Found Out About An Amazing Discontinued Product On Poopsnoop When Everyone Else is Asking CHATGPT

I prefer the slow lane within a community I trust and believe powered by real people

MossMagg

2026-04-09T08:29:28.3500000 2026-04-09T17:12:09.1370000

This snoop is less about the £100 body oil I just purchased on EBay for £15 Molton Brown Gingerlily Shimmer Oil, (although I do absolutely LOVE it) the closest product I have found which is the same or similar is the Tom Ford Soleil Blanc Shimmering Body Oil which you can find cheaper if you shop around but also retails for £99.00.

It could be anything you are searching for body oil, whitening toothpaste, sink unblocker, (less of an investment granted) but my point is how many mistakes do we make thanks to clever marketing, how much money do we waste on things we buy and then don’t like. And how many products do we actually rave about and couldn’t or wouldn’t choose to live without? Not many right.

So I am writing this for two reasons. One because after reading an article by Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker about Sam Altman, he’s the guy at the top of Open AI, the ChatGPT people I’ve decided I am not using Chat GPT again, I know we’re all addicted, I actually use it quite a bit especially for medical questions but after the article which is quite long and takes about an hour to get through, it has changed my opinion and opened my eyes. Of course everyone has to make their own minds up.

But it got me thinking about listening to real humans for advice and guidance. Not marketing, not AI, not influencers, not anyone with an agenda. Just another human being sharing their real life experience, the slow lane.

I was reading on here some one talking about a silky, lightweight oil smooths on for a nourishing, revitalizing experience. Something that helps condition skin, smells lovely for a radiant look, that sultry solar amber glow we all want in the summer months, something to lift and prolong either a natural tan or in my case take me from pasty white to sunkissed without the stress and or difficulty of using fake tan.

The snooper in question writing could have been me. She was talking about this discontinued Molton Brown Shimmer Oil I think in the hope someone at Molton Brown might think about bringing this product back, a product she was absolutely raving about. But also ranting about the fact it was no longer available only available through secondary markets.

Information, data is key, why Open AI has a three trillion dollar valuation and yet hasn’t made any money. I didn’t go in search of the Molton Brown TigerLily Body Oil particularly but the internet is a bit of a mind reader, we do know that and it wasn’t long before I was browsing on EBay and no lie, a bottle of the stuff popped up for £15.00.

It was like a mirage, finding water in the desert. I couldn’t quite believe it that this so highly rated and discontinued product I’d read about, that was going to meet all my needs was there waiting for me to buy for the rock bottom price of only £15.00

I clicked buy immediately, within a few seconds. I believed the snoop review I had read. I felt part of this community. Community is something where people are emotionally invested. In this case what the Poopsnoop community stands for, namely truth and authentic stories and product reviews. Rants and raves about real life experiences.

The best communities buy repeatedly from one another, help each other and bring others in. My Shopify store is doing better since I started snooping on here. Not because I sell what I do. I don’t. I am just getting to know more people for real who are then genuinely curious and want to support me.

That’s what we do here on Poopsnoop. I love reading what community members publish. It’s my go to place for reviews now and I’ve really got to know some members by what they write about, what we have in common.

And it’s something big brands are catching onto as companies like Lululemon and Alo have been doing it for a while in America and Canada with Alo Gyms and Lululemon community yoga. I read other brands are putting cafes in their stores and offering sip and shop, free drinks to customers who just want to hang out. After COVID especially I think people became isolated and lost authentic connection with other people. Meeting up, going on dates, just talking to people you actually know comes from being part of something you believe in and meeting like minded people who think the same.

I’ve gone off on a bit of a tangent here but the bottom line is, reading (and writing) thoughts and experiences helps people.

I tried the body oil, Molton Brown Gingerlily Shimmer Oil and it is everything I hoped for. A luxurious oil product that goes on smoothly, extremely moisturising, no excess or mess on sheets or clothes, soaks in. Smells divine. And gives your skin that beautiful amber glow with a bit of shimmer. I cannot wait to try it on holiday. I think with a little bit of a natural tan it will be even better.

You may want to try it and be frustrated you cannot just pop into store and pick one up but keep your eyes open. You never know. One just might appear before your very eyes.

