Last Friday I was lucky enough to spend the evening with Moonpig at their Mother's Day event and what was even better I was able to take my Mum along to the blogger event. Search Labs were working with Moonpig to create a fun, immersive and creative event and they succeeded; the event was jam packed with activities.

After our food, one of the Moonpig team did a presentation all about the brand, what they do and sell and then explained what we would be doing that evening. Moonpig love making someone's day so they help you create and send personalised cards and gifts for your loved ones. Their website is easy to use and they can even remind you of birthdays and special occasions so you'll never forget to send a card. You can add your own photographs, messages and even your own handwriting to cards plus you can add a bouquet of flowers to your order and get them delivered to that special person. If you need any help with your orders, Moonpig are happy to help and are easy to contact too. Moonpig has been putting a smile on people's faces since the year 2000 and continue to add more gifts, cards and flowers to their site.

We were split into 4 groups for the activities, my group started with the Cocktail Masterclass, James the barman was very engaged with the group and clearly enjoyed himself. We were shown how to mix a cocktail, make it, then let loose with the spirits. All of us made our first cocktail which was sort of a practice round then we had a competition for the second cocktail, our team was split into two and we had to make the next cocktail as a team; we won with having the quickest time however I feel our presentation could have been better. Lastly we made a classic 'Porn star martini' and the Passoa liquor was flowing, this was a fun one to make and my favourite to taste out of the three.
Next up was photoshoot time for me and Mum. The pop up studio was set up with a green screen and we were able to select a background for our photograph to go on. We chose a rainbow one which worked well with the Moonpig card I created later. We were able to see our photo, make amends then it was sent to the laptops for us to create a card. I decided to make a Mother's Day card since we was at a Mother's Day event, I added mine and Mum's photo and she picked a card she liked which was floral and square in shape.

The Moonpig website was easy to use, I could navigate to the next option at ease and adding my photo was simple, you even have the options to add multiple images to some cards. At the checkout, I added the address and selected the date for the card to be delivered; I selected Mother's Day week so my Mum will have a nice card for the day. Since it was my Birthday last week I actually received a couple of Moonpig cards, all are fun with photos on and are really good quality.

In another section of the event area Moonpig had set up a gift station so we could see what they offer; Moonpig have gifts and flowers to add to your card delivery so you can save time ordering them together and know you're getting quality items and beautiful flowers.

What makes a gin festival for me is... 

-a great venue - check!

*complimentary ticket was given to me to attend, all thoughts/opinions are my own. 

See my disclaimer for more information. 

Not only does Three Rivers offer a delicious tasting gin but they offer a one of a kind Gin experience!! The distillery has its own gin school as I like to call it and it’s a full experience which teaches you all about the history of Three Rivers, some Manchester history, the history of gin and then you get to create your own gin using different botanical's and Three Rivers own blend. 

I don’t want to give to much away about details within the experience but I have to say I was thrilled, excited and intrigued throughout the whole evening. Here's a little run down on my evening...

We was all welcomed with a G & T with dried apricots as a garnish which was bloody amazing! The evening began with a short video narrated by our experience leader (one of the Three Rivers creators), the video told us all about the history of Gin, how it came about and how it’s become one of the most popular drinks of choice for many people. We had tastings throughout this part of the evening as well. I learnt some history about Manchester and the city I love so much too. This was a great start to the evening and I think the video/information was just right and gave a perfect introduction to Three Rivers. 

Next we moved downstairs to the gin distillery area where pride of place ‘Angel’ lives. This was a wow factor of the evening and Angel looks glorious, we were told how Angel works, where she was made and was able to ask questions at the end; all whilst sipping a violet gin cocktail. 

After all the insightful info and drinks we were directed to the building next door, ready to get stuck into Gin School! Again we was welcomed with a drink and amazed by the Three Rivers set up! In this building were small stations with mini gin distillery equipment ready to create our very own gin!!


Let's be honest this is the part of the evening that everyone was looking forward too and we all couldn't wait to get stuck in. To guide us with the botanical choices, each station is equipped with a tablet with all the ingredients available to add to your gin and this gives you the opportunity to save your creation at the end; so if your gin is your new favourite drink you can re-order a bottle anytime!

I personally like sweet gins and generally pair mine with lemonade or ginger beer so I wanted to create a sweet gin adding all the sweet ingredients I could find, I threw them into the distiller once prompted by our guide of course and crossed my fingers. Job done, the waiting game now whilst our gins distilled, this gave everyone a chance to chat and mingle and drink some more G&T.


By the end of the experience I had not only created my own gin, I had learnt so much about the history of gin and Three Rivers and had a fabulous experience that really is a unique gift when you think about it. I like the idea of having experiences to remember, spending time with friends and family and generally having a good time, I'd totally recommend the Three Rivers experience to any gin lover, fan or newbie.

Three Rivers offer Gift Vouchers so grab your gin loving friend, family member or other half a voucher they will enjoy and experience this Christmas. You can purchase them here on the Three Rivers website.

Thanks again to the team at Three Rivers for inviting me down for the evening and putting on such a fab experience that was nothing but fun-filled!