We recently headed to everyone’s favourite Bristol neighbourhood, Clifton, and to Fishers, on the famous foodie-haven of Whiteladies Road.
Here, all the right noises are made to assure fish fanatics that they’re in for a good meal. The words ‘’dayboat’’, ‘’freshly caught’’, and ‘’Cornwall’’ spill from the waiter’s lips. The maritime blue and white branding calls to mind a quintessential British vacation by the sea. There are, of course, lifebuoys and anchors adorning the walls.
Some of this may feel a little trite if the food didn’t deliver, but oh buoy (sorry) does it; the no frills, just fins and gills dishes are resolutely crowd-pleasing, with a catch-curated menu that proudly puts the fish front-foot forward and firmly on a pedestal.
Come for the restaurant’s signature bouillabaisse, its red rusty-hue clinging to the sides of the bowl resolutely, just as it should be. Stay, if you like, for the hot shellfish platter for two, keenly priced at £46 and brimming with squeaky fresh prawns, Cornish king scallops, River Exe mussels and the rest.
Image via Fishers
Pair all of this (rather unusually, we accept) with a glass or two of Tarquin’s Pastis, shipped in straight from Cornwall, and you’ve got yourself a very happy afternoon of eating indeed.
Address: 35 Princess Victoria St, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4BX
People say all good things come in small sizes, and that expression is true if it’s about a little blue box from Tiffany or Danny Devito.
We are not so sure when it comes to cramming all your stuff into a small bedroom – so the only thing to do is get organised.
And we are not just talking about making your bed every day (although that’s a good start). If you find yourself with a tiny bedroom that forever feels like it’s overflowing with stuff, then here are eight ways to get organised.
Make Use Of Made-To-Measure Wardrobes
Trying to make do with an off-the-shelf wardrobe can be a nightmare in a small room as they are often too big and bulky. Made-to-measure wardrobes will give you the storage space you need without taking up too much precious floor space.
Plus, you can bespoke your choices; if you need more hanging rail and drawer space than usual, you can get it; if you want a secret storage drawer for your valuables, all you have to do is ask.
If you need a desk built as part of the wardrobe or storage solution, wardrobe designers can do that too.
Do an audit of everything in your bedroom and eliminate anything you don’t need or use regularly. This includes clothes you never wear, books you will never read again and knick-knacks that collect dust.
If you last used something in the last six months, get rid of it. It might be tough letting go of some things but remember, a small bedroom means you have to be ruthless when decluttering.
Check out this YouTube video about the Marie Kondo method of decluttering – watch this and get into a minimalist mood.
Don’t Forget About Under-Bed Storage
Under-bed storage is often overlooked, but it’s ideal for storing out-of-season clothes, extra bedding and anything else you need but don’t use regularly. This is especially true for children’s and teenage beds, which often come with clever built-in storage solutions perfect for keeping school supplies, sports equipment, and growing clothing collections organised.
You can buy purpose-made storage boxes or tuck away suitcases you’re not using now.
Even better, buy a bed with a storage area within its base, which means less space for dust and more space for storage.
Keep Surfaces Clear
In a small bedroom, every surface counts, so make sure you keep them clear. Clean surfaces mean no clothes on the floor or chairs, no piles of books on the bedside table and no cosmetics cluttering up the dressing table.
Try using a selection of baskets to keep things tidy. Makeup in one basket, jewellery in another or if it’s a child’s room, invest in a toy box.
Use Hooks & Wall Shelves
If floor space is at a premium, make use of your walls instead with some simple hooks and wall shelves. These are ideal for hanging coats, towels, bags and scarves and displaying favourite photos, pictures and trinkets.
And shelves are also an excellent place for those baskets we discussed earlier.
Think Vertically
When floor space is limited, one of the best ways to free up some space is to think vertically. Vertically means using tall bookcases, shelving units and wardrobes that are built right up to the ceiling to maximise storage and leave more floor space clear.
While you might not be able to access high storage easily, the payoff is you can have twice as much stuff in your tiny bedroom than anyone with only eye-level storage.
Use Mirrors To Create The Illusion Of Space
Mirrors are a great way to make a tiny room feel bigger and brighter, so make the most of them. Place a large mirror on one wall or use several smaller ones to reflect light back and forth to create the illusion of more space.
You could turn one of your wardrobe doors into a mirror; while this might seem a bit of a dated solution, it’s a tremendous double-use illusion.
Remember that it is imperative to keep things light and airy in a small room, so avoid dark colours and heavy furniture. Stick to pale colours, white if possible, and look for furniture with clean lines that don’t take up too much space.
Consider one feature wall, preferably the wall that faces the door. By wallpapering or painting this wall in a different colour, you can create depth in the room, making it feel bigger.
Don’t stop there; choose a blind, not heavy drapes, as a blind won’t take up much room, and you can pull it up quickly when you want to let in light.
Finally, prioritise elegant lighting; bedside lights are great for the atmosphere but if your bedroom has to double up as an office or dressing room, consider a desk lamp or floor lamp with an LED bulb to save electricity.
Congratulations, you’re getting married! And what a way to start the year, hey?
Being engaged is an exciting and nerve-wracking experience for all new brides, and feeling overwhelmed by planning such a big occasion is only natural. To embrace that sense of things ‘getting real’, one of the first important decisions to make concerns your wedding invitations.
Whether you’re looking for wedding invitations, save-the-dates, or thank you cards, knowing which style and theme you’ll choose to announce your wedding takes time to decide. The amazing and unique styles in the wedding stationery market are exciting and wide-ranging, and can dictate the stylistic concerns of your Big Day. As such, it’s certainly not a decision to be taken lightly.
We’re here to help with that; here’s our IDEAL guide to 2023’s biggest trends in wedding invitations and stationery.
Invitation Style Advice
First things first; your wedding invitations. They are your chance to make a great first impression on your guests and indicate what’s to come, thematically. Whatever theme and style you choose here will suggest to them the feel and vibe of your wedding, so this is an important choice, make no mistake.
Along with setting the tone for your wedding day, your wedding guests will no doubt save them as special keepsakes to remember your wedding day for years to come.
No pressure, then. Despite the momentous weight sitting on the shoulders of your invitations, this process should be a fun experience, and the first of its kind with your and your future spouse.
Here we have broken down some pros and cons for a few of 2023’s key invitation styles to help you narrow down your options and discover your perfect wedding invitations.
Gatefold Invitations
Positive: This invitation style provides an instant wow factor with its dramatic open-gate reveal. The unique and intriguing shape will give you lots of room to play with and allow you to include plenty of detail about your big day in one piece of stationery.
Consider: However, with the popularity of this style and that aforementioned abundance of space comes a higher price point. Therefore, this style may not suit those with a tighter stationery budget.
Postcard Invitations
Positive: Postcard invites are a simple, chic choice for those who don’t wish to use much of their wedding budget on stationery. As well as a cost-effective option, a postcard-style invitation is ideal for couples with a more intimate guest list and only simple information to share.
Consider: If you have a more extensive guest list and wish to relay more detail to your wedding party, you may struggle to fit everything into this format.
Paperless Invites
Positive: Sending invites over email is not only kinder to the environment, but better for your wallet, too. You also have more creative control over how the invitation looks.
Consider: Family, friends and relatives might want a keepsake of your Big Day. An email may not feel quite as special in this respect.
IDEAL Tip: Go further than having paperless invites; take the whole Big Day build-up online. If you have a tighter budget but are conflicted by the amount of information you’d like to give your guests, a wedding website could be the perfect answer.
Create a wedding day hub for you and your guests, and use this as a go-to for all the information and details they may need about your special day. You can include RSVPs, colour schemes and countdowns, so your guests are entirely in the know.