Chanel Ultra Le Teint Foundation Is The Answer to Cover Acne Scars and Rosacea

Where Do You Find A Full Cover Make up that doesn’t look Caked On For Young Skin?

MossMagg

2026-03-21T08:23:42.3230000 2026-03-21T09:01:17.0070000

I wanted a social media platform where I could share my thoughts but not my face. I absolutely love Poopsnoop for this reason. I like feeling part of something and connecting but no feeling exposed.

I got scars and they are quite noticeable without make up. I am in my late twenties and shouldn’t really need a full cover foundation. Except I had quite bad acne in my teens and also suffer with rosacea plus I have a birthmark on the side of my face which I have a love hate relationship with as although it has faded as I have got older some days it just appears more visible than others.

This is the foundation my grandmother uses and my immediate reaction was “Gran No” however she took me into John Lewis at the weekend, sat me down with a consultant, under duress and made me sit through a make over I was sure I was going to hate and dread in equal parts. I am sure many millennials can relate. We love brand ambassador Margot Robbie but not there yet.

The lady at the counter did my make up with me constantly insisting I didn’t want to look like I was wearing a load of make up and you know what the old lady make up has really worked.

On the one hand it covers up everything, the shade recommended for me was B20 which is quite light, I don’t tan well and don’t use self tan either. On the other hand my skin looks dewy, natural and not over made up. The foundation doesn’t come with the brush it was one my Gran gave me she had, which she tells me will stop the built up too much make up look I dread.

I honestly didn’t think there would be a foundation product for me. All the long wear products I have tried in the past have just been too thick and to be honest I could still see my scars and blemishes.

The downside of this product, it’s £52 which I could never afford. In this case my super kind Gran paid, a bonus. Wanted to share the experience which was a bit cringe to be honest, sitting in the chair with everyone looking at me but the result was been a revelation.

If you are young with problem skin this foundation product is a dream come true. Covers everything but still looks like you aren’t wearing foundation. I honestly don’t know how they do that but it works.

FYI the shade numbers can be confusing especially when you are trying to figure out what’s right for you. I got it explained. The B numbers are neutral natural tones, so no pink and no yellow. The BR shades have rose tone in them and the BD tones tend to be slightly lighter and more yellow so depending on what your natural skin is like hope this directs you. If you can overcome the embarrassment of sitting in the chair on show in the shop this is probably the best way to go. It helped being With a family member with lots of make up experience.

ITV Producers Need To Look Hard At The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of the Brits 2026

When British Artists are being bleeped for opinions not swearing that’s media censorship

MossMagg

2026-03-01T10:16:32.9000000 2026-03-01T15:35:49.4300000

It was Brits school alumni Olivia Dean who stole the show at the Brits 2026 10 years after she attended as a student, scooping 4 Brits, winning in all but one category she was nominated for.

The British singer and songwriter, 26, won Best Artist, Best Album, Best Song and Best Pop Act.

Her single Man I Need and album Art of Loving have spent 28 weeks in the official UK singles charts Olivia Dean’s song has had a massive chart run starting in September 2025.

Internationally it reached #1 in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, and peaked at #2 in the US, breaking records for weeks at #1 in multiple territories.

British Standout and also fellow Brit school alumni Lola Young equaled Olivia Dean with 5 nominations and won her first ever BRIT award for Breakthrough Artist. She accepted the award from 2025’s BRITs Critics’ Choice winner, Myles Smith.

It was a really good show for the music, Harry Styles opened with an underwhelming performance of his new single Aperture. He looked tired and gaunt, but Raye followed with a compilation of two tracks, “where is my husband” and “Nightingale Lane” where her heartfelt lyrics describe the worst breakup she says she has ever endured. It was a very different performance when she performed her best loved tracks, including her powerful ballad, 'Ice Cream Man', TikTok sensation 'Prada', and the BRIT Awards Song of the Year, 'Escapism’ at the Brits, 2024 when she scooped 6 Brit awards herself.

A magnificent performance backed by a full orchestra and choir. Raye at her best showing she’s at the start of what is going to be a legendary career, we thought up there with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Etta James with her scatting and immense vocal ability and talent.

