salt, soup and a dash of coffee

There are a number of products leaping onto the market lately and I have been looking at several of them.

First off …. Makro has launched their own brand of cleaning materials with some great packaging labels.  Definitely worth a mention here is their dishwashing liquid, particularly in the Pomegranate scent …. I swear it smells like opening a container of that fruit in a popular supermarket.  Nice and foamy and deep cleaning without that horrible slick little oily layer staying behind that some of the “in house branded” products give. 

Next up is the Salt ‘n Pepper mixed grinder at Woolworths.  I do not know if it has been there for long, but it is a serious step up from the S & P mixes of some other brands.  It has exactly the right proportions and grinds in a reasonable size so that you neither end up with finely crushed powder or great globules that you have to bite through.

Lastly House of Coffees has finally jumped onto the bandwagon of the instant cappuccino sachets idea.  Nescafe firmly leads this market in my mind, with their rich and strongly, very foamy and seriously delicious product.  House of Coffees  has a very aesthetically pleasing box …. Quirky name, bright colouring, but the sachets, as pretty as they are, remind me of cup a soup.  Some of the brands of soup sachets do not use little square packets, they use sachets that look exactly like this … and that is all I could think of.  Sadly I was disappointed by the actual product.  The foam is thin and when you are sipping the coffee, the foam disappears within a couple of sips, leaving you simply with coffee with milk.  A perfect cappuccino keeps foam almost to the end,  so for a coffee snob and somewhat of a fundi like me …. Disappointing.   I will however say that the actual coffee was a good strong one.  And I drink great coffee at home via my Nespresso machine, great coffee at work and spend a lot of time in good coffeeshops. 

 Till soon 

K xxx 

All things in the mouth and on the mouth - choc & lipbalm

Now let us talk about chocolate.  And Cadbury's springs to mind.  Their slabs have always been sublime .... and then came their Oreo slab.  I bought one and cried for a week ... not from toothache but from the emotion of discovering something so decadently wicked and delicious.  And then ....... I have since childhood been a great fan of that granule candy that you put into your mouth and then it makes that popping sound and sensation in your mouth. This is something that has made the subject of divorce raise its head in our house each time I do this .... my husband gets a fit. 

So imagine my delight when I spotted 2 new slabs released from the Cadbury's fold.  I have only seen them once .... in the Superspar in Queenswood and have not found them in any supermarket since then.  They do not appear to be imports and they were priced at less than the Oreo one, so I assume they are yet to reach other supermarkets ... I hope so. Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations .....The one has little jelly and popping pieces .... yes you bite it and then if you open your mouth it makes that sound ..... and yes I am a grown up woman with 2 kids but man I love it .... and the other one has jellies and little caramel bits.  You have to try it .... sometimes you have to be wicked.  Just have to. 

Then on to the new Lipice release ....available in 4 different "flavours" it is a lipbalm, lipgloss and liptint in one.  The packaging is vivid and bright and it looks very very appealing.  Well named flavours and at R20 it is not that expensive compared to some of their Labello counterparts.  I have only been able to find it at Pharmavalu so far, not even Dischem or Clicks up to yesterday, seemingly because it is still a very new release. 

I went for the luminous orange packaged one .... and got my daughter and I each one. Called Summer Melon, it would give the lightest coral tint to the mouth.   They say "subtle" - which means it is "faint", "understated" but very much there!   I was really disappointed by the "tint" part.  It is a balm yes, although I found that after less than half an hour that feeling had disappeared from my mouth and I had to reapply.  The gloss part is ok, not spectacular but a little glossy.  However the tint was non existent.  It looked like absolutely normal lipice on my mouth.  I found this strange as the Labello tinted one definitely leaves a red or pink stain and a long lasting one at that and the Clicks brand leaves a very distinctive tint of sheer pink and that one in particular is great as a lipbalm.  Their pricing is also very competitive. I kissed the mirror to check the colour.  It was simply a mark on the mirror. Nothing even subtle. 

So it was all things "mouthy" today .... choc and gloss. 

Till tomorrow, 

K xxx

The restaurant, the DSTV, the bank & the coffee company

Last month I tweeted Wimpy after my son and I had a very bad experience at their OR Tambo franchise above the domestic arrivals hall.  The response was instant ... I was not only contacted by Famous Brands, the franchisor, but also by Wimpy management, the franchise owner of that particular Wimpy and their manager.  They really were interested in where it all went wrong and in working out why.  After all the apologies had been made ..... no excuses .... no buts ...... simply "we were wrong and we would like to fix it", they invited us over for a replacement lunch.   Today a friend and I had lunch there, on the house, courtesy of the manager - it was delicious, well prepared and we were checked on regularly.  An apology was again offered.  Now that is how you keep a customer.  You don't only keep them when you are great ... sometimes you keep them even more when you can fix it when you are wrong. High 5 Wimpy OR Tambo Landside - Prince & Perfect .. great attitudes!

