Five Bloggers To Check Out And Follow | Follow Friday

Hey! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that tjat today I would try something different and do a Follow Friday but in a blog post due to being busy most Fridays. I also wanted to showcase some of my favourite bloggers so I thought that I would do the two within one. 

A large tall black smartphone next to a cup of black hot beverage in a white china mug on a light brown table on a light background, 

Katie Cupcake 

Katie is an amazing blogger who focuses on testing beauty products out so you know exactly what is good and what's horrible. She also focuses on her battles with ME and Fibromaylgia Katie's blog is amazing and is a great place to start if you want to learn the ins and outs of knowing about surviving with chronic pain such as Fibromalygia. Click here to read it. 

Jada Quotes

Jada talks about a variety of topics on her blog including living within pain and at the moment her baby progress and how it is to be a citizen of ethnic minority. If you want a blog thats honest and truthful yet with a bit of love then I'd definitely say to check out Jade's blog by clicking here. 

Faith 

Faith who is also known as Music & Eyeliner who is known for talking about great music including indie and unsigned artists. She also talks about amazing Beers from time to time and how she gets around the city of Leeds within a powerchair including the good, the bad and ugly (which includes public transport.) If you want to read more of her amazing posts then click here. 

Lucinda 

Lucinda is an amazing person and is the host of the blog The Fashion Fictionary which contains wonderful posts on fashion including her favourite trends and hauls but also contains a lot about food and her love for a good old brunch. Go and check out her blog if you want some delicious content by clicking here. 

Have you checked out any of these blogs? Let me know down below. 

Thank you for checking out this rambly sharing blog post. I hope you come back next time for a brand new blog post. 

Thanks for reading!

Jamie x

Follow The Bear! | Hofmeister

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new post! I thought that I would talk to you all about an amazing beer brand called Hofmeister today.

If you are old enough to remember, then you will remember the beloved Hofmeister sdverts which urged you to follow the bear. Well, some time has passed by but the brand is back and is still telling us to follow George The Bear!

A collection of tall black glass beer bottles with a gold label saying Hofmeister in black bold font positioned like a set of ten pins on a bright background. 

Made in the heart of Bavaria using natural mineral water and locally grown barley and hops. The new Hofmeister Helles Lager is slow-brewed, colder and longer than most other beers today. That’s because Hofmeister believes that all the extra time and effort is well worth it and when you try the fresher and gently carbonated Helles, they think you will believe the same too.

Helles Lager Tasting Notes

Colour: Light golden blonde beer
Look: Thick, white head
Aroma: Fresh, soft malt, subtle hop notes
Taste: Very clean, fragrant, long dry finish
Head: White, generous, foamy
Style: Gentle carbonation
Overall: Well-filtered, easy drinking, refreshing

The Best Way To Drink Hofmeister:

1. Rinse a glass. Don’t dry it. This creates a more slippery surface inside the glass for a smoother pour and better head.
2. Pour Lager Beer at 45 degrees Step  Angle the glass 45° and pour half in slowly.
3. Straighten the glass and pour the rest in quickly. The head should be 3-5cm deep (or 1.5-2 inches if you remember Hof the first time round).
4. Then just sit back and enjoy our genuine Helles Lager like a Bavarian would. No lederhosen required.

This beer is light and slightly malty in my opinion. I love it and thats something because I'm very particular when it comes to drinking beer but I think that this would be great to drink whilst catching up with friends or on a night out. I think that everyone should definitely be folowing the bear even if its into the deep pits of the Bavarian Forest.

Remember to drink responsibly.

Find more out about Hofmeister here.

Do you drink beer? Have you tried Hofmeister? Let me know down below!

Thanks for reading this drink based blog post. I hope that you have enjoyed reading it and I hope that you come back next time for reading another blog post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

This blog post was in return of goods or services. All views and ramblings are my own. 

Slamming The Newspaper To The Floor | Slam Dunk Festival 2018 First Announcement

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new post! I know that festival season has finished for the year but I thought that I would talk to you guys all about the news of Slam Dunk Festival 2018.

A bright pop art based poster with an animated pattern containing different colours with Slam Dunk in bold white font, Festical in smaller black font in an bright orange banner and different band titles in different sizes of black font in a light grey rectangular box. 

If you love music and festivals then you will understand how it feels to wait for a line-up to drop when it comes to a music festival. Slam Dunk finally dropped a headliner and a few other bands that have decided to perform at the infamous pop-punk centric festival Slam Dunk Festival 2018.