Sad to say Jack Whitehall isn’t funny in this setting for some reason, maybe it was just us, a mixed crowd, different ages, all music lovers and all in agreement and whilst he has hosted the Brits before, this was his fifth show 2018-2021 and last year 2025 personally I don’t think he’s found his groove. Maybe the live element doesn’t work well for his comedy but he came across nervous with material I sensed he wasn’t comfortable with. For me the jokes didn’t land and all the bleeping, just isn’t rock and roll. Felt much more like censorship to me ITV.

UK band Wolf Alice won the award for Group of the Year and performed their song Sofa which I loved and Spanish artist Roselia performed opera with Bjork her single Berghain from her album Lux. She looked genuinely stunned when she picked up the Brit for Best International Artist citing being honoured to just perform and to being invited to the party.

The absolute highlight of the show was Mark Ronson being honoured for his outstanding contribution to music. The award was presented by Skepta who mentioned his friend Mark Ronson was the kindest man in the music business he’d ever met and got the pitch in at the end he wants to work with him. Smooth.

The best was when The D.J and music producer performed an amazing medley of many of his well known hits including guest appearances from the divine Dua Lipa who looked and sounded incredible and rapper Ghostface Killah performing the track Ooh wee. I’ll put a you tube link of this at the bottom and I recommend you take the time to watch.

The section in the middle with Mark Ronson at the piano and a small black and white video projection of the late Amy Winehouse, singing Back to Black together and then getting the audience involved to sing Valerie led by two original singers for Amy while Ronson strummed guitar was a truly magic moment. In his acceptance speech the genius music producer made a point of recognising his friend as the catalyst to his success when they wrote and produced Back to Black together in his New York apartment over just a four hour session. It was extremely moving and authentic music television.

The show took a bit of a nose dive after the “In memoriam section of the show, Tim Burgess paying tribute to Stone roses bass guitar player, Gary “Mani” Mounfield came across a little strange and Dolly Parton presenting from Nashville the Lifetime achievement award to Ozzy Osbourne collected by his wife Sharon and his unrecognisable daughter Kelly Osbourne was even stranger.

The performance that closed the show from Robbie William’s singing No More Tears backed by a band including Metallica's Robert Trujillo and longtime Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde seemed like the wrong choice to lead the tribute to me.

For Ozzy Osbourne fans; my initial thought was who was the show producer that said “who shall we get to sing the lead for an Ozzy Osbourne Lifetime achievement tribute for the Brits 2026?” And came up with Robbie Williams from Take That. I read in the main stream media it was Sharon Osbourne herself who requested that Robbie perform the tribute to her beloved husband as a long time friend of the family.

The show definitely had it’s share of cringe moments, Bez and Shaun Ryder from Happy Mondays getting centre stage and some beautiful fabulous moments too, Noel Gallagher from Oasis picking up songwriter of the year award immediately thanking his brother.

Overall the performances held the show together and made it a wonderful night for the audience at home as well as those fortunate enough to be at the new venue in Manchester at the Coop Live Arena. Concluded pre finale by a performance from Sombre which had a staged interruption per a Sombre representative from a man who had to be removed by security wearing a t shirt saying “Sombre is a homewrecker” the name of his new single. A marketing stunt which was a bit sad for me, and unnecessary (there was disagreement on this when others in our house thought why not, in a music industry that is so tough to crack, quedos for imaginative media generation) ergh when the number was incredible? Also an orchestral rendition by Alex Warren, a wonderful artist performed his track “Ordinary” with James Blunt suited in velvet accompanying him at the piano.

It was great to see the gorgeous musician and actor Jeff Goldblum present the award for album of the year to Olivia Dean. Suave and sophisticated, funny and frivolous at the age of 73 was an inspiration for us all.

For me the in the box sponsored by Mastercard ITV ownership of a free speech rock and roll show featuring the best of British music maybe just isn’t a fit. Would be better aired on Channel 4 with a hipper show producer and less censorship of the artists who have voices that when they get up on that stage with a win, have earned the right to be heard.

It is their show after all, the TV just buy the rights to broadcast and music lovers, the people that tune in to watch want to hear what their favourite artists have to say. It’s rock and roll not Super Ted. When they are happy to show Paddington pissed under the table and don’t bleep out “Knob Head” from a passerby but mention Andrew Mountbatten, Peter Mandelson or the genocide in Gaza, you get cut. We all know ITV TV execs are picking and choosing just like China or Russia, the irony the show opened with a dig about the editing gaffs by the BBC at the BAFTA’s. I’d say pot calling the kettle.

