Archive for January 2013

Testing the taste buds: Vegan alternatives


posted by Karra

No comments

So in my quest to ditch the dairy I decided to explore some of the alternatives available out there, first stop, Holland and Barrett. I was surprised to learn H&B did vegan alternatives, but while exploring redwood for vegan cheese I found my local supplier was H&B.

There is a huge variety available, from dairy free cheese, to duck style pieces and even deli veggie salami! I wanted to taste a variety, so picked up, cheezly cheddar style cheese, soya yogurt, almond milk, egg free mayo, fish style fingers (not yet tried) and tuna style pate.


First up, Rice Dream almond milk. I have always struggled to find a dairy free milk alternative as when I have tasted the soya versions they have been absolutely foul. I didn't hold out much hope for this almond milk. It wasn't the creamy colour of normal milk, but had a slightly brown hint to it. As I brought it up to my lips a sweet scent hit my nostrils, oooh it smelt good. First sip, and it tasted absolutely delicous! It was a pleasant surprise! It was similar to milk but with a sweet nutty taste. Heaven for a sweet tooth like me. Next I tried it with cereal, it was rather unusual, but it was definitely edible, it would just take some getting use to. This milk would taste superb in a yummy latte.



Next I fancied a sandwich, so how about a tune mayo style version? I grabbed my tuna style pate and egg free mayo and eagerly cracked them open. First I took a small nibble of the pate to test it out.... EUGH!!!! If I can imagine what dog food tasted like this would be it! Maybe the mayo would be better, but after dipping in my finger and popping it in my mouth the sour and saltyness touched my tongue. Yuck. Not nice! I thought about throwing it in the bin there and then but I held out, perhaps it would be better all mixed up in a sandwich. Nope. Sour dog food! In the bin it went and I guzzled my almond milk to get rid of the taste.

 

Perhaps I'd have better luck with the cheezly. As I opened the pack the rubbery looking blob in front of me looked far from appealing. I bent down and took a whiff, there was definitely some cheese like hint there. I cut off a slice and popped it in my mouth.... not only did it look like rubber, it tasted like rubber too. The soya was extemely prominent and not to my taste at all. That went straight in the bin. I was extememly disappointed, cheese will be the hardest for me to give up, and with this unedible option it will make it even harder. But I will not give in! There are plenty of other options out there!

Next the Provamel soya yogurt, it was mixed berry flavour and I decided to have it over apples. It was delicous, extremely similar to normal yogurt, if not better! Even an avid meat eater enjoyed this and said he couldnt tell the difference!


I didnt want to be beaten on the cheese, so I headed on down to my nearest Tescos. I had read that tescos had brought out a new free from range, and added lines of vegan cheese from bute island products. I was pleasantly surprised with the range offered, the biggest variety of vegan milk, hard cheese and cheese spreads, soya cream, yogurts and plenty more. I picked up the cheddar style spread and mild style soya cheese.

 
I braced myself as I opened my mild soya cheese, ready with a glass of water if I needed it. I took a good whiff. This had a definite cheese smell, and it looked much more like cheese than rubber too. I sliced off a tiny piece and winced as I popped it in my mouth. Hang on... this was actually nice! It wasnt an exact match for normal cheddar, but it was damn close, I can imagine this tasting heavenly grated over a pasta.

The cheese style spread was also just as good, creamy and definitely cheesy flavoured! It was that good I immediately popped some bread in the toaster. Spread over toast it was delicous and a very tasty snack!


I will definitely be exploring the rest of bute islands range, blue cheese, spread with herbs and their vegan deli. Not all is available in tesco, but can be found online.






A festival of birds


posted by Karra

No comments

I have been a member of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust for around 18 months now, and visiting the flagship reserve in Slimbridge is something I've always wanted to do. The festival of birds weekend was taking place, along with floodlit swan feeds, so now was a great time to visit.

As soon as we approached the centre we could see a flurry of activity, flocks of swans, geese and ducks all flew overhead whilst excited visitors pointed to the air. As we walked into the centre the hussle and bustle of chatter greeted us, with an array of stalls selling a variety of items, from artwork to binoculars.

Within the centre there was an amphibian exhibit, from toads to frogs and even newts, it was great to get a glimpse of these animals up close and provides a fantastic oppotunity for educating children.



