The way in which we shop!

Recently, from shopping at Morrison's, I have noticed their attempts to look more like a market stall. From a help yourself olive deli, pick your own fruit and veg and a cheese deli counter. There has been an increase in the past year in the amount of organic produce purchased and this is replicated through supermarkets choices in how they market their fruit and vegetables. For example, Sainsbury's only sell fair trade bananas with even their basics range still being fair trade. This is because Sainsbury's wish to to portray a brand which is sustainable and conscientious of the environment, I believe that this is how they differentiate from other market leading supermarkets and how in fact they have managed to excel given the competitive nature of that industry.

The relatively new fruit and veg display in Morrison's is a fantastic way to offer more of a help yourself service. They have called the concept "Market Street", where the vegetables are set out in bunches like on a market stall, meaning that there is less packaging. This is a very wise move as the average consumer is more concerned about the effect  of plastic packaging on the environment. There is a spraying system over the fruit and veg, which reminded me of a European hypermarket, the idea is that it stays fresher for longer. This being both beneficial to the consumer and Morrisons as it means there is less waste. 

I am not an eco-warrier but given an ideal world I am all for purchasing my fresh produce at local shops and markets. However, given the way in which society has changed with more people working longer hours and convenience shopping being the most popular this is not realistic. As, in reality the ease of buying everything under one roof is putting local businesses out of business. However, it is nice to see larger organisations developing a more personal approach to their marketing and product offering.

Thanks for reading my woffley nonsense!!

Toni

xoxox

Rediscover the forgotten art of relaxation

It's official, I have the key for the door, I am now 21! This means I am officially an adult and as my younger sister keeps telling me, I am nearly 30, ahhhhhh!!!

For my birthday my mum bought me and my boyfriend a spa day and stay at Dunkenhalgh hotel on the outskirts of Blackburn. I have always wanted to go to a spa and was terribly excited for weeks before. On the day, we arrived early because we could use the facilities all day, including gym, saunas and swimming pool access. The building was beautiful it looked like a castle. After checking into our room, we were shown around the hotel by a very friendly lady and then taken to the spa and given our robes and given a tour of the surroundings. This made me think about customer service and how crucial it is for a business offering a personal service like a spa, this lady was very highly trained and a credit to Mercure hotels. This demonstrates that an employees passion for the work can deliver results, as she made my day very special and we felt comfortable to approach with any query throughout our stay.

After having a spot of lunch and a half-hearted attempt in the gym (as I didn't have a bobble, poor show Toni!) we hit the saunas. There were 5 saunas in total from mint flavoured steam rooms to an above 80 degrees rock room, they were amazing. I had somehow never experienced a sauna, but considering I used to faint it was probably for the best. However, I loved it and when Anne (the lovely lady) told me that putting crushed ice on your bum and legs after being in sauna reduced cellulite, I was alll over it!! This has inspired me to purchase a body brush (cue next blog post ;)

Then we had our spa treatments, which where heaven I had a facial, the beauty therapist was lovely and she used the range Decleor, which was beautiful on your skin and so relaxing. She again was very well trained and I was so relaxed. I decided there and then, that when I graduate and have a job I am going to indulge in a facial as a bit of me time, every few weeks.

The rest of our stay and this very long post is basically me reminiscing on such a good present and was simply wonderful to spend a few nights with my boyfriend, who spoilt me rotten as we are going to Michel Roux jr's restaurant in London, don't worry I will blog about my obviously fabulous experience.

Thanks for reading.
Caio
xoxoxoxo

When in Spain...

I have just come back from yet another holiday, this time to Majorca. It was very relaxing and a great opportunity to top up my tan! I was still on the hunt for new health trends in the market and whilst there, I came across the most fantastic frozen yogurt shop "yao-yogurt".

It sold frozen yogurt, smoothies, juice and fresh fruit pots. It was situated by the beach, along the main strip of shops, therefore experienced lots of passing trade throughout the day and also stayed open till about midnight in the evening. As you can see the main colour scheme is fluorescent pink, which is eye catching and runs consistently through the text, chairs, menu and staff uniform. This colour stands out in the sign against the competition surrounding where all the shops looked very similar and bland

Frozen yogurt is a relatively new trend in the market and offers the cold, creamy refreshment as ice-cream but with less than half the calories and sugar content. At "Yao-yogurt" you could choose from a variety of toppings, including fresh fruit, chocolate and cookies. I chose strawberries and then counteracted this healthy choice with white chocolate, but its all about balance (which I probably told myself far too many times last week). However, it was delicious and we visited a few more times throughout the holiday.

