If you're a fan of camping, then you'll know there's nothing quite like sleeping under the stars. However, you'll also know traditional camping can be a little bit tricky - often involving lugging around a lot of heavy gear and a lot of hassle setting everything up correctly.
But what if there was an easier way? What if you could enjoy all the benefits of camping without any of the hassles?
Car roof tents are changing the game, and if you haven't been thinking about them already, here's why you need to start.
They're exactly what they sound like - tents attached to car roof racks. They are set up in minutes, and all you need is your car to get a comfortable camping experience.
Not only do car roof tents make it easier for travellers to explore the world with more convenience, but they also provide the perfect opportunity for adventure seekers looking to explore off the beaten path.
Some car roof tents even come with additional features, such as built-in mattresses and storage space, making it easier to pack light and have everything you need for a comfortable camping experience.
But car roof tents aren't just for camping - they can also be used for outdoor events or even for emergency shelter in case of natural disasters.
But wait...
Oh, in so many ways.
Picture this.
You're camping in the great outdoors, and you've had a beautiful weekend away, but on the final night, it starts raining buckets. We're talking about the full-on type of rain that soaks the ground in seconds. Unprepared, you rush to collect all your things and bundle into your traditional tent, but it's too late.
The floor is drenched. There's a puddle in the entryway. Your shoes and clothes are dripping, and mud creeps in with every footstep and gust of wind. Morning comes, and everything is thoroughly soaked, muddy, dirty, and certainly not ready to put in the car.
Now imagine this the other way around.
You're car camping with a car roof tent several feet off the ground. You simply close the tent door and stay dry when it starts to pour. No mess, no fuss. No water creeping in, and unless mud has figured out a way to climb the sides of your car, there's no way it's getting in either.
On top of this, car roof tents are also great for those looking to travel light - traditional camping requires hauling around heavy gear and setting it up in a specific spot. With car roof tents, you have the convenience and mobility to go wherever your car can take you.
Park up. Put the tent up in minutes. Now you're ready to get on with the other activities.
You can even save money by having free outings with your car roof tent. Since you’re sleeping on the roof of your car, there’s no need to pay campsite or pitch fees. Just know wherever you park, that’s where you’re sleeping!
So, why not give car roof tents a try? They may just change the way you experience camping forever.
To learn more, check out the latest addition of car roof tents, now available in the Monster Store!
Our pop-up car roof tent can be set up in minutes and is no doubt the easiest and comfiest way to camp and experience nature. Offering complete waterproof properties up to 3,000mm, and fully equipped with a solar light, a 5cm thick mattress that's comfier than your bed at home, and built-in roof storage, this is everything you could want in a tent and more.
Check it out today and get back outside in the best way possible.
Happy travels! :)
A commercial food mixer is vital to any professional (or domestic for that matter!) kitchen. It’s an investment, after all. And like any investment, you want your money’s worth. So we thought we’d club together our best tips and tricks to help you get as much use out of your food mixer as possible.
Not only will we help you keep your mixer on the straight and narrow by maximising its working life, but we’ll also give you some helpful dos and don’ts when you’re using it. We’ll even give you some tasks it can perform of which you mightn’t have thought.
It’s an obvious one but making sure that you clean your mixer, both attachments and bowl, with hot, soapy water will go a long way and also keep your kitchen clean and healthy. Do check that your detergent of choice is friendly to stainless steel or other metals present on or in your mixer.
Keeping the internal workings dry is key when washing your mixer so you’d be best avoiding pressure washers when tending to the machine. Nevertheless, inspecting and lubricating the gears and belts inside the mixer would be a splendid idea. You should replace anything you find which may have had its day.
Having a log of the maintenance of your kitchen machines, including your mixer, is essential to keep track of when gadgets may be in need of some TLC.
Now you’ve got your mixer in perfect working material, we’ll let you in a few really useful tips on how to use it to the best of its ability.
You always want to make sure the bowl and any attachments are securely in place before mixing begins unless you wish to do an unscheduled re-decoration of your kitchen!
