Enjoying Wine from the Virtual Vines of Brancott Estate

Arriving home from my last shift for July I was delighted to find an invitation from Brancott Estate, for the following evening, to join them for the launch of their Virtual Vines experience at Camp Bestival.  No stranger to the use of virtual reality (VR), having used VERT as part of my radiography training, I was intrigued to find out more about this new VR experience and looked forward to being transported to the vineyards thousands of miles away in Malborough, New Zealand.

After a busy day of travelling and setting up camp, Andy and I were in need of a chilled glass of wine.  So we headed to Brancott Estate's Red Barn whilst Lucy 'babysat' Amber and Kitty with a wander around the stalls and sights in Castle Field.  Greeted by the friendly team, smiles fresh as the festival weekend was only just beginning, we were directed to the bar for wine tasting before trying the Virtual Vines experience.  Met by a very knowledgeable 'barman' both Andy and I chose to start with Sauvignon Blanc, a firm favourite for many years.  Questioned about flavour and then gaining a greater understanding about this wine as we tasted three wines of different price brackets. Whilst we enjoyed our favourite so far that evening, we awaited our turn to pop on the VR goggles.

Sat at our own little stations we were assisted into the goggles and headsets before we headed off into the world of Virtual Vineyards, transported to the vineyards of Brancott Estate thousands of miles away.  To begin with it was a little unnerving as I looked around and not see Andy and other bloggers but to be in a barn!  However I quickly adjusted and found the story captivating, learning a little of the history of the vineyards and the development of the flavours in creating their different wines.  This truly was a novel way of gaining an insight in to Brancott Estate and I love it when a brand can tell a story, making me feel part of this story.  Having taken this virtual trip to the Malborough vineyards, both Andy and I were keen to learn even more and returned to the very knowledgeable barman/sommelier who taught us how to appreciate every glass of wine.  Pedro, you can be sure we now use these tips every time we drink wine!  

Whilst the Virtual Vines experience is not available everywhere, if you get the chance be sure to pop on the VR goggles and learn more about Brancott Estate.  I know that they will be at The Big Feastival at the end of the month.  Sadly we are not attending this festival, but I can safely say we will be continuing to enjoy Brancott Estate Sauvignon Gris this summer, as it has now become a firm favourite in our fridge, especially the Letter 'R' Sauvignon Gris from the Letter Series.  Andy and I are also very keen to develop our knowledge and are looking into courses closer to home.  So a big thank you to Brancott Estate for taking us on a virtutal visit to your vines and improving our appreciation of good wine.  

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

A Weekend of Festival Family Fun

Last Thursday we packed the car to the gunnels, leaving just enough room for us and the girls and headed south for a weekend of festival family fun at Camp Bestival.  Excitement levels were high as we travelled over 250 miles to Lulworth Castle, so even after an early start nobody was catching up on sleep.  The further south we got the brighter the sun shone and bluer the skies became, which was welcomed as there is nothing worse than heading to a festival when the weather is damp and cold! 

In record time we had pitched the tent and collected everything from the car.  Best decision so far had been choosing a pitch in Camping Plus that was closer to the car park, having last year been closer to the festival entrance.  This made it easier for unloading the car of all the 'essential' kit we had brought.  Later this decision was also very welcomed in that there was less noise from the festival late at night.  Thankfully we were pitched before the rain set in, so making the tent more homely with bunting, lights and garlands was delayed due to the weather.  But within a couple of hours the rain moved on along with the fog and the tent was looking much more stylish.  So off we went to explore the parts of the festival that were open.  For me this first glimpse, late in the afternoon on Thursday is in some way magical.  Captivating the true essence of the festival as smiles beam on childrens faces as they see things for the first time or revisit another year older, seeing things with fresh eyes.  The huge flags sway in the breeze as the clouds separate to reveal a deep blue, sun sparkled sky.  Yes this is the moment I treasure most.  