There was a real gap in the market for this shop in  Majorca as the weather was gorgeous, therefore meaning that the ice-cream market would be thriving. However, I still believe this could be exploited in the UK, perhaps selling smoothies and juices aswell, to balance out the seasonality affect of the horrendous weather in England.

If  you have not tried frozen yogurt yet, then give it a try as I can guarantee it will surpass your expectations. You can also make your own in the freezer and serve with fresh fruit, meringue or fresh fruit purée for a healthier dessert option.

Thanks for reading, now to return to rainy English life.



Caio for now
Toni
xoxoxoxo

Juicy lucy

Hola, I have finally made my blog look prettier, wahoo!!

Recently, I have developed a real sweet tooth for fruity drinks. I think this has originated from my recent holiday to Spain, where frankly water is just not what you desire on a sandy beach, in the heat of the sun, whilst listening to the sound of the waves (ahhhhhh, bliss!) However, after reading the nutritional value of my favourite drinks, such as Fanta, Diet Coke and Lilt, I decided that they there were 2 options: cut them out of my diet or substitute for something healthier.

Cue healthy fruit drink review....

I spotted this drink on the supermarket shelves quite a while ago, purely due to its beautiful bottle. This is a fantastic marketing move due to the fact that the fresh juice market is very populated. With top brands such as Tropicana, Innocent and Copella providing natural, high quality, yet slightly above average price juices. There are also own brands, which also provide delicious juices, which are lower in price and have the consistent and reputable brand of, for example, Sainsbury's. Therefore, it is more important than ever for any new entrants which aren't category leaders to differentiate on the shelf.

Coldpress is a natural fruit juice brand, with the slogan: no cooking = pure taste. They differentiate through the technology of their juicing process. This process is called HPP, which goes against the widely used methods of heating the juice, in order to pasteurise it, so that it lasts longer. Instead coldpress, plunge their bottles into cold water, to ensure that each fruit stands out in the flavour provided.

Coldpress have various flavours, but I went for the pink lady flavour, which was beautiful. Pink lady apples are my favourite, however as a student I don't get to indulge in them as much as I would like, as they are quite expensive. But, fortunately my mum loves them just as much, so being back home is bliss! The juice was heavenly and low in calories for a sweet, fruity drink and would be perfect in the morning or as a mid-afternoon pick me up. It is priced around £2 a bottle, which is relatively highly priced compared to competition, but what it has to offer is fantastic.

Thanks for reading.

Caio for now
Toni <3
xoxoxoxxoxoxoxo

Vegetable cake..... healthy right?!?

This blog post is going to be slightly different, it was inspired by my dad bringing home what looked like 2000 pieces of rhubarb from his allotment. Summer time is fabulous in the Watson household, there are fresh fruit, vegetables and salad everywhere from my dads allotment plot, along with constant talk of watering cans, compost and the hose pipe ban ....

I have recently noticed the increase in emphasis in supermarkets providing their fruit and veg in more like a market style. Particularly Morrison's, where you pick the fruit and veg and even better it is guaranteed to be fresh, due to the fact that it is sprayed by a mist of water all day. This is a fantastic mover advantage for Morrison's as it makes them stand out from the market leaders, Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's. Which has definitely come at the right time for consumers, as there has been a significant increase in organic produce and customers being more interested in the freshness and origins in produce, as opposed to the cost.

So, with this mass of rhubarb, I decided to make a cake! Baking is not my strong point, but I gave it a good bash! It was a courgette cake (which alright is still cake, but surely slightly healthy as it is one of your five a day.... well maybe not!) with a rhubarb curd.

I mixed the rhubarb with sugar and water to make the curd and added it to crème fraiche, which is far healthier than cream. Then made a sponge mix and added about 3 grated courgettes, again fresh from the garden. I did add sultanas, however, on reflection would be better without.

The finished product was looking too good to be true to be honest, but in it went into the oven. Obviously licked the bowl prior to that, has to be done.

