Sunday 17th June is Father’s Day and what better way to celebrate than a family lunch or dinner out at a restaurant. Many restaurants will be busier than usual this sunday, full with happy Dad’s, so make sure you ring ahead and reserve a table if possible. While not quite on the scale of the annual Mother’s Day lunch or dinner tradition, Farther’s day continues to grow and some restaurants have chosen to suspend their usual menu deals or discounts for the day.

However, we enjoy and challenge and have been busy searching for the best restaurant deals which any Dad will love. Take a look at our favourites below.

Chiquito Mexican Restaurant and Bar, Dads Eat for Free! Chiquitos are offering dads a free main meal when another adult in the party purchases a main meal from the Menu. Offer valid for parties with two or more adults dining on Fathers Day.

Harvester a favourite for families and great value, choose your favourite grill, side order and unlimited salad all from £4.99

Toby Carveries for a good old traditional Sunday Roast with all the trimmings another favourite with families and great value, carveries from £9.49

Loch Fyne If seafood is Dad’s thing, well Loch Fyne are doing a special Fathers Day Menu which includes ‘steak and lobster. Also if you dine after 6.00 pm they are offering a complimentary bottle of Old Speckled Hen or a glass of Prosecco for all diners. Main courses from £13.99

Frankie & Benny’s Dads Eat for Free! Choose two courses from the new ‘specials menu’.  The free meal can be either starter and main course or main course and dessert. This is a great offer and with more than 180 restaurants there is bound to be one near you.

Ask Restuarant are offering a Pizza and a Peroni for £10 on Fathers Day only. This offer entitles each person in the party to any pizza and 330ml Peroni for £10 (Peroni can be substituted for a glass of wine or soft drink) However, this offer is not valid to anyone under 18 years.

Also check out our Restaurant Vouchers page for more deals, but don’t forget to check all terms and conditions and make sure your voucher applies to Father’s Day.

Have a great Fathers Day!

Just days to go for the Jubilee long weekend of celebrations across the UK and everyone is going jubilee mad with a patriotic party spirit. Lots of companies have been busy rebranding their products with traditional British designs offering us a piece of Jubilee history! Supermarket shelves are brimming over with themed items, union jacks, crowns, royal guards are all taking pride of place and making a large impact on food products.

Cadburys have launched a new chocolate bar to mark the occasion, Tate and Lyle Golden Syrup have rebranded their icon tins with “happy an Glorious” and Marmite, the most British of brands, is sporting a the Union Jack flag.

With time running out and lots to do it we have curated a list of our favourite Jubilee Goddies which are available to buy online and get delivered the next day!

First off this is an excellent offer from Tesco Wines a special Diamond Jubilee Brut Reserva Cava was £85.44 per case (6 bottles) now only £34.20

How about this tasty Tesco Strawberry Jam Scone Dessert, a bargain at only £1.00 and perfect for cream teas.

Ocado are selling this unique McVities Diamond Jubilee Tin of Biscuits (special edition) £5.00

For delicious and traditional British deserts no street party is complete without Victoria Sponge Cake we have chosen this one from Waitrose for £6.99

All the supermarkets are doing an extensive range of party accessories ie bunting, flags, banners, tablecloths, cups etc. but we just love these fun masks from Tesco. Royal Family Face Masks (6 per pack) £4.97

Twinings developed a blend of tea to commemorate 60 years with a Queen’s Jubilee tea blend. It comes in a loose tea Diamond Jubilee Caddy or teabag Diamond Jubilee Caddy…

Wittards Union Jack Tea & Pouch £5 and team it with their ‘Happy & Glorious’ Mug £9

Thorntons ‘Best of British’ range includes a delicious hamper only £35 and there is 10% discount off everything.

So get organised shop online and relax… hang up the bunting, fly the flag and join in the fun and celebrations of the Queens Diamond Jubilee!

