Chances are, if you work, run a business, run a household or have kids, your life is one big, crazy, busy place – even more so if you’re juggling all four at the same time. And if you’re a woman it’s highly likely that you are far busier than your male partner: a study showed that on average, women spend 17 hours a week on housework compared to men, who opt for the easy life and do just under 6 hours per week.

Working Women Still Do Lion’s Share Of Housework

And that data doesn’t even include any child rearing requirements!

If you’re constantly exhausted, never complete your To Do List and sometimes hide in bed on Sunday mornings as you can’t face the chores that lie ahead of you, here is some sound advice on how to stop running yourself ragged.

1) The Kids

Assuming your kids are beyond pre-school, get them to help with basic chores. If they get used to helping around the house when they are 6 plus they’ll find it completely normal. Choose simple tasks appropriate for their age. A 6 year old can be told they have to put their toys away at the end of each day; a 10 year old can unload the dishwasher; a 15 year old can do just about everything that you can.

The alternative is of course to do every little thing yourself – but don’t settle for that. Ensure your children appreciate all the household tasks that need to be done, and to realise you’re not there to wait on them hand and foot. If there is a little reluctance at first, explain that a tired parent is a grumpy one who is less likely to have energy for a trip to the park / football field / a day out, and they will soon start to see the benefit of pitching in.

2) The Male Partner

Depending on the mental age of your partner, simply tailor the advice in section 1 to suit them.

3) In The Kitchen

Cooking an evening meal each day can be time consuming. There’s the shopping, the prep, the eating, the clearing away. So be savvy with your time.

Do your supermarket shop online and sit back and wait for it to be delivered to your door. Big brands who offer this service include:

Tesco  https://www.tesco.com/groceries/

Asda  https://groceries.asda.com/

Sainsbury’s   https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplayView?catalogId=10123&langId=44&storeId=10151&krypto=%2BdQoy8oMjvHtAhjG%2FG4gjd2Kcqs7%2Bb5mBgszZO2z8wtHCDgX9TDW9urJ4t8bTbmUNMOHRVdyp8pk%2BUyUIP3s4w%3D%3D&ddkey=http%3Agb%2Fgroceries

Ocado https://www.ocado.com/webshop/startWebshop.do

Waitrose   http://www.waitrose.com/shop/Browse/Groceries

Morrisons  http://groceries.iceland.co.uk/

Iceland  http://groceries.iceland.co.uk/

Amazon Pantry (for Amazon Prime members) https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pantry/info

Create big batches of meals that can then be frozen for another day. Cook quick meals that are still nutritious – omelettes with baked beans can be whipped up in no time at all and deliver a high protein punch for growing kids. Sign up to Hello Fresh – a fabulous invention which takes all the hassle out of meal planning and shopping, and you get to eat wholesome, tasty food.

Check out our earlier review of Hello Fresh here.

Get the kids involved in cooking – most love to get their hands dirty in the kitchen and you’ll be training them up so that once they hit their teens, they’ll be able to cook some basic meals for the whole family.

And finally once the meal is over, make it a rule that everyone helps with the clear-up.

4) Cleaning The Home

Many busy folk struggle to find time to clean the home properly. According to a discussion on mumsnet, women are spending around 2-6 hours per week simply cleaning the house.

Have you got that time to spare? Wouldn’t it be preferable to outsource your cleaning to someone else, so you can actually relax a little in the evenings and weekends, rather than donning rubber gloves and scrubbing the loo? Unless you find house cleaning relaxing and therapeutic, use a cleaning service so you can free up your time for things more important to you.

There are plenty of online companies where you can source a cleaner for your home. For example:

Homeclean

Mollymaid

The Happy House Cleaning Services

Merrymaids &

Maid2Clean

5) At Work

If you work full time, the biggest chunk of your day will be spent at there. So make sure you work effectively without getting burnt out:

Don’t agree to deadlines that are going to be hard to achieve – and will result in rocketing stress levels. Your boss may genuinely not realise how long a task is going to take you. So be firm, be realistic and explain to your boss why you’ll need another day/week to complete the task s/he expects to be finished yesterday.

Don’t take on work that a colleague should be doing. We all know the colleague who appears to do so much but in fact has an uncanny ability to off load their work to over helpful colleagues. They may use flattery, “You’re so much better at Excel than me – can you just go through this spreadsheet and check my calculations?”. Or a bit of begging, “The boss wants this report on his desk this afternoon and I’ve got all this other urgent stuff. Can you just tidy it up a bit for me?” The end result of helping this colleague is that a) you increase your workload b) you never get credit for what you’ve done c) you may miss your own deadlines and d) you feel stressed and resentful.

