Jasmine Birtles
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MoneyMagpie’s Guide to Cosy Season
Vicky Parry
26th Sep 2024
It’s that time of year again when the country is divided into two teams: those that resent the pumpkin spice train and its commercialism (“You carved a swede in my day and you were lucky to have that”) and those who listen to The Cure throughout summer and often found the sunny season too overbearing and the clothes too scant.
Luckily, I fall into the latter category, and mid-August I start to feel the pull to get cosy and consume anything pumpkin spiced. So as a lover of Cosy Season, I welcome you to grab your favourite security blanket, pour yourself a hot drink and try some of the incredible offerings on the market that will make the season even more delicious.
I don’t know about you, but getting warm and comfy and watching a movie at home is a slice of heaven for me, and usually I’d be happy popping Netflix on the TV and cuddling up, but I decided to try out a garden screening of Beetlejuice recently on one of the best affordable projectors you can get.
First, I wanted to get my garden ready for some autumn lounging with some lighting, and 4Lite came up trumps with:
Lighting brand 4lite has launched seven new garden products with a range of robust solar-powered garden lights for 2024. The new Antheia solar range includes a collection of wall, path, bollard and spike lights as well as quality outdoor solar festoon lights.
Free to run with no energy bills, 4lite’s new Antheia solar wall and garden range is easy to install with no hard wiring required and no need for an electrician. Suitable for all-year-round use, the co-ordinating range is weatherproof and IP54 rated. Constructed from robust die-cast aluminium in matt black, the entire range comes with 4lite’s four-year warranty as standard.
This projector can achieve an impressive 378 inch display; the 3LCD technology making the display up to three times brighter than competitor products, thanks to its bright and vivid colours. Even in bright rooms, this powerful yet affordable WXGA projector delivers exceptionally bright yet colourful images with clear details thanks to 3LCD technology, which produces an equally high white and colour light output of 3,000 lumens.
Outside, it looks phenomenal, and that’s the harshest test you can give it. We’ve yet to try it indoors but I imagine it’ll be like being at the cinema.
Sound Blaster Katana SE
We were lucky enough to try out the Sound Blaster Katana SE and, much like its namesake, it really is a blast. This is a versatile and easy-to-use soundbar which delivers crystal clear sound and a decent amount of bass considering there is no subwoofer. Watching movies feels like a truly cinematic experience – albeit one where you might have to think about the neighbours if you’re not in a detached property. But for an Autumn party it’s perfect to blast out the tunes and can be connected to via USB, HDMI and Bluetooth. Find out more here
This beautiful Staub Ceramique 15 cm pumpkin Ceramic Cocotte cinnamon is enough to jazz up any autumn table.
The elegance and functionality of STAUB ceramics goes from freezer to oven to table. The glass porcelain finish matches STAUB’s cast iron to mix perfectly on your table top. Oven and broiler safe up to 572F, ceramics can also be used in the microwave and are dishwasher safe. Highly scratch, impact, and thermal shock resistant.
This gorgeous limited-edition Pumpkin Spice coffee tastes just like the stuff you get from the coffee shops, but with a lot less sugar and for a lot less ££. Enjoy hot, iced or however you like. It’s your way not the way. We think it tastes banging over ice with milk and a dash of sugar.
Sour apple, strawberry and orange flavours make up this mouth-watering, spine-tingling bag of sweet treats for you and y0ur friends to eat, share, or just scoff in front of a good cosy movie!
Cocoba have some delicious treats this cosy season, including a trio of spooky Orange Hot Chocolate Bombes. Made from orange-flavoured white chocolate and filled with delicious marshmallows, every sip and slurp is sure to please your taste buds.There’s also a delightful trio of choccy chomps with a milk chocolate ghost, a white chocolate skeleton, and an orange-flavoured white chocolate pumpkin. Each character is crafted from premium chocolate, making these bites as tasty as they are fun.
And why not stock up on some little treats like the boo-tiful hot chocolate stirrer made from a generous block of quality Belgian chocolate and topped with a white chocolate ghost… or the Milk Chocolate Ghost Lollipop: a Belgian chocolate treat for kids big and small. Yum!
Cake or Death bakery creates delicious bakes available to order online nationwide. They also happen to be vegan; both vegans and non-vegans alike are huge fans. Beautifully packaged in pink leopard print, the Cake or Death experience is a luxury treat, right through to the last mouthful. Named after an Eddie Izzard sketch, Cake or Death is as irreverent and subversive as the comedian herself.
These aren’t any ordinary brownies. Cake or Death secret-recipe brownies are everything a brownie should be and more; fudgy, indulgent and very moreish, all made with the very best quality ingredients.
BROWNIE FLAVOURS
Keep things simple with the classic Sea Salt or Peanut Butter flavours. Biscoff features Biscoff biscuits and gooey Biscoff spread and Oreo flavour is studded with the famous biscuits. For extra decadence, the Salted Caramel brownies are a glorious treat. Other flavours include: Nutella-Style Hazelnut, Raspberry, Almond Cherry Bakewell, Coffee Bourbon and Candied Orange.
Mixed boxes of several flavour combinations are available and each box comes in regular, containing 6 brownies, or large containing 10 brownies. For the die-hard brownie enthusiasts, Cake or Death is available as a monthly subscription with varying prices and flavours.
Make your child magical with this unicorn hairband with light. Perfect for parties, this multi-coloured light-up headband measures 27 x 6 x 17.3 cm and features a dark unicorn horn that lights up, adding a whimsical touch to any kid’s costume. The hairband includes a flowing veil and adorable unicorn ears, making it a standout accessory for any themed event. Powered by 3xLR44 batteries, which are included, the horn lights up to create a dazzling effect. Let your child shine with this enchanting party headwear.
Learn to Build Glow in the Dark!
Learn to Build sets are a great way to for children from 5+ to have fun and get creative. Learn to Build Glow is a 500-piece set which includes 160 glow-in-the-dark pieces, 340 neon pieces and two building plates to display their work. This set will provide hours of entertainment to let their imaginations run riot. RRP £29.99 Available from amazon.co.uk and other good toy and gift stores.
Killer Questions is a ‘would you rather’ game with a twist. Spin the Grim Reaper and prepare to answer some of the funniest (and strangest) questions to survive and keep you from facing deadly consequences. For ages 8+ this game is one for friends and family to get involved in and will definitely have you laughing. RRP £19.99 available from Amazon
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