I recently discovered the ASDA range of products that have been designed to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. They are really well priced and utterly brilliant for that extra dash of colour and splash at your street party.

On Monday I reviewed the tea towel and today the Diamond Jubilee commemorative mug and plate. The rather awesome Diamond Jubilee mug which has an identical pattern to that on the tea towel but with the blue border running along the bottom and the lip of the mug. It is lovely, really sturdy and has just coped very well with a run through the dishwasher at the highest temperature setting.

The mug is also only £3 and I think that is fantastic value for something that you can keep for years as a memento of the celebration. It hasn’t faded and the pattern hasn’t cracked since I got it and used it every day.

Finally, there is the really cool commemorative plate. Now this comes in a gorgeous box that has the same pattern printed on it and the plate lies inside, neatly and securely wrapped in a layer of bubble wrap. I must say that it is not excessively packaged, a good point in its favour, but done in such a way that you can easily re-wrap the plate once you have finished using it.

The Diamond Jubilee commemorative plate from ASDA is great quality. My child picked it up, she loves the range as they are learning about this celebration at school, and immediately dropped it by accident. It did have a soft carpet to land on, but still I was impressed.

The Diamond Jubilee plate is also only £3 and there are lots of other lovely bits and pieces on sale there too, like the teapot and the Union Jack tea towel. It’s a lovely range that will make any street party or garden party look simply lovely!

Yorkshire Tea is giving away a free sample of their tasty tea along with a lovely coupon. All you need to do is go to their Facebook page and enter your details to get the free sample.

• Click here to get your free tea sample from Yorkshire Tea

I have to admit that I am getting a little tired of the whole “free if you like on Facebook” thing. Not only does it mean you get them permanently lurking on your Facebook streams and advertising (and everybody thinks you are odd for liking a tea) but they gather up all sorts of information from you.

This information is a lot more detailed than just filling on a form on a website so choose your freebies wisely! Fans of Yorkshire Tea, or those who think the information gathering thing is of no concern, will enjoy getting their free teabags and a coupon though. So off you go, have fun!

Thanks to andywedge at HUKD!

M&S has reduced this ace 24cm non-stick aluminium griddle pan to only £4. You will see that the price is £5 on the site but, thanks to their Home Event, 20% will be taken off the price at the checkout which takes it down to £4. Nice.

• Click here to get cooking with M&S

The 24cm non stick griddle pan has a double layer of non stick coating which is ideal for healthier cooking and easy cleaning. It also means better looking food – there are few things as frustrating as having to scrape food off the bottom of the pan because the non stick has worn off.

The cookware is designed to be hard wearing and long lasting (their promise, not mine) and it can withstand extreme temperatures. The handles are riveted for extra durability and strength and it is also dishwasher safe. The price of this cookware is extraordinary and you may want to beetle about the shop, nabbing other bargains at the same time, so you can really make use of that 20% discount.

Thanks to Husain_kola at HUKD!

This Bake-a-Brick silicone cake mould has me chuckling away at my desk; I have a friend with a birthday coming up in three months time and it would make the perfect comedy birthday gift for.  I think kids would love it to - a brick cake, how BONKERS!

• Click HERE to take a look at the Bake-a-Brick silicone cake mould

So my friend - she loves to potter about in the kitchen and bake cakes, cookies and other scrummy things. The thing IS, despite her best intentions and best effort, she's fairly rubbish when it comes to most things culinary.

Seriously, you can see fear flash across people's faces when she announces she'll be cooking when they're going to hers for dinner or offers to make cakes for an event - still, at least she keeps trying to improve and refuses to give up <----- although please let that happen soon hahaha!

Some of her past creations are still the subject of great hilarity and provide an endless source of teasing - I'll be sending this Bake-a-Brick silicone cake mould to her in the post so don't worry,  I'm not in danger of having it hurled at me upon opening!

I think it's awesome and it even has the word 'London' stamped into the inside brick bit (you know the bit I mean - the V that you slop the cement into) for that extra bit of brick authenticity.