If you manage staff, delegate effectively to them. Provide clear instruction on what they need to do, check they understand and agree a date when they’ll have the work completed. Then leave them to get on with it – no interfering, no hassling and no continual requests for updates.

Stop being a perfectionist. If you’re finalising a report, stop agonising over word choice – “should I use ‘worrying’ or ‘concerning’ in the conclusion?; “when should I use ‘whilst’ and ‘while'”?. So long as the report is well written, grammatically correct and nicely laid out it’s good to go, and you can get on with your next task.

Stop being an over-controller. Some bosses have staff, but they don’t really like delegating to them – they’d much prefer to do the work themselves because really, they don’t trust anyone else to do it properly. If that’s you, stop it! You have staff to ease your work load, so use them wisely. Learn the art of delegation and see it as a way of developing your staff in their role. Perhaps the first piece of work they provide is below your high standards; but by teaching them how to improve (in a tactful and reassuring way), they’ll feel motivated to do better next time and you’ll eventually have a team member who can work autonomously, giving you the freedom to concentrate on your own job.

In Conclusion

If you’re serious about creating more time in your life to do the things you want to, and to stop running yourself ragged, try out the tips above – you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

If you’re interested in outsourcing even more tasks to external help, then read our article about Concierge Services which provide virtual helpers to do almost any task you need completing.

Nowadays, we have apps on our smartphones and tablets for everything from social media to food and clothes shopping, and even for Uber taxis. In fact, it seems every business has an app that they’d love you to download.

I’m a big fan of whatever makes life easier and frees up time to do things you really want to do. But do these little squares on my smartphone make life easier or do they complicate it even more?

1. Evernote

This hugely successful, free app promises to be the only note-taking app you’ll ever need. It’s available for your smartphone, tablet and computer and serves as your notetaker, PDA, pocket notebook, to-do list, etc. A big attraction of Evernote is that it syncs automatically across all your devices and operating systems, so you’ll never forget your to-do-list again. And you can share notes – for work or even if you’re planning a social occasion with your besties.

There are three service tiers. The free basic option is limited as you can’t sync between three or more devices and can’t retrieve your notes without an internet connection. The other tiers are Plus (about £30 a year) and Premium (for £60 a year). With both of these tiers, you can sync across all devices and save data offline. So it’s worth shelling out if you think you need the benefits.

However, if you want to access some pretty useful features such as turning notes into presentations, viewing previous versions of notes and annotating PDFs, then Premium, as opposed to Basic and Plus versions, could be just what you need.

Can You Live Without It?

You will need to pay if you want the full benefits of Evernote. Without paying, you can use the app on your smartphone to make notes and email it to other devices, but you can’t work on the document on the other devices – making it a bit of a faff to access and add to. As a paid app, it is great – no limitations at all when using it between all your devices.

2. Spendee

For those that like to be in control of their finances, this budgeting app is a huge help to track your money. You can connect your bank accounts to the app and your purchases or credits are recorded, or you can manually input your expenditure. Either way you can view a selection of attractive graphs and charts to illustrate your incomings and outgoings. Best of all, this app handles multiple currencies for when you travel abroad. Everything is then synced across multiple devices.

The free version is fine, but with the paid premium version (£1.49 a month), you can create and manage multiple wallets and budgets, including shared ones – incredibly useful if you have shared spending, for example if you live with friends.

If you need to budget your finances, then Spendee can help too. In the Basic plan, you can only set one budget, but with the Plus or Premium applications, you can set an unlimited number of budgets for different categories, such as food or entertainment. You’re then notified when you spend 75% or 90% of your budget.

Can You Live Without It?

There are traditional ways to track your spending, such as only using cash for purchases (whilst sticking to a budget) or regularly examining your bank statement, but this app can be especially useful if you have multiple bank accounts and credit cards. And if you do have trouble sticking to a budget, the paid apps can give an early warning signal when you’re near your limit – and prevent you overspending.

Also, it is fun to view your finances graphically and quickly see where all your money goes (how many Neros in a week?!)

3. Loyalive

Are you fed up of loyalty cards bulging out of your wallet? Do you forget you have loyalty cards for some stores? Yes and yes are my answers.

Wouldn’t it be a great if there was an app that stored all of your loyalty card details and points, and also told you when the number of points equal a reward? Well Loyalive is a great app which supports around 300 loyalty programmes. It even creates a barcode for each so that you don’t have to carry the physical card with you. Pretty handy, I’d say. Anything that slims down my bulky purse – and potentially makes me money – I’m happy with.

