I'm Loving Making My Own Big Mac | McDonalds Briggate

Hey,

If you have been a reader for a while then you will know that sometimes after blogger event myself, Luke and Michelle normally end up in McDonalds within Leeds Train Station so when McDonalds invited me to a bloggers event within Leeds, I had to say yes!

I walked up to the grand building and met the PR team that had sorted out the event and said hi to Kelly. We walked up to the top floor and sat down in a quiet corner away from the rest of the customers that were enjoying their meals. I sat down and was asked if I would like anything to drink. I automatically said yes and asked for a water as it was the hottest day of the year and I was already sweltering in a thin top and shorts.

We met the manager and franchiser of the Leeds Briggate/Trinity Leeds branch and the surrounding area who talked about some of the myths that are related with McDonalds such as that people sometimes still don't believe that the french fries are made with real fresh potatoes. He also told us about how more stores are slowly being renovated and fitted with touch screen machines and table service so your meal is brought to you.

We made our way back downstairs towards the touchscreen machines where we were given a demonstration of them. The touchscreen's have a sort of app layout to them. You can scroll up and down through all the categories and then you have a sort of box window on the right with a more of a slide left to right feel to it. This sort of layout means that you actually have a chance of scrolling through the menu and deciding on what you want instead of going for the usual thing because the counters are busy.

I found out that you can adjust and personalise the meal to what you want. I also learnt that there is other options when it comes to getting a meal eg you can get things like carrot sticks instead of fries and that you can get things such as orange juice with your meal. This means if you're having a cheat day or anything of that sort then you can have your McDonalds and not feel too bad at the same time.

We were then directed to the back of the restaurant where we were shown the stock rooms, the chillers and all of the stock such as things for coffees, things for McFlurrys. components of Big Macs and many other things. The chillers were amazing because it was sweltering outside but in the chillers the temperature was amazing!

We were given a hat, an apron and a badge. We were then told that myself and Kelly were going to be making our own Big Macs. It looked stressful but I had some help from an employee so I managed to make one without burning the store down and making it not look like a complete mess. We took our creations back upstairs and chatted some more with a nice side of French Fries and a Chocolate and Honeycomb Frappe. (I had never tried any of their Frappes before but it was gorgeous!)

We chatted some more about anything and everything, ate the amazing food and slurped on our drinks and then thanked everyone and said our goodbyes!

Have you tried the touch machines at McDonalds? Do you always get the usual? If you do then tell me what the usual is. Tell me everything down in the comments section below!

I would like to thank the PR team, McDonalds and the staff at the Leeds Briggate store for making my experience at McDonalds amazing! I hope that you have enjoyed this post and I hope that you come back next time to read another post!

Thanks!
Jamie x

Being In A 'Relationship' With Your Best Friend

Hey!

Today's post is going to be a different one on the post. I'm trying to get as varied as possible on the blog at the minute just so I can experiment with things/show off that I don't just write about going to events or reviewing stuff.

If you know me at all or have read this blog for a good few months then you will know that I go to a lot of things with my best friend Michelle. (Yes, I'll link to her website in this post because friends give their friends exposure!)

When myself and Michelle go out to things such as events etc, we get comments that insinuate that we're a couple and we play up to that fact because well why not? It's fun doing so! It's gotten to the point where most people (including our families to a certain funny degree) think that we're an item and I seriously don't mind that because she's a lovely person and if I could be in a relationship with her then I would.

Doing so literally means expressing our love via being quirky within public which means doing things such as singing/meowing well known songs at the top of our voice, talking about anything and everything because nothing is ever off limits, holding hands in public just to reassure everyone, going on cute dates, giving each other personal nicknames that nobody else would understand if we called each other them in public and many other things.

We spend time apart but when we do meet up then its amazing. I legit don't think If people want to believe that we're together then I don't mind as it comes in pretty handy at places such as bars or when we're out and about in Leeds or anywhere shopping and creepy people try to chat one of us up.

If you haven't checked out Michelle's photography then click here because it's honestly amazing! I hope that she's reading this and that she remembers that she's a fabulous multicoloured unicorn (because of her hair) that is amazing and that she has impacted my life in such a way that I'll never forget. Hopefully she'll read this when she feels a bit down in the dumps and smile as well because I love Michelle quite a lot and want her to be happy within life.

I hope that you've enjoyed this blog post. I know it's not something that I'd usually put up but I hope you've enjoyed reading it though.