The full price for this Bake-a-Brick silicone cake mould is £8.99, but you can pick one up from Play for £3.49 at the moment.

Thanks to Syzable at HUKD

Today I have unearthed yet another awesome Tesco deal thanks to their special offer March and April madness. They have a bunch of deals for feeding baby from the formula to the bottles, and heeeere they are!

• Click here to get feeding with Tesco

To start with I will just list the really good ones. Cow & Gate Growing Up Milk is £6.49 and you can get it for £5.49 if you use the voucher code GRLYTY. Hipp Organic Follow On Milk is down to £6.16, Hipp Organic Growing Up Milk is £5.46, and Hipp Organic Goodnight Milk is £4.36.

Milton Sterilising Fluid is £1.47 and you can get it for as little as 98p if you use the voucher code GRLPRH. Two for £2 on Milton Antibacterial Surface Wipes, two for £2 on Milton Sterilising Tablets. Nuby Super Sipper Cool Sips are £3.27, and Nuby Super Sipper Flip it is £2.49.

Tommee Tippee First Cup is £1.50, Tommee Tippee Milk Feeding bigs are £3.50, and the Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Disposal System is £12.50. You can also get the latter for only £10 (down from £25) by using the voucher code GRKKTF. Awesome.

Tesco is in the process of running an ace series of deals for parents in their Baby section and it is valid until 08 April. The deals are really, really good and so far I have managed to stay on top of them as they come out. Today I uncovered no less than four new voucher codes for you to enjoy.

• Click here to get voucher codes at Tesco

The voucher codes are all valid on baby food and I’ll go through them all in more detail here. You can get five for £4 on Plum Baby Organic stage 1 and your online offer is six for £4 if you use the code GRTTYL.

You can get five for £6 on selected Plum Baby Organic stage 2 foods and your online voucher code is GRRT7G which will nab you six for £6. Kiddylicious snacks are down to four for £2 but if you use the voucher code GRMRPF then you will get TEN for £4. Awesome.

Finally, you will get two for £3 on selected Cow & Gate Frutapura and Baby Balance products and the voucher code GRHXK7 will land you three for £4. And you will find two for £1 on selected Baby Zilli pouches and three for £4 on selected Organix fruit pots too.

This is an adorable freebie really and the expression on the otter’s face is rather brilliant. The Tranquil Otter self catering lodges are giving away free Tranquil Otter Tea Towels and all you need to do is sign in to get one for yourself.

• Click here to enjoy your free tea towel with Tranquil Otter

The form you need to fill in is really simple. The basic first name last name guff as well as one simple question about whether or not you’ve enjoyed Tranquil Otter resorts before. You will also be signed up to get various newsletters and spam so the tea towel comes at a little price.

Although, you have to admit, the cost of a newsletter or two seems worthy of the ace free tea towel with that sad little otter’s face on it. I know he is supposed to be tranquil but I just want to give him a cuddle.

Thanks to Spyder027 at HUKD!

I discovered some pretty awesome cooking deals at Reader’s Digest today so if you love to bake, cook and make, then these should spark your interest somewhat! I have listed all the stand out deals below, so take a peek and let me know!

• Click here to get cooking with Reader’s Digest

The first deal is a stainless steel pan set that’s down from £99.99 to only £69.99 – it’s still costly but the price reduction is impressive! The Spin ‘n Store is a web exclusive deal which has reduced this funky salad spinner and storer from £12.99 to £9.99.

You can also get a three piece oven bake and grill set for £8.99 instead of £31.99 – this is a fab deal – and an ace cupcake tray which is down from £19.99 to £12.99. A 14cm saucepan with a glass lid is down to £19.99 from £39.99, and the fab book Cookbook For Children (I have this and I love it), is down to £8.99.

And if you fancy some cooking ideas, then the James Martin: The Collection cookbook should inspire you for only £14.00, or you can get Just Like Mother Used To Make for only £8.99. Happy cooking!