Can You Live Without It?

Yes, of course you can, but you might find this app saves you time and ultimately money (never miss a reward opportunity again!). Better still, it’s free.

Obviously, you’ll have to invest time in setting up your accounts on the app, but once you’re done, that’s it. Pretty fab app with minimal faff.

4. Starbucks

This app is great if you’re on the go and need a quick caffeine fix! Download this free app and pay for your drinks and food by scanning your phone screen at the till. You’ll also receive rewards, such as free drinks, for using the app.

It works like this: you add funds from your bank account (or credit card / ApplePay) into your Starbucks account, place your order and pay ahead so that when you get to the shop, it is ready for you. The best thing is that you won’t have to wait in those annoying queues! Hurrah! And your name has a much better chance of being spelt correctly on your drinks holder!

Can You Live Without It?

That depends if you can live without caffeine! Seriously, this app is really very good and isn’t much of a faff at all. You can place your order when you’re on the train going into work and it’ll be ready by the time you arrive in the shop. And you get rewards for ordering on the app. Actually, I’m not sure I can live without this one!

So there you have it… there are so many apps out there, it’s difficult to state which will make our lives easier – it’s really down to personal choice.

Some people like pen and paper, some want to make notes on their smartphone. Some scan their bank statement online, others want to see fancy graphs showing their spending habits.

My best advice – if you see an app which looks promising and is free, download it and try it out. You’ll soon discover if it revolutionises your life or if it’s more faff than fab!

For many people, life is incredibly busy. Whether you’re juggling the demands of work and home, or are running your own business, any additional tasks such as booking flights, arranging a cleaner or nanny, or running general errands, can feel like the straws that are poised to break the camel’s back.

If you’re making good money in your working life, a personal concierge service will enable you to focus on making even more, whilst their team of virtual helpers take care of all the tasks you simply don’t have the time, or inclination, to complete.

Here are some of the most popular concierge services around, ranking from those who deal with a range of mundane tasks, to the luxury concierge companies that work with high net worth clients who need to charter a private jet every now and then!

1. Personal Concierge Services

1.1 Personal Time Saver (London)

Personal Time Saver is a London based service which was proud to be the runner up in London’s best concierge service 2013. It boasts a tailor-made service to suit each client and their philosophy is “No job is too trivial”. Whether you need house sitting, grocery shopping, a car serviced, help arranging a party, secretarial support or someone to complete your passport application, this gem of a company is at your beck and call 365 days a year. They will meet up with you anytime to confirm your requirements – or you can just email them an instruction. It’s a very personalised service and well worth the money if you’re simply too busy to manage all these tasks yourself.

For one off tasks they charge by the hour: £80-85 Monday to Friday, £85 on Saturdays and £100 on Sundays and bank holidays. For regular clients, they negotiate a retainer fee.

1.2 Choices Service Solutions (Manchester)

Choices Service Solutions works in the Manchester area, and has an extensive network of fully vetted traders and service provides that it contacts on your behalf when you need work done. So if you need help to source a gardener of cleaner, need your car taking for its MOT, need help arranging a party or need someone to find the best deal on flights, this team will ensure the job gets done.

Regular clients praise the small team at Choices Service Solutions for their personalised and efficient approach, and their affordable cost.

1.3 One Big Fish (Birmingham)

One Big Fish offers to manage your lifestyle in a personalised way. It offers a personal concierge available on a daily basis or a flexible monthly package. The range of services on offer is broad eg. organising travel arrangements; setting up a conference call with clients; booking a hotel or dinner reservation; planning a holiday; helping you purchase quality jewellery or a bespoke suite.

Lifestyle membership is £995 + VAT per year and includes:

– a personalised concierge service

– up to 10 requests per month during work hours (8am to 8pm Mon to Fri)

– access to private and VIP events

Bespoke membership is £2500 + VAT and includes all that the lifestyle membership offers, with 30 requests a year (extra hours then added at an additional charge) and upgraded services eg. at hotels when available.

2. Concierge Services For Leisure

2.1 Bon Vivant (London)

Bon Vivant claims to be London’s leading luxury travel and concierge service. Their selling point is that they know London inside out and their insider knowledge can help you get access to the best restaurants, sold out events and must see places and activities. If you become a member, (£4,000 per year) they also offer their luxury travel service for free: they will arrange personalised trips abroad, including family holidays, business trips, private jet charter and more.

If you want to enjoy your leisure time to the full, but don’t have time to make all of the arrangements, Bon Vivant is the concierge service for you.

