Low-Sugar Chocolate, Honey & Cherry Brownies

Posted on by Dr Sally Norton

These melt in the mouth low sugar brownies will disappear as soon as you’ve put them out on the cooling rack. Try serving them with some sliced fresh fruit in the summer or warmed, with a little whipped cream on the side, in winter.

This recipe makes 20 square brownies that contain just 3g added sugar each.

Ingredients
  • 250g plain flour
  • 200g butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 60g honey (4 tablespoons)
  • 100g cocoa powder
  • 100g chopped and stoned fresh cherries
  •  One tsp baking powder
Method
  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350F/Gas mark 4
  • Line your 30cm x 20cm baking tray with grease-proof paper
  • Place the butter, cocoa powder and honey in a medium-sized bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir gently until melted
  • Beat the eggs in a separate bowl
  • Sieve the flour and baking powder in yet another bowl
  • Remove the chocolate from the heat and quickly whizz in your eggs
  • Slowly fold all of the dry ingredients into the mixture
  • Add the chopped cherries
  • Spoon the mixture into the baking tray and place into the centre of your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes (approx)
  • The top of the brownies need to be firm to touch; but enter a skewer into middle and it should come out slightly sticky
  • Leave to cool for a few minutes, cut into 20 squares and place on a rack.
  • Serve whilst still warm or eat at your leisure once cool.
 

Healthy and tasty homemade pizza

Posted on by Dr Sally Norton

Pizza doesn’t have to be an unhealthy choice! Learn how to make your own healthy and nutritious pizza at home – saving money on expensive takeaway pizzas and getting extra nutrients along the way!

You can put whatever you like on your pizza so pile it high with veg, some light cheeses, or even some chilli powder if you want a bit of a kick! Read on to learn how to make it yourself.

You can buy good quality, ready-made bases, or use halved, large, crusty rolls or pitta bread. But it’s fun to make your own if you have time!

You will need:

200 g strong white bread flour

200 g wholemeal flour

1 x 7 g sachet dried yeast

Mix the flours and yeast with a pinch of salt in a food processor fitted with a dough blade

Pour in the water and mix to a soft dough, then knead for 1 min. You can do it all by hand – it’s good exercise – but you will need to knead for longer. Look on YouTube if you need to see how to knead dough. When fully mixed, stretchy and soft, divide the dough into four balls and put on a flour dusted baking tray. Smear with a bit of olive oil then cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for an hour or so until doubled in size. (You can make your sauce and prepare your toppings whilst you wait).

Then spread out the dough balls on flour dusted baking tray until thin with a slight rim to hold the sauce. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

And, if you want something less filling, are gluten intolerant or are trying to cut back on heavy carbs, you can even experiment with alternative pizza bases – cauliflower  makes a surprisingly good one.

Tomato sauce:
You can buy this pre-prepared too but it will probably be full of sugar and preservatives. Yuck! Making your own takes 5 minutes and it’s really easy.

Simply chop up an onion into small pieces and fry gently in some olive oil with a few cloves of finely chopped or crushed garlic. After a few minutes, throw in a tin of chopped tomatoes (or use fresh) and simmer for 20 minutes. You can add a bit of water or stock if you need to, to get it to the right consistency for spreading on your pizza. You can throw in some chopped herbs for added flavour – basil, oregano or thyme work well. Or even some chilli powder or a small amount of chopped fresh chilli or chilli flakes if you like it spicy!

Once it’s cooked and cool, you can whizz it in a blender or leave chunky.

Now build your pizza:
This is where your creative skills can overflow! It’s your pizza – top it how you like.

Spread some of the delicious sauce on to your base and then…

Choose from….

Meats and fish– like leftover cooked chicken or other roast meats. Processed meats like bacon, salami etc are less good for us so choose small quantities of good quality meats to act as a flavouring rather than the main attraction. Tinned tuna is good too – especially when paired with olives and feta cheese. Or smoked salmon is delicious – swap the tomato sauce for creme fraiche, spread on a cooked pizza base and top with rocket.

Veg – like sliced mushrooms, peppers, sweetcorn, fresh tomatoes, red onion, roasted squash or anything you can think of.

Other toppings – like pineapple chunks, herbs, hummus, olives.

Cheese – soft pieces of mozzarella or goats cheese, feta or grated cheddar.
Cook and serve:
Now cook in a hot oven 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7, ideally by sliding the pizza on to a pre-heated baking tray to get that extra heat that makes a good crispy pizza.

