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In Reviews / Sponsored

Dirt Devil Reach #review

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on 1 Comment

On hearing that my hoover aka the Useless-Machine had blown up on me, the lovelies from Dirt Devil offered to send me a new hoover in exchange for a review.

When the hoover arrived (I wasn’t 100% sure which one would be coming) I was worried to find it wasn’t an upright but a small cylinder vacuum. I’ve had many of these before and to be honest haven’t found them the best when it comes to picking up. This assumption was my first mistake. The Reach (model DCC038) with it’s 2200 watts of sucking power really packs a punch. She may be small but she’s strong! I was very pleasantly surprised!

 

The Reach comes with: 

  • High power cylinder
  • Metalic telespcopic tool
  • accessory holder
  • crevice nozzle
  • upholstery brush
  • dusting brush
  • intense turbo brush
  • 4 in one stretch hose (5m)
  • carpet floor brush
  • user guide
  • care guide
The clever technical stuff!
This nifty machine comes with a Microban extra hygiene filter and high grade HEPA filtration. In short, it has built in antibacterial protection for an extra level of hygiene when you are cleaning. Microban is a pretty big deal in halting bacteria. More information on Microban and how Dirt Devil work with them to ensure our homes are as clean as they can be, can be found here (it’s worth a look at, interesting stuff!).
My personal opinion of the Reach is that it is perfect for a family home. Despite looking compact it has a total capacity of 3 litres, great suction and is light and easy to manoeuvre around your home.
Easy to store, easy to use (even on stairs and thanks to the easily accessible tools, and for all the places that collect dust and dirt), The Reach gets a 5/5 from us. The turbo brush which is ideal for pet hair does what no hoover tool has ever managed before… it easily cleans up our suite which has goose feather cushions (so gets very bitty and dusty very quickly!).
If you have any questions on the Reach or any of the Dirt Devil products why not say hello to the team on Twitter and keep up to date with news, offers and hints and tips on Facebook? You can find the Reach and numerous other fantastic Dirt Devil products at Argos.
The Reach comes with very simple instructions for setting up, using and cleaning
In Food

Thai Tom Yum (urm) Concoction

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on 2 Comments

I went a bit off tangent this week! I had planned on using the lovely Thai Tom Yum paste Worldfoods sent me to do May’s Tom Yum Seafood Rice. We didn’t fancy it so I used the paste in my own original way (this is why I love Worldfoods, so versatile!). You can find the suggested recipe below. This is my thrown-together version.

Nicki’s Beef Tom Yum Rice

Click to enlarge

Ingredients

  • Minced Beef
  • Courgette
  • Red pepper
  • Onion
  • Sweetcorn
  • Mushrooms
  • Oil
  • Thai Tom Yum Paste
  • White Rice
This is a quick and easy meal which is packed with flavour!
1. Cook off your rice
2. Slice your courgettes, and other vegetables.
3. Gently fry off your minced beef and onions together, adding the peppers, courgettes and lastly sweetcorn when the mince is cooked through.
4. Throw together your mince mixture and rice and add the Tom Yum paste, a teaspoon at a time. (We didn’t find the paste overly spicy but it would take over the other ingredients if you added too much. Add to taste).
5. Serve and enjoy!
Not a very technically clever meal but absolutely delicious. Roy took the left overs to work the next day and has asked already when we are having it again! Thanks again Worldfoods, yet another fantastic tool to help us create something yummy!

 

May’s Tom Yum Seafood Rice

Serves 2-4

  •  1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 300g (10.7 oz) cooked rice, cooked as per pack instructions
  • 100g frozen mixed vegetables
  • 6 fresh mushrooms (optional), halved
  • 1 thin slice ginger, finely chopped
  • 100g (3.5oz) raw prawns, shelled and deveined
  • 1.5 tbsp WORLDFOODS Thai Tom Yum Paste
  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok. Add ginger and stir fry till fragrant.
  2. Stir in the tom yum paste and fry for 1 minute until aromatic. Add mixed vegetables, mushrooms, prawns and stir for 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in rice and cook for further 5 minutes until heated through.

*Rice for frying can be cooked at least 2 hours in advance or the night before – this ensures that it is slightly less moist and better for stir-frying.

 

To pad this soup out you could add cooked noodles, barley or rice. 

 

Please pay attention to the paste ratio guidelines – it should be roughly one teaspoon per person. Taste it as you go and if it is not to your liking, add some more water, or more paste. You can also add more or less coconut milk to suit your taste.

 

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