3. Luxury Concierge Services (International Cover)

3.1 Quintessentially Lifestyle

Quintesessentially Lifestyle is an award winning luxury lifestyle management and concierge company operating worldwide.

It is not be cheap – you’ll need to pay an annual fee to become a private member, although their website is coy about prices (that’s how luxurious the services are!). As a guide, the individual membership was quoted as $1500 per person per year back in 2012 by Business Insider and is bound to be far more nowadays.

But if you have that kind of money and want a stress free life, just imagine the joy of being able to delegate all manner of tasks to someone else! Their team will sort out bespoke travel arrangements, last minute restaurant reservations, help run day-to-day errands on your behalf, get to grips with home management and even organise your relocation if you’re moving away.

They boast 24/7 support every day of the year and promise personalised assistance to all of their members. This company does just about anything you need, allowing you to focus on the more important things in life.

3.2 One Concierge

One Concierge is a world leading luxury concierge and lifestyle management firm for the most discerning clientele around the world. It offers both an on-demand service and a private membership option. The on-demand service promises you only pay what you have requested- and you need to submit a request via the website. For those with more money and regular need for concierge services, their membership packages are:

Bespoke $3,000 per year – includes unlimited requests 24/7 every day of the year, personalised service and preferred travel rates and discounts.

Lifestyle $8,000 per year – includes everything in the Bespoke membership plus priority handling and a dedicated account manager.

Executive $25,000 – includes the Lifestyle support, with a dedicated lifestyle curator, a virtual personal assistant and a Gold MasterCard.

Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but if you are the kind of person who needs to charter a private yacht to impress new clients, this is the service for you.

If you’re busy and need a helping hand, a personalised concierge service may be the solution you are looking for. They range from affordable (taking into consideration the fact that you are getting a completely personalised service) to the expensive – but if you’ve been a sophisticated saver all your life, perhaps you can afford the best that money can buy.

I’ve worked in various industries over the past 30 years – as an employee, manager and company director. And there’s one skill I’ve realised you absolutely need to nail for success.

It’s not how to create an amazing business strategy, how to market your business, nor how to become a whizz at creating financial budgets. It relates to people: the ones who are going to help (or hinder) you on your journey to success, and is quite simply this:

Understand Why People Do What They Do

You might think you’re already super insightful, but in my experience people focus on others’ actions without giving much thought to the driving force behind them. This is a huge mistake. By understanding the “whys”, you can work out a strategy to deal with just about anyone, from your partner and investors, to your boss, co-workers and even the freelancers you hire.

Here are 5 scenarios to make things clearer.

1. The Overworked Manager Scenario

Say your manager refuses to give you a rare day off for a very special occasion (and you’re definitely due some time off): do you get mad and vow to get even?

Don’t. You need to calmly figure out why your manager is being so awkward. Is she under a lot of pressure from top management? Is she overworked? Was she distracted when you asked to take the day off?

It could be that she’s so wrapped up in meeting her own deadlines that she didn’t even check your holiday record and see you’ve not had a single day’s holiday for 4 months. Or perhaps she knows that one of your colleagues has already booked holidays around the same time.

Action – leave things for a day or two, and ask your boss for a private meeting. In this calmer atmosphere, ask again for the day off and explain how important it is for you. If she agrees, all is good. If she refuses again, ask for a clear justification: and if you think she’s just making things difficult for you without a valid reason, you can a) let it go or b) visit HR and discuss your concerns.

2. The Unable To Delegate Manager Scenario

You really like your boss because he’s hard working and seems like such a decent chap. However he runs round juggling multiple projects whilst you’re working at less than 50% capacity… and frankly are bored out of your mind.

He’s an unable-to-delegate manager. Reasons for this include:

• he secretly believes no-one else can do the work to his high standards
• he likes being in demand and too much work shows just how important he is
• he doesn’t want to show you how to do his tasks in case you do a better job
• he’s believes knowledge is power – and he’ll do anything to retain his power
• he’s a poor manager who doesn’t even notice that you don’t have enough to do

Now you could have a showdown with him in the canteen and accuse him of keeping all the good work to himself. Or alternatively spend all your work time on Facebook and Twitter.

Don’t. Think carefully about why he won’t delegate and decide on the best course of approach to tease some of that workload off him.

Action – you have to ask him directly for more work. But tailor your request depending on the reasons for his non-sharing approach. Explain the benefits of delegation – projects get completed faster (which will please his managers); he’ll get fresh ideas from the team; the team stays motivated; a motivated team takes less sick days. That will give him plenty to mull over, and hopefully result in more work coming your way.

