Marmalade Tea Bread with Duerr's Seville Orange Marmalade

I can't wait for the school term to be over. We're all tired and grumpy. Mornings are a bit of a struggle, and when a school run is over, it's like a mini-battle being won over.
Quite often my husband accompanies our younger son and me to school, and later we have a 20-25 minutes-long coffee break in one of the cafes nearby. We don't hold hands over the table, but I have a feeling that one of the young girls in one of the cafes suspects us of having an affair, as she sort of winks at me, when she serves our lattes. I wonder, what does she think, that we are "old" lovers meeting over a cup of coffee to then part our ways?!
If not having a coffee with my husband, I do enjoy having a cup of latte at home, preferably with a slice of tea bread or some chocolates.
Marmalade tea bread is very easy to make, and it keeps well in a tin for several days.

Duerr's Seville Orange Marmalade Tea Bread
Ingredients:
zest of 1 orange
2 medium eggs
75g muscovado sugar
1tsp cinnamon, ground
200 self-raising flour
juice of 1/2 orange (for the dough)
3 heaped tbsp Seville Orange marmalade
100g butter, melted
for icing: 4tbsp of icing sugar + orange juice

Grease a loaf tin, preheat oven to 180C.
Grate the zest of 1 orange into a medium sized mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs with muscovado sugar and cinnamon. Sieve in the flour, and stir well. Add the orange juice and marmalade into a smaller bowl, using a fork, mash the marmalade into the juice and mix together. Pour the maramalde mix into the cake dough. add the melted butter.
Spoon the cake mixture into the loaf tin. Bake for an hour+ at 180C until golden brown in colour. It's cooked when the wooden toothpick comes clean.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin. Mix the icing sugar with some orange juice until you get a runny consistency, and drizzle it all over the tea bread.

In this recipe I used Duerr's Seville Orange Marmalade. This fine cut marmalade is sweet, zingy, rich and deeply flavoured. Wonderful on hot toast or in a freshly baked croissant (I buy frozen croissants for our Sunday breakfast), it also works very well as an ingredient for baking cakes.

Disclosure: I received a couple of jars of Duerr's marmalade for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are my own.

Pete's Dragon DVD

Image credits: Disney Pete's Dragon

In the last year or two Disney has been producing one remake after another of its own classics for children - think Cinderella, The Jungle Book, the soon coming The Beauty and the Beast.
The remake of Pete's Dragon came to the big screens last August. We missed seeing it in the cinema, and were eagerly anticipating its arrival as a DVD.
Pete's Dragon is now available on Blu-Ray, DVD and digital (from 5 December).

Image credit: Disney Pete's Dragon

We have never seen the original 1977 film, so didn't know what to expect story-wise.
The 2016 production brings certain connotations to quite a few well-known and much-loved child/alien-fantastic creature/animals bond films like ET, The Jungle Book and The Iron Giant. The scenes of dragon-riding also reminded me of The Never-ending Story.

It starts on a very sad note. A four-year-old boy Pete becomes orphaned, when the car he's travelling in with his parents, gets in a horrible accident. The boy is rescued and adopted by a giant fluffy green dragon. Pete (Oakes Fegley) names him Elliot, after the book character, and they live together in the woods for 6 years.
The dragon behaves like a big dog, it has  the dog's mannerisms and behaviour patterns. His ability to turn invisible amongst the deep forest, helps the boy and the dragon live in peace for six years, until the lumber industry arrives in the heart of the forest.
Pete is seen by a young girl called Natalie, and is "rescued" by a well-meaning bright-eyed and good-hearted ranger Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard who we last saw in the Jurassic World).
Pete is missing Elliot, the dragon is looking for him. Will they be reunited? Will Pete adjust to the world of the humans, or will he always hanker for what he has lost?

There are some very poignant moments, as when the dragon is captured by greed-propelled people who do not appreciate the beauty of nature. They want to conquer it, subjugate, exploit it for profit and eventually destroy it.

The dragon looks are not very convincing. Don't expect the realism of detail like in the Jurassic Park/World series. He is more like a giant soft toy. Saying that, my 6-year-old son loved the dragon.
Oakes Fegley as Pete has also won our hearts.

Robert Redford is very good as the patriarch of the family, old wood carver Mr Meacham who loves telling stories of meeting a dragon. Nobody believes him, of course, including his own daughter.