So with the tent feeling like home for the weekend and the sun returning there was much fun to be had.  Here are some of our favourite moments from the weekend.

Fat Boy Slim

For me this was the highlight of the whole weekend. Katy B had been the perfect warm-up, taken back to my clubbing days with her cover of Let Me Be Your Fantasy.  Then he arrived, the amazingly talented Fat Boy Slim.   Sounds of those hacienda days of my youth filled the air as I danced with the sun setting across the hills and the castle lit up, reminiscing of my clubbing days.  This was a moment I will never forget, thank you Camp Bestival.   

Jess Glynne

With the line up announced several weeks ago, the girls were very excited to see that Jess Glynne was headlining on Friday night.  A firm favourite in our house, her album on repeat for weeks, this was a moment that we would not be missing.  We sang and danced the night away and Jess certainly did not disappoint with a brilliant set.  Obviously the following morning I was asked to tie Jess Glynne plaits for Kitty, who had spotted how her favourite singer had her hair tied the previous night!

The Science Tent

Every year this just gets better.  Workshops aplenty, which adopted the space theme of the festival and performances to captivate the most unlikely scientists.  Kitty especially loves the science tent, getting to be hands on and exploring ideas.  Of course this gets my stamp of approval and love how families can get to explore science together.

Kitty - Think I may need to grow before I use this fork!

Even in the evening, the vibe was cool at the Feast Collective, 

with DJ BBQ providing the music and entertainment.

The Feast Collective

Again this did not disappoint and the food is delicious, exciting and quite frankly amazing.  With aromas to captivate the senses, tunes from DJ BBQ that seem to fit just perfectly with the vibe of this street food market.  Whether you wanted an ice lolly made from fruit and veg, a naan bread packed full of spicy chicken and salads, fish burgers that you can almost smell the sea in every bite, goat spiced of flavours that take you to streets in Africa, burgers loaded with melt in the mouth pulled pork or just an Americano.  Bursting with flavour, the Feast Collective is definitely our favourite part of Camp Bestival.  

Dingly Dell

When you need to escape the chaos, noise and sun for a little while, Dingly Dell is the perfect place to go.  With pathways to explore, hidden delights in Lizzie's Way and fun activities from the National Trust, there is still plenty to do.  Yet in Dingly Dell I always feel the pace has slowed, there is time to just be, moments to reflect.  Even though our daughters love the craziness, the noise, the bustle of the festival they also love to escape to Dingly Dell.  Just pressing pause here for a little while, recharging before we head back into the warmth of the sun and the bustle of the weekend.  

Bollywood

Finally the big marquee that housed Bollywood in previous years was left unpacked and this whole area was amalgamated.  Having seen in previous years the split between inside and outside of Bollywood it just seemed 100% better this year just being outside.   A party atmosphere took over in the evenings, with a top line up of DJ's every night, especially as Trevor Nelson brought the Rhythm Nation to Bollywood on Friday night.  Perfection!

Brancott Estates - The Red Shed

Showcasing their brand new virtual reality experience, Virtual Vines, at Camp Bestival, Andy and I had the privilege of joining Brancott Estate on Thursday night for the launch.  I will be posting a full write up in the next couple of days, but the Red Shed was a great addition to the Castle Field.

We also spent time learning circus skills, in Art Town and saw some amazing bands and artists perform. I especially loved catching Ward Thomas late on Saturday afternoon and Amber loved Alice Jemima in the Big Top on Friday night.  There is so much to see and do at Camp Bestival and we never seem to manage to do everything we plan to.  Sadly this year we left early due to myself and Lucy becoming sick, perhaps due to the not so clean toilets, lack of running water for the taps and no soap in Camping Plus, as several people in the Orange zone were also ill on Sunday morning.  I know that all these things sound a little bit too luxurious for a festival campsite, but these are some of the reasons we have chosen to pay the premium and book a pitch in Camping Plus for the past two years.