3. The Insecure Colleague Scenario

You quite like Sam, your colleague: he’s laidback and funny and always makes the team smile. But you’ve noticed that when team projects are presented to management, Sam tries to take all the credit for the work. Do you go into a huff and not speak to him for a month? Or plot ways that will result in his downfall?

Don’t. Think about why Sam is trying to claim the credit. Is he really ungenerous and spiteful, or could he be highly insecure and terrified that he’s not up to the job? Reflect on what he brings to team projects – is he full of great, fresh ideas or is he just hanging on the coat tails of others in the team?

Action – suggest to your team that future projects are presented to management with a clear indication of who did the work. Everyone who has worked hard is bound to be delighted with that idea and Sam… well the truth will out!

4. The Always Angry Co-Worker

In most work situations, there’s someone who is coiled tighter than a spring, ready to explode at any small problem. Cold coffee? …outrage. Can’t find a file? …ranting and raving. You dare to criticise their report? …over the top meltdown.

Do you

• rant back
• hide in the broom cupboard
• vow to never speak to them again

None of the above. This person obviously has some issues in their life; it’s simply not normal to get so cross about so many things. They may have problems outside work; they might be finding the job super stressful; they might simply hate their job and are finding an outlet for their frustration, without understanding the impact their behaviour has on the morale of the rest of the team.

Action – if your constructive criticism was the cause of their outburst (and it’s your place to give feedback) you need to stay calm yet assertive. Arrange a time to meet them later (when they have calmed down), to go through your feedback and explain the reasons for your comments.

If you’re an on-the-sidelines co-worker and you’re fed up with the constant outbursts then (unless you are skilled in psychological counselling), it’s prudent to speak to your manager to explain the situation, and ask that HR gets involved.

5. The Always Messing Up Staff Member Scenario

Mark in Distribution is a great guy and is hard working and enthusiastic. But when he makes 10 mistakes in a month, do you think about sacking him on the spot because you haven’t time for his sloppy approach?

Don’t. Not only could you fall foul of HR laws and regulations about how to fire an employee legally, you could be missing something obvious. If he has the right attitude, why is he making mistakes? Has he been fully trained in the processes relating to his job? Have you installed a new IT system that he’s still not familiar with? Are you actively trying to find ways to enable him to do his job effectively?

Action – investigate. Check Mark’s training is up to date. Get down to Distribution and find out what mistakes are being made, and why. You may uncover an inefficient process which, with a few minor tweaks and enhancements, could prevent future mistakes by Mark and save the company money.

The single, most important common sense skill to nail for workplace success is to understand why people do what they do – so you can react accordingly. And this skill is also invaluable when it comes to dealing with friends and family. You should try it today!

What Is Deliveroo?

Even if you’ve not heard of Deliveroo, you must have seen their cyclists navigating down busy city centre roads with large boxes strapped to the back of their bikes. They’re practically an institution in some major cities.

Founded in 2013, Deliveroo is a British online food delivery company with operations spread across eighty-four cities in 12 countries – and it’s expanding.

The delightful thing about Deliveroo is that they deliver food from local restaurants that have no delivery service. If you fancy a pepperoni pizza from Papa Johns’, but they refuse to bring it to you, no need to hop in the car to get it. Simply contact Deliveroo and the spicy, cheese-laden delight will be delivered straight to your door before you know it.

Which Restaurants Use Deliveroo?

Depends on where you live, but you’ll find anything from Nando’s to Pizza Express to your more upmarket restaurants like Harvey Nichol’s Second Floor and Jamie’s Italian. If you fancy something super healthy, you’ve got Boost Juice Bar. If you’re nursing a hangover, you can indulge your cravings with take-outs from Burger King or Five Guys. There are loads of options – especially in the bigger cities.

How To Order

To start the ordering process, simply enter your postcode on Deliveroo’s homepage, and you’ll see a list of local restaurants that Deliveroo works with. Note that Deliveroo is relatively new and may not deliver to you currently. However, if you live in a main city, you’ll probably be in luck.

You’ll also see details about the restaurant you’re ordering from, in addition to the menu and prices. Deliveroo only accepts card payments so there isn’t a cash-upon-delivery option.

Once you place your order, a bicycle, motorcycle or car courier will pick up your order and deliver to you within the time-frame stated when ordering. The company makes its money by charging restaurants a commission (per order) and charging you the delivery cost (a miserly £2.50 delivery which makes it more than worth it for most busy families).