When it comes to shaping the overall theme of your wedding day and its adjacent stationery, it’s sensible to start with the wedding venue as an anchor, foundation and inspiration. Knowing where you would like to host your ceremony can help focus minds on the vibe and aesthetic that would suit your surroundings.
This decision will help you in choosing colour palettes, fonts and styles so that your wedding day feels right for where you are. For example, an outdoor countryside wedding might call for stationery with a more rustic, botanical vibe paired with a more delicate font style. On the flip side, a fabulous modern hotel ceremony might warrant more chic, glossy invites and matching dramatic font.
Some Stationery Themes That Are Looking Big For 2023
Metallics: This futuristic feel will be popular among Brides in 2023. Think chic, expensive-looking metallics in beautiful shades of Gold, Silver and Rose Gold.
Get Personal: Immerse your guests into the day’s beauty by using personal images throughout your invitations, save the dates or thank you cards. The photos can include photos of yourselves or even illustrations of your venue.
Rustic & Simple: Sometimes, less is more when it comes to wedding stationery. Take a step back with a rustic theme composed of natural browns, beautiful florals, and lace for a simple and romantic feel.
Floral: A classic and timeless theme that resonates perfectly with a romantic wedding. Mix and match different varieties for a bespoke floral bouquet that suits you and your wedding vibe.
Other Wedding Trends To Look Out For
New brides-to-be are taking on new directions regarding popularity and trends. The world’s current financial climate is a factor that massively influences their decisions. Add to that various post-pandemic wedding considerations, and many brides are now looking to keep their weddings streamlined and smaller, amongst other preferences. Here are some trends that will be seen more frequently in the wedding market.
Pantone Colour Palettes
The colour of the year is Viva Magenta. With this, we expect to see a rise in the popularity of bold, moodier colours to complement this pink-red tone and overtake in popularity of neutrals.
Eco-Friendly: Just as fully recyclable stationery now comes as standard, many brides will also make an extra effort to seek out eco-friendly options in other areas. This preference includes locally sourced food and flowers and rented/second-hand dresses.
The Rise Of Pinterest: Although this has long been a popular platform for inspiration and ideas, many modern Brides favour seeking inspiration from Pinterest or other digital mood boards over traditional wedding magazines and wedding fayres.
It’s an inclusive, communal experience; brides gather their ideas and wedding visions from social media platforms and other brides and then attempt to recreate this look themselves. What’s not to love?
Financial ContributionsOver Gifts: It’s becoming more popular for couples to request a cash gift over a traditional one. This gift most often takes the form of a contribution to the honeymoon fund.
A trend we expect to see more of in 2023 is the giving of this gift being facilitated by QR codes on wedding invitations. Guests can easily scan these codes with their smartphones and send their contributions straight to the happy couple. Modern life is pretty marvellous sometimes, don’t you think?
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, you are well on your way to conceptualising your perfect wedding day with the help of this insight into trends, styles and ideas. We’re sure it will be the most memorable and beautiful day for you and your partner!
You wouldn’t perhaps expect to find a bowl of seriously nourishing, Sichuan-pepper laden noodles in a tightly-packed dining room tacked onto the back of a public toilet…
Scrap that last sentence; that’s exactly where you might expect to find a bowl of seriously nourishing noodles were you in one of the worlds street food capitals such as Guangzhou or Bangkok, but Bath, let’s be honest, isn’t exactly known for rugged, rough and ready dining.
That’s what makes Chilli Family Noodles all the more special. Here, and despite what at first appears to be an expansive menu, the choices are simple; choose between stewed beef, minced chicken, spare ribs or tofu, choose from flat, fat or thin noodles (or rice), and prepare for a mouth-numbing, lip-tingling bowl of pure heaven, and all for just £7, whichever way you choose to fill your bowl.
Image via Chilli Family Noodles
Though the restaurant name and menu quite rightly steer you in that direction, regulars to Chilli Family Noodles will know that the real highlights lie in the ‘something extra’ section of the menu, with the mouth-watering chicken (served cold) a real winner whether you’re looking for something refreshing in summer or nourishing in winter. It really ticks all the boxes.
And with a row of wok-burners out back, you know you’re in for that all-important ‘hei’ from the stir-fries, too. Mine’s a pak choi with extra garlic, if you’re getting them in.
Image Via Chilli Family Noodles
Do be aware that the restaurant only takes cash, though you’ll be very well fed indeed for under £20 for two (there are several cash points just across the road).
Alongside Tokyo’s Corridor-dori and Lyon’s rue du Boeuf, Wapping Wharf must be right up there in terms of the highest concentration of Michelin-awarded restaurants per square metre in the world.
And perhaps our favourite of all (yep, we have) the eateries housed in shipping containers here is Gambas, a tapas bar that places a heavy focus on all things prawn. There’s an entire section on the menu devoted to these little crustaceans, all prepared and cooked in different ways.
Inspired by Valencia’s Mercado Central, there are a few better ways to spend an afternoon than by taking a seat at the counter here. Roll up your sleeves, and prepare to nimbly peel burning hot prawn shells blistered by the grill, suck the rich, ruddy brains out of the heads, and generally get messy.
On a recent visit, one of our favourite things on the menu didn’t concern prawns at all. The Mojama – essentially air-dried tuna, sliced thinly like a serrano ham – was drenched in a deep, intense and rather moody tomato sauce, all dressed with lashings of olive oil. It managed to be both rich and refreshing, and was, quite frankly, ambrosial.
For those not in thrall to the sweet, briny flavours of the ocean, there’s still plenty to enjoy from Gambas’ De La Tierra (‘of the earth’) section of the menu, which despite its rather lofty subheading, is essentially a roll call of tapas bar classics.
So, that’s patatas bravas arriving draped in all the right colours, presa Iberica quickly seared in a smoking hot pan, and some truly divine aubergine crisps, served adorned with a sweet and sticky reduction.
If you have a penchant for sweet things, you’d be fool not to order the Crema Catalana. This luxurious, velvety smooth desert with a subtle hint of citrus and spice is as good as they come. Pair it with a glass of sweet sherry and you’ll be well on your merry way!
Though we’ve only visited in winter, we can only imagine how joyous an evening spent on the restaurant’s terrace would be during the warmer months; Summer 2023, we’re coming for you.
We tend to buy our clothes in line with the four seasons, but what if we could have a timeless wardrobe packed with items we could just throw on any day of the year?
With 2023 starting with unseasonably warm temperatures in play, and weather systems becoming increasingly unpredictable, a seasonless wardrobe suddenly makes a whole lot of sense.
A seasonless wardrobe is similar to a capsule or a minimalist one in that it contains between 10 and 50 thoughtfully selected items that can be mixed and matched to suit any type of weather. The concept was first coined in the 1960s alongside the minimalist art form and has now become a lifestyle in and of itself.
Think of a seasonless wardrobe as a sustainable, easily available collection of timeless items that spark joy, as the organising guru Marie Kondo would say. In this guide, you’ll learn how to find joy in your own seasonless wardrobe.
The Benefits Of A Seasonless Wardrobe
Why would you want to get rid of the clothes you already have only to own less? Because, as the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohel once said, “less is more”. This sentiment applies not only to buildings though; it could also be applied to the versatility of a seasonless wardrobe enable and the benefits one brings, too.
Organised closet. Say goodbye to the endless search for that LBD you wore three years ago or the once perfect pants for women that no longer fit. In their place, say hello to a tidier closet that has all your garments in one place.
Seamless transition to each season. You no longer need to rearrange your wardrobe for each season and store your out-of-season clothes somewhere else.