Even though we left early we had an amazing weekend.  Every year the line up at Camp Bestival gets better and better, but so does everything else.  Whilst we have come to expect old favourites, there is always something new, something exciting, to be discovered.  A different theme every year obviously helps refresh the old favourites but I truly believe that there is something for everybody at Camp Bestival.  

So thank you Camp Bestival for an amazing weekend, where memories were made that we will cherish forever.  

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

Disclosure - This year I am one of the official Camp Bestival bloggers, working with them to share my top tips and reviewing the festival.  They have kindly given us a family weekend ticket, however all opinions are my own.

Camp Bestival - Let The Countdown Commence

With than twenty days until Camp Bestival I am trying very hard to get organised.  There is a bag parked under the stairs that I gradually filling with some festival essentials and making lists like a crazy woman.  Packing for a festival is slightly different to holiday packing.  But with a few years of festival family fun under our belts I feel we have made progress in narrowing down the essential kit and much more besides.  A few days ago I tweeted the link to my essential Camp Bestival list, but this was compiled two years ago, so I feel a little refresh is required!

Obviously there are some things that should be on your list but here are some you may have forgotten.

- Matches - to light the stove
- Gas - for aforementioned stove
- Loo rolls - carry these with you at all times, although last year seemed to be restocked reguarly.
- Sleeping bags - obviously! Or a duck and down duvet if you have room in the car!
- Suncream and wellies - this is British summer time!
- Warmer clothes for the evening - as much as the many Pimms or pints of cider or fabulous      mummy    dancing may keep you warm the evenings do get chilly. Don't forget a cardi or jumper and   I always    pack a hoodie to sleep in when I camp, nothing worse than a cold head when you are       trying to get to sleep.
- Bubbles - unfortunately the no glass rule means no bubbles of the alcoholic type. But your children,   even teens, will thank you for packing a few bubble wands and pots of bubbles.
- Water Bottles - there are taps in the festival and campsites so take a large bottle to refil for water at     the tent and smaller bottles to refill for drinks.
- Beach Towels - these dry much quicker than normal towels so you won't have soggy towels lying    around.
- Picnic blanket - use it outside the tent and when inside the festival too.
- Torch, headlights and lanterns - even though the campsites are well lit, any or all of these are essential.

So that is my essentials now for my additional festival kit -

- Airbeds - nothing like a good nights sleep when you've spent all day at a festival. With the uneven  ground of the main campsite and even in Camping Plus I will not be forgetting mine.
- Bunting, flags and fairy lights - yes I cam one of those festival goers who likes a touch of   glamping   and these additions make the tent a bit more homely.
- Table and chairs - we have a fab camping table with chairs attached that packs fairly flat.  We always take a couple of camping chairs too.
- Kitchen Equipment - we have a Vango camping kitchen and is a godsend for creating a little kitchen area in the porch part of the tent.  Stove, pots, pans, kettle, plates, cups, washing up paraphenalia are all in one place and not getting in the way inside the tent,
- Lots of snacks - whilst there are more food choices than you can imagine in the festival I always take crisps, biscuits and fruit.
- Hair chalk, flower crowns, hats and face paints - obviously these are more for my daughters but I do have the obligatory festival straw hat.

The Den at Camp Bestival

This week Camp Bestival released the line up in The Den, which has caused some excitement in the countdown for our teenage daughters.  Amber is a huge fan of the Geek Girl series so will definitely attending the session with Holly Smale.  Meanwhile Lucy has been listening to music from some of the line up on Soundcloud and You Tube.  Whilst both girls are planning to be indulging in some tie dying fun and are interested to see exactly what loop pedaling involves!  

With The Den offering some diverse and exciting options for Amber and Lucy it means that we can take Kitty to enjoy some activities that the older girls may find a little young to do.  Perhaps some of you heading to Camp Bestival for the first time this year with teens were worrying they may get a little bored, rest assured they will not be.  Alongside the vast choice in The Den there is more than enough for them to do before they settle down at the Castle or Big Top stages to watch the many acts, nevermind the headliners!