I So Relate To Love Island Girl Helena Ford May Be Laddie But That’s Doesn’t Mean We Don’t Have Feelings

I Love Love Island and I Am Voting For Ex Cabin Crew Helena

MossMagg

2026-01-28T12:14:37.8400000 2026-01-29T18:49:31.0400000

Come On ITV 2 when are you you going to put some decent guys in for the amazing girls like Helena Ford, waiting to meet some one a bit more fun but grown up, not going to treat the girls like idiots. Basically Tommy with a bit more life experience and a job. I know it says one girl man Tommy’s profession is Landscape Gardener except there are no photos of his work or gardens he is credited as creating.

These girls have got into the villa against all the competition. Helena is not how she’s being portrayed, just because she’s never had a boyfriend. she’s brave enough to own this. so many gorgeous good looking girls have never had a proper boyfriend, I am a couple of years younger than Helena and I am admitting here and now I haven’t either, not because I think I am not worthy but because like so many of other decent looking healthy girls my age, the guys are just liars and as my mother would say CADS.

So our choices are to be a bit slutty, sleep around (which I admit have done a bit) in the hope of getting into something more lasting and meaningful, I’ll tell you here and now it doesn’t work being laddie and I think Helena hasn’t reached the conclusion yet it’s not her it’s them. After uni I became a bit of a nun, went the other way, gave up on the apps and then realised without them how do you meet anyone.

Why I love TV shows like First Dates and Love Island and why I’ve even considered auditioning myself. I almost signed up for a matchmaking service in London by default at 25, shocking I know and would have joined if they hadn’t tried to get £15K off me, yep you read that right £15K I didn’t have.

I wanted to write this for all the OK looking girls out their who’ve been cheated on, gas lighted, ghosted and made to feel like crap, living their dating experience vicariously through love island and love island all stars.

I salute the girls, especially Helena my favourite for beating all the other Love Island hopefuls onto the show to undergo another round of possible humiliation in her quest for a partner who see her. I think the show producers need to put some better blokes in there, older, more together and more appropriate for the quality women than the boys who think it’s normal Cieran to play gorgeous girls like Sammy and Lucinda off against each other. Jess and Millie before them being messed about by Charlie and Shaq juggling gorgeous Helena, A.J., then Belle and showing his colours, what’s good for the goose not for the gander when Belle gets a roasting for supposedly doing the exact same thing and picking Sean over Shaq. Love hurts whoever is dancing between two or three potential partners.

Producers want the tears and triangles. I just wish the girls could hold back their emotions, know the boys will jump Cieran the minute their egos are flattered and not give themselves over until bars have been jumped and standards reached. I think deep down it’s what the boys crave any way, a goal from a woman with extremely high standards.

Come on ITV let’s see some gentlemen with proper jobs enter the villa for the great girls and some proper manly behaviour. Girls and now guys crying isn’t the best TV. It would be so fabulous to see the format work out for a change instead of wanna be reality stars like Curtis Pritchard turning Love Island into a full time job because he couldn’t get his no 1 choice TV gig on dancing with the stars.

For me it’s really telling when he’s had three stunning girls introduced via Love Island and he’s got his back to lovely Millie in bed. I’d say there’s something a bit off with that one.

Vote for Helena Ford, favourite girl, love island all stars 2026 and keep this fantastic girl in. She deserves a break and a grown up who’ll see beyond a laddie side to the real girl underneath.

The Sun Inn Great Eastern: A Gastro Pub Head and Shoulders Above The Competition

The best Gastro Pub in Leicestershire by a mile

MossMagg

2026-01-22T10:36:24.8770000 2026-01-23T11:53:05.5370000

I’ve been reading a few Gastro pub leicester and Leicestershire reviews and wanted to share a small place a bit off the beaten track in a beautiful village worth a visit Great Eastern, The Sun Inn.

This isn’t just your average country pub with better than average food this is the kind of place like the waterside inn at Bray or Woven at Coworth Park, the places you visit and remember because the food is exceptional except without the Michelin stars.

The reviews for the Sun Inn at Great Easton are glowing and numerous so I know it’s not just me or just a one off.