The first headliner that has been announced is Jimmy Eat World who are an Rock based band from Arizona with nine studio albums. For those who don't really know this amazing band, you may know of Jimmy Eat World via Tayor Swift covering one of their songs, The Middle, via Taylor Swift lip syncing to it within an Apple Music advert.

The other amazing bands that are coming along to Slam Dunk including Taking Back Sunday, Sleeping With Sirens, Four Year Strong, State Champs and Trash Boat so there is something for anyone who loves Alternative Music from those who have only listened to a little bit of the genre all the way to those who live their life by the genre.

Slam Dunk South has also changed it's location for 2018. Slam Dunk South will now take place at Hatfield Park. In previous years, it has been held at the University of Hertfordshire. Hatfield Park is situated directly opposite Hatfield train station. The Slam Dunk South Afterparty will be held at University of Hertfordshire which is also known as Hatfield Forum.

Do you listen to any of the bands mentioned above? Have you been to Slam Dunk Festival before? Let me know down below! 

Check out everything Slam Dunk here.

I hope that you have enjoyed this music based blog post. I hope that you come back next time for another blog post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

This blog post has been in collaboration with a press release from a PR. All opinions and ramblings are my own. 

Satay, Pizza Burgers & Having Your Cake & Eating It | Trinity Kitchen Novemnber 2017

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! Trinity Leeds invited me to Trinity Kitchen to try some of their new vendors so I thought that today I would tell you all what I thought about them.

If you havent heard of Trinity Kitchen then let me tell you all about it. Trinity Kitchen is an open plan food court within Trinity Leeds that serves a plethora of food from different cultures such as Vietnamese food from Pho, Italian Pizza's from Pizza Luxe, Mexican food in the form of Tortilla and much more. Every so often, Trinity Kitchen like to bring in six different street food vendors to give variety but to also ensure that new businesses are getting exposure.

Myself and Luke (who comes to most of the events alongside myself) made our way around to Trinity Kitchen and decided to sit down in a sort of quiet sectioned off corner that had a wide rectangular glass window overlooking the wonderful architecture that surrounds Trinity Leeds within the city centre of Leeds.

We decided to start off by checking out Tikks Thai Kitchen. Tikk's Thai Kitchen is known for cooking amazing yet authentic Southern Thai Street Food. The reason behind why the business is called Tikk's Thai Kitchen is well because all the food is prepared and cooked by Tikk who is an Thai Native and a trained chef. We enjoyed a dish of Chicken Satay and Sriracha Fries which came with a wonderful nutty Satay Dip and some wonderful fried Shallots. I love Chicken Satay! This Chicken was wonderfully charred but still tender which I think is quite hard to do as sometimes charred Chicken loses all of its moisture. The Dip was wonderful light and nutty. Luke hates Peanuts but he loved this dip which well contained Peanuts! The fries were crispy and the Sriracha gave a slight tang to them which I loved. The Shallots were there to add a bit of crispness but also a tad bit of cooling if you thought the Sriracha was a bit too much. I'm still wondering why I haven't tried Sriracha Fries before this because I was missing out!

The next place that we decided to try was Sela Bar who have collaborated with Little Red Eats to create a vendor that creates amazing burgers ranging from ones from ones with Candied Bacon and one that was made for Cheese Lovers. I decided to get a Pizza Burger to share with Luke. Yes, you heard right! A Pizza Burger. This Burger consisted of an great homemade Beef Burger topped with a great Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Pepperoni and a whole host of amazing goodies. I did think that this would be more of a just an Instagrammable product and that it woudn't taste amazing but oh my god did I eat my words and much more. The Patty was succulent and delicious. The powerful tomato sauce against the creamy Cheese was wonderful and the little pieces of Pepperoni gave the burger an extra lift of flavour and texture. I was kind of glad that this came in a Brioche Bun. I love the good old Sesame Seed Bun but I also love a smooth Brioche Bun as you don't get Sesame Seeds everywhere. I would definitely recommend this to anyone that's going to Trinity Kitchen soon!

The last vendor that we decided to visit was Meli Patisserie  Meli Patisserie create amazing cakes, sweet treats and mousses to fill that sweet hole that has been left in your soul. We tried a Lemon Cake which consisted of a White Chocolate Sponge, White Chocolate Mousse and Lemon Curd smothered on the top and a Baileys Cake which consisted of Dark Chocolate Sponge, a wonderful Baileys Mousse and smothered in Dark Chocolate Ganache. I loved the Lemon Cake as it was sweet but tart at the same time. Luke loves White Chocolate and Lemon so he was in heaven with this one! The Baileys cake has a sort of deep sweetness going on due to the Dark Chocolate but I loved it. I'm not the biggest fan of Dark Chocolate sometimes but when paired with the Baileys Mousse, it was divine! These would be divine when catching up with friends!