Still need to book your Camp Bestival tickets? Head on over to the website now www.campbestival.net 

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

Food Glorious Food

A few days ago a rather appetising press release pinged into my inbox, as Camp Bestival announced the talented chefs headlining the Feast Collective this year.  As a bit of foodie I am always equally concerned about the delicious offerings at a festival as I am the music line up.  Previous years at Camp Bestival have left us with taste buds tingling, with the many vendors in the Feast Collective and beyond providing flavours from near and far.  

With a strong emphasis on street food style the Feast Collective is a carefully curated collection of flavours, pushing culinary boundaries.  So lets see what we can expect this year.  A firm favourite in our family, DJ BBQ, will thankfully be returning with his burgers to die for and sounds that make for a summer party.  This year also sees the return of Zoe's Ghana Kitchen, offering contemporary twists on traditional Ghanian dishes.  Of course sharing a name makes me automatically drawn to Zoe's stall!  Also we see the return of Seadog, with their seaside popcorn, Pimp My Ramen offering noodle burger fusions, alongside newbies to the tent, Makatcha, sharing exotic tastes of Indonesian Rendang.  With an ever growing trend for healthy foods, there are several options for vegan diets and for those of us aiming to reduce our intake of refined foods, especially sugar.   So a visit to The Chocolate Bear Kitchen and The Rattling Pan will be on my agenda and the girls and I are keen to try the 100% natural ice lollies from Polar Pops. And of course Andy and I will be heading to Noble Espresso's for a better caffeine fix than our camping kettle offers!  

Have I got your taste buds tingling yet?  The Feast Collective is just the beginning.  I will write again soon about the other foodie offerings for the weekend.

Until next time, take care.
Zoe
xo

To find out more about the line up this year at Camp Bestival and to book tickets visit www.campbestival.net

Hazy Summers of Sound

Yesterday driving back from work Clean Bandit popped up on a playlist and with the sun gently setting as I headed home I was taken back to last summer.  Happily cocooned in festival fun we danced and sang along as the sun set over Castle Stage.  Just another magical memory from our family time at Camp Bestival.  With Spring fast approaching, Andy, the children and I are starting to get excited about this years line up.  Where else can you see Bananarama, Fat Boy Slim, Jess Glynne and Tears for Fears, to name a few? Actually I am most excited to see The Brand New Heavies, some cool acid jazz sounds filling the hazy summer evening air, glass of Pimms in hand = perfection.  

So for the next few weeks as the days get longer and finally I get to see more daylight, (honestly there are days when I am concerned I maybe becoming a mole!) thoughts will turn to the promise of new memories being made as the sun sets over the Castle Stage.

To see the full Camp Bestival line up (so far!) and to purchase tickets please visit www.campbestival.net

Until next time, take care. 

Zoe

xo

Our Festi Family Holiday

Having spent the past fornight almost constantly checking the weather forecast, last Thursday we headed to Dorset ready for a weekend of festival fun at Camp Bestival.  Laden with wellies, suncream, blankets, flipflops and much more besides we were ready for whatever the weather had in store for us.  Thankfully the wellies were not required, but lashings of suncream were.  Again we were blessed with gorgeous summer sunshine as we had endless fun in the grounds of Lulworth Castle.  

This year was a little different for us, as the boys had decided that although the musical line up looked good, the days at Camp Bestival were a tad boring for them.  So after much deliberation we agreed they could stay at home, with promises of no parties.  Without the extra muscle power of two strapping teenage lads, Andy and I decided to book Camping Plus, allowing us to have a specific pitch.  However we made this decision quite late so had to settle for a pitch very close to the festival entrance and a bit of a walk from the car park.  But having previously pitched in the main campsites, we were still parked closer to our pitch than previous years.  The added bonus of real toilets and plenty of showers in the Camping Plus field more than made up for the struggle across the field with all of our camping gear.  There was also The Tea Bus a short stroll form our tent, which was a lifesaver ont he Thursday lunchtime when we hadn't managed to get the kettle and stove from the car just yet.  

