Lite Sprites Review

Christmas is on the way and with young children in the house, we’re constantly bombarded with adverts for every toy imaginable. Narrowing down which toy is worth the money in terms of durability and appeal can be increasingly difficult. Keeping this in mind I was happy to review the new Lite Sprites toys. Adorable little sprites that seem reminiscent of my own childhood, these cute little dolls light up and can magically share colour with each other. So is this one of the must have toys?

When you first switch on a Lite Sprite it will glow with colour, a button at the back also allows you to cycle through this individual Sprite’s favourite shades. They also have a ‘share’ button which when pressed will share their current colour with any other Sprites standing nearby. This alone seems to provide amusement, my own children (boys included) loved the ability to change the colour of all the Sprites.

We also received a Lite Sprite Wand, this comes in a set with a Sprite named Prisma. This fabulous little addition allows you to scan in colours from your house which you can then transfer over to the Sprites. There’s also a variety of spells to cast,  you can make your Sprites float through a combination of colours, or play a colour finding game.

There’s a thorn in the side of Lite Topia though, the Lite Sprite called ‘Bleak’ can infect both the Sprites and their enviroment with her lack of colour (she merely glows white). She can even affect the order with which the Sprites cycle through colours. But a quick wave of the Lite Wand using a Bleak Spell can unlock her undesirable characteristics and she will behave as all the other Sprites do.

Each Sprite comes in their own pod which we hung upon the Tree of Lite. The Tree also glows with colour and can be rotated by hand which causes magical music to play.

That’s only a very brief rundown as in truth, despite a couple of weeks play we’ve still to unlock all the Sprites abilities, particularly using the Lite Wand. I’m very pleased to report that my kids have not grown bored of the Sprites, they are still brought out daily and provide hours of creative play.

This is the kind of toy that I would have loved as a little girl, in fact I still enjoyed helping the children seek out new colours. It all feels good quality and robust and I have no fears for it’s durability. My youngest did decide to rearrange the Sprites pods and the Tree of Lite’s leaves, but nothing bent or cracked and I’m sure this will last a long time.

Would I recommend this?

Definitely, it’s a fun and engaging toy that has provided my children with hours of amusement. It has a modern feel with the use of lights and music that even in this console obsessed age it can hold it’s own. The introduction of additional playsets, the wand and Bleak mean there’s always new elements to play.

Could it be improved in anyway?

I had to really give this some thought, honestly the Lite Sprites are great as they are. Ultimately though I’d just like to see the range continue to grow. I really like toys which can be added to, so more playsets, more Sprites with different abilities would be wonderful.

Details

We received the following items to review:

Prisma and the Lite Wand RRP £29.99

4 Lite Sprites RRP £14.99 per individual Sprite

Tree of Lite RRP £39.99

Other playsets are available including a Waterfall, Swing, Flower and Windmill, each priced at RRP £19.99

Available to buy in store and online from all good toy shops.

Auberge Du Chocolat Book Review

It’s no big secret than I am a huge Chocolate fan, particularly homemade chocolates. When I was heavily pregnant with my last child I spent quite a few weeks in hospital. I was feeling rather sorry for myself as you might imagine but was instantly lifted when my husband arrived with a big box of homemade ganache chocolates. So when Auberge Du Chocolat arrived in the post, I felt just as excited at the prospect of many more delicious creations.

Aside from the recipes I hadn’t anticipated the book containing other useful information. I am personally familiar with subjects such as bean variety, but as this knowledge is not terribly widespread I was pleased to see it covered here. There is also a good amount of information on basic chocolate preparation techniques. There is even a chapter dedicated to making beautiful presentation packaging, how about a box made entirely from chocolate!

There are also no less than 6 chapters of recipes covering:

Dipped Chocolates

Truffles

Moulded Chocolates

Flavoured Chocolate

Dairy-Free Chocolates

Chocolate and Children

I found it extremely hard to pick which recipes to try out, they all sounded so delicious. I eventually settled on the following.

Black Tie Strawberries

These have to be the smartest fruit around, dressed in their little chocolate tuxedos they are ridiculously cute and mouthwatering. The recipe takes literally minutes to follow and you’re left with beautiful strawberries worthy of any dinner party.

Cinnamon Truffles

I’m not exactly sure what went wrong with this recipe but I ended up with something akin to chocolate flubber. My impression is that this wasn’t entirely correct. However we soldiered on and eventually ended up with slightly flat versions of the truffles from the book. In all honesty I wasn’t overly keen on them but my husband couldn’t seem to get enough. So I’ll put that one down to personal preference.

Next on the list? Lavender Cups or Dulce de Leche or maybe Marzipan Ganache, there’s too much choice!

Would I recommend this book?

If you want to make your own chocolates, particularly to give as gifts then this book would be hard to beat. Despite my slightly odd result with the Cinnamon Truffles there are pages dedicated to common problems so if at first you don’t succeed… It’s beautifully presented with wonderful photography and would make a yummy gift in itself.

Could it be improved in anyway?

I found some of the recipes a little scant in their writing style and they jumped slightly in places. Other than that it’s hard to find many faults.

Details

Publisher:New Holland Publishers Ltd

ISBN:978-1847738202

RRP: £16.99

 

Canning & Preserving with Ashley English Book Review

Canning and Preserving have always held a kind of romantic charm for me, I remember hovering over large pans in my parents kitchen as I made chutney with my Dad and eagerly packaging it up to give as gifts. Intense aromas, countless jars and fun little labels to write, what’s not to like? I was therefore very excited about today’s book review, courtesy of GMC Publications.

I was expecting a large volume of original and intriguing recipes to entice me. In actual fact the book concentrates quite heavily on the science and methods behind canning.The recipes are located towards the end.

I was rather disappointed by this, the information is useful but I would have rather the theory was condensed a little. There was also several profiles of various ‘canners’ giving their insights behind why they love this method of preserving food.

However once you wade through the first section there are some truly delightful recipes, such as Peach and Lavender Butter or Cardamon Apple Cider Butter. We chose to make the latter and it’s absolutely fabulous! A bit too fabulous in fact, we can’t stop eating it 🙂 The recipe was easy and quick to follow and very straightforward, a perfect preserve.

Would I recommend this book?

The recipes are brilliant, but I’m not overly keen on the heavy technical information at the start. If you are a complete novice, this book will lead you by the hand with no room for questions. If however, you are moderately experienced with preserves then this probably isn’t the book for you.

Could it be improved in anyway?

This book really is the only book you’ll need in regards to theory and will be useful to a great deal of people. But… I would have organised the book slightly differently, perhaps sumptuous recipes as the front to grab your attention and then technical guidance as more of a glossary at the end. All personal preference of course.

Details

Publisher: Lark

ISBN: 978-1600594915

RRP: £14.99