Having enjoyed a lovely weekend in this stunning airbnb at Littlestone on the Kent coast with my husband and my dad in May, I was delighted to be invited back by the owners and asked if I'd like to do a review on my blog!  I loved the beachfront accommodation so much that I was really excited to accept the invitation - I didn't need to think twice - and decided to take my daughter for a two night girls only trip!  I am always on the lookout for amazing places to stay with a seaview and this one is a real gem. Really close to Dungeness and Dymchurch and not too far from Rye, in East Sussex, it is easily accessible by road or train from London and surrounding areas.

The apartment on Marine Parade, Littlestone is beautifully furnished and finished but what really sets it apart are the big bi-fold doors opening onto a small balcony overlooking the beach and the sea.  With the sun streaming through and the doors open letting in the fresh sea air whilst relaxing on the big comfortable sofa, it really is absolute bliss!  The location is perfect, step out the front door, cross the road and you can walk along the coast path towards St Mary's Bay and Dymchurch or in the opposite direction towards Dungeness.  Or simply take your beach chairs and relax on the beach but with the added ease of being able to nip back to the apartment for coffee, lunch or wine ....!

When you arrive, this view greets you and you immediately relax!  It really is a perfect away from it all destination (and no airport chaos to contend with).

This is a gifted blog post and contains affiliate links.

​With the recent return of my menopause brain fog, so my ability to organise my life and structure things like meal planning and meal prep has been severely curtailed!  The good news is that after 12 weeks back on Oestrogel I seem to be on the way back up and am beginning to feel better, so much so that I have decided to focus on my health and fitness again, but that means being better organised!

I know that planning and prepping meals and snacks really does save time, reduce stress and help with weight loss goals.  My daughter is home for the summer, fresh from her degree and Norland diploma which included modules on food technology and meal planning, she is going to help me get back on track and organise my shopping and freezer again!

Looking back to when I did The Body Coach, I realise just how organised I was and how it made such a big difference in helping me lose some weight and then maintain that loss. But life got busy and I started making excuses and my better habits faded away.  I've had bursts of focus, I loved doing my Menu & Mind course with Jo from Time to Nourish and learnt so much about healthy eating and batch cooking.  Then the pandemic seemed to knock us all off kilter and here I am nearly three years later trying to get back to a better routine.  I hate feeling disorganised but I feel like I have been muddling through for too long.

I am definitely not a cook and although I don't mind being in the kitchen I do want my time to be used as efficiently as possible and to be able to create healthy meals and snacks with the minimum of fuss in the minimum of time! 

This blog post contains gifted products and affiliate links.

Better than a takeaway, not as expensive as a personalised dinner party chef ... Cook My Grub is a new food delivery service that is affordable, accessible and delicious.  Championing home chefs and with a massive choice of different cuisines available, they are now delivering their fresh, homemade food nationwide!  And last weekend I was invited to try Cook My Grub for my own dinner party at home.

Cook My Grub started as a local food delivery service in Berkshire before their recent expansion to nationwide delivery.  Founded in 2019 by entrepreneurs Shabbir Mookhtiar and Dinesh Patil, their ambition is to deliver authentic, home-cooked dishes that cannot be found on the high street.  Not only does their service offer easy to order, healthier ready meals, they are also supporting home based chefs to build their own small businesses.  

Cook My Grub have a hygiene promise, every chef is trained in allergy awareness and Hygiene Level 2 as well as conducting it's own regular hygiene audits and supporting them with local council registrations.  All meals are prepared within the guidelines of the Food Standard Agency.

So last weekend I invited our friends Mark and Steve for dinner .... with all the food delivered I could relax, open the wine, lay the table, get dressed up and not worry about what to cook!