This is a kind film, which would capture hearts of the whole family. If you're looking for a film to watch together as a family during Christmas holidays, this might well be the film for you.



Bonus features:
Blu-Ray:
- Notes to Self: A Director's Diary - Director David Lowery narrates the personal diary he kept through the filming of Pete's Dragon in this intimate and fascinating look at the movie's making.
- Making magic - Discover fun facts about what went into designing this spectacular, lovable dragon.
- Disappearing Moments - The director shares a montage of the films "lost" scenes.
- Welcome to New Zealand - experience the wonders of New Zealand and learn why it's a magical place to visit ... and to make a movie.
- Audio Commentary - Gain an insider perspective from director David Lowery, co-writer Toby Halbrooks and actors Oakes Fegley and Oona Laurence.
- Music videos: "Nobody knows" by The Lumineers and "Something wild" by Lindsey Stirling featuring Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness.
- Bloopers

DVD:
- Making magic - Discover fun facts about what went into designing this spectacular, lovable dragon.

Digital:
same as Blu-Ray, exempt from Audio Commentary

Disclosure: We received the DVD for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.

Penguin Random House Children's Books Christmas Present Challenge

Books, you can never have enough books. Right?! Our house has bookshelves in every room, including boxes in the attic. I do often have a rummage and take a pile to the charity shop, only ending up bringing home more books. Books seem to multiply in a geometric progression.
I've always been an avid reader, and my children enjoy books as much as I did when I was a child. Eddie and I have a bedtime routine, when I read to him in bed. We snuggle up under the duvet, I read, while he listens and together we look at the illustrations.
When BritMums asked bloggers to join in Penguin Random House Children's Books Christmas Present Challenge, I immediately applied. We were told that we'd receive 3 books in our chosen age category, but which books exactly would be a complete surprise.

We received three books for younger children - Max and Bird, The Little Elephant who wants to fall asleep and The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas.

My personal favourite of the three was Max and Bird by Ed Vere, though my son said it was too childish for him. It's true, this book will work best for tots and preschoolers, and now that my son has reached a veritable old age of 6, he is a bit grown up for it.
Kitten Max would like to befriend a little baby bird. He's not sure though, whether to eat it as a tasty snack. But that wouldn't be friendship, would it?! Instead the kitten teaches the bird to fly.
The story is very simple, and easy to read/ The illustrations are quirky and amusing.
We have a few friends with younger children, and it will be easy to find a recipient who will enjoy reading this story at bedtime.

The second book from the selection - The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin is suitable for a very young audience. Perhaps not newborn babies, but tots who can understand the basics of the story, and get lulled by the sound of the parents who read the story.
I think with babies, you can read anything including Encyclopedia Britannica, as long as you make your voice sound soft and soothing. I remember when Sasha was a baby, I used to recite Russian poetry to him in a quiet voice, just to keep myself sane really, as sleep deprivation is a torture.

This lovely book has been created, using a child-tested and parent-approved technique to make bedtime conducive to sleep. Ellen the elephant will take your child on a journey to sleep, through the magical forest. You will meet the creatures of the forest, and gently-gently go to sleep.
The book is an aid for parents, with tips on how to make your child relax and nod off. We haven't actually tested it as a sleeping aid.
The illustrations by Sydney Hanson are kind, gentle and charming. The little blue grey elephant is adorable, and the characters she meets in the forest are also very cute.
I am going to give this book to a friend to enjoy with her little boy.

I am well aware that The pooping dinosaur series is very popular. I never felt compelled to buy any though, it's just the topic doesn't appeal to me at all. My younger son has seen the books in the bookshops and library, but never asked me to buy him a copy. Being 6 years old, his sense of humour includes all the gross subjects including poo, fart, puke and all things gross. I thought he would be the right target audience for this book.
The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas by Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter, with illustrations by Garry Parsons is the latest addition to the series.