The Test

You can get pretty much any type of food delivered by Deliveroo. Living in central Manchester, there are hundreds of fast food and not-so-fast-food outlets pouring out all over the city. I carried out a little test – how would Deliveroo fare when bringing me something a bit more sophisticated…my favourite tagliatelle with smoked salmon and dill (£13.25) from Gusto.

Of course, I couldn’t just order one course, could I?! I also ordered the garlic pizza bread mozzarella (£5.75) for starter and tiramisu (£6.25) for pudding, plus a lemonade presse (£2.40). The menu options that you see on the Deliveroo website is just a small section of what you’d see on the Gusto website but the prices of the dishes are the same.

Delivery of my delicious meal was promised in 45-55 minutes (you can track your meal using the Apple or Google Play app) and the total came to £30.15 (including £2.50 delivery).

I was given the option to add a tip for the driver. I usually only tip if I think I’ve received good service, and since I was yet to receive the service, I didn’t tip. However, I did feel terribly guilty when only 30 minutes later, there was a knock at my door and a friendly and polite young man handed over my meal…

How Did The Food Compare To Restaurant Quality?

Since I’ve had this exact meal (many times!) before, I felt I could compare.

Taking into account that Deliveroo doesn’t prepare the food – they simply deliver it once it’s been cooked in the restaurant – I wanted to know if it was still hot and whether it or its packaging was subject to any damage along the journey.

The food arrived packaged inside food containers wrapped in foil so it was well insulated. Portion sizes were pretty much the same as I’d received in the restaurant and as far as I could see, no damage to neither the food nor the packaging. So far so good.

The only small gripe I had was that the lemonade presse was room-temperature rather than chilled, but that was nothing a quick store in the freezer wouldn’t correct.

Verdict?

If you want restaurant cuisine, but can’t be bothered getting ready for a night out and don’t want to cook at hom, Deliveroo is your saviour. Not only was my food delivered within 30 minutes straight to my door, but it was hot and tasted just like it does in the restaurant. All of this for only an extra £2.50 delivery charge!

However, if your order comes to under £15, you’ll be charged an extra £2, which I don’t think is too much considering what you do get from this service.

If you’re looking for the same extensive menus that are offered when you visit the restaurants, you may not get that through ordering via Deliveroo. However, if you don’t find something that takes your fancy, I’ll eat my hat!

I’ll certainly use Deliveroo again. In fact, I think I might just have to “test out” Jamie’s Italian tonight…

We’ve all been there: you get home from a busy day and wonder what to make for dinner. You want something healthy, that’s quick and easy to prepare but is substantial enough to eradicate those hunger pangs – quick sharp!

You can’t find what you are looking for in the cupboards and wish that someone would hand you a box full of all the correct measurements of ingredients to make an amazingly-delicious meal.

Look no further…your wish has been granted in the form of HelloFresh

What Is HelloFresh?

Put simply, it’s convenience in a box for busy, health-conscious people.

You’ll have healthy and locally-sourced ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes that take no longer than 45 minutes to cook – all delivered to your door – on the day of the week you choose.

Not only will you have the convenience of having everything right there in front of you to cook, but each meal is affordable too – between £4.50 and £6.00 per person per meal! So much cheaper than a takeaway and possibly cheaper than some quality meals prepared from your weekly supermarket shop.

How Does It Work?

You’ll need to subscribe to the service. Unlike most other subscriptions, this is flexible. HelloFresh automatically renews and you can pause or cancel your deliveries with ease. When you subscribe you choose how many meals each week you’d like to make and for how many people.

You’ll receive recipes with the corresponding ingredients in your box. There’s a minimal preparation and cooking time for each of the meals and all the ingredients are clearly labelled and measured out for you. It would be hard not to feel like a contestant on Masterchef once you’ve finished the prep.

Featured on the recipe cards (which you keep so you can replicate the meals later on) are calories per serving, level of difficulty, cooking time, any allergens in the ingredients and the tools needed to make the meal.

What’s On Offer?

HelloFresh gives you three plans to choose from:

Classic box: Packed with a selection of fresh meats, fish and vegetables. You can swap recipes each week, trying different ones and choosing again ones that you prefer most. You can choose from meals such as summer salmon spaghetti with crispy broccoli or pan-fried chicken with Dukkah roasted sweet potatoes and citrus sour cream.

Veggie box: Packed with fresh vegetables and salad. Hello Fresh promises that they’ll “broaden your veggie repertoire”, so get ready to try loads of new things! Offers here include aubergine tagliatelle with chilli and sun-dried tomatoes or Samphire Spanish rice with vegetables and olives.