Keeping any hands completely out of the way, starting to mix at the lowest speed and working your way up the gears to the desired level is always the best way to operate your mixer for largely the same reasons as above. When the mixing is over, move the speed down the gears before stopping the attachment altogether.
Once the mixer has begun, it must be stopped before adding other ingredients. Other than that, just make sure nothing goes into the mixer that shouldn’t such as clothes, utensils or body parts. That’s a crucial one!
We all know that a commercial stand mixer is brilliant at easily kneading traditional yeast doughs but we’ve got a few other ideas for you to try:
How about shredding a chicken? It can of course be done by hand with a knife and fork but if you want to save some time, a flat beater or paddle attachment should make mince meat (not quite literally) of your chicken in double quick time. Then with your newly shredded chicken, have a look at this simple-to-make recipe.
If that doesn’t float your boat, you could have a try at making some home-made sausages. To most, this one be quite a daunting challenge, particularly making them by hand but the planetary mixer makes this much easier, especially when emulsifying sausage. Then, after freezing your meat, you can use your mixer to grind up the meat before adding liquid and spices into the mixing bowl for the final flourish. Here's a classic to have a go at yourself using your own sausages
For those of us who prefer our food to be of the vegan variety, your mixer can be used to create an alternative to eggs made from the liquid found in chickpeas cans, aquafaba. A mixer can whip the aquafaba into a meringue-like consistency. It can take a good few minutes to achieve this which makes the mixer even more useful. Check out this vegan-friendly recipe.
If you're yet to get your hands on a commercial food mixer of your own, look no further than our very own KuKoo models here.
You’ve got your SkiSki hairpin legs? Great! Now what to put on top….
You could just buy a piece of new wood, but where is the fun in that? Get creative with your table top material and make interesting statement pieces of furniture for your home. Using second hand or reclaimed materials can also bring the cost down, an extra benefit of using your imagination. Design your very own bespoke furniture leaving all your guests asking where you shop.
Not sure where to start? We have some excellent inspiration for you. Here are the best, most creative table top ideas that we have seen.
You can find all sorts of treasures in antique shops. Keep your eyes peeled for beautiful pieces of wood that may have once been something else. You can completely reclaim the wood to make it an unrecognisable but beautiful piece of furniture. Another idea is to keep it in its original form to create a funky furniture project and a statement piece for your home.
One of the most unique designs that we have seen is using an antique letterpress case as a table top. Top with glass and you have yourself the ultimate unique coffee table. Any book lover would not be able to resist!
Thought suitcases were only for going on holiday? Think again. Hard cases make lovely side tables for your home. Not only have you created a handy table, you’ve given yourself some extra storage. Hide any unwanted mess in your new side table; pretty and useful. Why not keep an eye out for a second hand briefcase for your next furniture project?
A piece of a log is an excellent choice if you fancy a slight twist on standard piece of wood. Paired with our easy to attach SkiSki hairpin legs, you will have a side table created in no time at all!
The unique patterns in the log achieve completely unique and beautiful furniture pieces. The perfect addition to any home with a rustic style. You could even varnish your wood for a more contemporary finish.
Inexpensive and yet the end result is always beautiful furniture. Use an old crate to make an attractive side table. With all the fittings included with SkiSki Legs, this is a quick way to create stunning furniture.
We like the authentic crates with printing on them for an antique farmhouse look. Style with dried flowers to achieve a beautiful boho style.
A wood chipper is a superb way of devouring any excess twigs, leaves and branches, keeping your beautiful garden looking resplendent throughout the year.
However, when you’re done with a wood chipper, you’ll find yourself with an abundance of chips. But don’t dismay! There’s a plethora of imaginative uses for wood chips around a home and we’ve chosen the top five here.
Wood chips are naturally going to decompose over time. The bigger the chip, the longer it will take to break down.
As the wood chips break down on top of the soil as mulch, their goodness filters through and into hungry plants and trees allowing them to grow stronger than ever!