I’ve been more than 10 times myself, almost a regular and what comes out of the kitchen from head chef James is consistently delicious, so good on the times he’s come out to our table we’ve told him he needs to go on the masterchef TV program.

The food is definitely better than Gastro pub, borderline fine dining, stocks all made from scratch, fabulously hand selected meats, fish and local produce. These guys know what they are doing and why the Sun at Great Easton tops my list for best places to eat in the Midlands.

If you are planning a private party they have a couple of dining rooms that I’d guess could seat 12 or 14 so also a great choice for a fantastic dinner party you don’t have to cook for.

The staff have always been friendly, the service warm and quick and dogs welcome.

A sunday roast starts around £25 per plate with puddings and starters around £7 - £10, so not on a budget, definitely a special occasion place.

My only warning once you’ve been you’ll be going back. I haven’t found anywhere else in a 30 mile radius where the food is better.

Oh and the wines on the list are really good too, even the house selections are not your average plonk.

On a final note if you get to try the chocolate brownie, we saw two desserts come to the next table, both looked so unbelievable we trusted the couple to try both and guide us, and they said to go for the chocolate brownie, it is one of the most amazing puddings I’ve ever tasted. Rich, dense, chocolatey, not overly sweet and exactly the right portion size, not stingy and not too much. Just right.

Thank you to everyone at the Sun Inn Great Easton, what you, the team have managed to achieve is the top.

https://www.thesuninnge.com/

The Griffin Inn Switherland - 3 Restaurants in One, make sure you pick the right day to visit

A large busy Gastro pub in a truly beautiful setting

MossMagg

2026-01-19T09:11:48.2530000 2026-01-19T15:25:45.5570000

I’d read a few reviews on line about the Griffin Inn, Swithland Leicestershire, marketed as an innovative gastro pub owned by cricketer Stuart Broad and decided to try it on a sunny Saturday afternoon for lunch.

The restaurant was sunny and bright, with a roaring fire in the centre, the clientele upwardly mobile, the service excellent and the drinks mixed and presented to London standards. We ordered a selection of plates from the menu and shared everything from delicious watercress and pear salad, onion bhajis, homemade soup, beetroot hummus and crispy pitta breads. The food was delicious fresh, enough but we were still tempted by puddings, homemade baked cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding, as good as any chef could deliver.

It was good enough when deciding on a spot for a business lunch that would normally take place in London I decided to invite my clients to the country. Except on Tuesdays and Wednesdays the menu changes, so does the clientele with a special deal to encourage OAPs out for the day the thriving smart restaurant transforms into a grand day out for the over sixties.

Whoops. Saturday chef’s was having a well deserved rest and was replaced by the assistant selling a cheaper set menu.

There are not that many really great places around Leicestershire for Sunday lunch. Not discouraged I returned on a Sunday in the hope the weekend chef was back in the kitchen in their whites.

This experience was a mixture of the first and the second. It was a set menu, £32 for two courses, £38 for three. The vegetarian options were limited, one choice, a spiced squash wellington, the tasty salads and sides replaced with heavier traditional plates.

The drinks were the same, mixed well and delivered with aplomb. The Sunday lunch was mass market mediocre, the roast potatoes warmed through, the veg over boiled with no glaze or seasoning, the yorkshire puddings were OK, cooked through but not straight out of the oven, the gravy was gravy granules made with hot water and no stirring.

To be fair we had asked for a veggie option so the meat version may have been better but the discussion over lunch was how easy it is to make a flavourful veg gravy from the roast tin.

We ordered the same puddings for the two course option which did finish the meal and was way better than the very average main.

To sum up, if you enjoy a great hearty meat and two veg Sunday lunch made on a mass scale for a big restaurant it’s a great option. The wine list is decent and the bar tenders and offering as good as anywhere else.

If you want a weekday grand day out on a budget, Tuesday and Wednesday are the days to go.

If you are looking for a more sophisticated à la carte menu with healthier, greener options then Friday and Saturday are the days to go.

The most expensive red wine on the list was a Chateauneuf de Pape at £60. The average cost per person £50 for two courses.

