As the weather has been so abysmal and the fear of being snowed in has been so much on my mind my shopping habits have changed somewhat in the last few weeks.

Although I find making soup easy in the microwave I have been tempted by some of the tubs of soups available in Morrison's. One that I particularly like and find most comforting
is "The Best" Tomato & Mascarpone, closely followed by "Glorious" Marco Pierre White Indian Chicken Soup. They are all freezeable so are handy to have in an emergency.

Another ready item that I was tempted to was "The Best" Lamb Moussaka which did not disappoint me. The lamb mince was layered between roasted aubergine and potato and had a delicious topping of bechamel and grated cheese. Real comfort food.

All these goodies can be heated in the microwave.

Morrisons Southport.

www.morrisons.com

Restaurants are popping up all over the place and amongst the mediocre you sometimes find one that is really worth visiting a second time.

Sorrento is in that category, the atmosphere is warm and cosy and there is always a great welcome from the staff.

There is a huge and very varied menu from which I tried the Linguine which was absolutely delicious, full of scumptious seafood.

I also organised a Networking Evening at Sorrento and ,Luciano the Proprietor who also has branches in Ormskirk and Orrell, provided a buffet of tempting morsels to showcase his restaurant. Particularly delicious were the brushetta's with lovely toppings.

Sorrento is open lunchtimes and evenings.

Sorrento Formby.

Have you ever walked into a room of strangers- be it a business function, a meeting, or a party- and felt uncomfortable, well help is at hand in the form of a booked named "How to work a room" by Susan Roane.

I know from first hand experience how difficult it can be if you are not familiar with networking ,and at Sefton Chamber of Commerce we have events that are attended by at least 100 guests.

This book explains in detail the art of networking and I can highly recommend it.

Another book worth a read is by Michael Heppel called "How to be brilliant".

Both these books are available at Broadhursts in Market Street and during this cold and frosty weather its a joy to browse there in the glow of the lovely coal fire.

BROADHURST MARKET STREET SOUTHPORT.

There has been a great deal of publicity surrounding the new range from Marks & Spencer appealing named "FULLER LONGER".

I just cannot resist trying any product with the NEW tag and so I bought a tub of Chicken Barley & Root Vegetable soup and I was certainly not disappointed.

It fills a gap when its cold and miserable and you need some homemade soup, this could pass for exactly that. Its tasty filling and full of vegetables and barley. Reading the details on the microwaveable tub its reassuring to see that its healthy being full of high protein and balanced carbs and contains only 200 cals per pack.

I will be trying some other products in this interesting range so watch this space...............

Marks & Spencer Southport./
www.marksandspencer.com

Sefton Chamber of Commerce will be holding its 8th Annual Prestige Ball on 5th February, there have been well over 300 tickets sold already. It is a very glitzy affair with the cream of Southport society in attendance and awards are presented to businesses on the night.

Ladies if you are looking for a really amazing outfit then I recommend you pay a visit to Lee at Virginia Lee on Lord Street. She has a huge selection of long and short dresses to choose from and a stunning collection of incredible pieces of jewellery.

She herself has a great eye for fashion and always looks bang up to date so her advice is really welcome.

Virginia Lee
Lord Street
Southport.

If you are feeling cold and miserable I suggest you rush out and treat yourself to a "SNUGGIE" which is the cosiest thing I have ever come across.

The soft fleece covers you from top to toe and is just perfect for nights in front of the telly
or reading a book whilst sipping some hot cocoa.

A perfect gift for young or old to snuggle up with during the winter months.

Available from JML direct
Asda
Wilkinson's
And many other outlets.

A new mascara brought out by Boots No 7 range called the Extreme Length is really worth trying. It has no gimmicks just a straight forward brush that really works well and separates your lashes and makes them look incredibly long,its also hypo-allergenic.

I would urge you to go along quickly as there is a great offer with every purchase you get a lovely makeup bag which has a smaller version of the above Mascara and contains lots of other No. 7 products also.

Boots, Southport.
www.boots.com

I was stuck with my annual throat problem recently, last time to some people's pleasure I had no voice for about 4 weeks so when the symtoms reappeared I was in a panic.

My Homeopathic friend, Rochelle Marsden, suggested one of her magic remedies, Manuka Honey, and Sambucol which is Black Elderberry Extract,so as I value her opinion off I trotted to stock up my medicine chest with these products.

The Manuka Honey I know from past experience is an amazing healer for many problems and I started taking spoonsful throughout the day. The Sambucol syrup is just delicious and I had to limit myself to spoonsful although I could have swigged the whole bottle.

I was so relieved when within a week my voice had returned to almost normal so these products will be always on my list for emergencies of this nature.

www.sambucol.com
www.lifeplan.co.uk 01455 556281sales@lifeplan.co.uk.
www.southporthomepathy.co.uk

What a joy it was to visit Formby on Saturday 5th December for the Dickensian Day, the main street was absolutely packed with families enjoying the music, food, and stalls.
The atmosphere was buzzing and every coffee house and restaurant were full to capacity
for the whole day.

Congratulations to the organisers it was really great.

I have had the priveledge of visiting some wonderful venue's in the last few weeks.

The Palm house in Sefton Park was the setting for a family function and I although I was told have amazing it was it still blew me away.
Although large it has a very intimate feel and the atmosphere was just wonderful. It was themed in emerald green down to the last detail and the food was chinese style so all in all the evening was a great success.

This week I visited the Isla Conservatory in Stanley Park which is situated between Everton & Liverpool Football clubs. It is managed by the inspirational Gemma Hindley and her success story has just appeared in the Liverpool Daily Post.

The Isla Glasshouse is awesome and can take approx 450 guests so is an ideal venue for corporate events, weddings etc. etc.

On the ground floor there is a bistro with a very interesting menu, the rissoto with smoked haddock and poached egg is delicious. It is open daily and is a lovely place to visit for just a coffee and to have a look around.

www.theislagladstone.co.uk
0151 263 0363