After around 10 minutes, when the cheese is melted and bubbling, your pizza is ready to serve.

You can dollop with a bit of Greek yoghurt, a few more fresh herbs or salad leaves and some olive oil if you like.

Tuck in and enjoy!

See Bike, Say Bike

Posted on by Dr Sally Norton

Pulling out at a junction without seeing an oncoming motorbike is a thought that fills drivers with fear. When you are stressed and perhaps not paying as much attention as you should, or the rain is lashing down and visibility is poor, the smaller profile of a motorbike is easier to miss than a car or van. It’s not surprising, therefore than over 90 fatalities a year occur in the UK from incidents like these.

You may remember the SMIDSY campaign – “sorry mate, I didn’t see you” that encourages us to look more carefully for bikers.
But what if it isn’t a failure to see the bike but a failure to REMEMBER that you have seen the bike?! It’s difficult to imagine but a small study from psychologists at the University of Nottingham has suggested just that. Using a driving simulator they found that around 15% of these accidents seem to be a result of seeing the bike but immediately forgetting, perhaps due to other stimuli over-writing the memory before it has been fully registered. In an attempt to fix that memory they suggest saying it out loud whenever you see a bike (or other vehicle) approaching – ‘see bike, say bike’.

It’s not a new idea – advanced driving training encourages active observation with spoken details on potential hazards to increase awareness and reduce risk on the roads. Looking around and saying what you see increases your observation skills and keeps your mind firmly on the job in hand rather than thinking about what you are going to cook for dinner or worrying about that dressing-down from the boss.
It’s a trick we could all employ to keep our mind sharp and our short-term memory in full working order. And perhaps we could then see fewer awful accidents on the roads.

Ref
Chloe J. Robbins, Harriet A. Allen, Karl A. Miller, Peter Chapman. The ‘Saw but Forgot’ error: A role for short-term memory failures in understanding junction crashes? PLOS ONE, 2019

The truth about diet pills

Posted on by Dr Sally Norton

Speak to almost any medical professional and they will tell you that taking diet pills simply isn’t an option they would recommend for safe, effective weight loss. But why are diet pills so bad for you? Well, where do I start?!

First and foremost there is no evidence that diet drugs really work.

Think about it for a minute. The current obesity crisis is threatening to cripple the NHS due to the costs of treating obesity-related disease. If there was a drug that effectively and safely helped people lose weight, do you think the NHS would be keeping it a secret?! Or don’t you think GPs would be offering it to every one of the 60% or so of us who are currently overweight, or at least the 25% who are obese? Don’t you think the drug companies would be covering every billboard and magazine page with adverts for the ‘cure’ … they would stand to make a fortune. A diet-pill that really, really works is the ‘holy grail’ of medicine that everyone is searching for – and as yet, nobody has found!

There are a couple of drugs that are approved by the NHS. Orlistat (also known as xenical), works by stopping you absorb fat from your intestine….therefore you end up taking in fewer calories. What’s the downside? If you eat fatty food and don’t absorb it properly you get unpleasant wind and diarrhoea (and occasionally incontinence!)… with the net result that many of my patients will simply not take the drug if they fancy a fatty meal. So, instead of needing willpower not to over-indulge, you simply need the willpower to make yourself take the drug that will put you off over-indulging. Hmmm… not a great premise for a successful treatment. As a result, weight loss with this drug is modest and is often regained once the drug is stopped. Add to that the fact that healthy fats (and the vitamins we absorb with them) are good for us in moderation and you will see why I don’t prescribe it.

Liraglutide (Saxenda) is an injection that can reduce appetite and may be prescribed for weight control in patients with obesity, or overweight with related health problems such as diabetes. However, it can cause gut problems in over a third of people and weight is often regained when injections are stopped.

Another drug, Mysimba, which is a combination of naltrexone and bupropion and may suppress appetite, has not been approved due to lack of information on long-term effects.….but let’s face facts. Most of us who are overweight don’t just overeat because we are hungry! It’s the other reasons – habits, emotions, an unstoppable urge for chocolate or chips – that lead to the pounds creeping on. Reducing our appetite probably won’t change that much at all!