Outside the visitor centre you are immediately greeted with a colourful array of wildfowl; mute swans, mandarin ducks, mallards, coots, moorhens, tufted ducks and greylag geese just to name a few. They happily wander alongside you and eagerly eye your hands in search of feed. In one area you could get up close and personal with these beautiful birds, with the swans towering high above children, greedily gobbling any feed that was offered.



 

Continuing around the site you discover a whole host of feathered friends, they have an extensive range of non-native birds for both conservation and educational purposes and the most impressive is their huge collection and variety of the curious flamingo.

The WWT Slimbridge is the only place in the world where you can see all 6 species of flamingo. They have a fantstic viewing observatory that is actually sunken down to water level so you can get a unique look right through the legs of a flamingo. They have built and created mud nests, visible at eye level, in hope of encouraging them to breed. This new enclosure provides a fantatic opportunity to study these intriguing birds and to help understand flamingo behaviour even further so we can inform and improve ongoing conservation strategies all around the world.




Feathers aren't all you can find at Slimbridge, as mammals are also a vital part of a wetland. They have a collection of resident furries, including water voles, harvest mice, beavers and otters. They hold a daily otter talk, where you get to meet the three little ladies, Flo, Minnie and Ha Ha. They are North American river otters full of character and mischief and it was great to watch them bounding around, climbing trees and creating a splash.



As you move around the site, you gather your own following, a gaggle of geese! They can immediately identify the rustle of that familiar paper bag and know the treasure that lies within, feed! As soon as it emerges from a bag or pocket you are surrounded by an enormous variety of geese; bar headed, red-breasted, white-fronted, and nene, the rarest goose in the world. Compared to the swans that almost take off your fingers when feeding these geese are incredible gentle, and it was a real pleasure to be able to get so close to them.






Slimbridge has a large number of hides over looking a vast area of wetlands, its a great spot to watch for wild and rare visitors. Over the weekend the secretive bittern was spotted, but sadly I didnt get a glimpse. I did manage to get some great sightings and identified teal, shoveler, shelduck, buzzard, little egret, cormorant, pintail and canada goose.

The highlight of the visit was definitely the wild bird feeds. It was simply jaw dropping to see the huge amount of swans and geese all in one spot. We witnessed two of these, firstly during the day, which was a large mix of ducks, geese and swans all bustling and jostling around as the wheelbarrow overflowing with feed came round.

Second was the night feed. It was truly magical. A vast blanket of moving white feathers under the night sky, lit up with floodlights. Berwicks swan. Myself and my boyfriend were the only two people that showed for this feed so the ranger took us to a different viewing area where we got closer to the birds. It was simply incredible, and you really have to see it to believe it.





The WWT Slimbridge is a breathtaking site, and I thoroughly recommend visiting if you have a passion for birds. I feel proud to be a member of such a fabulous charity and know my donation is making an impact.




Compassionate eating: The thoughts of a life-long vegetarian


posted by Karra

1 comment


I was brought into this world as a vegetarian. No meat, no suffering.

Why veggie?

My mum turned vegetarian when she was just a teen, she couldn't bear the thought of a pig being cruelly raised and slaughtered for her consumption. She has never looked back. Not suprisingly, when my sister and I came into the picture we too were vegetarians. At first we ate fish, and so could be classified as pescetarian, but after watching a dramatic TV programme my mum realised fish suffered just like that of any other animal, so that too was gone from our diet.

Many people say this diet was forced upon me. But surely being brought up as a meat eater, you are having meat forced upon you? Being forced into a meat eating diet? When I was old enough to make my own decision I could have chosen to eat meat, but I will eternally thank my mum for raising me as a vegetarian and educating me on the reality behind a burger.

People choose a vegetarian lifestyle for many reasons, it can be for health or the environment, but for me it was for compassion. I cannot bear the hurt and suffering that lies behind the meat trade. I have grown up to understand that humans and animals suffer alike. They feel pain just the way I do. They may not be able to form words to tell us, but it is real. Many farms now recognise this, and standards have seriously changed, free range pig farms and cows grazing in huge meadows, but the end result is still the same. Slaughtered after only experiencing a fraction of life. Even though our views of factory farming are changing, the reality is the suffering still occurs.



Respecting opinions

Whilst I have my own views and expect people to respect them, I in turn will still respect the opinions of others. If they eat meat, that is their own choice, but I expect them to understand where that meat came from. If you know that animal has been produced and slaughtered for your satisfaction, at least you understand, and I respect your own choice.