So, here we have a boy called Danny, who has already got all the possible toys a child might want, yet he wants more-more-more. And Santa decides to teach him a lesson by gifting him with a dino egg. Once the dinosaur is hatched, he starts to swallow everything and everyone around, including Danny's parents and old unsuspecting granny.
But Santa has miscalculated his joke. It all ends up with a ginormous pooping session, grossness overload, and Santa "flew from the dinosaur's bum on his sleigh".
I appreciate this book has tons of fans who think it's one of the most hilarious books of the century.
I'm afraid I'm not one of them. I was surprised that my younger son didn't show much enthusiasm for it either.
I'm sure this book will delight millions of readers who enjoy the Rabelaisian humour for children. Alas, it wasn't a big hit with us. I'll ask friends on Facebook, on who might like it for their children.

As a child, I loved fairy tales of the world. My Mum has had a great interest in different cultures, and she encouraged me to read stories from around the world, not just classic Russian children's literature which has great history and traditions. I also had a huge fondness for the Scandinavian authors - Tove Jansson, Jan Ekholm, Thorbjorn Egner, Astrid Lindgren.
Now that Eddie is old enough to appreciate these authors, I'm slowly introducing him to my own childhood favourites. We've recently read Karlsson on the Roof by Astrid Lindgren, and already bought the second book in the series. I'm also planning to read Moomins with him.
It makes me feel all nostalgic, revisiting my old friends. And that's exactly what these books are, my old friends. I was a dreamer, and books were my world. Well, they still are.

Books are wonderful gifts for any occasion, including Christmas. Will you be giving books as Christmas presents to your (friends'/extended family) children?

Disclosure: We received a bundle of books for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.

The Midnight Gang by David Walliams

And thus we say Good bye to Tom and the Midnight Gang.
I closed The Midnight Gang (Harper Collins), and my son and I looked in each other's eyes and sighed. We didn't want it to end. Tomorrow we start reading another book by the same author.
Typically I avoid reading books written by celebrities. These days everyone dabbles in writing. I knew, of course, that David Walliams wrote many books for children, but as I'm not a big fan of Britain's Got Talent and don't really watch sitcoms, I never had an urge to buy any of his books. Also my 6-year-old son was a bit young for them, I think. So, it was our first joint foray into the world of David Walliams' fiction.
And now my son is totally hooked, he pointed to the pictures of the book covers inside, saying that he wanted to read this book, and that one, and that one too. Basically, all of them. For obvious reasons known to little boys, Mr Stink (title) appealed to him the most.

I avoided reading any reviews so as not to spoil my own impressions of the latest Walliams' novel.
It is a mix of a humorous fiction with some pretty sad pages which left us very emotional.

The story starts when Tom, a boy from a posh boarding school, abandoned by his parents who are gallivanting from country to country and hardly ever see their child, gets hit by a cricket ball on his head and arrives to the hospital.
There he is met by the Porter. He is so ugly, Tom is terrified.
The Porter is a modern reincarnation of Quasimodo who was abandoned as a baby, looks hideous and is confined to the place where he works - Quasimodo to the Cathedral, the nameless Porter - the Lord Funt hospital.
Soon enough, we learn that appearances are deceptive. The Matron is beautiful but her heart is ugly. The Porter is the most kind person in the hospital.
The children on the ward come from different walks of life. As the story unfolds, we find more about Amber who has broken both legs and arms, Robin who had an eye operation and cannot see because of bandages, a Cockney boy George with a huge appetite who has had a tonsillitis, and Sally who is the youngest child on the ward, who has a terminal illness.
In the night, the children escape on the most creative and inspiring adventures around the hospital.
The story is quite simple, written with a gentle humour. There were some in-jokes as well, for example, when the TV talent shows are mentioned with their sob stories, which made me chuckle.
There is a one-winged pigeon, Porter's pet: "This was clearly not an animal that was going to win a TV talent competition any time soon. That was a shame, as what with having only one wing Professor Pigeon had a great backstory".
We laughed, and we cried. Eddie was sobbing his heart out, when we read about poor Porter being abandoned as a baby. He kept asking me: "Mummy, how could she leave her baby?"
My voice was also trembling when I read about the oldest patient in the hospital, 99-year-old Nelly who thought she was a young child and who expected her Daddy to visit her to the hospital. That totally made me well up.

We were left with some questions as to why none of the parents bothered to visit their children. Also the exaggeratedly mean meals at the hospital. I think Tootsie was meant to be a cheerful-compassionate character, but surely even she couldn't expect a child to survive on one cornflake with a drop of ketchup as a meal?! Where were all the doctors in the hospital? The grown-ups in the book (with the exception of The Porter) are either evil or indifferent to the human suffering.