Have you ever thought about making and selling cupcakes for extra money? This fascinates me, especially since I am incapable of baking a cupcake. No matter what recipe I follow, my cupcakes fail. So, when the Blue Door Bakery  got in touch I asked them to give me an idiot-proof recipe as well as some top tips for selling cupcakes for extra money. You never know when a new skill could come in handy...

The lovely cupcake recipe comes from Sarah Barnes, the founder of the Blue Door Bakery. This type of qualification makes me feel a lot more confident about being able to bake a batch of stunning cupcakes.

I was rather excited by this review. I love gadgets and tech so getting a device that I could plonk on my fridge that would leave messages for my offspring and husband seemed like a genius idea. The Fridge Friend comes in a small box with minimal packaging and costs £24.99 and you can get them by getting in touch with Ideasbynet.com through the website.

The Fridge Friend is small but not stupidly tiny. It has a decently sized screen for what it is supposed to do and is very easy to use. You don’t get batteries included so you’ll need two AAA batteries lying around to get it going. Then you press the ON button for a few seconds and soon your face will appear on the screen.

Recording is simple. Press the button, make your recording, press the button again. However, you do need to hold this device as far away from your face as possible because when I first did it the playback sound was horrendous. It burred and spat and roared at me. This takes off a fairly hefty whack of points here. When I stuck it to the fridge (magnet on the back) and stood further away, the sound quality was much better on playback but still not great.

I left a message for my daughter as I was away in meetings one night and she loved it, although it made her miss her mommy! She has carried it around with her ever since, leaves loads of messages for me and her daddy, and demands messages from whoever is away.

The Fridge Friend gets an average 7/10 for me. The price is high and the sound quality poor. However, it redeems itself with originality, looks, ease of use, quality of technology and the fact that it has huge sentimental value.

Now this is a totally brilliant freebie. For me, anyway. I love coffee and this is right up my street. This free sample of coffee is easy to get and will arrive brimming with tasty Douwe Egberts tastiness.

• Click here to get your free sample of Douwe Egberts coffee

To get your free sample just click on the link above and you’ll be taken to a static web page where you need to fill in your details. These range from your name, email and address and are not that complex. They are the usual bits and pieces asked for by any company.

What I do like about this particular freebie, other than the fact that it is free coffee, is that you can opt out of getting marketing materials if you so choose. The offer is limited for as long as stocks last but appears to be holding steady as of today so go ahead and get one for yourself.

Mmm, tasty free coffee goodness.

Aaaah, there is nothing like a smooth cup of tea to soothe away the stress and get those nerves to stop jangling. And doesn’t it taste even better when it’s free? I think so too. So, here is your chance to get a free sample of Yorkshire tea in only a click or three.

• Click here to get your free sample of Yorkshire Tea

This particular freebie is identical to the other Facebook ones. You have to click Like in order to be take through to their registration pages where you can get yourself in line to get your free sample. If you have issues with the way Facebook handles your Likes, then this is not for you.

The free sample of Yorkshire tea sample giveaway started on 09 January and will only end on 19 February, so there is plenty of time for you to pop on over to Facebook for a free cup of Yorkshire Tea. Sorry, terrible joke.

The Yorkshire Tea free giveaway isn’t very specific in terms of how much you get but, hey, it is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

If you're in the market for a ceramic biscuit barrel then you might want to pop over to Debenhams - you can pick up a Mrs Bridges ceramic biscuit barrel (complete with a packet of biscuits, can't be bad!) for just £4.80 instead of the its original £12.

• Click HERE to take a look at the ceramic biscuit barrel

There are a few things I like my kitchen to have: a nice bread bin, a decent cafetiere, shiny pots and pans, an efficient kettle and an elegant ceramic biscuit barrel - and by elegant I mean NOT novelty!  I don't want it to 'moo' at me when I open it, or tell me I 'shouldn't be having one of those biscuits actually!'

It's not dishwasher safe, so you'll need to wash it by hand, and measures 21cm high with a 15cm diameter.  The biscuits that come in the Mrs Bridges ceramic biscuit barrel (I have no idea who she is, but I do like her biscuit barrel) are fruit and lemon flavour and will need to be eaten before April 2012 which really isn't that far away!