It is those that are ignorant that send me into a frenzy. They happily tuck into a ham sandwich, but then turn a blind eye to what lies behind it. They try to ignore the fact that the piece of flesh they are eating once had a beating heart, could feel pain and could suffer just like you or I. I believe anyone that eats meat should be capable of slaughtering an animal, and should experience first hand what happens. If you cannot face it, if you cannot even watch the video above, you shouldn't be eating it.

Animals feel pain - but do they all?

Animals suffer because they feel pain, but is that the case of all animals? A question I have recently been exploring. To feel and understand pain we require a central nervous system, consisting of the brain, spinal cord and a complex network of neurons. So do any animals lack the ability to feel pain? Bivalves, consisting of clams, oysters, mussels and scallops, do not have a central nervous system, so therefore should not have the ability to feel pain. But why do they retract from touch? Surely that means they can feel pain? This response to touch is known as a reflex reaction. They have no conscious control of the action, it is an automatic response triggered from an external stimuli. The same way if you put your hand on a hot stove, you would immediately remove it before your brain had time to work out this was actually painful. So without their central nervous system this response does not mean they can feel pain.

But what impact does eating bivalves have on the environment? Surely sifting through the sea floor, dragging them up disrupts the environment? Most bivalves can now be efficiently farmed with little or no impact on the environment and can actually be of benefit in improving water quality by removing excess nutrients.

So should all vegetarians and vegans eat bivalves? It is a question under a lot of controversy. Some say that we simply haven't proven they can't feel pain, and it may still occur, but then surely the same goes for plants and fungi? If we went on the possibility that we simply haven't proven it, then plants would be inedible to us too. People also claim it is still an animal, and vegetarians don't eat animals. But then we are simply conforming to a 'label' we have been given. I don't eat animals because of the suffering they feel, not because my 'label' says I can't, so it looks like bivalves are on the menu for me!

This is a great article discussing vegans eating oysters, and in this forum people discuss their own opinions.

Oysters by Rubber Slippers in Italy

The question of eggs

Being a vegetarian, chicken eggs have always been part of my diet. Eggs are naturally produced by hens and without the fertilization from a rooster no development of young takes place, just like a woman going through menstruation releasing an egg.

Its the farming of hens to produce this egg that matters. Eggs from caged hens is cruelty at its worse. Stuffed into tiny cages their entire lives, they have their beaks painfully cut down, are given artificial feed and lighting, and then, after a short, brutal life, are sent off to be killed. So to me, free range has always been the answer. The freedom of a large barn, with the space to roam. Large open grasslands, with dust baths to enjoy. Tasty nutritional feed, living long and happy lives. What would be ethically wrong with that? No suffering here right? How wrong was I!

I have always sourced my eggs from the happy egg company. It advertises its hens in gorgeous open green areas, with plenty of space and freedom. But the reality is shocking. I discovered a video uncovering the truth behind these 'free-range' RSPCA inspected sites. The hens were not in cages, they had the space of a barn, but they were still crammed in tightly, no better off than in the cages. Many suffered from severe mites and were completely bald, while others had died from fighting between themselves. The 'green' spacious outside area was a swamp, that the birds just didn't use. Electric shocks had taken place to stop birds perching above feed trays. Then, even though chickens have a life expectancy of 5-10 years, they are slaughtered at 72 weeks old.

 
 
So what happens to the males? If they are not needed where do they go? In these large chain companies most are disposed of at a day old. They are either gassed, which can lead to them gasping for breath, taking a couple of minutes to complete, or are macerated, simply being minced alive. They never even see the light of day. Eggs really do have a cruel hidden twist.
 
So does that mean no more eggs? No, it just means we need to research where our eggs come from more thoroughly. There is such a thing as free range, we just need to look more carefully for it. Chicken sanctuaries. Both hens and cockerels are rescued from this cruel environment and then given the freedom they deserve. The hens still produce eggs, and those eggs can be sold to us, the money going back to save more hens. Perhaps you could even rescue your own hens, give them the life they deserve and enjoy the treats they provide!
 
You can also look towards your small local farmers. They rear hens on pasture fields, with the freedom to come and go as they please. Many have cockerels roaming free alongside them. These are great places to look if you want to raise your own chickens as well, they provide eggs for hatching so you can take them home and rear your own chicken family. Just remember, its likely they may hatch as males, and it is your responsibility to look after them. Giving them away can result in them being used for cock fighting.
 