The cake suprisingly was beautiful and went down a treat with the family. However, now I am worried that we are going to have rhubarb coming out of our ears next year, with hope that more of these cakes will materialise..... However, in terms of health content I am going to stick to savoury vegetables and stir frys.... maybe ;)

Caio for now
Toni
xoxoxox

Fruity Goodness!

This blog post is dedicated to a recent craze which are smoothies! They are literally everywhere, from your innocent smoothies in the supermarket, to newest smoothie and shake bar in your local high street.

This blog post was inspired by Mcdonald's jumping on the smoothie bandwagon, just proving that the country is going health crazy! Since the mass marketing campaign to increase awareness of consuming your 5 a day, I believe consumers have become far more concious of a healthy lifestyle. A smoothie is a fantastic way to get at least 3 of your 5 a day and as people in general lead a busier lifestyle, there is no wonder why it has become the latest trend.

I think its great that fast food takeaways are acknowledging that health content is more important than offering the fattiest and tastiest oily food they used to sell. However, it has to be questioned is this because they CARE about their consumers and the increase in levels of obesity, or is it simply a question of reacting to consumer demands to increase their revenues. Personally, I think it is because McDonald's have felt the pressure of increased health awareness, with the increased popularity in fast food restaurant such as nandos and burrito bars, which use fresh ingredients.

In addition, this is more apparent as despite McDonald's being considered a GLOBAL brand, they adapt their strategy to each country. For example, in France they serve wine, in China they serve noodles and in America they serve extra large portions. Which I had first hand experience a few years ago in New York, when I ordered a chicken nugget meal and astonishingly received 20 chicken nuggets.... Therefore, making McDonald's an international brand which adapts their market offering to obtain larger revenues and to widen their target audience across the globe. Making their attempt to appear more en par with healthier food producers, as just a marketing attempt to appear more health concious, so as to not loose market power as consumers trends and tastes are becoming more aware.

I would suggest that if you want a smoothie, then a more legitimate smoothie would be from a smoothie shop or the supermarket, or even better make your own. You could make a smoothie to start the day with 4/5 pieces of fruit and mix it with natural yoghurt, which is low in fat and some natural fruit juice. It is truly delicious and a very substantial, fresh and healthy way to start a day and eating your 5 a day would already be ticked off the list.

Thanks for reading, caio for now xoxoxoxox

Le fromage

Bonjour, this post is dedicated to my guilty pleasure, cheese. Despite being ridiculously high in saturated fat, there are believed to be numerous health benefits to this delightful dairy product. The health benefits of cheese are rarely advertised in the commercial world, however it is high in calcium which can help prevent cavities and tooth decay and is packed full of protein. So especially for vegetarians or for people that don't eat much meat, can be a crucial part of a balanced diet. That being said, please don't take this as eating cheese all day every day will be fine, its packed full of natural fats which could cause weight gain.

There are many types of cheese, such as the classic cheddar, red Leicester, creamy brie or even the luxurious Camembert. I am curious as to which cheese is best for you and do you have to sacrifice on that intense cheesy flavour for a slimmer waistline?

Feta cheese is one of the healthiest, containing the least calories and sat fat. However, I think it tastes the best in a fresh Greek salad overlooking the beach on a sunny Greek island and just is not the same in the cold English weather. However, a variation of a classic dish to make the element of cheese healthier, is when making lasagne use half cheddar and half feta in the cheese sauce. I think this makes it more tasty, due to the strong taste of feta and gives the sauce more substance. It also means you are enjoying a cheesy delight with less calories.

In addition to this is goats cheese, which is strong in flavour and therefore requires a lot less cheese to have the desired impact. This is perfect on a pizza or as an accompaniment to a salad. There is on average 20 less calories in a portion of goats cheese compared to a cheese made with cows milk. My house mate, has just made me a butter nut squash risotto made solely from chicken stock and sprinkled about a teaspoon of crumbly goats cheese on top. It was beautiful and made it taste really creamy and flavoursome and wasn't that bad for you! (Thanks Hol!!)

Basically, my message is enjoying cheese in moderation is absolutely fine. My secret is to substitute for healthier cheese as much as possible. Unless I'm hungover, where me and boyfriend have a tendency to make a portion of nachos, stacked to the top with cheddar. Once in a while doesn't hurt anyone ;) As they say everything in moderation.

Caio for now.
Toni