The book is quite long, but that's also because there are lots of illustrations by Tony Ross  and there is a huge variety of fonts, which crawl, run and zig zag through the book.

Tony Ross' style of illustration is easily recognisable. They are caricature-ish sketches, amusing and quirky. I felt he should have been kinder, drawing little Sally though.

This is the story of compassion and imagination. The final chapters are very touching, and I dare you not to sniffle, reading about a beautiful life lived in one night.

This touching and funny book will make a great Christmas gift for anyone who enjoys children's literature.
The Midnight Gang is currently on offer on amazon (at £5). I have also seen it in Sainsbury's for £5, while WHSmith sells it at £9.99.

I'm glad we have discovered this author. Goodbye, Midnight Gang! (and Hello, Mr Stink!)

Disclosure: We received this book for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own. I don't have amazon affiliate links, the link above is just a suggestion where to buy it at a better price.

Christmas Degustabox

We are always looking forward to our Degustabox delivery, which arrives every month and is full of foodie surprises. This monthly food and drink subscription box is an excellent way to discover products which have only just appeared in the shops or those which might have been around for while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Each time the box arrives, it's a total surprise, as you don't know what you might find there. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet and would like to have a go, I have a whopping £7 off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time) - just use a code 8EVI8 when you place an order.

What did we receive in November/Christmas-themed Degustabox? Let's have a peek.

Ahmad tea is a well known and much loved tea brand. Recently they have introduced a new range of teas - six delightful and sophisticated dessert-inspired recipes infused into black and green teas.
Ahmad Tea Moroccan Orange Slice is a delicious black tea, flavoured with orange zest and cardamom spice. It has a beautiful aroma.

Jules Destrooper Butter Crisps are crunchy buttery biscuits, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea. These biscuits have disappeared very fast, as all family loved them.

In summer, you can use them in a sophisticated dessert with ice cream. But in our house they didn't last long enough to check out this recipe suggestion.

There were two bags of popcorn.
We took Butterkist Sweet Cinema Style Popcorn bag with us when we went to the cinema to see Moana last Sunday. It was a sample pack from a multipack of six. According to my son who ate it all, it was very tasty.
Butterkist Choc Mallow Popcorn is an indulgent popcorn, coming in a sharing bag.

Hartley's Glitter Jelly (in two flavours - mixed berry and raspberry) is exactly that, it's a jelly with a sparkle. We haven't used our packs yet, as I'll keep them for the days closer to Christmas. The edible glitter gives a shimmery effect and could make a pretty centrepiece for a festive table.

I love salted chocolate, so Michel and Augustin Dark Chocolate with a pinch of sea salt was my personal treat (my guys prefer white and milk chocolate).

If you enjoy peanut butter candies like Reese's, you might be happy to discover a new product - Broderick's Crunchy Slam-Dunk Peanut chunk which is a handmade rice crispy peanut butter bar. It is made with chocolate (37%), peanuts (25%) and crisp rice (6%) among the other ingredients. This bar has a thick layer of peanut butter. At 322kcal per bar, this is perhaps not the product for dieters.

The savoury snacks included in the box were Ryvita crackers and thins.
Ryvita Cracked Black Pepper Crackers will be a perfect accompaniment to any cheese board on Christmas or New Year's eve. They are distinctly crispy, and have been baked with wholegrain rye and olive oil for a fuller flavour. Low in fat and sugar, and high in protein and fibre, these crackers are available in four flavours.

Caramelised Onion Ryvita Thins are another contender for a cheese board or a light snack for when you're feeling peckish. They are a source of fibre.

Pipers Crisps endeavour to make Britain's tastiest crisps. The new flavour is hand cooked potato crisps seasoned with wild thyme and rosemary gathered from the Atlas mountains in Morocco. They were crunchy and beautifully flavoured.

Christian Potier Sauce is a range of culinary sauces designed by a French chef, for meat and fish, in single serve pouches. We received a box of Hollandaise sauce (3x50g). This classic sauce is made with no added preservatives, flavours or colours.

Moving onto drinks. For kids there was a pack of Appy Kids Co The Gruffalo Golden Apple Juice, which is part of their lunchbox range. The drinks are 100% natural, with no added sugar and sweetened with steevia, making them a healthier option for kids.