Keep those nitrogen levels nice and high by adding in some nitrogen-rich mulch with wood chips to make sure the levels in the soil remain lovely and full so your vegetation can feast.
Using wood chips as mulch will be brilliant at keeping pesky weeds below ground but also deter any naughty pests who would love to scoff down your precious flowers. Let’s not forget that they look stunning too! You can accessorise your garden with different colours, textures and sizes depending on which tree or branch has been chipped by your wood chipper.
Wood chips can be used as an effective substrate for yummy mushrooms.
Different substrates go best with different mushrooms. So, the best plan is to find out which fungi would grow amazingly tall with the help of your useful wood chips.
Wood chips are a fabulous material to use on any path or walkway within your garden.
There’s nothing better than not having to pull up those troublesome weeds every five minutes! Wood chips down on a path are amazing at keeping unwanted plants at bay and they look gorgeous in the process.
Make sure you chip enough of them using your chipper to create a layer of chips which is big enough to compress and maintain a weed-free look. You’ll also need a regular supply to top up the chips as they continue to decompose over time so don't put your wood chipper away forever when you're done.
Kids play areas are also a popular destination for wood chips. They provide a sturdy material on which the children can play but also a softer landing for more exuberant play time.
Gardens are full of life and that’s what makes them beautiful! With your excess wood chips, you can create a new place for your pets, or even wild animals and birds, to stay in your garden.
Pair these chips with wooden logs to create sensational shelters for a furry friend or a chirpy companion as well as making amazing bedding using soft chips with rounded edges only containing goodness and nutrients inside.
Wood chips are also super useful within raised beds as they continue to seep minerals into the soil as they decompose through the months and years
Fuel up!
Wood chips are a perfect source of fuel for a small or camping stove. When on an adventure and natural fuel for your fire isn’t readily available, if you have some of your spare wood chips on you, you’re going to be enjoying your pot noodle in moments (if that’s possible!).
Make sure to use your wood chips in size-appropriate stoves. They’re sure to get the fire burning bright in those miniature stoves.
Now you know all the amazing things you can do with your spare chips, you'll also have to fuel up your chipper to keep on producing more chips to use around your garden.
With brighter days on the horizon, we are all looking forward to getting back out in the garden and enjoying the sunshine. For many of us, our attention has turned to getting our gardens ‘spring ready’ by planting flowers and revitalising our outdoor space after a cold winter.
Our amazing garden range will give you all the tools you need to transform your garden this spring. This includes our beautiful composite decking boards which are perfect for any shape garden, giving you that dream look. Or why not try the 5 in 1 multi tool? Everything you need to maintain your garden all year round. You could even give your plants the VIP treatment with the retractable garden hosepipe. Watering your plants has never been easier with the extra-long hose!
Pair your new tools with a few of our tried and tested tips, making gardening that little bit easier this spring…
Reuse your old wooden lollypop sticks to get your plant post organised this spring. Write what is in each pot and put it in the soil so you can easily identify your beautiful plants as they grow.
Recycle your old yoghurt cartons by turning them into plant pots to get your seeds off to the best start in life. Simply pierce holes into the bottom of each pot to add some extra drainage, fill with soil, plant your seeds and you are good to go. Place on a tray in your green house or on your windowsill and watch as your green fingered work pays off! Get the whole family involved by painting or drawing beautiful patterns, giving your yoghurt pots a new lease of life.
No lollypop sticks? No problem. A funky alternative is to write or draw the names of your plants or herbs onto pebbles, making natural looking labels suitable for any garden!
Cut up your old sponges and place in the bottom of your pots to improve the drainage system of a simple plant pot. The sponges retain moisture and stop the water just rinsing straight out the bottom of the pot, creating better conditions for your seeds.
Use your old plant pots as storage for your small garden equipment. This could be sheers, trowels, forks, pens or even your new lollypop stick labels! Label your pots to keep tidy and organised all year round.