Previous years had been about the activities but this year it would seem that music was very much on the agenda, not just for Andy and I but for the girls too.  With a fantastic line up over the weekend, there were performances we did not want to miss.  Clean Bandit headlined the Castle Stage on Friday night and certainly did not disappoint.  Under a starlit sky we danced until late, this year even Kitty was determined to stay up, sleepily crawling into her sleeping bag at midnight.  Saturday saw us running between stages as Andy and I wanted to see Level 42 on the Castle Stage and I also did not want to miss one of my current favourites, The Shires, who were performing at the Big Top.  Thankfully the schedulers had thought about this possible clash so I was able to catch both performances.  So after a sing along and dance to The Shires and being able to share a more up close concert with Lucy and Amber, we headed back to join Andy and Kitty at the Castle Stage for Kaiser Chiefs, who were disappointingly not as great as I had hoped.  With such an eclectic mix of music we were really being spoilt, but it was not over yet!  Sunday saw us running down the hill from Camping Plus, abandoning plans to pack up the tent, as we could hear Ella Henderson on earlier than scheduled.  Another benefit of being so close to the festival! After returning from packing up the car we headed back to complete our musical adventure with performances from Bob Geldof, Soul II Soul and Ella Eyre.  In the warm summer sun Jazzie B and the band transported me back to long summer days of my sixth form years and Ella Eyre provided that musical bond with my daughters, as we all sang along.

Whilst the music seemed to take over our weekend plans we still made time for many more activities within the festival.  A trip in to the cool shade of Dingly Dell was welcomed and again the girls completed several of the National Trust challenges, but we never did get back to make whistles from carrots.  Previous years had seen us spend alot of time in the circus skills area and this year was not very different.  Kitty became obessesed with hula hooping and spent ages trying to do all sorts of tricks.  Another must was to pop to Art Town and the girls also wanted to visit the Energiser tent to decorate a headtorch as well as going to the Hello Kitty garden, where the girls had tattoo's and we dressed up in the selfie photo booth!  They also managed to do one of the craft workshops at the Volvo tent as well as enjoying a coffee and a cinnamon bun sat on comfy cushions whilst the girls made floral wreaths.

Food is another big part of the festival experience for us, as we keenly visited the Feast Collective, the Farmers Market and many other foodie stands and stalls.  Tasting the numerous flavours of Belvoir Fruits cordials, gorging on bread and cakes from different stalls in the Farmers Market and taking our taste buds on an international food fest in the Feast Collective.  DJ BBQ was still the best place to get a burger ever and Camper Coffee, near the Yorkshire Tea Tent, made the best coffee ever, which always made the waiting in the long queue worth it.  

Whilst Camp Bestival seemed a lot busier this year, the festival vibe was certainly turned up to full blast.  Parades a plenty and random performances around the castle grounds led to an amazing weekend.  Sometimes it was just good to stop and sit for a while, watching and listening.  One of our favourite moments was on Saturday morning, hearing a steel drum band, The Steelers, playing songs from current bands.  We then thankfully stumbled across their 'proper' performance in the Big Top on Sunday afternoon.  That's the thing about a festival, you never quite know what you will see and hear and for me that is when the best memories are made.

