While saying this might make me sound 45 rather than 25, the Ideal Home Show is one of my favourite yearly events. I've made it along for the last two years and I have a brilliant relationship with their PR team so I'm always able to get a press pass and ahead along to a few blogger exclusive talks beforehand. I always love trying products in person that I've been eyeing up online, finding new design talent and picking out extravagant purchases for that big house with the big garden that I plan to own (one day). This event almost always runs over the bank holiday weekend so there's plenty of time to head along if you're not working. But for now, here are my top 5 picks from the stalls that are the current show happening at the SECC right now (with a wee look in my goody bag and what I decided to purchase).
Most of the designers you'll find at the Ideal Home Show are established brands - or at least newer brands created by experienced talent. But you'll always find the odd graduate showcase among the crowd and this time that was Kelly MacKay who graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design last year. While I love some commercialised art as much as the next blogger, what made Kelly's designs stand out was how unique they were sitting next to a lot of the brands that were designing great stuff - but nothing you couldn't find in your local Primark home section. If you're homewear style is country cottage chic, check out her stuff for a lovely new addition to your scatter cushion collection.
While I was up in the press room I was flicking through the official showguide and came across what is called a pizza maker. If you know me, you know I love pizza so this was a moment where I was like a magpie looking in on a glitzy necklace. The actual stall had signs up stating that all their pizza bases contained milk so I wasn't able to taste test but the pizza bases were thin and Michelle who I was wondering around with confirmed that the slice she had was delicious. My family of kitchen gadgetry might be getting a new addition soon.
If there's any rich suitors eyeing me up, let it be known that it's not fancy diamonds I want but a giant wood-fired oven in the backgarden. The cheapest model is priced at £1,200 so this is perhaps a bit of a pipe dream (as I'll also need a garden to put it in). But if I had triple the salary (and a garden, or a penthouse) I'd definitely be outside making pizza (all about the pizza).
4. Pooch Pantry
Something else to put on my very-far-into-the-future purchase list is something from the Pooch Pantry because, you know, I'll need a dog first (or I could eat one of their many dog treats myself, but that might get me some weird looks, and make me ill). On their stall you'll find beer for dogs and popcorn for dogs, as well as the standard doggie treats such as biscuits and sausages. Go on, spoil that pooch.
Everytime I've been to the Ideal Home Show there's always been something vegan. The Punjabi sauces that I purchased at my first show two years ago were there again and I noticed that the Daffy Gin stall had a sign up declaring their spirit collection is vegan suitable - however, my top vegan find of the event is Raven Chocolate. They're an Aberdeenshire maker of artisan chocolate that is dairy-free. As you might know I'm not much of a chocolate person and love savoury junk when I'm wanting to treat myself (which is why two of the recommendations in this blog post have been pizza related) so I personally didn't buy myself anything, however if you're a vegan chocolate lover you should definitely pop along and get yourself a bar.
So what did you buy?
So I didn't actually buy much the aforementioned products, mainly because I lack a dog, an opulent bank balance, a back garden and a sweet tooth. So I bought - hold onto your seats guys - cloudy apple juice and a rum infusion. The Cloudy Apple juice was from the Cloudy Apple stall who grow their own apples in Worcestershire and the rum infusion was from Island Slice. I also bought lunch from the The Jingle Bus: an Indian streetfood truck you can rent for events.
Aside from what I bought I was also gifted a very generous goody bag from the press team. You can see a small hint of what was in it above, but my favourite items are the French's Crunchy Onions (which have been my snack while writing this blog post), the Darcy's diffuser and wax melt and Yushoi snapea rice sticks.
As always I had a great time at the Ideal Home Show. If you're still to head along it will be open tomorrow and bank holiday Monday at the SECC. Have fun and let me know your top picks!
