This week, a date with an ogre at The Kings, a doughnut at Nic's Deli and money talks at Scottish final.

A Date @ The Kings

This week I had a date with an ogre. This wasn't some Tinder hook-up gone wrong (although, I've heard stories!), Shrek The Musical arrived at The Kings theatre and I went along to check it out…. with my husband, who is only an ogre on Sunday mornings.

Once upon a time, in a land far far away (Seattle) some clever folk thought that the oscar-winning Dreamworks animation could still work its green socks off to get bums on seats. They decided it would make a great theatrical production. And it does. The story was made for a wee bit of pantomime.

If Shrek is trying to appeal to the kids (which would make sense) it does so handsomely: it's bursting with fun, noise and a gale of fart jokes. There are jokes for adults too, though, and some incredible set design; not least the huge and lusty purple dragon that flies around the stage. I'll say no more..

There are stand-out performances from Lord Farquaad, Princess Fiona and the extremely talented ensemble cast, who make up the fairytale characters who huff and puff and blow the house away with their clever choreography and ditties. Idriss Kargbo's 'Donkey' falls a wee bit flat, but then, Eddie Murphy's trotters would be big to fill for anyone.

Shrek might not be a monster of a musical: it just doesn't have enough memorable songs, but it is great fun and kids will love it. What's more - and back to Tinder briefly - the main appeal of the tale is that it's not a traditional love story: it says there's hope for us all - however ogrey - and you don't need a song to tell you that, just the big green bloke with the horns!

Doughnuts @ Nic's NYC Deli

This week, the news was that the American doughnut chain, Krispy Kreme, would be rolling into Glasgow sometime soon. Folk in the East went nutty last year when the first Scottish store opened in Edinburgh and caused massive tailbacks all the way down the M8.

As excited as I am by Krispy Kremes coming to town, I decided it was a great excuse to try out some more holesome, homegrown doughnuts instead, at Nic’s NYC Deli. Nic’s first opened in St Enoch Square last year and soon became a firm favourite with workers what lunch in the city. Soon after, they opened in Hope Street and then, more recently, found a home in the West End.

As the name suggests, it's Americana-snacking: it's hot dogs, it's U.S.A-sized sandwiches like the Manwich and the Heart-Stopper. They do salads too, so it's not all bad, but it's also not the kind of place you go if you're trying to be healthy; because one glance at their doughnuts and, honestly, I think you'll struggle not to try one on for size.

Their doughnuts are all freshly made, in-house and come with a ridiculous array of toppings that made my teeth hurt just from looking at them: Oreos, peanut butter, marshmallows, caramel fondant… I was like a kid in a sweet shop! In the end, I chose the Smore-nut and the Ultimate Teaser. One for me, one for my husband (honest guv'!) The buns of dough were light and fluffy and complimented the daft toppings. Had the dough been any sweeter it might have been intoxicating, as it was, the two matched each other perfectly and I was able to stand and walk (almost) in a straight line out of the shop.

We might have felt there was a doughnut-shaped hole in the city because Edinburgh had a Krispy Kreme and we didn't, now that hole might soon be fondant filled, but in my opinion a Glasgow-grown nut is just as good, if not better!

Money for Life Challenge

Yesterday, I hosted the Scottish final of the Money for Life Challenge with Fat Brestovca, who presents the late night tunes on The Hits Official. Given my growing baby bump, though, I'm pretty sure I was the fat one (could be those doughnuts though)!

The event was to find a winner of a challenge, created by Lloyds Banking Group and Young Scot, which saw forty different projects set up around Scotland to help young folk and communities look after the pennies and the pounds. The two winning groups - overall and the People’s Choice - will go on to compete in a nationwide final at the end of this month.

Yesterday, the winning team was the Bright Young Sparks, a group of young, single parents who helped each other and their wider community be more thrifty with their gas and electricity. They also created a booklet to show that being green can actually help with the amount of green in your wallet!

It was inspiring to be involved and the young folk were full of great and creative ways to improve money management. Something, perhaps, we could all take a (bank) note of…!

Wee Bird Recommends

This week, Wee Bird recommends a dog with a difference. On Sunday, El Perro Negro is holding a kitchen hold-up with their delicious burgers in Brewdog on Argyle Street, from 12.30 until 7pm. Some have said they're the best burgers in Glasgow, so why not scrap your usual roast and head to Brewdog for a burger worth talking about. Bookings can be made via email to glasgowbar@brewdog.com.