what Direct Line was and J20 fruit juice was another unknown brand to her.

It's a fun game for teens and parents to play and had us giggling at everyone's attempts to draw and describe things without saying the names. It's a bit like a mixture of Pictionary, charades and Taboo all rolled into one.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £24.99

Disclosure : We received a LOGO What Am I? game in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Mattel Junior Scrabble review

Mattel Molehill Mania review

Mattel Chameleon Crunch review

Sanex Dermo Kids bodywash and foam bath review

Sanex is a brand that I always think of as extremely gentle and ideally suited for babies or children with problem skin but not one that I'd get particularly excited about. I expect dermatologically tested products that are ultra mild and free from colours, nasty chemicals and fragrances but just a bit bland.

When we received a big bottle of their Dermo Kids bodywash and foam bath to review, I opened the lid for a sniff, not expecting to smell anything, and was pleasantly surprised to discover an absolutely gorgeous fragrance - I'm not quite sure what it smells of but I think I can detect tropical fruit or maybe coconut.

The gentle skin-friendly quality is ever-present though. The Dermo Kids Bodywash & Foam Bath contains a unique Dermo Active 3 Complex which actively works with your child’s skin. It has a triple action, helping to improve your skin’s natural protective barrier, maintaining soft and well moisturised skin and restoring natural pH balance for healthy skin. It delivers essential and active ingredients that nourish your skin, strengthening its own protective barrier and making it more resistant to potentially harmful bacteria, as well as providing a combination of moisturisers similar to the ones skin contains naturally. 

I was surprised by the quantity of bubbles it produced actually - I need to have a bit of a rethink about the Sanex brand as it's obviously nowhere near as boring as I first thought ! - and I love the way the Madhouse Mini-testers jumped out of the bath with soft and beautifully fragranced skin. Whether or not your children have dry skin or eczema, I would highly recommed this product for the whole family.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £2.99 for 500ml

for more information : http://www.sanex.co.uk/

Disclosure : We received a bottle of Sanex Dermo Kids bodywash and foam bath in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Lulu's Time Bomb Glory Days Day Cream review

CB12 mouth rinse review

Chery Lin Grapefruit & Orange Body Polish review

Jordans Super Berry Country Crisp review

Jordans recently sent me through their latest addition to the Country Crisp range - Super Berry flavour. We all really like Country Crisp here at The Madhouse - I love the nutty, crunchy texture, especially as it doesn't go soggy in milk, and definitely prefer the kids eating that to sugar-packed chocolatey kid-oriented options - so I was keen to see what we'd think of the new addition.

You get the classic Country Crisp clusters of wholegrain cereals (bran flakes and oat flakes) with a hint of hazelnut and coconut but you also get a very generous sprinkling of freeze-dried blackcurrants, blueberries and cranberries. When I poured out the first bowl (that you can see above), I thought to myself "oops, there go all the berries then" and quite expected the rest of the box to be sadly lacking in super berries. I needn't have worried though, they're evenly distributed throughout the box and I was impressed at how many there are. They add a lovely tartness to offset the creamy oats and nuts and there's certainly no need to add any sugar - even Juliette didn't ask if she could sprinkle sugar over the top.

A 45g serving with 100ml semi-skimmed milk contains 248 calories, 7.2g of protein and 2.8g of fibre. On the downside, it also contains 34.2g of carbs (of which 15.1g sugar - that's why they don't need extra sweetening then, but hopefully some of that comes from the berries) and 8.5g of fat (of which 3.2g saturated).

They make a lovely breakfast or light supper - the kids have even been eating them as an after-school snack straight from the pack ! - and the cranberries give it a lovely festive twist.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £2.69 for 500g

for more information : http://www.jordanscereals.co.uk/products/cereals/country-crisp/country-crisp-super-berry/

Disclosure : We received a box of Jordans Super Berry Country Crisp in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Jordans Muesli

Jordans Creations Oat Granola review

Jordans Crunchy Oats with Tropical Fruits

Calin+ Yogurt with vitamin D review

Everybody at The Madhouse loves eating yogurt so when I was sent a press release about Calin +,  a new yogurt product with extra health benefits from Yoplait, I was keen to find out more. We received a voucher through the post to try them out and bought a 4-pack of strawberry Calin+, although it is available in cherry or vanilla flavours too.

Calin+ looks and tastes like pretty much any other big brand strawberry yogurt I've ever tried - Ski and Activia strawberry yogurts sprang to mind, because of the large pieces of fruit and the creamy texture. It is free from artificial sweeteners, is less than 125 calories per 125g pot and contains less than 2.3g saturated fat. Nothing particularly mindblowing so far.