Also Kudos today to DSTV - I called their customer service number and was really not kept waiting for more than a minute until I was helped with my account query.  Swift, efficient and well handled call - impressive. 

And thirdly a back pat to Standard Bank Customer Service Helpline.  I had to increase my monthly EFT limit and she helped me over the phone.  It was a ten minute process because the security verification is exceptionally thorough, for which they are to be applauded, and the matter was solved first time by a very professional call centre lady. Also worth a mention is the fact that I used SnapScan for the first time recently and Standard Bank called me immediately to verify that I was in fact using it - simply to protect me as I had not done so before.  2 weeks prior to that I got confused about my pin number and when I entered it for the 3rd time they called me while I was still at the ATM to verify that it was in fact me trying to get into the account. 

Am I a super wealthy client?  Absolutely not.  I am a very ordinary client and often joke that the reason they call is to check that I am still around :)

Lastly a big smile for Nespresso SA's online store.  We need capsules and you can order them online, at a competitive price and the delivery is free even for a small order.  If you use them in the office, as we do, or at home, as we do, you can order and they will be there in 2 to 3 days, delivered to your door.  The website is fantastically designed, easy to navigate and secure.  For a cappuccino addict like me .... this is heaven in a capsule so to speak. 

So good service is out there .... and when you get it......say so.  And when you don't ... complain ... not to your friends, but to the right person.   

Till tomorrow
K  xx

Reading, cleaning & all things egg

So a bit of product news today: 

Woolworths have a range of kitchen and general cleaning products that they seem to have re-aligned their pricing on and they are now very competitively priced .... but are of, in my mind, superior quality.  Sold under their own name they cover a wide range of products.  Worthy of a special mention are definitely their automatic washing machine liquid and their dish liquid.  The former comes in attractive packaging and is well priced compared to their 2kg powder competition in the market.  One of the greatest things is the smell which wafts out of both your machine and your clothing afterwards.  The latter comes in a modern bottle and seems to not get that congealing of liquid around the cap.  The scents are great, especially the yellow Tropical one and you really need a minute amount for deep foam. 

Then on to books .... which are becoming mind blowingly expensive and if you are a book maniac like me then you need to be on the look out all the time.   Bargain Books in Centurion are well priced and also have many books on the buy 2 for R149 kind of special.  With the renovations at Centurion Mall they are a bit tricky to reach at the moment but well worth a visit.  Even better is if you know which authors and titles you are looking for when you get there.  Another great source of books is the Annual Exclusive Books book sale ... if you want to go on Day 1 it will be wise to get there an hour before they open.  Alternately pass there every 2nd day during the sale.  They pack out all the time ... also hunt under the table top where they pack many good titles.  Book exchanges are also very useful .. but find out before the time what their exchange system is and also what they charge for buying only.  A good one here is the Magalieskruin Centre in Braam Pretorius Str ... she carries good titles.  There used to be a fantastic one outside the Superspar in the Queens Corner Centre but now after years, it seems to have moved on.  And then of course the old fashioned way .... fetes and markets. 

And lastly eggs ... after seeing an article recently about mismatched weights in a tray, questions about how large Jumbo actually is .... I have done some research and top of the pops for me is Eggbert Jumbo eggs available in most supermarkets.  Competitively priced all the eggs are the correct weight and at least they look like Jumbo eggs, not Large eggs standing on their tippy toes. 

If you find something else fabulous, let me know via my email kikidee@iburst.co.za

Till soon 

K xxxx

fruit & veg from farm to door

Veggie deliveries are not common place in SA yet.  Those that do operate do so mainly in Jhb and CT.  I once used to get a weekly delivery of organic veg, but the price became swiftly unmanageable - and this was 8 years ago - plus they delivered to one common point in Pta ... which became more irritating as each week passed. 

Then along came Farm Fresh Online (www.farmfreshonline.co.za) and their adverts for their good quality fruit and veg - which unfortunately they only delivered in Jhb and the greater Jhb area.  Then out of the blue came the announcement of the Pretoria & Centurion deliveries starting on 1 May.  As long as your order is in by the Wednesday, the box will be delivered on the Friday.  

They have both a family box for R350 and a couples box for R220.  We found the latter to be more than enough for the 3 of us because Nic does not eat all the types of veg.  I am glad.  His great love of fruit and lesser love of veg is saving us R130 :) 

So off I went and ordered, with a touch of trepidation that the variety received would not be extensive or of  top quality.  The online ordering system is easy to navigate and despite it being a public holiday today, the box was delivered at lunchtime. 

The items were really fresh and of a great quality.  Sparkling white potatoes without blemishes, huge onions and everything looked as described in the pic.  The clever thing is that you don't end up with "full" packets of everything.  I would rather have a few pieces of a vast variety than bags full of a few items.  So you find yourself with a brown paper bag with 4 huge potatoes in ..... also a bag with 2 huge onions and a whole garlic ..... 5 naartjies, 6 bananas, 3 avos and so on.  This way we are sure to finish everything and not have any waste. Obviously you get whole lettuce, broccoli, cucumber etc.