To help you lose weight, drugs pretty much have to do one of these three things:
  • Alter the way your brain functions so you eat less
  • Alter the way your intestines function so you absorb less
  • Increase your metabolism so you burn more

The problem is that drugs are not selective enough to target the specific areas that are purely responsible for weight gain… and we don’t really understand what they are anyway! So, it’s no surprise that drugs that help us to lose weight often interfere with other functions of the body – possibly in unwelcome ways. So drugs that ‘boost the metabolism’ by raising your pulse rate can put you at risk of heart problems, palpitations, headaches, and high blood pressure. Drugs that act by reducing depression or trying to reduce appetite may cause mood swings, sleep disturbance or increase the chance of serious problems like strokes. And drugs that make you absorb less …well I won’t repeat their antisocial side effects!

At least you know what you are getting if you have a prescribed drug, as the possible side-effects and risks are listed ad infinitum. But buying diet-pills over the internet means you have no idea what they really contain and whether they could interact with drugs you may already be taking, or make an existing health problem worse. And don’t be fooled by the term ‘herbal’ – not all herbs are safe. People have even died taking weight loss pills containing DNP – a toxic chemical declared unfit for human consumption by the Food Standards Agency. Ingesting this poison can lead to nausea, vomiting, restlessness, flushed skin, sweating, dizziness, headaches, rapid respiration, and irregular heart-beat, possibly leading to coma and death. Despite this, it appears that these drugs are being made in clandestine laboratories before being marketed to vulnerable people, desperate for that miracle solution to their (sometimes imaginary) weight problem.

So, don’t play with your health. Yes, being overweight may be a risk – but don’t swap that risk for a diet-pill that may be a lot worse for you and probably doesn’t work anyway! And, as soon as that miracle diet-pill – one that honestly leads to safe and significant weight-loss – becomes available, you will be the first to know!!

 

Why am I not losing weight?

Posted on by Dr Sally Norton

Most of us will admit to being on a diet at some point in our lives, so why are so many of us still overweight? There are a number of reasons your weight-loss attempts may not be working. Read on to find out more….

Nobody said it would be easy, but for the vast majority of us, losing weight is a real uphill battle. Most of us will admit to having been on a diet at some point, and for some people, it’s a more of a continual yo-yo of dieting… so why, despite our efforts, do our nation’s waistlines keep expanding? We all know men and women who’ve been on diets constantly throughout their lives and are baffled as to why they’ve not lost any weight.

What exactly are we doing wrong?

While there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ answer, there are a number of reasons why your weight loss attempts may not be working…..

You need more sleep

Sleep can have a bigger effect on your weight than you might think. Research has shown a direct link between the number of hours sleep you get and your weight. Put simply, these studies suggest that when we have a bad night’s sleep it decreases the body’s hormone that regulates appetite – leaving our hunger levels at an all-time high. And if that’s not bad enough, the studies show that we specifically reach for high-calorie/high-fat foods, in an attempt to boost our energy levels that have dwindled due to poor sleep. So make getting a good night’s sleep a priority and your weight loss could be boosted as a result.

getting a good night’s sleep a priority and your weight loss

You’re not getting any younger

Sorry! We naturally lose muscle mass as we get older –, especially women. Combine this with our naturally slowing metabolisms, and it makes it much harder for us to lose weight. So what can we do about this? Too many of us simply don’t realise how much increasing our protein intake and amount of exercise that we do could help us to drop the pounds… we think of protein as something that will bulk us up. In fact, research shows that increasing our protein and exercise levels can help us to tone our muscles, leading to a more svelte frame and easier weight control.

You want quick-fix results

Most of us will have been there at some point… we want results fast, so we try a quick fix diet in the hopes to lose weight as quickly as possible, but only end up failing at the diet and putting on all (if not more) of the weight we lost while on the diet. Sound familiar? It’s a vicious cycle and only leads to you feeling depressed and disappointed every time you fail. But it’s not your fault. Quick fix diets simply don’t work. Real, long-lasting weight loss doesn’t happen overnight… instead, it takes time, hard work and a change in your habits and mentality. So, remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

You’re stressed

We all admit to reaching for fatty and sugary foods when we are under stress, simply because they trigger those pleasure zones in the brain and make us feel better. What’s more, cortisol (one of our “stress hormones”) encourages weight gain around our waist which is very bad for our health. And yet, we seem to be under more and more stress – struggling to meet deadlines, juggling roles such as spouse, parent and business exec, and working longer and longer hours. Try to manage your stress and regain control – you will be less likely to binge on junk foods that will only leave you feeling worse in the long-run!