Increased happiness. Who has time to wear clothes that don’t make them happy? With a seasonless wardrobe, you will be brimming with joy and confidence every single day.
Be prepared for any type of weather. Rain, sun, hail, storm, whatever the weather, your thoughtfully curated, seasonless wardrobe has got you covered.
Save time and money. Shopping sprees become a thing of the past, which means you have valuable time and resources on your hands to spend on more important things.
Travel light. When you only own a certain number of items, packing for both short and long trips feels like a walk in the park.
Positive environmental impact. The notion of seasonal shopping for clothes informs our consumer behaviours. But in the fast fashion realm, where high-street retailers produce luxury knock-offs in an instant, the cycle has increased up to 52 seasons, which means that a new collection is produced every week of the year. By choosing longevity over fast fashion, you’re reducing your carbon footprint.
Now that you know what the benefits of a seasonless wardrobe are, how do you go about reinventing your closet to reflect your new eco-friendly, clutter-free, joy-inducing fashion approach? From the purge to finding your new statement pieces, here are our top tips to create a seasonless wardrobe.
Define Your Style
It’s easy to be lured by the seasonal trends, but these garments have a short life span and are likely to be out of style by the time the next collection comes in. As a result, you end up with short-lived pieces which are hard to pair with the rest of your clothes.
Instead, invest in timeless pieces that you absolutely love and are happy to wear again and again. Take a look at your wardrobe and notice which pieces grab your attention and make you feel good – these are the ones you need more of. Do they follow a particular style, such as boho, grunge, business casual, simply casual, or streetwear?
In order to determine what is your signature look, consider the functionality of your clothes. Do you predominantly wear professional clothes for work, or does your lifestyle allow you to have more freedom in terms of your wardrobe? Is comfort your priority, or do you consider yourself a trend-setter?
These are all important questions to ask yourself when doing your wardrobe analysis, but whatever your definitive style is, you surely can fit it in about 30 garments!
The Purge: Get Rid Of What You Don’t Need
Of course, the easiest way to start a seasonless wardrobe would be to ditch all your current clothes and buy everything new. But, unfortunately, that’s not as sustainable, budget-friendly, or fun as going through the whole process.
The most important yet hardest step of this process is purging your old wardrobe. We tend to cling to items with sentimental value. But here is a good rule of thumb: if you haven’t worn something in more than a year – be ruthless and ditch it!
Start by dedicating a ‘keep’, ‘maybe’, and ‘get rid of’ piles and ask yourself the following questions when deciding which goes where:
Is this my style?
Does it fit well?
Will I wear it again?
Is it versatile?
Do I have similar items in my wardrobe?
Does it spark joy?
Aim to keep about 20 to 30 items as a start. Although this might sound difficult, remember that you need to leave space for some new items to enter your wardrobe.
Once you’re done with this task, lift your spirit by doing your bit for the environment or someone else. Your unwanted clothes don’t have to end up in the tip. Instead, find a creative way to dispose of them – donate them to a friend or a charity, or upcycle them into other items, such as totes, dresses, decorations, and tank tops.
Choose Your Ideal Colour Scheme
Hot pink might be your go-to summer colour, but it wouldn’t work as well in the winter, for example. And if you have 10+ seasonal nuances in your wardrobe, it means that your collection of clothes is non-cohesive.
To combat this issue, choose a palette that features no more than 10 colours that can be worn any day, any season. Blacks, greys, whites, navy, royal blue, as well as nudes, are some staple colours that go with pretty much anything.
And if you really love vibrant or season-specific colours, treat yourself to two to three statement pieces in those colours. Remember, to create a seasonless wardrobe, you need to do things strategically whilst still having fun!
It’s All About Layering
You might be wondering how your wardrobe can be weatherproof if you only have a small number of clothes. The answer is layering.
Layering lets you put on several items of clothing on top of each other in a comfortable and fashionable way. This method ensures that you can easily add a pair of tights, chunky women’s boots, a sweater, and a jacket to your favourite floral dress for the autumn and just as quickly strip it down to a pair of sandals and cool sunglasses in the spring.
This means that you need to invest in basic items so that you can accommodate layerability. High-neck sweaters, white shirts, and basic tees are great for that. A versatile midi or maxi dress is an ideal accompanying piece for this. Easy to wear for a casual outing, elevated enough for dinner, and polished enough to be a dress for church.
Choose Quality Over Quantity
When transitioning to a seasonless wardrobe, you also need to shift your mindset from impulse shopping to intentional shopping. It’s best to have an ongoing list of a few staple items that you need to add to your wardrobe. Decide on the exact tailoring, colour, and style of the garment so that you don’t give in to the temptation to buy something from the sale rack that you then wouldn’t be able to style.
Don’t rush into buying new clothes. Instead, give yourself a few weeks to find an item that best fits your needs and is also sustainable. When you have a seasonless wardrobe, it’s really important to have clothes that are made to last. These are usually made from durable materials by slow fashion brands. Local and independent brands may be more likely to offer garments that use recycled materials, operate on a fair trade agreement, and have a sustainable supply chain – these will make your shopping experience worth your time and money.
Declutter Regularly
To close the life cycle of your seasonless wardrobe, you should declutter it regularly. That way, you won’t end up with too many pieces at once, and you’ll be able to make space for new, exciting garments to enter you closer.
As a rule of thumb, once you reach your desired number of items, every time you buy a new piece of clothing, get rid of an old one by donating it or upcycling it.
The Bottom Line
Having a seasonless wardrobe is becoming more and more popular as eco-awareness is on the rise. Fashion brands are also responding to the new lifestyle change by creating versatile items that can be worn not only through all the seasons but also from day to night. Try and see for yourself how free you’ll feel!
Phew. It’s another unseasonably warm one; almost as if the weather has skipped two months ahead and forgotten to let the date know of its plans.
Rather than being so typically British and discussing how nice the garden looks whilst peering out the window until a predicted winter chill returns, if you’re blessed with an outdoor space, you better make the most of it!
Why not take the opportunity of this dry, mild weather to get to work on your outdoor space, helping get it summer ready well ahead of schedule? Be glad for your garden, and make it a space you truly want to spend time in. Here’s how to create the ultimate garden chill-out area in 5 IDEAL steps.
Light & Shade
Contrast is what brings colour and excitement to our lives, don’t you think? If it was hot all year round, we’d be resentful of it. If the sun were to shine constantly and insistently, it might not be such a treat. In your garden, harness the power of contrast through designated areas of light and shade, one offering rays and the other relief.
For outdoor spaces where you want to bask in the sun, hammocks and garden swing seats are a more chilled out, welcoming alternative to the traditional garden bench, which, let’s face it, isn’t so accommodating for long stretches in the sun, unless they are in the shade of course. Something more willing to cradle your recline, we think, is better suited for an afternoon of indulgent sunbathing or a taking that post-barbeque nap.
That said, there are moments when the sanctity of shade is equally important when giving your garden a makeover and designing the ultimate outdoor chill-out area. Consider installing a parasol, which are flexible and can offer cover to various spaces within the garden in an elegant, effortless way. We’re particular fans of the cantilever kind, which evoke an afternoon on the Mediterranean seafront, and can be extended to offer shade over a large dining table or picnic blanket equally.
Photo by Michael Heuser on Unsplash
Privacy
It’s not only the sun you want to protect yourself from in your chill-out area, particularly if your outdoor space is in the urban setting and prone to potential prying eyes peering down into your garden.
Though there’s nothing wrong with some friendly interaction with your neighbours, consistent curtain twitching from those you share the street with can really jeopardise those carefree vibes you’ve worked so hard to cultivate.