Solar Magnesium Citrate From Holland And Barrett; A Remarkable Gift

Not all Magnesium Compounds Are the Same, Nine Options That All Do Something Different

MossMagg

2026-01-18T10:23:47.7330000 2026-01-18T13:03:46.9400000

I have a friend who is a problem solver. Some might say a know it all. We all know someone who can offer a solution with confidence to any problem but this particular friend has charisma, the kind of friend who knows people and can more often than not actually help with alacrity when called upon.

I have been battling an injury for 6 months, an injury I have no idea how it had been incurred. It has dragged on for so long not improving I have sort of got used to the pain, changed my mind set to this is something I’ve got to live with, stopped sharing about it and sucked it up.

My body language, the grunts, the struggles obviously told a different story when my friend appeared this week with a big bottle of horse pills.

She explained she knows the man in her local Holland and Barrett very well, he is someone she had built up a relationship with, she described him as passionate and knowledgable and had presented my problem, symptoms and levels of pain to him for a solution at best or at least a recommendation of something to try.

She told him I’d tried a few remedies courtesy of Dr. Google and CHATgtp combined. CBD, straight Magnesium, Vitamin D supplements, daily yoga exercises, a stretch program suggested by a physical therapist via their patient, another friend and was researching Red light therapy and as a last resort acupuncture.

Knowingly she told me he had handed her this jar of pills saying 2 per day and she’ll be better in two weeks.

So here’s the deal, don’t just buy Magnesium and think it’s a fix all. Here’s the list of different types of Magnesium, all doing different things, administered in different doses at different times of the day.

Magnesium Sulphate, Magnesium Taurate, Magnesium Choride, Magnesium Carbonate, Magnesium L-Threonate, Magnesium Oxide, Magnesium Malate, Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Glycinate. Who knew???

Symptom/Goal Best Magnesium

Sleep & anxiety Glycinate

Muscle cramps Glycinate, Citrate, Malate

Constipation Citrate, Oxide

Bone health Glycinate, Malate (with calcium & vitamin D)

Brain health L-Threonate

Fatigue & pain Malate

Heart health Taurate

Digestive upset Carbonate, Chloride

It was an unexpected gift from someone who usually pulls out an expensive make up item or luxury of some kind with the words I’ve got a present for you.

I was not convinced by her enthusiasm after 6 months of sleepless nights and agony that varied day to day from a 6 out of 10 to a 9 but I was willing to try anything and before lunch I popped the bottle and swallowed two of the massive pills without water.

That was two days ago. Last night I slept through the night and this morning I got up without the need to do 20 minutes of stretches to be able to start the day.

I am stunned to be honest at the turnaround. I’ve been rubbing in balms day and night, grimacing through basic tasks like getting dressed and brushing hair, putting on deodorant was virtually impossible and taking a shower needed psychological build up.

I am not 100% better but OMG the difference is remarkable and the impact happened almost overnight.

I’d recommend these magic pills for anyone suffering with extreme muscle pain. Mine was in the shoulder and arm, persistent chronic especially at night and life limiting during the day. This is not an advertorial in any way. The solar citrate Magnesium from Holland and Barrett were a present and have ended up being possibly one of the best, most memorable gifts I’ve ever received.

When you think pain is never going away you forget what it feels like to be without it. The only comparison I can make is the feeling you get when braces are removed after 30 months of treatment to reveal straight teeth you cannot stop running your tongue over, in search of the brackets.

I am still conscious of checking for pain that has melted away like snow. it has left behind only a clear puddle, a gentle reminder of what was once there. Although I am sure after the couple of weeks my friends advisor at Holland and Barrett suggested for his treatment it will has said goodbye for good.

Lindt Milk Chocolate Teddy 200g Of Easter Egg Feeling At Christmas

Enjoy a Christmas Chocolate Teddy On New Years Eve; A quarter of the price after the holiday

MossMagg

2025-12-29T09:49:13.3770000 2026-01-28T11:40:01.7130000

Now’s the time to buy yourself a Lindt chocolate teddy. I can’t believe I’ve never had one before. I got gifted the cutest of gifts, they come in three sizes, 40g, 100g and 200g, mine was the big one wearing a festive red jumper, they come with blue jumpers and all gold and have a little plastic ruby heart charm on a ribbon around his neck. I didn’t save it as a momento but I am sure you might depending on who the gift of the chocolate ted was from.

