Making school packed lunches is one of those jobs that I really don't enjoy. Apart from having to do them for Master C's pre-school lunch club I've luckily avoided them until now. Universal Free Infant School meals meant that whilst Little Miss C was in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 she had a school meal each day, and if she didn't like the hot options she could opt for a school prepared packed lunch - all nutritionally balanced, as worked out by the catering company that the school uses. It made my life much simpler. This September saw LMC start in Year 3 at the local Junior School and with ... read more
FitBeer – A Proper Good Beer
I know I've got myself a bit of a reputation online for liking a tipple sometimes in an evening, but I'll let you into another little secret... I also quite like a non-alcoholic beer every now and again... I've always enjoyed the taste of beer, and when I was pregnant with Master C I started to absolutely crave the stuff. Obviously there are rules about drinking when pregnant (let's not open that can of worms right now) but I chose to try to find alternatives, and so spent what felt like the entire nine months trying to find a good non-alcoholic beer. Towards the end I had indeed managed ... read more
Pork Pasta Bolognese #HealthyRedMeat
Over the summer life at home has been somewhat disjointed. Moving house, and changing family dynamics, mean that I've followed the advice of someone who very early on told me that the key thing in the early days of all this change was to remember to eat something, and to remember to make sure everyone else eats too. For a little while I was allowed to not aim for a nutritionally balanced home cooked meal every evening, but I just had to make sure that I had a meal every day and that the kids didn't go hungry either. It was quite seriously one of the best bit of advice I could have been ... read more
British Steaks at Aldi – Peppered Steak Recipe
Steak is one of those meals that I love, but one that I don't cook very often. Not because it's difficult or anything like that, but mainly because I always look at it as a bit of a treat and hence something that can be a bit expensive. When Aldi sent me through some steak facts and a tasty looking recipe for Peppered Steak (see below) I thought I'd better rectify that matter. It did prompt some questions between me and the other half about what type of steak we both like, and also how we like our steak cooked. Compatible as we are, it turned out that both of us are in the 22% of the ... read more
I Love My Wok – Nicola Graimes
When I moved house recently a replacement wok was one of the first things I bought for my new kitchen. I've always used a wok loads for cooking a variety of different dishes in, and so I was quite surprised to read a press release for the book I Love My Wok describing it as "often... underused and undervalued". It's far from that in my house! I'm no great cook and have to admit that my wok based meals aren't really thought through as meals designed to be cooked in a wok, more that it's just the thing I choose to use in the kitchen. I was intrigued therefore to take a look at I Love My Wok ... read more
7 Tips To Teach Your Child Healthy Eating Habits From The Start
It’s well known that children learn by mimicking the behaviour around them. The adage “do what I say and not what I want” doesn’t work with them. Parents who want their children to keep their room tidy need to show how it’s done by keeping the home clean and organised. Similarly, it’s likely that kids who are shouted at as a punishment adopt this kind of behavior too: loud children = loud parenting. So, it’s your responsibility to show your children the behaviour that you expect them to copy. This goes for social skills as well as developing healthy habits. If you want your children to learn ... read more
Discovering Ciao Gusto at Ocado
This last week has been like living in the Mediterranean hasn't it? It has been so, so hot that I think everyone has wished they were on holiday instead of trying to get on with their day to day lives in the extreme heat. For me though, that holiday feel comes not only from the weather, but also from the food. Years ago I went to a conference in Sorrento in Italy and had one of the best food experiences of my life. Simple Italian food that was so delicious and plentiful that I still talk about that meal years later. I love Italian food and therefore it was a complete pleasure that I was asked ... read more
Taking tea with Oteas
Anyone that follows me on social media, especially on Instagram, will know that I'm rather partial to a cup of tea. In fact some people seem to think that I spend all day drinking tea. They may in fact be right. Although I'm quite good at multi-tasking so it's not the only thing I do all day! When an email dropped into my inbox towards the end of last year from Oteas asking if I would like to review some of their teas it didn't exactly take long for me to respond to them. Oteas are a UK based speciality tea company who have a desire to promote an active, healthy and balanced lifestyle, ... read more
PornBurger – Mathew Ramsey
Burger Porn. Now I don't know about you, but when an email came into my inbox featuring those two words I simply had to read on. I love a burger. The juicier and larger the better. There's something about them that is just utterly gorgeous but at the same time slightly dirty. Let's be honest, eating the best burgers is often a messy affair. The whole process normally involves juices dripping everywhere and you're bound to get sauce on your fingers too. And then there's the whole matter of whether or not you can actually fit it in your mouth or not. Eating one in front of someone else always ... read more
Historic Newspapers Vintage Recipe Books
I'm a complete sucker for all things vintage and that includes the piles of old magazine and newspapers that you sometime find in charity shops and at car boot sales. I think they tell us so much about the time they were written, not just from the news stories and articles, but also from things like the adverts they contain. I was intrigued therefore when Historic Newspapers sent me a couple of their news books which are Recipes and Cookery Ideas from newspapers of decades gone by. The two that I was sent were from the 1940s and 1950s, probably my two favourite decades in history. Have a ... read more