You’re not addressing the real issue

Putting yourself on a quick fix diet may work in the short-term, but if you’re not addressing the real reasons you overeat, or eat the wrong foods, then those issues will only end up resurfacing in the long-term, and you could end up putting back on the weight you’ve lost – and even more! So instead of thinking about WHAT you eat, think about WHEN, WHERE and WHY. Do you tend to eat well at home, then tuck in at the vending machine at work? Or perhaps you have a habit of reaching for a mid-afternoon sugary treat to give you an energy boost, or comfort eat when you’re stressed? Figuring out where your problem lies means you can start working on that issue to create a long-term change in your eating habits.

Try tackling these few simple things to help you achieve lasting, healthy, manageable weight-loss.

 

Disclaimer: Articles are for general information only – customers should always seek their own independent advice. Vavista is not affiliated with the organisations/businesses mentioned and does not recommend or endorse any of the included products or services. For more information, click here.

What to check when buying a used car

Posted on by Vavista

You’ve decided your budget and found the car for you. Buying a used car will save you more money upfront, but can lead to expensive repair bills. Follow our quick checklist to make sure your new purchase is a worthwhile investment.

Vehicle History

There are many free vehicle history checks online, or you can pay for an extensive search. You’re looking for whether the car has ever been stolen, written off, or has any outstanding finance.

View the vehicle

Don’t buy without seeing. Check everything from the tyres to the air-con fans, and even the gadgets. Be sure to test that all doors and the boot lock correctly.

Ask questions

Ask the seller for the car’s MOT certificates and service history. Vehicle history checks are available if you’re unsure about the vehicle.

Test Drive

Try to test drive the car for around 30 minutes. Test the steering and brakes by driving at different speeds. Use your senses to identify any unusual sounds, sights or smells!

Insurance

Get some quotes to find out how much your new car insurance is going to cost. Before your test drive, check your car insurance policy offers DOC (Driving Other Cars) cover. Vavista is committed to bringing you car insurance that is both affordable and reliable. Car insurance is a necessity, but the right policy could save you money. Get a quote from us today!

Disclaimer: Articles are for general information only – customers should always seek their own independent advice. Vavista is not affiliated with the organisations/businesses mentioned and does not recommend or endorse any of the included products or services. For more information, click here.

 

How much is my car worth?

Posted on by Vavista

Getting a new car can be a very exciting time, but selling your old run-around can be stressful. There are numerous options for getting rid of your car: part exchange, selling privately or selling to leading car sales companies. But, whichever route you decide to go down, you need to make sure you are getting what you deserve. Read on for our tips on finding out how much your car is worth.

Websites that tell you what your car is worth

There are lots of websites that will tell what they think your car is worth –  but this is a ‘guesstimate’! They go on the written details you give them such as car registration, number of miles and service history. Remember, though, they haven’t seen your car and may lower their offering price once they have seen it. Things that will lower its value include damage to the paintwork and interior, parts of the vehicle not working and multiple previous owners.  These sites are free so we suggest looking through a couple to see if the prices match up. Our favourite ones are;

Can I increase the value of my car?

There are, however, factors that will increase the value of your car.  These include:

  • Extra features that your car may have e.g. a built-in sat-nav, a reversing camera or a multimedia system.
  • Your car being a desirable colour – some colours are more sought after than others and could increase the price you get for it.
  • No wear and tear – this is hard to avoid but if your car has no scratches, marks or stains in/on it this will up the value massively.

Young car salesman showing the advantages of the car to the customer and tires.

Find out the market value

Another way to judge the value of the car is to type your car model and mileage into car sales sites and see what others are selling their cars for. This will help you gauge what is being sold at that moment and help price your car correctly. Remember, though, that the way you sell your car could affect how much you get for it. A private sale usually gets you more money but is time-consuming.  Trading or part-exchanging gives you less money as the companies  take on the effort for you.

Trawling the internet to find out what your car is worth can seem like an onerous task. However, get it right and you could reap the benefits. The correct price could lead to your car selling fast which is, of course, the best outcome. Knowing what your car is worth also puts you in a strong negotiating position – everyone wants the best deal and will usually bargain hard for it!

If you’re getting a new car, you’re going to nee some insurance.

Head here to get a quote with Vavista! 

 

How many calories should I eat?

Posted on by Dr Sally Norton

We have been obsessed with calorie counting for years. It’s all based on the calories in vs. calories out method of weight loss. As long as you eat less than you burn off, you will lose weight and everything will be fine. Right? Wrong. It’s not quite as straightforward as that. Read on to find out exactly how many calories should I eat?

How to work out the calories you need

It’s difficult to know how many calories (more correctly known as kilocalories or kcals) we actually need. There are rough guidelines of around 2000kcals per day for women and 2,500 per day for men – but everyone is so different.