I ate him over two days, I offered to share but was glad there were no takers. The chocolate is milk, (they do make a white one) and the best I can describe the experience, is like an Easter egg at Christmas, that crack and break reminded me of eating too much chocolate in one go.

If you are partial to the red Lindor Truffles by Lindt you will love the Teddy too. The "red Lindor truffle" is the original, iconic Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffle, characterised by the bright red foil wrapper, encasing a classic Swiss milk chocolate shell with an irresistibly creamy, melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate center, you don’t get the truffle centre with the Teddy but you do get areas of super thick chocolate, like cooking chocolate but way tastier to sink your teeth into.

I have also noticed in Sainsbury’s this is the time to buy as the 200g Lindt Teddies that were £8.00 are now only £2.40 each.

If you haven’t indulged in a Lindt Teddy they do give that Easter Egg experience in a seasonal festive wrapper. I managed to split the experience over two days but buyer beware find a friend to share as you might find yourself scoffing the whole thing at once.

Just went to add the Sainsburys link but have now completely sold out at the reduced price. If you want to get one they still have stock at Boots, 200g for £4.35 reduced from £8.00, not such a good deal as Sainsburys but hey you snooze you lose.

https://www.boots.com/lindt-teddy-bear-christmas-jumper-edition-milk-chocolate-200g-10289588?

A taste of Italy; Fortum and Mason Magnifici Florentine Selection, 456g a mouth watering indulgent treat

From West Yorkshire To Florence and Back Via London - Simply the best Florentines I’ve ever...

MossMagg

2025-12-23T15:42:17.7500000 2026-01-30T08:19:41.3330000

The first time I ever tasted a Florentine was actually in the famous cafe Rivoire on the Piazza Duomo, in Florence. I remember the guy I was with at the time saying we are not going in there as I plonked myself down at the most prominent table for people watching, it was obviously going to be expensive. It’s the most spectacular position right next to the Duomo, prime real estate so the only thing to order with my coffee was a florentine. I remember it being extremely expensive. The top tip I later discovered is to order coffee at the counter, a local practise, and leave the tables outside for people like me, happy to pay the massive premium for a view of the imposing cathedral with the largest Duomo (dome) in the world, an architectural feat of engineering, built by Filippo Brunelleschi, 1420-1436, 16 years to complete and never since repeated.

Since that visit as a 2nd year Fine Art student I’ve been hooked not just on the biscuits, but the city and the experience at Rivoire. It’s the type of place where you can see the Italians pop off the page like a tableau, the people of Florence are extra, more stylish, more confident, it’s an energy that differentiates them from mere mortals, the tourists. However hard I have tried to emulate their energy, I have returned a couple of times since, I always find myself not quite meeting the mark, the casual elegance, the swagger, something perhaps I have learned over time is inherited not imitated.

It is this feeling, sense of style my Mum treats me to with a box of Florentines from Fortnum and Mason. I don’t shop there on a regular basis, we’ll ever, I’d go broke but I do love the once a year in a box of these exquisite chewy chocolaty buttery tastes of heaven as a reminder that one day I shall return to the cafe and sit in the same seat, soaking up the ambiance that only a city like Florence can offer.

The biscuits cost a staggering £29.95 for me worth every penny to share a taste of Rivoire and the city with my friends.

Thanks Mum.

When I was growing up, it was a box of foxes biscuits we looked forward to. My grandmother lived close to the Foxes biscuit factory in Batley West Yorkshire and throughout the year she would buy the biscuits that didn’t make the grade from the factory shop, to save money. My mother would upgrade at Christmas to tins of 1st standard biscuits she would hand out to relatives and friends with poinsettia plants on the side, on her annual seasonal visits I endured with endless cups of tea.

The discount store at the factory I was tickled to discover is still open 20 years later and maintains strong local roots in the community. I am still very partial to a foxes biscuit, especially the pastel coloured sugared party rings however my adventures in Italy mean once a year I get the treat of a box of the Fortums Florentines. Just like Florence and Rivoire once tried you want to keep returning.

To the community; I hope if I am published, you enjoy my first attempt at snooping. Over Christmas 2025 I intend to write more. Some rants too. I usually begin a project, sometimes a jigsaw, I know nerdy, or some DIY, even worse, one of those girls who can hang wallpaper, this year I am attempting to snoop.