Consider a few simple steps to more privacy in your garden space, which will be a welcome move from the perspective of both parties. Though it’s impossible to totally shroud your garden in secrecy (and let’s face it; that would look like you were up to no good), you can certainly protect your privacy and improve the natural feel of your chillout space with consciously positioned, tall shrubbery and free standing plants.
The connoisseur’s choice here is Umbrella Bamboo (Fargesia Murielae) which on average stands at four metres tall, and just requires some sturdy canes for support. The thick shrubbery offers privacy and shade effortlessly, and requires little upkeep; just trim each June or July and water judiciously when the plant re-emerges. Magnolia Grandiflora is another smart choice, whose glossy, generous leaves act as a screening tree when left to do their thing.
If you’re working with a compact plot, there are plenty of small garden design ideas that make clever use of vertical planting and tiered containers to create that same sense of seclusion without eating into your floor space. This is far preferable to erecting clumsy fences we think, as there’s aesthetic beauty added to the mix, too.
Alternatively, for ultimate privacy, consider installing a summer house or garden room, which aren’t as prohibitively expensive as you might first think. You can, in fact, find a summer house for sale in the UK for as little as £2’000 or thereabouts.
A Kitchen Garden & Dining Area
Phew, all of these cocktails and too much sun is a recipe for disaster, right? You’ll need some food to keep you going, for sure. But who wants to head inside to cook when you’re in your ultimate garden chill out area? That sense of shade and the indoor atmosphere just kills the buzz flat, don’t you think?
And what would a summer day spent domestically in the UK be without those low and languid barbies which start at lunch and turn into dinner, without a moment spent inside except to use the bathroom? We couldn’t think of anything more enjoyable.
To make things as effortless as possible, a kitchen garden hybrid set-up is a must, then, with a designated space for quality grilling, and seats and a table set for communal eating. Much better than a disposal barbeque and a bout of food poisoning.
Ibiza has a reputation as one of the most popular chilled-out holiday destinations, but since it’s unlikely you’ll be allowed to go there this summer (at least in any of its normal glory), why not try to recreate the Ibiza chillout experience at home?
Invest in some day beds or sun loungers, stretch back and soak up that summer sun, complete with the Ibiza chillout music playlist at the ready of course. Oh, and the experience wouldn’t be complete without a jug of the Ibizan favourite Tinto de Verano; just mix one part light red wine (such as Pinot Noir) with three parts gaseosa (a type of sweet soda), add plenty of ice and garnish with a slice or two of blood orange.
Or, you could go all out and serve up some Hierbas Ibicencas (Ibizan Herbs), which is actually a drink made from herbs such as thyme, rosemary, verbena, lavender and many other herbs (according to guarded family recipes), and defined by its strong aniseed aroma.
To mimic the ocean in your own backyard, why not turn one of your flower beds into a sandpit? All you need is a plastic liner to protect it, a bag of play sand and for that real beach aesthetic, some scattered shells. Place a paddling pool next to your beach to create the sea (adding salt to the water is optional) and voila, your very own homemade seaside resort. Accessorise with a hammock, a couple of striped deck chairs and a bucket and spade.
In the day, we’re spending as much time as possible taking things slow on those aforementioned hammocks, swing sets and comfy sofa lounges. And that’s just lovely. But the arrival of dusk shouldn’t mean you’re packing up for the night and heading inside.
Instead, mark that seamless flow into an evening of merrymaking by changing the mood, visually and in temperature, too with a firepit, which is an excellent way to transition your garden from day to night. Lighting one serves to create a cosy, chillout area under the stars which you can enjoy all evening in comfort.
Hey, do you even need a house at all? Add atmosphere with tons of fairy lights strung up around the trees, creating a sense of magic and whimsy.
Now, all you need to do is work out a polite way to ask guests to leave.
The Great British weather has begun to brighten and spring is truly on its way. Along with the warmer climate and longer days, spring brings with it (unsurprisingly) Spring Onions, which come into season in April in the UK. Adam Woolven, Head Chef at the award-winning sustainable restaurant Island Grill, shares his professional advice on how to make the most of your onions.
SPANISH ONIONS
The strongest in flavour and the least sweet of the bunch, Spanish Onions are a kitchen staple. Best used as a base flavour in any stew, sauce or soup, Spanish Onions should be diced or chopped roughly in order to get the most juice out of them. Chef Adam says it’s no coincidence we feel better after a healthy dose of hearty chicken soup when ill – Spanish Onions (which are often the base stock of a chicken soup) have innumerable health benefits for the immune system and allow us to recover from colds faster, due to the heated element of the flavour.
RED ONIONS
Red Onions are one of the most versatile varieties of onion. Despite being very similar to the Spanish Onion in both strength and sweetness, Adam recommends eating Red Onions raw in a salad as an alternative to Spring Onions as they have a more heated tang.
SILVERSKINS
Of medium strength but incredibly sweet, Silverskins are not your average onions. Found raw in any good greengrocers, Silverskins are quite robust so have lots of uses. Being so naturally sweet, they are ideal for making chutney and jam, however when chargrilled they have a completely different flavour as soon as they caramelise. Chargrilled Silverskins can be left to cool, then enjoyed as part of a salad with the mixture of sweet and bitter tastes. Smaller Silverskins are perfect to pop in the hole of a pie.
SPRING ONIONS
Though Spring Onions are quite mild in strength, they make up for it with the fresh, zingy flavour that is associated with spring. Always best when eaten raw, Spring Onions should simply be washed, chopped and thrown into a salad.
SHALLOTS
Shallots make for the perfect garnish or special addition to improve any standard dish. As they are almost as sweet as the Silverskin Onion, the best flavour of a shallot comes from roasting. Adam recommends pan-frying the shallots first then roasting them in unsalted butter for 15 minutes on 160°. The understated sharpness makes roasted shallots a great accompaniment for smoked salmon, or on the side of a Sunday Roast dinner.
Birmingham New Street is the UK’s most-used railway station outside of London. Over a single year, it’s expected that the station will see around 46.5 million entries and exits – that’s a lot of hungry punters passing through its gates.
Safe to say, BNS is a one hell of a hub of activity, and with its close proximity to the Bull Ring Shopping Centre, it serves as the launchpad for those keen to explore the self-proclaimed ‘second city’ first hand.
Although Birmingham is filled with some truly wonderful destinations for you to eat, with its 5 Michelin stars, iconic Balti Triangle, high-class dining in the Jewellery Quarter and street-food scene in and around Digbeth, these destinations may be a bit of a stretch if you’re only in Birmingham for a short stop over and have an onward train to catch.
Thankfully, New Street boasts some serviceable restaurants close to hand, and even has some decent places to eat inside the station itself. Although these will certainly fill a hole, eating in such close proximity to the hustle and bustle of the station can lead to a rather rushed eating experience. For a calmer, more refined approach, it’s best to head out of the station and into Birmingham proper.
All these restaurants, then, are less than a 5-minute walk from Birmingham New Street Station, just in case you need to run back for the train home, so, without further ado, here are some of the best restaurants just stone’s throw away from the station.
Tamatanga, Navigation Street (4 mins)
Birmingham is famed as being a culinary hub of South Asian cuisine, and if you’re after these flavours, then make a beeline for Tamatanga. Everything on the menu is made fresh from local ingredients and every spice used is roasted and ground by hand daily, resulting in assertive though surprisingly light dishes packed full of flavour.