No storage? No problem. Get yourself sorted with our wide range of racking, giving you the perfect shelving unit for whatever and wherever you are organising.
Take a look at the latest addition to our range, the heavy-duty racking unit. Our most exciting racking yet, this shelving is extra wide with a capacity of 1200Kg. Without a doubt, this will suit all your storage needs!
With the racking sorted, here’s some handy storage hacks to get you on your way to a perfectly organised garage!
Don’t let your old toilet roll tubes go to waste with this organisational hack. Cut your empty toilet roll tubes in half and glue them together for the perfect storage solution for nuts and bolts, or other small items. Need a lockdown pastime? Make it a family event by either painting or drawing on your toilet roll tubes to make this easy storage hack stand out from the crowd.
Many of our garages are full of nearly empty tins of paint that we are saving ‘just in case’. Transfer the paint from the tin to recycled jars to save space on your new racking. The tighter seal of the jar will also mean that your paint lasts longer for whatever your next job will be.
Store the little things with this simple hack. Gone are the days of precariously balancing containers to make the most out of your racking. We are reusing old jars again by super gluing the lid to the underside of your shelf. Simply twist the jar into the lid and here you have a fabulous floating storage solution.
PVC piping is the perfect affordable solution for storing your day-to-day tools. Glue the bottom of a piece of piping, about 20cm in length, to strip of wood. This sturdy storage solution is a great way of organising screwdrivers, plyers, and any other medium sized tools you may have. Why not have a section for pens and pencils so they are never out of reach when working on your DIY projects.
Kit your racking out with bins, baskets or whatever containers you fancy. Label them all up and you will stay organized for the rest of the year! A simple but effective hack!
Summer may be behind us now, but this doesn’t mean that the festivities have to end here! Throwing an outdoor garden party is the highlight of Autumn for many of us- there is nothing better than gathering around the table and dining al fresco with your friends and family on a balmy Autumn evening in the shade, toasting to great things and spending some well-deserved time relaxing. As the hotter days are behind us, Autumn is the perfect month to organise a gathering and enjoy the cooler weather.
To help you reign supreme when it comes to organizing an unforgettable outdoor dining event, we have compiled a list of important things to remember when putting together the perfect garden party to be a cut above the rest!
Of course, the most important element to consider is your seating plan – as usual, we have got you covered! Our Jardí Rattan Dining Set can seat up to 9 people and is the perfect seating option for a large group. So, why not bring over the whole family for an evening of fun-filled festivities?
For the ultimate summer party, no details must go unplanned! This also applies to the comfort level provided for your guests. For optimum seating and to keep everyone happy, make sure that you have snug cushions for everyone to enjoy. Our premium Rattan Dining Set offers cosy cushions that take comfort to another level. Take if from us - you can easily settle into this dining set for hours on end while you spend the evening chatting away!
Depending on what level of formality you are aiming for, it may be a good idea to send out some cute, handmade invitations to your guests- of course, if this is just a small family event, then it’s probably just best to pick up the phone and give them a ring! Regardless, a few subtle touches like handmade invitations could be just the trick to wow your prospective audience and start your dinner party right!
When your guests arrive, why not arrange some decorative place names for them – this might be more suitable for a group of friends that may not necessarily know each other very well. Whatever your audience, get creative with it – you can even get the kids involved with this quick and easy DIY craft and keep them out of the kitchen!
As the sun goes down and the stars begin to come out, make sure that you are prepared to maintain the mellow ambience with some soft lighting to keep the party going. Keep your guests entranced by the magical evening atmosphere with some minimalist outdoor string lighting that can be weaved in and out of trees. This will instantly light up your garden and turn it into to a nighttime wonderland! If you are moving this dinner party indoors to your dining area at any point, make sure that you have some equally ambient mood-lighting prepared – our range of Pendant Pulley Lights create a rich, rustic feel to any room and are guaranteed to attract compliments.
