An evening with Marks & Spencer and their Festive Food

Marks and Spencer food is always a little bit special, especially around Christmas time. Southampton Bloggers were invited by Marks & Spencer to learn more about the festive ranges this year in food, drink and clothing. Basically - the perfect evening with cheese!

We started the evening with an introductory talk from Charles, the manager of the West Quay branch here in Southampton who really loves his job and is passionate about food. He said he had the perfect job and after tasting all the goodies on offer, I was inclined to believe him.

The cheese board seemed to be the most popular of the evening with Chestnut Chutney and a Blackberry and Gin Jelly to accompany the cheese and crackers. Now I'm not a great fan of chutneys and the like, but both of these were very more'ish, esp the Blackberry and Gin. I would never have thought to try something like this so it was the perfect way to try something new.

There were Winter Berries and Sparkling Prosecco crisp complete with gold stars (seriously) plus the renowned Milk Chocolate Cinammon Sugar Tortilla Rolls. They were described as tasting of Christmas and I can't think of a better way to describe them.

No ordinary mince pies here, plus Salmon and Cream Cheese Blinis (I wanted ALL the mince pies...).

The sweets and desserts were pretty special too. Santa Hat Profiteroles, Macarons and a scrumptious luxury Yule Log were just some of the treats on offer. There were also Hand Finished Chocolates that looked more like miniature works of art.

And if that wasn't enough, we had hot food such as Mini Vegan Burgers, Christmas Sausage Rolls, Mini Mac and Cheese and Pigs in Blankets (which were definitely #MyMarksFave).

I rarely drink, but there was plenty of choices for non-drinkers. That made a really nice change as all too often the only non-alcoholic option is water or an orange juice. I worked my way through a selection of a Sparkling Summer Berry and non-alcoholic Bucks Fizz and a G&T.

For those who were drinking there were White Christmas, Jaffa Cake and Mince Pie Martini cocktails, plus plenty of Prosecco. The cocktails would make such a beautiful Christmas gift - I can think of a few people who love the Jaffa Cake one!

Remember what I said about wanting ALL of the mince pies....?

Many thanks to Marks & Spencer, Grayling South and Southampton Bloggers for a fantastic evening and the perfect start to Christmas. I can't wait to try the Sparkling Peach and Prosecco Conserve that we were given.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
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Snow Queen at The Point, Eastleigh

Christmas is a time for traditions and one which I love to do every year is a trip to the theatre. Whether it's the panto or ballet, the feeling of excitement as you're sat in your seat waiting for the show to begin never gets old.

This year I was invited by The Point Theatre in Eastleigh to come along on the opening day of their Christmas show Snow Queen by the theatre company Tutti Frutti. An adaption of the Hans Christian Andersen tale written by playwright Mike Kenny with music from composer Ivan Stott.

Advertised as a 'wintry whirl of magic and mischief packed with physical storytelling and catchy songs suitable for all ages' I was expecting a lively show and it didn't disappoint. A really nice touch was the personal interaction from the cast who came into the audience before the show and were in the foyer afterwards. The Point is a small local theatre which helps make shows like this so much more accessible and hands-on for younger audiences.

On arrival we saw an igloo in the foyer and it wasn't long before it was being put to good use by a lot of the children attending the show (complete with flying snowballs as well!).

The story revolves around friends Gerda and Kai. Without giving too much away, it explores the themes of friendship, grief, loyalty and growing up. After Kai is pulled under the spell of the Snow Queen and his heart turns to ice, Gerda bravely sets off on a quest to save him. Along the way she encounters a number of characters including robbers and a talking reindeer.

I wasn't sure how attentive such a young audience would be, but the sheer energy of the cast of three kept us all mesmorised, young and old! Some of the songs were still in my head the next day.

Thank you to The Point for this gifted experience and the production photos used in this post. If you want to see The Snow Queen for yourself, it's on until 30th December at 11am and 2pm.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
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An evening at Southampton Christmas Market

It's finally December! The present shopping is (nearly) all done, there's mince pies in the cupboard and it's now time to relax a little and soak up the festive atmosphere. And if you haven't started shopping yet, then a Christmas market is the perfect place to find something a little bit out of the ordinary.

Earlier this week, I was invited along with Southampton Bloggers for an evening at the Southampton Christmas Market and to watch Santa fly. He's a busy guy but every night he and Rudolph find time to fly from the top of Southampton Bargate across the market.

The market is a traditional German one with alpine chalets, food and drink and even a Bavarian musician. We were given a personal tour of the market where we got a chance to talk to some of the stallholders and sample some of the food and drink available.

We then went up to Balcony Bar ready to watch the big man do his stuff and fly across the market. We really did have the best seat in the house, with hot chocolates, even more snacks and accompanying music from an alpine horn!

A big thank you to Southampton Bloggers and Southampton City Council for inviting us. If you want to watch Santa yourself (and it's the only place in the UK to see it) he's flying twice a day until 23rd December. Monday to Saturday at 5 and 7pm and on Sundays at 4 and 6pm.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
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