Tea and Sympatico

I've only ever watched one series of The Apprentice but it happened to be the one a couple of years ago where Susan Ma reached the final. She was my favourite out of the Apprentices that year and her idea was to develop her existing skincare range. Fast forward a couple of years and although she didn't win the series Lord Sugar chose to invest and the full range of skincare products and make up was launched earlier this year and has already won several awards. It's sold in the same way as Neal's Yard and Body Shop sell their stuff in that you book an 'ambassador' to come to your house to do demos for you and your friends and you can then order any products through them. As the host you get 15% of any sales to use against products for yourself. I booked a party as one of my friends had started selling it and the range is completely vegan. I must say I was really impressed with the quality of the products which smell amazing. I've got a bit lazy about looking...

I've just spent a lovely afternoon tasting great food and wine in the company of Polly from Creative Tourist , Matt from Northern Quarter Manchester  (both great sites to check out whether you're a local or visitor to the city) and fellow vegans Andrea of Chocolate and Beyond , Sophie of Hasta La Vegan and Sophia who organises the fabulous vegan Tuesdays at the Salford Arms . The venue was Oak Street Cafe in Manchester Craft and Design Centre . Owner Karen explained to us how with the exception of one or two dishes the food they serve is vegetarian with lots of it being suitable for vegan or gluten free diners. Chef Liz has been known to whip up dishes at short notice for visitors with multiple food allergies and they pride themselves on having something for everyone. The emphasis is on local, fresh and ethical fayre using suppliers such as Unicorn , Barbakan  and Marble Beers . We started off with this flavourful tasting plate. The thai tomato soup tasted like the bes...