So thank you Camp Bestival, we had a blast and will treasure the memories you gave us forever.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

Camp Bestival - Let's Go Wild

Part of the fun at festivals is dressing up, with many having a theme for the weekend.  This year the theme at Camp Bestival is Wild. With guests including Michela Strachan and Steve Backshall it makes me think of wildlife and the Really Wild Show! So I have been thinking about costumes for the girls and maybe myself for Saturday at Camp B, which is the traditional fancy dress day.  So of course I popped on to Pinterest for some inspiration, looking for fox masks, feather headdresses and much more besides.  Here are my favourites so far -

Animal Mask Templates from Emma Magazine

Woodland Creature Masks from Hoosier Homemade

Ladybird Costume Tutorial from HGTV

There is also a butterfly, dragonfly and bumblebee costume tutorial on this link.

This would make a fab owl costume

from Project Inspired

I love this Leaf Girl costume from Alpha Mom

Feather Crown tutorial from The Wonder Forest

So what will you be dressing up as? Be sure to share photos with me!

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

Camp Bestival Countdown

This weekend we headed to Midsummer Music, the little music festival in our village which is held every other year.  Crazily I had agreed to play in the orchestra, having not played properly for several years, I was amazed that I could still play my clarinet.  The weather was amazing, although it was perhaps a little too warm for playing and I know some of the bands performing longer sets suffered a little in the blazing sunshine.  Sat listening to some talented local performers and bands, Andy and I realised it was only four weeks until Camp Bestival.  Time to get organised!

Having been several times now we know what to expect and have added to and removed things from our list.  The essential camping kit is at the top of the list, but this is a festival so there always extras added to the list.  Aswell as doing things slightly differently to normal camping, eg. no glass bottles, not being able to refreeze ice packs.  So looking at my list from last year, which you can find in this post  I am deciding if there any extras to add and what I still need to buy.  I think some new bunting is required and I have just brought a new camping kitchen stand from Vango.  Amber and Kitty are keen to have a minion windsock, but at almost £25 I think we will make do with our old flag, although if I have the time I would like to try and rustle up one that matches the retro scout badge style of the Camp Bestival logo this year!

Any essentials you will be taking to festivals this year? 

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

The Feast Collective at Camp Bestival

Obviously the music is the main reason I go to festivals but being a bit of a foodie, the food is a big draw for me too.  Last year saw the arrival of the Feast Collective at Camp Bestival and boy what a feast we had!  Our taste buds went on travels across continents as we all tried many dishes over the weekend.  For me the shashuka is still my favourite dish of the festival and I now regularly make it at home.  Andy and the boys loved the delicious burgers from DJ BBQ and the tandori fries from Baba G.  

Looking at the foodie line up for this year I know we will not be disappointed, as some old favourites return.  Even more exciting is the new additions to the Feast Collective - Happy Maki, Seadog, Shrimpy, The Thoroughly Wild Meat Co. to name a few. Nevermind Caravan Coffee to feed our coffee addiction and the fabulous Helen of the Knackered Mothers Wine Club is hosting another wine tasting.  

The best thing of all about the Feast Collective is that it is affordable.  When feeding a small tribe of hungry children at a festival you don't want to have to remortgage your house.  So delicious food, with flavours from around the world, that fills us all up and we get some change in our pocket too.

Did you head to the Feast Collective last year? Who was your favourite vendor?  I would love to know.

Until next time, take care.

Zoe

xo

Disclosure - This year I am one of the official Camp Bestival bloggers, working with them to share my top tips and reviewing the festival.  They have kindly given us a family weekend ticket, however all opinions are my own.

Camp Bestival - Official Blogger

Yes it's true I will be joining the fantabulous Camp Bestival team again as an official blogger.  I am thrilled to be working with the team again and we are all very excited already.  Nevermind how amazing the line up is, Kaiser Chiefs, The Shires, Soul II Soul (need I say more?!), Camp Bestival is our favourite festival and truly is the place where memories are made that will be cherished forever.  

Over the coming weeks I will be bringing you the latest news and any additions to the line up as well as my top tips and the things we are planning to do.  In the meantime you can read about our adventures at Camp Bestival last summer before booking your tickets at www.campbestival.net!

Have a fabulous weekend and until next time take care.

Zoe

xo