Family box: recipes and nutritious ingredients for family favourites and different meals alike. Encourage the kids to try out new foods that are healthy, nutritious and give them energy such as Moroccan beef stew with courgettes, couscous and flaked almonds or creamy linguine with prawns and serrano ham.

Once you order your box, you go into your account and choose the recipes for that week. Or let Hello Fresh take away that hassle and let them automatically send you the ingredients and recipes. It’s really is that simple!

Just to note, any order is for a minimum of two people which may be a barrier to those living alone. Plus, the food really is very fresh so keeping the ingredients for more than three days from delivery is not an option.

What’s Inside The Box?

First, let’s start with the packaging of the items inside the box. HelloFresh uses ice packs in a natural wool cool bag to ensure the meat and other fresh produce are kept cool. Recipes are very easy to follow and the recipe cards feature pictures of everything you’ll need. The box has separate compartments for vegetables, tins, rice and pasta, etc.

Secondly, because each box contains the exact amount of ingredients to make the meal, there’s no waste, and you won’t need anything else to prepare the meal – other than what is in the box.

Another Thing

What’s impressive is that you can actually learn where the food you are eating is sourced from. For example the HelloFresh website states that the tomatoes used in their ingredients are from a company called The Tomato Stall, and you can see an interview with the company on the site.

The Icing On The Cake

In case you needed another incentive to use this fabulous service, each HelloFresh customer receives a referral code that can be shared with friends. The code gives their friends a discount on their first order and HelloFresh will add credit to your account to thank you.

What a gorgeously lovely company!

https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/tasty/

I love the idea of throwing dinner parties. What’s not to like about getting together with your favourite people and having a good old natter over an abundance of delicious food and copious amounts of delectable wine?

Well, if you’re anything like me, the responsibility of not only having to choose and prepare a great quality three course meal within a specific timeframe, whilst also ensuring that all guests enjoy the experience, fills me with dread – and I am sure I am not alone in thinking this way.

Surely there is a way to take the stress out of hosting a dinner party that isn’t as costly as calling in caterers?

Well I think I may have found the answer… M&S Food to Order…

What Is This Ingenious Invention?

If you haven’t already heard of it (or used it), M&S Food to Order is a range of over 200 foods made for occasions such as family get togethers to dinner parties and even weddings. The menu includes products such as sandwich platters, meats, fruit and wine cases and cakes (plus lots more).

Where Do I Start?

So – the first step is to decide what you think your guests would love to eat and drink… M&S make this very easy to choose with their mouth-wateringly accurate descriptions and pictures of the food. You’re also informed of how many servings each dish provides in their descriptions.

M&S Food to Order is an online facility so it is so easy and convenient to order. So start clicking away!

What’s On Offer?

What isn’t on offer, more like! You can select ready to cook dishes or if you really want zero stress, ready to eat dishes. And as well as dinner party options, there are also categories for party food, sandwiches, cakes, office lunches (delivered to the office, no less!), a selection of healthy options, plus seasonal highlights. Not to mention the select wines on offer, too.

There are so many different categories, you’re really spoilt for choice. And with the usual M&S quality that you can be sure of – you can’t go wrong.

What’s For Dinner?

So, for dinner party options, click on “dining” and then you’re presented with numerous categories to choose from to suit your requirements. For instance, I’d like to host a dinner party for 8 people. I’d like the main course to be chicken, to be ready to cook, to collect in 5 days and to be rated 4 and above (the best rating).

I am then presented with 5 different delicious suggestions which include pesto chicken flatties (£9 for 8 pieces) and chicken shawarma kebabs (£9 for 4). M&S will also present you with suggestions for starters and sides “you may also like” to go with this dish – which again, takes out the stress of having to decide from a larger selection.

Looking for a dessert to die for? Look no further… Fruit tarts, honey and ricotta cheesecakes and a profiterole stack are just some of the tantalising temptations on offer.

If you’re anything like me and know next to nothing about which wines should accompany which dishes, then check out the M&S Wine Shop for inspiration.

I’m sold! How Do I Order?

