• Pastry squares with chestnut, turkey and kalettes
    Christmas - Cooking - eating

    Pastry squares with chestnut, turkey and kalettes

    December 16, 2016 - By 

    A big part of Christmas for me is the food. I spend weeks dreaming of our Christmas lunch and have a Pinterest board for all of my ideas. Oven Pride challenged me to think outside of the box and create a traditional Christmas dinner, but with a ‘seasonal’ twist. They wanted to hear about some funky Christmas flavours that would not usually be associated with your standard dinner. I’m a huge fan of ginger in any form. Not only is it packed full of magical properties but it adds great flavour to any dish. After a lot of thought I…

  • 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…

  • Devilishly delicious BEAR Claws
    eating - Halloween crafts - Happy By Nature

    Devilishly delicious BEAR Claws make the perfect Halloween treat

    November 2, 2016 - By 

    My children have been looking forward to Halloween throughout October. Our lightbox turned into a countdown and they were forever double checking how many days! Halloween can be a great event for children. There are the spooky costumes, the scary films, the pumpkin carving, the Halloween crafts and of course, the Trick or Treating. One thing I’m not so keen on is the emphasis on all the sweets and sugary stuff. The shops have been full of special Halloween branded sweets, cakes and biscuits for weeks. It’s hard to hide from those products, and even harder to hide them from…

  • Five Guys uxbridge
    days out - eating - food review

    A lunch date at Five Guys

    June 12, 2016 - By 

    My husband introduced us to Five Guys a few years ago and it’s now our go to place for a tasty lunch. My husband has plans for Father’s Day which is next Sunday – we’re trying not to take this personally. So instead we went out for a family lunch today. We’ve been to Five Guys a few times now and all have our favourites. The children both love their hot dogs with fries whilst we always go for the Cheeseburgers. Five Guys is nice and simple. Order and pay at the counter and you’ll receive your receipt and order…

  • eating - food review - subscription box

    Carnivore Club subscription box

    March 24, 2016 - By 

    I have something a little different to share with you today. I love to show you the contents of the subscription boxes I try and I received an email about Carnivore Club asking me to try it. I’m not a foodie but I loved the sound of this subscription box. In a nutshell, Carnivore Club is a monthly delivery subscription service of British artisan charcuterie. Once a month, boxes which are full to the brim with unique, innovative charcuterie are delivered straight to customers’ doors all over the world. The company began in Canada and America in 2013 and progressed…

  • Easter - eating - food review

    The Easter Goody Bag from Hotel Chocolat review

    March 15, 2016 - By 

    If you follow me over on Instagram you’ll know I recently posted this pic of The Easter Goody bag from Hotel Chocolate. I was kindly sent one to review and have been enjoying trying these indulgent goodies this week.   Hotel Chocolat is a British chocolatier and cocoa grower, with over seventy shops in the United Kingdom. Hotel Chocolat is the only company in the United Kingdom to grow cocoa on its own plantation. The Easter Goody Bag is a great size for chocolate lovers, filled with a selection of handbag-sized treats. This makes a great alternative to a traditional…

  • eating

    Start the day the healthy way with Alphabites

    March 1, 2016 - By 

    I was brought up to believe that breakfast was the most important part of the day which is why, every morning around 8am, you will find us sitting around the table enjoying breakfast together. I have two hungry children so they need something filling which will see them through ’til lunchtime. My children get bored quite easily, I’m not sure where they get that from!, but I admit to having a cupboard full of cereal for them to choose from. We’ve tried everything. Quite often the children come food shopping with me and are drawn to the brightly coloured boxes,…

  • eating - food review - mindfulness - subscription box

    Kuxxin subscription box

    February 28, 2016 - By 

    2016 is my year of putting myself first. I think it’s easy as a parent to spend so much time worrying about your family that you forget you matter too. Don’t worry, I’m not neglecting my children, just spending a little less time catching up on Facebook and investing more time in me and the things that make me happy. So far I’ve taken small steps. Every week I sing in a choir which I love. On a daily basis I try to spend less time on my laptop and more time reading, making and colouring (I love my adult…

  • Christmas - competition - days out - eating

    Celebrating those special Christmas moments with Waitrose

    November 15, 2015 - By 

    Christmas came early for me this year thanks to a special invitation to celebrate those special Christmas moments with Waitrose at the Waitrose Cookery School in Finchley Road, London. The evening was hosted by Phillip Schofield and I learnt how to make cocktails and cupcakes as well as sample the most amazing Christmas dinner, courtesy of the very talented Cookery School chefs. You may be asking why I was invited to Christmas dinner in November. Well, throughout November and December, Waitrose are celebrating all of the different moments that symbolise Christmas – whether it’s decorating the Christmas tree, enjoying the first…