For ample seating and dining space, we recommend our spacious Jardí Rattan Garden Set available in a range of colours to match your personal style! This outstanding seating set is guaranteed to impress and has enough space for up to 9 of your friends or family for that perfect evening together. With the free rain cover we have included, it’s easy to leave the dining set outside all year round until you can uncover it once again in better weather and start up the dinner parties!
In terms of grub, serving up some classic sizzling burgers and chips with a nice garden salad will never get any complaints from your guests! Why not go the extra mile this Autumn and try our Hog Roast, specially brought to you by KuKoo.
This addition to your garden party will help you perfect the art of creating mouth-watering burgers and serve up enough delicious food to feed an army- and then some! Leftovers are also always a welcome treat for the next day as you can make delectable sandwiches with any uneaten BBQ meat! Depending on how much you are planning to serve, this helpful Hog Roast is available in two different sizes, either the 60kg or 90kg model. This is the perfect addition to any Autumn outdoor BBQ and these appetising burgers will guarantee that your guests always come back for more!
For a dessert that requires minimal effort, grab a helping hand from us with our Planetary Food Mixers and blend together the ingredients for cakes, cupcakes and other sweet treats – it’s always important to save some room for dessert, especially when they are appetizing homemade delights! With a 20-litre bowl capacity, keeping your guests satisfied with enough cake won’t be a problem this Autumn.
While the Autumn season is still suitably warm and toasty, our KuKoo Commercial Food Blenders won’t go amiss amongst your partygoers! Instead of sweating the day away, grab some fresh ingredients and blitz to perfection to create dreamy, sumptuous smoothies and thick, mouthwatering shakes to enjoy outside. This is also perfect if any kids will be attending your garden party- keep them distracted with delicious fruity milkshakes to give the adults some well-deserved peace and quiet!
If you want to amp up the chill factor, why not treat yourself to our KuKoo Ice Machine – easily produce up to 2,304 ice cubes in 24 hours and store up to a whopping 11.5kg of ice for your next outdoor dinner party. Add to your freshly made smoothies and other beverages for an instant icy effect. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, why not whip up some classic cocktails, add ice as needed and spread some merriment amongst your guests? In our opinion, there is nothing that comes close to enjoying a long island iced tea or mojito in the autumn shade with good company!
As we approach the end of our list, we hope that you have been inspired to create the perfect atmosphere at your next Autumn dinner party! Here at Monster, we want to ensure that you have the right tools for the job to ensure that your dinner party preparations run smoothly, so that enjoying great food, drink and fabulous company become top priorities. So, make the most of this Autumn and plan a catch-up over dinner that is probably long overdue!
With the British summertime well and truly here, it’s time to make the most of that greenery outside and discover the ergonomic and versatile power of a raised planter! Here at Monster, we think it’s a fabulous idea to get outside and try something new in this sunny (although sometimes questionable!) weather. Whether you are an advanced black-belt gardening guru or a complete novice who rarely gets a glimpse of the great outdoors, a raised garden planter can be just the thing to practice some ever-useful gardening skills and surprise yourself with what you can really do!
From being an efficient, closed system for maximising plant and veggie yield to storing up to 1600 litres of soil, our MonsterShop Steel Flower Planters are multi-functional and sturdy flower beds which are carefully crafted from galvanized and corrugated steel and ready to help you achieve amazing things with your gardening space! Here we have highlighted just a few quick benefits and uses of installing a MonsterShop Raised Flower Beds in your garden.
Perhaps you have been thinking of getting healthier this summer or would like to move towards home-grown produce- whatever the reason, get out there and cultivate your own veggies- it’s not only healthier, but it’s a great way to bring the whole family together! At MonsterShop, all your fruit and veggie needs are covered with our raised vegetable and flower planters!
This is probably the greatest benefit of owning a raised flower bed- they are ultimately a low-maintenance and user-friendly option for those who don’t want to invest too much time in creating the ideal condition for growing delicious veggies on demand! By deciding the type and mixture of soil to be used in advance, both beginners and experts can control the type of soil used in their flower beds and grow mouth-watering produce in no time at all! For example, veggies such as carrots, which are stubbornly difficult to grow, thrive in these brilliant garden beds.
