A sweet tree and freebies!

Wow that was quick! The first photo of a handmade sweet tree has been sent in so I thought I'd share it. This one was made by Sam using Maltesers and white chocolate for her little boy's birthday last week! It looks great and I bet it didn't last long! Well done!!

P.S. Love chocolate? Love sweets? Love freebies? Our first EVER give away is coming soon! So keep checking the blog and please please follow me on Twitter and 'Like' the Facebook page for news and to spread the word!   

Sweet Trees

I can’t believe I have never seen these before and when I was told about them I knew I had to share it with you!

My colleague went to a party over the weekend where ‘Sweet Trees’ were used as edible centre pieces. As she was describing them to me I knew I had to get a glimpse of one. I was straight on the internet and low and behold there were loads!

They come in so many varieties from chocolate truffles, to liquorice allsorts, flying saucers, jelly beans and marshmallows! They are colourful and quirky and I’m not surprised that people want to add a bit of fun and charm to a special occasion, party or event by using these decorative chocolate and candy trees. What’s more I’m sure that no one would be disappointed to receive one of these enchanting trees as a gift … I know I wouldn’t!

It seems that there are several retailers online who sell them, 

Sweet Trees by Rivera (http://www.sweettreebyrivera.co.uk/default.html) and Sweet Creations (http://www.thesweetcreations.co.uk/sweet-trees.php) to name just two.

However, I am dying to try and make one myself! There are a few videos on You Tube and with a lot of patience and some creative flair I am sure it can be done! 

I’m going to try and persuade to be let loose in the sample room and get artistic for the purpose of the blog.

I’ll let you know how I get on and if you decide to give it a go or have been successful already please send me some photos of your attempts! (info@justforyouconfectionery.co.uk) 

Chocolate Tools and Handbags

I’m sorry for not posting a blog over the past couple of days, I’ve been busily adding some exciting new products to the website.

So in today’s blog I thought I’d do a quick review of two of my favourite new products.

The first is this Chocolate Tool Kit made by Baur. This miniature tool kit is made from the finest milk chocolate and the five shapes have been cleverly decorated with dark chocolate. Not only does it look great but I can assure you it tastes fantastic too! The milk chocolate has a smooth, silky and satisfying taste and will most definitely not disappoint. These scaled down versions of hammers, spanners, saws and screwdrivers would make ideal gifts for D.I.Y enthusiasts or anyone working in the trade. I also think that this gift pack would be adored by children and would make a fantastic present or party bag filler!

http://www.justforyouconfectionery.co.uk/Chocolate-Tool-Kit

The next product is The Handbag of Glory from the Glorious Confections of Edward Monkton. Hopefully you will have seen many of his quirky musings on other products such as cards and mugs but he’s finally created a fantastic range of novelty chocolate.

He’s combined the two things a girl loves best handbags and of course, chocolate. His verses never fail to put a smile on my face and the chocolate is delicious too, so I instantly fell in love with this product. It’s a perfect gift for friend's birthdays, girlfriends, sisters, Aunties and with Mother’s Day not far off …Mums! 

http://www.justforyouconfectionery.co.uk/Handbag-of-Glory

There is also a fantastic selection of Easter gifts on the website so why not take a look? If you’d like any information on any other products please feel free to ask me and I’ll do my best to advise you!  


Have a great weekend!

Flipping Amazing!

First National Chip Week, now Pancake Day! I don’t know whether to be overjoyed or too just keep away from the scales!

Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday is loved by children and adults alike but it’s the crucial pancake toss that causes some of us to break into a cold sweat! But apparently University College London have come up with the perfect flipping technique, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/9095436/Pancake-Day-size-really-does-matter-as-scientists-find-formula-for-perfect-pancake-flip.html.  I don't know if I'll be trying out this method but let me know what you make of it!!

There has been a lot of discussion in the office today over what toppings we will have with our pancakes tonight. My favourite has to be Nutella and banana, but for others simply butter and sugar or a squeeze of lemon juice. Some are even going all out and starting off with savoury pancakes! What’s your ultimate topping?? I’d love to know what weird and wonderful combinations you have tried!

Here are 6 fun pancake facts for you, 

·        Did you know pancakes have traditionally been eaten on Shrove Tuesday for more than 1,000 years?

·        The first recipe for pancakes was listed in the 15^th century in an English cookbook.

·        The largest pancake ever made and flipped measured 15.01m wide, 2.5cm deep and weighed 3 tonnes. It was made in Rochdale, Greater Manchester in 1994.

·        The current Guinness World Record for the most pancakes flipped in one minute is 117 – achieved by Aldo Zilli from Italy on the set of Blue Peter in February 2009.

·        The first recorded pancake race was in Olney, Buckinghamshire in England in 1445.

·        The second side of a pancake only takes half the amount of time to cook as the first.

Enjoy!

Chip Chip Hooray!

Monday is here again and it’s the start of a new week. But this is no ordinary week, it’s the beginning of National Chip Week (20^th -26^th February), marking more than 150 years since the much loved snack started being served in the UK! Whether you eat them with ketchup, gravy, or salt and vinegar, prefer them straight, chunky or curly it’s time to celebrate the chip! For me, you can’t beat curly fries dunked in mayo!

If you want to find out more, this site has loads of recipes, fun facts, games and even free chip giveaways near you! http://chips.lovepotatoes.co.uk/

Gosh, all this talk of chips is making my stomach rumble! I might have to go on the hunt for some chocolate ‘chips’ to keep me going!

Talking of hunger, over the weekend I finished reading the book ‘The Hunger Games’. Now I hope you have heard of it and may even have read it, as I thought it was amazing! I was hooked straight away and I know this will sound like a cliché but I couldn’t put it down. Written by Suzanne Collins it’s the first book in the trilogy and I can’t wait to get my hands on the other two! The first film is also coming out at the end of March which I am extremely excited about! I would love to know if you have read any and if you loved it as much as me!

I’ll put a link to the website in case you want to find out more for yourself! http://www.thehungergames.co.uk/

I’ve had some great suggestions come in for the competition prize, how about winning your own weight in jelly beans? Or creating your own jelly bean flavour?? Some fantastic ideas so keep them coming in!

A lifetime supply of Jelly Beans?!

To celebrate the launch of the new website, Just For You has decided to run their first ever competition!! It has been left up to me to come up with some prize ideas and thought who better to ask than you. A trip around a Jelly Bean factory or maybe a lifetime supply?? Please let me know what you’d love to win by commenting below … the barmier the better!

And they're off!

There always seems to be something that takes hold of your life for a certain period of time.

One of my colleagues is pregnant, so we are all gripped to ‘One Born Every Minute’ on a Wednesday night and discuss the ins and outs the next day! Another said her life currently consists of ‘Children and Chickens’!

I have been glued to the computer screen trying to figure out mind boggling web code and staring at images of chocolates and jelly beans for the past couple of weeks, which only seems to be increasing my urges for something sweet! But it means I can finally present to you the new Just for You Confectionery website!! Take a peak here: http://www.justforyouconfectionery.co.uk

What's more, I have also decided to set up my own blog to run alongside the website. Now, I am no self confessed ‘Blogger’ so please bare with me, but I do hope to be able to inform and amuse you, keep you updated with products, offers and competitions and answer any questions you may have!