Tamatanga offers all the staples of Indian street food, including slow-cooked curry bowls, chaats, biryani bowls, and sharing-style small plates. If you’re keen for an up-close-and-personal experience with the fresh-forward ethos of the cooking here, their chaat bombs are a great place to start, as they’re bursting with chickpeas, sprouts, sweet yoghurt, and tamarind. These flavours combine to create a taste that’s simultaneously sweet, sour and tangy, but most importantly, refreshing, too.
For something a little more substantial, go for the clay oven-roasted lamb chops, expertly cooked by chefs specifically trained in the art of the tandoor. Marinated overnight in yoghurt, ginger, garlic, and cloves, it’s a rich, indulgent affair, given intrigue and eating-pleasure by the gnarly edges that have been blistered, burnished and embittered (in just the right way) by that illustrious ancient cooking vessel.
Yep, Tamatanga is a fun, frivolous and flavour-packed place to eat, and one of our favourite restaurants close to Birmingham New Street Station.
At La Galleria, you can eat beautiful Italian food under an elegant chandelier light on comfy, cream leather seats… What more could you want so close to BNS?
Shortlisted this year in the British Restaurants Awards under the Best Restaurant Birmingham category, La Galleria knows what it takes to prepare a delicious Italian meal.
The restaurant has a resident pizzaiolo who stretches, pulls and flips right in front of your eyes, giving hungry punters alighting at Birmingham New Street not only dinner, but a show, too.
La Galleria also offers a menu of handmade pasta, with the familiar classics all present and correct – Carbonara? Check. Bolognese? Check – alongside some options you won’t find elsewhere, like the restaurant’s signature Tortiglioni Alla Galleria. Akin to pasta alla norma, with aubergines, tomatoes and salted ricotta defining the dish, it’s given intrigue with a piquant basil dressing. Superb.
Their vitello (veal) dishes come highly recommended, too, with the Roman-inspired saltimbocca perhaps the restaurant’s finest single dish. Wrapped in Parma ham and sage, and finished with a reduction of white wine from the Umbria region, this is a traditional taste of Italy in the heart of Birmingham, and we just love it.
For a boisterous evening (and if you’re not in a rush for your next train!) visit La Galleria on one of their music nights, where you can dine while being serenaded by the house band.
If you’re looking for low-on-fuss, big-on-flavour Indian street food, there’s no better option than Mowgli, about as close as you can get to Birmingham New Street Station without still being on the concourse.
The brainchild of TV chef Nisha Kotona, Mowgli opened in 2014 and has quickly expanded to become a mini-chain with locations in some of the biggest cities in the UK, serving high-quality Indian food in their always warming and classy-cum-rustic interiors.
With hanging seats reminiscent of childhood rope swings, the Birmingham branch of Mowgli offers a straightforward but smooth dining experience, with a huge selection of often-deliciate, always-delicious small plates (often bowls, actually). Their house keema is a standout, dark and heady from roast cumin, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, and rich from properly fatty minced lamb. You may just need a snooze on your connecting train afterwards, mind.
For lunch, opt for their Office Worker’s Tiffin for a well-rounded dining experience that comes with a bit of the unknown. Here the chef will bless those four tiers with (in their words) ‘meat, veg and carb jeopardy…as it is in India’’. For £18, it’s an absolute snip, though it’s not ideal if you’re planning on working afterwards. For those seeking something lighter, the Ruby Wrap, essentially tandoori grilled paneer in a roti, is just as satisfying.
Address: Unit 30, Stephenson Pl, Birmingham B2 4BF
Bodega Cantina is a bold and bright South American-inspired diner decorated with clashing colours, soundtracked by pumping music, and served by a continent-covering menu, all of which comes together to create a vibrant space.
Here you can sample street food and home-style cooking from across Latin America, whether that’s from the wide-ranging tacos menu, or the Argentinian rump steak, Moqueca (a seafood medley of prawns and white fish covered in a coconut-based sauce) from Brazil, and Peruvian ceviche, amongst others.
If you’re a little overwhelmed by that rather scattergun approach to menu writing, play things safe with the restaurant’s signature dish; keenly priced sharing nachos with a choice of chicken, chipotle beef, or a distinctive Dr Pepper marinated pork.
Bodega Cantina is all about discovering and sharing experiences with others, which is why most of their menu is designed to share and sample with mates. When you factor in their detailed list of cocktails and sipping alcohol, including mezcal and cachaca, it’s a perfect place to get the party started near Birmingham New Street. Now, when’s the last train home?
You don’t have to travel far from Birmingham New Street to find Michelin-starred fine dining. In fact, Adam’s Restaurant is a contemporary establishment that is one of only five restaurants with the same distinction, and it’s just a five (well, four) minute walk from the station.
In fact, Adam’s is consistently named as one of the best in the country, coming forth in Trip Advisor’s Travellers Choice Awards last year, as well as placing in the Good Food Guide’s Top 50 Restaurants for 2020 and retaining its 3 AA Rosettes this year.
With an art deco inspired interior lit up in golden hues, Adam’s Restaurant screams (or rather, gently demures) class even before you sample the string of snacks soon to grace your table.
Though you can enjoy a three-course lunch at Adam’s (plus snacks, petit fours and all that jazz) for £55, if you’ve got pockets deep enough it would be rude not to go for the tasting menu experience here. Though not cheap at £130, it’s an artfully composed evening, with each course building on the last to create a progression of dishes with a keen sense of both place and direction.
The soy-glazed Orkney scallop is something of a signature, sure, but it’s in the game cooking that Adam (or, these days, head chef James Goodyear) really excels. On our visit, a blushing loin of venison accompanied with offal-heavy faggot was particularly good. Paired with an intriguing Moroccan Syrah, this was one of our dishes of the year.
Though it’s a ubiquitous presence on the London steak scene, Bar + Block Steakhouse actually originated in Birmingham, and if you’re looking for some of the best food close to Birmingham New Street Station, you may well find it here, at the mothership.
Dimly lit and illuminated by a neon sign explaining the different cuts of beef, Bar + Block Steakhouse isn’t all about head turning decor. In fact, it’s a restaurant that very much pulls focus onto its food.
Serving steaks tailored just to your tastes, each is hand cut to order, allowing you to get between 8 and 16 oz steaks, all cooked to your preference. There’s always a steak expert (a ‘stexpert’? Nah, that doesn’t work) if you’re struck by the paradox of choice when perusing the menu, but if you’re keen for guidance from these pages, then we’d recommend their speciality dish; a spiral-cut ribeye.
It’s a lovely cut of beef, make no mistake, marinated in chimichurri for 24 hours to ensure the steak remains tender and flavourful. It comes with triple-cooked chunky chips, perfect for dipping in more of that homemade chimichurri sauce, and samphire, for some reason.
If you’re sharing, you can’t go wrong with their char-grilled chateaubriand, and should you fall more in the ‘go big’ rather than ‘go home’ camp, then don’t miss out on the restaurant’s truffled mac’n’cheese, either!
They also serve up an unlimited fried breakfast for just £9.50 should you find yourself in need of a generously sized full English before you catch your train. Well, it would be rude not, to?
As the new year approaches, it is time again to think about what resolutions we would like to make going forward. Whether these are health-conscious resolutions aimed at setting us up for a good year or simply learning something new, having a resolution can give you an aim for the coming year and bring about changes you want to see in your life.
Last year, 54% of the UK population intended to go into 2022 with a resolution, with one quarter of the UK focusing on health as they approached the new year. And after all those Christmas dinners, we might just consider doing the same this year.
Here, we will explore some New Year’s resolutions you might try going into 2023 which are healthy for your mind, body, and soul.
Healthy Mind
Learn Something New
If you are looking to improve your concentration, brain health, and memory, then you might consider learning a new skill or language. This can range from deciding to learn French, to knitting, or how to play chess. There is no better time to start a new hobby than the new year, as you can get the benefit of feeling accomplished by sticking to your resolutions while also enjoying a new pass-time.
