The Monday Piece - December Togo Update

This week's Monday Piece is on December Togo update! This little pup is such a delight and the most wonderful boy to have around. He's been totally spoiled over the festive period and as we've been in Tier One he's had some lovely guests pop over to see him too! This year has been hard for everyone - but this little one really brings love and joy to our family, I've included a few cute photos to maybe brighten your day too :).

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The Monday Piece - Itsu Bao Buns

This week's Monday Piece is on Itsu bao buns! Forget pigs in blankets – this year gyoza and bao are the new Christmas must-haves. Whilst this Christmas will be different to any other, that shouldn’t stop us from enjoying all our favourite party food, and so itsu - the healthy, Asian-inspired food brand – is here for all the finger food festivities.

Bao buns – fluffy, steamed Asian buns – have been a huge food trend in 2020, even appearing in Asda’s Christmas advert as a classic party food essential and starring in the Great British Bake Off.

They’re so popular that itsu – the number 1 bao and gyoza brand in the UK – has forecasted a YoY growth of +54% of their well-loved frozen supermarket bao’bun range. The brand has also reported that its popular gyoza range, available in supermarket freezers, has had a YoY growth of +135% as the public gyoza crazy for new foods and flavours.

Whilst we might be in our bubbles at Christmas, unable to dine or travel, itsu hopes people can still celebrate in some style with delicious Asian-inspired, restaurant-quality finger food :).

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The Monday Piece - At Home Insta Workouts

This week's Monday Piece is on at home insta workouts! With the gyms closed for long periods, and some fitness fanatics not feeling safe enough to return despite them re-opening, online fitness really kicked off – especially live workouts on Instagram.

With that in mind, Golfsupport.com wanted to ascertain which 30-minute online workout is the most effective calorie burner.

They gave 67 people a Fitness Tracker each and asked them to complete one workout from the list per day and record the calories burnt. Once all 67 people had completed all the workouts, Golf Support took an average of calories burnt for each workout, and the results can finally be revealed!

Bradley Simmonds’ HIIT workout burned a whopping average of 412 calories in half an hour, making it the most effective workout on the list in terms of calorie burn. This is hardly surprising given the number of burpees on the agenda! Bradley also came in second place on the list in terms of people who said they would do the workout again (68%).

Following closely behind is Body by Ciara, whose workout burnt an average of 403 calories in half an hour, with 72% of people saying they would do the workout again. Ciara also came out on top in terms of music, with an average rating of 9/10.

In third place for calories burnt is Barry’s Bootcamp UK (386 calories per 30 min workout).

In last place is Pamela Reif, whose ab workout burnt a measly 97 calories. Pamela’s workout proved popular though, with 75% of people saying they would do it again (third highest percentage on the list),and an average rating of 8/10. Seems people love an ab workout – even if calories burnt are comparatively low!

National treasure Joe Wicks’s PE workout came relatively low down on the list in terms of calories burnt, torching 290 per half hour session. However, Joe came joint top in terms of enjoyment rating, an average 9/10 score :).

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The Monday Piece - Rural Staycations

This week's Monday Piece is on rural staycations! In 2021, avoid the crowds and travel to hidden gems while sustainably spreading the travel love. Rabbie’s (www.rabbies.com), the UK’s leading coach touring company, offers private or small group tours, meaning more time with the expert guides, avoiding the crowds, and going far off the beaten track. As experts at finding these areas and activities, Rabbie’s reveals its top staycation experiences to add to your bucket list for 2021.

Sample whisky from royal favourites to the oldest. Known in Scotland as the ‘water of life’, nothing beats a holiday with friends and a tipple! Sample some of the world’s finest whiskies on the Islay & the Whisky Coast four-day coach tour from £299 per person departing from Edinburgh. Distilleries on this adventure include the Oban Distillery, Islay’s oldest distillery, Bowmore, Ardnahoe Distillery, Kilchoman Distillery, the Prince of Wales’ favourite Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, and to end with, a whisky shop in Inveraray.

Make a wish at the Giants Ironing Stone. In Kylemore Abbey, Irish legend has it that giants had a battle against one another. An iron-shaped rock used in the fight juts out in the estate and is now a wishing stone. If you stand with your back against the stone, make a wish and throw a small pebble over the stone three times, that wish will be granted. Discover more Irish legends on a three-day West Coast Explorer tour from €309 departing from Dublin.

Visit Queen Victoria’s favourite holiday home". It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot" said Queen Victoria of Osborne House, her palatial holiday home on the Isle of Wight. Visit Victoria and Albert's private apartments, their bathing beach and children's play-cottage for an intimate glimpse of royal family life. Join the three-day Isle of Wight and the Southern Coast tour from £195 and follow in the footsteps of royalty.

For book worms, travel the ‘town of books’. Wales’ Hay-on-Wye is a town where there are books in the castle, shelves on the streets and more little boutique bookstores than you could ever have thought possible. In total, Hay-on-Wye now has over twenty bookstores, all dedicated to the love of the written word. Visit this hidden gem on a five-day Discover Wales tour from £289 departing from London.

Feed Britain’s only free-ranging reindeer. There are currently around 150 reindeer in the herd on the Cairngorm Mountains. Travellers can get into the festive spirit, coming close to these magical animals whilst enjoying a local Speyside Whisky. Did you know that reindeer don’t melt the snow they lie on because of their big warm winter coats? Join a Loch Ness, Inverness & the Highlands tour from £95 departing from Edinburgh, relax and see the best of the Scottish Highlands.

Soak up some Jane Austen in the Roman Baths. Did you know that Avebury Neolithic Standing Stones are bigger than Stonehenge? Travelling through West England is like stepping back in time, first to the Druid era then to Bath where Georgian architecture effortlessly blends with ancient Roman artefacts. Visit film locations from Harry Potter, Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice all in one day, with the one-day Bath, Avebury and Lacock Village tour, departing from London, from £59.

With social distancing measures in place, as well as increased cleaning measures, Rabbie’s offers worry-free journeys. In 2021, go beyond the guidebooks to explore further. For more visit https://www.rabbies.com/en :).

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