We British love our champagne and sparkling wines, yes we love the bubbles! Would you believe we drink more than champagne than any other country in the world even more than the French themselves. Champagnes are traditionally used to mark special occasions, so what a summer this is going to be, there will be corks popping at every street corner because this is our summer of celebrations!

First off you don’t need to spend a fortune on ‘real’ champagne because most of the sparkling wines today are of a very high quality for example the Spanish Cava is a great quality product. We have had a look around the local supermarkets for the best value in champagne and sparklings and there are lots of great deals to be had impress your friends with a nice bottle of Champagne, you can pick up a bottle of Moet&Chandon for as little as £13.11

Here’s a taste of whats out there!!!
Francois Dubois Champagne Brut £12.79 (half price) from Tesco.com
Freisenet Excelencia Vintage Cava £6.99 (half price) from Ocado
Lanson Black Label £8.24 (25% off) from Sainsburys
Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut £13.11 (25% off) from Sainsburys
Prosecco San Leo £6.66 (33% off) or 12 bottles for £75.84 from Waitrose

If you really want to push the boat out, from one of the great champagne houses, Taittinger Prestige Rose now £39.99 Ocado

You can save even more money if you order by the case usually six bottles. Perhaps you could share the order with a neighbour or friend for that street party or summer barbecue!

Tesco has a great offer on their Diamond Jubilee Brut Reserva Cava £39.99 (save 59%) described as ‘fresh, light, delicate and utterly delicious’

Some of the above supermarkets are offering Free Delivery or Money Off your first shop when you order online, wine is bulky and heavy so why not have it delivered safely to you kitchen table! Shop smart check out where you can make the most savings, taking note of offer-end date and, of course, read terms and conditions.

So whatever your taste or budget, join in the fun and celebrations this summer “pop the cork and break out the bubbly”

The summer clubcard big voucher exchange is now open!

Exchange your clubcard vouchers and double the value. For every £5 worth of clubcard vouchers you will receive a £10 token to spend at selected Tesco departments both in-store and online.

This year Tesco you can exchange your vouchers in the following 10 departments. A huge range means you will definitely find something, a perfect treat for you and the family this summer. Visit the www.tesco.com Tesco Voucher Exchange 2012 website for full details.

• Clothing
• Gardening, Garden
• Furniture & BBQ
• Toys, Bikes & Camping
• Cameras, Sat Navs & Audio
• Small Domestic Appliances
• & Personal Electrical
• Baby & Toddler
• Furniture
• Phones & Accessories
• Opticians
• Pet Food

Take a browse through the 10 departments and simply choose where you’d like to spend your vouchers.

Please note once you’ve exchanged your vouchers you’ll only be able to spend them in your selected department.

To be eligible all vouchers must be exchanged by June 14th, so get exchanging today!

Tesco has recently launched its new “Everyday Value” brand which will replace the “value” range. Tesco says the new range features many of the products that price conscious consumers know and love with a greater emphasis on quality, healthier options and improved packaging.

You can now see the full Everyday Value range and shop online at www.tesco.com

David Wood, Tesco UK Marketing Director said;  “We have listened closely to what our customers want and Everyday Value will provide products that taste better, look better and are healthier – still at the same great price.”

These 3 areas are clearly something that Tesco believed could be improved upon from the old “value” brand.

Tesco says the quality of the new range comes at now extra cost to shoppers while ensuring that Everyday value products contain no hydrogenated fats, no artificial flavours or colours, and no genetically modified ingredients. Tesco have also made an effort to reduce the fat content of its Everyday value range, ensuring it appeals to families who want to save money while still maintaining a healthy diet.

The new range should be easy to spot on the shelves as Tesco has updated the packaging with more colourful branding, the packaging has also been made more functional with grated cheese in re-sealable bags, and biscuits in easy-to-open packets.