For grown-ups there is a J2O Glitterberry, which is a unique grape and cherry spiced flavour drink with edible glitter that sparkles when the bottle is shaken. It might also serve as a base for a festive jelly.

The Good Cider is made with the best apples harvested in Spain and created, using traditional methods. We received two flavours - Wild berries and Strawberry-Lime. They are very fruity and sweet. Drink them very cold and/or with ice.

I have used both flavours of cider as ingredients - Plums baked in cider

and Festive cocktail with The Good Cider

Disclosure: We received the Christmas-themed Degustabox for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All Opinions are our own.

Plums baked in cider

One of the recent issues of the Cook (The Guardian on Saturday) had a feature on cinnamon, saying that typically it is the star of the show, yet it also brings gentle warmth to the recipes. If you use a moderate amount, it makes the other ingredients shine and gives the depth of the flavour.

These days, when it's quite frosty outdoors (not the extent of the Russian winters, but still pretty cold), we crave hot desserts, preferably served with a good dollop of ice cream.
Late plums work very well in recipes, where you need to bake or roast them, sprinkled with sugar and spice.
And if you have some alcohol added to the recipe, it's even better.
As I have mentioned already in another recipe post, there were two bottles of The Good Cider in berry flavours in the latest Degustabox. On their own, I found them a bit too sweet.
In this simple recipe I used The Good Cider Strawberry cider, but any sweet cider would work well, or even sherry.

Plums baked in cider
Ingredients:
400g red plums
100ml strawberry cider
2tbsp caster sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon

Halve the plums and remove the stones. Place all the plums in a deep ceramic dish, pour the cider around them. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon. Place the dish in the oven preheated to 180C. Bake for half an hour.

Serve hot, with cream or ice  cream.

The Jojoba Company hydrating day cream

When winter arrives, the combination of the cold weather outdoors and the heating indoors often wreaks havoc with our skin. It's lovely of course to get all warm and toasty by the fire after a walk in the cold, but that doesn't do any favours to our skin. It might easily get dry, itchy and flaky.
To protect your skin from drying out in cold season, there are a couple of things you can do to keep it in good shape.
You might want to add humidity to your house - with radiator humidifiers. These ceramic water vessels are attached to the radiator and prevent the air from going too dry.
And of course, choose right cosmetics for this time of the year. In winter I'm looking for a cream which would keep my skin well moisturised and also serve as a good base under the foundation. I don't wear fake tan, but my skin is naturally pale, so I like to add a tiny bit of colour with a foundation.

The Jojoba Company hydrating day cream (The Jojoba Company) is a deep penetrating daily moisturiser with antioxidants. This is a popular vegan-friendly product.
The blurb on the box promises: "A high performance active moisturiser with natural silk peptides and Siberian ginseng to visibly firm the skin. It is also enriched with potent antioxidants pomegranate, green tea, beta glucan and olive leaf to compliment the deep moisturising properties of jojoba. A gentle, long acting moisturiser that restores the skin's natural suppleness and protects against dehydrating environmental effects."

What did I think of it? I've been using it every morning for just over a week. I always appreciate creams which are quickly absorbed, as the school mornings are hectic enough here, I don't have much time for my beauty routine. Jojoba hydrating cream is lightweight and is quickly absorbed. It has a pleasant smell, sweet but not overwhelming, and the smell disappears fast.

I have tried it with three different foundations (no.7, L'Oreal and Clarins), and it works well with all the foundations I used (not at the same time, just to clarify, all on different days). This product is perfect under make-up. The skin feels supple and well hydrated, not shiny and sticky.

My skin feels smooth and nourished all day thanks to the olive leaf extract and Siberian ginseng.
It was clinically proven to increase the production of elastin by up to 97%.
I'm in my late 40s, and have a good share of wrinkles and laughter lines, so any extra elastin is welcome.

You don't need a lot of cream to apply.
Just add a little bit of cream onto fingertips and gently press onto the face and neck. It has a gentle, almost-mousse-like consistency.

Jojoba hydrating day cream is my recent discovery.
It will make a lovely Christmas stocking filler.

Have you tried any products from The Jojoba Company range?

Disclosure: I received the jojoba day cream for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are solely my own.