Spend More Time Outdoors
You might also fancy spending more time outdoors to improve your mental health in the coming year. After a turbulent few years, and with some of us working from home, it is more important than ever to get out and enjoy some well-deserved time away. This doesn’t just have to be holiday escapes, but it can be daily walks in your neighbourhood. Ecotherapy has been shown to be able to help mild to moderate levels of depression.
This might also be a good time to embrace a digital detox, even just for an hour a day. Our mobile devices could be adding to our daily stresses and so by removing yourself from technology regularly, you might find you improve your sleep and mental health.
This can be everything from trying a new hot beverage in the morning, like Moroccan mint tea, to attempting to cook different cuisines from around the world. As with TikTokers such as @seemagetsbaked, you can try recreating a dish from each country to allow yourself to explore and embrace new flavours and different cultures from the comfort of your own kitchen.
By exploring new cuisines from around the world, you can broaden your knowledge of other countries while also finding diets which work for you.
Who says healthy must be tasteless? In fact, many cuisines, such as the Mediterranean diet, is good for your body – even helping your skin look better – all while being incredibly flavoursome.
Cook In Batches
Instead of preparing all your meals on the fly or opting for easy takeaways, cook in batches. Batch cooking is highly effective and makes it easy for you to grab quick meals during the week when time is short.
Batch cooking requires a little preparation. Start by purchasing a bunch of suitable freezer boxes. Then prepare several meals on one Sunday during the month – preferably four lots of five recipes, so that you have something different every day of the week.
Yes, it requires a bit of effort, but the results are worth it. Suddenly, you have delicious meals every day of the month and all you need to prepare them is a microwave.
Move More
Another resolution you might add to your list is to move more. This resolution is less restrictive than “lose weight” or “eat healthy”, which many of us have tried and failed to maintain throughout the years. Instead, this resolution focuses on the small changes you can make to your daily life to help you live a more active lifestyle. This can include swapping your sitting desk for a standing one or taking walks during your lunch break.
You can even approach it as a way to find a new sport you enjoy, visiting the local leisure centre, and signing up for classes. Whatever level of movement you feel comfortable with, you can achieve.
Healthy Soul
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is key for maintaining a healthy soul. Being able to maintain calm in a world currently surrounded by chaos can benefit you significantly in all areas. In fact, mindfulness and stress reduction have benefits for your physical health too, including potentially helping lessen the risk heart disease and reducing chronic pain. Some ways to practise mindfulness might include:
Trying aromatherapy
Yoga
Daily journaling
Improve Your Sustainability
Another way to benefit your soul and those around you is to start caring for your environment. Improving your sustainability efforts could be a resolution you try which not only feels good, but it can also benefit your pocket.
With the current cost-of-living crisis and the rising energy bills, taking sustainable approaches to your daily lifestyle can help you save money – such as reducing the amount of water you use by showering for less time. Many adults might only need three to five minutes in the shower, but many of us take longer. Reducing this time can save you on your water and gas bills.
Finding ways to incorporate healthy habits into your daily life can help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions. Understand how much you can do and know that this can fluctuate daily. Some days might be more active than others, but by trying, you can improve your mind, body, and soul across the coming year.
Phew. In the midst of the mayhem of cost of living crisis and coronavirus, you could be forgiven for forgetting an even more serious, impending doom.
But climate change is the most pressing, concerning issue of our time, with extreme weather events continuing to wreak havoc on the planet. To make matters worse, the global pandemic has caused governments to defer – or downright cancel – pledges to avert the catastrophe and reduce global emissions.
If you’re wondering what you can do in 2023 to tread a little lighter and reduce your impact on the environment, then read on. With the help of our pals at Vidrate, here are 8 green new year’s resolutions to help save the planet.
REPLACE SINGLE USE PLASTIC WITH REUSABLE PRODUCTS
There is a wealth of reusable products out there which can help us reduce our consumption of single-use plastics. Shockingly, Brits use 7.7 billion plastic bottles each year which is an average of 117 bottles per person, per year. How is that even possible?! To reduce that number, invest in a refillable bottle which you can take around with you, thus saving you some money in the process, too!
Go further; if you’re a coffee addict, opt for a reusable cup. Instead of plastic straws, invest in some reusable metal straws. And make it your mission to take your reusable shopping bags to your weekly shop. Every little helps.
Disposable face masks are the now version of plastic straws. Frequently found littering streets and car parks, the damage this throwaway habit is costing the planet is yet unknown. Choosing a mask that is reusable isn’t any more expensive than buying packs of disposable masks that are harmful to the environment. You can choose from a variety of designs for your mask and even coordinate it with your outfit. Reusable masks can be washed with your laundry for reuse time and time again.
EAT LESS MEAT
Research by finder.com found that over 2% of Brits are currently vegan, and that figure is steadily rising. According to The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, plant-based diets are a great opportunity to mitigate the effects of global warming.
Going vegan or veggie isn’t for everyone. But reducing your meat intake is a good way to reduce your carbon footprint. Recent reports have suggested that avoiding meat and dairy is the single best thing you can do for the planet and for your purse (to the tune of $750 a year, according to recent research), so instead of simply doing a token meat-free-Monday from time to time, why not skew that ratio in the favour of veggies, by doing a majority of meat free days each week?
BUY PRODUCTS WITH LITTLE OR NO PACKAGING
Many supermarkets have made progress on reducing their use of plastic in packaging, but there’s still a long way to go. When buying your fruit and veg, opt to buy loose rather than packed to reduce your plastic consumption.
If your local shop or favourite supermarket has refill stations, then take your own containers and help eliminate your own single-plastic use altogether. You can refer to Greenpeace’s plastic use by supermarket rankings to keep informed and make smarter consumer choices.
SHOP LOCAL WHEN YOU CAN
By shopping in your local greengrocer or butcher, who source food locally and reduce those air (and road) miles hugely, you are cutting out the middle-man. And that middle man often contributes hugely to your own carbon footprint. Plus, making this your New Year Resolution not only benefits the environment, but also your local economy!
AVOID FAST FASHION
The global fashion industry’s carbon footprint accounts for almost the same amount as the entire European continent, according to The Fast Fashion Index 2019.
Many cosmetic brands use materials and chemicals that are detrimental to the environment. Instead, you should commit to buying sustainably sourced and packaged cosmetics and toiletries.
According to the experts at Well+Good, you can find out how sustainable a beauty brand is in three simple steps. Firstly, you should pay particular attention to how a brand sources its ingredients. Next, you can assess the packaging, and check for certification of its packaging materials. Finally, you should prioritise brands who are clear and vocal about their efforts at becoming more sustainable.
IDENTIFY DOMESTIC HABITS WHICH NEED CHANGING
Some of us leave lights on, charge our phones all night, flush non-flushable products, or have the water running while we brush our teeth – all of which have a negative impact on the environment.
By identifying which little quirks and habits you do daily which could be impacting the environment, you can make moves to mitigate them. Because the first step at getting help is admitting there’s a problem, right?
GO HYBRID OR ELECTRIC
The UK Government has brought forward plans to outlaw diesel and electric cars to 2030. If you’re due a new car next year, why not get ahead of the game and go hybrid or electric?
They are more affordable than you might think with finance options available and generally have much lower running costs than their diesel and petrol counterparts. If you’re keen to learn more, check out our article on answering some of the common questions about hybrid and electric cars.
We hope you have a happy, healthy and environmentally friendly new year!