The price on the Debenhams website is £6 - just add code TH96 to take 20% off and drop it down to £4.80.

You can either collect your ceramic biscuit barrel in-store for free or add code SHD1 and get free standard home delivery.

Thanks to daisymeisha10 at HUKD

Lynley’s feature on how to create utterly awesome Valentine’s Day cards got me thinking. I am not a fan of the day either but I do like the idea of using it to do something creative and fun without spending money on cheesy cards or sparkly rubbish. So I decided to find some brilliantly unusual ideas that could make great Valentines gifts as well as translate into other presents for birthdays or Easter or Mother’s Day.

I rather want this deal for myself today, I am desperate for a decent food processor. This Kenwood FP196 food processor is down from the heavy £59.99 to a much tastier £29.99 and you can arrange to reserve and collect instore if you prefer.

• Click here to get some food processing at Comet

The cost of the item comes with one year of cover included and you get a rather brilliant food processor in the process. The Kenwood is a versatile and compact traditional food processor that has a one litre capacity liquidiser and plenty of extras included.

There are six attachments that you can use and it has a stylish chrome finish that should complement most kitchens nicely. There is a chopping blade, a shredding disc, a slicing disc, it crushes ice, has a whisk attachment and many of the parts are dishwasher proof too.

You can also lock the Kenwood food processor for safety purposes and the cord can be stored internally. Very nice for the price indeed.

Thanks to Saintledger at HUKD!

So, if you happen to be running a bit behind on your Christmas shopping and in dire need of Christmas gifts, then here are some excellent ideas for you from The Monster Factory. I was sent the Man Wrap and the Gnome Breadmen to review and this is what I thought…

The first items I reviewed were the Gnome Breadmen. The packaging reads… “The humble garden gnome is back!” And I add, mentally… this time you can eat them. The pack contains three gnome cookie cutters, a recipe, and some pictures that will come in handy come time to ice them.

I whipped up a batch of chocolate gingerbread dough and used these Gnome Breadmen to make some cute little cookies. They cut brilliantly, clean easily (not too many fiddly and poky bits to wash) and store away nicely in their packaging when you are done. These cost £6.99, are dead cute and brilliant, and aren’t just for Christmas.

Next up was the Man Wrap. This is a roll of wrapping paper on a handle so that men can wrap their presents easily. It is a bit sexist but seeing as most of the men I know are pants at wrapping Christmas presents, this isn’t too far off the mark.

My husband wrapped two boxes of homemade gingerbread for me. He had trouble getting the sticker off the paper to start. The paper itself is actually sparkly tinfoil. A sexier version than the one you find in your kitchen, but still tinfoil. Clever.

He then whipped it around the boxes. It was too narrow so he had to wrap it one way, and then the other. This was a point against it really, because you will have to use a lot more than standard wrapping paper to get one gift wrapped.

However, once you have whipped the Man Wrap around the gift you just press it to seal it. No sticky tape needed. Wow. What a pleasure. That alone makes this awesome. It costs £5.99 which is expensive. While the idea is great and the no sticky tape feature just brilliant, my husband found it as fiddly as standard paper (he said it was more difficult as it crinkled while he manhandled it) and I think the price is high. A fabulous novelty, a clever idea, but the paper needs to be wider and the price tighter.

I have been looking for a lovely Christmas cookie cutter set for ages. It sounds like something easy to find but strangely it has turned out to be something of a nightmare. They were either the wrong size or too expensive or both. Then I discovered this kit from Swift which has seven Christmas cookie cutters for only £3.99 including free delivery.

• Click here to get some cookies with Amazon

The Swift set of Christmas cookie cutters isn’t marked down by that much really but it is one of the best sets I’ve found yet that isn’t made from plastic. I much prefer using metal cookie cutters as the plastic ones can stick and end up looking a bit rubbish.

