• 15 Tasty Butterbeer Recipes
    cooking - Crafts for adults - Wizarding World crafts

    15 Tasty Butterbeer Recipes

    January 25, 2019 - By 

    We are huge fans of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in our house. I devoured the Harry Potter books when I was younger, loved the films and now enjoy the Fantastic Beasts franchise too. I have tried reading the books with the children but they don’t seen quite ready for them. Instead we have been re-watching the films as we have booked tickets for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour to see behind the scenes of the Harry Potter films next month! We’ve featured a few Harry Potter themed posts on our blog, although my favourite was our visit to…

  • cooking - eating - parenting

    Teaching Your Kids to Cook: Chinese Food

    November 3, 2016 - By 

    One of the best lessons my mum and grandmother ever taught me was how to cook.  Granted, my favourite dishes were not complicated (and not healthy to be honest) but learning to cook has not only been a skill I’ve used ever since, it also led me to develop an interest in cooking and food that has turned into something of a hobby. Plus, knowing how to cook has saved me a lot of money versus eating out, as well as given me a great deal of confidence when it comes to having friends over for dinner or a casual…

  • cooking - eating

    Fajita and Film night with Santa Maria

    November 2, 2014 - By 

    This evening after a very busy day we enjoyed a Fajita and Film Night from Santa Maria (previously Discovery Foods). As the weather turns colder and nights in and lazy Sundays with the little ones become more appealing, Santa Maria sent us a lovely hamper filled with Santa Maria products including tortillas, fajita seasoning mix and squeezy bottles of guacamole and salsa. We love making fajita’s at home but there were a couple of products we hadn’t tried before, such as the tub of Onion & Garlic Dip, jar of Red Jalapenos and Sweet Chilli flavoured Nacho Rolls. All I…

  • Cooking - cooking - eating - recipe

    Sweet potato and tuna fish cakes

    October 16, 2014 - By 

    There’s something about this time of year that makes me want to make good food for the family. Today I wanted to share my recipe for Sweet potato and tuna fish cakes. It’s a simple recipe, quick if you use left-overs (which I’m a big fan of doing) and a great use of store cupboard essentials, such as canned fish which is really convenient for family mealtimes. Ingredients to make Sweet potato and tuna fish cakes: 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed Princes tuna chunks in brine lemon juice black pepper vegetable oil Two slices of bread or breadcrumbs bunch…

  • ASK Italian - cooking - handmade

    How to make homemade ravioli without a pasta maker

    May 15, 2014 - By 

    Have you ever tried making your own pasta? I was challenged to make my own ravioli, from scratch, and I have to be honest and say this made me very nervous. I can whip up a cake or follow a recipe with pretty good results but the idea of making my own ravioli from flour and eggs was slightly scary. Fortunately I was provided with the 00 grade pasta flour, a Lakeland ravioli stamper and the ASK Italian recipe book. Yesterday afternoon I gathered all the ingredients and set to work. I made the ravioli in a couple of stages.…

  • ASK Italian - cooking - eating

    Fettuccine Bolognese

    April 29, 2014 - By 

    First of all I need to say how lovely the ASK Italian cook book is! The recipes are mouthwatering as are the photographs and it’s a real joy to sit and look through it. You may remember I’ve been working with ASK Italian over the last few weeks on their campaign to #respectthepasta. My first challenge was to enjoy a family meal at our local ASK Italian, and the second challenge was to cook the perfect pasta at home. The latest challenge was to try and recreate a dish from the ASK menu in my own kitchen. I was sent…

  • ASK Italian - cooking - eating

    The perfect Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

    April 17, 2014 - By 

    I’m currently working with ASK Italian to promote their brilliant campaign to #Respectthepasta! A couple of weeks ago I visited my local ASK Italian in order to tell you about their delicious menu. This week I wanted to share some tips for cooking the perfect pasta at home. ASK Ambassador Theo Randall, has had a huge hand in creating some of the delicious menus at ASK Italian, he has also created a set of rules for creating perfect pasta: Pasta DO: -Use LOTS of boiling, well-salted water -Cook for two minutes less than the packet instructions and finish cooking in…

  • cooking

    Cooking a main meal in minutes with British Lion Eggs

    March 29, 2014 - By 

    I’m currently working with BritMums as a “Shortcut Eggspert” to promote yummy British Lion Eggs.  Sometimes it can be hard work providing the family with three meals a day and I frequently rely on eggs for cooking quick and tasty breakfasts, lunches and main meals! I was set a challenge of cooking a main meal in minutes with British Lion Eggs. I’ve tried a couple of recipes over the last few weeks but our favourite has to be omelettes. Today we went to our first car boot sale of the year and we needed something substantial and quick when we…

  • cooking - Dunelm Mill Blogger - Pancake Day crafts

    Getting ready for Pancake Day

    March 2, 2014 - By 

    Are you excited about Pancake Day next week? We are! It has to be one of my favourite childhood memories – the anticipation, the smell and sounds of the cooking and of course, the yummy flavours. I think Pancake Day remains special because although pancakes are simple, cheap and quick to make, we usually only eat them once a year. Our 2 and 3 year old need a little help to appreciate the finer things in life. Which is why we had a practice run for Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday as it’s traditionally known. You really don’t need many…