It’s so easy. Like most things these days, just order online. I’d recommend ordering at least a week before your dinner party. You then just pick up at your local store around 24 hours before the event. Couldn’t be easier! Thanks, M&S!

http://www.marksandspencer.com/c/food-to-order

Below are my tips for hosting a stress-free dinner party

1. Buy in some excellent quality food and wine (see above!)
2. Ensure you have enough plates, bowls, cutlery, wine glasses, tumblers and sparkling water for your guests.
3. Make the most of candlelight – if you haven’t had the time to do a thorough tidy – up, candlelight can hide most things.
4. Keep it casual.  Place the food in the centre of the table to promote a relaxed serving style and everyone can take as much or as little of each of the dishes as they like.
5. Set the mood. Put on some relaxing music, light some incense and ensure make you put flowers and candles on the table. Create some nice mood lighting by placing lamps placed around the room.
6. Check ahead of time (before you order or make food) if your guests have any intolerances or allergies, so you’re able to cater for them, too.
7. Only invite those who you want to be there – it’s the people that make a night a great one; top-notch food and wine are only the icing on the cake.
8. Most of all – enjoy yourself! Relax and let M&S (and candlelight) take care of everything else!

Choosing wine off the wine list at a swanky restaurant can be nerve-racking. So many wines to choose from, all at different prices and from different regions of different countries. Then there’s the pressure of selecting a wine to complement the food itself. And you don’t want to look as though you don’t know the things you don’t know!

We’ve all chosen a wine from the wine list simply because we’re familiar with the grape variety. However the important thing when ordering wine at a restaurant is make sure it complements the food ordered. Choosing wine for this reason is a different to grabbing “2 for £15” at Waitrose on the way home from work on a Friday with the sole intention of it complementing your Kettle Chips.

It’s no wonder that ordering wine in a quality restaurant can feel like attempting an exam question. I know – I have been there.

So how can you order a good bottle of wine that ticks all the boxes and impresses your co-diners?

It’s All In The Preparation

Once you know you’ll be visiting a particular restaurant, peruse their menu and wine list online and choose your options beforehand (if you have the time). Some people would rather not as they think choosing at the restaurant is part of the dining experience, but for me, it is a must. This also allows me gauge what I’ll be spending on the overall meal too.

Choosing The Wine

This is the most important part, obviously!

Choose your main course and then do a internet search for types of wines that go best with that particular food. For example, I like sea bass. A search tells me that most white wines go well with fish so I’ll peruse the wine list for white wines within my budget, and then make my final choice.

No Time To Search?

Perhaps you are going for an impromptu meal with clients or your boss after work and you’re unable to look at the menu and wine list beforehand. You want to impress and avoid looking like a complete wine novice. So how do you do it

1. Ask For Advice

Don’t be afraid to ask the waiter (or sommelier if available) what their choice would be. You could mention a style of wine such as ‘I really like light and crisp whites. What would you recommend?’ Or ‘I love Malbec but would like to try something new with a similar style.’

Explain what you’re planning to order, and ask their opinion based on that. Giving the waiter or sommelier a feel for what you’re looking for will take the pressure off and you’ll be recommended a wine you’ll enjoy and one that complements your food. You’ll also learn for next time.

2. Don’t Choose The Second Cheapest Bottle On The List

The bottle of wine with the highest mark-up yet the cheapest for a restaurant to buy, is often the second cheapest bottle on the wine list. Restaurants know most people avoid ordering the cheapest offering for fear of appearing tight, but will opt for a bottle at the next price up. You’d be better off ordering the cheapest on the list as it’s likely to be better quality.

3. Bottle Or Glass?

Most restaurants charge huge markups on wine, primarily to offset food costs. It’s normally better value to buy a bottle rather than by the glass. You can look at a site like Wine Searcher to find the current retail price for a particular wine (and you can also read the reviews). Remember there is nothing wrong in ordering a glass of prosecco whilst looking through the wine list and checking it against Wine Searcher on your smart phone – and it may take the edge off the nerves.

There are occasions where paying the additional markup for individual glasses of wine is worth it. You’ll be able to try different wines over the course of the meal and pair each glass perfectly with each course. Moreover your dinner companions might have differing wine preferences, so the glass route will become a necessity.

4. Try Before You Buy

Ask the waiter or sommelier if you can try one, two or even three different wines before you buy the whole bottle. Whilst you’re trying, make sure you ask the waiter or sommelier what they’d recommend based on your food choice.

If All Else Fails…

Remember the points below:

• Match the “weight” of the food to the body of the wine: e.g. red meats with full-bodied red wines
• Match the flavours of the wine to your food: e.g chicken with light, crisp white wines
• Match high-acidic wines with acidic foods: e.g Italian foods with tomatoes, lemon, etc paired with an acidic wine like Sauvignon Blanc
• Match sweet wines with sweet foods: e.g puddings with muscat-based wines
• Avoid drinking high-tannin wines (Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, etc) with oily / salty foods. Oily foods are generally complemented with high-acid wines such as Sancerre or Vouvray.

Above all… enjoy yourself!

“A meal without wine is like a day without sun” – Anthelme Brillat-Savarin