The Swift set of Christmas cookie cutters has a candy stick, Santa, an angel, a reindeer, a bell, a star and a Christmas tree included in the kit along with some recipe and icing ideas too. These cookie cutters look wonderfully good and the price is darn near perfect.

Ok, so this is a deal that I would like as a Christmas pressie. A Salter slim design electric platform kitchen scale for a mere £8 including delivery. What a bargain. My poor old scales have become somewhat tired from excessive use so this is a must for me!

• Click here to get weighing with Amazon

The Salter slim design kitchen scale is black with a silver plate in the centre. It is very slim – perfect for people with small kitchens that have limited baking space. The item is half the original price at £8, usually costing about £15.

The Salter kitchen scale has an easy to read display with 20mm high digits and metric/imperial conversion. The platform is stainless steel and other features include an aquatronic liquid measure function and an add/weigh feature. The scale measures 160x180x2mm and is powered by a CR2032 battery which is included in the price. It also comes with a 15 year manufacturer guarantee. Brilliant.

Thanks to djq at HUKD!

Home Bargains are selling this Salter 'Kids in the Kitchen' baking set for just £4.99 - they claim the rrp is £24.99

• Click HERE to go over to Home Bargains

I say they 'claim' the rrp is £24.99 because there was something about this Salter 'Kids in the Kitchen' baking set that rang a few bells, then it dawned on me - I wrote a review about it last year!

So I scooted off back through the archives - you can read it in full HERE - and discovered that back then the price was £14.99, well I can't imagine it's gone up by £10 since then; either way - whatever the proper retail price is, you're not paying it at Home Bargains.

The Salter Kids in the Kitchen baking set includes the following:

• Large double handed sieve
• 2.5ltr mixing bowl with level markings
• Rolling pin
• 3 cookie cutters

I remember Lynley saying that whilst she was a bit disappointed with the items in the set, and I quote, "As the parent, I was very disappointed with the contents; there seemed to be more air in the box than items, and it didn't contain anything that you probably haven't already got in your kitchen anyway," her son absolutely LOVED everything and was chuffed that he had his own bowl and cooking things.

If you're going to be cooking up a Christmas storm in your kitchen (oooh that reminds me, I must give the Christmas cake more brandy today) and you have youngsters crying out to help, then this Salter 'Kids in the Kitchen' baking set might come in handy.

Happy baking with kids!

This year I’ve been on a mission to find the best priced Christmas products with the best tastes for your table. My first taste test took me to Aldi where I got the Luxury All Over Iced Christmas Cake for £6.99. This is a very reasonable price for this sized of cake and weighs in at 58.3p per 100g. Compared to the £8.50 of the Tesco Iced Rich Fruit Cake for the same weight, it is considerably cheaper.

This year I’ve made my own Christmas cakes, they are my benchmark. How will these pre-made Christmas cakes fare against the traditional Delia recipe I’ve used? Well, pretty good actually. The cake is well packaged and easy to unwrap and get into. The layer of marzipan and icing is definitely NOT stingy, and the lovely decorations are a delightful touch.

The fruitcake is rich and moist, lots of nuts and fruit so no stinting there, but, for me, it is overly sweet. This opinion was not shared by the other people I gave slices to, however, with everyone else commenting on how it was pretty much spot on.

Overall, I’d have to say that the Aldi Luxury Christmas cake is surprisingly good and one I would definitely purchase. The next thing on the list from Aldi was, of course, their mince pies. The packaging looks inviting and rich and doesn’t leak sugar everywhere – a big plus.

These mince pies are alright. As a mince pie fanatic I am very fussy and unfortunately the pastry is not firm and crumbly enough, it feels too soft. The filling is divine but the pastry lets the side down. However, when you compare their lovely 99p to the £1.50 of the Tesco range, well, the pastry isn’t that much of a hindrance – you can always bung them in the oven to crisp it up a bit first.

And if you head on over to their Facebook page they are giving away £100 vouchers in their Trolley Dash competition which you can, obviously, spend on Christmas cake and mince pies!