Summer has finally arrived and last weekend we decided to make the most of this glorious sunshine. We arranged to meet up with a few friends on our local beach. So in preparation we thought it would be the perfect occasion to try out our new ice cube tray and 3 piece Ice bucket by OXO.
The ice cube tray is so practical. There are two trays made of silicone, making 24 ice cubes in total! You place them one on top of the other when filling up in the accompanying frame and what’s awesome is the fact that they just don’t spill. The frame provides support and makes it easy for carrying and storing in the freezer.
Whilst waiting for the ice, we got our brand new ice bucket ready. This is super stylish and really convenient. It comes with tongs and a removable tray. We cut up some limes and popped them in the tray. It fitted really securely and there was plenty of room left for more fruit if needed. (Top tip if you have left over lemon or lime sections then just pop them in the freezer and they will be beautifully cold additions to your drinks whenever you feel like it!)
When the ice was ready, we took the trays out of the freezer. This was the fun bit… Each cube is either shaped as a “O” or an “X” and because the trays are made of silicone, it makes it super easy to pop the ice cubes out straight into the ice bucket. The bucket itself has an internal reservoir so keeps the meltwater away from the ice and makes sure the ice stays frozen for a good length of time.
We packed a few bottles and snacks for the evening, and our new game “Smite” (I’ll talk about later) then headed down to the beach. Once parked up, and everyone had arrived, we wandered towards to the beach. Sadly, the tide was high, so we decided to go for a wander along the cliff edge to find a good spot for a few beverages.
The ice bucket is brill, and everyone commented how nice it is! It was very easy to transport as it has a carrying handle (which tucks away when not in use). Although it’s not a large item, it is perfect for this type of occasion and really lightweight too. Once settled on the cliff side, with a fab view of the sea below and the dramatic north coastline, we cracked open some bottles, enjoying the heat and the chat amongst ourselves.
The different shaped ice cubes looked brill floating in the cider- such a good talking point. The ice bucket worked brilliantly at keeping the ice from melting, plus the hinged lid is see-through so you can check how much ice is left without opening the bucket unnecessarily. The tongs worked well to grab the ice and lime as they have sharp teeth so pick everything up easily and when we weren’t using them, they hang at the side of the bucket.
After a couple of hours, the tide had finally gone out enough, so we packed up and headed down to the beach for a game of Smite. And what a fun game it is! The rules are super simple- in short, throw the stick (Smiter) at the pins to gain points! The first person/team to 50 points is the winner.
The game comes in its own bag, which makes carrying it to beach easy. The full rules (which are also written on the bag to remind you of what to do) are a little more interesting: the pins are numbered 1-10 and are set up in a triangle (just like bowling). When it’s your turn, you stand approximately 4 metres away, behind the marker which is included in the box.
You then throw the Smiter at the pins to knock them down and after each turn you have to stand them up again wherever they land. If you knock down 1 pin you score the number on that pin. However, if you knock down 2 or more pins your score will be equal to the number of pins that fell. You have to get exactly 50 points to win. But what gets really interesting is that if you exceed this, you automatically return to 25 points.
It was absolutely brilliant and you had to be quite tactical to get the points you needed. Everyone loved it, getting quite competitive. It worked so well on the beach, however, I imagine you could play this anywhere there is a flat surface – on the garden lawn would be excellent. (Probably best not to play indoors due to the nature of throwing a stick and not everyone has such good aim).
Smite is a really cool and most importantly Cornish game that’s excellent for friends and family. Anyone would love this game and it certainly makes a change from the same old garden games. Its simple to understand rules make it easy to pick up but its tactical nature makes it a game to really master!
