Twelve posts of Christmas #9 - Christmas presents: gifts I can eat/drink

If you've read my 'gifts I can wear' post, you'll already be aware that I'm splitting my 'What I got for Christmas' posts into three instalments. I love nosing through other people's Christmas present summaries so I consequently enjoy writing similar posts myself... I assume most people are as nosy as I am!

Today's instalment is all about the gifts I received which I can eat or drink. There were quite a few gifts in this category, as you're about to find out. Don't worry, I'll re-start my diet in March once these are all gone.

A large pile of chocolates and sweets from Neil, family, friends and colleagues.

My love for hot chocolate and marshmallows is well documented... I had

these lovely presents from my parents, my parents in law, and my colleague Chris. 

I also had more hot chocolate and a pretty Cath Kidston mug from Amy...

this one wasn't photographed with the rest as I opened it a
few days before Christmas Day as instructed!

My parents bought us these tasty-sounding chutneys... I can't wait to try them

with some cheese and crackers. I know that makes me sound like an old lady but I don't care.

Limoncello and Prosecco from my colleagues... I feel a Limoncello Fever coming on. 

Have you written a blog post about all the food/drink you received for Christmas? Like me, are you trying to be mildly sensible but just CAN'T STOP EATING? Hopefully I'm not alone in this affliction...

Day out in Shrewsbury

My boyfriend has been living in Shrewsbury for the last year due to unforeseen circumstances, but we haven't had much of an opportunity to explore the area as he comes back to Cardiff every weekend. He'll  be moving back home shortly (yay!) so we wanted one last chance to have a wander around the lovely area. Last Thursday evening, I travelled up to Shrewsbury on the train so that we could spend some time there before heading back to Cardiff on Friday evening. The train journey took just under two hours so I amused myself by listening to my iPod and reading McFly's brilliant autobiography. I passed some fantastically comical place names on the way... I think my favourite was Woofferton.

Shrewsbury is a quiet and pretty town with nice views, plenty of shops and lots of places to eat. Perfect! We walked into town in blazing sunshine after having breakfast on Friday morning. It's so nice to go out in a vest, skirt, flip flops and sunglasses without having to worry about getting cold or rained on. Long may it last...!

There are some lovely houses in Shrewsbury! House envy...

Lovely view from the bridge into town

The town itself is filled with a mixture of independent shops, vintage stores, charity shops, coffee shops and the usual chain stores. It's all pretty hilly, so walking into town in the heat was good exercise and helped to burn off some calories from our rather large breakfast. 

One hill!

Lovely building in the centre of town

Market stalls!

Selections of jams at one market stall... I loved the display.

My favourite shop in Shrewsbury is definitely Mollie's sweet shop. It's full of every kind of sweet thing you can think of... retro penny sweets, huge assortment of fudge and chocolates, American sweets, ice cream, sherbet, lollipops, Slush Puppy, nuts, and a whole lot more. I would definitely recommend popping into Mollie's if you're ever in Shrewsbury for the day. The pick'n'mix was 80p per 100g (I think), so not as extortionate as a lot of other places. Definitely not as expensive as cinema pick'n'mix, and there's a lot more variety too.

My bag of Pick'n'Mix!

I also found a lovely dress for £3.95 in a charity shop, which I'll be blogging about in a separate post on my recent charity shop finds. 

Has anyone else visited Shrewsbury recently? Did you go to Mollie's? I'd definitely like to repeat the experience one day!

10 favourite guilty pleasures

I do eat very healthily most of the time, but I do love crisps, chocolate and sweets. I make sure I don't stock any of these things in my flat, or I would actually be huge. If I don't buy them, I can do without them. However, if they're right in front of me, I find it very hard to resist.

Here are my top ten 'naughty' food items... Sorry to those of you who have given up nice things for Lent, you might want to stop reading at this point!


1. Haribo Tangfastics
I dread to think how many Tangfastics I've eaten in my lifetime. Best sweets ever, and you can guarantee people will buy me packets of these for my birthday and for Christmas because I love them so much.

2. Galaxy
Galaxy chocolate is amazing. Just plain Galaxy is fine, no need for any of their fancy varieties. Although I could really eat a Galaxy Caramel right now too, come to think of it.

3. Lindt truffles  
My mouth actually waters whenever I think of these. I love the original milk chocolate truffles, but the white truffles and the hazelnut ones are amazing too.

4. Texas BBQ Pringles
Although I've never kept the food guilt at bay long enough to try it, I'm pretty sure I could eat a whole tube of these by myself in one sitting. You know how it is... once you pop, you can't stop.

5. Haribo Jelly Babies 
These sweets are just immense. So much better than the Bassett's Jelly Babies! These are my sweets of choice for cinema trips.

6. Marshmallows 
I love pink and white marshmallows. I do always keep these in my flat, but I only ever use them to put in my hot chocolate. I've managed to be disciplined and I don't eat handfuls of them at once, although it's tempting sometimes!

7. Chocolate digestives 
Definitely my favourite biscuit of all time. It would certainly be dangerous if I ever bought a packet of these.

8. Twix
Yum. Just yum. I mostly love the biscuit bit in the middle, and also like the way it's split into two pieces so you can save the other half for later. If you can be that disciplined.

9. Fruit pastilles
These were always my favourite sweets as a child, and I still buy them occasionally if I need a sugar rush. The yellow ones are my favourites.

10. Kit Kat Chunky
I love the ordinary Kit Kat Chunky, but I usually just eat the normal version because it's fewer calories. I think Kit Kat chocolate is extra nice, and I love the wafer in the middle. Simple but gooood.


What are your favourite 'naughty' foods? I've made myself hungry now! Might eat a marshmallow...