If you still cant bear the thought of these animals being used for our pleasure there are plenty of egg subsitutes available
 
So what about caviar? Unfertilized fish eggs, a delicacy often seen in top nosh resturaunts. To produce caviar the fish have to be cut open, many still alive and are then just left to die. This is a delicacy I wont be eating! You can find an alternative vegan caviar, made from organic soy it is cheaper, and indistinguishable in taste and appearance from real caviar.
 

Dairy dilemma

I have always consumed milk and cheese, they form a staple part of my diet, cows don't suffer from being milked and it forms a tasty part of our meal. Well how ignorant was I? The milk trade is possibly one of the most cruel there is.

Cows produce milk for their calves, just as we do for our babies, so what happens to these calves? They are removed from their mothers at birth, the females go on to become milk producers, the males have a similar fate to that of male chickens and are often shot at just days old for veal or are fattened up and raised for meat.

The conditions these animals live in is beyond disgusting. Cramped into tiny barns and hooked upto milking machines multiple times a day. The cows are impregnated every year to keep their milk flowing. They are often genetically manipulated to increase their milk flow. Cows have a life expectancy of up to 20 years, but after fulfilling their duty, they are slaughtered at under 5 years old. Goats milk is a smiliar story.
  
 
But this doesnt mean we have to rule out dairy altogether, cruelty free does exist, its just hard to find! Ahimsa milk is completely slaughter free, the cows, calves and bulls all live out full lives, in free ranging conditions fit for kings. Their milk does cost slightly more, but its worth it to ensure they have a happy life.
 
There are plentry of dairy alternatives now available to us. The Alpro brand is now common place in our supermarkets, from milk, to yoghurts, desserts and even cream, we can swap our common day dairy items to the cruelty free versions.
 
But what about cheese? One of the most common ingredients in a vegetarian lifestyle. Well vegan cheese does exist, and its not just one rubbery boring lump. Bute Island have created sheese and do a whole range of varieties, from blue style and edam, to creamy with herbs, there is something to satisfy everyones tastes. Now also available in tesco.
 

Making the change 

Cruelty free eating is the only way forward in my eyes, only ever purchasing milk and eggs from slaughter free locations. I will also attempt to always use alternatives to dairy and eggs, so what does that mean? Goodbye chocolate, goodbye tasty egg pasta, goodbye dominos pizza! All some of my favourites, it will be a hard road, but I want to start slow. I will dedicate one day a week to eating without dairy and eggs, and hopefully slowly increase this until I can completely remove it from my life apart from the slaughter free eggs and milk. Animal aid offers some great advice in going dairy free.
 
But what about eating out? Its already a challenge being a vegetarian, simply trying to find a pub that serves vegetarian alcohol is difficult enough. When I told my avid meat eating boyfriend he almost hit the roof, whilst he respects and understands my opinions it means enjoying a meal out would be impossible. It would even mean popcorn at the cinema is off limits.
 
Vegan and cruelty free options do exist though. The Karma Free Pizza Company uses slaughter free cheese on their pizzas. I have eaten at the Garden Cafe, local to me in Frome it has simply divine food, all vegetarian and plenty of vegan. Even if we go to a meat eating resturaunt there are still options available, a leafy green salad, potatoes and veg, and almost everywhere does chips! It may not be the luxuries we once knew, but its worth it to boycott the suffering, and with many resturaunts these days understanding the change in trend it wont be long before vegan is on every menu.
 
Staying away from home is still possible too with dedicated vegan run hotels, such as Bay Tree House.  We all know how hard it is when eating abroad as a vegetarian, but does that mean its off limits now as a vegan? Nope, plenty of destination have a predomininently veggie way of life, and companies like vegiventures specialise in veggie holidays. 
 
Its not all been bad news though, my findings mean I can now indulge in a bit of scrumpscious bivalve, although I'm not sure how my body will react having never eaten it before! 
 
So where does this leave me? No cruelty produced milk and cheese? Am I vegan? No, vegans are 'labelled' as never eating any animals or by-products from them. How about vegetarian? Nope, I will no longer be able to claim to be veggie, eating bivalves are animals, and being vegetarian does not condone the eating of animals. Pescetarian then? Still no, whilst the label of pescetarian allows the eating of bivavles I will never eat fish. I no longer conform to any of these labels, instead in my eyes I will simply become a cruelty free, slaughter free, compassionate eater.
 
 Photo by Phae
Great links:
 
Good Food Nation - An excellent source of both slaughter free eggs and milk.
 