 What makes it stand out from the crowd is that it is the first ever yogurt pot in the UK to contain 100% of your daily Vitamin D needs, as well as being rich in calcium, so it is ideal to help support healthy bones. No other yogurt pot offers this level of vitamin D in one pot. This is great news for us Brits as between October and March, it is impossible to get enough vitamin D without having to take a supplement as over 90% of our vitamin D comes from the sun. Worryingly 74.5% of us also have a vitamin D intake below the recommended level throughout the year as well, which is not good news for our bone health.

The Calin+ yogurts went down well with all members of the Madhouse family, kids and adults alike, and the Madhouse Mini-testers also love the name - Calin means cuddle in French ! - but the Calin+ website says these yogurts aren't designed for children. They say : "Calin + is formulated especially for adults, so it contains lots of calcium to meet the recommended daily allowance. It is not intended for children under the age of 10 as they have a lower reference nutrient intake for calcium. For children under 10 why not try Petits Filous or Frubes Fromage Frais? They both contain calcium & vitamin D and are better suited to their calcium needs. Click here to find out more!"

For the grown-ups though, it's great to get the reassurance of covering all of our vitamin D needs just from eating something tasty and healthy, particularly during the winter months. 

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £1.99 for a pack of four yoghurts 

for more information : http://www.calinplus.co.uk/

Disclosure : I received a voucher for Calin+ in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Yoomoo Frozen Yogurt review

Good Heavens! Divine Drinking Yogurt review

Provamel Orange & Redbush Yogurt review

Little Bird by Jools Oliver kids clothes review

Earlier in the week, I was asked if Pierre would like to receive some clothing from Jools Oliver’s Little Bird range which is exclusive to Mothercare. I had no idea what to expect so I was really pleased to discover the funky bright colours and slightly retro-feel of the two items we received. The Mothercare website explains the ethos of the range : "Inspired by Jools' own childhood memories of growing up in the Seventies, this boutique collection is not about short-lived trends, but an eclectic mix of iconic, timeless pieces, that every child between six months to five years will want to wear. Loved by Jools, designed to be mixed and matched by you and your brood." Sounds great to me !

The first item we discovered was this bright blue stripey knitted jumper with a cute toadstool design. I love the two buttons at the neck opening, making it much easier to pull off and put on. Another detail that shows that this has been created by a real mum (albeit a famous one) is that it is machine washable but can also be tumble dried. It's made of 100% cotton so it's warm enough as a top layer in winter but will also be great for cooler evenings in the spring and summer time because it's breathable. Its normal RRP is £14-£15 but it's currently in the sale for £9.50-£10 so grab it quick if you want one !

The second item was this funky purple and blue jersey top which keeps the toadstool theme from the jumper going nicely. Pierre originally said it was a pyjama top but then decided it was so cool and comfy that he wanted to wear it all day long ! It's made from 100% cotton and is machine-washable and tumble drier-safe - always good news for busy mums (and dads). This one has a £12 price tag which isn't bad at all because it's a high quality garment and has a designer-feel to it because of the originality of the pattern.

Jools Oliver's Little Bird range is exclusive to Mothercare so if you're looking for brightly coloured, funky clothing that will make your little ones stand out from the crowd, make sure you pop in during the sales to see what they have in stock.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £15 for the jumper (£10 in the sales), £12 for the jersey top

for more information : http://www.mothercare.com

Disclosure : We received some Little Bird clothing in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Please vote for Juliette's Xmas Fairy Outfit !

DaisychainBaby Toddler Clothes review

Yellowmellon Kids Clothing review

Lulu's Time Bomb Glory Days Day Cream review

Christmas is always a great time for trying out new beauty products, either that you've received as a present or that you've snapped up in the sales, so I was really pleased to receive the Glory Days Day Cream from Lulu's Time Bomb range of beauty products, currently available on QVC. 

Inside the slightly retro-style outer box, you actually get a very sleek, sophisticated spherical pot that looks very chic on your bathroom shelf. Sophie, who has been devouring the books about London from her recent book win, said it looks like London City Hall !

The cream itself is very thick so I was worried it would feel greasy but it doesn't at all, it sinks into the skin and is quickly absorbed. I have the sensation of a slight protective, moisturising film on my skin but this isn't unpleasant and stops my skin from tingling in the cold when I wait at the bus stop. 

The blurb on the box explains : "Glory Days is not only an intensive moisturiser, but it also helps create a smooth, even-toned canvas-like finish to the skin. High levels of borage oil, an ingredient known for its scientifically proven anti-ageing properties helps leave skin looking plump, dewy and tight. A powerful blend of glucose, hyaluronic acid and white flower oils gets instantly absorbed, so skin doesn't have that greasy, wet feel often found with other day creams. Skin looks and feels smoother, brighter and tighter."

My skin feels deeply moisturised and protected but I'm not sure I've noticed it looking plumper. That may be an effect that will be more noticeable after using it for a longer period though. It smells absolutely lovely when you apply it, but the fragrance fades rapidly so it's not at all overpowering if you prefer subtle perfumes.

