Enjoy some gastro grilling!

National BBQ Week takes place from 27 May to 2 June. Hopefully we’ll get some warmer weather so we can enjoy a bit of al fresco dining!

No one really knows who invented the barbecue although the word might come from the Taino Indian word 'barbacoa' meaning meat-smoking apparatus.

To barbecue means to slow-cook meat at a low temperature for a long time over wood or charcoal. In America, the barbecue originated in the late 1800's during Western cattle drives. The cowboys were fed tough and stringy piece of meat that required five to seven hours of cooking to tenderize.

Many of us tend to stick to traditional burgers and sausages when cooking our own BBQ’s but if you’ve got any tasty barbie recipes you could recommend, we’d love to hear from you!

For all the guidance you need on the tastiest meats, vegetables, marinades and desserts to cook up you can find a great selection of recipes at www.nationalbbqweek.co.uk.

The truth about bunions!

This interesting article about bunions was posted on the BBC website this week:

Bunions - family not footwear to blame!

The risk of developing bunions - bony growths on the big toe - is linked to your family, not your shoes, a US study has shown.

The Framingham Foot Study looked at 1,370 adults and found strong family histories of the condition.

They say this suggests people have a genetic predisposition.

UK podiatrists said the research supported their view that shoes could worsen the problem - but it was a myth they were completely to blame.

The main sign of the condition is the big toe pointing towards the other toes, which forces out the bone attached to it - the first metatarsal.

This changes the shape of the foot and can cause swelling, tenderness and pain.

If symptoms get too bad to bear, surgery will be needed to remove the bunion.

Women are known to have a higher incidence of the condition - and this has fed into the idea that high heels or ill-fitting fashionable shoes are to blame.

But while these could exacerbate the symptoms - because they might rub the bunion and cause pain or blistering - they do not cause it.

Foot Shape

The study, carried out between 2002 and 2008, looked at people who had foot complaints, including bunions and hammer and claw toes and then looked at the incidence of the same conditions in close family members.

It found a very strong correlation between family incidence of bunions, across men and women of all ages, but particularly in women.

The researchers suggest this could be due to inheriting a particular shape of foot which predisposes a person to developing the condition.

Dr Marian Hannan, who led the study, said: "These new findings highlight the importance of furthering our understanding of what causes greater susceptibility to these foot conditions, as knowing more about the pathway may ultimately lead to early prevention or early treatment."

Richard Handford, of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, said: "This is what we tell our patients - as opposed to the myth that shoes cause bunions.

It is something a person will have a predisposition to - but poor footwear will exacerbate it.

It's a bony deformity, so it's not going to fit into a shoe if you ram it in.

And once you have a bunion, accommodative footwear is it."

Get £10 off any order of our selected footwear!

This week, if you order any shoe/s from our selected styles, you'll get £10 off your order!

Choose from Lulu or Lara, our incredibly comfy women's casuals or for men we've got two smart, leather styles - Jack and Oscar.

To take advantage of this great offer simply add any of these shoes to your basket and enter the offer code WDF10P when prompted and we'll automatically deduct £10 from your order.

Terms and Conditions
To redeem this offer add any of our selected styles to your basket and enter the code WDF10P when prompted. Available while stocks last. This offer expires at 11.59pm on 28th May 2013. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. We reserve the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Offer applies to the following products: Lulu, Lara, Jack and Oscar.

100 years of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Every year the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea are transformed into show gardens and vibrant displays for the one of the world's most famous flower shows. The show has become an important venue for watching emerging gardening trends. New plants are launched and it’s often described as the garden design equivalent of Paris Fashion Week.

This year it’s the centenary of the show, having been held in the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital every year since 1913, apart from gaps during the two World Wars.

It’s the flower show most associated with the royal family, who attend the opening day every year. This year, one of the highlights promises to be the Forget-Me-Not garden that Prince Harry has helped design for his charity Sentebale.

If you’re lucky enough to be visiting the show we’d love you to get in touch and let us know what it was like. And if you’ve got some photos you’d like to share, even better!

In the meantime, if you've got any pictures of your own garden that you’d like to share via our community page or Facebook, we’d love to see them.

The Silver Marque Blog - a hub of information for people aged over 50

The Silver Marque group consists of a small group of companies with products and services designed to make the later years in life easier, more mobile, financially secure and enjoyable.