Here are just some of the new and improved Everyday Value products you can look out for:

• Fish fingers – 100% fillet of fish
• The chocolate swiss roll is 35 per cent bigger
• Mince, reduced fat content
• Tesco Everyday Value vegetables – three kinds of pea, beetroot and carrots will be 100 per cent British.
• Tesco Everyday Value tinned fruit – will be in juice, not syrup when new season available
• Milk chocolate digestive biscuits have more chocolate and chocolate chip biscuits have 33 per cent more chocolate chips

Most of us know that packing a healthy Lunch Box for the kids is a challenge in itself what with little ‘picky eaters’ and ‘don’t eat green stuff’ kids.

Well, we’re adults so that shouldn’t be a problem because we know what’s good and healthy for us! So instead of nipping out for a quick and often expensive sandwich or drink why not get used to making your own tasty lunch box… do as many days a week as you can manage and you will be surprised at just how much change will be left in your pocket at the end of the week.
The whole secret is to be prepared – the better prepared your are the smoother and quicker your Lunch Box can be made.

• Prepare and chop food ahead of time – never right before you head out the door or sit down to eat. Have cleaned fresh veggies and fruits at the ready.
• Buy for the week so you don’t have to go back to the shop… save time
• Don’t forget mini healthy snacks to prevent energy lows… nuts, olives
• Good old fashioned water and even milk (if you don’t have a dairy intolerance)
• If you’re not too tired make your lunch the night before and pop it in a air-tight container (don’t add dressing at this stage… you don’t want a soggy salad)

Why not order online, this way you can really take your time and choose carefully. Pay careful attention to prices, only get items your know you will use, look for different colours, textures and flavours to keep it interesting an healthy. And remember unprocessed foods are best for our physical and mental health!

Most supermarkets deliver right to your door and at the moment there’s great money off offers for first timers and some supermarkets are offering Free Delivery. Here are a few exceptional offers to help you fill that healthy lunch box these are just some of our favourites there are lots lots more…..

Ocado : strawberries 400g £1.85, bananas Fair Trade 2 for £2.50, Pot of Herbs any 3 for £3,
Weight Watchers crisps and snacks 2 for £2.50, reduced fat caesar dressing £1, organic apple rice cakes 2 for £2, Frozen Main Prawns £3.99 was £5.99

Tesco: mangos 75p each, satsumas(bag) £1, beetroot salad 85p, red onions(3) £1.00
peppers (bag) 600g £1, cherry tomatoes on vine £1.35, avocados (4 pack) £1.25, sweet potatoes £1.25kg, wild rocket (bag) 85p
Philadelphia light any 2 for £2, Ryvita crisp bread £1.25, Reduced fat Mayo 2 for £2.50

Sainsburys: Gala apples (bag) £1.50, carrots batons 400g £1.00, Pineapple £1.00
Mission deli wraps 2pkts for £2.50, Allis Greek feta cheese 2 for £3, Bernard Matthew premium turkey beast 2pkts for £3.00

Asda: fresh asparagus tips 2 for £3, organic white cabbage £1.00, carrots (bag) 73p
Good for You cottage cheese .92

Waitrose: bag of mixed salad 60p (save ⅓ ), natural cottage cheese 95p buy 2 save 50p, gluten free English muffins (pkt of 3) £2.19

The goal each day is to have a healthy Lunch Box you’ll enjoy… using a combination of lean protein, healthy fats, whole food carbs. and lots and lots fruit and veg. You don’t have to go hungry or starve yourself you can make up lots of healthy options for your Lunch Box and avoid reaching for so called ‘comfort foods’ you will find that cravings for higher calorie foods will decrease.

Good Luck and hopefully the Healthy Lunch Box will become a permanent part of your day.

Here is some simple recipes you can make yourself which taste great and are much cheaper if you make them at home.

Healthy Coleslaw (BBC Good food website)
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4668/healthy-coleslaw

Roast Chicken Salad with Eggs (Woman and Home website)

Greek Salad (Rachels Organic Website)

Chicken Salad Wrap and Courgette and Seed Muffins (Channel 4 – 4food website)

Healthy Potato Salad (Slimming World website)