Trinity Leeds has some other amazing vendors at the moment including Food4Festivals who create great Greek food including Gyros, Gravy Train Poutine who create amazing Canadian Poutine and Bunnymans Bunnychow who create amazing South African food that comes in an edible bowl.

Check out Trinity Kitchen here.

Have you tried any of the above vendors? Would you try any? Let me know down below! 

Thanks to all of the vendors for creating amazing food and the wonderful gius at Trinity Leeds for inviting me along to try the vendors.

Thanks for reading this food based blog post. I hope that you enjoyed it. I hope that you come back next time for another blog post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

Jamie Sowden Is Going Through Some Changes

Hey! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! 

A large silver Macbook with black keys and a white xcreen on a rectangular light wood table with two white hands on the keys of the laptop with a large green plant in a light brown plant pot on a bright background. 

This shall be a pretty short post but as you can tell via the title, this blog will be going through various changes and as the current blog template hasn't been working out for myself or the blog for a while/ I've decided that it would be best to change it to a simple template until I find one that fits with the blog and myself. 

The latest this change shall be is by the 8th of January. I shall still be uploading content so don't worry about getting your fix of rambly yet great blog posts/ 

I hope that you're having a great week! 

Thanks for reading this blog post! 
Jamie x 

Having A Wonderful Wintry Weekend | Trinity Leeds Wonder Weekeend 2017

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new post! The wonderful guys over at Trinity Leeds invited me to come along to their Wonder Weekend event and I thought that today I would tell you all what happened at Wonder Weekend.

A tal; dark green tree in sparkly blue lights all the way up the tree with a big red box supporting it at the bottom on a white floor on a dark background.  

Wonder Weekend is a weekend long event that is held within the shopping centre Trinity Leeds near around November. Wonder Weekend is a weekend full of well, wonder and things that you would never expect to end up in a shopping centre. The best part of Wonder Weekend is that as well as attending and participating in these events, you get to experience the lights of the Trinity Leeds Christmas Tree/Wishmas Tree being turned on for the very first time that year.

I started by going straight to the belly of the wonderful beast. The Ball Pit and Bar space. This space was turned into a massive ball pit with a bar and some brands offering free goodies next to it. Sadly, due to the amount of people as Wonder Weekend was open to the public, I decided to not go into the ball pit but I did get to try one of Meatliquors amazing burgers for the first time and I absolutely loved it!

After the ball pit, I decided to carry on and go to the Sherbet Shack which contained wonderful sweets for the taking!

Carrying on from this, I then went to decorate my own Toffee Apple which I absolitely loved as it meant that I got to dip my own Apple into the Toffee. I love it when I get to create something and take it home!

I then made my way to the viewing area for the switch on of the Wishmas Tree Lights. This bit was hosted by the wonderful Jojo that works at Capital FM. This part of the event included acrobats, singing, dancing and much more. After a while, the lights were switched on which made the shopping centre look wonderful and sparkly, there were things such as balloons that descended from the top of the shopping centre to the bottom.

I then slowly made my way towards Everyman Cinemas to have a look at their Slumber Cinema. Sadly as I think a good few decided to do this after the switch on, it was still quite packed for myself to fully embrace it but I think that this is a wonderful idea as it encapsulates being wonderful and rested but cosy at the same time. I think that Everyman should do something like this more often.

I then decided that it was time to head off back home even though I felt completely festive and wanted to smother myself in things such as Spicy Hot Drinks and luxurious food which is associated with the festive times.

Thanks to the wonderful PR team that invited me to this event and to Trinity Leeds for putting on such an amazing event. 

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this festive post and that you come back next time for another blog post!

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

Roll That Dice! | Victoria Gate Casino Menu Tasting

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I was invited to the Victoria Gate Casino's Christmas Menu Tasting and I thought that today I would tell you all what happened at the tasting.

A big bold black V with one side of the right side of the V cut off with Victoria Gate Casino in big bold black font underneath on a white background. 

We walked into the grand casino and sat down at a terrific looking table with elegant looking glasses and superb silverware. Myself and Luke chatted for a while and waited for the drinks to start to flow. As there were an abudant of dishes to try and share and because my phone was being weird on the night, I think that it's just best to list the everything with the pictures that I think are somewhat okay.