Thanks!
Jamie x

Teaming Up To Take On The World | Reverse Engineers

Hey!

I thought that today I would talk about something quite different. It is interesting but its not something that I would normally talk about on the blog but this blog is meant for a bit of everything at the end of the day so I thought why not?

Reverse Engineers is a bunch of interesting short videos all about the future of energy and how to get there. Starring two male celebrities, a female celebrity and a mystery box, they are given the task of working out what new innovation awaits them and then they have to come up with a wonderful real world use for it.

The three celebrities within the series are Jamie Laing who is a star of E4's Made In Chelsea, creator of Candy Kittens and heir to McVities ; Alex Brooker who is the co-host of the Channel 4 show The Last Leg and Rachel Riley who is best known for being associated with the Channel 4 daytime show Countdown and late night show 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

In this episode, the team open the box to find a piece of what looks to be like astroturf with the question 'How can we light the future one step at a time?' After a little brainstorm and a good discussion the team decide on an idea to get the world thinking how can we change the future one step at a time?

If you wanna find out how they do it then please click here. It's quite an interesting video and as I have now watched one, I will make my way through the rest of the series

Have you ever thought of any ideas on how to change the future of energy? Let me know down below!

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and I hope you come back to read the next post!

Thanks!
Jamie x

This blog post was in collaboration with Channel 4 for their new online series Reverse Engineer. All views, thoughts, opinions and ramblings within this blog post are my own! 

Wearing Fashion Differently | Ushiwear Clothing

Hey,

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to Ushiwear Clothing's pop up store launch within Trinity Leeds. Sadly, as I've been very busy, the Ushiwear pop up store has now closed but I will mention later on within the post where you can check out Ushiwear Clothing.

Ushiwear Clothing was born from the mind of Jilly Kapusi who with the help and support of her husband launched the British brand back in 2008. Inspired by her own and her families love of nature and the outdoors, Jilly went about creating a range of clothing that intertwined not just style but also comfort. All of Ushiwear's products are designed and handprinted within the UK. Things such as labels and packaging are manufactured within the Ushiwear Clothing store in Mirfield.

Once myself and Luke had entered the superb store, we met with the lovely team that had invited us to the event. We got handed a fresh orange juice (there was also Prosecco but I don't like to start off with a Prosecco. We had a wander around and I instantly ended up looking at the food that they had on offer which is typical of myself. There were some lovely nibbles on display including some cute cupcakes that had designs on the top of them in the form of icing.

We wandered around the store to see all of the amazing products that Ushiwear sell. There is some amazing designs on the t-shirts. There is also the softest feeling clothing within the store. Y'know that sort of soft where you instantly know that it would be good as an Autumn/Winter staple piece? So many colours!

We were then asked if we wanted to have a talk with Jilly herself who told us the story of Ushiwear which I have condensed down at the top of the post. She also told us that Ushiwear is committed to helping local charities which I think is amazing and that if you want something in a different colour or size then they'll make it and send it out to you.

We had another look around the store and then I chose my tshirt, said our goodbyes and left the store.

I hope that you have enjoyed this little summary of the event. Have you checked out any of the Ushiwear Clothing's items? Let me know down below. If you click on Ushiwear then you will get sent through to their website! I hope that you come back and read the next post!

Thanks!
Jamie x

Being Seen On The Silver Screen | Panasonic UHD Televisions

Hey,

The trend of UHD TV's has slowly been sweeping the nation and I thought that I would draw focus on some UHD TV's so you all have full knowledge of the current technological trends within 2016.

I know what you're all thinking... What even is UHD, Jamie? It kinda sounds like a type of milk or something thats a tad nasty... UHD simply means Ultra High Definition so you will get extra clarity on your screen. This means that you'll be able to see every feature of a character in detail or the background of a live news broadcast in full detail.

There are many TV's that are amazing that are on the market but I honestly love Panasonic's UHD TV's and I am going to tell you why.

Theres the pro-grade Cinema Display. This recreates the experience of being at the cinema but at home! Panasonic's Honeycomb local dimming system means that deepest blacks can be possible on an LED TV. All of this gives bright stunning colours to the TV which creates a great HDR (High Dynamic Range) experience for anyone watching the TV. These TV's also have 4K which makes them ultra amazing!

The designs of the UHD TV's are very unique. The frames and pedestals of the TV means that it is a fashion statement on its own and will compliment any living room no matter what the interior design is! They will be the talk of the town!