Times have changed and veganism certainly isn’t considered a niche lifestyle choice any longer. Each and everyday, more and more people in the UK decide to stop eating meat amid health and environmental concerns.
However, there are still so many misperceptions and misunderstandings surrounding the dietary decision. In fact, there’s one of those misperceptions right there; that veganism is purely a dietary decision. There are actually myriad reasons why some make the decision not to eat meat, dairy or any other animal by-product, some ethical, others environmental, and others still because of health.
Today, we’re here to consider the nutritious, delicious aspects of a plant based diet in particular. With that in mind, here are 5 myths about being vegan dispelled today.
IT’S JUST ABOUT BAD SUBSTITUTES
You often see non-vegans turning their nose up at vegan substitutes and truth be told, many faux meat and dairy products are less than satisfactory stand ins for the ‘real thing’.
But things are changing, and fast. As more people are choosing to follow a vegan diet, new vegan products are hitting our supermarket shelves every day, with food production companies and even top chefs investing big bucks in the research and development of plant-based, ‘meat’ products. The results are creative and delicious, if meat substitutes are your thing, of course.
The huge improvement in the quality of vegan substitutes doesn’t stop at riffs on popular meat products; vegan cheese has also seen a massive uptick in quality as more and more of us choose to adopt a plant-based diet.
Vegan pizza restaurant Purezza are leading the pack, with outposts in Brighton, Hove, Bristol and London. The 100% vegan, gluten free pizzas have won several prestigious national awards for their pizza, competing against meat and dairy pizzas from some of the biggest names in the country. Incredible! Check out our guide to 6 of the best vegan pizzas in London for more.
THE FOOD IS BORING
There’s a tendency for some non-vegans to assume that vegan meals are defined by stuffed peppers, quinoa and the obligatory nut roast at Christmas. Au contraire mon frère and sœur; the vegan diet can be way more colourful, fresh and exciting than a meat and two over-cooked-veg meal.
In fact, there’s nothing more delicious than fruit and vegetables in season and cooked with respect. The professionals seem to agree; earlier this year, the esteemed Michelin Guide – for some, the arbiters of gastronomic good taste globally – awarded their first ever Michelin star to a totally vegan restaurant, ONA in South-West France.
What’s more, Arpège, the one of the best restaurants in the world (according to the annual World’s 50 Best list) and holder of 3 Michelin stars, has been majority vegetarian for the previous two decades, with many of the dishes fully vegan.
The trend is catching on worldwide, with fine dining establishments turning their attentions away from meat and dairy and towards fresh, delicious plant-based menus, and we love it!
Not that you have to go to a critically acclaimed restaurant to create exciting vegan dishes. As the professionals behind vegomm.com tell us, ‘’vegan cooking is easy to learn as long as you’re holding the right cookbooks’’, recommending top chef Romy Gill’s fantastic vegan cookbook ‘Zaika: Vegan Recipes from India’, in particular. After cooking from this colourful, delicious, and exciting book regularly, we couldn’t agree more!
EATING OUT IS DIFFICULT
Sure, you can find decent vegan food in Michelin starred restaurants, but what about on the high street, we hear you ask? Away from top chefs and fine dining, isn’t the choice for vegans scant and stale?
Well, no. Where once it was a challenge for chefs to produce a decent vegan meal, times have changed hugely. The world is now very much your vegan oyster when it comes to eating fantastic meat and dairy free food in restaurants globally.
According to the excellent vegan and vegetarian restaurant resource app Happy Cow, London was the first major world city to top 100 totally vegan restaurants. That cheerful bovine software suggests that there are over 500 vegan or vegetarian friendly restaurants, too. Result!
Check out our recommendations on the 7 best places in London for vegan sweet treats for more on the dessert side of things.
IT’S EXPENSIVE
There’s a common misconception that leading a vegan lifestyle is prohibitively expensive. But the truth is that if you shop smartly, you’ll spend much less following a plant based diet. Indeed, new research suggests that vegans spend on average 40% less on food than omnivores.
Some dairy and meat substitutes do carry a premium and, of course, that veg flown over from the other side of the pond will be more expensive than seasonal local produce. However, vegans who eat seasonally and locally at any given time of year will save money and enjoy produce at its freshest, most nutritious best.
YOU DON’T GET ENOUGH VITAMINS
Wrong. In fact, vegan diets are often healthier than a carnivore’s, and are generally more likely to reach the recommended vegetables and fruits a day regularly. That said, it does pay to be mindful in your approach to your diet, as a vegan, to ensure you’re getting all your nutritional needs met, particularly where Vitamin B12, zinc, omega 3, calcium and iron are concerned.
The NHS recommends vegans should base meals on starchy carbs, like wholegrain rice and potatoes, as well as beans and pulses, and make sure that emphasis is placed on getting enough calcium, iron and vitamin B12 in their diet, which vegans can sometimes be sufficient in. Fortunately, soy products, dark greens leaves, pumpkin seeds and prune juice can rectify this imbalance.
Some vegans choose to take a supplement like VEG1 to make up for these deficiencies, and this is a smart move, particularly if you’re new to veganism and less familiar with the dietary changes required.
THE BOTTOM LINE
When it comes to the vegan diet, certain misconceptions regarding deliciousness and nutrition persist. We hope we’ve shone a little light on just how amazing vegan food can be!
The eCommerce industry is vast, with its ever-increasing size presenting some unique challenges to start-up businesses wanting to get ahead in the field.
In such a competitive field, marketing plays a massive role in the success of a new eCommerce business. Here are some key elements of online sales marketing; our 5 essential eCommerce marketing elements to master.
Competition Analysis
It is vitally important that every eCommerce company is well aware of direct online and traditional competitors. If the state of the competition is unknown, there will be no way of creating a marketing strategy that directly challenges companies that claim to offer the same products. The analysis of competitors and their customers is essential.
A Clear Mission Statement
A mission statement has two main purposes. Firstly, it helps to guide all marketing activities conducted by and on behalf of the company. Secondly, a mission statement defines how target audience members will experience their interactions with the company. Make your mission statement simple and intentional. Make your mission statement realistic.
Effective Market Research
You need to truly know your audience. Established agency nuancedmedia.com recommend that you ‘’prioritize market research and audience segmentation activities before attempting to improve the marketability of a company.’’
It’s a pertinent point; the eCommerce industry is remarkably vast. Unless you happen to be the next Amazon, you’ll need to find a niche, which always necessitates the identification of a target market.
Big data is your friend when trying to identify a target market. Big datasets are large, varied, and evolutionary enough to only be made sense of with the help of software. Large and varied datasets can help you understand trends that further aid in the identification of the people that you want to reach with your marketing materials.
Search engine optimization is one of the most crucial elements of modern online marketing. A staggering percentage of page views come via some kind of search engine – usually Google. Billions of Google searches are made every single day, and the Silicone Valley giant has actively encouraged SEO practices.
SEO practices include keyword research, keyword inclusion, metadata customization, content contextualization, backlinking, and much more. Without good search engine optimization, you’ll always be lagging behind competitors, so make sure you get this right from the start.
The Development Quality Content
A great many eCommerce companies do just fine at mastering all of the other entries on this list but fall flat on their faces when it comes to producing the content that drives consumer engagement. All consumers – you included – will easily spot passion-free, poorly constructed content when they see it. Quality content is relatively hard to create. It involves a real understanding of the needs, desires, and humor of your audience.
Good quality content is beginning to have marked SEO benefits. The machine learning-empowered search algorithms employed by companies like Google are increasingly able to assess the quality and context of written and visual content hosted on a website. These algorithms then use their ability to see the ‘quality’ of content to influence rankings.