Festive cocktail with The Good Cider

The Good Cider in two fruity flavours - Wild Berries and Strawberry-Lime - was among the festive Christmas-themed selection of the foods and drinks in the latest Degustabox.
We have already tried The Good Cider (apple flavour) in the past, and it proved to be a great ingredient in cake baking.
Two berry flavours are very sweet, and probably best served in cocktails with ice and tonic water.

Last Monday I wanted to mark a special occasion, as my husband has just submitted his third book (final version) to the editor. As a starter I served hard-boiled quail eggs with a little bit of red caviar, which my husband brought from Russia recently.

And I made a simple cocktail with The Good Cider (wild berries) and tonic water in equal parts, with ice cubes and raspberries. It was light, zingy and refreshing, and a lovely way to start a meal.

It's not exactly a recipe, more of a suggestion.

Twelve days of Chocmas (giveaway c/d 12 December 2016)

I'd love to wish all my blog readers a very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!
Today, taking my younger son to school, we walked briskly as it was so cold. It feels like a proper winter now.
It's that time of the year, when I offer a seasonal giveaway. Last year I ran a 12 days of chocolate bars giveaway, it was a big success, and I enjoyed reading all the comments.
As a self-confessed chocoholic, I do love chocolate gifts, and my seasonal giveaway reflects my love of chocolate. I give you Twelve days of Chocmas.
Every day I will offer you a chocolate gift (a bar of chocolate or mini box of truffles) and a little something too, edible or decorative.
For 12 days I will be revealing a part of an overall prize, and each day there will be a new question.
As stipulated in the T&Cs below, the number of winners will depend on how many questions the first randomly selected winner will answer. If they answered all 12 questions, they get the whole lot. If they choose to answer less questions, they'll get less prizes, and the remaining part of the prize will go to the next randomly selected winner.
Day 1 (1 December): 
I do enjoy a glass or two of prosecco when we go out or have guests for dinner, so when I spotted these M&S Christmas milk chocolate prosecco caramels, I knew I'd have to buy them for my giveaway. The 2nd part of today's prize offering is a Waitrose Nordic candle tin (burn time approx. 30 hours). Did I hear someone mention "hygge"?! I'm not going along with the overhyped trend of hygge at all. Aromatic candles are a pleasure to have around at this time of the year anywhere and everywhere.

Question 1: What do you love most about winter holidays?
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Day 2 (2 December): There are some festive flavours that I associate with Christmas, and marzipan is one of them.
Today's prize addition is a Ritter Sport marzipan chocolate bar and a selection of cute cake slice erasers, which come in a mini-pouch.

Question 2: What is your favourite Christmas treat?

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Day 3 (3 December):
On Day 3 you will find a Divine milk chocolate bar with spiced cookies (and very nice it is indeed, we scoffed our bar today) + The Ladybird book of Boxing Day.
Hope this little amusing book will brighten your Boxing Day.
I've got another copy for myself, and loved the last page: "Boxing Day officially ends in May, when this turns up in a tin on top of the fridge (picture of the Yule log). "Ah! I meant to get that out, says Mum, as she tips it into the brown bin. And, finally, it is over"
I certainly recognised myself in that Mum. I recently found a Heston's Stollen from last year's Christmas, which I have squirreled away, and by the time I found it, it was almost a year over its sell-by-date.

Day 3 question: What gift do you most anticipate to give for Christmas, and who's your lucky recipient?

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Day 4 (4 December: again posting the prize and question on the eve, as tomorrow morning we're off to see Moana with my younger son):
Today, on the way to do some grocery shopping, we saw an open kiosk with a guy roasting marshmallows over the open fire. It's such a lovely seasonal treat, and I got a stick of roasted marshmallows for my son.
I also enjoy marshmallows, with hot chocolate.
Today's chocolate prize is a double chocolate treat - a cute little chocolate elf lollipop and a handmade Begian chocolate Marshmallow Melts for the most decadent hot chocolate. If you're not a fan of hot chocolate, how about adding it to coffee?

Question 4: What is your most cherished Christmas memory?

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Day 5 (5 December): We have a famous teddy bears shop in town, which is visited by teddy collectors from all over the world. They are well known for their beautiful window displays. The other day they put up a Christmas tree decorated with lots of white and red teddies. I popped into the shop and bought three of these cute white teddy glass ornaments. To match - I am adding a Lindt Lindor white chocolate, which is very creamy and smooth. My guys love white chocolate, I prefer the dark one.