Things like your muscle to fat ratio, height and your activity levels can all impact on your calorie needs. This is why it’s difficult to know your own requirements without complicated medical measurements. It’s much better to tune into your body. If your weight is stable, you are eating the right amount of calories for you. If you want to lose weight from there, just up the activity or slightly reduce intake.

Bear in mind, though, that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you take up a lot of resistance exercises to increase muscle (a good way to help weight loss as muscle burns more energy than fat) then your weight may not decrease… but your fat levels will, which is the ultimate aim.

Also, remember that not all calories are created equal

woman in the food market
Calorie-counting has led to a focus on calories alone which aren’t always easy to calculate. People then gravitate to the low-cal labelled food in the supermarket which can mean low-fat processed foods that are nutritionally deplete, at the expense of real, healthy food. Fat contains more calories per gram than other food groups so tends to be removed and other bulking agents added to make the food more palatable. Or sugar is taken out and replaced with artificial sweeteners which may do us no good either and doesn’t help weight-loss in some studies. It’s about quality as much, if not more, than quantity when it comes to calories. Focusing on real food and cooking from scratch is a much healthier option.

So, should I ditch calorie counting completely?

No, I think it is helpful as many of us have lost touch with normal eating – even down to knowing what an appropriate portion-size looks like. Also, having an idea of the calorie count can steer us away from those ridiculously calorie-packed mega lattes and over-sized muffins, or other irresponsible offerings from high-street coffee-chains and the like. Luckily for us they are being encouraged to calorie-label their products so we can avoid wasting a third of an entire day’s calories on a coffee and snack. And avoid the excessive sugar load they contain too!

However, obsessive calorie-counting is boring and often inconvenient or difficult – when we are out for dinner, for example. So, it’s much better to use calorie-counting to help you get control over normal, healthy portions initially, and from time-to-time thereafter to make sure that those portion sizes aren’t creeping up.

Keep an eye on nutrition

Make sure too, that those calories come from proper, nutritious food. It’s easier than ever to find out how many calories are in every different foodstuff – from Apples to Zucchini (that’s courgette for us in UK!). I use the MyFitnessPal app to keep an occasional record of my nutritional and energy intake. Putting in your age, weight and height will give you a rough idea of how many calories you should aim to eat per day to achieve a healthy weight for you. But remember, this is not an exact science – your weight will vary with the amount of muscle you have, the amount of good healthy fibre you ate the day before and is still in the system, and much more! So, use this figure as a rough guide and tune into your body to see what is right for you.

So, counting calories should not be an obsession. By all means, count calories from time to time as a rough check on what you are eating and to help control portions. Importantly, though, make sure your calories come from real, nutritious and delicious food.

Don’t just calorie count. Make your calories count!

Are you looking for car insurance? Head here to get a quote from Vavista today!

 

 

Sources: What should my daily intake of calories be? – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

How to keep your heart healthy

Posted on by Dr Sally Norton

When it comes to keeping your heart as healthy as possible, there are some factors such as genetics that you can’t change. If you have a family history of heart disease, then you are at increased risk yourself. However, there is plenty you can do to decrease your risk whether you have a family tendency or not.

Here are some proven changes you can start making today to reduce your risk of heart problems in the future:

Bin the fags

The obvious one is to stop smoking. Smokers die 10 years earlier than non-smokers as shown in a study of a million UK women published last year. If you can stop smoking before you are 40, you are 10 times less likely to have health problems than if you continue. As well as benefiting your heart, you will see rapid improvements in your breathing, mood and reduce your risk of stroke, diabetes, cancer, circulation problems and numerous other problems.

Watch your weight

The association between heart disease and being overweight is extremely strong – not least because obesity puts you at risk of type 2 diabetes which, in itself, increases the risk of heart disease and multiple other conditions.
If you carry more weight around your waist than your hips you are even more at risk. To calculate your waist to hip ratio, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. A high ratio (over 0.85 for women or 1 for men) means increased risk of health problems such as heart attacks, high blood pressure or diabetes….even if you aren’t that overweight.

Fat-free?

You have probably been advised to cut out saturated fats and replace butter with unsaturated fat spreads. This is because a diet high in saturated fats is thought to be one factor that leads to high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood… which in turn may cause narrowing of the arteries and heart attacks. However, there is now some controversy as to whether these dietary changes make much difference to your risk of heart disease.