Drinks: 

White Christmas: 

• 50ml Double Cream
• 10ml Creme De Cacao Blanc 
• 10ml Cherry Syrup
• 10ml Goldschlager 
• 1 Egg White
• 100ml Prosecco 

I liked parts of this and I hated other parts of this. I thought that Prosecco kind of stopped the Cherry and Creme De Cacao Blanc coming through but I did love the Cherry Syrup as it gave a fruity note against the creaminess of the Cream and 

Festive Royale 

• 10ml Creme De Cassis 
• 10ml Gordons Sloe Gin
• 100ml Prosecco

I'm not a fan of Gin or Prosecco but I kind of liked this one. I think that it was the Cassis that made me like it so much as I love anything with a Blackberry sort of taste to it. I think the deeper flavour of Sloe Gin worked alongside the Cassis to create a deep Berry drink. 

Christmas Eve Crumble

• 25ml Rhubarb Vodka
• 12.5ml Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 12.5ml Goldschlager
• 50ml Apple Juice #
• 25ml Double Cream 

I loved this one. I think the Apple Juice mixed with the Goldschlager and Elderflower iqueur did it for me. I feel like I could drink a lot of these. I didn't think that it needed the Double Cream but you can be a bit decadent and naughty when its Christmas so I understand why its in the drink. 

Food:: 

Chicken Liver Pate which is served with toasted brioche and red onion marmalade

I loved the sweetness of the Chicken Liver Pate. I loved the Red Onion Marmalade as it added a bit of sharpness to the Pate. I love Red Onion Marmalade in anything as it just makes whatever youre adding it to that little bit extra special. 

Prawn Cocktail 

Juicy Atlantic prawns drizzled in a classic Marie Rose dressing

Sadly, I didn't get to try this but I love a good Prawn Cocktail nso I'm sure that I would have loved it if I did get to try it! 

Petit Camembert with Rustic Bread - 

Rich, creamy camembert with a cranberry centre served with rustic bread

I'm weird with Cheese so I sadly stuck to the Rustic Bread but I absolutely loved the Bread! 

Winter Vegetable Soup -

A blend of winter vegetables served with a rustic roll and butter

(Gluten free option available)

I loved this as it had a sweet but spicy taste to it which you want when its cold in the festive season. I love Christmas spices and Soup! The bread roll was fluffy and soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. 

Roast Turkey Roulade 

Tender rolled turkey escalope with stuffing served with chipolatas, cranberry and a red wine jus

(Gluten free option available)

I love a good Roast Turkey. Do you know what I love more than Turkey though? Stuffing! I loved this as it combined the best parts of a Christmas Dinner into one.

Salmon Fillet 

Roasted salmon fillet in a honey glaze, served with a rich cranberry, ginger & orange sauce

I rarely eat Salmon but I loved the fact that it was served with such a Festive sauce and had a Honey Glaze as it made the fish extra sweet. This dish would be great for anyone who loves Fish. 

,Mushroom & Brie Wellington 

Sautéed mushrooms, cranberries, seasoned spinach & hazelnuts, topped with brie, wrapped in puff

pastry and served with a blue stilton sauce

I'm that 1% of the public who actually likes Mushrooms and I honestly think Mushrooms and Spinach is always a good mixture. I thought that the pastry was a great contrast in textures and I think that this would be great for anyone who falls in the same one percent as myself. 

Daube Of Beef 

Tender slow cooked daube of beef braised in a red wine jus. 

I loved the fact that this was braised as it made the meat extra tender. I loved the deepness of the Jus. I think this dish would be great for a family dinner outing. 

The last four dishes come with seasonal vegetables and roast potatoes. 

Christmas Pudding 

Traditional Christmas pudding served with brandy sauce

People either love Christmas Pudding or hate Christmas Pudding and sadly, I hate it so I didn't try this sadly. 

CHOCOLATE & ORANGE TORTE

Crisp chocolate biscuit layered with a dark chocolate orange truf f le & rich chocolate mousse, f inished with a caramel glaze.

Sadly. I didn;t get to try this as it didn't come to my table but it sounds delicious. 

Lemon & Raspberry Posset

Tangy lemon posset on a ginger crumb base topped with raspberries

I love Lemon, Ginger and Raspberry so this dessert was made for me. I love the difference between the sweet Raspberry sauce, the tarter fresh Raspberries and the spicy Ginger. It was delicious. 