The Day Cream is available on QVC in a variety of beauty sets, with other complementary products. If you want a pampering treat for a slightly mature skin, it's perfect.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £28.25 for the 2-piece set containing a 45ml day cream and 15ml night cream

for more information : http://www.qvcuk.com/Lulu's-Time-Bomb-2-Piece-Glory-Days-Day-Cream.product.223513.html

Disclosure : I received a Day Cream in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Chery Lin Grapefruit & Orange Body Polish review

Little Bag of MamaBliss review

DGJ Organics King of Colour Shampoo & Conditioner review

Pataks Turkey Curry Sauce review

Hands up if you're fed up of eating turkey yet ! Well, we spent Christmas in France this year and only arrived in England yesterday so we'll be having our roast turkey meal (complete with crackers and Christmas pudding for dessert) on Saturday so I haven't eaten any at all yet ! Patak's kindly sent us through a jar of their Festive Recipe Turkey Curry Sauce which is absolutely ideal for using up leftovers of turkey but also any other roast meats, such as chicken or pork.

Last year, I used a jar of this to use up all our leftover turkey but also cooked vegetables and roast potatoes and it was lovely. It's not too hot, very similar to a korma, so the whole family will happily tuck in, and it has a lovely flavour, with some added sweetness coming through from red peppers, coconut and sultanas.

You'll have to get in quick though. This limited edition Turkey Curry Sauce costs £1 for a big 500g, 4 serving jar and is available in Tesco from December 24th – 31st while stocks last.

Disclosure : We received a jar of Patak's Turkey Curry Sauce through the post, which was a lovely unexpected surprise !

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Recipe : Stuff The Turkey! It's Christmas Dinner - In A Cake

Patak's Rogan Josh Paste review

Host the perfect dinner party with Patak's 

Sophie found her Usborne Books win under the Christmas tree !

You may remember me telling you about Sophie winning £150 worth of Usborne books in a recent drawing competition. Well, I decided to put them away under the Christmas tree so that she'd have a nice surprise on Christmas morning and as you can see, she wasn't disappointed !

Sophie had kindly picked out some books for Pierre and Juliette too and they were just as enthusiastic. Pierre absolutely loves the Noisy Wind-up Fire Engine book which has a button to push for the siren but also a wind-up fire engine that whizzes around the track carved into several pages of the book. It's great fun and even the grown-ups keep playing with this one !

Juliette has been having a fabulous time with the wipe-clean doodle book too.

Thanks again to Usborne books and Teach Your Monster to Read for hosting the competition.

Other blogposts you may be interested in :

Sophie's on a winning streak too !

Keeping the kids amused with Christmas masks to colour

Vertbaudet’s Spring/Summer 2013 Budding Designers competition

Casabu flash sales site review

Mum-and-kids flash sales site Casabu, which was one of the finalists in this year’s Startups Awards for Online Business of the Year, recently got in touch and asked if I'd like to see for myself what they had on offer. Casabu, which launched in April, has constantly changing daily sales of stylish clothing, toys, nursery equipment, maternity gear and treats for mums at prices that are up to 90% off retail prices. The company is backed by London entrepreneur John Heseltine, who is behind leading retail brands Cherrygood and Love Juice.

I had a look through and picked out this rather smart Street Hoody from La Queue du Chat, a very funky but also eco-conscious French brand that focuses on providing a range of lovely organic fair trade items for children aged from newborn to ten years. I've had a look on their website and although I can't find the exact item I ordered on Casabu, similar hoodies cost €32 (about £26) but I managed to pick this top up for £14 so that's almost half price. It's made from lovely soft cotton - you can feel the quality - and I love the cute monster printed on the front and back. It's a brand I'd never heard of so it's great to see lesser known products and companies showcased on Casabu.

The brands on offer are constantly changing so I've just been to have at look at what they currently have on sale and totally fell in love with the fabulous pyjamas (or playjamas, as they call them, which perfectly sets the tone) from Barcelona based designer Gabriela Colãs - your kids can dress up as a cowboy, fairy, ballerina, chef, princess or pirate at bedtime and as they are on sale at half price, they're actually very reasonable. 

Delivery costs £3.95, or is free for orders over £75. They aim to get all orders sent out within 10-14 days - my order was held up but that was due to a glitch because it went through as a free order, not something that normal paying customers would have to worry about. If you love looking for designer items at vastly-reduced prices, it's a great place to find quirky, original products for babies and children.

for more information : http://www.casabu.com

Disclosure : We received a voucher code to place an order on Casabu and write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

‘The Winter Potty List’ - 24 things to do with your toddler before spring

Christmas dinner for tiny tummies from Ella's Kitchen

Giveaway #248 : Win a fabulous Motorola MBP36 3.5 inch Digital Video Baby Monitor - closing date 12/1