Viva - Vegetarians International Voice for Animals 
 
Vegan Village - A great place to find links to veggie and vegan stores 
 
Veggie stuff - Great range of vegan products
 
Excellent vegan recipe sites:
Dairy Free Dream
Veganlovlie  
Chocolate and beyond 
Vegan Magic 
Chocolate Covered Katie



Smallbrook meadows nature reserve in the snow


posted by Karra

No comments

Yesterday evening I decided to walk down and visit my local nature reserve, Smallbrook meadows. It was deadly silent and with its white covering it looked almost eerie, but at the same time completely magical.


Sadly my little lumix compact camera is not equipped with the capabilities for night time photography, and this image lit up by the street lamp was the only one I really managed to capture.

Snow covering is a great time to look for animal tracks, and I was eagerly peering down on the ground looking out for signs. I spotted this first, clearly a type of deer, walking along the side of the path. I would say perhaps roe or muntjac, but my track identification skills are rather poor!


Then I spotted an unusual trail down next to the stream. It clearly looked like something had pushed or slid its way through the snow, with the occasional mark that looked like a print. The trail led alongside the stream, then directly into the water. Could this be signs of otter?

 Slight footprint left in snow

 
Trail leading into the stream

I decided I would come back in the light of morning. Photography under torchlight is near impossible!

Early the next morning I set off again, camera ready, so I could capture some of the beauty of this reserve.


I headed into the reserve from the boating park, and walked along the boundary, popping down to have a look at the pond on the way. It was completely frozen and the only sound was the slight trickle of water from the nearby stream.



I continued on my journey, around the boundary of the reserve until I reached the small car park. I then headed into the car park and out onto the small trail onto the back of the reserve, where I walked down to the river Wylye. Along the way I was mesmorised by the song of the birds; great tits, coal tits and robins were among some that I saw. I did try to capture the little fellows on my camera, but it decided it wanted to focus on the foliage behind! (Note to self... SAVE FOR A DECENT CAMERA!)


I then went back the way I came, along the path and across the car park, and headed towards the dipping pond. I then made my way through to the woodland, eager to look out for the possible otter trail I had seen the night before, but when I got to the site I realised a dog had beaten me there and ruined the trail!

I continued on my way, still enjoying the sights and sounds of this reserve under its white blanket. As I walked along the River Were, back towards the boating park, I startled a little egret on the waters edge, as it flew off it settled just out of sight further upstream. I got my camera ready and tried to sneak closer, but as soon as it came into view it took flight and disappeared into the distance.

As I approached the boating park I realised it was alive with activity, coots and moorhens were chasing each other, sliding around on the ice, a heron was keeping a watchful eye on the children on their sledges, mallards, swans and geese all paddled around in the only unfrozen part of the lake, swimming up to anyone that approached in hope of bread scraps. I quickly got out my camera and took a few snaps.





As part of my wild to do list, brush up on bird identification was one of those to do, so on returning from my walk I researched the birds I had seen, here is a list of those I managed to identify on my journey.

Birds Identified: Coal Tit, Great Tit, Robin, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Pigeon, Magpie, Mute Swan, Canadian goose, Mallard, Heron, Little Egret, Black-Headed gull, Coot, Moorhen.

Map of Smallbrook Meadows:





Fun in the snow!


posted by Karra

No comments

This morning I eagerly rushed to the window and peered out...Woohoo! The weather forecast had been correct....SNOW and lots of it! I ran and pounced on my boyfriend, Jamie, who was still asleep... Wake up! Lets go sledging!.... after a few groans he turned his back to me...its only snow he grumbled. After tugging and pulling for 20 mins he finally peered out the window... and his eyes widened. This wasn't just a sprinkle, this was sledging weather!



We both threw on our wintery clothes, wellies and waterproofs and headed outside. Our first mission... find a suitable sledge! We headed on over to B&M... no sledges... next Argos... sold out... Pound stretcher? Nothing! Agh! Then Jamie had an idea, what about a car tyre inner tube? We headed over to national tyres, but they didnt sell just inner tubes... DAMN! Would we ever get to go sledging? Then we were informed of a tyre shop just round the corner... and hey presto, inner tubes perfect for sledging.



Before we could head off to test our sledges we needed to head back home, Jamie needed to sort out work, he was suppose to be in at 3, but no taxis were running and there was no way my yaris would be able to handle this. So while he was on the phone I decided to go and see what my bunnies thought of this white wonderland.