A recent overview of multiple studies found no evidence that restricting saturated fat and increasing polyunsaturated fat consumption lowered the risk of developing heart disease. The jury is still out on this one, and it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to eat high fat doughnuts, pastries, chips and other sources of processed, saturated fat. However, healthy fats such as those found in oily fish, nuts, avocados and more are good – and even butter, cheese and cream in small quantities may not be the complete villains they were thought to be.

Bye-bye bacon

Reducing the amount of red meat is recommended as studies have shown that eating a large amount can increase heart failure by up to 24%. However, recent evidence suggests that this is linked more to red meat that is processed (we’re talking ham, salami, sausages, bacon etc) – with no definite association shown with the consumption of unprocessed red meat. The researchers calculated that for each 50 g of processed meat eaten per day (about one or two extra slices of ham) the risk of heart failure increased by 8% and the risk of death by 38%.

These results require confirmation with further studies but as processing can increase the risk of stomach disease too, it seems sensible to limit processed red meat wherever possible.

Less salt

The British Heart Foundation is clear that too much salt can raise blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease later in life. Adults should have less than 6 grams (1 teaspoon) a day. Cutting back on salt doesn’t just mean keeping your hands away from the saltcellar when you are eating…there is also a lot of hidden salt in processed food. Check the labels and cook from scratch wherever possible – then you are in control.

Say no to sugar

A large population study in the States showed that people who consumed over 25% of their daily calories from added sugar had almost 3 x risk of dying from heart disease than those who had less than 10%, independent of other risk factors including weight. More and more evidence suggests that too much sugar is contributing to the obesity and diabetes epidemic too….and as it offers no nutrients whatsoever, it is time to cut back. Gradually reduce the sugar you add to your food or drinks, avoid fizzy drinks and look carefully at labels – you will be amazed at how much sugar is added to all sorts of food, both sweet and savoury.

Keep active

Don’t despair if you are a couch potato – it’s never too late to start. As well as helping with that weight loss, a recent study showed that you could get the same heart health benefits if starting exercise such as running or cycling after 40, as you would have done if you had started before the age of 30.

There are numerous other benefits from exercise too…what are you waiting for?!

Stress less

And finally, whilst you should be aware of keeping your heart healthy, don’t let it stress you out as stress doesn’t help your heart either! The stress hormone ‘cortisol’ can increase unhealthy fat around the middle, raising your risk of heart problems, as well as leading to cravings for high fat and sugar foods, which only make things worse!

So, for a healthy and happy heart, start making a few small changes today – your heart will love you forever!

Christmas Opening Hours

Christmas Opening Hours

Date Claims Team Sales & Customer
Service Team
Mon 23rd Dec 9am – 5:30pm 9am - 7pm
Christmas Eve 9am – 12:45pm 9am - 4pm
Christmas Day CLOSED CLOSED
Boxing Day CLOSED CLOSED
Fri 27th Dec 9am – 5:30pm 9am – 7pm
Sat 28th Dec 9am – 5:30pm 9am – 6pm
Sun 29th Dec 9am – 5:30pm 9am – 4pm
Mon 30th Dec 9am – 5:30pm 9am – 7pm
New Year’s Eve 9am – 12:45pm 9am – 4pm
New Year’s Day CLOSED CLOSED
2nd – 3rd Jan 9am – 5:30pm 9am - 7pm

  1. Date

  2. 23rd Dec
  3. Christmas Eve
  4. Christmas Day
  5. Boxing Day
  6. 27th Dec
  7. 28th Dec
  8. 29th Dec
  9. 30th Dec
  10. New Year’s Eve
  11. New Year’s Day
  12. 2nd – 3rd Jan

  1. Claims Team

  2. 9am – 5:30pm
  3. 9am – 12:45pm
  4. CLOSED
  5. CLOSED
  6. 9am – 5:30pm
  7. 9am – 5:30pm
  8. 9am – 5:30pm
  9. 9am – 5:30pm
  10. 9am – 12:45pm
  11. CLOSED
  12. 9am – 5:30pm
  1. Sales & Customer
    Service Team
  2. 9am - 7pm
  3. 9am - 4pm
  4. CLOSED
  5. CLOSED
  6. 9am - 7pm
  7. 9am - 6pm
  8. 9am - 4pm
  9. 9am - 7pm
  10. 9am - 4pm
  11. CLOSED
  12. 9am - 7pm

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As you may have seen in the press Debenhams brand was recently acquired by another retailer. You can find out morehere

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