Studies have also shown that raised flower beds produce a higher yield than more conventional methods of growing fruit and veg, and the space used is also minimal and easy to keep tidy- no need to turn your entire garden into a vegetable patch!
The list of possibilities is endless, but you can try a few of the following options to begin with:
Fresh fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.
Delicious veggies, such as onions, tomatoes and root vegetables.
Decorative small shrubs and bushes.
Another amazing perk of these incredible Raised Beds is the fact that no-one will be walking all over your beloved produce. Perhaps you have kids or pets which love to run around outdoors, leaving no part of the ground untrampled! With our 1600 Litre MonsterShop Flower Beds, that’s no longer an issue, as the raised nature of the item prevents any traffic from reaching it and ultimately, from damaging the soil. The raised sides of the garden bed also act as a fortress against any critters looking to get into your planter and munch on your goodies! Gone are the days of checking on the progress of your veggies and finding them suspiciously full of holes!
Make your neighbors green with envy by carefully cultivating beautiful selections of flowers and proudly displaying them in our comfy Monster Steel Flower Planter - the benefits are truly endless! By containing your ‘mini garden’ environment in one of our planters, you can effectively limit the number of weeds and any other nasty species that can get into your precious flower bed and destroy months of work. Best of all, as weeds are unlikely to make their homes inside your flowerbed, you can avoid using fertiliser, ensuring a chemical free environment.
This closed system is also a great solution for containing all the essential nutrients required for plant growth and preventing any escape from the soil – also known as ‘run-off’ in gardening terms. As the planter has a solid bottom, all that good stuff won’t have anywhere to go and will provide plants with everything they need.
Not only do raised planters bring wholesome benefits to the plants being grown in the flower bed, but they are an excellent low-maintenance option as previously mentioned. For those who have back and/or joint problems, our Steel Corrugated Garden Beds provide an excellent raised platform to do the gardening and don’t require straining over a flower bed that is normally installed low onto the ground.
There are many planters out there and sometimes the selection can be confusing for many gardeners just starting out in the world of raised flower beds. Fortunately, we can let you know which material comes highly recommended for this project!
There are many sources that exist out there which suggest using wood for your garden bed, and although this may be a cheaper and conveniently sourced material, many types of wood are treated beforehand with harmful chemicals or require treatment further down the line after purchase – this may cause chemical ‘spills’ into your soil and affect whatever is growing.
Other options such as mortared stone or cinderblocks are a heavy material and could generally be difficult to work with – mortared stone especially require a lot of investment and the labor costs could be substantial. Plus, it’s not a very good option if you have existing back problems!
So that leaves us with steel, a material which is easily procured, and which is becoming increasingly popular with gardeners looking to create a sleek and modern look in their garden! Steel flower beds are all the range and won’t break the bank. For an easy option, why not try one of our very own Corrugated Steel Raised Flower Beds? All you have to do is find the perfect spot in your garden!
Given that our planters arrive flat-packed, you don’t have to worry about building your own raised flower beds from scratch- this means you will have more time left to figure out the important things, such as the soil mixture, what you will be growing and when you will be eating it!
To go alongside our practical and easy-to-use MonsterShop Raised Flower Beds, we highly recommend our MonsterShop Foldable Garden Cart for some extra helping hands around the garden and to easily transport your veggies or plants to your new planter! With an easy collapsible design and a mighty storage capacity, you can turn gardening into a light, effortless activity.
If you have a wonderful selection of greenhouse plants already, but are getting short on space, our Greenhouse Waterproof Racks are here to make your life easier and to create that extra space that your plants have been craving.
Find out more about our amazing Flower Beds here and maybe even grab one for yourself this summer! Reach out to us with the fabulous ways you organised your MonsterShop Raised Garden Bed – we are always keen to see what our creative readers are up to!
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