You can also tell them if there is something you want them to especially put in or leave out. So if you have enough carrots you can let them know so that they substitute with something else. 

So ... so far so good.  Next week I will update you on what comes with that box. 

You pay when you order so you can skip a week if you don't use it all, or go out or go on holiday.  

This week's box had in it:  naartjies, grapes, bananas, coloured peppers, potatoes, garlic, onions, marrow, avocado, turnips, butternut, lettuce, broccoli, cucumber, rosa tomatoes and carrots

Go on give them a try .... remember the 5 a day fruit and veggie rule!!! 

Till tomorrow 

K xx

Customer Care vs Customer ... we don't Care

If you live in Pretoria and need an eye test, I suggest you try out Dynamic Vision in the Queens Corner shopping Centre in Queenswood (next to the Superspar).  They have a great range of frames available to suit all pockets including the new hot range of Pepe Jeans which are funky and not too crazy priced.  A teenage boy does not want a staid eye experience and there we were laughing so in the testing room I wonder what those in the waiting room thought was going on.  Great optometrist, huge sense of humour and a fun experience.  He needs glasses and contacts and obviously you wait for the glasses but she immediately supplied the first test pairs of lenses which was great.  This time I kept my opinion to myself re the frames.  Last time, at the previous eye place, I offered an opinion and he was co-erced by the optician and hated the frames from the day we fetched them.  Said he looks like a serious dentist (no offence to dentists). Not a look for a 16 year old. 

Talking about the Superspar next door.  When you have a huge flashy colour brochure in the press which offers Pedigree Meaty Nuggets ... in big bold print at R149, specifying Meaty Nuggets and you are selling them for R229 .. an overcharge of R80 and argue about the massive printing error of Spar head office instead of honouring the deal .... not cool Spar, not Cool.  Manager = Management ..... none displayed. 

And OR Tambo Wimpy ..... 5 star thumbs up to you.  One Tweet about the weird meal you served us and you went into action ... Famous Brands reacted immediately, so did Wimpy head office, the franchisee and the manager ... and all were concerned about what had happened as it was quite bizarre.  No arguing from them, no justifying, just apologies and sincere attempts to fix it.  Lots of follow up.  Calls from them all.  THAT is customer service.  We look forward to our meal there next Tuesday to make up for it.  The supermarket could take a leaf out of your book. 

Does not matter whether you work solo in an office, or in a small office, or are part of a bigger team, have a business, work for a large brand or franchise .... give customer service .... be the brand you represent .... when you deal with someone, you represent not only the place that pays your salary, but also your boss, so make that impression one that makes people come back and enjoy interacting with you. 

And when you get it wrong .... admit it and fix it.  We all get it wrong sometimes ... it is how you right it that leaves the lasting impression. 

Till tomorrow 

K xx



  

Life through the eyes of an Archbishop

So yesterday I went to a book launch - an unusual one as it was not the Exclusive Books kind of book launch with the author reading a snippet from his book and answering questions about how, when and where he writes and what inspires him.

This was the launch of the Memoirs of Archbishop Emeritus George Daniel of the Catholic Church and it took place at his Jubilee Mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Pretoria.

George Daniel became a priest in the Anglican Church before making the difficult decision to enter the Catholic Church.  He was ordained a Catholic priest after training in Rome and served in the Pretoria Archdiocese as a parish priest.  In 1975 he was appointed Archbishop of Pretoria and served in this position for 34 years.  I was Confirmed by him.

The book is a very enjoyable read so far.  Richly seeped in facts and beautifully told, it follows his journey from birth.  So far I have learnt of his studies in Architecture, his job writing water and lights accounts at the Municipal offices, his lineage to the poet C. Louis Leipoldt and his decision to enter the priesthood.  He writes with honesty and great wit ...

Reading about his school days at Pretoria Boys High and Grey's College, one learnt about a young man who also got caned at various stages for bad behaviour - this beautiful more "human" side is brought out in various parts of the book.

The book has clear footnote references at the back so if you are not familiar with religious terms or names of items in the church, you can quickly find them there.  I had fun first mentally checking if I knew the meaning before having to revert to the back ...... wonderful what you learn after a couple of years working in the parish office!

The book is very detailed, astoundingly so, and it paints a vivid and vast picture of a man who dedicated his life to God and serving others.  The realness of the person, the joys, sadnesses, anguish and happiness he experienced and his forthright way of sharing this, make this a joy to read.

The extensive amount of travelling done by him is mind blowing and he weaves a wonderful tapestry of these trips and his experiences.

One of my favourite anecdotes is when he left his new Episcopal ring on the washbasin on the day of his Ordination as Archbishop.

So put down your novel for a moment .... get your hands on this book via the Catholic Centre and travel a wonderful road with him.

Till tomorrow

K xxxx