Question 5: What is your favourite Christmas song/carol?

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Day 6 (6 December): we're already on day 6, and today's prize addition is a Thorntons Special Toffee milk chocolate and a pack of Swiss coconut biscuits Delice de Coco, which are my older son's favourite biscuits. When we visit Italy, we bring loads of these boxes with us.

Question 6: Christmas jumpers - do you love or loathe them? What was your best (worst) Christmas jumper ever?
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Day 7 (December 7): more chocolatey goodies for day 7 - a Cocoa Loco Hot chocolate gingerbread spoon and a Thorntons Fabulous Fudge milk chocolate.

Question 7: What is your favourite Christmas film?

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Day 8 (8 December): Today's chocolate bar is Cadbury Dairy Milk Tiffin, made with dried grapes and biscuits. An additional treat is 7th Heaven Strengthen Nail & Cuticle Finger Masques with conditioning argan and protecting pomegranate. #

Question 8: What is your ideal Christmas breakfast?

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Day 9 (9 December): Lindt Excellence Mint Intense and a miniature bottle of Hendrick's gin as a special treat today.

Question 9: If you could choose any destination in the world to spend Christmas at, where would you go? Or would you prefer to stay at home?

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Day 10 (10 December); Oh I do love classic Lindt Lindor truffles, they are so smooth, creamy and moreish. You have a chance to win this mini box of Lindor truffles and No.7 nail polish in festive red (it's a limited edition from the no.7 Advent calendar, and yes, I have already opened all the windows).

Question 10: Have you had a chance to look at the TV schedule for Christmas eve/Christmas/Boxing Day, and what do you most anticipate to watch - Doctor Who, Call the Midwife, Father Brown, the Great Christmas Bake Off, Strictly, University Challenge or anything else?

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Day 11 (11 December): a Cadbury Dairy Milk Medley bar + a white chocolate Snowman from Thorntons.

Question 11: I'm feeling rather rotten today, at home with a cold, please make me smile, tell me something funny, like a Christmas cracker joke, or something funny your children said.

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Day 12 (12 December) First of all, thank you for all the jokes you are posting today, they really make me smile. And here we are, on the eve of the last day of 12 days of Chocmas, and I hope you enjoyed taking part.
Today's prize is one of my personal favourites - Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt dark chocolate + a mini Kenzo eau de parfum and festive Santa Baby popbands (which were part of the latest You Beauty box).

Question 12: From all the chocolate bars and treats in this giveaway which one would you like to eat first?

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T&Cs:
The giveaway is open to the UK residents only.

Please leave your name or Twitter name in the comment if you login as Anon, or I will never know who commented.

There will be one or more winners, who will receive all the goodies appearing during the twelve days of the giveaway. If the first winner has replied to all twelve questions, they will receive the whole lot.
If the first winner answered less questions, they will receive the prizes from those days only.
The remaining prizes will be allocated to the next winner(s).
I hope I don't have to send twelve different packages though.

The more questions you answer, the bigger your prize will be.
Only one entry per person is allowed.

If you missed a day, you will have a chance to catch up on any other day until the end of the giveaway, as long as it comes in a SEPARATE comment.

Please note, if you answer 12 questions in one comment, it will count as 1 entry.

Once the winner is selected randomly, I will count their replies.
I will contact the winner, who will have 7 days to reply with their address details. Due to the nature of the prize which I hope to dispatch in good time before Christmas, the time limit to get back to me is shorter than usual.
All the prizes are provided by me, and are in no way sponsored by any brand.
This is my way of saying Thank you to my blog readers.

I will be posting the package(s) at my own cost.
If the winner's away when the parcel arrives and is not able to rearrange the redelivery, and if by some chance it is returned to me, please do not expect me to cover the cost of the postage again.
If that happens, the prize will be taken to the local food bank (foods) and charity shops (non-perishables).

I will send the packet by Royal Mail, tracked and to be signed for.

The giveaway will end on the 12th of December at midnight.

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Many thanks to everyone who joined in and entered daily. I enjoyed reading all your comments.
The winner has been picked randomly from all the entries.

And the winner is ....

ROBYN C

Big round of applause! Well done, Robyn, hope you will enjoy all the chocolate and other treats!

Merry Christmas, everyone!