Heading over to their hutch it was clear they had been out to explore. Bunny footprints everywhere! But they had disappeared inside. I popped my head in the door and grabbed Lenny and popped him outside. A few sniffs and he ran straight back in... definitely not a snow lover!


But what about Twiglet? I scooped her up and popped her outside, after a few sniffs she started bouncing around.... she loved it! I made a couple of snowballs and dropped them infront of her, she would chase them and then dig at them and destroy them. I sat outside with her for a good half an hour playing.






Jamie finally sorted his work problem and we headed out with our tyres to play. The local park was a great spot, with some steep hills perfect for sledging. When we got there it was already buzzing with activity. Children and adults alike were whizzing down on a range of custom sledges. From snowboards, plastic sheets and dog cage trays, everyone was having fun.


Now it was our turn! We hopped on our tyres and flew down the hill. Yeehaa! The inner tubes worked great. I was a little envious of the kids on sledges who seemed to be going faster though! Our tyres did have an advantage though, whilst the sledges you could only sit on in one position, our tyres you could, sit, lay, kneel, whatever you could think of! It was fantastic fun, and only came to an end when Jamie's lift arrived to take him off to work.








Horse or Cow? Whats the difference?


posted by Karra

No comments

There's a huge controversy currently in the headlines, that of horsemeat being discovered in Tesco's Beef burgers. It has caused massive outrage as people are disgusted at the thought they may have eaten horse.

But why? Meat is meat. A cow is killed. A horse is killed. Whilst I completely understand you should be sold what is being advertised would it cause such a huge controversy if someone had found a carrot in a bag of peas? No. You'd be laughed at!

As a strict vegetarian I see any animal for the value they hold, and don't agree with any suffering, be it a cow, horse, mouse or lion. They all feel pain just as we do, they all have the same purpose in life as we do, to pass on their genes.

Whilst I'm not here to change anyones views and completely respect peoples own opinions, its the ignorance of some that really bewilders me. Fine, if you know that animal has been killed for your satisfaction and consumption, at least you understand the process, and I respect you for that. Its people that turn a blind eye that angers me, they will happily tuck into a beef (horse) burger, but when it comes to the thought of the killing they just blank it out and imagine it never happened.

So now with the thought that they may have possibly eaten horse it has caused a massive upset. Is it because we see this animal as a pet or companion? Used alongside us as a means of transport for many years and in emotional films such as war horse? But surely the film Babe did not turn people off pork? In my own opinion peoples reaction to what has been uncovered is just absurd. If you can eat a cow, you can eat a horse, they both suffer and they have both been killed.

Can you imagine the outrage that would occur if they discovered dog meat in sausages?

   

Why so different?
Horses by schmilar77 Cows by *Nom and Malc



Comping crazy!


posted by Karra

No comments

We all like to win things, whether its that egg and spoon race just for fun, a contest we've put days of effort into, or that spontaneous email to tell us we've one that holiday to Barbados in that competition we entered last year.....yes please!

Well you can turn it into a hobby. There are various websites that list endless amounts of competitions, my favourite was loquax but sadly this is closing its comping service, so I am currently testing out the prize finder as a possible alternative. A great way to find competitons is to connect to the community. Moneysavingexpert.com have a specific competition froum where like minded compers post and share the competitions they find.

You have to be open minded though. You can't expect to win a holiday every day. Some people enter competitions for years and never win anything major, a pen here, or a towel there maybe. Its a hobby and you have to enjoy the process of doing it.

You need to create a system. You cant just randomly pick out competitions, how will you remember what youve entered? Some people enter contests that have been listed in date order, or the newest competitions that have been posted, but I like to enter the competitions closing the next day. That way I know I'll never miss one, as long as I pop online for an hour or so each day to enter them. If I know I'll be busy the following day, I'll enter those competitions too. I also only generally enter competitions I want to win, theres no good me winning a babies dummy when I dont have kids! Better to leave that for someone who does genuinely want it!

Ive been comping since mid Novemeber last year, and have won 5 items up to a value of £100 during 2012! Fingers crossed 2013 will bring just as much luck!

This is my haul of goodies so far:


 Knog Bike lock and light - £30

 His and Hers VIP Playboy Perfume - £20

 The Perfume Shop Gift Card - £50

Pringles Speaker - £0 - Promotional Item

Flora Cookbook - £0 - Promotional Item