You also get Freeview Play already installed on the TV. You get On Demand channels such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5. You also get all the HD channels which benefit the quality of the screen. You can also pause the TV when you need to and you can scroll back through the TV guide back through the last 7 days to catch up on all the shows that you've missed out on!

Have you got a UHD Television? What do you think about the hype? Let me know down below!

If you want to view more of the UHD range from Panasonic then click UHD TV Panasonic! 

I hope that you've enjoyed this blog post and I hope that you come back next time to read another blog post!

Jamie x

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Panasonic. All views, ramblings and whatnot are my own. Thanks.

Making The Best Out Of Your Work | Leeds City College Printworks Event With Michelle Walker

Hey,

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to Leeds City College to showcase their Printworks Campus and all the food that they have on offer during the year so I thought I'd let you read about what we ate and a little bit about the event. Michelle took the photos as she's an amazing photographer and a great person.

It started with meeting Michelle in Leeds Train Station (the 2nd biggest train station within the UK), we chatted and made our way up to Trinity Leeds as I had an appointment at Apple. We chatted and browsed around Leeds city centre including going into a massive American candy store where I picked up some Jägerbomb fudge!

We tried making our way to the campus but in true Jamie style, we ended up getting lost and then ended up getting an Uber to the campus to save us getting more lost. We were greeted by a lovely woman and made our way into the campus.

Printworks Campus is one of the campuses of the well known Leeds City College. This £25m state of the art building serves to many students with subjects such as Hospitality and Hair & Beauty amongst many other things. They help students along their career path within many ways including incorporating workskills into their studies. The Printworks Campus sells food in and out of term times.

We made our way through and was given a perfect looking Pimms cocktail to evoke the feeling of Summer. We made our way through to the restaurant area and chatted for a couple of minutes until a few marvellous students/staff members came over and filled our glasses with red and white wine. (Who's going to turn down wine?!)

We then just chatted about anything and everything. A few moments later, the first dish was served to us. The starter was Veal and Goats Cheese Nugget with pickled beetroot and other fresh vegetables. I've never had Veal and I've not had many fun experiences of consuming Goats Cheese but I loved the two encased within the nugget. The piquancy from the pickled beetroot contrasted really well with the nugget and the freshness of the other vegetables just made the dish pop.

The second dish that we devoured was a fish course. This entailed Saffron infused Scallop with a herb soup, salmon roe and wasabi peas. I liked the textures that were going on within the dish as you had the meaty texture of the Scallop, the smooth texture of the soup and the popping sort of texture of the wasabi peas. I rarely have scallops so it was nice to divulge into that for once and I loved the zing that you got from the wasabi peas.

We had a little discussion and then we were served the main course. If you love Pork then the main will definitely be up your street! It was a Plate Of Pork which included Slow Braised Belly, Black Pudding and Chilli crusted Pork fillet. The dish also contained Apple Puree. It was meant to also include Rhubarb but the wonderful members within the campus thought that it wasn't as good as it could be so it was omitted from the dish. I love Pork so this dish was instantly amazing in my eyes. I was a bit intrigued by the black pudding and chilli but it really worked! The apple puree gave a contrast of textures and flavours with the pork as the smoothness of the puree went against the crusted pork and the sharpness of the apples went against the sweetness of the meat.

The last meal of the event was dessert. I always love dessert! Chocolate and Coconut Torte with Coconut Shavings, Blackberry Sorbet and torched Meringue. I love anything chocolate and coconut based so in the form of a cake is a great way to showcase the combination. It resembles summer with an indulgent side in my opinion. When you contrast this with the sharpness of the blackberry sorbet it just creates a magical feeling in the mouth. The meringue and coconut shavings created a nubbly texture within the dish just to contrast with the softness of the torte and it was amazing! If someone offered me this at the end of a night then I would adore them quite a bit!

The whole room then gave everyone that had worked their butts off a massive round of applause. We were given some goodie bags and then myself and Michelle made our way back to the train station (we were given instructions, thank god) and then we made our way home!

I would like to thank all the staff and students at Printworks Campus who worked so hard to create this event!

Michelle also has a new website where she will be expressing her love of photography via pictures so I shall link that here. Don't forget to check her Flickr where the pictures for this event and many other events are located which is linked with her name above this paragraph.

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and I hope that you've liked reading about the food that is served within Printworks Campus.

Jamie x