Over the last 3 years these companies, which include Cosyfeet, have shared best practice in marketing, customer services and treating customers fairly. This best practice includes not using hard sell tactics, being considerate about customer privacy and agreeing to solve any customer grievances fairly and swiftly.

Last May, the Silver Marque partners set up a Blog which aims to provide articles of interest to the over 50s. The advice it contains comes from trustworthy companies whose reputations and businesses rely on dealing with customers in a respectful and honest way.

The Silver Marque blog can be found at www.silvermarque.co.uk.

This takes place between 12-19 May 2013 and is a great opportunity to celebrate one of our best loved fast foods – the British sandwich.

It’s thought that the sandwich was 'invented' by the 4th Earl of Sandwich. He was a keen gambler and didn't like to leave the gaming table so rather than breaking for dinner while the game was in full swing, he asked to be brought some meat between two slices of bread. This was the birth of a great fast food which became known as a sandwich.

Today we eat some 11.5 billion sandwiches each year – about a quarter of which are bought from sandwich shops and the industry provides employment to more than 300,000 people.

For more about British Sandwich Week and for some great recipes, visit www.lovesarnies.com. And if you’ve got any tasty sandwich recipes you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you.

This week, we're offering '3 for 2' on all our Creams and Lotions. Get your feet ready for summer with our professional foot care creams, relieve aching joints and muscles with our soothing gels or relax and rejuvenate with our premium-quality lavender products.

To take advantage of this fantastic offer, simply add at least 3 creams or lotions to your shopping basket and enter the offer code WDC3F2 when prompted. Offer ends at 11.59pm on 21st May 2013.

Terms and Conditions
To redeem this '3 for 2' offer, simply add at least 3 Creams or Lotions to your basket and enter the code WDC3F2 when prompted. Cheapest item free. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. If you are returning items for a refund, all items must be returned to qualify. This offer expires at 11:59pm on 21st May 2013. We reserve the right to withdraw this offer at any time. This offer does not apply to multiple purchases (6 for 4, 9 for 6 etc.).

Click here to see our Creams and Lotions.

And the winner is.....

Last month was National Pet Month. To tie in with the event we ran a competition and asked Cosyfeet customers to send in a photo of their pet. We had some great entries and loved looking through all the wonderful pictures. In the end we decided that the winner of a £50 Cosyfeet voucher was Jan Harper Shea with her photo of her two gorgeous dogs.

“This is a photograph of our two fox terriers, Alice and Archie. Archie lost the use of his back legs so went for ‘walks’ in his dog buggy. As you can see, Alice jumps in and joins him – particularly during the cold weather.”

Here are some of the other lovely entrants:

From Sylvia Snook

Carlos – from John Silverthorn

Jack – From Jackie Silverthorn

Get walking and get healthy!

‘Get Walking Week’ is organised by the The Ramblers and is about encouraging more people to get active in the great outdoors.

The Ramblers believe that walking is one of the best ways to feel healthier and happier.

During ‘Get Walking Week’, there’ll be hundreds of free short walks of five miles or less led by experienced walk leaders throughout Britain.

The walks will take place in the countryside, cities and the coast and are the perfect opportunity to discover the freedom, fresh air and fitness that comes with exploring the great outdoors.

Visit their website at http://www.ramblers.org.uk/getwalkingweek to find your nearest ‘Get Walking Week’ walk.

If you have a story to tell about how walking has helped you we’d love to hear from you!

To tie in with National Walking Week, we're offering £5 off your order when you buy any product/s from our Walking collection.

Choose from a great range of products designed to make walking easier and more enjoyable including stylish walking sticks and smart rollators. Or if you're looking to increase your fitness, why not take your walking to the next level with our Folding Hiking Pole and Omron Pedometer.

To take advantage of this great offer, simply add any item* from our Walking collection to your basket and enter the offer code WDW5P and £5 will automatically be deducted from your total.

Terms and Conditions
To redeem our '£5 off offer', simply add any item/s from our Walking collection to your basket and enter the code WDW5P when prompted and £5 will be deducted from your order. This offer expires at 11.59pm on 14th May 2013. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. We reserve the right to withdraw this offer at any time. *Please note: There is a minimum spend of £25 per order.

Click here to see our Walking collection.