New Year, new, erm…….garden? It may not have been the first proclamation you made as you opened your bleary eyes on the 1st of January and pledged to be a better person, and neither was it ours. Nope, top of our list was to watch less Dinner Date, naturally. And it’s understandable that as January bumbles along, the prospect of bumbling about in the frosty garden has become no more pressing.
But, when Spring finally arrives (hurry up!) and the first warm rays break through the clouds, you’ll want your patch to be barbeque, rosé and sunbathe ready. Why not get a headstart on making your garden a hospitable space by getting on it early? By doing so, you’ll free up valuable sunshine time later down the line. Perfect, and a good rhyme. So, here are 7 ways to give your garden a makeover in 2023.
Lights Up
We all coo and swoon over a garden space illuminated with twinkling fairy lights or the flicker of real candles, yet never have the volition to do it ourselves. You’ll need a fully weathered transformer plug to ensure safety, the fairy lights themselves, and that’s about it. Use trees to hang your lights on, retaining a natural shape and feel to the lighting and highlighting features already present, or even run them along a washing line or fence.
If you want to hang candles, simply lay some small pebbles in the bottom of a kilner jar and place a tealight inside. Then use a basic chain or even twine to hang them off branches in the garden.
Fanciful Fencing
Fencing needn’t be viewed as that thing rotting on the peripheries in need of good a treatment. A decent, spruced up fence can do much more than just keep the neighbour’s prying eyes off whatever debauchery your new garden causes. It can bring structure, framing (we see a theme emerging here), and in some cases, added vibrancy.
Consider a fence which needs very little maintenance and is guaranteed to last. Composite fencing is often a great option for gardens as it both looks neat and smart, is incredibly durable, and is good for the environment. Then, you should look at the different types of composite fence that are offered online. This will allow you to find one that is right for your garden.
Picnic Benches
You know those pub benches you’ve spent many a happy afternoon on, warm pint in hand and British summer sun on your face? Well, installing one or two of these can bring a really convivial atmosphere to your garden and provide a much needed focal point which draws people outside and into socialising. You’ll find them at carboot or pub renovation/closing down sales, so keep your eyes peeled and drive a hard bargain!
A Pristine Path
Paths are an often neglected feature of even a well-groomed garden; left to their own devices and viewed purely from a place of functionality. But by giving the garden path a good sweep, trim and clean you’ll create another focal point, as well as creating more borders. That all important definition and framing is the key to garden success, we think.
Create A Chill Out Area
Everyone needs somewhere to escape the hustle and bustle of life, preferably somewhere with lots of natural light and fresh air. So why not allocate a little part of your garden to create a chill out area? Much better for indulging in an afternoon of reading or a post-barbeque nap, this style of seating is perfect in encouraging spending long summer days enjoying your beautiful garden. Even if you have a small garden you can create a chill-out haven’t by putting a hammock or a garden swing set in the corner.
Most people think that you need a huge garden to have a vegetable patch, but this isn’t the case. On a relatively small plot of land (20×20 feet) you can grow an array of mouthwatering vegetables, herbs and fruits. Not only will a vegetable patch give your garden a new look, but growing your own vegetables and fruit could makeover your diet too. There really is nothing more satisfying then enjoying freshly picked produce from the garden.
Define Your Lawn
Minimal spend, maximum results should be the mantra when giving your garden a makeover, and redefining your lawn only takes a bit of manpower and a borrowed mower. A clearly defined shape for the grass in your garden – for instance, in a circle or rectangle with straight, clean lines – may sound like a basic step, but is one which completely reinvigorates the space. Further frame the space by digging a shallow rim around it, and consider surrounding the area with plants.
If you live a busy life, you don’t have a lot of time. From the moment you get out of bed in the morning, you’re rushing around, trying to make things happen. Food naturally takes a back seat.
Unfortunately, not paying enough attention to food can have some serious consequences. For some people, the issue is too much food. They grab convenience options wherever they can get them, never actually stopping to cook and prepare healthy food. They’re entirely at the mercy of fast food restaurants and food manufacturers.
At the other end of the spectrum are people who hardly eat any food at all and, instead, get through the day by drinking litres of coffee.
Food, it sometimes has to be reiterated, isn’t optional in life. If you want to live and enjoy yourself, you have to consume it. It’s the only way to give your body what it needs.
Our modern lifestyles, however, go against this need. We have packed timetables, meaning that food often takes a backseat. And that’s a tragedy.
In this post, we take a look at some of the ways you can cut down on the amount of time food takes to buy and prepare in your routine. Take a look at some of these options.
Develop Your Healthy Snack Repertoire
Food companies are desperate to sell you unhealthy, high-margin snacks, such as chips, cookies and ice cream. These foods contain the cheapest ingredients, and have excellent shelf life, meaning that the profits from making them are generally high.
However, because of the fat, salt and sugar content, they’re a disaster for your body. Every time you eat a snack, your internal chemistry goes wild, and you find yourself all over the place.
The trick here is to develop a healthy snack repertoire – delicious foods you can just grab and eat whenever you feel hungry.
There are so many from which to choose. Fruits and dried fruits are the obvious option, but you can also eat nuts too – another food proven to prevent weight gain. Whole plant food is the best.
Nut butters are a life-saver when you’re in a rush. That’s because they’re delicious, healthy and give you a quick snack when you need it most.
Despite being high in fat and calories, evidence suggests that nut butters actually reduce people’s waistlines and overall weight, helping them maintain a healthy weight. It’s thought to be because nuts are so satiating that they discourage snacking and large portion sizes later on in the day.
Order Your Groceries Online
Actually going out and buying food can take a lot of time. You have to get in the car, browse the store, and choose the items that you want. It’s a lot of hassle. Fortunately, these days, you can order food online, which saves you a lot of time and, usually, money as well.
Online shopping is easy after the first delivery. You simply reorder previous week’s shopping, slightly adjusting for the different products that you need for that week. Your staples will almost alway remain the same.
Cook In Batches
Instead of preparing all your meals on the fly, cook in batches. Batch cooking is highly effective and makes it easy for you to grab quick meals during the week when time is short.
Batch cooking requires a little preparation. Start by purchasing a bunch of suitable freezer boxes. Then, prepare several meals on one Sunday during the month – preferably four lots of five recipes, so that you have something different every day of the week.
Yes, it requires a bit of effort, but the results are worth it. Suddenly, you have delicious meals every day of the month and all you need to prepare them is a microwave.
Cook In The Morning
Another thing you can try is cooking in the morning before work using a slow cooker. Before you head out of the door, pour some stock, meat and vegetables into a slow cooker and then leave it on all day. Then, when you return home from work, you can simply ladle servings out of the slow cooker into bowls to enjoy, perhaps with a bit of bread.
Become An Expert At Last-Minute Meals
It is possible to prepare quick meals without resorting to convenience foods: you just need to know how. One method is to keep plenty of canned beans on hand. Canned beans are great because they’re already cooked. You can simply add them to salads, blend them to make dips, or use them in quick meals, like spaghetti bolognese.
There are many other last minute meals you can prepare for yourself as well. For instance, if you’re rushing out of the door, you can whack a bunch of fruit and veg in a blender and have a smoothie on the go.
Buy A Blender
Blenders and food processors can make your life incredibly easy. These amazing devices let you chop ingredients and prepare sauces in a fraction of the time that it would usually take to do so. Imagine how quickly, for instance, you could make a carrot, onion and celery base for a soup if you simply put the raw ingredients in a food processor. You’d have chopped veggies in a matter of seconds.
The Bottom Line
It is possible to find time for good food, but you need the right strategy. Simply preparing everything from scratch will eventually become a chore and leave you feeling exhausted.