Cheese Plate 

Selection of British cheese served with a delicious plum & ginger chutney.

I didn't really try any of the Cheeses from this but I tried the Chutney and I loved it. I think the Ginger cuts through some of the sweetness from the Plums. 

A clear tall martini glass containing a dark red liquid with a thick white layer on top on a dark wooden table on a dark background. 

A round white porcelain plate containing a square of Dark Brown Pate with an dark red oval of Red Onion Marmalade and golden brown long finger shaped pieces of bread on a dark wooden table on a dark background. 

A dark brown piece of Meat with green spherical Brussels Sprouts with golden oval Roast Potatoes, thin rectangular batons of orange carrots on a white circular plate on a dark wooden table on a dark background.  

A square golden piece of Mushroom Pie with oval golden brown Roast Potatoes, green spherical Brussels Sprouts on a white circular plate on a dark wooden table on a dark background. 

A large rectangular piece of Beef with black charcoal lines on the top of it with green vegetables and golden brown oval roast potatoes 

a square piece of dessert consisting of a golden brown base, a bright white creamy filling and a red raspberry sauce on top with some bright red raspberries and a sprig of mint. 

Check out Victoria Gate Casino Restaurant here. 

I hope that you've enjoyed this food based blog post and I hope that you come back next time for another blog post. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Loving The Signature On The Packet | McDonalds Signature Collection Event

Hey!

Welcome to a brand new post! The wonderful guys over at McDonalds invited me to come along to their Signature Collection Event within Bramley. Leeds and I thought that today I would talk to you guys all about it.

Signature Collection is a brand new range from McDonalds which uses fresh high quality ingredients. They have three different burgers which are The Classic, The BBQ and The Spicy. The Signature Collectuon have only been within certain McDonalds restaurants within the UK but are now coming to all stores including UberEats which means that you can enjoy one in your very own home. 

Photo From McDonalds 

Myself and Luke arrived at the event and was welcomed by the members of the PR team that were covering the event. The room was alive with atmosphere and conversation as there were plenty of people that were here for the event.

Myself and Luke ordered a drink (Coca Cola.) After the drinks were placed onto our table, a little talk was given which included the background of the Signature Collection and he limited edition Signature Collection box that was created by Julian McDonald. Fun fact: McDonalds have only prodced  1,000 of the bespoke Julian McDonald boxes

We were then asked which one of the burgers from the Signature Collection range would we like to try. Myself and Luke stuck to The BBQ due to the fact that my voice had gone and I didn't think getting The Spicy would be a great idea and I like BBQ anything really. I will list the contents of al three down below just in case you want to know about each different one before I talk about what I thought of the Signature Collection Burger itself.

• The Classic - 100% British and Irish Beef, Beechwood Smoked Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Wholegrain Mustard Mayo, Ketchup, Lettuce and Red Onion, all in a Brioche style Bun.
• The BBQ - 100% British and Irish Beef, BBQ Sauce, Coleslaw, Red Onion, Lettuce, Beechwood Smoked Bacon and Cheddar Cheese, all in a Brioche style Bun.
• The Spicy - 100% British and Irish Beef, Jalapeño Slices, Pepper Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Hot & Spicy Mayo and a Spicy Relish, all in a Brioche style Bun.

The Burger, Fries and Drink arrived. I got a Chocolate Milkshake as I thought that it would help my throat a little. The Fries were delicious and had a little bit of a sort of Paprika Seasoning on them? I'm not completely sure what the seasoning was but I adored them! The Burger had a delicious yet thick Beef Patty which had a slight bit of Pepper to it I believe. the Bacon added a bit of texture as it was Crispy, the Coleslaw was quite refreshing against the sweet BBQ sauce and the Red Onions were mixed in with the Coleslaw a bit which took a bit of the rawness away from them. I loved the Brioche style Bun as it just added a lovely softness to the Burger as a whole but it also meant no Sesame Seeds. I love a good Sesame Seed, dont get me wrong, but it was nice to have a break from them.

We chatted and then decided to get a selfie in the Golden Throne and then head off back home after saying our goodbyes.

Have you tried the Signature Collection? Which one is your favourite? Are you planning on trying them? Let me know down below!

Thank you to the wonderful PR staff that invited myself and Luke to the event. Thank you to the wonderful staff that were at the event.

Check out McDonalds here.

I hope that you have enjoyed this food based blog post. I hope that you come back for another blog post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

This post was in collaboration with McDonalds for goods/services. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own.